The End Cometh! The UFC Files A Lawsuit Against Justin.tv, Hoping To Score A Definitive Blow Against Piracy

It seems as if the ufc is steadfastly continuing its war against internet pirates. The UFC has been cracking down on pirated broadcasts of their Pay-Per-Views for quite some time now, and seem willing to spare no expense and go to any length necessary in order to hunt down and exterminate UFC internet pirates once and for all. And in an attempt to strike a crippling blow, the UFC has recently filed suit against Justin.tv, one of the largest streaming sites on the internet. Here are all the details.

Many major websites are covering this bit of news, but we’ll head to MMA Weekly for a synopsis of the UFC’s next major legal battle. The report states that the UFC has filed a lawsuit against Justin.tv in Nevada court for its “alleged repeated and ongoing failure to meaningfully address the rampant and illegal uploading of video of live Pay-Per-View UFC events by members and users of the Justin.tv website.”

Based on their own research, the UFC states in the lawsuit that over two hundred illegal streams of their recent UFC 121 event were tracked down and removed by a third-party company that the UFC hired, and that as many as 50,000 people viewed the Pay-Per-View event for free.

In a press release announcing the lawsuit, Donald J. Campbell, one of the UFC’s lead lawyers in Nevada, had this to say: “Zuffa has attempted to work on numerous occasions with Justin.tv over nearly a two-year period to encourage it to prevent or limit its infringing activities. Regrettably, Justin.tv has not only turned a blind eye to the massive online piracy occurring on its website, we believe it has actually induced its users to commit copyright infringement thus leaving Zuffa no alternative but to take this fight to the courts.”

I think this is a pretty bold move on the UFC’s part, and I commend them for their vigorous protection of their copyrights. I also think that Justin.tv did give them no choice, because the UFC has indeed tried working with the popular website in the past. Now, I know what some fans are thinking: a few people watching a stream here and there probably isn’t that significant to an MMA empire that is reportedly worth about two billion dollars. But when you have 50,000 people watching an event for free… even considering what UFC President Dana White calls the UFC’s “party appeal” of getting a few friends together, having them all chip in for the cost of a UFC Pay-Per-View, and making an event out of a UFC show… that’s still a whole lot of money that should have gone into keeping the biggest, best, and most influential MMA company in the world afloat.

I think the UFC is clearly looking at the bottom line here, and to be honest, I think that’s the only way we really can look at this situation. The UFC is going after one giant whale by picking this battle with Justin.tv, but they’ve got every right to do so and they deserve to have their day in court. Many internet fans are already crying foul, but I think this is one example of the ends justifying the means.

But don’t forget, fans and friends… even if the UFC wins this battle, the war is far from over and will in fact never end. Piracy, in its purest form, will always survive, if not thrive. This is one battle that no media industry, whether it be music or movies or even pornography, has been able to win. Nor will they ever win. So while I commend the UFC for going after the big battles and trying to score the dominant victories, I hope that someone over there realizes what I’ve been saying all along: that you can’t stop the virus, and that the underground will always find a way.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your thoughts on this admittedly dividing topic?