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AAPA ANNOUNCES 5th ANTI-PIRACY AWARDS

AAPA

27 October 2022

Rome, 27 October 2022

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) has announced the 2022 awards given to an individual or team from the public sector for a successful initiative which supports the fight against audiovisual piracy. These are the 5th awards and were presented today at the Europol Intellectual Property Crime conference in Rome.

The winner of the 2022 award is The Cybercrime Department of the Bulgarian Directorate Combating Organized Crime for their lead in implementing the EMPACT priority on IP Crime. The award was presented to Inspector Alexander Velev for his work in leading the operational action concerning illegal IPTV and illegal streaming in the framework of the EMPACT priority

Commenting on the award Sheila Cassells, Executive Vice President of AAPA, said: “While IP crime is an EMPACT priority it is important to keep it firmly in the spotlight and to expand the knowledge and investigative capabilities amongst Law Enforcement. The Bulgarian Cybercrime Department has always recognised the importance that private sector can play as a partner, inviting AAPA to support operations in the past. The effectiveness of collaborative working is clear to see and is evidenced by the fact that AAPA was invited to produce and deliver a 3 -day technical based training event which was hosted by the Bulgarian Ministry of the Interior in Sofia. Preparations are under way for a similar event in 2023.”

AAPA also presented highly commended awards to Nucleo di Polizia Economico-Finanziaria della Guardia di Finanza di Milano and Squadra Reati Informatici della Procura della Repubblica presso il Tribunale Ordinario di Milano, for “The Net” operation. This operation started in December 2020 and was completed in January 2022. A huge pirate IPTV network serving over 500,000 users was dismantled and homes of 20 suspects were searched. For the first time the investigation identified the administrator of CyberGroup, an internet service provider used by several pirate IPTV suppliers.

Commenting on these awards Sheila Cassells said that “We are delighted to recognise the continued commitment of the Italian police to fighting IP crime for a second year. The scale of the illegal network which was broken up as a result of THE NET is another successful blow against pirates.”

The awards are the fifth to be given by AAPA. The award may be made to an individual or team working in law enforcement, including customs, market surveillance, the public prosecution service, international or national Government agencies or departments and regulatory bodies.

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Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance 2024-2029 EU Manifesto

by AAPA • 1 October 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) publishes its first Manifesto, linked here . The document aims to recognise past efforts of EU legislators when it comes to content protection and the fight against copyright infringement, whilst admitting that more can and should be done to address this growing issue. Miruna Herovanu, Executive Director of AAPA said : " After years of laying the groundwork to combat online piracy it’s time for EU policymakers and beyond to fully acknowledge that decisive, targeted measures are needed at the European level. The rise of digital theft demands action. We call for strong political resolve to end the theft of our members' content. We're ready to support every stakeholder—law enforcement, policymakers, and industry representatives—to dismantle criminal networks and protect European consumers from harm."

AAPA ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

by AAPA • 28 May 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) has announced the appointment of Miruna Herovanu as its Executive Director. Miruna was previously the Director at the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand in Europe in charge of Intellectual Property and Competition policies. She took up her position with AAPA on 27 May 2024 and will be based in Brussels. Miruna will replace Sheila Cassells who is retiring as Executive Vice President of AAPA and will report on a day-to-day basis to the two Co-Presidents, Mark Mulready, VP of Cyber Services at Irdeto and Oliver Pribramksy, Head of IP Protection and Committees at the Deutsche Fussball Liga. She will be responsible for the implementation of the strategy agreed by AAPA members, managing relationships with law enforcement agencies such as Europol, Eurojust, INTERPOL and the European Institutions, delivery of AAPA’s Working Group goals and general management of the Alliance. Mark Mulready said that: “We are delighted to appoint someone of Miruna’s calibre and experience to become the Executive Director of AAPA. Miruna’s commitment to copyright protection is well-known. Her knowledge of the Brussels institutions and the EUIPO will stand AAPA in good stead for future policy developments. A priority will be for Miruna to work closely with AAPA members, the EUIPO and the European Institutions to deliver on, inter alia, the goals of combatting online piracy of sports and other live events recommendation.” Miruna Herovanu commented that: “My professional experience demonstrated that piracy is an ever-growing issue that eats at the heart of Europe’s most important industries. This is a golden opportunity and a new professional challenge that will help further develop my passion for and commitment to protecting copyright. Being able to work with and support industry experts and practitioners in AAPA, law enforcement, the European Institutions and other trade associations is essential to the fight against piracy. I am excited to be taking on this role.”