FMovies Piracy Site Operator Confesses, Faces Prosecution Along with His Accomplice

• The alleged owner and operator FMovies was prosecuted after confessing to his involvement in illegal operations.
• The individual and his accomplice will be prosecuted for copyright infringement.
• FMovies and other affiliate pirate streaming websites were dismantled in August by Vietnamese authorities.

The alleged operator behind the notorious piracy site FMovies has confessed to his involvement in illegal operations and is accused of orchestrating one of the world's largest unauthorized streaming platforms that attracted over 6.7 billion visits between January 2023 and June 2024. The individual and his accomplice are now prosecuted.

Authorities in Vietnam have confirmed they will prosecute Phan Thành Công, age 34, and his accomplice, Nguyen Tuan Anh, under Clause 2, Section 225 of the Penal Code 2015, for copyright infringement. 

The duo allegedly generated substantial profits from distributing nearly 50,000 films without authorization, breaching the intellectual property rights of MPA members.

After years of operation, FMovies, along with its affiliated platforms like AniWave and Myflixer, ceased updating content in June 2024 and vanished by mid-July. This abrupt disappearance was later attributed to a collaborative enforcement effort led by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), and the Hanoi Police.

The impact of this prosecution is profound, serving as a critical deterrent to other illegal streaming operations and marking a "stunning victory" for the creative industry. The complex prosecution process will determine the penalties, which range from monetary fines to custodial sentences, depending on the scale of the offenses.

The outcome of this case holds considerable significance for the United States and the film industry at large, highlighting ongoing efforts to protect creative rights globally.