Title: Tel Aviv District Court Files Lawsuit Against Sdarot, Exposing 14 Members of the Pirated Content Organization
Subtitle: Is the End Near for Israel’s Pirate Empire?
Date: [Current Date]
Tel Aviv, Israel – In a major development in the ongoing battle between the Zira organization and the infamous pirated content site Sdarot, a lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the Tel Aviv District Court. This lawsuit not only sheds light on the operators behind the illicit platform but also reveals new details about the extent of their activities. As the legal proceedings progress, the question on everyone’s mind is whether the pirate empire in Israel is facing its demise.
The indictment presented in court unveils a complex network of operations within Sdarot. More than just an organization run by a single individual identifying himself as “Eli Cohen” on Twitter, Sdarot is described as a well-structured and sophisticated hierarchy. The indictment exposes their alleged involvement in money laundering and the conversion of payments received in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Furthermore, the court documents list the full names of 14 central activists involved with the site, including the operations manager, server farm owners, programmers, graphic designers, and individuals responsible for recording series and movies from popular platforms such as YES, HOT, Netflix, and Disney Plus. Community managers are also among those named in the indictment.
One crucial revelation made in the court documents is the identification of Michael Ben-Ami from Dimona as the individual purportedly behind both Sdarot and Sratim. The indictment describes Ben-Ami as “the living spirit behind the acts of infringement,” accusing him of leading the activity of the infringing websites. Zira, the organization representing YES, HOT, and United King movies, seeks a restraining order against all defendants, along with financial compensation totaling 5 million shekels for copyright infringement. Zira alleges that Ben-Ami has ignored previous judgments against him and does not comply with legal consequences, as he often resides outside of Israel.
Zira managed to seize Sdarot’s servers in June, accumulating a massive volume of 270 terabytes of data. This seizure seems to align with the reported difficulties faced by Sdarot in operating the site since that time. According to Zira, hundreds of thousands of users, both from Israel and around the world, visit Sdarot to access pirated content.
An investigation conducted by a European company working with the prosecution uncovered the transfer of cryptocurrency for subscription purchases on Sdarot. The movement of these coins was tracked, revealing that they ultimately ended up in a digital wallet with an estimated balance of $17 million. It remains to be seen whether the pirates will find a way to defy these challenges and continue their operations or if this lawsuit will successfully subdue Sdarot for the first time.
As the legal battle unfolds, the future of Israel’s pirate empire hangs in the balance. Authorities and content creators are hopeful that this lawsuit will mark a significant step towards curbing the infringement of intellectual property rights and enforcing stricter measures against piracy.