WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (L) of the U.S. laughs with Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe
IN PHOTO: WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (L) of the U.S. laughs with Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe during a news conference at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 30, 2014. Mayweather will take on WBA welterweight champion Marcos Maidana of Argentina in a WBC/WBA unification fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 3. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus

Local authorities have held a Filipino IT professor for allegedly running an illegal website. According to reports, the streaming website would have been used to stream the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight.

According to TorrentFreak, the much-awaited fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather is set to become the most pirated event in sports. The website noted that many sports streaming websites might get takedown notices to ensure that any kind of illegal streaming of the bout is avoided.

Meanwhile, ABS-CBN approached PNP-ACG or Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group and filed a complaint against Jonathan Dela Cruz. He is working at a university as an IT professor.

Apart from initiating the investigation, ABS-CBN has also filed a lawsuit in the U.S. According to the complaint filed by the company, Cruz has committed copyright infringement crimes as well as planned to illegally stream the upcoming Pacquiao and Mayweather fight.

“Defendant Dela Cruz’s pinoy-tv-replay.com website also promises to offer a live stream channel of the upcoming Floyd Mayweather v. Manny Pacquiao boxing match, which will be offered by ABS-CBN and other legitimate entertainment companies through various platforms,” ABS-CBN mentioned in the complaint.

The company has asked the Florida court to order a restraining order. Now, Dela Cruz cannot operate any website that can infringe the rights of ABS-CBN. Moreover, they can control the domain name.

Elisha Lawrence, Assistant Vice President of Global Anti-Piracy at ABS-CBN stated that they are doing this to protect the viewers. “But in the meantime as we go after each and every one of these sites, protect yourself and your family and stay away from free sites and free streaming sites,” Lawrence said to ABS-CBN News.

Dela Cruz was advertising about the free live streaming for the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight that is scheduled to happen on May 2, 2015. During the raid, the professor’s computer hardware, TV, a sedan and motorcycle were confiscated. Also, Dela Cruz is facing damages of more than $6 million.

For questions/comments regarding the article, you may email the writer at t.mazumdar@IBtimes.com.au.

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