Responding to a request from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), various copyright holder groups have submitted their annual overviews of 'notorious' markets. These submissions help to guide the US Government's position toward foreign countries when it comes to copyright enforcement.

In its letter, Hollywood's industry group notes that its list is not meant to be comprehensive, it's mostly an overview of pirate sources that are prime examples of the rampant copyright infringement problems that exist on the Internet. What's new this year is a focus on IPTV services, which are seen as an emerging threat. The MPAA notes that it has identified more than a thousand of these platforms around the world.

"An emerging global threat is piracy from illegal internet protocol television (IPTV) services that provide stolen telecommunication signals/channels to a global audience via dedicated web portals, third-party applications and piracy devices configured to access the service," the industry group writes.

Another category covers linking and streaming websites. Direct download sites and video hosting services also get a mention. Many of these services refuse to properly process takedown notices, the MPAA claims.

The final category covers piracy devices and apps, including streaming boxes. These allow users to conveniently stream pirated content. In addition to sites and services that directly offer access to pirated content, the Hollywood group also points a finger towards third-party intermediaries, including hosting providers and advertising networks.

The USTR will use this input to make up its own list of notorious markets. This will help to identify current threats and call on foreign governments to take appropriate action.