After decades of work, supporting a stated mission to destroy online piracy, rightsholders today understand the enormous task ahead. A few prominent outliers aside, more pragmatic terms to describe ongoing anti-piracy work, may even be gaining traction.

A staple of law enforcement agencies everywhere, ‘disruption’ is perhaps the most accurate term to describe successes in the context of an expansive, oversupplied, yet adaptive piracy market. The term acknowledges hard-fought gains on one hand, yet doesn’t imply permanent damage on the other.

Japan’s manga publishers are engaged in the same fight, but from a starting position where piracy ‘damage’ was effectively almost total. The scale of ‘disruption’ required in this context takes on a whole new dimension.

For years, pirate sites obtained pirated manga, and distributed translated versions to underserved fans in the West to satisfy demand. That exploited and then exploded a market that in relative terms barely existed.

This unique position for manga publishers isn’t simply about limiting how much pirates can bite from existing business, but a fight to be properly compensated as the market leaders, in a market already dominated by their own products.

Unlicensed Distributors, Illegal Competition

Last summer, Japan-based anti-piracy group Authorized Books of Japan (ABJ) revealed that 1,332 pirate sites, most dedicated to manga, were pulling in billions of annual visits. A relatively small number of the sites dominated the market. Of that total, an estimated 294 sites were described as catering to the Japanese market.

As the latest data from ABJ shows that 2024 began well. A series of achievements had led to fewer accesses to pirate sites from inside Japan. After the appearance of multiple large sites in June, it took less than six months to wipe out the gains of the past several years, and beyond that.

Image credit:ABJ [TF translations in bold]

While events like these are not unexpected, it’s not difficult to imagine the effect on morale. Yet, if that’s part of the equation in Japan, there’s no evidence of that in public, nor is there any deviation from the long-term plan.

In the meantime, pressure on pirate sites continues.

Back in Court Once Again

Any pirate site of significance will appear on the radar of CODA , an anti-piracy group affiliated with the MPA . CODA represents the largest manga publishers in Japan – Shueisha, Shogakukan, Kadokawa, and Kodansha (in no particular order) – and when investigations call for new, additional, or potential information, one company is called upon to supply it more than any other.

Cloudflare is used by millions of sites and, any sample that large, will of course contain questionable players. A subset of those sites are some of the largest piracy platforms in the world. Cloudflare’s reasons for allowing them to retain service are well known and remain a point of friction among rightsholders, including those in Japan.

Image credit: CODA/Bunka

Becoming embroiled in the disputes of a relatively small number of users, is the gateway to much more of the same, involving much bigger groups with a diverse range of motivations. As a result, Cloudflare hands over personal information in copyright cases upon receipt of a valid DMCA subpoena.

On January 22, 2025, Shueisha filed a new DMCA subpoena application at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (San Francisco Division). The table at the foot of the article lists the domains for which Shuesiha is requesting a range of identifying information, as follows:

name(s), last known address(es), last known telephone and/or cell phone number(s), any and all email address(es); account number(s); billing information (including, but not limited to, names, telephone number(s), and mailing and billing address(es) of each of all of the payment methods (including, but not limited to, credit cards, bank accounts, and any online payments system), hosting provider(s), server(s), any other contact information and any and all logs of IP address(es), relating to each individual or business entity that operates or owns each of the Infringing URLs, and each individual or business entity that has hosted content, uploaded content, and/or has contracted with others to upload or host content using the Infringing URLs, from any and all sources, including without limitation billing or administrative records with timestamps from the time of the registration of each Infringing URL until the date of this subpoena.

2. All access log information (IP addresses, corresponding port numbers, corresponding dates and times, access type, and corresponding destination IP addresses) relating to each of the Infringing URLs listed below.

In various forms, similar requests have previously targeted linked/similar domains, possibly on two or more occasions.

With an abundance of patience and a massive market to secure, two or twenty more occasions shouldn’t be ruled out. Likewise, the chance of malware infection (or phishing attempt) upon visiting at least one but potentially any of URLs listed below, without checking first .

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

The latest wave of the UK government’s Copyright Infringement Tracker study was expected a year ago. There’s still no indication when it will arrive, or even if it will arrive at all, a shame considering interest generated by previous reports.

That said, the first three weeks of 2025 has seen the publication of other IP-focused reports, including the Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) 2022/23 Report and Accounts and its Innovation and Growth Report 2023/24 .

Neither provide fuel for our reporting niche quite like the Infringement Tracker, but one interesting nugget concerning the funding of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) warranted a closer look.

IPO’s ‘Surplus’ Millions Fund PIPCU

The IPO’s publicatiob notes that BEIS, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, ” can utilize IPO surpluses through taking additional dividends and currently does so to fund other IP related initiatives.”

