Major Piracy Operation Shut Down: FMovies and Affiliates Taken Down by International Coalition
In a significant victory for the fight against online piracy, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has successfully dismantled one of the world’s largest illegal streaming operations, including the notorious FMovies. This enforcement action was carried out in collaboration with Vietnamese authorities, specifically Hanoi police, marking a pivotal moment in the battle against piracy.
The ACE, an anti-piracy coalition with members such as Netflix and Walt Disney Studios, announced the closure of FMovies and its associated sites—bflixz, flixtorz, movies7, myflixer, and aniwave. According to ACE, these sites collectively attracted over 6.7 billion visits from January 2023 to June 2024, making it a major player in the illegal streaming market.
The crackdown also targeted Vidsrc.to, a video hosting provider linked to the same criminal network. Two Vietnamese men have been arrested in connection with these activities, although formal charges have yet to be filed.
Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and chairman of ACE, hailed the takedown as a “stunning victory” for the global creative community, including casts, crews, and studios. Larissa Knapp, executive vice president and chief content protection officer for the MPA, emphasized that this action serves as a strong deterrent against piracy. She also expressed optimism about continuing collaborations with Vietnamese authorities, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Justice’s International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) program to hold the criminals accountable.
ACE, which includes major players like Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon, and Walt Disney Studios, works globally to combat online piracy through legal measures, cease-and-desist letters, and cooperation with law enforcement. Its international members span BBC Studios, Canal+ Groupe, Televisa, MBC Group, and RTL.
FMovies had long been a target for ACE and its affiliate, the MPA, with Rivkin highlighting that a significant portion of its traffic originated from the U.S. The site had been featured on the U.S. Trade Representative’s annual “Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy” alongside other notorious sites like ThePirateBay and Sci-Hub. In 2023, FMovies was listed as the 280th most popular website globally, according to SimilarWeb.
In the wake of these shutdowns, online communities focused on piracy have been abuzz with discussions about alternative sites. One user lamented, “Can anyone message me with any decent sites please!! I don’t really want to sit and watch YouTube all day; I was in the middle of watching Call the Midwife when it got removed.” Another added, “It feels like a streaming apocalypse—every site we used is gone. If you’ve shared links or names, it’s your fault!”
The dismantling of FMovies represents a significant achievement in the ongoing effort to curb online piracy, sending a clear message about the consequences of engaging in illegal streaming activities.