Internet pirate movie operation closed down

Spanish police said today they have shut down a website that allowed users to download pirated movies and arrested the four men who created it.

The association representing Spain’s recording industry estimated that the website, which appeared to have been shut down today, attracted nearly 11.2 million visitors between its launch in February 2004 and May this year, police said. That gave its owners an opportunity to raise “substantial” sums in advertising revenue, police said.