The report states that the arrangement covers PIPCU’s funding requirements, as shown in the extract below.

While BEIS no longer exists, having been replaced by three new departments in 2023 , PIPCU’s funding arrangement seems unchanged. City of London Police currently lists the IPO as PIPCU’s funding provider, with an annual figure of £2,053,000.

Whether that figure covers all operational costs is unclear. PIPCU launched in 2013 with annual funding of £2.56 million, with an increase to £3.39 million reported in 2019. Since City of London Police can generate income through commercial partnerships, charging for services, and recovery through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), additional funding may be available from elsewhere ( pdf ) .

With fraud online now at record highs, City of London Police as a whole is clearly busy. On the IP crime front lines specifically, PIPCU may be busier that its intermittent press releases seem to suggest.

PIPCU Fights Fraud First, Pirates Handled Later

Details of some PIPCU activities appear in several official reports; the National Lead Force Performance Report, and the Economic & Cyber Crime Committee’s Communications & Strategic Engagement report, for example.

From the volumes reported, tackling online scams and insurance fraud consumes significant resources at City of London Police. At least in public reporting, tackling online piracy seems to receive less attention. However, when police engage the public on issues that include piracy, a dedicated social media team monitors for engagement and the results are reported accordingly.

One example featured an appearance in the media, which aimed to highlight the dangers of illegal streaming in support of a “partner agency.”

“DCI Gary Robinson was quoted in ITV News, Independent, Express, The Sun, Mirror, Daily Star, Daily Mail, Metro, LADbible and several others after [City of London Police] contributed to a partner agency’s press announcement on the risks associated with using illegal streaming services,” a Communications & Strategic Engagement update notes.

The ‘partner agency’ goes unnamed but ‘Federation Against Copyright Theft’ seems a perfect fit for the scenario. It may also go some way towards explaining the sudden and massive interest in piracy over the past couple of years, much of it on display in the publications mentioned above.

Police Authority Board – Commissioner’s Update Reports

A subsequent Commissioner’s Update Report reveals significant action against a pirate IPTV provider. While there are similarities with reported events, we can’t be 100% sure which case this refers to, and the same goes for the other cases mentioned below. There’s no doubting their importance, however.

“The team took down a very large Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) provider alongside partners at Sky TV. This was one of the UK’s biggest illegal streaming operations,” the statement reads.

“Losses to the TV broadcaster will be counted in the millions of pounds. Over two operations there have been three arrests and large data capacity servers seized.”

A similar update three months later notes that “PIPCU attended a EUROPOL conference in Romania to discuss joint Investigations/operations against criminal activities concerning IPTV” and other illegal streaming.

“PIPCU advised on how European law enforcement authorities can enhance their response against the threat of illegal television streaming networks and to identify and tackle Organized Crime Groups behind this criminality.”

Further Updates on Pirate IPTV Cases

Subsequent reports provide additional information on what appears to be the same case. There’s no additional information available beyond the following quotes, but the combination of details sound very familiar.

“[The case is an] investigation into illegal IPTV streaming involving the top tier, which includes a father and son and an in- law. Similarly, the suspected benefit figure runs over £4m with a restraint order of £1.68m. There are 86 accounts so far identified.”

“Op Talos – Very large Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) illegal TV streaming and money laundering – Final restraint figure now confirmed at £1.6m, this is the biggest restraint in PIPCU’s 10 year history”

In addition to [Op]eration Talos, PIPCU also mentioned [Op]eration Delaware, which reportedly targeted what was “believed to be the UK’s largest Illegal streaming service causing losses to the industry of £17 million a year.”

This illegal TV network “had millions of global users,” the report concludes.

In another PIPCU case, the restraint and confiscation of £186,182, relating to the sale of ‘counterfeit IPTV set-top boxes’, sits among others in the shade of the cases detailed above. Nevertheless, it still carries value as a potential source of additional funding, on top of any surplus cash supplied by the Intellectual Property Office.

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Internet infrastructure company Cloudflare provides a range of connectivity and security services to millions of customers around the globe.

In addition to Fortune 500 companies and governments across various continents, the American company also provides its services to pirate sites.

In recent years, rightsholders have urged Cloudflare to take a more proactive stance against piracy. Their primary concern is that Cloudflare ‘hides’ the true hosting location of pirate sites, making enforcement actions more cumbersome.

Cloudflare takes a neutral stance, but it does cooperate in certain circumstances. The company has a process in place to disclose hosting information with eligible rightsholders, for example, and will also share details of allegedly pirating customers in response to DMCA subpoenas.

As far as we know, Cloudflare has not terminated any customers solely based on copyright holder complaints. This frustrated Italian broadcaster RTI up to the point where it decided to go to court.

