Court ruling orders Google to disable Magis TV, one of the world's leading piracy platforms on Android

The Argentine justice system has decreed an unprecedented judicial ruling in Latin America, leading to the blocking of all domains related to the illegal internet television service Magis TV. More importantly, it orders the U.S. tech giant Google to prevent the use of the application on its Android operating system.

This is a highly significant ruling because, once Magis TV’s infrastructure is blocked, it prohibits the App from being loaded in the Android environment, and will disable it on devices that had already downloaded the application prior to this ruling, something that has not happened before in any final judgment worldwide. Google plays a key role as an intermediary in the entire operational chain of audiovisual fraud, obtaining significant revenue from it. It’s estimated that if Google were to cooperate, piracy could be reduced by up to 80%, as LALIGA President Javier Tebas has publicly stated on numerous occasions.

The case was prompted by a complaint from Alliance Against Audiovisual Piracy (Alianza), based on its objectives for Operation 404. After the ruling, LALIGA committed to supporting the investigation carried out by the UFEIC and Alianza with technical reports, given that its content was being stolen by Magis TV from various distributors. The Anti-Audiovisual Fraud team in Spain and representatives in Argentina compiled reports and evidence to assist in the case, which have already been handed over to the Prosecutor's Office.

"This ruling by the Argentine authorities following prosecutor Musso’s investigation, based on the evidence presented by Alianza, represents a global example in the fight against piracy and theft of audiovisual content. Not only have all the domains associated with the illegal service and its technological infrastructure been blocked, but it has also been ruled that Google must prevent the use of illegal applications already installed on Android devices through its security mechanisms, something we have requested on numerous occasions,” stated LALIGA President Javier Tebas. In fact, a judge of first instance in Spain already issued an order in 2022 calling for a similar measure from Google at the request of LALIGA, in a process that's still ongoing.

The judicial decision was made within the framework of a case investigating networks in Buenos Aires and Misiones that commercialised TV Boxes—devices illegally used to transmit signals from cable TV operators, which in these cases already had the Magis TV application installed.

The ruling issued by Esteban Rossignoli, head of Court No.4 in San Isidro, Buenos Aires, came after an extensive investigation by the Cybercrime Prosecutor’s Office in the Specialised Unit for Cybercrimes (UFEIC) to dismantle the largest unified network of audiovisual piracy in the region and to confiscate TV Boxes with pirate applications sold online and on social networks. In total, between Argentina and Brazil, five people were arrested and now face criminal charges. Additionally, 675 websites and 14 streaming applications have been dismantled, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

Magis TV is the largest illegal Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service in Latin America by monthly visits, with 55 million visits in the last six months across Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. This service illegally broadcasts live television over the internet and does not hold broadcasting rights. It's an application that steals audiovisual content from various producers and distributors to offer it directly to users.