ICE shuts down 70 counterfeit websites

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday it has seized 70 domain names of websites accused of peddling counterfeit products as part of a controversial effort aimed at cracking down on online piracy and counterfeiting.

During the operation, federal law enforcement officers purchased knockoff sports jerseys, baby carriers and luxury goods from the sites. Many of the goods purchased from the sites were shipped from outside the United States.

“The impostor sites were simply a fraud from start to finish and served no purpose other than to defraud and dupe unwary shoppers,” ICE Director John Morton said in a statement about the latest round of seizures, dubbed “Project Copy Cat.”

» via The Hill’s Hillicon Valley