RTI Sued Cloudflare over Pirate Site

April this year, RTI filed a complaint at the Court of Rome in an attempt to compel Cloudflare to take action against ‘Guardaserie’, a site that offers access to pirated TV streams. Guardaserie is already blocked by Italian ISPs, but it continues to operate and repeatedly switches to new domains to evade blocking actions.

Through the court, RTI wants Cloudflare to cease providing its services to Guardaserie and block all associated domain names. In addition, the broadcaster wants Cloudflare to reveal all information it holds that could help to identify the operator or operators.

RTI informed the court that Cloudflare took no action in response to a cease and desist letter it sent earlier this year. According to the broadcaster, it is nonetheless undisputed that Guardaserie offers pirated content, which was backed up by an external report by the company SP Tech.

Cloudflare did not appear in court or present a defense against the allegations, but that didn’t stop the court from taking the matter forward.

Court Deems Cloudflare Liable

After reviewing the evidence, the Court of Rome agreed that the targeted website infringes Italian copyright law and that Cloudflare can be held liable due to its failure to respond to complaints.

According to the Court, Cloudflare’s inaction makes it harder for rightsholders to identify and block pirate sites.

“With respect to those infringements, it appears prima facie that the company Cloudflare inc. is a responsible intermediary pursuant to Article 156 of the Italian Copyright Law,” the decision reads.

“It provided services aimed at preventing the identification of the portals and the location of the servers of their owners, as well as technical support services to the portals, without taking any action to end those activities despite the cease and desist letter sent to it by the counterparty.”

Court: Disconnect, Block, and Identify Guardaserie

The Court of Rome ruled in favor of RTI and ordered Cloudflare to immediately cease providing services to Guardaserie. It further required Cloudflare to disclose any identifying account information connected to the operators of the infringing domains.

Guardaserie is a Cloudflare customer so, technically, domains should become unavailable through its services when the associated account is terminated. However, the court additionally orders Cloudflare to ‘block’ Guardaserie domain names.

And it doesn’t stop there.

The domain blocking order applies to all existing domain names, but also to domains that are registered in the future to bypass blocking measures. When RTI reports future domains to Cloudflare, these should be blocked as well.

“[The court] orders the blocking of said domain names that associate a different top-level domain with the same second level domain, burdening Cloudflare Inc. with notification to RTI of any additional names activated by Cloudflare accounts,” the order reads.

Cloudflare’s Stance

The Court of Rome’s order was issued late May but, as far as we know, hasn’t been publicly discussed until today. Cloudflare hasn’t mentioned it so far, and the company didn’t immediately respond to our request for comment.

At the time of writing, it appears that guardaserie.biz is still using Cloudflare’s nameservers that currently redirect to guardaserie.school. This new domain also uses Cloudflare nameservers.

Guardaserie.school leads to a partly broken website with missing content and a malware warning from Google, so the operators may have moved on by now. There are other domains using the Guardaserie brand that are still functional.

It’s possible that Cloudflare appealed the preliminary order, which could explain the apparent inaction, but we have no information to confirm that.

The Court of Rome’s order includes a penalty clause of €1,000 per day if Cloudflare doesn’t comply, so ignoring the order without proper cause could potentially come at a cost.

This is not the first time Cloudflare has faced legal action in Italy. The company was previously ordered to block pirate site domains though its 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver . It complied with this order by implementing a geo-block that only affects Italian users. An Italian court also ordered Cloudflare to terminate accounts of pirate customers in the past.

—

A copy of the Court of Rome’s order against Cloudflare is available here (pdf)

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

TorrentGalaxy has had its fair share of issues over the past few months.

In June, many users feared that the site had thrown in the towel, displaying only a cryptic message that read “4ever?” to visitors. This came as a surprise, even to the site’s top staffers, who had no clue what was going on.

The site eventually returned as if nothing ever happened and resumed its operations. The purpose of the downtime was never clarified and most people forgot about it until the site went offline again in September with another cryptic message.

With the rumor mill in full swing, claims from ‘moderators’ about the site’s demise started to circulate. However, those turned out to be unfounded as the site made yet another comeback after a few days .

Meanwhile, users began noticing occasional technical issues with the site, including periods of downtime such as today. Visitors to the site currently see the following message: (site’s back on October 18)

“Site is temporarily unavailable due to automated maintenance or some mook spilling coffee in the wrong places.”

These recurring issues are unusual for TorrentGalaxy which never suffered from long stints of downtime in previous years. So, why is this happening now?

‘New Owners’

After speaking to several sources, we can now offer some broader context. Apparently, the site has changed owners recently. The initial ‘maintenance’ was presumably part of this handover and could also play a role in other recent issues.

