Intellectual Property Law

A website distributing a Firefox browser add-on that installs a "download 4 free" button on Amazon.com merchandise pages has been taken down allegedly under the threat of litigation.

The button links to the same merchandise being searched on Amazon and redirects to the illicit torrent-tracking service, The Pirate Bay, where the merchandise can be downloaded for free if available. But the Pirates-of-the-Amazon.com site turned off shortly after its Wednesday introduction and announcement by TorrentFreak.

"We had to take the website offline 'cause of Amazon lawyers," said the coding group allegedly behind the site in an e-mail to Threat Level. 

The e-mail's authenticity could not be independently verified, but the site is no longer working. A message on the URL says, "The Ship was hit. We?re offline."

Amazon, the world's largest online retailer based in Seattle, did not respond to repeated requests for comment during the busy holiday shopping season.

The coders behind the add-on site told TorrentFreak on Wednesday they were not affiliated with The Pirate Bay, which has some 25 million users and is the world's largest torrent-tracking service facing legal action in Sweden, where its admins reside.

"This artistic project addresses the topic of current media distribution models vs. current culture and technical possibilities," the coders said.

While the website hosting the add-on is down, the add-on is still available via TorrentFreak.

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