Trio sentenced over £5m Premier League streaming scam
A group behind “pirate streaming” organisation Dreambox, which illegally broadcast Premier League football, has been sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison for conspiracy to defraud.
The Warwick Crown Court found three individuals guilty of illegally supplying over 1,000 pubs, clubs and homes across England and Wales with access to Premier League matches.
The court yesterday, March 20, imposed separate custodial sentences of seven years and four months; six years and four months; and three years and three months.
According to the Premier League, the trio earned “in excess of £5 million” from the activity, which infringed the copyright of over 20 broadcasters around the world during a ten-year period.
Kevin Plumb, director of legal services at the Premier League, said that the case “provided further evidence that the law will catch up with companies and individuals that defraud rights owners and breach copyright”.
“Using these services is unlawful and fans should be aware that when they do so they enter into agreements with illegal businesses”, the league warned in a press release.
“The Premier League's investment into cutting edge technology, combined with wide-ranging anti-piracy actions such as the one here today and the continuing landmark blocking injunction, means that it has never been more difficult for football piracy to operate in the UK,” it added.
Kieron Sharpe, director general of IP protection body FACT, said that infringing the Premier League’s copyright was not a “grey area” or “a victimless crime”.
“This was a criminal enterprise whose only function was to make money from defrauding the Premier League and the legitimate broadcasters”, he said of Dreambox.
The Premier League has enjoyed considerable success in cracking down on copyright infringement in recent years.
According to the league, it was able to remove its content from streaming website Ronaldo7.net after threatening legal action against the operator.
This January, the Premier League opened a Singapore office to help with copyright enforcement in the region.
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