Vietnamese authorities have arrested seven individuals linked to the popular piracy portal HiAnime, following a joint investigation with U.S. law enforcement into a massive illegal streaming network.

Key Points

• Vietnamese police charged seven suspects with copyright infringement and money laundering related to a network of over 100 pirate websites.
• The operation, which included the 150-million-visit site HiAnime, allegedly generated approximately $12.8 million in advertising revenue since 2020.
• Investigations were supported by intelligence from the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE).
• Suspects reportedly laundered cryptocurrency earnings through real estate and vehicle purchases to legitimize illicit proceeds.
• The crackdown follows U.S. diplomatic pressure, including the U.S. Trade Representative’s classification of Vietnam as a "Priority Foreign Country" regarding intellectual property.

Why it Matters

This enforcement action highlights the growing international cooperation between U.S. rightsholders and foreign governments to dismantle large-scale digital piracy operations. The outcome of these trials will serve as a critical test of whether Vietnam will impose deterrent prison sentences to satisfy U.S. trade demands.