![\"fmovies\"](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/fmov.png\")
For a long time, pirate site blocking was considered a topic most U.S. politicians would rather avoid.<\/p>\nFor a long time, pirate site blocking was considered a topic most U.S. politicians would rather avoid.<\/p>\n
This stance was a remnant of the SOPA defeat<\/a>, which drove copyright holders to focus on blocking efforts in other countries instead, and not without success.<\/p>\n Those challenging times are now more than a decade old, and momentum is shifting. After more than forty countries around the world instituted site-blocking measures, including in Canada, U.S. lawmakers may be more receptive to revisiting this topic.<\/p>\n Yesterday, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet<\/a> held a hearing on Digital Copyright Piracy. Specifically, lawmakers were interested to learn about the scope of the problem and the solutions available today.<\/p>\n The representatives heard testimony from four witnesses. Rightsholders were represented by MPA\u2019s Karyn Temple<\/a>, UFC\u2019s Rich\u00e9 McKnight<\/a>, and award-winning producer Richard Gladstein<\/a>. On the other side, CCIA\u2019s Matthew Schruers<\/a> defended the interests of Internet services. <\/p>\n From the start, it was clear that lawmakers see piracy as a serious problem that requires solutions. U.S. Representative and committee chairman, Darrell Issa, started the hearing by presenting an overview of today\u2019s challenges, from a global perspective. <\/p>\n The committee chairman notes that piracy has evolved from back-alley sales of DVDs to international criminal operations. He specifically mentioned the Vietnamese-operated streaming site Fmovies<\/a>, while Russian military bases also play a role. <\/p>\n \u201cMany of these pirate websites like Fmovies are hosted on servers that exist outside the United States, currently outside our ability to take them down. This creates unique judicial challenges for enforcement against widespread piracy on such websites. <\/p>\n \u201cIn some cases, these websites are even hosted within foreign governments, like the Russian government on military bases, and other enemies of the United States,\u201d Rep. Issa adds.<\/p>\n The Russian reference is interesting as the country has some of the most strict<\/a> anti-piracy laws in the world today. Throughout the hearing, there was no further mention of the Russian military bases, but the comment may refer to optical disc piracy that took place nearly 30 years ago<\/a>. <\/p>\n Fmovies, on the other hand, remained front and center at the House hearing. <\/p>\n With over 160 million monthly visits, Fmovies is one of the most notorious pirate streaming sites. The portal recently rebranded to Fmoviesz but the modus operandi remains the same; people can watch whatever they want, whenever they like, without paying a dime.<\/p>\n MPA\u2019s Senior Executive Vice President, Karyn Temple, illustrated the problem by giving a live demonstration of the website at the hearing. <\/p>\n \u201cAnyone can simply type the Fmovies URL into their favorite browser today and an extremely professional and legitimate-looking site pops up. You can literally scroll through thousands of movies and television shows including this year\u2019s Blockbusters and even movies that have not yet hit theaters. <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see all of our top-rated Blockbusters and popular films. Here you see coming up Wonka, which won\u2019t be out in the United States theaters until this Friday,\u201d Temple said while browsing through the site.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Temple points out that most of the site\u2019s visitors come from the United States. The MPA tried to take action against the site and encouraged the U.S. Department of Justice to help out but, since Fmovies\u2019 operators are in Vietnam and its servers are in Bulgaria, options are limited. <\/p>\n Several MPA representatives visited Vietnam earlier this year but that hasn\u2019t resulted in concrete enforcement actions either. This means that blocking the site through ISPs, as many other countries do, is one of the only viable options at the moment. <\/p>\n \u201cIf we had site blocking in the United States, as we do in the 16 other countries where versions of this site have been blocked already, then this piracy site\u2019s U.S. traffic would have plummeted, protecting us consumers and the US creative sector, while removing the financial incentives for piracy,\u201d Temple said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s beyond time for Congress to revisit no-fault injunctive relief to combat blatant forms of piracy.