I wonder if the racketeering law (RICO) could be applied to organized content theft? RICO is a very powerful law.
"Despite its harsh provisions, a RICO-related charge is considered easy to prove in court, as it focuses on patterns of behavior as opposed to criminal acts.[2]"
Maybe civil RICO is a possibility...
"There is also a provision for private parties to sue. A "person damaged in his business or property" can sue one or more "racketeers." The plaintiff must prove the existence of a "criminal enterprise." The defendant(s) are not the enterprise; in other words, the defendant(s) and the enterprise are not one and the same. There must be one of four specified relationships between the defendant(s) and the enterprise. A civil RICO action, like many lawsuits based on federal law, can be filed in state or federal court. [1]"
Do numerous alleged instances of theft qualify as predicate acts..? Dunno, I'd love to hear a lawyer's opinion on this.
Some basic info on RICO here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rackete...anizations_Act