Asia Pacific in the Global Battle Against Content Piracy

The European Commission’s Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List provides an in-depth examination of the evolving landscape of global content piracy, with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. This article highlights the report’s key findings specific to the APAC region, where persistent challenges intersect with emerging enforcement efforts. Here’s a breakdown of the critical insights:

Piracy Trends Across Asia Pacific

Content piracy remains a significant global issue, and Asia Pacific is at the centre of the storm. Key piracy trends observed globally but highly relevant to the region include:

• Streaming Dominance: IPTV remains the dominant method for accessing pirated content, accounting for 58% of online piracy while downloading accounts for 32%.

• Rise of Piracy Apps: Apps facilitating the unauthorised distribution of movies, music, books, and games are a growing tool for piracy. Many apps employ deceptive tactics, such as using fake logos or virtual private networks (VPNs), to evade detection.

• IPTV and Live Event Piracy: The piracy of live events, particularly sports, continues to rise. Operators often leverage hosting infrastructure in jurisdictions with lenient regulations, many of which are located in the APAC region.

• Decentralised Piracy Networks: Technologies such as the Interplanetary File System (IPFS) are increasingly utilised by services like LibGen and Z-Library to distribute pirated books and academic articles, thereby complicating enforcement efforts.

• AI and Piracy: AI-driven vocal cloning services and illicit datasets for training large language models are raising new concerns, with the APAC region implicated in hosting and distribution channels.

• Streaming Manipulation: Services like Russia's Justanotherpanel.com utilise bots and AI to manipulate streaming numbers on platforms such as Spotify and YouTube.

Country-Specific Highlights

China

China is both a hotspot for piracy and a battlefield for enforcement:

• Court Actions: A Guangzhou court ruled against Baidu Pan for failing to remove pirated TV content properly.

• Criminal Crackdowns: Convictions of piracy sites, including B9Good (targeting Japanese anime fans), Shenlan, and Coco, signal a stepped-up enforcement.

• National Campaigns: The Jianwang 2023 campaign led to the removal of 2.44 million infringing links and the shutdown of 2,390 infringing websites.

• SAMR Efforts: The State Administration for Market Regulation cleaned up 300,000 pieces of illegal online content, including pirated streams.

• Piracy Hardware: Chinese firms, such as Zhuhai Gotech Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., are known for manufacturing media devices preloaded with pirated IPTV software.

Republic of Korea (South Korea)

South Korea has made measurable strides in combating piracy:

• KIPO Initiatives: The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) has launched an IP Infringement Reporting Centre and an Online Monitoring Team to detect and remove pirated content proactively.

• Incentivised Enforcement: The Multi-platform IP Guardian Reward Program targets vendors distributing pirated content across multiple digital platforms.

India

India continues to expand its fight against online piracy:

• Site Blocking Orders: Courts have issued blocking orders against primary stream-ripping services, such as Y2mate.com and Savefrom.net, preventing the unauthorised download of audio and video content.

Indonesia

Indonesia is emerging as a regional leader in blocking piracy:

• Massive Site Blocks: By 2022, Indonesia had blocked over 3,500 illegal sites, with stream-ripping services and pirate IPTV providers being primary targets.

• High-Profile Blocks: Sites like Fmovies, a central illicit platform streaming, were blocked nationally.

Thailand

Thailand's enforcement shows incremental improvements:

• Site-Blocking: Authorities have improved processes for blocking piracy sites, though direct mentions of specific platforms were not detailed.

Malaysia

Malaysia has stepped up its anti-piracy measures:

• Site-Blocking: Illegal streaming sites, such as Fmovies, Seasonvar, and Rezka, known for distributing pirated films and TV shows, have been blocked.

Singapore

Singapore has also joined the action:

• Site-Blocking: Fmovies was successfully blocked in Singapore as part of broader efforts to curb access to pirated content.

Japan

Japan, while not noted for enforcement actions in this document, remains a piracy target:

• Anime Piracy: Sites like B9Good have specifically targeted Japanese anime, highlighting the global demand for pirated Japanese content.

Emerging Risks and Challenges

• Cross-Border Networks: IPTV piracy networks operate through complex international infrastructures, often headquartered in regions with weak enforcement, a problem that is particularly acute in parts of the APAC.

• Control Word Sharing (CWS): Sports broadcasters are grappling with Control Word Sharing, also known as Internet Key Sharing piracy, where satellite encryption is hacked and distributed online. Devices from companies like China's Zhuhai Gotech come preloaded with pirated IPTV apps, such as GoGo IPTV and Orca IKS.

Conclusion

Asia Pacific continues to be both a source and a target of global piracy networks. While some countries are ramping up enforcement and seeing success, others remain challenged due to their role as operational hubs or markets for pirated content. The Watch List highlights that combating piracy in the APAC region requires both sustained national enforcement and enhanced regional cooperation.