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Over several years but much more intensively during the last 18 months, police in the UK have warned that those involved in the supply and sale of pirate IPTV streams will face the consequences. Whether any suppliers of significance took those threats seriously is difficult to say, but a noticeable increase in reported arrests recently suggests that police are responding as promised. News this week concerning a previously convicted pirate suggests that law enforcement agencies are also working to ensure that those found guilty aren’t allowed to simply disappear when it’s payback time. Extradition For Convicted Pirate Between 2014 and 2017, Michael Hornung supplied around 2,700 set-top boxes that provided unauthorized access to subscription broadcasters’ content. An investigation led to a private criminal prosecution by FACT, who called on lawyer Ari Alibhai, the UK’s leading expert in piracy-related private prosecutions, to do the honors. Skipping bail is generally ill-advised but faced with a private prosecution, the worst possible scenario for any IPTV pirate in the UK, Hornung failing to answer his bail in March 2020 hardly came as a surprise. While still hiding out in Northern Cyprus to avoid extradition back to the UK, in June 2022 Hornung was found guilty in his absence. He was sentenced to four and half years in prison for causing a potential loss of £2m to broadcasters, while generating £350,000 in fraudulent income, around £258,000 of which is payable back to the state under the Proceeds of Crime Act. As reported this week by FACT and the National Crime Agency, Hornung was arrested in Cyprus on June 2 and after a hearing there, agreed to be extradited back to the UK. For jumping bail he received an additional 12-week jail sentence, and he still has to pay back the £258,000. The sum is already long overdue and in the event of non-payment, Hornung could face an additional three years in prison. Promised Arrests Keep Coming In addition to Hornung, we believe that at least three other men prosecuted in separate IPTV cases disappeared rather than face the music in the UK. And let’s not forget, a single prosecution put five men behind bars for over 30 years in 2023; deterrent messaging doesn’t get any better than that. Yet still the arrests keep on coming, including that of a 52-year-old man from Stockton-on-Tees recently, to a background of a school headteacher being sent to prison in the West Midlands. And There’s More Adding to the overall total, police and broadcaster Sky have a just announced yet another IPTV-related arrest, after officers executed a warrant at a flat in Queen Street, Nottingham. Police say that on June 11, a 42-year-old man allegedly involved “in the provision of illegal streams of Sky television content,” was arrested under the Proceeds of Crime Act, Computer Misuse Act, and the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, before being released on bail while investigations continue. Credit: Nottingham Police As is customary in these cases, Matt Hibbert, Group Director of Anti-Piracy at Sky, thanked the police for their work. “We’d like to thank Nottinghamshire Police’s Cyber Crime Team for taking this strong action against illegal streaming operators,” Hibbert said. “We will continue to support law enforcement to protect our content, tackle illegal streaming, and help keep consumers safe from the risks illegal streaming can pose.” But while Sky says it wants to keep consumers safe, what qualifies as safe for members of the public seems to diverge quite considerably from whatever Sky has in mind. Policing Isn’t a Popularity Contest…. While it’s possible to assess sentiment across social media posts, social media users tend to group around certain topics which can lead to bias. In this case the discussion takes place on police social media accounts where piracy-related matters represent a tiny minority. Since last year, those behind the BeStreamWise anti-piracy campaign operated by Sky have made extensive use of social media to press home the message that illegal streaming is dangerous, due to malware and other ‘hidden dangers’. Cast the net a little further and people appear to have other things on their minds. What’s immediately evident when police forces announce this type of action is the wall-to-wall criticism that appears under those posts on police social media accounts. As one might expect, pirates tend not to enjoy services being shut down. However, it’s clear that most complaints have little or even nothing to do with piracy. In this case, the comments appear to show regular members of the public, expressing frustrations over perceived prioritization of one type of crime, in favor of a foreign-owned corporation (Sky is owned by U.S. company Comcast), when there are no resources available to tackle serious local crime, affecting ordinary local people. Whether any, all, or none of these comments are accurate or even a reasonable assessment of the reality on the ground, is neither here nor there. What matters is the belief and how that manifests itself when faced with anti-piracy campaigns and pleas to pay for content instead of pirating it. It’s hard to imagine any scenario where the current mindset would prove beneficial. Policing Isn’t a Popularity Contest…. From posts like this on Facebook, to others on Twitter/X (and more or less anywhere else these stories appear), people are overwhelmingly opposed to the allocation of precious enforcement resources to assist corporations, when the people whose taxes actually fund the police continue to be underserved. Obviously the traditional complaints, concerning pricing and the need to buy multiple subscriptions to get just a part of the content, are persistent. However, they only represent just a small part of the overall commentary which is overwhelmingly critical of the police and the allocation of resources. In one form or another, the police have heard this all before. With limited resources available, various groups will always jostle for position to protect their own interests. Unfortunately, without public support this campaign and others like it are even less likely to succeed. (More public comments on X here) Source

