APOCALYPSE pRODUCTION cREW
Encyclopedia
Apocalypse Production Crew (styled as aPOCALYPSE pRODUCTION cREW or aPC) was a major MP3
warez
organization founded by two individuals known under the pseudonym
s acid^rain and Viper in May 1997. aPC operated well into the mid 2000s and was subject to raid during Operation Fastlink
—a coordination of four separate simultaneous undercover investigations
by the FBI, the FBI Cyber
Division, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) of the Criminal Division and Interpol
. aPC was known to many as the first organized group to put mp3s onto the internet. Their efforts predated the scene and started with composing midi versions of popular songs.
On August 21, 2003, Mark Shumaker (known by the pseudonym markalso), pleaded guilty to violating copyright laws
and became the first federal criminal prosecution of someone who specialized in music piracy after having been raided in Operation Buccaneer
. Shumaker was previously a leader of aPC, but at the time of the raid, he had retired his role. No members of aPC were raided as a part of Operation Buccaneer
. They would five years later, however, be raided in Operation Fastlink
which caused the disbanding of the group.
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
warez
Warez
Warez refers primarily to copyrighted works distributed without fees or royalties, and may be traded, in general violation of copyright law. The term generally refers to unauthorized releases by organized groups, as opposed to file sharing between friends or large groups of people with similar...
organization founded by two individuals known under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s acid^rain and Viper in May 1997. aPC operated well into the mid 2000s and was subject to raid during Operation Fastlink
Operation Fastlink
Operation FastLink is a coordination of four separate, simultaneous undercover investigations by the FBI, the FBI Cyber Division, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division and Interpol. The four different investigations have not...
—a coordination of four separate simultaneous undercover investigations
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
by the FBI, the FBI Cyber
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.The term "cyberspace" was first used by the cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson, though the concept was described somewhat earlier, for example in the Vernor Vinge short story "True...
Division, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) of the Criminal Division and Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
. aPC was known to many as the first organized group to put mp3s onto the internet. Their efforts predated the scene and started with composing midi versions of popular songs.
On August 21, 2003, Mark Shumaker (known by the pseudonym markalso), pleaded guilty to violating copyright laws
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
and became the first federal criminal prosecution of someone who specialized in music piracy after having been raided in Operation Buccaneer
Operation Buccaneer
On December 11, 2001, in an international operation known as Operation Buccaneer, law enforcement agents in six countries targeted 62 people suspected of software piracy, with leads in twenty other countries.U.S...
. Shumaker was previously a leader of aPC, but at the time of the raid, he had retired his role. No members of aPC were raided as a part of Operation Buccaneer
Operation Buccaneer
On December 11, 2001, in an international operation known as Operation Buccaneer, law enforcement agents in six countries targeted 62 people suspected of software piracy, with leads in twenty other countries.U.S...
. They would five years later, however, be raided in Operation Fastlink
Operation Fastlink
Operation FastLink is a coordination of four separate, simultaneous undercover investigations by the FBI, the FBI Cyber Division, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division and Interpol. The four different investigations have not...
which caused the disbanding of the group.