Kathmandu. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has said that about 3,000 websites have been shut down due to illegal streaming of World Cup football matches.
More than 1,000 domains were blocked in the United States alone during the competition, and a similar number were blocked in Colombia.
The crackdown was part of an investigation codenamed “Operation Offsides” and “Operation Red Card” by enforcement agencies across the US and South America. Ivan J. Smith, director of the U.S. National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (NIPRCC). Arevalho said the unauthorised broadcast of the World Cup matches violates intellectual property rights and “promotes criminal entities”.
The DOJ said late last month it removed 400 webpages for illegal World Cup streaming. Hundreds more have now been removed or blocked. “The continued effort to shut down more than 1,000 domains created for illicit streaming of the World Cup reaffirms the administration’s commitment to intellectual property rights and the success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” said Tyson Duva. –Agency
