WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced the seizure of more than 1,000 internet domains. These domains were engaged in the unauthorized streaming of matches in the FIFA World Cup Finals, violating U.S. copyright law.
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The DOJ said the seizures were carried out as part of “Operation Offsides” by investigators with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center.
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The domains were used to illegally offer users copyright-protected content in the form of real-time streams of World Cup matches as they were being played and first broadcast, according to a release from the DOJ.
FIFA helped authorities identify many of the domains, but they also received assistance from other broadcast and media companies.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the DOJ’s Criminal Division said the effort “confirms the administration’s commitment to intellectual property rights,” as well as to the success of the World Cup.
“Operation Offsides is part of the Department’s ongoing effort to protect copyright while reducing the risk to American consumers from the malicious software embedded in many illicit streaming services,” Duva said.
HSI Deputy Executive Associate Director Matthew Millhollin warned that streaming from illicit websites poses unknown risks.
“Criminals operating these unauthorized platforms are already willing to break the law when they stream copyrighted World Cup games, they might also be planning to inject malware or steal your payment information,” Millhollin said.
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