I am sorry but I am not impressed!

2 years of investigation, dozens of agents fully committed, proxy warez dump sites set up by the Feds to trap them, deep group infiltration and a multi-national simultaneous arrest swoops and they kill DoD, a spent force in Warez circles!

Don't get me wrong I applaud any action against the pirates but this is a media hype to justify a very large budget with very limited results.

DoD were famous for releasing Windows 95, 2 weeks before Microsoft did and infamous for their cocked-up release of 3D Studio max R3 (as fauve pointed out) and are "very low level these days" (as Crescent stated).

The Bush administration is "tough" on terrorism as Osama bin Laden is noticing, I wonder if elements in the Administration are trying to capitalise and broaden that public appeal to "Tough on Crime" and "Tough on Warez."

After all there is plenty of kudos to be had with big business if that is the case, and we all (even those of us in Europe) know where George's campaign and the Republicans get funding from!

I can't help but feel cynical about the whole of this as there are hundreds of Warez groups releasing cracked applications, serial numbers and other forms of Software Piracy on a daily basis, not to mention the rank amateurs who buy and pirate Poser stuff by simply uploading Daz, Renderosity, Rederotica and other outlets goods to web storage sites for all to download.

As someone who keeps a close eye on Warez developments this US government initiative is a joke, too little, too late and of no consequence to the pirates.

As for the "Gov't finally cracking down on Warez" you would want to see what little heed the Warez sites are paying to this.
Kill 5 or 10 active groups. prosecute and jail them and publicise it and that will have an effect!

Sadly
STORM