Takedown of the Pirate Site FMovies: Global Takedown Cases 2024
Feb. 27, 2025
In August 2024, Vietnamese authorities, in collaboration with the international anti-piracy coalition ACE, shut down one of the world's largest pirate streaming sites, FMovies. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the crackdown on illegal streaming sites, the reasons behind the intensified enforcement, and its impact.
- Incident
Table of Contents
Incident
In August 2024, one of the world's largest pirate streaming sites, FMovies, was shut down through the cooperation of Vietnamese authorities and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE). Since its establishment in 2016, FMovies had been illegally distributing movies and TV shows, gaining global popularity with approximately 374 million visits per month in 2023. However, its activities caused significant copyright infringement damages to the film industry, and this crackdown is seen as a major victory for the industry.
Overview of FMovies
FMovies was a pirate streaming site founded in 2016, allowing users to watch and download movies and TV shows for free. Due to its vast content library and user-friendly interface, it attracted millions of users worldwide. In 2023, FMovies ranked 280th among all websites globally and 11th in the TV, film, and streaming category, demonstrating its immense influence.
Details of the Crackdown
In August 2024, Hanoi police, in cooperation with ACE, the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Department of Justice, shut down FMovies along with its affiliated sites, including Bflixz, Flixtorz, Movies7, and Myflixer. These sites collectively recorded over 6.7 billion visits between January 2023 and June 2024, highlighting their massive scale. Additionally, Vidsrc.to, a video hosting provider, and its related sites were also taken down.
As part of this operation, two Vietnamese men suspected of operating FMovies were arrested, but no formal charges have been filed yet.
Industry Response
Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Chairman of ACE, stated:
"The shutdown of FMovies is an extraordinary victory for the cast, crew, writers, directors, studios, and the entire creative community worldwide."
He emphasized that this crackdown is a crucial step in protecting creators' rights and livelihoods. He also highlighted that this success demonstrates the importance of international partnerships in combating online copyright infringement.
Future Outlook
The closure of FMovies marks an intensified crackdown on online piracy sites. However, as seen in past cases, the shutdown of major pirate sites often leads to the emergence of new or mirror sites. This underscores the need for continued international cooperation and law enforcement.
Additionally, it is crucial for consumers to increase their awareness and support legal content distribution services, which is a key factor in the fight against piracy.
The takedown of FMovies is a significant achievement in the global fight against copyright infringement, contributing to the protection and sustainable growth of the creative industry.
Sources
https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/aug/29/fmovies-shut-down
https://torrentfreak.com/fmovies-piracy-ring-was-shut-down-by-vietnam-assisted-by-ace-240829/
