- Two men who operated IPTV service trading as ‘Titan Streams’ go to prison after pirating UK sports channels. Nearly 4,000 subscribers affected.
Two men from Worcester have been sentenced at Worcester Crown Court for selling illegal IPTV subscriptions.
Benjamin Yates and Lewis Finch ran a subscription service under the ‘Titan Streams’ name, giving access to Sky Sports and the former BT Sport service (now known as TNT Sports).
Both men, pleaded guilty to illegally supplying Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). Yates and Finch, both from Worcester, were convicted of offences under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. They’ll also have to undertake 250 hours of unpaid work.
The prosecution followed an investigation by Worcestershire County Council’s Trading Standards team. They worked together with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and BT Sport.
How were they found out?
- Test purchases by FACT and BT led to the case being referred to Trading Standards and entry warrants being executed at both their addresses.
- An examination of IT equipment seized during the investigation confirmed that both men had been heavily involved in the provision of IPTV services with approximately 3,971 subscribers.
- Further investigations of their PayPal accounts showed that payments of over £320,000 had been received over three years.
What happens to subscribers?
Affected subscribers lost access to the service and the money they paid for the service.
FACT warns subscribers that by using illegal IPTV services, consumers inadvertently contribute to criminal organisations engaged in copyright infringement and piracy. The revenue generated from these activities funds illegal operations. It also undermines the legitimate media and entertainment industry, hurting content creators and legitimate providers.
Speaking about the case, Simon Wilkes, Head of Worcestershire Regulatory Services said:
“Trading Standards are committed to protecting the rights of legitimate businesses.This joint investigation has led to a successful outcome, which sends a clear message that we will seek out and prosecute those who are involved in this type of crime.”
This is not a victimless crime; it damages the interests of those who own the intellectual property rights to the subscription TV services and can affect legitimate customers through higher subscription prices.”
Kieron Sharp, CEO FACT added:
“The individuals behind this illicit streaming service made a considerable amount of money through their fraudulent activities and this outcome serves as a stern warning to those who sell subscriptions or devices that provide access to content without properly compensating the rightful owners. We will continue to use all available powers to work with law enforcement and our broadcast partner, TNT Sports, to combat illegal streaming services and the broader criminal activities they support.”