TorrentFreak spoke to one of the TorrentGalaxy’s original founders, who confirmed the change of ownership. We tried to get in touch with the new operators to hear their side of the story, but they haven’t replied.

Takeovers of pirate sites are not uncommon, but given TorrentGalaxy’s community-driven history, this is a noteworthy event.

Finding out more details about the takeover appears impossible, however. The co-founder we spoke to claims not to have been involved in selling the site and the person who was in charge of the sale can’t be reached.

How it All Began

While we don’t know where the site is heading under its new owners, the co-founder did provide some more background on how TorrentGalaxy got started. That, by itself, is a story worth sharing.

The co-founder prefers to remain anonymous, so here we refer to them using the fictitious nickname “Genesis”. For the record, what follows is the account of one person and should be interpreted as such.

The origin story takes us back to late 2017, when ExtraTorrent had just shut down . At the time, Genesis came up with the idea to start a new torrent site. A developer was approached to code it from scratch, but the end result wasn’t satisfactory, so that initial project stranded.

During this time, many former ExtraTorrent members stayed connected, often using the chatbox of another popular torrent site, 1337x. When Genesis shared their plans for a new torrent site there, “Cameron” (another pseudonym), also a former ExtraTorrent user, offered assistance.

Both founders brought something essential to the table. Cameron had plenty of coding experience and took care of all the technical aspects. Meanwhile, Genesis helped out with the finances until the site could sustain itself though advertisements.

Within months, an idea born in a chatbox became TorrentGalaxy, which quickly built a thriving community. In just a few years, ‘TGx’ grew into one of the largest torrent sites, serving millions of visitors each month.

It was already public knowledge that former ExtraTorrent members founded the site, but this backstory adds some more color. What began as a simple chatbox conversation, triggered a transformation worthy of ‘ notorious pirate site status ‘, and the associated legal pressure that comes with it.

The reason for the site’s sale remains unknown. We understand that Genesis and Cameron are no longer in contact. Perhaps they prefer to leave the past behind, regardless of TorrentGalaxy’s future.

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

As the financial stakes increase and rightsholders become increasingly desperate to suppress piracy, the nature of information delivered to the media demands scrutiny like never before.

Almost all major announcements are geared to elicit a prescribed response, as part of an overall strategy to shape public opinion while delivering on various policy goals.

Claims in Italy, that the Piracy Shield system would virtually eliminate piracy, might’ve just been misplaced optimism. Perhaps claims of error-free operation can be dismissed in much the same way, along with assurances that companies like Cloudflare would be compelled to link to the Piracy Shield system, but legally could not .

Deterrent Messaging and the Pirate Subscriber

To this background and what appears to be plentiful supply of pirate IPTV services still operating in the Italian market, consumers are under the spotlight. People who subscribe to pirate IPTV services are being warned that every use of pirated content contributes to a trail of evidence that leads right to their door and ends in significant fines.

Despite the introduction of new law in August 2023, complete with a new system of fines for consumers of pirated live streams, it appears that no fines of up to 5,000 euros have actually been issued since then.

What effect that may have had on deterrence is hard to quantify but in March 2024, the public received reminders that fines were on the way, even for those who downloaded apps from legal marketplaces operated by Google, Apple, and Amazon.

AGCOM said that an agreement had been reached between the regulator, Italy’s financial police (Guardia di Finanza) and the Prosecutor’s Office in Rome, to facilitate the identification of users. While that turned out to be somewhat premature since nothing had actually been signed, fining pirates is now reportedly close to reality.

Memorandum of Understanding

The “collaboration protocol” between the Prosecutor’s Office, the Guardia di Finanza, and AGCOM, smooths the way for the exchange of information relating to individuals suspected of obtaining subscription-based live sports streams (for now, mostly football) from illegal sources.

“This is a fundamental step in the fight against piracy,” commented Luigi De Siervo, CEO of Italy’s top football league, Serie A, during a YouTube broadcast this week.

“Finally, thanks to the protocol signed by AGCOM with the Guardia di Finanza and the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office, the identification data of the users of the pezzotto [illegal streaming devices] will be made available to the judicial authorities.”

The nature of that data, where and how it was obtained, and how it meshes together to prove that an individual consumed an illegal IPTV stream (or purchased a subscription), is currently unknown. Nevertheless, the prospects of almost limitless success are not being undersold; the messaging suggests that resistance is futile and automatic fines are on the way.

“Every illegal use of video content leaves an indelible digital Ariadne’s thread that will allow law enforcement to prosecute pirates who will automatically be fined up to 5,000 euros. No one can think of continuing to steal content illegally and get away with it,” De Siervo said.

Suggestions that highly advanced systems and new techniques are being used to track IPTV subscribers are certainly interesting, but more mundane methods can be just as effective.

All Things Are Possible But Low-Hanging Fruit Works Too

Even when restrained by limited funding, red tape, and a thousand other types of crimes to investigate, tracking down enough pirate IPTV subscribers to demonstrate a crackdown would be straightforward for law enforcement. Put bluntly, there’s a subset of pirate IPTV subscribers that are completely oblivious or dismissive of the risks.

A database of IPTV subscribers seen by TorrentFreak a few years ago, obtained by the authorities as part of a company investigation, revealed a surprising number of subscribers who opened accounts using their real names, home addresses and telephone numbers. Some of those who used apparently fictitious names, went on to settle their invoices with PayPal accounts registered in their own names at their home addresses.

Based on the assumption that law enforcement resources are limited, and all subscribers have the same basic value, prosecuting those who make the task easy makes complete sense. Given the number of services shut down in Italy in recent years, examples like the above should be in plentiful supply. Even if the authorities wanted to prosecute offenses committed in the past year, that would be very straightforward too.

After targeting a reseller with lacking security, police often gain access to the reseller’s panel and by extension, a subscriber list.

In theory, any customer is a potential target but eliminating any one-off or accidental purchases can be easily achieved by focusing on regular customers who subscribe month after month. Depending on the level of proof required for prosecution, something to show a subscribers’ intent might come in handy as additional evidence.

The chances of at least some subscribers providing their real names are pretty high, so finding corresponding social media accounts should be very easy indeed. In the event that subscribers use those accounts to chat about IPTV piracy or even buy subscriptions as members of an IPTV service’s group, Minority Report-style investigations are unlikely to prove necessary.

That being said, there has been no indication of the scale of prosecutions the authorities have in mind so more significant action can’t yet be ruled out. Even then, the authorities can’t prosecute everyone, but for the desired deterrent effect, they don’t actually need to.

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

For years, Fmovies presented a major threat to Hollywood, one that seemed near impossible to defeat.

The site’s operators were linked to dozens of popular pirate sites, generating billions of visits annually.

While MPA’s anti-piracy flagship ACE tied the operation to Vietnam early on, effectively shutting it down took years. In addition to gathering intelligence, Hollywood’s diplomatic powers were required to force a breakthrough.

This summer, these efforts paid off handsomely. After the main Fmovies site fell apart in July , related streaming portals including Bflix, Aniwave, and Zorox fell like dominoes in the weeks after.

Taking Down The Mothership

The combined traffic of these platforms arguably makes the takedown operation the largest of its kind, ever. So, understandably, MPA and ACE took credit for helping the Vietnamese authorities achieve this feat.

MPA CEO Charles Rivkin, for example, noted that anti-piracy efforts are bigger and bolder than before, equating Fmovies to the piracy “mothership”.

“We took down the mothership here,” Rivkin told Variety last month. “There was a time when piracy was Whac-a-Mole… Today, we go after piracy at its root,” he said at the time.

Rivkin didn’t exaggerate the size or impact of the takedown. The Fmovies wreckage included dozens of high-profile streaming portals including Vidsrc.to, a popular video hosting platform used by many third-party sites.

“Vidsrc.to, a notorious video hosting provider operated by the same suspects was also taken down, impacting hundreds of additional dedicated piracy sites,” ACE reported last month.

Pirate Empire Strikes Back?

MPA and ACE were rightfully proud of their accomplishments but when dealing with pirates, new threats can emerge out of the blue. That’s precisely what’s happening this week, as Vidsrc.to has made a surprise comeback.

While the video hosting site looks the same as before, there are no obvious signs that the Fmovies team is behind it. Instead, the videos appear to be sourced from an unrelated competitor, Vidsrc.me.

Apparently, these new people managed to get their hands on this valuable domain name, using it to further the interests of another fleet of pirate streaming sites. And more domains may follow the same path.

Vidsrc.to Auctioned Off

Traditionally, when the MPA and ACE shut down sites, associated domain names are redirected to its “ Watch Legally ” page. In some cases domains expire and are not necessarily renewed.

According to domain records, Vidsrc.to expired in July. Information received by TorrentFreak suggests that it was picked up by an unknown party, and sold through Namecheap for several hundred dollars a few days ago.

From there the domain’s new owner brought the site back to its full glory. We can’t confirm who’s behind the comeback, but Vidsrc.to uses a video player from its former competitor, Vidscr.me.

More Loose Ends

TorrentFreak reached out to the MPA, seeking a comment on this comeback and the lack of a more permanent domain seizure, but we didn’t immediately hear back. The organization still has control over some older ‘pirate’ domains, including Hotfile and IsoHunt , but it appears the same doesn’t apply to these recent actions.

