German authorities have blocked access to usenetrevolution.info - a file-sharing site with around 27,000 members that is believed to have caused millions of euros in losses.

During the raids which took place across Gernmany on Wednesday and Thursday, the apartments of 42 suspects were searched and the servers in the suspects' homes were shut down, the attorney general's office in Frankfurt said on Friday.

Pirated copies of films, music, computer games, software and e-books which were distributed via the German-language portal were also blocked in the crackdown. Authorities moreover confiscated numerous computers, data carriers and network technologies.

Investigators believe a 49-year-old man from Hesse is one of the prime operators of the platform. The rest of the suspects are between the ages of 23 and 72, according to a police report.

A total of 27,000 members had recently downloaded illegal content from usenetrevolution.info.

The public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt reports that copyright owners are expected to have incurred losses of at least €2.9 million ($3.4 million).