You are browsing the archives of 2007 November.

The Czech Republic and the Central European region is dealing with the spread of Crystal Meth.
From the International Herald Tribune:
The methamphetamine epidemic is not just a scourge of the American heartland. It has a powerful foothold here in the heart of Central Europe. Home meth labs are sprouting up all over the country to [...]

Slate has an article regarding the rise in streaming videos as a vehicle to watch pirated movies.
As the MPAA has focused on BitTorrent downloading, however, a newer, more popular kind of piracy method has come along. BitTorrent is out. Streaming video is in.

Writer Dan Morrell reports that the delivery method of streaming videos allows viewers to [...]

The Washington Post is reporting that insurgents in Iraq are becoming more interested in profit making than in political ideology.
U.S. military commanders say that insurgents across the country are increasingly motivated more by money than ideology and that a growing number of insurgent cells, struggling to pay recruits, are turning to gangster-style racketeering operations.
U.S. military [...]

As the US dollars continues its fall to historic lows, one industry is losing its profit margins as the Canadian dollars gains in strength.
For years, backpacks crammed with cash have slipped north into Canada, followed closely by hockey bags packed with premium marijuana skating south into Montana.
A favorable exchange rate (not long ago, one American [...]

Reuters reports on the growing popularity of peer-to-peer websites in South Korea that allows subscribers to download movies or television episodes.
User-generated content sites such as “ipop” (www.ipop.co.kr) have clubs where users can pay by the download or pony up monthly subscription fees of about 10,000 won to 20,000 won ($11 to $22) that will let [...]

The Christian Science Monitor has an opinion piece by John K. Cooley that provides an overview of the counterfeiting of US currency by North Korea.
Back in 1976, Pyongyang purchased from a specialized Swiss firm a sophisticated intaglio (high-pressure) press for printing currency. At the time, it was identical to the presses used by the [...]

Russian officials are using the cover of software enforcement to raid and seize the computers of groups that are in opposition to the current regime.
From the Washington Post:
In multiple police raids against such groups, authorities are ostensibly targeting the alleged use of counterfeit software. Western governments and companies have long urged action against the widespread [...]

The Times of India reports “The Hindi film industry is said to make Rs 5,500 crore a year, of which 27% is lost to piracy.”
Based on these figures, Havocscope is currently listing the movie piracy impact to India at $378 Million.
Calculations:
5,500 crore = 55 Billion Rupees
55 Billion Rupees = $1.4 Billion Dollars (based on 11/16 [...]

The Economist has an article on the continued growth of the tunnels in the Gaza strip.
Once a secretive and dangerous industry, smuggling has become open, even respectable. As recently as last year, Israeli jets would destroy any sites suspected of housing tunnels, but now the smugglers are working in clear view of Egyptian border [...]

Luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. is currently suing online auction site eBay for failing to stop the sale of counterfeit Tiffany jewelry on its website.
In its opening statements, eBay’s lawyer Bruce Rich argued that eBay takes the threat of counterfeit goods seriously.

The company spends $10 million a year on its anticounterfeiting efforts, Mr. Rich said. [...]