Vidsrc.to is not the only pirate site domain that’s available for purchase, however. Looking through Namecheap’s listings we also see that Tinyzone.tv can be purchased for $3,911 . This site reportedly had ties to Vietnam too, and was taken down by ACE last November.

The same applies to ev01.net. That movie streaming site domain briefly redirected to the ACE website. It eventually expired and can be purchased through Namecheap for those who can afford $13,911.

These loose ends can cause trouble in the future, but whether anyone will pick that domain up seems doubtful. The ev01.net domain previously redirected to ev01.to, which remains online today, and still uses the ev01.net branding.

All in all, it is clear that these domain-related loose ends can be a source of trouble. MPA and ACE may have taken down the mothership, but the piracy galaxy doesn’t appear to rely on a single Star Destroyer.

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Last December when the MPA and other rightsholders renewed calls for site-blocking measures to be implemented in the United States, much of the focus was placed on Fmovies.

Before its recent sudden demise , Fmovies was considered the world’s largest illegal movie and TV show streaming site, yet some lawmakers in attendance at last year’s hearing had never heard of it before.

Fewer still would’ve heard of pirate IPTV service Magis TV, but for the MPA and enforcement coalition Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, Magis TV is the source of a persistent headache for which there’s currently no cure.

China and Latin America

According to the MPA, Magis TV is believed to operate out of China. Its focus is on the Latin American market where millions consume content mostly via the platform’s ubiquitous, subscription-based Android app.

Cybersecurity firm ESET has linked the popular app to malware and botnets, but that doesn’t appear to have had any negative effect on Magis TV’s continued popularity.

Indeed, despite being under significant pressure from anti-piracy measures across the entire region, limiting Magis TV’s ability to operate has proven quite the challenge.

An order published in Argentina dated September 13, 2024, reveals that the country’s Internet Service Providers are now required to block dozens of Magis TV-linked domains for violating intellectual property law.

Telecoms body ENACOM is responsible for arranging the blocks

The original order in Spanish (translation above) runs to four pages, most of which list Magis TV-linked domains. As screenshots of those domains shows, there’s no obvious design consistency, which suggests that whoever operates them have received no specific instructions from the owners of the IPTV service.

Chaotic, perhaps usefully so

Some domains on the list claim to offer services to those considering becoming a reseller, so at least in theory they may have closer links to the service itself. In other cases, site operators may not have any direct connections beyond buying subscription credits at one price and then selling them on at another. That’s not to downplay their importance, but it does highlight the difficulties when it comes to enforcement.

In total, 69 domains (full list below) must be blocked to ensure they’re inaccessible from Argentinian territory but how effective that will be at limiting access to the service remains to be seen.

ACE Has Already Seized or Shut Down as Many Domains

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment has been working on the Magis TV problem for at least a couple of years. In the summer of 2022, a series of DMCA subpoenas targeting dozens of illegal streaming sites aimed to unmask their operators, including whoever is behind Magis TV.

In November that same year, another subpoena sought information from Zenlayer. Whether any, all, or none of these efforts bore fruit is unknown, but ACE soon started to take possession or exercise some type of control over dozens of domains with links to Magis TV. As is usually the case, many began diverting to the ACE anti-piracy portal.

Quietly commandeered, no official announcement from ACE

The lack of an official announcement to celebrate such a big haul was somewhat unusual. However, it seems likely that having assessed the situation, ACE may have concluded that the seizures wouldn’t provide the clean kill the coalition is known for.

The true scale of the problem hasn’t been revealed in public but an ACE report seen by TorrentFreak suggests a continent-wide problem.

Focused on piracy in Latin America, the report reveals that by the end of 2023, the anti-piracy coalition had taken down around 50 Magis TV websites in the region. Starting in Chile and heading north, up through Peru, into Ecuador, then Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and finally back on home turf in the United States, sites were systematically taken down.

The only issue, albeit quite a significant one, is that ACE concluded that Magis TV and/or its affiliates, including an unknown number of resellers, were together operating over 370 websites.

Inevitable Site-Blocking

Ecuador has been blocking pirate sites since 2019 and earlier this year it began blocking Magis TV .

In August, ISPs in Ecuador added a further 183 Magis TV-linked IP addresses to the existing blocklist, followed by a dynamic blocking order last week, which allows a rightsholder to add new blocking targets without a court intervention.

As the image below shows (right), Ecuador has also managed to place warnings directly on the screens of pirates watching illegal streams, while Bolivia (left) issued direct warnings as far back as July 2022.

Limited blocking also takes place in Peru (magis-tv.app, magstv.com, tvmagis.com, magistv.news, magistv-app.net) and other countries in the region. But with domains both cheap and easy to replace, pirates at the consumer end of what is effectively a pyramid sales operation, will always be one step ahead.

