Fmovies, world’s largest film piracy syndicate based in Hanoi, shut down
Hanoi police, in collaboration with a global entertainment coalition, have dismantled Fmovies, one of the world’s largest film piracy networks.
The operation was led by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), which includes major players like Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon, and Walt Disney Studios.
On Thursday, ACE announced that it had worked with Hanoi police to shut down Fmovies and its associated websites. The network, which included sites such as Bfixz, Flixtorz, Movies7 and Myflixer, was described as « the largest pirate streaming operation in the world, » having attracted over 6.7 billion visits from January 2023 to June 2024.
« 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 of ACE, in a statement on the coalition’s official website. « 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. »
Fmovies, which ACE has labeled « the largest piracy ring in the world, » was established in 2016 and based in Hanoi. At its peak, Fmovies.to was ranked as the 280th most popular website globally, according to data from Similarweb.
The Fmovies website emphasized that its services were free, claiming to be a difficult target for law enforcement due to the elusive location of its service providers. However, by Friday morning, the network’s most visited site, fmovies24, was no longer operational, although several smaller sites remained active.
According to a report by Hollywood Reporter, two individuals associated with Fmovies have been arrested by police.
Ngo Phuong Lan, chairwoman of the Vietnam Film Development Association (VFDA), underscored the importance of intellectual property rights for the success of the film industry. « The VFDA strongly applauds the efforts of ACE, in collaboration with Vietnamese authorities, to combat the serious infringing activities of the Fmovies operators, » she stated.
By Luu Quy – VnExpress.net – August 30, 2024