\u201d<\/p>\n The call for site blocking is supported by other creative industry witnesses, who all describe it as an effective anti-piracy tool. CCIA President Matthew Schruers, whose organization<\/a> represents several Internet services, was the hearing\u2019s sole dissenting voice in respect of blocking.<\/p>\n \u201cThe blunt instrument of architectural regulation is particularly inappropriate for policing subject matter like copyright,\u201d Schruers informed the committee. <\/p>\n \u201cThere exists a long history of site-blocking injunctions leading to overreach. This includes examples of overblocking restricting access to thousands of websites, without evidence or process. It is simply not possible to craft a uniquely American, speech-protecting site-blocking regime.\u201d<\/p>\n Schruers stressed that the availability of legal content remains the key option to deter piracy, while noting the availability of less-invasive enforcement avenues that can be explored. <\/p>\n These concerns didn\u2019t immediately convince all lawmakers and U.S. Representative Ted Lieu was particularly vocal. After browsing the Fmovies site on his phone during the hearing, he asked CCIA\u2019s President why ISPs don\u2019t block the site right now.<\/p>\n \u201cI just went on my phone and went on Fmovies and it\u2019s still up. And I can watch Willy Wonka for free without paying for it. Why don\u2019t the online service providers block it right now, like today?\u201d Lieu asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is such an unreasonable case it is so clearly online piracy copyright infringement and you don\u2019t want your organization and your members to be defending something so blatantly unlawful and unreasonable. So I just ask your members to block that site today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Mr. Schruers highlighted that the broadband access providers who can block the site aren\u2019t here today and again stressed that legal availability is important and that less-invasive anti-piracy options are available. That didn\u2019t convince Rep. Lieu, however, who requested the ISPs to be present at a future hearing.<\/p>\n \u201cI ask the Chair of this Committee to call in a hearing with the witness that represents the members that could block this site and block it now,\u201d Lieu said. <\/p>\n Committee Chairman Darrell Issa agreed to invite the ISPs directly for a future hearing, so they can explain their position. Meanwhile, it also became clear that the tensions of the SOPA debates more than ten years ago, have left permanent scars. <\/p>\n \u201cI hope we don\u2019t get into another tumultuous, dysfunctional technical fight as we did twelve years ago,\u201d Rep. Zoe Lofgren noted. <\/p>\n The copyright representatives made repeated callbacks to the previous attempt to establish an American site-blocking regime. At the time, there were massive public protests and a broad revolt by Internet companies who feared overblocking and other negative consequences. <\/p>\n These concerns were real at the time but now that site blocking has been rolled out in dozens of countries around the world, they should be reconsidered. <\/p>\n \u201cNone of the hyperbolic predictions about the effects of site blocking have come true. Examples of overblocking of non-infringing content, stifling free expression, or deprivation of due process have been rare to the point of non-existence,\u201d MPA\u2019s Temple said. <\/p>\n Mr. Schruers countered by pointing out that there have been overblocking incidents, reminding lawmakers that Spotify was inadvertently blocked<\/a> in the House of Representatives ten years ago. <\/p>\n All in all, however, the Committee made it clear that something must be done. <\/p>\n Chairman Darrell Issa ended the hearing by mentioning that the import of copyrighted and trademarked goods can be easily stopped by U.S. customs, suggesting that the same should apply to the \u2018import\u2019 of pirated goods online through sites such as Fmovies. <\/p>\n \u201cFor what\u2019s possible in the tangible world, we want to find a solution in the Internet world. We will not quit under this committee until we do so,\u201d Issa concluded. <\/p>\n From: TF<\/a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.<\/p>\nHouse Committee Hearing on Piracy<\/h2>\n
Pirates are \u2018Hosted\u2019 on Russian Military Bases<\/h2>\n
Lawmakers get Fmovies Walkthrough<\/h2>\n
\u2018U.S. Needs Pirate Site Blocking\u2019<\/h2>\n
Why Are ISPs Not Blocking Fmovies Today?<\/h2>\n
SOPA Scars and Instant Takedowns<\/h2>\n