Federal Court Expands Crackdown on ‘Copycat’ Streaming Sites in Battle Against Online Piracy

The legal battle against online piracy in Canada has taken a new turn as a Federal Court judge issued a sweeping order targeting ‘copycat’ versions of the notorious Soap2Day streaming service. The ruling, which comes after years of escalating legal action, mandates internet service providers to block both current and future sites associated with Soap2Day, one of the most elusive pirate streaming platforms.

The decision, authored by Justice Simon Fothergill, also orders four unidentified individuals—referred to as John Does 1 to 4—to pay over $22 million in damages to media giants such as Netflix, Disney, and Bell Media for facilitating widespread copyright infringement.

A Persistent Battle Against Online Piracy

Fothergill’s ruling highlights the evolving nature of online piracy and the legal countermeasures deployed against it. He likened the fight against illicit streaming services to a “whack-a-mole” game, noting that successful shutdowns of piracy platforms are often followed by the emergence of nearly identical replacements.

“The plaintiffs report a growing trend, whereby infringing platforms that are successfully deactivated are promptly replaced by copycat sites,” he wrote. Similar cases in the past have involved platforms such as 123movies, Popcorn Time, and The Pirate Bay, all of which have been blocked or shut down only to resurface under different domains.

The case follows a six-year evolution in Canadian legal efforts to curb piracy. In 2019, a landmark ruling led to the country’s first nationwide website-blocking order, targeting GoldTV, a streaming service that provided thousands of TV channels for as little as $15 per month. That case, which was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada, set a precedent for further legal actions against digital piracy.

However, unlike GoldTV, which operated through a subscription model, Soap2Day and similar services generate revenue primarily through advertising, making enforcement more challenging. “It is difficult to determine whether new domains operating under the banner of Soap2Day are operated by the same people or are otherwise related,” Fothergill noted.

Expanding Legal Strategies

In recent years, the Federal Court has granted increasingly flexible injunctions to combat piracy. In 2022, a judge approved a “dynamic” site-blocking order aimed at stopping unauthorized broadcasts of live National Hockey League games. Unlike earlier rulings, which targeted specific domain names and IP addresses, this order allowed broadcasters to provide internet service providers with real-time lists of sites to block as pirates shifted streaming locations during live events.

The ruling reflected the growing scale of piracy, with court documents revealing that during one highly watched playoff game between Montreal and Toronto, at least 25,000 Bell Canada subscribers accessed illegal streams.

Building on that precedent, the Federal Court expanded the scope of these orders in 2023, issuing a “multi-sport blocking order” to cover major sporting events, including NBA games, Premier League soccer, mixed martial arts fights, and the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Soap2Day’s Persistent Influence

Fothergill’s ruling includes a confidential set of conditions that define what constitutes a ‘copycat’ site, enabling content providers to continuously update the list of domains that need to be blocked. Despite these measures, piracy websites remain widespread.

A reporter was able to locate a site claiming to be Soap2Day this week, where it was still possible to stream newly released films, including an Oscar-nominated movie. The site openly boasted about providing access to a vast library of content without the need for multiple paid subscriptions.

“We have everything from Hollywood’s latest releases to Bollywood blockbusters, available for viewing on Soap2Day almost immediately upon release,” the site claimed. “If Soap2Day didn’t exist, you would need 3-4 subscriptions, such as Netflix, HBO, Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video, to watch exclusive content. But with us, you won’t need that. Everything, absolutely EVERYTHING, is available on Soap2Day.”

The Future of Anti-Piracy Enforcement

While the court order marks a significant step in the fight against digital piracy, enforcement remains a challenge as illicit streaming services continue to adapt. By expanding the legal framework to target copycat sites in real-time, content producers hope to make piracy less accessible, but whether this approach will have a lasting impact remains to be seen.

For now, media companies and legal authorities continue their efforts to shut down unauthorized streaming platforms, knowing that the fight against online piracy is far from over.