Piracy giants among the listed
Unsurprisingly, this new edition cites “piracy regulars” like 1337x, The Pirate Bay and Rapidgator, known for their role in the illegal distribution of content. But the USTR is not just targeting pirate platforms. The list also includes indirectly involved services, such as hosts, proxies (intermediaries masking the geographic origin of connections) or domain name managers.
Several IPTV services are also part of the list: GenIPTV for example, but also MagisTV, which offers to illegally watch a multitude of channels live.
A radical new method by the authorities to catch IPTV users
“Russian Facebook” in the crosshairs
More surprising, the case of VKontakte (VK), the famous social network considered the “Russian Facebook”, is particularly attracting attention. Despite its status as a legitimate platform, VK is accused of facilitating the mass distribution of counterfeit content. “It would facilitate the distribution of copyright infringing files, with thousands of infringing films and television programs identified by the US film industry every month.the report says.
Before adding that since 2022, VK seems less cooperative in the face of withdrawal requests, and rights holders denounce the absence of strict measures against repeat offenders. More worrying according to the American authority, the site video.mail.ru, affiliated with the Mail.ru group which is the parent company of VK, would facilitate the illegal distribution of content by third-party platforms.
-As a result, some countries, such as Italy, have taken radical measures, going so far as to block VK on their territory.
The success of Operation “Taken Down”
All is not dark in the fight against piracy. In the few pages of the report devoted to the positive elements carried out during the year, it mentions Operation “Taken Down”.
“We are able to identify illegal IPTV streams”: can your operator block your connection in the event of an infringement?
In November 2024, this international operation enabled a major dragnet. Coordinated by the Catania prosecutor in Italy with the support of Europol and Eurojust, it dismantled a pirate network illegally broadcasting IPTV content to 22 million users worldwide, representing an annual turnover of 3 billion euros. Just that.
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