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Plymouth licensee fined £14k for illegal Sky Sports screening

On March 27th, the licensee of the Premiere Bar and Grill in Plymouth, Devon, was found guilty of three charges related to the illegal broadcast of Sky televised programming. In this case, Vahid Babolhavaeji televised Sky Sports football matches with the intent to avoid payment of the applicable commercial subscription charge. Babolhavaeji, the designated premises […]

April 4, 2025

2-year jail term for fire stick pirate

A man from Halifax in the North of England who sold modified TV fire sticks that infringed copyright laws has been sentenced to two years behind bars at York Crown Court. Sunny Kumar Kanda sold TV fire sticks – which are media streaming devices that let users stream videos, play music and install apps on […]

January 6, 2025By Colin Mann

Fines for Swansea Sky Sports piracy

Elspeth Lerwell, the Licensee, and Richard Hole, the Sole Director of the Fairfield Social Club in Swansea, Wales, have been found guilty in their absence of four offences related to the dishonest broadcast of Sky televised programming. In this case, both Lerwell and Hole televised football matches with the intent to avoid payment of the […]

December 19, 2024By Colin Mann

FACT ups illegal streaming crackdown

UK IP protection body FACT, in collaboration with police services, is intensifying efforts to disrupt and dismantle piracy operations across the country by targeting suppliers who are selling unauthorised access to premium content, including film, television and live sports. In a two-week enforcement operation, FACT and police targeted 30 suppliers of illegal streaming services. These […]

December 3, 2024By Colin Mann

Survey: 62% of digital content creators don’t check facts

At a time when digital content creators have become a major source of information for people, a UNESCO survey reveals that 62 per cent do not carry out rigorous and systematic fact-checking of information prior to sharing it. But 73 per cent express the wish to be trained to do so. UNESCO is launching the […]

November 27, 2024

Sunderland pub fined for Sky Sports piracy

Kenneth Craigs, the Licensee of Cleo’s Bar in Sunderland, North East England, has been found guilty in his absence of two offences related to the dishonest broadcast of Sky televised programming. In this case, Craigs televised Sky Sports football matches, with the intent to avoid payment of the applicable commercial subscription charge. Sky Sports is […]

October 16, 2024By Colin Mann

Jail sentences in NI streaming case

A man and woman from County Londonderry in Northern Ireland have been sentenced for offences in relation to supplying illegal subscriptions for streaming services that involved more than £700,000 (€836,000). Cormac McGuckin and Maura McGuckin, both from Bellaghy, were sentenced at Omagh Crown Court. The sentencing follows an investigation in relation to the sale of illegal subscriptions […]

October 11, 2024By Colin Mann

Anti-piracy campaign for Ireland

Copyright protection body FACT and Crimestoppers have teamed up to launch a new campaign across Ireland, encouraging the public to share information about illegal streaming activities in their communities. Running over six weeks on Facebook and Instagram, the campaign aims to gather intelligence on individuals or groups involved in advertising or selling illegal streaming subscriptions, […]

August 22, 2024By Colin Mann

Ilford brothers jailed for illegal streaming operation

Two brothers from Ilford, East London, have been sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison for operating an illegal streaming service that offered subscriptions to premium television content, including Sky. Amir Butt was sentenced to seven years in prison and his brother Ammar Hussain was sentenced to four years after being found guilty […]

August 13, 2024By Colin Mann

Arrests in illegal streaming crackdown

In one of the largest operations to date, UK intellectual property protection body FACT and partners, including Sky, have taken action across the UK to combat illegal streaming and the use of unlawfully modified Firestick devices. In a month-long coordinated and sequenced nationwide surge, FACT and police targeted individuals providing unauthorised access to premium TV […]

July 23, 2024By Colin Mann