LONDON, UK - 10 Sep 2013: The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) is using IBM (NYSE: IBM) Big Data intelligence analytics software to help combat piracy of intellectual property (IP) among its members. The IBM technology has helped FACT increase access to better intelligence and improves efficiency in identifying individuals and organizations that create and distribute fraudulent, copyright-infringing content in all forms.
Established in 1983, FACT is dedicated to protecting the IP of its members, working with industry partners and law enforcement bodies worldwide. Members of FACT include global and UK film distributors, TV broadcasters and sport rights owners.
FACT's access to better intelligence through the IBM Big Data intelligence analytics software has virtually eliminated illegal in-cinema recordings in the UK, with only one such recording in the past two years. Previously, more than 90 percent of the counterfeit versions of movies originated from a copy recorded in a cinema. This has led to more prosecutions of those responsible for the capturing, copying, sharing and selling of illegal pirated copies of audio-visual media.
According to a report published by Oxford Economics and commissioned by Respect for Film, the audio-visual sector loses more than £500 million in the UK each year because of copyright theft. Fraud of this scale has significant economic impact on an industry that supports 1.9 million jobs in the UK and accounts for more than eight percent of GDP.
FACT has used IBM Big Data intelligence analytics software since 2005 when it replaced a system of managing large volumes of data in spreadsheets. With an intelligence-led approach, data analysts at FACT can now quickly establish patterns and relationships, and make non-obvious connections between disparate sources of data.
In one such case in 2012, surfthechannel.com was running a massive pirate movie website. At its peak, surfthechannel.com was the 514th most visited website in the world, providing access to more than 5,000 pirated films and TV programs. The value of sales lost to the film industry was estimated at up to £198m.
FACT analysts, using IBM Big Data intelligence analytics software, were able to access publicly available chat logs, forum messages and other generally available data. Using a visual mapping illustration of the data, FACT identified non-obvious links between the various data trails, which in turn assisted with identifying the culprit.
Based on FACT's work, the owner of the site was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
Our role in successfully detecting and targeting those involved in crimes that impact our members requires the ability to foresee and be aware of the technological changes that occur constantly, said Keith Byrne, Intelligence Manager at FACT. The IBM technology is vital to our work at FACT and enables us to better protect our members' valuable creative intellectual property.
In recent years, FACT has witnessed a significant shift away from the distribution and sale of infringing film content in DVD format to digital pirating through downloads, file-sharing and streaming.
Pirating of films has a huge impact on creators of entertainment. If creators are unable to derive a return from their work, they will have less incentive to produce the next film, TV program or other content and may struggle to get financing. Fraud of this kind also impacts cinemas, service industries, retailers and the livelihood of employees who depend on the survival of the creative sector.
FACT is a tenacious and professional organization, respected by law enforcement and the judiciary, said Lavinia Carey, Director General, British Video Association. They have the skills and the tools to tackle the online piracy landscape in the UK just as successfully as they did with physical sales.
Providing access to better intelligence can greatly assist in detecting and targeting those involved in crimes of this nature, said Shaun Hipgrave, Intelligence Analytics Executive, IBM. Our clients are able to make use of IBM technology as a valuable tool in the fight against fraud.
Part of a broad portfolio of counter-fraud solutions, IBM Big Data intelligence analytics software provides a dedicated environment for information fusion, collaboration and information sharing. It helps facilitate and support operational analysis, improve situational awareness and provides faster, more informed decision making across and inside organizations.
For more information about IBM Big Data intelligence analytics technology, visit: http://www-03.ibm.com/software/products/us/en/fraud-intelligence-analysis
For more information about FACT, visit http://www.fact-uk.org.uk/
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
LONDON, UK - 10 Sep 2013: The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) is using IBM (NYSE: IBM) Big Data intelligence analytics software to help combat piracy of intellectual property (IP) among its members. The IBM technology has helped FACT increase access to better intelligence and improves efficiency in identifying individuals and organizations that create and distribute fraudulent, copyright-infringing content in all forms. 
