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On January 19, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced an indictment charging seven individuals and two corporations with operating an international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for enormous worldwide online piracy of various types of copyrighted works, through Megaupload.com and other related sites. The DOJ alleges that the enterprise generated more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and caused more than half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners.1
1 U.S. Department of Justice, Justice Department Charges Leaders of Megaupload with Widespread Online Copyright Infringement, Press Release, Jan. 19, 2012; U.S. v. Megaupload Ltd., E.D. Va., No. 1:12CR3.