Changes

There are few cases in which websites seized by the ICE have fought back. Dajaz1.com, a hip-hop website, was wrongfully seized by the ICE for copyright. The ICE had postponed the case multiple times while awaiting information from the RIAA, which never came.<ref name="arstechnica">[http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/08/government-goes-0-2-admits-defeat-in-rojadirecta-domain-forfeit-case/ Government admits defeat, gives back seized Rojadirecta domains], ArsTechnica.com. Published 29 August 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.</ref> It was discovered that the ICE had listed infringing songs which had actually been supplied to the website directly from musicians and labels. More than a year since the initial seizure, the website was returned; ICE spokesman Ross Feinstein told Ars Technica that "the government concluded that the appropriate and just result was to decline to pursue judicial forfeiture."<ref>[http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2011/12/ice-admits-months-long-seizure-of-music-blog-was-a-mistake/ ICE admits year-long seizure of music blog was a mistake], ArsTechnica.com. Published 8 December 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2012.</ref>

There are few cases in which websites seized by the ICE have fought back. Dajaz1.com, a hip-hop website, was wrongfully seized by the ICE for copyright. The ICE had postponed the case multiple times while awaiting information from the RIAA, which never came.<ref name="arstechnica">[http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/08/government-goes-0-2-admits-defeat-in-rojadirecta-domain-forfeit-case/ Government admits defeat, gives back seized Rojadirecta domains], ArsTechnica.com. Published 29 August 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.</ref> It was discovered that the ICE had listed infringing songs which had actually been supplied to the website directly from musicians and labels. More than a year since the initial seizure, the website was returned; ICE spokesman Ross Feinstein told Ars Technica that "the government concluded that the appropriate and just result was to decline to pursue judicial forfeiture."<ref>[http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2011/12/ice-admits-months-long-seizure-of-music-blog-was-a-mistake/ ICE admits year-long seizure of music blog was a mistake], ArsTechnica.com. Published 8 December 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2012.</ref>

In August 2011, the Spanish TV download website RojaDirecta had its .com and .org domains seized despite the fact that Spanish courts had ruled its services as legal.<ref name="icequiz">[http://domainincite.com/10311-congressmen-quiz-ice-over-domain-seizures Congressmen quiz ICE over domain seizures], DomainIncite.com. Published 3 September 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.</ref> It was eventually returned after the company, Puerto 80, hired US lawyers to assert that the seizure had been illegal, as the website was full of user-generated content and the law covered only direct infringement, and not the linking of videos. Its attorneys also argued that a complete seizure left the company without a chance to properly defend itself.<ref name="arstechnica"></ref> A federal judge did not rule the loss of the domain names as a "substantial hardship", as the business retained control of its servers and switched to alternate domain names like rojadirecta.me and rojadirecta.es.<ref>[http://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2011/08/judge-says-domain-name-loss-is-not-a-substantial-hardship/ Judge says domain name loss is not a "substantial hardship"], ArsTechnica. Published 5 August 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2012.</ref> The case was dropped by the US government on August 29th, 2012, "as a result of certain recent judicial authority involving issues germane to the above-captioned action" and "in light of the particular circumstances of this litigation."<ref name="arstechnica"></ref>

In August 2011, the Spanish TV download website RojaDirecta had its [[.com]] and [[.org]] domains seized despite the fact that Spanish courts had ruled its services as legal.<ref name="icequiz">[http://domainincite.com/10311-congressmen-quiz-ice-over-domain-seizures Congressmen quiz ICE over domain seizures], DomainIncite.com. Published 3 September 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.</ref> It was eventually returned after the company, Puerto 80, hired US lawyers to assert that the seizure had been illegal, as the website was full of user-generated content and the law covered only direct infringement, and not the linking of videos. Its attorneys also argued that a complete seizure left the company without a chance to properly defend itself.<ref name="arstechnica"></ref> A federal judge did not rule the loss of the domain names as a "substantial hardship", as the business retained control of its servers and switched to alternate domain names like rojadirecta.me and rojadirecta.es.<ref>[http://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2011/08/judge-says-domain-name-loss-is-not-a-substantial-hardship/ Judge says domain name loss is not a "substantial hardship"], ArsTechnica. Published 5 August 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2012.</ref> The case was dropped by the US government on August 29th, 2012, "as a result of certain recent judicial authority involving issues germane to the above-captioned action" and "in light of the particular circumstances of this litigation."<ref name="arstechnica"></ref>

==References==

==References==

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