Football fans have taken to social media to react to the news that popular streaming website Hesgoal has been banished by United States law enforcement authorities.
Piracy is an issue prevalent in sport with sites such as Hesgoal attracting "millions" of monthly visitors looking to stream live content for free. That is not an option today. Instead, visitors are welcomed by a seizure banner, displaying a stern warning of criminal prosecution to those attempting to access the homepage.
It reads: “This domain name has been seized by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) pursuant to a warrant issued by the United States District Court for the District of Maryland under the authority of inter alia, Title 18, United States Code, section 2323. It is unlawful to reproduce or distribute copyrighted material including movies, music, software, or games without authorization. Individuals who do so risk criminal prosecution. First time offenders convicted of a criminal copyright violation face up to five years in prison, fines, restitution, and forfeiture."
