The individuals running the 8maple illicit streaming website have been given prison sentences in Taiwan.
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In 2014, two Taiwanese software engineers established 8maple. Initially, the platform was presented as a commercial advertising medium but later transformed into a fully-fledged piracy hub.
The 8maple website drew millions of monthly visitors and amassed significant advertising earnings.
With an estimated monthly server hosting expense of US$9,800, initial estimates suggested that the individuals associated with 8maple may be earning approximately US$65,600 in monthly revenues.
By early 2020, the primary domain of the platform, 8maple.ru, was receiving around 35 million visits per month, generating roughly US$133,000 in monthly revenue.
Shutting Down of 8Maple Streaming Site
After an inquiry by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (MPA-APC), Japan-based Content Overseas Distribution Associations (CODA), and local TV network Sanli TV, 8maple.ru was closed down by Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau in March 2020.
Apprehended were two individuals in their thirties, Chen Su (33) and Zhuang Su (32). Their bank accounts, containing $1.9m in unlawful profits, were confiscated. The domains 8maple.ru and 8drama.com were also deactivated.
The two were accused of violating copyright laws. Taiwan’s Telecommunications Investigation Corps estimated that 8maple had caused approximately NT$ 1 billion (US$33.2m) in damages.
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment commended the sentencing of the individuals in a statement. It also referenced the seizure and forfeiture of NT$ 58.8million (US$1.97million) in unlawful earnings.
Illegitimate Fraud Websites
Several other platforms with similar branding tried to fill the market vacuum after 8maple’s closure. The two platforms 8maple.biz/9maple.org are interconnected and draw fewer than four million visitors per month.
Numerous other sites operating under the imaple8 and imaple8 names appear to be part of a network.
Collectively, these sites receive an average of three million visits per month. However, even when both sets of sites are combined, they still do not have the same level of exposure as the original 8maple platforms. This outcome is regarded as a victory for Taiwan’s TV and movie studios, as well as the authorities.
For further details on this development, you can peruse the official Taiwan News article or the report from TorrentFreak.
This isn’t the first instance of anti-piracy organizations shutting down illicit sites and services.
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