PIPCU reveals 10m site diversions to mark World IP Day

A UK police force dedicated to fighting intellectual property crime has revealed it has diverted more than ten million websites that were allegedly infringing copyright to an official warning page.

The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) announced on April 26 that since July last year it has diverted 10.3 million sites that had been used to download music and films.

PIPCU’s announcement tied in with World IP Day, an annual event held by the World Intellectual Property Organization to promote discussion and awareness of IP.

Detective chief inspector Danny Medlycott, head of City of London Police-based PIPCU, said: “Our creative industries produce some of the world’s best music, films and TV; however, criminals are taking advantage of our talent and exploiting their IP for their own financial gain.”

The 10.3 million websites are now diverted to a domain suspension page that shows an official message from the City of London Police and warns the user that the website is under investigation.