DOJ shuts down 55 websites for illegal World Cup streaming

The Justice Department (DOJ) on Monday said it had shut down several dozen websites used to illegally stream World Cup games ahead of this week’s semifinals.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which owns copyrights on the games, in September alerted the U.S. government of several websites being used to distribute and transmit copyright-infringing content, the DOJ said.

Federal agents reviewed World Cup games accessible from each of the subject domain names in violation of FIFA’s copyright and alleged in an affidavit that the purpose for distributing the infringing content is “the private financial gain to these websites’ operators.”

The World Cup is the most widely-followed sporting event in the world, with this year’s tournament expected to net some 5 billion viewers internationally.

“HSI will continue to focus on removing websites that facilitate digital piracy, and other intellectual property violations, from the internet,” Special Agent in Charge James Harris said in a statement. “While many may believe that such websites do not constitute serious threats, the infringement upon rights holders of any intellectual property is a growing threat to our economic viability. The impact can be felt across multiple industries, and it can be the conduit to other forms of criminal activity.”

The DOJ announcement did not name the websites that had been seized, but said users visiting the sites will now see a message relaying that the site has been seized by the federal government and be redirected to another site for additional information.