Brazil’s National Film Agency, ANCINE, has gained new powers to fight online piracy, changing how the country protects digital intellectual property. This fresh authority lets ANCINE block illegal content, skipping long court processes.
The new ANCINE law in Brazil, called Law No. 14.815/2024, has brought about the biggest change to the country’s anti-piracy rules in a long time. This law gives the Agência Nacional do Cinema (ANCINE) the power to work with internet providers to block pirate websites. Also, this Brazilian anti-piracy law makes it easier for content creators to report when someone breaks the rules and to protect their work. Because of this, anyone who makes or shares media in Brazil needs to understand these new rules.
In this guide, I’ll break down what Brazilian content creators need to know about ANCINE’s expanded power, how they enforce the rules, and what you can do to protect your work under these new regulations.
What is Law No. 14.815/2024 and Why it’s Important?
Law No. 14.815/2024, which came into effect on January 16, 2024, marks a turning point in Brazil’s fight against online piracy. This new law improves copyright protection across the entire audiovisual production process, giving fresh hope to content creators who have struggled with people sharing their work without permission.
Main Changes the Law Brings
The key feature of Brazil’s ANCINE law is Article 3. This article gives the Agência Nacional do Cinema (ANCINE) clear power “to determine the suspension and cessation of unauthorized use of Brazilian or foreign protected works.” In real terms, this means ANCINE can now take direct steps to stop illegal broadcasts of audiovisual content on different platforms, such as:
- Websites and streaming services that host stolen content
- Apps that share unauthorized material
- TV boxes and IPTV devices that show protected works without permission
Up to now, content creators have had to go through long legal processes to fight piracy. The Brazilian anti-piracy law changes this situation. It allows ANCINE to take quick action against violators without always needing to go through regular court procedures. Also, the law makes it clear that suspension measures include stopping “issuance, diffusion, transmission, retransmission, reproduction, access, distribution, storage, hosting, exhibition, availability, and any other means that have an impact on copyright infringement.”
This wide-ranging approach shows that the Brazilian government understands piracy is more than just breaking copyright laws. It harms the economy, helps people avoid taxes, and often provides money to organized crime groups.
How it Builds on Previous Legislation
The new law doesn’t stand alone but grows out of earlier lawmaking efforts. It builds on the national programming quotas set up in Law No. 12.485/2011. At the same time, it expands ANCINE’s duties, which were first laid out in broader terms in Provisional Law 2.228/2001.
This law fills important holes in Brazil’s old anti-piracy system. Before Law 14.815/2024, ANCINE didn’t have the right tools to fight digital piracy. This caused big problems after the agency’s leaders rewrote its Anti-Piracy Program in December 2022. They ended team-ups with key industry players like the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the Brazilian Pay-TV Association (ABTA).
What’s more, the law sets up a much-needed system to block websites, in line with Bill of Law #3696/2023, which the president signed in January 2024. This alignment is key, as it creates a unified approach among regulatory bodies, enabling rights holders to seek help from several agencies that have administrative tools to stop violations of their audiovisual works.
The timing of this law carries extra weight given how big the piracy problem is in Europe alone. Pay-TV operators reportedly lost €3.21 billion due to piracy in 2021, while illegal operators were estimated to have gained €1 billion that same year.
ANCINE’s New Powers to Fight Piracy
The passing of Law No. 14.815/2024 has given the Agência Nacional do Cinema (ANCINE) remarkable enforcement abilities that transform Brazil’s approach to combating digital piracy. These new powers put ANCINE at the head of protecting intellectual property in the digital realm.
Authority to Block Unauthorized Content
The new framework allows ANCINE to have a direct administrative ability to stop or end the use of protected audiovisual works without permission. ANCINE can now do this without always needing to go through the usual court system. This marks a big change from before, when content creators often had to deal with long court cases before they could take action against those who broke the rules.
The law gives ANCINE the power to order ISPs to block access to websites, apps, and services that share unauthorized content. This blocking system works outside of court processes, enabling quicker action against piracy operations.
ANCINE can now act as both detective and enforcer. It can spot illegal content sharing and order its takedown or blocking. This faster approach tries to tackle digital piracy more, as old legal methods often took too long to stop major harm to content makers.
What ANCINE can do
ANCINE’s new powers are quite far-reaching. The new law says the agency can target:
- Specific web addresses and domains that host unauthorized content
- Full websites that focus on piracy
- Mobile apps that share protected works without permission
- IP addresses linked to illegal content sharing
- IPTV services and devices that offer unauthorized access to paid content
What’s key is that ANCINE now teams up with ANATEL (Brazil’s telecom watchdog) through an official technical teamwork deal. This partnership sets up a clear process to put blocking measures into action, with ANCINE spotting illegal content and ANATEL helping with the technical side of blocking through ISPs.
