Class (pirating group): Difference between revisions
Connor Behan (talk | contribs) m →Quotes: - rm piracy |
Ondertitel (talk | contribs) reference added + more body |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{multiple issues| |
{{multiple issues| |
||
{{ref improve|date=September 2012}} |
{{ref improve|date=September 2012}} |
||
{{ |
{{original research|date=September 2012}} |
||
{{notability|Companies|date=April 2015}} |
|||
{{primary sources|date=April 2015}} |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
{{Infobox organization |
{{Infobox organization |
||
| name = CLASS |
| name = CLASS |
||
| image = CLASS.NFO.png |
| image = CLASS.NFO.png |
||
| image_border = |
|||
| size = 180px |
| size = 180px |
||
| alt = <!-- alt text; see [[WP:ALT]] --> |
| alt = <!-- alt text; see [[WP:ALT]] --> |
||
| caption = CLASS [[ASCII art]] [[.nfo|NFO]] header by Antibody/[[Superior Art Creations|SAC]]/DF2. |
| caption = CLASS [[ASCII art]] [[.nfo|NFO]] header by Antibody/[[Superior Art Creations|SAC]]/DF2. |
||
| map = <!-- optional --> |
|||
| msize = <!-- map size, optional, default 250px --> |
|||
| malt = <!-- map alt text --> |
|||
| mcaption = <!-- optional --> |
|||
| map2 = |
|||
| abbreviation = |
|||
| motto = |
|||
| predecessor = |
|||
| successor = |
|||
| formation = 1997 |
| formation = 1997 |
||
| extinction = 2004<ref name="retirement">{{cite web |title=The.End.Officially.Retiring-CLASS |url=http://scenenotice.org/details.php?id=1468 |date=2004-01-09 |author=CLASS}}</ref> |
|||
| type = <!-- [[Governmental organization|GO]], [[Non-governmental organization|NGO]], [[Intergovernmental organization|IGO]], [[International nongovernmental organization|INGO]], etc --> |
|||
| status = |
|||
| purpose = [[Warez]] |
| purpose = [[Warez]] |
||
| headquarters = |
|||
| location = |
|||
| coords = <!-- Coordinates of location using a coordinates template --> |
|||
| region_served = |
|||
| membership = |
|||
| language = <!-- official languages --> |
|||
| general = <!-- Secretary General --> |
|||
| leader_title = Origin |
|||
| leader_name = |
|||
| leader_title2 = Platforms |
|||
| leader_name2 = [[Personal computer|PC]] |
|||
| leader_title3 = Founders |
|||
| leader_name3 = |
|||
| leader_title4 = Products |
|||
| leader_name4 = |
|||
| key_people = |
|||
| main_organ = <!-- gral. assembly, board of directors, etc --> |
|||
| parent_organization = <!-- if one --> |
|||
| affiliations = |
|||
| budget = |
|||
| num_staff = |
|||
| num_volunteers = |
|||
| website = |
|||
| remarks = |
|||
| former name = |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
'''CLASS''' ('''CLS''') was a notorious and prolific [[warez group]] that existed between January 1, 1997 and January 9, 2004.<ref>{{cite book |author=Hitzler, R., Niederbacher, A. |title=Leben in Szenen: Formen Juveniler Vergemeinschaftung Heute |trans_title=Living in Scenes. Forms of Youth Communities |language=German |year=2010 |publisher=VS Verlag fur Sozialwissenschaften GmbH |isbn=9783531925325 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GNsdBAAAQBAJ}}</ref> The group was the target of federal raids such as [[Operation Fastlink]]. They specialized in [[software cracking|cracked]] [[game]]s, and sometimes had elaborate [[art]] in the [[cracktro]] or release (i.e. [[music]], [[3D computer graphics|3D animation]], [[logo]] designs, etc.). They were a global group and had many members worldwide. Class used their group abbreviation, ''CLS'', as a suffix at the end of the files they released. |
|||
'''CLASS''' ('''CLS''') was a [[warez]] group that existed between January 1, 1997 and January 9, 2004. The group was the target of federal raids such as [[Operation Fastlink]]. |
|||
This group was involved in a long-standing rivalry with a competing game pirating group known as [[Myth (warez)|MYTH]]. The two groups released strictly ripped games, as opposed to the CD image content released by groups such as [[Fairlight (group)|Fairlight]]. Games would be split into the base rip, which would have as little content as possible to fully play the game; additional media (usually movies or digital music) would be released as add-ons. For some releases, intro movie add-ons were released as well. |
|||
