In a symbolic, and perhaps ironic, sign of protest against anti-piracy lobbies, the activist group Operation Payback targeted the United Kingdom's Intellectual Property Office, knocking its site offline.

The UK IPO is a branch of the British government that deals with the protection and implementation of intellectual property rights. As of Tuesday, the site remained out of operation. However, a brief note claimed the site is currently running on limited services and will resume operation in due time.

Monday, the group targeted a copyright information site affiliated with the Motion Picture Association of America, forcing visitors to be redirected to the Pirate Bay website.

An open letter from the group proclaimed its intent and motivation for such attacks. "You are forcing our hand by ignoring the voice of the people," the letter reads. "In doing so, you bring the destruction of your iron grip of information ever closer. You have ignored the people, attacked the people and lied to the people. For this, you will be held accountable before the people, and you will be punished by them."

The fiery, self-righteous tone of the missive contrasts the devastation intellectual property theft has brought to various global industries. Just last week, Iain Lobban, director of British Government Communications Headquarters, warned of a "real and credible" security threat to private information worldwide. To combat the looming threat, governments and private enterprises have begun adopting an increasing number of anti-piracy security measures.