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U.S. GOVERNMENT CRACKS DOWN ON ILLEGAL PPV SITES
By Scott Shaffer
Boxing fans accustomed to watching pirated pay-per-view shows over the Internet have a new enemy: the United States government. Yesterday, federal officials seized control and shut down ten websites it accused of illegally streaming sports events. It remains to be seen how effective the action will be, as illegal sites often move to new locations to set up shop. However, the UFC has already issued a press release thanking the U.S. government for "for the direct and forceful action they have taken in combating the criminal piracy of UFC pay-per-view events." On the one hand, there is no basis to defend illegal streaming, which costs networks, promoters and boxers millions of dollars by shrinking the revenues that could be earned and divided up. On the other hand, is it appropriate that tax payers' dollars get spent to help billion dollar corporations like the NFL and UFC get even richer while other government programs that help working class people are being slashed? That is the debate, boxing fans. For the record, the Wall Street Journal reports that the shuttered websites are: Atdhe.net, Channelsurfing.net, HQ-Streams.com, HQ-Streams.net, Firstrow.net, Ilemi.com, Iilemi.com, IiLemii.com, Rojadirecta.org and Rojadirecta.com. The UFC is privately suing justin.tv, the most popular of the illegal streaming sites.
By Scott Shaffer
Boxing fans accustomed to watching pirated pay-per-view shows over the Internet have a new enemy: the United States government. Yesterday, federal officials seized control and shut down ten websites it accused of illegally streaming sports events. It remains to be seen how effective the action will be, as illegal sites often move to new locations to set up shop. However, the UFC has already issued a press release thanking the U.S. government for "for the direct and forceful action they have taken in combating the criminal piracy of UFC pay-per-view events." On the one hand, there is no basis to defend illegal streaming, which costs networks, promoters and boxers millions of dollars by shrinking the revenues that could be earned and divided up. On the other hand, is it appropriate that tax payers' dollars get spent to help billion dollar corporations like the NFL and UFC get even richer while other government programs that help working class people are being slashed? That is the debate, boxing fans. For the record, the Wall Street Journal reports that the shuttered websites are: Atdhe.net, Channelsurfing.net, HQ-Streams.com, HQ-Streams.net, Firstrow.net, Ilemi.com, Iilemi.com, IiLemii.com, Rojadirecta.org and Rojadirecta.com. The UFC is privately suing justin.tv, the most popular of the illegal streaming sites.
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