Four Arrested as Part of Europol Operation against Pirate IPTV Providers

• A Europol-led investigation against pirate IPTV providers has led to the arrest of four arrests in Southern Ireland.
• The arrests were made under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
• It was shortly after two men were arrested in the UK for selling pirate IPTV boxes and subscriptions.

Europol is cracking down on pirate IPTV services and has arrested four individuals for money laundering and copyright infringement. The arrests were made in Southern Ireland shortly after two others were arrested in the UK earlier this week. The authorities making the arrest were assisted by major TV companies as well as the MPA.

Hampshire County councilor Roy Perry stated that the arrested individuals were offering content illegally from providers like BT Sport and Sky. The recent arrests indicate that the Europol is going after other illegal IPTV box and subscription sellers in the UK. The investigation was conducted all year long by the Europol with the help of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Trading Standards, Police Standard, the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA), the UK Intellectual Property Office and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT).

The four arrested individuals were taken in for questioning, and their bank accounts and credit union accounts were frozen. Detective Superintendent George Kyne, Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation stated “Consumers are providing their payment details to unknown individuals and leaving themselves open to being the victims of fraud and/or data theft. The security around these devices and illegal streaming platforms exposes customers and leaves their home systems vulnerable.”

Details of the operation have not been revealed, and it is unknown how long the operation by the Europol will go on against IPTV sellers. TV companies in the UK and the Motion Picture Association are helping the legal authorities to bring down the sellers. The UK has become stringent in its attempt to curb piracy with organizations like the Premier League gaining direct rights to shut down illegal streams of football content and stricter piracy laws being implemented in the region.

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