The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) shut down two of the nation’s largest illegal streaming sites, adjaranet.com and imovies.cc, in a collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and other agencies of the Republic of Georgia. Between them, the two piracy sites had accumulated more than 200 million visits over the past two years.
Georgian government agencies involved in the operation included the country’s National Communications Commission, the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance and Sakpatenti (The National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia).
Zurab Bezhashvili, Executive Director of the Anti-Piracy Center of Georgia, said that “Over the years, AdjaraNet and imovies were motivated by commercial financial gain. They hindered the success of many Georgian films, limiting the Georgian film sector’s potential growth and its job market. ACE and the Anti-Piracy Center share a common mission to fight digital piracy.”
He confirmed that both sites had been taken offline. “I’d like to thank ACE for defending the intellectual property rights of content owners throughout Eastern Europe and beyond,” he said. Attempts to access the two sites produce “site not found” messages in browsers.
ACE press release
ACE works with country of Georgia to shut down two large illegal streaming sites. Press release. November 1, 2023. Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE).
Why it matters
“The global fight against piracy is a team effort, and this case underscores the immeasurable value of ACE’s collaboration with government agencies worldwide,” said Jan van Voorn, Executive Vice President and Global Content Protection Chief of the Motion Picture Association and Head of ACE.
Mr van Voorn also acknowledged the collaborative efforts with the Georgian government agencies, and ACE’s partnership with Cavea Plus, a member of ACE in the Caucasus region.