Home > Anti-Piracy > Anti-piracy group FACT assisted UK police to deliver cease-and-desist notices to 40 alleged pirate ‘IPTV operators’. The ‘crackdown’ further resulted in three arrests in Nottingham, Widnes, and Stockton-on-Tees in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Sky reportedly removed more than 3,000 IPTV advertisements from social media platforms since June. 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. FACT and Police visit one of the suspects 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. Seized items 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. Source link

Home > Anti-Piracy > Takedowns and Seizures > BREIN has shut down pirate IPTV service IPTVpremium, with help from anti-cybercrime outfit Irdeto. The operator has signed a confidential settlement with potential fines if he engages in copyright-infringing activity going forward. In addition, existing users have received a notice informing them about the unlawful activity they were part of. The Internet is littered with shady IPTV services that offer a lot, for very little money. These deals often seem too good to be true and in most cases they are; at least for those who prefer to stay on the right side of the law. Anti-piracy groups around the world are actively trying to shut down these illicit operations. In Europe, Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN is at the forefront of the battle. Catching IPTV Pirates In 2017, BREIN booked a prominent victory at the European Court of Justice, which ruled that it’s illegal to sell devices that are pre-configured to access copyright-infringing content. This “Filmspeler” decision ended all theories that sellers of pirate streaming boxes somehow operated in a gray area. Combined with the earlier GS Media ruling, which held that companies with a for-profit motive can’t knowingly link to copyright-infringing material, rightsholders could rely on a powerful enforcement tool. These legal aspects are just one part of the equation. To shut down a pirate IPTV operation, one also has to know who the opponent is. And with operators often trying hard to remain anonymous, that’s not always easy. BREIN Shuts Down and Settles with IPTVpremium This also applied to a local IPTV vendor, IPTVpremium (presumably this one), which sold subscriptions that enabled access to a broad selection of TV channels, sports, and content from all major streaming platforms for just €70 annually. The IPTV vendor tried to mask his identity but with help from anti-piracy and cybercrime outfit Irdeto, BREIN managed to identify its target. With that information in hand, BREIN chose to confront the man. Without an intervention from the court, BREIN compelled the operator to cease his IPTV selling activities, which he did. The man also agreed to pay an undisclosed settlement fee and 7,500 euros per day if any future infringements occur. This type of takedown is exemplary for BREIN. Instead of initiating a lengthy court case for high damages, it prefers swift action. Key in this process is that the message gets through to consumers as well. In its press release, BREIN highlights the fact that the service was terminated effective immediately. Obviously, existing subscribers are not reimbursed, even if they bought their €70 subscription just days ago. “Purchasing a set-top box with an illegal IPTV subscription is comparable to fencing. Every time the user turns on the box and starts watching a movie or TV series, they engage in copyright infringement and act unlawfully,” BREIN director Bastiaan van Ramshorst says. Subscribers Notified TorrentFreak reached out to BREIN for more details but, due to the confidential nature of the settlement, the group can’t confirm the scale of the damages or the number of active subscribers the service had. BREIN agreed with the IPTV vendor that all subscribers, who ordered and communicated via WhatsApp, had to be notified about the shutdown and the illegal nature of the service. The message, translated from Dutch, reads as follows: You have an IPTV package subscription with us that provides access to evidently illegally offered television channels, movies and series. It is established in case law that the sales of these types of IPTV packages is not allowed, and that you, the customer, violate copyright law each time you use it. For this reason we have been summoned by BREIN to stop the sales of these illegal IPTV Packages immediately and to inform you about it. The message doesn’t directly suggest that any users are in trouble, and we don’t expect them to be. However, BREIN likely hopes that if losing access to a paid subscription isn’t bad enough, the message will serve as an additional deterrent. Source link

