It's Far From Over: the UFC Once Again Gunning for Internet Pirates

Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the internet…Zuffa, LLC is coming for you. They don’t forgive, they don’t forget, they have over 9,000 lawyers and they are all out suing pirates. Yes indeed, fans and friends, once again the head honchos behind both the ufc and the WEC promotions have set their sights on internet pirates illegally streaming live UFC and WEC events. Here are all the details in the continuing saga of “UFC vs. Piracy”.

In a report first posted on the Las Vegas Sun, the Zuffa team has set their sights on a single person, a British man by the name of Daniel Wallace, that they say illegally broadcasted several UFC events. Wallace owns a website, livevss.tv, and Zuffa’s attorneys allege that it was used for the live and unauthorized streaming of UFC Pay-Per-Views. Here’s what the suit against Wallace had to say: “Given that events are streamed for free on defendant’s website, defendant derives revenue from selling advertising space on the website such that the viewer is continuously bombarded with.”

Should he lose his battle in court, Wallace is looking at a hefty price to pay for his copyright infringement: Zuffa is seeking a court order to prevent any additional illegal streams, $150,000 for every illegal stream that was broadcasted, attorney’s fees, legal costs, and the forfeiture of any and all profits Wallace made off of the ad revenue that was on display during the alleged broadcasts. At the time of this report, Daniel Wallace has made no comment.

Well, here we go again fans and friends. Dana White wasn’t kidding when he talked about using internet pirates to set an example in order to discourage other would-be pirates. Zuffa has been on the warpath for the last several months, attacking everything from companies to sports bars to individuals, all in the name of protecting their copyrights and ensuring their profits. They’ve basically been slam-dunking these cases left and right, they’re cut-and-dry instances of illegal streaming for profit. And at the end of the day, there’s nothing you or me or anyone else can do about it.

Zuffa built its brand and created its image, they have a right to protect it. If they want to spend the time and effort to fight the same losing battle that virtually all major media industries have been fighting, that’s their right as copyright holders ready to defend their copyrights. But that is all this will ever be: a losing battle. Highly-publicized lawsuits couldn’t kill the .mp3 scene. FBI raids couldn’t kill the warez scene. The list of examples goes on and on. But if the UFC wants to make the effort to cut down on the brand of piracy that affects them, it’s their right and I ultimately support them. I think they are well within their rights to adamantly take a zero-tolerance stance on illegal streaming, I just don’t think they’ll ever really get anywhere with it.

Simply put, internet piracy is and always will be a virus, and the virus always finds a way. Always.

But what do you think, fans and friends? Will the UFC’s continued crackdown on internet pirates every truly pay off?