The law also spells out a specific timeframe for following the rules—ISPs must carry out ANCINE’s blocking orders within a set period, or they might face penalties. This creates responsibility within the enforcement chain and makes sure quick action happens against piracy operations.
Examples of Content Covered Under the Law
The Brazilian anti-piracy law has an influence on a wide array of audiovisual content. Protected works include:
- Feature films and short films made in Brazil or abroad
- Television series, soap operas, and other shows that come in episodes
- Documentaries and content to educate
- Original productions from streaming services
- Live sports shows and other broadcasts that are time-sensitive
- Animation and shows for kids
So, the protection applies to pretty much all types of audiovisual content shared on different platforms. The law’s wide-ranging definition makes sure that new formats and ways to distribute will be covered without needing to update the law all the time.
For Brazilian content creators, this wide-ranging protection has a major impact on the fight against digital piracy. In the past, many creators struggled to defend their work from illegal sharing. The ANCINE law in Brazil now gives them a strong ally that can act to protect their intellectual property rights.
How well these new powers work will depend on how hard ANCINE pushes enforcement and how it teams up with other regulators like ANATEL. Still, the rules set by Law No. 14.815/2024 show Brazil’s dedication to building a safer space for people who make and share content.
How are ANCINE and ANATAL teaming up?
A key partnership between Brazil’s regulatory agencies serves as the foundation for the country’s improved anti-piracy actions. The National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) and the National Cinema Agency (ANCINE) have teamed up through an official agreement that establishes a united approach to illegal content distribution.
The Technical Cooperation Agreement
On May 15, 2024, ANATEL and ANCINE inked a game-changing Technical Cooperation Agreement that makes their teamwork on fighting audiovisual piracy official. This alliance blends each agency’s special powers—ANCINE’s ability to regulate content with ANATEL’s supervision of telecommunications.
This deal lets ANCINE spot and pick out websites and apps that share stolen content. ANATEL then works with internet companies to block these sites. This teamwork links content rules with tech actions, making it easier to enforce the law.
This official partnership builds on ANATEL’s other efforts to stop piracy, like the Plan to Fight the Use of Illegal Decoders that began in February 2023. Both groups see that working together works better than going solo since digital piracy is so tricky.
Role of Broadband Providers in Enforcement
Internet service providers play a key role in putting this regulatory partnership into action. ANCINE decides what content needs blocking, then ANATEL works with Brazil’s big network of over 20,000 broadband providers to carry out these orders.
These providers have to use specific technical steps within set timeframes to block access to pirate domains, IP addresses, and unauthorized services that ANCINE has flagged. ANATEL then does regular checks and tests to make sure providers are following the rules. From now on, providers who don’t block these sites as required could face consequences, like fines or losing some of their regulatory perks.
This setup marks a big change in how rules are enforced. Broadband companies now play a part in filtering content and limiting access – tasks they didn’t handle before.
How Pirate Domains are Found and Blocked
The blocking process follows a step-by-step plan to be productive and responsible:
- ANCINE spots websites, apps, or services that share unauthorized audiovisual content
- The agency makes a list of addresses that need blocking and sends it to ANATEL
- ANATEL tells the relevant broadband providers what they need to do
- Providers put the technical blocking measures in place within the given time
- ANATEL runs tests to check if everything’s been done right
Since ANATEL set up its Anti-Piracy Lab, crackdowns have made a big impact—authorities shut down 24,700 IPs and 4,400 domains that spread illegal content. Also, from 2018 to 2025, officials seized about 1.5 million unapproved TV boxes.
Unlike old enforcement methods, this new system blocks content without needing long court cases for each piracy incident. Now, copyright owners have two regulatory agencies with the power to stop violations of their TV and movie creations.
The rollout of this technical cooperation agreement matches Law 14.815/2024’s broadened power for ANCINE and shows a unified strategy to break down the distribution networks of illegal IPTV and unauthorized TV Box services across Brazil.
What does this Mean for Brazilian Content Creators?
Brazilian content creators now have a strong partner to help them fight digital piracy. Law No. 14.815/2024 gives creators useful tools, setting up clear ways to report violations and get real protection for intellectual property.
How Creators can Report Piracy
The National Council for Combating Piracy (CNCP) has several ways for content creators to report the unauthorized sharing of their work. The main option is Cliquedenúncia (“click ‘n tell”), an open line of communication made to file complaints about pirated goods. This platform lets creators:
- Report new spots selling fake goods
- Send info about pirated content
- Document new ways of making fakes
- Point out websites sharing unauthorized material
When it comes to audiovisual works, creators now have the option to file reports with ANCINE. This agency has set up specialized departments to handle piracy complaints under Brazil’s anti-piracy law. ANCINE announced that it blocked 393 illegal websites. It also sent a list of 7,931 suspicious links to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to include in the WIPO Alert system.
