FMovies Indicted Operators Got Suspended Prison Sentences, Need to Respect the Law Going Forward

• Two Vietnamese individuals indicted for their involvement with FMovies dodged jail time.
• An anti-piracy operation culminated in the shutdown of Fmovies and its associated sites last year.
• The admins of the massive piracy network now received suspended prison sentences, promising to avoid illegal activities.

The recent sentencing of two key operators of Fmovies, one of the largest and most resilient piracy operations in the world, in Vietnam resulted in suspended prison terms. They will not serve jail time as long as they do not violate the law again.

The prosecution targeted Phan Thành Công, the alleged mastermind, and Nguyen Tuan Anh, his accomplice. Both confessed to their roles within the Fmovies operation after their arrests. 

Phan acted as the lead programmer and manager, taking the majority of the operation's profits, while Nguyen managed content, receiving a significantly smaller share.

Despite the operation reportedly generating approximately $400,000 in ad revenue over several years, the financial penalty imposed was relatively modest. Both operators collectively repaid around VND 406 million (approximately $15,900) to cover damages for 30 identified films.

Ultimately, the defendants were given suspended prison sentences. This outcome, described as lenient by industry observers, reflects broader challenges in enforcing harsher punishments for digital piracy within Vietnam’s legal system.

Licensed anti-piracy organizations such as the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), together with the Motion Picture Association (MPA), collaborated with Vietnamese authorities for years to dismantle the FMovies network. 

The operation culminated in the shutdown of Fmovies and its associated sites last year, marking what Hollywood described as a “stunning victory” at the time.

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has called for Vietnam to impose stricter penalties, including harsher prison sentences and higher monetary fines, to send a stronger deterrent message to other would-be operators.

The ACE echoed this sentiment in its post-sentencing statement, emphasizing the need for penalties that adequately reflect the significant damage caused to copyright holders by large-scale piracy operations.