Advanced Television

Piracy

Philippines: IP reforms planned

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is inviting legislators to deepen their partnership with the agency in advancing key amendments to the Intellectual Property (IP) Code and related legislation, as the law marks its 29th anniversary, citing the need to modernise the IP framework in step with evolving technological and economic realities. IPOPHL […]

June 8, 2026By Colin Mann

Sony invests in Midnight Labs

Midnight Labs, a specialist in predictive IP protection for entertainment, gaming and content industries, has announced an investment from the Sony Innovation Fund. The investment will fuel the expansion of Midnight Labs’ agentic Enforcement Engine to protect entertainment IP from mass piracy, deepfakes and AI-generated infringement in the US and Japanese markets. To date, Midnight […]

June 5, 2026

Europol claims major anti-piracy success

Criminal networks making millions from illegal access to premium sports broadcasts, film and television channels have been targeted in a major international operation coordinated by Bulgaria with Europol’s support. The seven-month operation resulted in 29 arrests, the dismantling of nine organised crime groups and the removal of over 27,000 illegal streaming URLs. Operation KRATOS 2 […]

June 3, 2026By Colin Mann

CMA imposes Google publisher AI opt-out

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has imposed a new conduct requirement for Google search, meaning it must take specific action under the UK’s digital markets competition regime. The requirement will secure a fairer deal for publishers and consumers and improve Google’s search services in the UK. The conduct requirement is imposed following the […]

June 3, 2026By Colin Mann

Llanymynech pub fined for Sky Sports piracy

A pub landlord has been ordered to pay £19,000 (€22,000) after being convicted for showing Sky Sports without a commercial subscription. John Peter Turner, the licensee of the Dolphin Inn pub in Llanymynech, on the Powys/Shropshire border in Wales, was found guilty in his absence of two offences in relation to the dishonest broadcast of […]

June 3, 2026By Colin Mann

MPA to honour creativity champions

The Motion Picture Association is to recognise US Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers (R) with 2026 MPA Industry Champion Awards for their policy efforts to promote and protect the creative community. The 2026 MPA Creative Protector Award will be presented to the Egyptian Ministry of Interior for their partnership with […]

June 3, 2026By Colin Mann

Prison term for Welsh Premier League pirate

Michael Barrow, operator of the illegal IPTV service MB Streams, has been sentenced to three years and two months’ imprisonment at Swansea Crown Court in Wales. Barrow pleaded guilty to three Fraud Act offences for supplying access to Premier League matches, and a variety of other content, through his MB Streams service and third-party apps. […]

June 2, 2026By Colin Mann

Police shut down pirate streaming data centre in Hampshire

Police have seized more than £1.2 million (€1.3m) worth of equipment after shutting down a large illicit streaming data centre The operation, led by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police, has disrupted thousands of illegal streams across the UK. The investigation began after PIPCU received a report of […]

June 1, 2026

ACE welcomes French court’s Spliiit ruling

Anti-piracy coalition the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has welcomed the verdict from the Paris Judicial Court, which it says clearly confirms that the company Spliiit has violated the law with respect to ACE members Apple, Disney and Netflix – notably by engaging in acts of complicity in violating the terms of service, unfair […]

June 1, 2026By Colin Mann

Research: Annual losses of €2.4bn from illegal streaming in Germany

Illegal live TV streaming in Germany continues to rise. In 2025, it caused total economic losses of approximately €2.4 billion in the country. Compared to the previous study in 2022, this represents a 33 per cent increase – despite technical safeguards, legal proceedings and public awareness campaigns. As a result, the government loses approximately €542 […]

May 29, 2026