Home > Anti-Piracy > Takedowns and Seizures > Larissa Knapp, the MPA’s new Chief Content Protection Officer, and the team at ACE have announced the shutdown of several US-based pirate IPTV services. The FBI veteran revealed the closure of AnytimeTV plus other pirate brands, and a settlement with three operators worth over $2m. After appearing to disregard the importance of security, shutting down now may have helped to avoid a larger bill, further down the road. Widening discussions on the seemingly limitless potential of AI suggest profound implications for most jobs in the future. Of those with the greatest chance of surviving the AI revolution, fighting crime online must be one of the stronger candidates. With piracy close to ubiquitous, work opportunities exist, to put it mildly. The realm of content protection may yet have an AI savior waiting in the wings, but until a model can accurately determine fair use and conduct complex, error-free investigations, humans retain the upper hand. Meanwhile, the entertainment industry has more content protection work than ever before, much of it with an ideal completion date of yesterday. Larissa Knapp, the new head of content protection at the MPA, will undoubtedly meet challenges like these head on. This week the former FBI official revealed the culmination of an investigation in the United States where basic mistakes may have contributed to the services’ downfall. The press release itself includes some interesting presentational changes. US-Based IPTV Services Shut Down The anti-piracy profiles of the MPA, and more recently ACE, are without parallel in the United States. At least in part, high-profile lawsuits and in some cases criminal actions, have dampened pirates’ enthusiasm for becoming the next ‘victim’ of Hollywood’s piracy grinder. As a result, actions against IPTV providers in the U.S. are relatively rare. On Wednesday, however, ACE announced the shutdown of at least four branded IPTV services on home soil; AnytimeTV (the most prominent), Cobra Servers, Elite Servers, and Lost Highway Media. Customers of some of these services have been complaining about their sudden disappearance since early June. According to ACE, when combined these platforms had “thousands of subscribers” and “hundreds of thousands of domain visits annually.” The big question is whether the profit made on subscriptions will be enough to pay off ACE. $2m+ Settlement Agreed The closure of these services will be governed by a settlement agreement between ACE and three U.S.-based IPTV operators. ACE has mentioned reaching settlement agreements with platform owners in the past, but in this matter the financial aspect is given a much higher profile than usual. ACE reports that the three operators have agreed to pay over $2 million in compensation; through unofficial channels TF has previously heard of settlement offers in the hundreds of thousands, but with so many cases, the sample is too small to predict the true range. “These landmark settlements should serve as a warning to illegal streaming operators about the severe penalties they will face for breaking copyright law, including legal actions, substantial financial settlements and fines, and jail time,” Knapp says. In most cases, settlements require domains used in connection with pirate services to be signed over to the MPA. Those specifically mentioned by ACE in this matter include anytimetv.us, anytimewebhosting.com, elite-servers.com, losthighway-media.com, and webhostsupply.com. Some already divert to the ACE seizure page. Paying the Price for Zero Security Groups like ACE never reveal exactly what makes one service more likely to face enforcement measures than another. Nevertheless, factors such as size or strategic position in the piracy market are typically weighed against prudent use of resources and prospects of success. Political considerations and matters related to overarching strategy may influence decisions too, but in some cases, enforcement action simply makes sense. Services increasing in popularity, such as those recently shut down, may require more urgent attention. When that can take place on home soil, enforcement is likely to be more effective. When the domain anytimetv.us appeared in the mix, that may have made things much more interesting. Unlike foreign domains, WHOIS records for .us domains cannot be hidden, with registrars facing potential repercussions for not following the rules. That’s why pirate sites usually avoid .us domains and prefer options such as .to, where the opposite is true. In this case, public WHOIS records for anytimetv.us included a real name and a real physical address. With those details established, related information becomes easier to find. On LinkedIn, for example, one service was presented by its owner as a regular business, using a name that can be cross-referenced with WHOIS records and other online databases. Similarly, engagement on Trust Pilot and other review platforms suggested that potential enforcement was hardly considered, if it was considered at all. Whether ACE offered one or any of these services an early opportunity to shut down is unknown. What we can say with absolute certainty is that at least one of them was compromised years ago when legal action targeted an entity responsible for supplying their streams. A company name, banking details, and details of monthly payments made for streams, were obtained by an anti-piracy group as part of a much larger haul, which eventually entered the public domain. Given the sheer number of platforms ACE has shut down since 2017, running a pirate IPTV service so openly with the above as background, makes zero sense. Even if we entertain the idea that identities, addresses, and profiles on social media, are simply elaborate fakes placed online for misdirection purposes, the bottom line still tells exactly the same story: services shut down and profits confiscated. And that’s just the lucky ones. Source link

