Man arrested in global piracy case

A man has been arrested on suspicion of leaking unreleased Hollywood films online.

Officers from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police arrested the man, aged 47, on suspicion of copyright offences.

He is suspected to have obtained thousands of films, television series and songs without the necessary licence or permissions from the copyright owners and then distributed them through a file sharing torrent site. The content included two recent Hollywood films that were leaked before their official release dates.

The man was arrested at his home in Penmaenmawr, Wales on 29 April 2025. Officers shut down the site and seized two laptops and several hard drives for further examination. A large quantity of discs, which were used to store some of the content, were also seized.

The arrest took place following a collaborative investigation between PIPCU and the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

Detective Constable Jason Theobald, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, said:

“This operation serves as a warning to anyone thinking of uploading copyrighted material to pirate sites. This is a crime that diverts funds away from the creative industries, money that not only supports artists, but thousands of technical and support staff working in this sector.

“It’s estimated that this type of criminal activity contributes to around 86,000 job losses each year alone. PIPCU is committed to working with partners, nationally and internationally, to take action against those involved.”

Karyn Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association, said:

“This operation stands as a powerful testament to the impact of close collaboration between law enforcement, the creative sector, and industry partners. We commend PIPCU for their leadership and dedication—their unique role in tackling intellectual property crime is essential in today’s digital age. Together, we are delivering meaningful results in the fight against piracy.

“As technology continues to evolve, so do the threats to creative content. This decisive enforcement action reinforces the message that piracy is not a victimless crime—it damages creators, disrupts legitimate businesses, and endangers consumers. We are proud to stand with PIPCU and our partners to protect creative industries and ensure audiences around the world can enjoy stories in a safe, legal, and secure way.”

The man has since been released under investigation.