In the days leading up to the Super Bowl the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized $4.86 million worth of counterfeit merchandise and 307 websites. 291 of those sites were engaged in selling counterfeits, and the other 16 were set to stream the big game without NFL permission. Most people see the seizure of counterfeit NFL gear as a fair move, but in the midst of SOPA, PIPA, Megaupload, and a myriad of other online piracy and privacy issues, the seizure of the streaming sites has caused quite a stir.
ICE Director John Morton stated that the goal of the seizures is “defeating the international counterfeiting rings that illegally profit off of this event, the NFL, its players and sports fans,” but critics aren’t buying it. Of the 16 sites shut down for illegally broadcasting sporting events, 9 of them were being operated right here in Michigan by a single person.
US Attorney Preet Bharara, tasked with prosecuting the Michigan man, stated that “[s]ports fans may be tempted by illegal streaming websites, but in the end, it is they who pay the price” as piracy causes the prices of tickets and memorabilia to rise. Critics are, again, unswayed. In two full years of operation illegally broadcasting NFL, NBA, MLB, WWE, and other events, those nine sites only yielded an alleged grand total of $13,000 in profits for their Michigan proprietor. The NFL makes about $4 million for the TV rights to the Super Bowl alone. Many are finding it hard to believe that illegal streams of Super Bowl footage are really forcing the NFL to hike ticket prices to make ends meet without that extra bit.
The NFL certainly has a right to reap the rewards of its endeavors. If it wants to quibble over what essentially amounts to loose change, that’s its prerogative. Indeed, a lot of the noise would probably quiet down if it was the NFL who was pursuing illegal streamers. When a United States agency tasked with protecting the country’s borders and stopping pedophilic child molesters starts using its resources to make sure that the NFL is getting that last 0.01% of profit out of its efforts, however, the public attitude gets a little dicey. Regardless of who’s making what from the Super Bowl, government approval ratings are at an all time low – maybe now is not the best time to take away football and beer.