Legal Protections Now Available
Content creators now have wider copyright protections across the entire audiovisual production chain. The Copyright Law (Law no. 9.610/1998) and Criminal Code offer both civil and criminal solutions for infringement. Using copyrighted material without permission can lead to detention or jail time from three months to four years, plus money penalties.
Despite the country’s tough laws, Law 14.815/2024 brings in administrative remedies that don’t need long court cases. This change allows creators to get site-blocking orders, injunctions, search-and-seizure of gear used for infringement, and even freezing of lawbreakers’ bank accounts.
Opportunities to Collaborate with Regulators
The CNCP promotes two-way dialogue between creators and regulators. The council includes equal numbers from the public and private sectors, with representatives from audiovisual industry groups, phonogram producers, software developers, publishers, and the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association.
Creators can join workshops and meetings that the CNCP organizes to share their views and contribute to anti-piracy plans. This team effort has produced notable outcomes through campaigns like “Operation 404” and “Operation Redirect,” which have shut down thousands of illegal sites.
For example, Operation Redirect focused on piracy websites that put users at risk of malware and viruses, tackling both copyright violations and user safety issues. In the end, these joint efforts make the digital world safer while safeguarding the financial interests of Brazil’s creative sectors.
Risks, Penalties, and the Future of Enforcement
Breaking copyright laws in Brazil has serious repercussions under the ANCINE law framework, with hefty fines for both people and companies involved in piracy.
Penalties for Non-compliance
The Brazilian Penal Code’s Article 184 states that people who share copyrighted material without permission could go to jail for 2 to 4 years and pay fines. They might also face other charges like criminal conspiracy (Article 288) and money laundering (Law 9.613/1998). In the worst cases, when someone is found guilty of money laundering, they could end up in prison for up to 10 years. On top of these criminal punishments, courts may order those who break the law to pay back rights holders for both actual losses and hurt feelings.
For companies that don’t follow ANCINE’s blocking orders, the Agência Nacional do Cinema can slap on administrative penalties. These might include regulatory sanctions and limits on operations. This layered approach to enforcement tries to create real deterrents across the distribution chain.
How Pirated Content Affects Users
People who use pirated content put themselves at several big risks:
- Cybersecurity threats: Many piracy websites and apps have malware that puts devices at risk. Brazilian visitors to these sites face five times the chance of digital security problems
- Personal data theft: Pirates often use trojans, ransomware, and spyware to steal sensitive info
- Financial losses: Bad software lets criminals watch users, take data, and even take over devices to mine crypto
Expected Trends in Anti-Piracy Enforcement
Looking to the future, Brazil’s fight against piracy will take several main paths. First, teamwork between regulatory agencies will grow stronger, building on the success of projects like Operation 404, which has already taken control of over 760 domain names involved in piracy.
Second, education programs will play a bigger role. Brazil’s National Plan to Combat Piracy (2022-2025) includes 62 goals with actions for the short, medium, and long term, such as special police units and training programs.
Enforcement will have more international coordination. Brazil’s involvement in multinational operations with Paraguay, Argentina, the United States, Peru, and the United Kingdom shows a growing awareness that effective anti-piracy measures need cooperation across borders.
Conclusion
Law No. 14.815/2024 marks a turning point for intellectual property protection in Brazil. The new powers given to ANCINE change how copyright enforcement works at its core, moving from long court processes to quick administrative action against digital piracy. Content creators now have strong supporters in both ANCINE and ANATAL, agencies that work together through their technical cooperation agreement to find and block unauthorized distribution channels.
In the past, artists struggled to shield their creations from theft. Copyright laws existed, but they often moved and didn’t work well. The new rules tackle these problems head-on. People who make content can now report wrongdoing in several ways. They also get quicker blocking methods that target everything from websites to IPTV services.
The punishments for stealing copyrighted work are still harsh. Offenders could go to jail for up to four years and pay big fines. This crackdown doesn’t just affect individuals. Companies that don’t follow blocking orders can also get in trouble. Brazilian officials have shown they mean business. Their “Operation 404” has already taken down hundreds of piracy websites.
Looking ahead, Brazil’s fight against piracy will get smarter and team up more with other countries. Teaching people about piracy will become just as important as cracking down on it. This whole plan has two goals—to protect the money-making side of Brazil’s creative businesses and to make the internet safer for everyone using it.
If you make content in Brazil, you need to know these new rules. The law gives you better protection than ever, but you have to do your part. So, creators should learn how to report piracy and think about working with the agencies in charge. The fight against piracy isn’t over, but Law No. 14.815/2024 gives Brazilian creators the backup from the government they’ve wanted for a long time.
