ITALIAN POLICE SMASH MAJOR PIRACY NETWORK WITH 900,000 USERS

Italian authorities have dismantled a large-scale digital piracy network in an operation coordinated by prosecutors in Catania, resulting in eight arrests and exposing more than 900,000 users nationwide.

The blitz, codenamed Gotha 2, was carried out by the Catania Public Prosecutor’s Office alongside the Postal Police and national cybersecurity teams. It targeted a highly structured organisation accused of distributing illegal IPTV services, reselling access to protected platforms, and committing large-scale computer fraud. The suspects, based in provinces including Catania, Siracusa, Rome and Brescia, have been placed under house arrest.

Investigators estimate the network generated around €10 million in annual profits, with damages to rights holders exceeding €30 million. Authorities believe the action disrupted up to 70% of illegal streaming traffic in Italy, affecting services including DAZN, Sky, Mediaset, Netflix and Prime Video.

Prosecutors have signalled that attention will now also turn to end users, whose identities were traced during the investigation. Those who purchased “pezzotto” subscriptions could face civil or criminal proceedings as the authorities seek to quantify damages and dismantle the consumer base.

The crackdown highlights the industrial scale of piracy in Italy, where organised groups of “masters”, “admins” and “resellers” operate nationwide. It also reflects the growing determination of rights holders and law enforcement to push enforcement beyond providers and towards consumers themselves.

Source: broadbandtvnews.com