By Henri Paget
ninemsn
Panic has hit local web pirates sharing copies of gangland drama Underbelly after revelations the country's anti-piracy watchdog will crack down on illegal distributions.
Two major Australian video-sharing networks were shut down for 24 hours and almost 10,000 members had their accounts deleted after a ninemsn report revealed the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) was investigating their websites.
The members-only networks came under increased focus from the AFACT after users began sharing pirated copies of the first episode of the Nine Network's Underbelly.
The drama is banned in Victoria due to concerns it could prejudice a murder trial in that state.
Several "cappers" — users who record and upload pirated videos to the website — have gone offline amid fears they could now be the target of legal action.
"I think everyone in Australia who is a capper will be nervous," a member of the network wrote in a secret members-only chat room conversation obtained by ninemsn.
"How the hell did they gain access to this place? What are the chances of a narc being in this room right now?" wrote another member of the pirate website, which investigators suspect is run by Australians but hosted in Spain.
The AFACT is expected to deliver a report about the illegal online trading of Underbelly to Victorian Police.
The Nine Network is also considering legal action after conducting its own investigation.
Probes into downloads of the Nine Network show have also shed new light on the internet's elite illegal file sharing underworld, where Underbelly is just one of dozens of local television and sport programs available for quick viewing.
Programs such as Home and Away, Big Brother, Neighbours and The Biggest Loser as well as cricket and AFL matches are uploaded to the members-only section of video-sharing websites.
But the attention generated by Underbelly has left some in doubt as to whether operations will proceed as usual.
"The Neighbours capper was gonna return last night … but got real paranoid when both sites went down," a member of one of the websites wrote.
"Funny that this one TV show could be the downfall of some torrent sites, yet the downloading of box office movies … is going on (relatively) unnoticed," another member wrote.
But AFACT operations director Neil Gane said Underbelly is just one of many copyrighted programs being shared on sites that his organisation is investigating.
The Victorian Supreme Court issued a suppression order preventing the series from being screened in Victoria until after the conclusion of an upcoming murder trial involving Victoria's notorious gangland.
People caught uploading clips from Underbelly could face both copyright and contempt of court charges.
"The Victorian Police are now recognising it as a very profitable crime," said Mr Gane.
"They will continue to target and take action against large distributors of movie and TV shows."
Victorian Police are waiting either for a report from the AFACT or a decision from the Department of Public Prosecutions before pursuing the matter, a spokeswoman said.
The special two-episode broadcast Underbelly on Wednesday night attracted almost 1.5 million viewers at its peak, but missed as many as 1 million Victorian viewers due to the ban.
"I'm still downloading Underbelly," said one user of an Australian file-sharing website.
"And the hype is just making me want to see it even more, lol ... Makes wonder if it isn't all just some twisted publicity stunt."
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