Calcio Serie A Sports Piracy Website in Moldova Shut Down by ACE and DAZN
Published
- Anti-piracy action: Calcio, Italy's largest live sports piracy site, has been shut down by ACE and DAZN.
- Tracing it down: The piracy website was operated from Moldova, but details on Calcio’s closure were not published.
- Widespread pirate activity: The Serie A football site had 134 domains, drawing over 123 million visits in one year.
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) and sports broadcaster DAZN have successfully shut down Calcio, which was Italy's most popular live sports piracy site. This action marks a significant victory in the ongoing sports streaming piracy crackdown and highlights the effectiveness of coordinated international anti-piracy efforts.
Details of the Takedown
The Moldova-based operator of the Calcio service agreed to “cease all operations after being approached” by the anti-piracy coalition, ACE says in a press release.
The site, which was a major hub for illegal streams of Serie A football, attracted over 123 million visits in the last year, with Italians accounting for six million visits per month.
Before its shutdown, Calcio operated a sophisticated network of 134 domains to evade blocking measures implemented by authorities, such as calcio.autos, calcio.baby, calcio.beauty, .best, .buzz, .hair, and more.
Following the enforcement action, reports say control of these domains has been transferred to the Motion Picture Association (MPA), a key partner in the ACE initiative.
The Role of International Piracy Enforcement
This shutdown is a prime example of successful ACE and DAZN anti-piracy collaboration. While the press release did not detail specific legal actions or local law enforcement involvement, the outcome suggests that persistent and strategic engagement with operators, even in jurisdictions that ignore DMCA notices, can yield positive results.
Moldova's recent application for EU membership may be influencing its cooperation on intellectual property matters. Additionally, the takedown occurred before the start of the Italian football season.
This takedown prevents further harm to broadcasters and the broader sports ecosystem by protecting the commercial value of live broadcasts, supported by Ed McCarthy, COO of DAZN Group, and Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer for the MPA.
This month, ACE dismantled the massive ‘Streameast’ live sports piracy network. In August, an individual suspected of operating a popular pirate site, Al Ángulo TV, was arrested in Argentina in a copyright crackdown.
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