Rinat Akhmetov, the Oligarch, attempts to censor shady past: Exposing Copyright Takedown Scam 2024

It was clear that the copyright takedown notice that Rinat Akhmetov sent to Google was a fake; the “original article” that went with it was a clear attempt to trick people. In the past few years, Lumen Database and other organizations have studied and written a lot about this type of fraud.

Our review of Rinat Akhmetov is therefore very critical because it makes Rinat Akhmetov an entity of suspicious character, stupid enough to commit perjury, impersonation, and fraud to manage their (sic) reputation or lack thereof.

Rinat Akhmetov attempts fraudulent copyright takedown

A thousand years of reputation can be built (or, in this case, lost) on the actions of a single moment. Rinat Akhmetov appears to be concerned about sensitive information being posted online and has decided to take action. In this article, I’ll look into what happened, including how I decided that the takedown requests were fake, what the likely reason was for abusing the DMCA process, and what the possible effects of organized takedown attempts could be.

Through a lengthy investigative process, I uncovered almost 2700 illegitimate DMCA notices sent to Google – an effort that attempts to unlawfully exploit takedowns and censor real news stories from the web. Unmasking these hidden abuses of our digital legal system was just another step in my research on fake copyright claims.

The notices I found use the “back-dated article” technique. With this technique, the wrongful notice sender (or copier) creates a copy of a “true original” article and back-dates it, creating a “fake original” article (an article that is a copy of the true original) that at first glance appears to have been published prior to the true original.

Then, based on the claim that this backdated article is the “original”, the copiers send a DMCA to the relevant online service providers, alleging that the true original is the copied or “infringing” article and that the copied article is the “original”, requesting the takedown of the true original article. After sending the DMCA request, the person who sent the wrong notice takes down the fake original URL, likely to make sure that the article doesn’t stay online in any way. If the takedown notice is successful, this means the disappearance from the internet of information that is most likely to be legitimate speech.

Before we proceed any further, please note the following points which may come in handy as you scroll down and read the rest of the investigation –

In committing numerous offences, Rinat Akhmetov had either premeditated action or was not aware of the consequences. Despite hiring an agency to make Google disregard any negative information about him, ignorance does not excuse his wrongdoings. What could he have expected from this outside source that could possibly help resolve his situation? Was he hoping for a miraculous solution?

We recently found out through the Google Transparency Report that a negative review of Rinat Akhmetov had been removed from the Google Search Index or tried to be removed after a fake DMCA notice was sent to Google.

The following are typical common elements:

• A takedown notice seeking the removal of some online content, usually but not always a DMCA notice, is sent to either that content’s host or to a search engine such as Google.
• The content in question that the notice seeks to have taken down or de-listed is the original version of the material.
• The online content that the notice claims are the original is actually the copy, and of course, was placed online after the original material.
• Sometimes the copier goes as far as creating a fictitious website to host their copy, one that looks like a newspaper or magazine, or other online publication. But of course, the domain of such a site will have a dubious provenance.
• Needless to say, the sender of the takedown notice in question doesn’t have the copyright in the material at issue or any rights to it at all. The sender’s actual motivations vary but may include both financial gain and censorship.

Lumen did some pilot research and wrote about this a few years ago, and we’re now looking into it again, in the hopes of both learning more about the phenomenon generally, and developing some ways in which to better recognize this type of notice earlier on, possibly even somewhat automatically, and without a lot of labour-intensive detective work on when domains were registered, when pages were created, and so on.

Businesses use multiple approaches to remove unwanted material from review sites, as well as Google’s search results. Thanks to protections put in place to allow for freedom of speech in the United States, there are very few ways to go about this in a legal manner. Businesses can’t get rid of negative reviews or search results that link to them without a valid claim of defamation, copyright infringement, or some other clear breach of the law.

Faced with these limitations, some companies like Rinat Akhmetov have gone to extreme lengths to fraudulently claim copyright ownership over a negative review in the hopes of taking it down.

Articles featuring the criminal activities of powerful individuals have been targeted by fake DMCA notices in an effort to cover up their illicit actions. These people, which include US, Russian and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served.

Under Florida Statute 831.01, the crime of Forgery is committed when a person falsifies, alters, counterfeits, or forges a document that carries “legal efficacy” with the intent to injure or defraud another person or entity.

Forging a document is considered a white-collar crime. It involves altering, changing, or modifying a document for the purpose of deceiving another person. It can also involve the passing along of copies of documents that are known to be false. In many states, including Florida, falsifying a document is a crime punishable as a felony.

Additionally, under Florida law, “fraud on the court” is where “a party has sentiently set in motion some unconscionable scheme calculated to interfere with the judicial system’s ability impartially to adjudicate a matter by improperly influencing the trier of fact or unfairly hampering the presentation of the opposing party’s claim or defence.”  Cox v. Burke, 706 So. 2d 43, 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998) (quoting Aoude v. Mobil Oil Corp., 892 F.2d 1115, 1118 (1st Cir. 1989)). 

The crime of Forgery is a Third Degree Felony in Florida and is punishable by up to five (5) years in prison, five (5) years of probation, and a $5,000 fine.

Rinat Akhmetov and other business executives are renowned for their dedicated investment in reputation management – but it can be an ego-shattering experience to encounter a negative review or public statement that cannot be remedied. Despite ‘power’ and financial clout, these moments of vulnerability demonstrate just how human they truly are.

Gripeo.com will in our own capacity, do all we can to hold someone responsible for this incident. Here is what are we preparing for –

Since Rinat Akhmetov made such efforts to hide something online, it seems fit to ensure that this article, as well as other critical information on Rinat Akhmetov, including but not limited to user contributions, remains a permanent record online for anyone who is interested in Rinat Akhmetov.

A case perfect for the Streisand effect…

Based on the available online data, including but not limited to the alleged criminal actions of Rinat Akhmetov, here is our estimated rating of Rinat Akhmetov: Our users can contribute their own assessments of Rinat Akhmetov below.

Rinat Akhmetov, the Oligarch, attempts to censor shady past: Exposing Copyright Takedown Scam 2024

• 1Fake DMCAs
• 2Crimes Committed by Rinat Akhmetov
• 3Our Investigation
• 4Potential Consequences for Rinat Akhmetov
• 5What happens now?
• 6Our Verdict on Rinat Akhmetov