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RuberDuck
4th December, 2013, 03:28 PM
The UK?s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) has made an arrest of an individual suspected of selling devices that allow pubs to illegally broadcast Premier League football matches on a Saturday afternoon.


Detectives from the City of London Police unit arrested a man, 40 at his home in the East Midlands town of Newark, following a referral from the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and the Premier League. He was taken to a local police station for questioning and was later released on bail.


The suspect is believed to be selling set-top boxes, each worth hundreds of pounds, which can broadcast Premier League matches that are not authorised to be shown in any UK commercial premises, infringing Premier League copyright.


Nobody is authorised to broadcast football matches in the UK that take place between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on a Saturday ? the ?closed period? ? in order to protect attendances and participation across all levels of football in this country.


DI Rob Stirling said the operation showed how PIPCU is working with multiple partners to tackle suspected intellectual property crime nationwide. ?IP crime is costing the UK economy millions of pounds each year and our officers are committed to combating this fraudulent and criminal activity,? he asserted.


Kieron Sharp, FACT Director General, said the Federation works to protect the rights of its members and was pleased to be working again with PIPCU. ?Organised criminals are using the Internet to defraud legitimate businesses and threaten the jobs of over 1.5 million people working in the UK?s creative industries and PIPCU is playing a crucial role in tackling this criminality.?


PIPCU launched in September to protect UK industries that produce legitimate, high quality, physical goods and online and digital content. The operationally independent unit, based at the City of London Police, is initially being funded by the Intellectual Property Office, which is part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.



http://advanced-television.com/2013/12/04/illegal-epl-broadcast-arrest/

ajax2061
5th December, 2013, 09:13 AM
surly its not against the law to sell the box only the services ? after all until they loaded with extra add-ons they are just a fta box

Benzade
5th December, 2013, 12:55 PM
That's a rather naive view Ajax and I doubt it'll wash in No1 Court of the Old Bailey when this case eventually comes to trial.

It is time the EPL accepted that there is an obvious demand for televised 3pm matches in this country and just like any other vice if people cannot obtain it legally then they will turn to other methods similar to the Prohibition days of the 1920's in the US to get it. The main problem with using 3rd party providers via the internet is you don't know who you are dealing with and at best you are lining the pockets of some enterprising individual and at worst helping to fund international terrorism.

As I am writing this there is an advertisement on that well know satellite listing website proclaiming "Had problems with the 3pm games??? We have the solution!! Call..." So this high profile arrest has clearly not encouraged others who are in the business of illegal 3rd party television broadcasting to curtail their activities.

mdt
6th December, 2013, 10:55 AM
“Organised criminals are using the Internet to defraud legitimate businesses and threaten the jobs of over 1.5 million people working in the UK’s creative industries ”


its got nothing to do with protecting jobs.... its buy our overpriced games and run yourself under. 75% of the pubs around here have shut down. the 3pm protection is also bollocks imo as you cant compare being at a live game to watching it on tv, anyway the EPL clubs are pricing famillies out anyway with their rip off prices aswell. regards mdt

lincsat
6th December, 2013, 03:01 PM
I guess he's not selling EU Satellite boxes then. Pretty silly selling (or using) something like an IPTV box to a pub, it's asking for trouble.

nsw9154
13th December, 2013, 05:36 AM
So what is the situation with BT Sports can someone that has it Legally show the football matches in a pub,as i thought that it was only SKY that had the rights to Their Matches that they broadcast - but BT Sports is a independent Broadcaster so SKY Rules should not apply :withstupid:

blueflash234
13th December, 2013, 10:01 AM
it will not be sky's rules it will the conditions that the epl will have in there contracts with whoever shows there matches whether it is sky,bt or who ever