Marking the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region’s seventh landmark shutdown in two years, Egyptian authorities in collaboration with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world’s leading anti-piracy coalition, shuttered Laroza, the largest piracy site in the region. The operation included 26 police officers and six local investigators, resulting in the arrest of two operators.

Launched in 2021, Laroza comprised 25 domains that collectively logged more than 52 million monthly visits in the past six months. The site provided illegal access to a content library of approximately 29K movies and TV series, affecting all ACE members. Although the operation was based in Egypt, the infringed content was viewed all over the world, including the United States and Europe.

“This action—and those over the past two years—could not have been possible without the valuable collaboration of the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior and the diligence and hard work of the Egyptian authorities,” said Karyn Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association (MPA). “The Laroza takedown represents a victory for intellectual property rights and creators around the world. Piracy is a crime that stifles creativity and harms consumers and global economies. We will continue working closely with authorities in Egypt and other MENA countries to protect the creative marketplace.”

The action is the latest in a wave of milestone piracy shutdowns in MENA carried out by ACE and Egyptian law enforcement over the past two years, including the January 2024 takedown of Cima4U, the region’s then-largest illegal piracy ring. Other major takedowns in the MENA region include:

• • Cima4U (Jan. 2024) – This Giza, Egypt-based illegal streaming service operated 498 domains, collectively attracting over 30 million monthly visits from 11.6 million unique visitors. The service offered more than 165,000 movie and TV series titles, impacting all ACE members.

• • Cimalight – Yalla Shoot (Nov. 2023) – The Cimalight network, consisting of 60 interconnected domains, attracted over 29 million monthly visits through its extensive catalog of pirated content, including movies, TV series episodes, and live sports. The arrest of the operator marked a significant step in combating illegal content distribution in the region.

• • CimaClub (Nov. 2023) – One of the largest piracy services in the MENA region, CimaClub operated 65 domains, attracting more than 29 million monthly visits. The service was a major distributor of pirated content, impacting all ACE members.

• • Movizland (June 2023) – Operating since 2012, Movizland attracted 12 million visits per month through various domains, offering a large collection of pirated TV series and movies. The arrest of the operator in Cairo marked an important step in curbing illegal content distribution in the region.

• • MyCima and Shahed4U (Feb. 2023) – Shahed4U, the largest piracy ring in the region at the time, attracted 155 million visits per month across 118 domains. The second-largest piracy operation in MENA at the time, MyCima averaged over 55 million visits per month across more than 70 domains.

• • Egybest Ring (Dec. 2022) – This ring of sites, the largest and oldest piracy operation in the MENA region, logged 122 million visits per month, setting the stage for subsequent actions against large-scale piracy operations in the region.

Fiona Robertson, General Counsel at OSN Group, added, “As a valued industry partner, OSN Group commends the efforts of ACE and law enforcement in their continued stance against the illegal distribution of intellectual property rights across the MENA entertainment space. Together, we hope to continue to provide a fair and reliable market where legitimate content providers can thrive.”

The two operators were arrested during synchronized police raids in the Egyptian Governorates of Asyut and Dalkhalia. Among the evidence collected during the raids was more than $81,000 in cash. Financial records indicated transactions totaling over $515,000 and $90,000 in cryptocurrency from various sources.

The Laroza domains are now redirected to ACE’s Watch Legally site.

This article was first published on ACE