LOS ANGELES – The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world’s leading antipiracy coalition, today applauded the arrest of the operators of a large Latin American illicit IPTV network, IPTV66. The operators were taken into custody in the Dominican Republic following an operation triggered by an ACE criminal referral.
The Department of Investigation of High Technology Crimes and Offenses (DICAT) and the Special Department of Transnational Crime Investigations (DEIDET) of the National Police, with support from the Department of Justice and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), carried out the operation.
Given the extent of IPTV66’s illegal service, its operators may face liability beyond copyright infringement.
“This case is a testament to the power of strategic partnerships with local and global law enforcement in detecting, deterring and dismantling digital piracy,” said Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer for the MPA. “I commend our partners with the HSI, FBI, DEA and all of the law enforcement authorities of the Dominican Republic for their commitment to protecting copyright and ensuring bad actors face consequences for their crimes.”
An estimated $10 million in cryptocurrency was generated by the operators over the course of four years, with some of the illicit gains used to acquire real estate. Authorities in the Dominican Republic seized evidence from a 10-story office building in Santo Domingo, solely occupied by the operators, and a large ranch outside the city.
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 Pictures, 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.
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