MPA Statement on USTR’s 2025 Notorious Markets List Focused on Live Sports Piracy
WASHINGTON – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) yesterday released its 2025 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy (the Notorious Markets List). This year, the List specifically highlights the threat of live sports piracy, an area of growing focus for the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE).
The following is a statement from Charles Rivkin, MPA Chairman and CEO:
“The MPA commends Ambassador Greer, the USTR staff, and their interagency partners for their unwavering commitment to curtail digital piracy and protect the creative marketplace. Each year, the Notorious Markets List identifies the world’s most nefarious criminal operations that distribute unlicensed content and infringe upon the copyrighted works of the creative community.
“We appreciate the inclusion of more than 15 flagrant offenders we identified to USTR on the List, as well as a recognition of ACE’s landmark takedown of Streameast – formerly the world’s largest live-sports piracy ring.
“Live sports piracy poses an existential threat to rights holders, and ACE is expanding its efforts to mitigate the adverse effects through deeper partnerships with sports broadcasters, leagues, and global law enforcement. Combatting these networks requires sustained collaboration between rights holders, technology platforms, and international law enforcement.
“Criminal networks continue to exploit new technologies, including illicit streaming services and infrastructure designed to evade enforcement. In an age of rapidly evolving technologies and a fast-changing digital landscape, it’s more important than ever to protect and defend intellectual property rights. Through effective copyright law, the MPA will continue to ensure our industry does what we do best: fuel economies and inspire audiences around the world.”
# # #
About The Motion Picture Association
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) serves as the leading voice and advocate of the motion picture, home video, and television industries. It works in every corner of the globe to advance the creative industry, protect its members’ content across all screens, defend the creative and artistic freedoms of storytellers, and support innovative distribution models that bring an expansion of viewing choices to audiences around the world. Its member studios are: Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO.
About the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is the world’s leading coalition dedicated to protecting the legal creative market and reducing digital piracy. Driven by a comprehensive approach to addressing piracy through criminal referrals, civil litigation, and cease-and-desist operations, ACE has achieved many successful global enforcement actions against illegal streaming services and unauthorized content sources and their operators. Drawing upon the collective expertise and resources of more than 50 media and entertainment companies around the world—including sports channels and associations—and reinforced by the Motion Picture Association’s content protection operations, ACE protects the creativity and innovation that drives the global growth of core copyright and entertainment industries. The current governing board members for ACE are Amazon, Apple TV, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of ACE.
Media Contact
Pamela Corante