A federal crackdown that shut more than 70 websites last week is the latest sign of an escalating war against counterfeit and pirated products, using legal tactics that may be closely scrutinized by civil-liberties groups.
Domain names of the affected sites—which offered such diverse goods as scarves, golf gear and rap music—were seized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of the Department of Homeland Security, under court-approved warrants.
Owners of copyrights and trademarks commonly use civil procedures to try to stop sales of disputed goods on the Web. A law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, for example, established a procedure under which site owners are required to take down pirated media—such as videos and music—after being notified by the copyright holder. But the rapid proliferation of sites selling pirated goods—many of them from outside the U.S.—has made that process unworkable, some U.S. companies and trade groups say.
ICE’s latest crackdown is based on procedures used in criminal cases, including seizing domains and assets of suspect websites without prior notification of their owners, lawyers tracking the case said.
“It’s time to stop playing games,” said Chris Castle, a Los Angeles attorney who has represented copyright holders as well as technology companies involved in digital music.
Mr. Castle said the ICE’s crackdown has been supported not only by businesses, but also by major labor unions, who say that sales of counterfeit and pirated goods can cost U.S. jobs. He added that judges routinely grant warrants allowing authorities to seize assets of suspected criminals, once law-enforcement officials have presented evidence to support the action.
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