In the market of illegal streaming platforms, Fmovies has made a name for itself in just a few years. Launched in 2016, the site has become a reference for fans of pirated movies/series. To give you an idea of the importance of Fmovies, let us state that the site is heavier than Disney+ in American internet traffic! A blessing for users and a real pain in the neck for all rights holders.
Representatives of the American 7th art did not wait long to attack Fmovies. A complaint was filed just months after the site was launched. Despite a trial Fined $210,000 for copyright infringementFmovies continued its activities without much concern.
However, in recent years the MPA (Motion Picture Association) has increased the pressure on Fmovies. First of all, the organization has achieved this: Identify the thinking minds of the platform founded in Vietnam. He also had the support of local authorities for this event. Courts in India also required Fmovies and other pirate sites are blocked by local ISPs. In response, Fmovies changed its domain name.
Fmovies cracks under pressure
However, the harassment of rights holders began to bear fruit in June 2024. In the meantime, many users began to notice the following: The platform no longer offers new content in its catalogue. And then in July 2024, The site has become inaccessibleThe homepage has been replaced by the Cloudflare error message: “The initial connection between the Cloudflare network and the origin web server timed out. As a result, the web page cannot be displayed.” Bad sign.
At first glance, it may seem that this is a temporary suspension of Fmovies services. Just and at the time of writing these lines, The site has not yet come back to life.. Especially since the Fmovies team, complete silence. According to various sources cited by our colleagues Torrent FreakThe platform faced the following situation:“legal issues”, without further certainty.
Who is behind the end of Fmovies?
In itself, there is nothing extraordinary for a site accustomed to lawsuits. So the question arises: Who accelerated the end of Fmovies? Unless there is an official statement from the site operators, we will have to play a guessing game. According to Torrent Freak, MPA could strike the final blow With the help of Vietnamese authorities, the vice president of the MPA Karyn Temple has a good reason to visit the country in 2023 to meet with the country’s Ministry of Culture. possible actions against the platform.
In June 2024, the country held an international conference on respect for copyright in Hanoi. Participants included the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Trade Organization, and the Vietnam Copyright Office. MPA and AAPA (editor’s note: Audiovisual Alliance against piracy) also available around the table. If Fmovies was never mentioned as a problem to be solved, it is certain that the Vietnamese platform is at the center of the discussions. Interestingly, this meeting of the rights holders took place on June 21, 2024. The next day marks the date when Fmovies will stop updating its catalog. Coincidence?
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Was there a closure negotiation between Vietnam and the rights holders?
Another important fact was that the Da-Nang Asian Film Festival opened its doors in Vietnam on July 5. During this event, the Vietnam Cinema Development Association (VFDA) A seminar dedicated to strengthening international co-production. VDFA President Ngo Phuong Lan said in his speech that he wanted to gain the experience of countries with strong and developed film industries. But we already know that Sony Pictures Entertainment responded to the call In the voice of Jared Dougherty, vice president of the Japanese giant’s Asia-Pacific branch.
According to local media VietnamPlus, “Dougherty shared several solutions that apply to Vietnam, from getting financing for films to leveraging their intellectual property value. Since Sony is a member of the MPA, the executive was able to take advantage of this opportunity. Add FMovies ending to compensation list During talks with Vietnamese officials. The question is valid. I repeat, this is just speculation.
