Damages, injunction success for ACE
November 13, 2019
By Colin Mann
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) – a global coalition dedicated to protecting the dynamic legal market and reducing online piracy – has obtained a consent judgment and permanent injunction against Omniverse One World Television, Inc. in the federal district court for the Central District of California.
Omniverse was a major supplier of unauthorised streams of copyrighted movie and television content, feeding numerous illicit piracy services and undermining the legitimate streaming market. As a part of the consent judgment, the operators of Omniverse agreed to permanently cease all operations, refrain from operating any similar service, and pay $50 million (€45.4m) in damages.
“This judgment and injunction are a major win for creators, audiences, and the legitimate streaming market, which has been undermined by Omniverse and its ‘back office’ piracy infrastructure for years,” said Karen Thorland, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at the Motion Picture Association. “It also builds on recent ACE legal victories over illicit piracy operations, strengthening the legitimate market for film, video, and live TV that gives audiences more choices than ever while supporting millions of American jobs.”
ACE filed the lawsuit against Omniverse and its owner in February 2019. The consent judgment is the latest in a series of successful ACE actions against piracy device sellers and illegal streaming applications and services. These include legal victories and favourable settlements in the TickBox, Dragon Box, SetTVNow, and Vader Streams cases and the closure of numerous additional piracy applications and add-on services.