In September 2025, Egyptian authorities and the MPA’s Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) announced the shut-down of ‘the StreamEast piracy network,’ including 80 associated domains. In July 2026, the Cairo Economic Court issued a landmark judgment against two operators of the illegal streaming service StreamEast, seen as one of the most significant criminal piracy rulings in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Each defendant was found guilty of copyright infringement and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. The court also imposed criminal fines totaling EGP 5.5 million (approximately US$110,000) per defendant, ordered the confiscation of assets used in the piracy operation, and directed the closure of multiple infringing domains associated with the illegal streaming network.
In addition to the criminal penalties, the court granted the civil claim brought by Cable Network Egypt (CNE), ordering the defendants to pay provisional civil compensation and associated legal costs.
The judgment also ordered the closure of several infringing websites. While these domains were transferred to ACE during an enforcement operation in August 2025 and are already offline, the inclusion of a formal domain closure order represents an important legal precedent that could strengthen future criminal copyright enforcement efforts in Egypt.
The ruling further ordered the confiscation of computers, mobile phones, networking equipment, financial assets, and bank cards seized during the investigation, as well as publication of the judgment at the defendants’ expense.
Why it matters
Through its more than 120 associated domains, the StreamEast network logged more than 1.6 billion visits before its 2025 shutdown, making it the world’s largest illicit live sports streaming operation. Working with Egyptian authorities, ACE led the investigation that culminated in the coordinated enforcement action carried out in August 2025 and the shutdown of the network.
But not so fast. It’s common for shuttered sites to re-emerge later, under different domains and IP addresses, and it appears that this has happened with StreamEast between the shutdown announced in September 2025 and the present sentences. StreamEast domains can be found in service at the time of this writing (July 2026).
The StreamEast investigation has been one of ACE’s largest criminal piracy matters in the MENA region, reflecting extensive cooperation between ACE, the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, the Economic Affairs and Money Laundering Prosecution, the Cairo Economic Court, and industry partners. The case highlights the increasing focus of the Egyptian authorities on dismantling sophisticated piracy operations that illegally profit from stolen creative content while harming consumers and legitimate businesses.
Further reading
Egyptian court convicts streamEast operators in landmark criminal piracy case. Press release. July 21, 2026. Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE)
Medical doctor and engineer given two-year sentences for roles in StreamEast illegal streaming. Article. July 21, 2026. The New York Times
Egypt: StreamEast sites shuttered, had 80 illegal domains and 1.6 billion visits. Article. September 4, 2026. by Steven Hawley. Piracy Monitor.