ACE has been keeping up the pressure by obtaining new DMCA subpoenas in March and June 2024 , so presumably intends to tackle this problem by taking out those at the top.

If they are indeed based in China, that’s unlikely to be straightforward; yet, with enough patience and the right leverage , nothing is impossible.

The domains listed for blocking in the Argentinian order read as follows:

magistv-la.com, magistv.net, tvmagis.pro, magistv-app.net, magistv.video, magistvplus.com, magistv.app, tvmagis.com, magistvonline.com, magis123.com, magistv.film, magistvoficial.net, magistviptv.com, magistv.live, magistvlatin.com, magistvlatino.es, fullmagistv.com, magistvv.com – redirects to > tvsnipers.com, magistv-ecuador.com, magistv.agency, soportemagistv.com, panelmagistv.com, magistvstream.net, magistvmas.com, magistv-venezuela.com, comprarmagistv.app, magistv.ai, descarga-magistv.com, magispro.com, magistvgo.com, magislatamtv.net, magistvecuador.app, magistvinternational.com, magiscr.org, magistv.mx, magistvmexico.net, oficialmagistv.com, magistv.so – redirects to > magistv.film, magistvapk.app – redirects to> magis-tv.vip, comprarmagistv.com, magistvmex.com, magisapp.app, magistvperu.org, magistvusa.net, magistvoficial.com, magistv-app.net, renovarmagistv.net, panelmagistv.net, magistvgratis.com, magistvpty.com, getmagistv.com, magistve.com, magistvoficial.org, magistvpc.com, magistv.la, magistv.club, tvmagis.pro, magistv.stream, magis.com.ec, magistvtv.com, planesmagistv.com, magistvpremium.com, magistv-latino.net, magistvhn.com, magistvplus.com.co, magisapk.com, magis-cr.com, magistvoficialchile.com, magistvapp.app

To our knowledge, ACE has shut down at minimum the following domains:

magistvgroup.com, magistv.global, magistv.org.pe, magistvnicaragua.com, magistvperu.com, magistvusa.com, magistvapk.com, magistvecuador.com, magistvlatino.app, magistvdemo.com, magistvargentina.com, magistvrepublicadominicana.com, magistvchile.com, magistvpanama.com, magistvfacil.com, magistvbrasil.com, magisglobal.net, magistvcostarica.com, magistvpuertorico.com, magistvmexico.com, magistvuruguay.com, magistvglobal.com, magistvoficial.vip, magistvparaguay.com, magistvbolivia.com, magistvcolombia.com, bolivia.magistvgroup.com, cuba.magistvgroup.com, colombia.magistvgroup.com, argentina.magistvgroup.com, magistvfull.com, magistv.biz, magistv.services, magistv.solutions, magistv.fyi, magistv.us, magistvoficial.online, magistv.group, magistv.social, magistvoficial.digital, magist.vg, magistvvenezuela.com, magistv.es, magistvglobal.co, magistv.place, magistvrepublishedadomenica.com, magistv.store, magistv.asia, magistvoficial.services, magistv.life, magistvoficial.info

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

In 2021, Germany joined a growing list of countries that have institutionalized pirate site blocking schemes in place.

Several large ISPs teamed up with copyright holders and launched the “Clearing Body for Copyright on the Internet” ( CUII ), which is responsible for handing down blocking ‘orders’.

While CUII doesn’t rely on court judgments, there is some form of oversight. When copyright holders report a pirate site for consideration, a review committee first checks whether the domain is indeed linked to a website that structurally infringes copyrights.

What Sites are Blocked?

If a website overwhelmingly hosts or links to pirated material, the site can be nominated for a blocklist entry. This can apply to torrent sites, streaming portals, and direct download hubs, as long as piracy is front and center.

Germany does not publish an official overview of the domain names subject to blocking. While decisions are made public and often mention the target ‘site’ by name, domain names, URLs, and even the requesting rightsholders’ names, are all redacted.

Redacted versions of the blocking recommendations are published on the CUII portal and a few days ago, a new one was added to the growing list. While it doesn’t mention any specific domains the name of the site, TotalSportek, is repeatedly referenced.

TotalSportek Blocked

This new addition matches with fresh data from the third-party blocking transparency portal CUIIliste , which reports that totalsportek.pro and www.totalsportek.pro were blocked a few days ago. The same also applies to soccerstreams.football.

TotalSportek is a well-known pirate sports streaming service. The website has been blocked previously in France and Kenya , for example, and was reported to the US Trade Representative as a ‘ notorious ‘ piracy portal.

CUII concludes that the site is indeed “structurally infringing” so the blocking measures, requested by an unnamed sports rightsholder, are granted.

