The UAE has blocked more than 1,000 websites this year that violate intellectual property rights by illegally broadcasting entertainment content owned by various media networks, the Ministry of Economy (MoE) said on Thursday.

Most of the illegal websites were blocked during Ramadan, when there was more demand for multimedia content, said Dr. Abdulrahman Hassan Al Muaini, assistant undersecretary for the Intellectual Property Rights Sector at the Ministry of Economy.

He noted: “Since the implementation of the 'InstaBlock' initiative in the holy month of Ramadan, we have blocked a total of 1,117 websites that infringed upon intellectual property rights by illegally broadcasting entertainment content owned by various media networks.”

The number of illegal websites blocked in the UAE this year saw a significant increase as compared to 2023, when only 62 sites were blocked.

“This proves we have successfully developed a comprehensive approach that offers a specialised instant response service for receiving complaints related to copyright infringements on live online broadcasting,” said Al Muaini, adding: “The ‘InstaBlock’ initiative will become a year-round programme.

Al Muaini said one of the tools used was ‘LiveBan’, which was specifically designed to handle complaints related to incidents of copyright infringement in live online broadcasting.

He added that blocking illegal sites is aimed at “creating a secure, stimulating, and attractive environment for creators, entrepreneurs, and innovators, while also bolstering the UAE's position as a global hub for creativity and the knowledge economy."