SOME people loved Kickass Torrents. The network of websites, after all, let them watch some of Hollywood blockbusters for free – even when they were still being shown in cinemas.

Often known as KAT, Kickass was one of a generation of “torrent” sites, essentially online directories of pirated or bootlegged movies, video games and music tracks.

READ MORE: The Scots firm at the heart of $1bn theft

Its content, across different websites and 28 languages, may have been free to users. But it came at a price to the industry it was robbing. And, thanks to online advertising, it was astonishingly lucrative.

Back in July, when the Ukrainian man believed to be behind KAT, Artyom Vaulin – a baby-faced 30-year-old known as “Tirm” online – was arrested, US authorities were clear they were not prosecuting a victimless crime.

“Copyright infringement exacts a large toll, a very human one, on the artists and businesses whose livelihood hinges on their creative inventions,” said federal prosecutor Zachary Fardon. “Vaulin allegedly used the internet to cause enormous harm.”

American investigators believe KAT peddled stolen goods worth $1billion. Income in a single year, they say, totalled $14 million. As always, they followed the money.

READ MORE: The Scots firm at the heart of $1bn theft

This took them to firms registered in Britain, one crucial one in Scotland, and bank accounts in Latvia. This is a familiar pattern. Want to move cash? Buy an off-the-shelf firm in a respectable jurisdiction, such as Scotland, and use it to open a bank account in Latvia.

A certain kind of Scottish company, a limited partnership or SLP, is popular for such purposes. Why? Because it has legal personality, so can be used to open a bank account, and it can have secret owners.

The US has been putting diplomatic pressure on Latvia over what some see as the light-touch regulation of its banking sector.

Latvian banks have recently been receiving substantial fines for failing to meet anti-money-laundering regulations.

But will America and other countries start asking why the UK is providing the “brass plates”, the shell companies, that are used to open Latvian bank accounts?

READ MORE: The Scots firm at the heart of $1bn theft

Roger Mullin, an SNP MP, believes Scotland and the UK’s reputation is on the line. Last month he asked Chancellor Philip Hammond to discuss the reserved matter. There has been no response. Mr Mullin said: “It is unacceptable the Chancellor as not responded to my request of September 26 for an urgent meeting on SLPs. We cannot allow large-scale international criminality to infect our legal and business operations in Scotland.”