Offering pirate streaming services is a serious offense in the UK, where several people have received multi-year prison sentences in recent history.
These sentences haven’t deterred others from following in their footsteps. Illegal access to paid sports and TV content remains readily available, with vendors and operators profiting from these unauthorized subscriptions.
There has been no shortage of news reports covering IPTV piracy enforcement actions in the UK. These interventions range from remote warnings to house visits, and arrests are no rarity either.
Today, anti-piracy group FACT announced that it has successfully completed yet another sweep. In collaboration with rightsholders, including Sky, the group helped police to identity various ‘sellers’ of so-called pirate streaming devices.
The targets reportedly offered ‘fully loaded’ smart TV devices or Firesticks, which can be used in combination with pirate IPTV subscriptions.
FACT and the 40 IPTV Operators
FACT mentions that 40 illegal ‘IPTV operators’ were served with official warnings. They were either notified via mail by FACT and police, or visited at their home, where a cease-and-desist notice was delivered personally.
The term ‘IPTV operator’ isn’t explained in detail but since the 40 seemingly got off with a warning, it’s unlikely that they played a central part in the broader IPTV piracy ecosystem.
These interventions took place across the UK, including in London, South East England, West Midlands, North West, North East, North Wales and Scotland. According to FACT, it’s part of a larger campaign that aims to disrupt piracy operations.
Three Arrests
In addition to the warnings, police also executed three warrants, resulting in three arrests and house searches. All three suspects have since been released, but investigations remain ongoing.
“Three warrants were also served leading to the arrest of a 42-year-old man in Nottingham, a 51-year-old man from Widnes and a 52-year-old man in Stockton-on-Tees,” FACT reports.
The men were arrested on various grounds ranging from fraud offenses, to violations of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, possession of criminal property and possession of Class A drugs.
Several items were seized during the operation, including IPTV streaming devices which will be investigated further.
“Digital devices and ‘fully loaded’ smart TV devices or Firesticks were also seized from the addresses and are currently undergoing forensic examination by FACT,” the group adds.
For those keeping track of law enforcement action in the UK, including arrests and seizures, it’s worth pointing out that the arrests mentioned above have already been heavily publicized. Each arrest appeared in its own press release, around the time they were carried out early to mid-June.
Social Media Purge
Besides targeting suspects, Sky has been busy removing advertisements and social media posts that offer illegal IPTV subscriptions and ‘loaded’ Firesticks to customers in the UK and Ireland.
Since June, the media company reportedly removed over 3,000 listings from various social media platforms. Various ads were removed from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X, while associated accounts were suspended.
FACT and Sky are happy with the results and thank the police for their cooperation. Both hope that this latest enforcement round will send a deterrent message, but it’s unlikely to be the last.
“The action taken by FACT, police and Sky across the country sends a strong message to those involved in illegal streaming operations that they will be identified, and they will face consequences,” Sky’s Matt Hibbert comments.
According to FACT CEO Kieron Sharp, the recent actions are only the beginning.
“FACT and our partners are steadfast in our commitment to disrupt these criminal operations. This is just the start of our enforcement efforts, with more actions planned,” Sharp concludes.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
