On ‘Cyber Monday,’ Feds|Shut Down 24 Websites

(CN) - On the biggest online shopping day of the year, dubbed "Cyber Monday," the Justice Department shut down two dozen websites suspected of selling counterfeit goods and copyrighted material, including sports jerseys and DVD box sets.

The seizure is part of "Operation in Our Sites v. 2.0," a crackdown on counterfeit Internet retailers led by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations Office.

The 24 websites allegedly sold phony merchandise from top brands, including the NBA, NFL, Nike, Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Five of the sites are charged with distributing copyrighted media, as part of an ongoing crackdown on "linking" sites that offer links to other sites that host infringing movies and TV shows.

"Trafficking of counterfeit goods and criminal copyright infringement over the Internet is an epidemic, and reportedly results in billions of dollars in losses to the U.S. economy," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. "That translates into lost jobs and real hardships for ordinary working people."

Federal prosecutors said they executed the seizure orders issued by a federal judge in Manhattan.

A total of 82 websites have been issued seizure orders by federal courts across the country. ICE director John Morton said that most of the sites selling counterfeit goods were based in China.

The sites seized on Cyber Monday are: OverBestMall.com, Amoyhy.com, Golfwholesale18.com, Boxset4less.com, Storeofeast.com, DVDsuperdeal.com, Cartoon77.com, Louis-Vuitton-Outlet-Store.com, TheLouisVuittonOutlet.com, LouisVuittonOutletStore4U.com, LouisVuittonOutletStores2U.com, Shawls-Store.com, USAOutlets.net,

ScarfVIPOnSale.com, BurberryOutletShop.com, Silkscarf-Shop.com, CheapScarfShop.com, SilkScarfOnSale.com, Bishoe.com, ICQShoes.com, 51607.com, Stuff-Trade.com, MassNike.com and TVShack.cc.

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