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Class (warez)
Encyclopedia
CLASS was a notorious and prolific warez
group that existed between January 1, 1997 and January 9, 2004. The group was the repeated target of federal raids such as Operation Fastlink
. They specialized in cracked
game
s, and sometimes had elaborate art
in the cracktro or release (ie. music
, 3D animation
, logo
designs, etc.). They were a global group and had many members worldwide. Class used their group abbreviation, CLS, as a suffix at the end of the files they released.
This group was involved in a long-standing rivalry with a competing game pirating group known as MYTH
. The two groups released strictly ripped games, as opposed to the CD image content released by groups such as Fairlight
. Games would be split into the base rip, which would have as little content as possible to fully play the game; additional media (usually movies or digital music) would be released as add-ons. For some releases, intro movie add-ons were released as well.
They used advanced compression methods (most notably ACE
) to reduce the size of the required downloads as much as possible; installers were specially crafted to use the abnormally compressed files. Many of their releases included a WAVE Injector/UHARC compression scheme, that decompressed and situated the files into a specific folder. These programs were at the core of their rip operation, as these programs (Wave Injector coded by CLASS/BACKLASH) are vital in decompressing the rips (i.e. games).
CLASS stopped producing as of January 9th, 2004, by releasing an "endtro." This stated that after 1,234 releases they were giving up their "throne."
repeatedly singled out Class and five other warez-related organizations during their Internet piracy sweep known as Operation Fastlink:
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...
group that existed between January 1, 1997 and January 9, 2004. The group was the repeated target of federal raids such as 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...
. They specialized in cracked
Software cracking
Software cracking is the modification of software to remove or disable features which are considered undesirable by the person cracking the software, usually related to protection methods: copy protection, trial/demo version, serial number, hardware key, date checks, CD check or software annoyances...
game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s, and sometimes had elaborate art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
in the cracktro or release (ie. music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, 3D animation
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
, logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
designs, etc.). They were a global group and had many members worldwide. Class used their group abbreviation, CLS, as a suffix at the end of the files they released.
This group was involved in a long-standing rivalry with a competing game pirating group known as MYTH
Myth (warez)
Myth was a warez group, focused on cracking and ripping PC games. Besides ripped games, the group also released trainers and cracked updates for games.-History:Myth was formed in February 2000, in a merger between Origin and Paradigm....
. The two groups released strictly ripped games, as opposed to the CD image content released by groups such as Fairlight
Fairlight (group)
Fairlight is a warez and demo group initially involved in the Commodore demoscene, and in cracking to illegally release games for free, since 1987. In addition to the C64, Fairlight has also migrated towards the Amiga, Super Nintendo and later the PC...
. Games would be split into the base rip, which would have as little content as possible to fully play the game; additional media (usually movies or digital music) would be released as add-ons. For some releases, intro movie add-ons were released as well.
They used advanced compression methods (most notably ACE
ACE (file format)
In computing, ACE is a proprietary data compression archive file format developed by Marcel Lemke, and later bought by e-merge GmbH. The peak of its popularity was 1999—2001, when it provided slightly better compression rates than RAR, which has since become more popular.-WinAce:WinAce, maintained...
) to reduce the size of the required downloads as much as possible; installers were specially crafted to use the abnormally compressed files. Many of their releases included a WAVE Injector/UHARC compression scheme, that decompressed and situated the files into a specific folder. These programs were at the core of their rip operation, as these programs (Wave Injector coded by CLASS/BACKLASH) are vital in decompressing the rips (i.e. games).
CLASS stopped producing as of January 9th, 2004, by releasing an "endtro." This stated that after 1,234 releases they were giving up their "throne."
Quotes
On April 22, 2004, the United States Department of JusticeUnited States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
repeatedly singled out Class and five other warez-related organizations during their Internet piracy sweep known as Operation Fastlink:
-
- Among the groups targeted by Fastlink are well-known organizations such as FairlightFairlight (group)Fairlight is a warez and demo group initially involved in the Commodore demoscene, and in cracking to illegally release games for free, since 1987. In addition to the C64, Fairlight has also migrated towards the Amiga, Super Nintendo and later the PC...
, Kalisto, EchelonEchelon (warez)Echelon is a warez group which specializes in the illegal release and distribution of copyrighted console games, such as Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 ISO images...
, Class and Project X, all of which specialized in pirating computer games, and music release groups such as APCAPOCALYPSE pRODUCTION cREWApocalypse Production Crew was a major MP3 warez organization founded by two individuals known under the pseudonyms acid^rain and Viper in May 1997...
. — Source: United States Department of Justice press release
- Among the groups targeted by Fastlink are well-known organizations such as Fairlight
-
- Operation Fastlink has identified nearly 100 individuals worldwide. Many of them are leaders or high-level members of some of the most prolific international "warez"
[WARES] release groups with names like Fairlight, Kalisto, Echelon, Class and Project X. — Source: Prepared Remarks of United States Attorney General John AshcroftJohn AshcroftJohn David Ashcroft is a United States politician who served as the 79th United States Attorney General, from 2001 until 2005, appointed by President George W. Bush. Ashcroft previously served as the 50th Governor of Missouri and a U.S...
- Operation Fastlink has identified nearly 100 individuals worldwide. Many of them are leaders or high-level members of some of the most prolific international "warez"
See also
- FairlightFairlight (group)Fairlight is a warez and demo group initially involved in the Commodore demoscene, and in cracking to illegally release games for free, since 1987. In addition to the C64, Fairlight has also migrated towards the Amiga, Super Nintendo and later the PC...
- MythMyth (warez)Myth was a warez group, focused on cracking and ripping PC games. Besides ripped games, the group also released trainers and cracked updates for games.-History:Myth was formed in February 2000, in a merger between Origin and Paradigm....
- Razor 1911Razor 1911Razor 1911 is a warez and demo group.-History:The group was originally founded as Razor 2992 by Doctor No, Insane TTM and Sector9 in Norway in October 1985 as a Commodore 64 software cracking group...
- List of warez groups