On November 9, the Hanoi Police announced that they had filed criminal charges and initiated legal proceedings against Phan Thanh Cong and Nguyen Tuan Anh (both born in 1990, residing in Ha Dong District) for violating copyright and related rights.

Earlier, the Economic Police Division received reports that the website Fmovies attracted over 6.7 billion visits in the first six months of 2024 and was allegedly infringing upon the copyright and related rights of films under the protection of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). Consequently, the police conducted an investigation.

After consulting with U.S. security agencies and relevant authorities, the police identified that the Fmovies network hosted nearly 50,000 movies with suspected copyright infringement, including numerous MPA-protected films. Fmovies operated on a large scale, illegally streaming MPA films to global users.

The police quickly employed professional measures to gather information on the suspects and collect evidence to clarify the operation methods and the role of each individual involved.

Through the investigation, the police identified Phan Thanh Cong as the mastermind and leader responsible for creating, managing, and operating the Fmovies website. Cong had previously faced administrative penalties for similar actions. Nguyen Tuan Anh was identified as an accomplice, assisting in illegally copying and uploading MPA films to Fmovies and its satellite sites.

From 2016 to August 2024, the suspects engaged in illegal activities that generated hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars in illicit profits.

At the investigation, the suspects admitted to all criminal acts.

Tien Dung