ACE, The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment shut down a Spanish-language piracy ring in one of its largest actions ever in Latin America. Following the ACE action, the operator agreed to transfer a total of 48 domains.
Also in October, ACE and the Premier League supported a raid in Malaysia by the country’s Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. The retailer, based in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, allegedly sold a range of devices, including SVICloud boxes.
Colombia site ring
ACE targeted a Colombian man in Bogota who had sought to elude scrutiny from rightsholders by splitting infringing traffic across multiple Web sites. ACE identified the most relevant websites and determined that he operated them as well as an array of other, less visited pirate services.
The 48 domains combined received more than 271 million visits over the past two years, with traffic increasing each month. Over the last three months, the ring received on average 16.5 million visits per month.
The top five domains within the operator’s control – poseidonhd.nz, pelis24,se, cuevana.nz, pelisplus2.org, and pelismart.net – each tracked between 1.4 million and 2.2 million visits in September alone. Most traffic originated from Spain (41%), Mexico (14.5%), Argentina (12%), Colombia (6.5%), and Chile (4.5%). All of them now redirect to ACE’s Watch Legally Web site.
Malaysia box sellers
An electronics retailer in Malaysia has been raided by the country’s Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA) for allegedly selling illegal streaming devices, which provided unauthorised access to entertainment and sports content including English Premier League matches. The devices were installed with infringing applications that provided access to film and television content, as well as live sports programs, including Premier League content. In addition to selling such devices via their retail outlet, the retailer is suspected of running an illicit sales operation through multiple online platforms.
On October 15, the Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA) for recent actions it took against the operators of illegal streaming devices. The MDTCA, assisted by ACE, seized more than 600 illegal streaming devices (ISDs), which contained unauthorized copyrighted content, and arrested one person suspected of selling the devices in the city of Johor Bahru.
Further reading
Read the ACE press release: Alliance for Creativity And Entertainment takes down major Spanish-language piracy ring in Colombia, October 25, 2022.
Read the ACE press release: Alliance for Creativity And Entertainment and Premier League take action against seller of illegal streaming devices in Malaysia, October 25, 2022.
Read ACE press release: Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment Applauds Malaysian Seizure of more than 600 illegal streaming devices, October 27, 2022.
Why it matters
ACE has expanded its efforts significantly over the past year, and now has about 40 members. ACE has been establishing partnerships with other anti-piracy organizations such as AVIA, and with regionally-based media companies that include beIN Media and BBC Studios. These collaborations have paid off.
The Premier League and ACE are among the first few organizations to bring enforcement action under Malaysia’s new Copyright (Amendment) Act 2022. The amended Copyright Act strengthens legislation around copyright infringement and empowers authorities to act against those selling illegal streaming devices and illegal website operators.
ACE also partners with the Asia Video Industry Association, which has been highly influential with regulators in Malaysia and in other countries in that region.