The raid led to the confiscation of IPTV boxes, which contained 12,000 illegally distributed premium channels and content from various rightsholders. Disney Star India has ramped up its international anti-piracy efforts, as Dubai police recently raided the operations of a rogue Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) provider. The raid, which took place on September 16, 2024, resulted in the seizure of IPTV boxes streaming 12,000 pirated premium channels and content from various rights holders, according to a report by Storyboard18. The operation was initiated after Disney Star filed a criminal complaint against the IPTV provider, primeproott.com, which was illegally selling IPTV boxes through its website. These boxes were sold for Rs 5,750 ($68.63), with an additional Rs 2,300 ($27.45) charged for access to pirated content. During the raid, the alleged operator behind the illegal business was arrested, and Dubai police are investigating possible links to other individuals involved in the distribution of pirated content. The sale of these IPTV boxes undermines broadcast licensing and harms the fees broadcasters pay for sports and entertainment rights. Disney Star’s anti-piracy team is currently in Dubai, working closely with law enforcement to address piracy across the MENA region. A source familiar with the case told Storyboard18 that the primeproott.com website has been taken down following the raid, praising the Dubai police for their swift action, which serves as a warning to others engaged in piracy. This raid follows another significant anti-piracy operation in June 2024, where Disney Star’s team, alongside Ahmedabad police, dismantled illegal streaming websites broadcasting ICC T20 World Cup matches. The shutdown of platforms like magicwin.games and magicwin.com also exposed their involvement in illegal betting activities. Source link

사진 확대 The image of ‘Kidsland Talk Concert’ hosted by ‘Genie TV Kidsland’ with Dr. Oh Eun-young. [Photo = KT] KT announced on the 30th that the IPTV service “Genie TV Kidsland” for infants and toddlers will recruit participants for the “Kidsland Talk Concert” to share their parenting concerns with Dr. Oh Eun-young. The Kidsland Talk Concert is a customer-participating lecture event in which Dr. Oh Eun-young meets her parents’ customers, listens to their parenting concerns, and presents solutions. The talk concert, which marks its third anniversary this year, will be held with Dr. Oh Eun-young’s lectures and instant counseling under the theme of “Time for Empathy and Healing for Parenting and Parents.” The event will be held at the Novotel Ambassador Hotel in Dongdaemun, Seoul, on Oct. 22 and the Ebis Ambassador Hotel in Suwon on Oct. 24. KT customers who wish to participate can apply through the KT website by October 15. Participants selected through a lottery will be guided by individual characters. Details can be found on KT’s website. Dr. Oh Eun-young said, “I hope Kids Land will play a role in reading and communicating with parents,” and added, “I want to meet parents in person at the Kids Land national talk concert to think about and comfort them.” Yoon Tae-sik, executive director of KT’s brand strategy office, said, “We plan to continue various participatory programs in which KT customers can participate together and have positive experiences.” Kids Land currently provides 90,000 kid content, the most among IPTVs in Korea. Since its launch in 2018, it has recorded 44 million cumulative users and 3.7 billion uses. In addition, Kids Land is working with professional advisors such as Dr. Oh Eun-young to provide “emotional expression fairy tales” based on 10 emotions and play content “Oh Eun-young’s Kids Let’s Play” aimed at solving childcare concerns. Source link

JeanSAT, a leading provider of IPTV technology in France, releases a comprehensive guide on legal IPTV services, focusing on Code IPTV, Abonnement IPTV, and IPTV Premium, while promoting ethical and licensed media consumption.France – September 30, 2024 – JeanSAT, a recognized leader in the IPTV industry, announces the release of… Source link

