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For years, Fmovies presented a major threat to Hollywood, one that seemed near impossible to defeat.
The site's operators were linked to dozens of popular pirate sites, generating billions of visits annually.
While MPA's anti-piracy flagship ACE tied the operation to Vietnam early on, effectively shutting it down took years. In addition to gathering intelligence, Hollywood's diplomatic powers were required to force a breakthrough.
This summer, these efforts paid off handsomely. After the main Fmovies site fell apart in July, related streaming portals including Bflix, Aniwave, and Zorox fell like dominoes in the weeks after.
Taking Down The Mothership
The combined traffic of these platforms arguably makes the takedown operation the largest of its kind, ever. So, understandably, MPA and ACE took credit for helping the Vietnamese authorities achieve this feat.
MPA CEO Charles Rivkin, for example, noted that anti-piracy efforts are bigger and bolder than before, equating Fmovies to the piracy “mothership”.
“We took down the mothership here,†Rivkin told Variety last month. “There was a time when piracy was Whac-a-Mole… Today, we go after piracy at its root,†he said at the time.
Rivkin didn't exaggerate the size or impact of the takedown. The Fmovies wreckage included dozens of high-profile streaming portals including Vidsrc.to, a popular video hosting platform used by many third-party sites.
“Vidsrc.to, a notorious video hosting provider operated by the same suspects was also taken down, impacting hundreds of additional dedicated piracy sites,” ACE reported last month.
Pirate Empire Strikes Back?
MPA and ACE were rightfully proud of their accomplishments but when dealing with pirates, new threats can emerge out of the blue. That’s precisely what’s happening this week, as Vidsrc.to has made a surprise comeback.
While the video hosting site looks the same as before, there are no obvious signs that the Fmovies team is behind it. Instead, the videos appear to be sourced from an unrelated competitor, Vidsrc.me.
Vidsrc.to is Back?
Apparently, these new people managed to get their hands on this valuable domain name, using it to further the interests of another fleet of pirate streaming sites. And more domains may follow the same path.
Vidsrc.to Auctioned Off
Traditionally, when the MPA and ACE shut down sites, associated domain names are redirected to its “Watch Legally” page. In some cases domains expire and are not necessarily renewed.
According to domain records, Vidsrc.to expired in July. Information received by TorrentFreak suggests that it was picked up by an unknown party, and sold through Namecheap for several hundred dollars a few days ago.
From there the domain's new owner brought the site back to its full glory. We can’t confirm who’s behind the comeback, but Vidsrc.to uses a video player from its former competitor, Vidscr.me.
More Loose Ends
TorrentFreak reached out to the MPA, seeking a comment on this comeback and the lack of a more permanent domain seizure, but we didn't immediately hear back. The organization still has control over some older ‘pirate' domains, including Hotfile and IsoHunt, but it appears the same doesn't apply to these recent actions.
Vidsrc.to is not the only pirate site domain that's available for purchase, however. Looking through Namecheap's listings we also see that Tinyzone.tv can be purchased for $3,911. This site reportedly had ties to Vietnam too, and was taken down by ACE last November.
The same applies to ev01.net. That movie streaming site domain briefly redirected to the ACE website. It eventually expired and can be purchased through Namecheap for those who can afford $13,911.
EV01
These loose ends can cause trouble in the future, but whether anyone will pick that domain up seems doubtful. The ev01.net domain previously redirected to ev01.to, which remains online today, and still uses the ev01.net branding.
All in all, it is clear that these domain-related loose ends can be a source of trouble. MPA and ACE may have taken down the mothership, but the piracy galaxy doesn’t appear to rely on a single Star Destroyer.
From: _, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
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By David Minister
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