FBI busts piracy net

San Jose Merc: FBI sting busts piracy net.

Warez groups are described as being run like a kind of co-op, with every member having some responsibility for keeping the enterprise going. Warez is pronounced ``wares'' and comes from the word ``software,'' according to the Internet dictionary Wikipedia. It is used to describe groups trading copyrighted material. Once a term confined to the computer underground, it has become more commonplace in recent years.

The hierarchy includes ``founders'' or ``leaders'' who form the group and scout for new members; ``scriptors'' who build the site; and site operators who take over the day-to-day running of it. ``Equipment suppliers'' provide the hardware for the site -- the role apparently played by undercover agents in the sting. ``Suppliers'' provide the pirated material. ``Encoders'' devise methods for circumventing copyright protection, and ``couriers'' gather it and put it on the site. Users obtained free unauthorized access to software or bartered for it on the sites, according to the affidavit.