‘Operation 404’ continues to tackle infringing music services in Brazil and Paraguay

20^th September 2024 - Ongoing anti-piracy campaign, 'Operation 404' - supported by IFPI - has completed its seventh round of actions, this time tackling infringing music services in Paraguay and Brazil.

Operation 404 continues to be one of the largest campaigns of its kind in relation to stopping illegal music services. The latest round of activity saw it carry out the first blocking action to take place in Paraguay where the top six stream-ripping sites, with more than 31 million visits in the last year, have been targeted and blocked. IFPI has worked with DINAPI, the Paraguayan copyright office and prosecutor's office to coordinate and carry out the successful action.

Simultaneously, in Brazil, IFPI - alongside Pro-Música Brasil and Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security, cybercrime unit, CiberLab in collaboration with local civil police and Cyber Crime Prosecutors (Cyber Gaeco MPSP) - has successfully blocked the top three most popular music stream-ripping mobile apps as part of the latest wave of activity. These illegal mobile apps accounted for more than 7.5 million active users in Brazil in the last year. The Peruvian Copyright Office, INDECOPI, participated for the third time with blocking actions in relation to 181 stream-ripping sites and three popular stream ripping mobile apps.

Across 'Operation 404', collaboration has come from the US Department of Justice, US Patent and Trademark Office, Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, UK Intellectual Property Office and the EU Intellectual Property Office.

Commenting on the operation, Victoria Oakley, CEO, IFPI said: "Operation 404 is one of the largest and most effective global efforts against music piracy. It is very good to see it extending its reach across Latin America and into Paraguay for the first time. It is the result of vital work coordinated by local authorities and government agencies across the region, which is making important progress in disrupting unlicensed music services and apps on a large scale."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About IFPI

IFPI is the voice of the recording industry worldwide, representing over 8,000 record company members across the globe. We work to promote the value of recorded music, campaign for the rights of record producers and expand the commercial uses of recorded music around the world.

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