At the same rate that accesses to pirate IPTV are multiplying, so are the raids and arrests regarding this form of duplicating television signals and redistributing them over the Internet infringing copyright.
The new major operation has resulted in three men being arrested as network kingpins in connection with supplying pirate IPTV services that provide unlicensed access to movies, TV shows and live sports.
Continuous fight against pirate IPTV
The operation carried out on March 23 was a cooperation between the North West Regional Organized Crime Unit (NWROCU) and the Lancashire Police. The NWROCU also works with police departments in Cumbria, Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and North Wales with a zero tolerance policy on illegal broadcasting.
This operation led to the execution of three search warrants against three individuals related to the pirate IPTV business. Officers investigated three addresses in Blackpool, Kirkham and Oldham and seized a variety of equipment related to the “offering” of an IPTV service that offered premium content including live TV, movies and sports.
IPTV pirate arrests
As a consequence, the ringleaders, two 31-year-old men from Blackpool and a 29-year-old man from Oldham, were arrested on suspicion of criminal copyright infringement and later released under investigation. Despite this reason for detention, fraud convictions are preferred by rights holders, in large part because fraud cases that are tried and proven carry longer prison sentences and are more easily understood by juries.
In these cases, the UK authorities fail to report additional information that could identify the name of the service, the men’s roles, whether they were operating a service themselves or acting as resellers, or otherwise involved.
Rights holders and networks are always involved behind the scenes in these police investigations, with Sky, BT Sport and the English Premier League being the most likely candidates to have made the complaint or to be collaborating with the authorities for having owned these violated rights. .
NWROCU’s other big operations
This Northeast Regional Organized Crime Organization has been running big operations against IPTV since 2019. Then it partnered with the Federation Against Copyright Theft to shut down the Supremacy Kodi addon repository. At the end of 2021, the person in charge of this repository pleaded guilty to fraud and crimes against copyright. For violating illegal access to BT Sport, Sky or Netflix, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Pirate IPTV Fines
In cooperation with anti-piracy group FACT, NWROCU has also tried a softer approach, sending cease and desist orders to pirate IPTV resellers in the hope that they will voluntarily close down, thereby avoiding arrest.
In 2021, the NWROCU-affiliated cybercrime police executed five arrest warrants for IPTV-related offences. Two people were detained and counterfeit electronics, cash and goods were seized.
Lastly, they also shut down North West IPTV in 2020, seizing various luxury goods in the operation, including a Range Rover Sport SVR V8 and an Audi A5 convertible, along with top designer clothes, luxury bags and jewelry.
