THOUSANDS OF WEBSITES TAKEN DOWN FOR ILLEGAL WORLD CUP STREAMS
According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), nearly 3,000 websites were blocked or seized for illegally streaming World Cup matches.
In the US alone, more than 1,000 domains were blocked during the tournament, with a similar number also blocked in Colombia. Law enforcement agencies in the US and across South America carried out this operation as part of investigations known as ‘Operation Offsides’ and ‘Operation Red Card’.
Ivan J. Arvelo, director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre (NIPRCC), stated that the unauthorised streaming of World Cup matches infringes intellectual property rights and “supports criminal organisations”.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced at the end of last month that it had taken down 400 websites in connection with the illegal streaming of the World Cup. Hundreds more have now been taken down or blocked. “The ongoing efforts to seize more than a thousand domains used for the illegal streaming of the World Cup confirm the government’s commitment to enforcing intellectual property rights and ensuring the success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” said A. Tysen Duva, Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the DOJ. Enforcement of these measures is primarily overseen by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a federal agency of which the NIPRCC forms part.
Illegal broadcasting of sporting events often takes place via websites or sites created specifically for a given event. Companies and broadcasters estimatethat this activity costs them billions of dollars annually.
Given its global popularity, football is, according to analysts, pirated on an “industrial scale”. The rising cost of broadcasting rights contracts for matches has led to higher prices for fans at home, particularly if they choose to pay for multiple services to watch their team’s matches. This has led some fans to turn to illegal streams of major matches to avoid these costs.
Charles Rivkin, chairman of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) – an organisation focused on combating digital piracy which assisted with the police operation – said on Monday that the World Cup is “the sort of global live event that pirate networks are quick to exploit for their own gain”.
The crackdown on illegal streaming was also supported by FIFA, which organises the World Cup, as well as beIN Media Group, NBC Universal, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Warner Brothers.
A large proportion of FIFA’s revenue comes from the sale of broadcasting rights to various global media networks wishing to broadcast the matches on television. Neither FIFA nor the other media organisations responded immediately to requests for comment.
The Colombian Attorney General’s Office stated that it had even made several arrests in connection with these operations.
Four members of the so-called ‘cybercrime group’ Los Ciberinfiltrados were arrested for allegedly illegally obtaining and distributing access to World Cup matches. A further 830 websites were also blocked in Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and the Dominican Republic.
In addition to illegal streaming, the Colombian police carried out “nationwide search and seizure operations” targeting counterfeit sportswear.
The Ministry of Justice stated that 11 people had been arrested and convicted in the country for the illegal manufacture and distribution of counterfeit sports goods.
Source: bbc.com