They used advanced compression methods (most notably [[ACE (file format)|ACE]]) to reduce the size of the required downloads as much as possible; installers were specially crafted to use the abnormally compressed files. Many of their releases included a WAVE Injector/UHARC compression scheme, that decompressed and situated the files into a specific folder. These programs were at the core of their rip operation, as these programs (Wave Injector coded by CLASS/BACKLASH) are vital in decompressing the rips (i.e. games). |
|||
CLASS stopped producing as of January 9, 2004, by releasing an "endtro." This stated that after 1,234 releases they were giving up their "throne."<ref name="retirement"/> |
|||
==Quotes== |
==Quotes== |
||
| Line 24: | Line 66: | ||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
* [[List of warez groups]] |
* [[List of warez groups]] |
||
* [[Warez scene]] |
|||
==References== |
|||
{{reflist}} |
|||
==External links== |
|||
* [http://www.defacto2.net/organisation/class CLASS file and information repository] on Defacto2 |
|||
* [http://www.pouet.net/groups.php?which=1588 An incomplete collection of cracktros released by CLASS] indexed on [[Pouet]] |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
[[Category:Warez groups]] |
[[Category:Warez groups]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
[[Category:Organizations disestablished in 2004]] |
[[Category:Organizations disestablished in 2004]] |
||
Revision as of 15:42, 4 January 2017
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
 | |
| Formation | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Warez |
Platforms | PC |
CLASS (CLS) was a notorious and prolific warez group that existed between January 1, 1997 and January 9, 2004.[2] The group was the target of federal raids such as Operation Fastlink. They specialized in cracked games, and sometimes had elaborate art in the cracktro or release (i.e. music, 3D animation, logo designs, etc.). They were a global group and had many members worldwide. Class used their group abbreviation, CLS, as a suffix at the end of the files they released.
This group was involved in a long-standing rivalry with a competing game pirating group known as MYTH. The two groups released strictly ripped games, as opposed to the CD image content released by groups such as Fairlight. Games would be split into the base rip, which would have as little content as possible to fully play the game; additional media (usually movies or digital music) would be released as add-ons. For some releases, intro movie add-ons were released as well.
They used advanced compression methods (most notably ACE) to reduce the size of the required downloads as much as possible; installers were specially crafted to use the abnormally compressed files. Many of their releases included a WAVE Injector/UHARC compression scheme, that decompressed and situated the files into a specific folder. These programs were at the core of their rip operation, as these programs (Wave Injector coded by CLASS/BACKLASH) are vital in decompressing the rips (i.e. games).
CLASS stopped producing as of January 9, 2004, by releasing an "endtro." This stated that after 1,234 releases they were giving up their "throne."[1]
Quotes
On April 22, 2004, the United States Department of Justice repeatedly singled out Class and five other warez-related organizations during their sweep against Internet copyright infringement known as Operation Fastlink:
- Among the groups targeted by Fastlink are well-known organizations such as Fairlight, Kalisto, Echelon, Class and Project X, all of which specialized in pirating computer games, and music release groups such as APC. — Source: United States Department of Justice press release
- Operation Fastlink has identified nearly 100 individuals worldwide. Many of them are leaders or high-level members of some of the most prolific international "warez" [WARES] release groups with names like Fairlight, Kalisto, Echelon, Class and Project X. — Source: Prepared Remarks of United States Attorney General John Ashcroft
See also
References
- ^ a b CLASS (2004-01-09). "The.End.Officially.Retiring-CLASS".
- ^ Hitzler, R., Niederbacher, A. (2010). Leben in Szenen: Formen Juveniler Vergemeinschaftung Heute (in German). VS Verlag fur Sozialwissenschaften GmbH. ISBN 9783531925325.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
- CLASS file and information repository on Defacto2
- An incomplete collection of cracktros released by CLASS indexed on Pouet