indoXXi website, one of world's most popular piracy sites, claims to have permanently closed as of January 1st

"Happy New Year 2020. As of today our site is no longer accessible, as is the case with the Indoxxi lite application. Thank you for being a loyal viewer of INDOXXI until now, always support the creative industry to be more advanced in the future. Greetings, INDOXXI"

Some indoXXi streaming sites cannot currently be accessed and the URL links to a pop up which states: "Goodbye 2019, Goodbye indoXXi. Thank you." However there are still a number of indoXXi sites which remain operational and provide access to pirated Indonesian and international content. The US based web traffic analysis company, Alexa, which measures website popularity, ranks indoXXi as the 721st most popular website in the world. IndoXXi is also ranked within the top 100 most popular websites in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Philippines and Taiwan.

Following the December release of an AVIA commissioned YouGov survey which found that 63% of Indonesians access piracy streaming websites, the Indonesian government vowed to identify and prosecute those operating the indoXXi piracy websites unless they cease their operations.

The rampant piracy levels in Indonesia has recently been escalated to both the President's and the Vice-President's office. In a recent media address the Minister of Communications and Information (KOMINFO), Mr. Johnny Plate, commented, "Pirated films generate a negative impact on Indonesia. The government is building its investment climate, which includes the protection of intellectual property rights."

Public Relations Commissioner Mr. Asep Adi Saputra, Head of Public Relations Division of the National Police, notified the media that "the police fully supports what is being done by KOMINFO. We will be coordinating further whether there are further violations of the law, especially as it relates to intellectual property rights."

The Director General of Aptika Kominfo, Mr. Semuel Abrijani, informed the media, "We are working with video and film associations to eradicate pirated websites.... It's like cat and mouse game. But, together with the VCI we will continue to pursue them." He went on to warn consumers of the risks associated with piracy websites. "These sites are dangerous. Besides harming IPR owners, we have found malware on some of the sites that were blocked."

Members of the Video Coalition of Indonesia (VCI) will continue to work closely with KOMINFO to assist in the identification of illegal sites and we call for all related government departments to work together and undertake stronger enforcement action against illegal piracy site owners.

Mr. Joko Anwar, one of Indonesia's most successful film directors, stated, "Piracy is not a victimless crime. It hurts the whole of the film industry, dampening its growth which in turn lessens the opportunities for more people to work in the field and threatens the liveilhoods of those already working in our industry."

Prominent Indonesian actor, Mr. Reza Rahadian, commented, "My appreciation to the government and all respective parties in their efforts to combat the rampant piracy in Indonesia. Piracy, in any form, has a negative impact on the growth of the film industry and specifically the Indonesian film industry. Our collaborative endeavors and achievements will come to nothing should piracy websites not be stopped through a rigid and sustainable enforcement system. I do hope that what Kominfo has achieved to combat piracy, will not only result in the growth of the Indonesian film industry, but also provide increased awareness of how consumers can and should access legal services to watch movies and TV shows."

Mr. Chand Parwez, Chairman of Asosiasi Perusahaan Film Indonesia (APFI) stated, "indoXXI may have claimed to have voluntarily shut down their illicit services, what's important is that APFI, the Video Coalition of Indonesia, and KOMINFO continue to pro-actively fight piracy. Considering the innumerable costs of copyright infringement, we must keep up our guard and continue to do all that we can to combat piracy websites that not only steal content but also use their platforms to actively promote illigal activities including gambling. One battle does not win a war and APFI will continue to fight."

Mr. Edy Sulistyo, CEO of GoPlay, commented: "Established by Indonesian creative minds, we at GoPlay deeply appreciate the recent actions taken by the government in combating film piracy in Indonesia. Copyright piracy is detrimental to the Indonesian film industry. For this reason, the protection of intellectual property is a key concern at GoPlay as it impacts our ability to provide a platform for our national filmmakers and content creators to introduce their works to a wider international market.

We also welcome the Government's efforts in supporting the content industry and advancing the opportunities of national filmmakers. Gojek has the same mission as the government to ensure Indonesian film lovers are able to access unique and quality content, wherever and whenever they want to. With the ongoing technological advancements in the country, we invite the whole community, including filmmakers, media partners and the government, to support the availability of quality content through the many legal services in order to support the growth of our national film industry".

Neil Gane, the General Manager of AVIA's Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) commented, "Piracy on such a scale is organised crime, pure and simple, with crime groups such as indoXXi, making substantial illicit revenues from the provision of stolen content. From a consumer standpoint accessing pirated content is also fraught with risks. Piracy websites have a click-happy user base, and are being used more and more as clickbait to distribute malware. The type of malware embedded within the piracy ecosystem can include particularly harmful malware such as remote access trojans which allows the hacker to activate and record from the device's webcam without the victim being aware."

To fight back against the country's rampant and damaging online piracy, the VCI has been working closely with KOMINFO to identify and block domains associated with piracy websites. Since July last year over 1,000 piracy websites and illegal application domains have been blocked by KOMINFO.

Members of the VCI include AVIA's Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), APFI, APROFI, GPBSI , Emtek Group, MNC Group, Viva Group, Telkom Indonesia, Cinema 21 Group, CGV, Cinemaxx, HOOQ, iflix, Viu, GoPlay, Rewind, SuperSoccerTV and Catchplay.

The Indonesia based 'indoXXi group' control a number of illegal piracy websites and applications which are accessed globally but particularly popular throughout SE Asia. The indoXXi group was listed on the US Government's 2019 USTR Notorious Markets List, which identifies the most egregious websites outside the United States that engage in and facilitate substantial copyright piracy or trademark counterfeiting. The US based web traffic analysis company, Alexa, which measures website popularity, ranks indoXXi as the 721st most popular website in the world. It is also ranked within the top 100 most popular websites in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Philippines and Taiwan.

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves as the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:Charmaine KwanHead of Marketing and CommunicationsEmail: charmaine@asiavia.orgWebsite: https://asiavia.orgLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoiaTwitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com