According to online reports, U.S. President Barack Obama has seized 10 websites that streamed free live sporting events just days before the biggest sporting event of the year is set to air.
The U. S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, working in conjunction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, seized the Web addresses Tuesday. The seizure affidavit was unsealed Wednesday, according to Politico.com.
The sports websites that were shut down include channelsurfing.net and Spain-based rojadirecta.org, the latter of which is back online today and live streaming sporting events under several different domain names.
Government officials argue that the sites are not only distributing pirated content illegally, but in the process, are also denting the revenues of the professional sports leagues and broadcasters as well as negatively impacting viewers. READ MORE
In taking this action, Obama seems to be protecting the financial interests of the NFL, NBA and the major television networks that spend millions on licensing for the rights to broadcast live sporting events.
Not to mention, these same major TV networks provide invaluable tickets and other perks to members of the federal government and their families who wish to attend games where tickets would normally be sold out.
The latest domain seizures follow on the heels of the government shut down of rap and urban websites that the feds say were illegally pirating in stolen music, such as Onsmash.com and RapGodfather.com.
Is this what Mr. Obama was elected for?
Why is Obama and the US Customs office so focused on shutting down sporting websites that most of the country has never heard of when the Mexican border is still porous and providing easy access to millions of illegal immigrants who come into this country and drain government resources?
