The main game download sites, closed

For some of you this is old news, but for me it was shocking (at least for the closing of the forums).
Here it is:

A judge blocks web Espalzone, ESPALNDS, Espalwii and Espalpsp. Four arrested

"A judge in Cadiz has closed the four main pages of links to games of the Spanish Network. The Civil Guard has arrested four youths and is considering their computers. The detainees have insisted that housed not copy any of the games and that links to pages only contentious sharing networks where users share their copies.

Investigating Court No. 2 of La Linea de la Concepción (Cádiz) yesterday decided to block sites Espalwii, Espalpsp, ESPALNDS and Espalzone, all dedicated to the world of console games. Following a complaint by the Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (FAP) a year ago, the Group of Telematic Crimes Civil Guard began an investigation has ended with the arrest of four people, one in the city of Cadiz, the other in Segovia and two more in Almansa, accused of a crime against intellectual property. The prisoners gave their computers to staff for forensic analysis.

Since the FAP remember that these sites are the most important Spanish-language network for video games. Two of them touched the two million registered users. As with other similar pages devoted to movies or music, links to home exchange programs (eMule or BitTorrent) which redirected to file copies of the games. Owners of web sites insist they do not harbor the games themselves, but the links. Only one of the pages of Spalnds contained but was home programs developed by the users themselves to be played on game consoles Nintendo DS type.

According to the complaint, the owners were making public communication of works over which they have rights, to make them available to others on the Internet. "We believe that this is a crime," says the director of the FAP, José Manuel Tourné. "We hope that the judges also look like this," he adds.

However, judges are not so clear. Many of the cases against alleged links pages before (see support) have been dismissed. The rationale has always been the same: to link to protected files without shelter is not a crime. However, on several occasions, provincial hearings reopened cases while others have confirmed the dismissal.

"We are concerned about this difference of opinion between each other," says Tourné. "We are entitled to a certainty, both rights owners and users, what is legal and what is not," he adds. To him, it is the government has to clear up the confusion. Indeed, the Law of Sustainable Economy, which includes the closure Express these pages by an administrative commission, now entering its parliamentary process.

To Simona Levi, a member of the platform EXGAE and Sustainable Network, is an offensive before the debate in Parliament. "They are resurfacing the voices calling for tough," he says. Also concerned about the way they have conducted the closing. The surgery sites were forums of opinion with almost two million registered users. "There were spaces for information and discussion," he says. The comments are no longer on the Net From the platform to Close Webpage not allege that apart from the legal status of these pages, their closure is depriving the forums participantesde tool of expression." SOURCE: psprelese.com