Suspected movie pirate's N.C. home raided

MORGANTON, N.C., June 22 (UPI) -- North Carolina authorities raided the home and business of a man suspected of illegally providing movies and other materials for Internet downloads.

The North Carolina Secretary of State Anti-Counterfeit Trademark Task Force searched the Morganton, N.C., home and workplace of Charles Harbison, known on the internet as "dr^strangelove." Harbison is accused of using an Internet Relay Chat system called the Underground Information Chat Network to illegally provide thousands of movies, music files, video games and other copyrighted material to members of his network.

The search team seized items including Harbison's laptop computer, computer equipment satellite boxes, satellite access cards and pirated movies.

"Even sophisticated online pirate operations like the one headed by dr^strangelove can and will be detected and investigated," said John Malcolm, senior vice president of Worldwide Anti-Piracy for the MPAA. "Peddling movies illegally is a prescription for punishment, and the 'doctor' ought to have known better."