Home > Lawsuits > IPTV and Streaming > A court in Greece has handed down one of the most punishing sentences on record to a man who resold pirate IPTV subscriptions. The Court of Thessaloniki heard that the local man sold subscriptions to thousands of customers, generating millions of euros. After the court sent him to prison for eight years, attention now turns to a seized customer database. The authorities are said to be preparing cases against customers, some of whom have already been arrested. Like many of its European counterparts, Greece has a pirate site blocking program that receives regular updates through an administrative process. The first domains blocked by Greek ISPs (xrysoi.online, xrysoi.se and xrysoi.eu) were restricted in 2018 and the most recent (antenasports.ru, sporthd.me) were blocked this August, to a total of 655 domains in roughly six years. Greece also regularly blocks IP addresses, mostly to restrict access to pirate IPTV services, especially those providing access to live football. The most recent order dated September 3, 2024, requested blocking of just five IP addresses and from data made available as part of the country’s administrative program, just 111 IP addresses are currently blocked overall. Whether that’s the full extent of blocking is unclear, but it appears that 100% of the ‘pirate’ IP addresses are outside Greece itself, mostly in other European countries. When compared to neighboring Italy’s regime, blocking in Greece is fairly mild. In general, the government has been accused of not taking the pirate IPTV threat seriously enough. On that front there are clear signs of change and in a case that came to a close last week, the judiciary showed that things can end very badly for IPTV pirates. Pirate IPTV Reseller Feels Full Wrath of the Law A number of IPTV providers causing the most headaches right now are based outside Europe and as such, are difficult to counter. ISP blocking is one of the responses to that, but there are other options too, especially targeting so-called resellers. In a nutshell, these people buy subscriptions from IPTV providers at a lower rate than the public so are in a position to make a profit when selling them on. Because they tend to operate locally in their own markets, often as part of a wider but not necessarily integrated network, to degree resellers offer a single point of contact for IPTV providers. At the same time, resellers service tens, dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of their own customers, which on one hand can return very good profits but on the other, directly exposes resellers to law enforcement. Last week at the Court of Thessaloniki, a case involving a local IPTV reseller came to a head. The Court heard that the reseller had been in business for years, on a scale and scope rarely seen in these types of cases. Selling monthly IPTV subscription packages to members of the public over several years, the man reportedly serviced a customer base of several thousand people, many based in Greece, but also some overseas. Typical monthly access cost subscribers around 15 to 20 euros and across several thousand customers, that quickly mounts up. The Court heard the man generated several million euros over the period of offending and that appears to have cost him dearly. For infringement on a significant commercial scale, the penalty in Greece is a minimum two years’ imprisonment and a fine. The Court of Thessaloniki fined the man 17,000 euros, confiscated equipment used in the course of the offending, then handed down an unprecedented eight-year prison sentence. This apparent line in the sand changes the game in Greece and is likely to have implications beyond this individual reseller. Time to Make IPTV Customers Pay According to Skair.gr, the investigation surfaced a database of the reseller’s customers, apparently thousands of them in Greece. The publication states that not only do they face criminal and administrative penalties, but the judicial authorities began making arrests of end users even before the sentence was handed down last week. The authorities are reported to have obtained the personal details of up to 50,000 IPTV subscribers following a number of raids on various players in the pirate IPTV ecosystem over the past several months. They include the following: • December 2023: 54-year-old man arrested for “hacking” subscription channels• March 2024: 60-year-old man arrested for piracy of subscription channels• March 2024: 43-year-old man for piracy of subscription channels• April 2024: 2 people arrested for piracy of subscription channels• April 2024: 54-year-old man arrested for piracy of subscription channels• July 2024: 25-year-old man arrested for piracy of subscription channels Running in parallel to the country’s enforcement measures, in July Cosmote TV and Nova signed a deal designed to provide customers with legal access to sports at a more affordable price. Starting on August 23, subscribers to one of the above services were able to get content from the other, for just a small extra charge. Whether that alone will reduce piracy rates to anywhere near acceptable levels is unknown but a potential eight-year prison sentence may give resellers pause for thought. Source link

Immigration policy must go beyond labor supply: experts South Korea needs to shift its perspective on immigration beyond merely viewing immigrants as a solution to labor supply issues, experts said at a forum in Seoul last week. Emphasizing that any successful immigration policy must account for cultural, social and legal integration, Moon Jae-wan, president of the Korea Migration Law Association, said that overlooking the wider contributions of immigrants was a flawed approach. “In a rapidly changing global landscape, we must recognize immigr Source link

Herald Corporation |CEO : Choi Jin-Young |Huam-ro 4-gil 10, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea |Title : The Investor |Date of registration : 2016.06.21 |Date of issue : 2016.06.21 Publisher. Editor : Choi Jin-Young |Chief Privacy Officer & Juvenile Protection Manager : Choi He-suk |T +82-2-727-0021 |E investor@heraldcorp.com Company Registration No. 104-81-06004 |Mail-Order Business Registration 2016 – Seoul Yongsan – 00590 |Business info |Gov’t registration No. Seoul 아04099 Source link