Feds Crack Down on Websites That Stream Pro Sports

MANHATTAN (CN) - Days before the Super Bowl, federal officials seized 10 websites that stream live sports and pay-per-view events.

The sites link to other places on the Internet where viewers can watch professional football, basketball and hockey games, professional wrestling and ultimate fighting pay-per-view events.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent Daniel Brazier said in a sworn affidavit that the sports leagues "suffer significant negative impact from the unauthorized streaming of live television programming."

"Among other things, online piracy of live sporting event telecasts threatens the investment that broadcasters and digital media companies are willing to make to distribute live content, the leagues' ability to sell game tickets and secure local television and radio carriage, and the value of advertising revenue generated by broadcast, radio and new media products."

The seized websites are Atdhe.net, ChannelSurfing.net, HQ-Streams.com, HQ-Streams.net, FireStrow.net, Ilemi.com, Iilemi.com, Iilemii.com, Rojadirecta.org and Rojadirecta.com.

Visitors to the sites will be redirected to a banner informing them that the domain name has been seized by court order.

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