Vietnamese Authorities, with Support from ACE, Take Down World's Largest Piracy Ring

Fmovies and Associated Domains Logged over 6.7 Billion Visits Between January 2023 and June 2024

HANOI, Vietnam, Aug. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a landmark action defending intellectual property rights, the Hanoi Police, in collaboration with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world's leading anti-piracy coalition, shut down the largest pirate streaming operation in the world, comprising Fmovies and numerous other notorious piracy sites.

"The takedown of Fmovies is a stunning victory for casts, crews, writers, directors, studios, and the creative community across the globe," said Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of ACE. "With the leadership of ACE and the partnership of the Ministry of Public Security and the Hanoi Municipal Police, we are countering criminal activity, defending the safety of audiences, reducing risks posed to tens of millions of consumers, and protecting the rights and livelihoods of creators."

Launched in 2016, the illicit Hanoi-based operation and its associated pirate sites, including bflixz, flixtorz, movies7, myflixer, and aniwave, drew more than 6.7 billion visits between January 2023 and June 2024.  With nearly 374 million monthly visits, the syndicate was the largest piracy ring in the world. Vidsrc.to, a notorious video hosting provider operated by the same suspects was also taken down, impacting hundreds of additional dedicated piracy sites.

"We commend the Hanoi Police for working with ACE to shut down the world's largest piracy ring and sending a powerful deterrent message in this milestone case," said Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer for the MPA. "The takedown of Fmovies is a testament to the power of collaboration in protecting the intellectual property rights of creators around the world. We look forward to ongoing joint efforts with Vietnamese authorities, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Justice International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) program to bring the criminal operators to justice."   

At its peak in 2023, Fmoviesz.to was the 280th most popular website across all categories of websites globally, and the 11th most popular website in the TV, Movies & Streaming category, according to data analytics company SimilarWeb. Fmovies has been listed on the USTR "notorious markets" list between 2017 and 2023.

"Strengthening intellectual property rights is an important element of the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership," said U.S. Ambassador Marc E. Knapper. "These prosecutions demonstrate Vietnam's commitment to intellectual property rights enforcement, contributing to an economic ecosystem where creators and inventors can thrive."

"The Vietnamese movie industry is at a pivotal stage of development, transitioning from a state-subsidized production model to a rapidly growing phase driven by private sector involvement," said Madam Ngo Phuong Lan, the Chairwoman of the Vietnam Film Development Association (VFDA). "To achieve fast and sustainable growth and integrate into the global film industry, it is essential that we follow the right path. Intellectual property rights protection is a crucial element for our industry's success. The VFDA strongly applauds the efforts of ACE, in collaboration with Vietnamese authorities, to combat the serious infringing activities of the Fmovies operators. We believe this milestone will contribute significantly to the advancement of the Vietnamese film industry."

About The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is the world's leading coalition dedicated to protecting the legal creative market and reducing digital piracy. Driven by a comprehensive approach to addressing piracy through criminal referrals, civil litigation, and cease-and-desist operations, ACE has achieved many successful global enforcement actions against illegal streaming services and unauthorized content sources and their operators. Drawing upon the collective expertise and resources of more than 50 media and entertainment companies around the world—including sports channels and associations—and reinforced by the Motion Picture Association's content protection operations, ACE protects the creativity and innovation that drives the global growth of core copyright and entertainment industries. The current governing board members for ACE are Amazon, Apple TV+, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of ACE. 

source: Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE)