After an investigation that began in 2018, Shanghai Police, in collaboration with police in three other Chinese provinces, arrested 14 people that worked with the operator of the Chinese Web site YYeTs.com to distribute pirate video.
The site was said to provide streaming and download services for more than 20,000 stolen Chinese and international TV programs, valued at RMB16 Million (~US$2.5M) via its Web site and mobile app. The site has more than 8 million users. The pirates also profited by charging fees to members, selling advertising, and by selling hard drives to store the stolen video.
Read the original Xinhua report in People’s Daily (China’s official newspaper)
Read further details in The South China Mornining Post (Hong Kong)
CNN reported on it on March 4 (one month after this article and the initial reports), adding some depth on the culture surrounding sites like this one.
Why it matters
While much piracy is traced to origins in China, news about piracy arrests in that country is infrequent. However, the pattern followed by the pirates, and the collaboration among law enforcement officials is similar to other cases around the world.