The Ministry of Media welcomes today's announcement by FIFA that it has engaged local counsel to take legal action in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to combat the pirate entity named beoutQ, which continues its illegal piracy of 2018 FIFA World CupTM broadcasts. Doing so will supplement the relentless efforts by the KSA Ministry of Commerce and Investment in combatting beoutQ's activities and beIN's illegal broadcasting within the country. These efforts and others reinforce the Government of Saudi Arabia's devotion to protecting intellectual property (IP) rights within KSA. While beoutQ's pirate broadcasts have been available in KSA, we understand that its set-top boxes are also available in, and its pirate broadcasts are targeted at, other nations in the Middle East - North Africa region (MENA), including Qatar and Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, irresponsible media reports have falsely and unfairly connected KSA with beoutQ's piracy. The Ministry of Media understands that such false and unfair connections are the work of beIN Sports, a subsidiary of the Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera) that has maliciously orchestrated a media smear campaign against KSA. beIN Sports purports to be the exclusive licensee of FIFA and other content owners for KSA and other MENA region countries. KSA banned Al Jazeera because it is Qatar's principal media arm for supporting terrorism and promoting instability in the region. Its network provides a media platform for terrorists to propagate their violent message. KSA was compelled to ban broadcasts by beIN Sports in KSA for the same reason and for beIN's numerous legal violations in Saudi Arabia. See our prior press release at https://cic.org.sa/2018/06/statement-by-the-ministry-of-media-kingdom-of-saudi-arabia/. --More 18:05 LOCAL TIME 15:05 GMT 0024 www.spa.gov.sa/1784374
