UK police have arrested a man who allegedly uploaded more than 3,000 unauthorised World Wresting Entertainment (WWE) videos online.
The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) arrested an individual based in Leicester yesterday (March 18).
WWE and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) videos were allegedly uploaded by the man and distributed through peer-to-peer networks. Police believe the videos were downloaded more than two million times and shared thousands of times.
PIPCU said the man is “one of the internet’s biggest offenders” for illegally uploading copyrighted material owned by the WWE and UFC, and estimated his actions to have costed the wrestling and mixed-martial arts industries millions of pounds.
Danny Medlycott, head of PIPCU, said the operation serves as a “clear warning to anyone thinking of uploading copyrighted material to pirate sites”.
“This is not a victimless crime, as copyright infringement is costing our creative industries hundreds of millions of pounds,” he said.
Jim Langham, senior vice president and assistant general counsel of the WWE, said: “WWE is extremely thankful for PIPCU’s attention to this matter. WWE provides many options for our fans to watch our content lawfully.
“We will continue to protect our intellectual property aggressively and combat piracy in any form,” he added.
copyright; WWE; PIPCU; piracy; World Wrestling Entertainment