“The request for a recommendation to block the website TOTALSPORTEK is justified. The website is a structurally copyright infringing website (SUW). There is a clear violation of copyright. The blocking is reasonable and proportionate,” CUII writes.

The recommendation mentions that TotalSportek is not specifically targeted at a German audience. However, it does offer content that’s predominantly of interest to Germans, including German language streams.

Ticking the Boxes

Before a site can be blocked, rightsholders have to pursue other options to take the site offline. Here, the rightsholder hired a private investigator to contact the site directly and track down various intermediaries including the domain registrars and the hosting party, but without the desired result.

“The host provider was contacted via an email address in the period from ***** to ***** notified and on ***** from ***** received a legal warning. The notifications and the legal warning did not lead to an end to the violations by the SUW or the identification of its operators.

“Any further action against the host provider has no prospect of success. The company ***** identified as the host provider does not respond to warnings,” CUII adds.

Similar attempts to get information from TLS certificate providers, domain registrars, and a CDN service didn’t yield any results either.

Blocked Domains

According to the third-party CUIIListe site, whose reports are unverified, totalsportek.pro and soccerstreams.football are included in the new blocking round. That said, the recommendation may include more domain names, which have yet to be picked up by the monitoring site.

For example, CUII’s recommendation mention a ‘mirror’ and a ‘redirect’ domain. The redirect could be soccerstreams.football, which currently links to streameast.best. However, this StreamEast copy is not listed among the blocked domains itself.

If the blocking targets are clarified we will update this article accordingly. Overall, however, it’s clear that Germany intends to steadily expand its pirate site blocking efforts.

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A copy of CUII’s latest blocking recommendation is available here (pdf) . Since 2021, the authority has issued 22 blocking orders, targeting hundreds of (sub)domains.

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Music piracy has been around for decades and there are no signs that it will disappear anytime soon.

While legitimate subscription streaming services are commonplace today, some people prefer to download or rip music instead; particularly people with limited financial means. That’s a problem for labels and music publishers alike.

According to the RIAA, the U.S. economy loses billions of dollars annually due to piracy. This estimate is difficult to prove, of course, but ‘lost’ revenues are not the only concern. Specialized pirate sites and services frequently feature pre-release leaks too.

These leaks frustrate labels and artists and not just for financial reasons. Many musicians work months if not years on their tracks; seeing these being paraded on pirate sites, before their official release, stings.

Warner’s World-class Anti-Piracy Unit

Warner Music Group is well aware of the leak vulnerability. The company has taken action against various piracy threats in the past and, outside the public eye, the music company is building a dedicated anti-piracy unit.

The unit in question is not mentioned on Warner’s official site, but it did appear in a recent job offering, where Warner Music is looking for an Anti-Piracy/Content Protection coordinator.

“We’re looking for someone who thrives on searching the depths of the internet to find when and where unreleased music first pops up. We want someone to help our artists maintain control of their release plans.”

“This person will be the next piece in building a world-class anti-piracy unit,” Warner Music adds.

To find out more about the scope and goals of this team, we reached out to Warner Music directly. However, the company didn’t immediately respond to our inquiry. Luckily, the job description itself provides some more background.

Tracing Leaks & Spotting Pirates

The anti-piracy coordinator role is quite broad. It involves protecting digital and physical releases as well as merchandise. These protection efforts are in part guided by release schedules. After all, new releases have the most value, and deserve stellar protection.

Within releases there is also a priority ranking. The anti-piracy coordinator is expected to communicate these high-priority releases with third-party anti-piracy services, so these can tailor their takedown efforts accordingly.

The position also requires some familiarity with piracy services, and accompanying research capabilities. It involves managing leak alerts, as well as discovering new piracy platforms and services that pose a threat.

The job offering provides the following examples of typical work that the anti-piracy coordinator has to carry out.

– Monitor and protect all forms of Warner Music Group’s intellectual property
– Work with our label partners on priority release schedules
– Coordinate priority releases on a weekly basis with third-party anti-piracy services
– Receive and create leak alerts for infringing uploads
– Discover new platforms that infringe on WMG’s intellectual property
– Contribute to a growing team of global content protection specialists

Artificial intelligence isn’t mentioned once. That makes sense, as it’s not typically associated with piracy, but more with general copyright infringement, which is likely handled by the broader legal department.

Requirements

The job application provides a rough idea of what the anti-piracy unit does, but it’s likely just a fraction of its full scope. The required skills for the job don’t give away anything either and are quite mundane.

Candidates need a “strong attention to detail”, “work well independently”, have “excellent written and oral communication skills” and comfort with Word, Excel and PowerPoint-type software. A college degree and some anti-piracy experience would be a bonus.

For anyone interested, the job listing is still open and can be accessed through Warner Music Group’s official website.

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.