site.btaAuthorities Crack Down on Illegal Film Streaming Websites

An operation to suspend three websites for illegal use of video materials subject to copyright, was conducted by the cybercrime unit of the Directorate General for Combating Organized Crime. It was carried out on May 27 and 28 under the supervision of the Shumen District Prosecutor's Office, the Interior Ministry reported on Tuesday.

The websites owners’ have been identified. They are believed to have created and maintained the websites to offer access to popular films, series, television shows whose rights holders are Bulgarian television broadcasters. Access to the sites has been suspended due to numerous infringements of intellectual property rights. Documents and digital evidence of the illegal activity were seized during the investigation. Two pre-trial proceedings have been initiated.

The operation was conducted in coordination with Europol in the framework of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), the Ministry said.