High Court Orders Blocking Of More Web Domains Linked To KissAsian & SportsBay
Local authorities in Singapore have always adopted a tough stance against the piracy of illegal content. This was made evident when the High Court ordered a crackdown on 150 such web domains earlier this year.
Another recent court order has now added more of these domains to the list.
Internet service providers (ISPs) are to block 99 more addresses belonging to illegal streaming sites, including 123movies and KissAsian.
Some of them have already done so, rendering these domains inaccessible for Singaporeans.
99 web domains blocked under court order
The Straits Times (ST) reports that the High Court has ordered ISPs to block 99 more web domains.
Source: Business Insider
The domains are connected to 30 websites, including those that let users illegally stream movies, K-dramas, and sports channels, such as SportsBay, 123Movies and KissAsian.
The content in such media belongs to copyright holders such as BBC Studios, Discovery Communications, La Liga, the Premier League and TVB International.
Representing them is Asia Video Industry Association (Avia), which said the local ISPs received the order at the end of August this year to block the web addresses.
Speaking to ST, MyRepublic, Singtel, and ViewQwest said they complied with the order. However, M1 and StarHub have declined to confirm.
Nearly 150 web addresses blocked in February
Back in February, the High Court ruled in favour of the same copyright holders and ordered ISPs to block nearly 150 web addresses, ST reports.
The same order also enabled “dynamic site blocking”. This action allows copyright holders to inform ISPs of the need to block the other web addresses that direct users to the same illegal streaming sites.
With dynamic site blocking, users will no longer be able to access alternative web domains to sidestep blocked content.
The move has also aided much in the ongoing fight against piracy.
In December 2021, research firm YouGov conducted a survey, whereby more than 300 out of 1,000 respondents said site blocking made them subscribe to legitimate services for content instead of pirating it.
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