Ukrainian Cyber Police Raids OneMov Operator for Copyright Infringement

• OneMov is an international torrent website that allowed access to pirated content.
• The Ukrainian cyber police recently raided the website’s 24-year-old operator.
• The operator allegedly handles a total of 11 websites and may face up to 6 years in prison.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs in Ukraine released an official statement about a cyber police raid that took place against an infamous pirate website operator. Investigators from the Vasylkivsky police department assisted the Ministry in nabbing a 24-year-old man who is behind OneMov and ten other pirate websites.

The Ministry of Affairs revealed in an official statement “In his apartment, the system unit of a personal computer containing an electronic control panel of the site was removed. In addition, a router was found that was used to administer the specified web resource and bank cards, which included funds from advertising on the specified site.”

Websites like OneMov have been active in Ukraine for years, and the country’s piracy problem does not often lead to action from authorities. However, with Universal City studios and a number of other popular entertainment companies filing a legal complaint against the site, the cyber police was forced to take action.

Image Courtesy of Ukrainian Government

Unlike most smaller websites that manage to stay under the radar, OneMov gained an international following which caught Universal City Studios’ eye. An authorized search was carried out, and evidence was found to incriminate the man. Ukraine traditionally doesn’t crack down on piracy and has been criticized for the same. The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has called out the Ukrainian government’s agencies for using pirated software and not taking measures to prevent the rampant piracy in the country.

The authorities believe that the arrested individual is not only linked to OneMov, but he may have been handling ten other pirate websites including MovDB, OneStream and more. The operator will be investigated under the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Part 3, Article 176 - Infringement of Copyright and Related Rights) and can be handed up to a six-year prison sentence.

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