Three suppliers of pre-loaded Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) boxes that facilitate mass piracy of Premier League football broadcasts have been ordered to pay a total of £267,000 by the Courts for infringing copyright.
The three sellers of pre-loaded IPTV boxes ordered to pay costs are:
- Football for Pubs Limited (based in Liverpool) was ordered by the High Court to cease the sale of the illegal devices and pay costs of £90,000;
- Pub Entertainment Systems (based in Royston, Hertfordshire) was ordered by the High Court to cease the sale of the illegal devices and pay costs of £77,000;
- Neosat was ordered to cease the sale of the illegal devices and pay costs totalling £100,000.
These actions are part of a wide-ranging and sustained Premier League campaign to protect its copyright, the investment in its rights from Sky and BT and the benefits they bring across English football and beyond, and support the individuals and pubs that broadcast our matches the right way.
See: Report illegal broadcasting
The High Court injunctions and orders to pay costs for the three suppliers follow a case in December 2016 that saw a seller of similar devices jailed for four years.
The Premier League also supported FACT, an intellectual property protection organisation, in its recent raids of several IPTV box suppliers across the North-West of England that led to five people being arrested.
The focus of the Premier League’s protection of its copyright is not only sellers of IPTV boxes but also pubs that ignore warnings and broadcast matches on unauthorised foreign channels.
Pubs from Liverpool, London and Croydon are among 10 that have paid a total of £93,000 in costs for infringing copyright with unauthorised broadcasts of Premier League football.
“These actions are part of the largest anti-piracy campaign the Premier League has conducted to protect its copyright, and the investment from our UK live broadcasters Sky Sports and BT Sport,” a Premier League Spokesman, said.
"Like other sports and creative industries our model is predicated on the ability to market and sell rights and protect our intellectual property. It is because of this that clubs can invest in and develop talented players, build world class stadiums, and support young people in schools and communities across the country – all things that fans enjoy and wider society benefits from.
“These injunctions and costs orders, and the recent supplier of IPTV boxes sent to jail for four years, provide further evidence to consumers and the pub trade that the sale of these devices is illegal.”