The defendant pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court. Used Facebook and WhatsApp to facilitate the sale of pirated services. Despite the proliferation of legal video streaming platforms in recent years, more and more Internet users are seeking discounted access to premium TV channels and sports broadcasts. Devices like Amazon’s Firestick have become popular access unauthorized subscription services at deeply discounted prices compared to their legal equivalents.
While most consumers know that the subscription services pre-installed on these modified devices are not licensed, the lure of paying a fraction of the cost has become too tempting for millions to resist. This thriving underground market has given rise to an entire illegal industry. a network of big players making millions and smaller sellers getting a piece of the pie.
Also read – He runs an illegal IPTV service, the courts sentenced him to several years in prison
Police put an end to this IPTV smuggling
The operation of the Liverpool man, identified only as Mr O’Donnell, falls into the latter category. Through direct contact, he promoted and sold “fully charged” Firesticks on Facebook and WhatsApp, and even made some purchases himself. An investigation by anti-piracy group FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) led to his arrest by Merseyside Police in July last year.
Mr O’Donnell’s activities acknowledged Violating fraud law due to “supply” of unauthorized contentas well as the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, which relates to the provision of services intended to circumvent technological measures. According to FACT, the unauthorized IPTV subscriptions he sold included programs from Sky, TNT Sports and potentially others.
While Mr O’Donnell does not appear to be a major player in the broader pirate IPTV ecosystem, his operation still generated a staggering £130,000, or over €150,000, over a period of several years. In addition to the suspended prison sentence, he was also sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work.
Both FACT and Merseyside Police welcomed the move as a clear message to those engaging in similar illegal broadcasting activities. “ If you sell a device that provides access to content that you do not license or own, you may be subject to criminal investigation, prosecution and conviction. “, warned FACT CEO Kieron Sharp.
Inspector Steve Frame of Merseyside Police echoed these sentiments, saying: ” We will use all our available powers and continue to work with FACT to identify and bring to justice anyone involved in this type of crime. “.
In recent months, it has become clear that the crackdown on pirated streaming services has intensified, and this case serves as a cautionary tale for those tempted by the prospect of making easy money selling unauthorized TV subscriptions and modified streaming devices. Unfortunately, we should not be deceived; piracy has many years to come.
