The popular yet highly illegal media streaming site Fmovies, along with its affiliated network of pirated movie and TV show websites, has been shut down by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a global coalition of movie studios and entertainment companies such as Disney, NBCUniversal, and MGM. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the illegal streaming site, as well as other associated websites like bflixz, flixtorz, movies7, myflixer, and aniwave, have been dismantled, along with its video hosting provider vidsrc.to. Two unidentified men in Vietnam have been arrested in connection with the Fmovies operation, which was based in Hanoi. Fmovies, which launched in 2016, garnered millions of visits and was ranked as one of the most popular streaming websites. With the Fmovies syndicate being referred to as the “largest piracy ring in the world,” ACE celebrated the shutdown and arrests as a victory for the global creative community. Additionally, other online piracy sites have been taken down recently, including aniwave and fboxz.to, with users turning to alternate sites as authorities crack down on media pirates. The extradition of Kim Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload, further indicates a shifting landscape for online piracy, as he faces charges for operating his video downloading empire and causing millions in damages.
