Hanoi police shut down a massive illegal movie website.

On November 9th, the Investigation Police Department of Hanoi City Police issued a decision to initiate criminal proceedings and indict Phan Thanh Cong (born in 1990; residing in Mo Lao Ward, Ha Dong District) and Nguyen Tuan Anh (born in 1990; residing in Mo Lao Ward, Ha Dong District) for infringing on copyright and related rights as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 225 of the Penal Code.

Previously, the Economic Police Department of Hanoi City Police shut down a massive illegal movie website containing nearly 50,000 films suspected of infringing on copyright and related rights.

Following the investigation into the Fmovies website, which attracted over 6.7 billion visits in the first six months of 2024 and allegedly infringed on copyright and related rights of films belonging to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPA), the Economic Police Department, in coordination with other units of the Hanoi City Police, launched an investigation.

The ringleader, Phan Thanh Cong, at the police station.

Through discussions with representatives from several US security and related agencies, it was determined that the Fmovies website system currently contains nearly 50,000 films showing signs of copyright and related rights infringement, including many films protected by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPA); the Fmovies website system is illegally showing MPA films to users worldwide …

The Economic Police Department, in coordination with other professional units of the city police, is urgently implementing investigative measures to identify the information and backgrounds of the perpetrators, while simultaneously collecting documents and evidence to clarify their methods and tactics, as well as the role of each individual involved.

The mastermind, leader, creator, operator, and manager of the Fmovies website system is Phan Thanh Cong, who has previously been administratively penalized for a similar offense. Nguyen Tuan Anh played a supporting role, illegally copying and uploading films from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPA) to the Fmovies website and its satellite sites.

The police have clarified that from 2016 to August 2024, the suspects committed crimes and illegally profited hundreds of thousands of USD. At the investigative agency, the suspects confessed to all their criminal acts.

Minh Tue

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cong-an-ha-noi-danh-sap-website-phim-lau-cuc-lon-ar906401.html