Advanced Television

ACE welcomes Germany illicit IPTV conviction

October 23, 2024

By Colin Mann

Anti-piracy coalition the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) says it applauds the criminal court in Stuttgart, Germany for sentencing the four operators of a pirate IPTV service for copyright infringement and commercial gang fraud. ACE also commends the Esslingen police for its investigation. ACE had filed a claim to support the ongoing criminal prosecution against the operators.

Three of the operators received prison sentences ranging between three years and nine months, and two years and 10 months. The fourth received a suspended prison sentence of one year and 11 months. All four have agreed to pay compensation to the damaged rightsowners. The conviction upholds the intellectual property rights of content creators and sets an example of the consequences piracy operators face for violating copyright law.

“The sentencing confirms Germany’s firm stance against copyright infringement,” declared Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer for the Motion Picture Association (MPA). “The Motion Picture Association congratulates the Stuttgart criminal court and the Esslingen police for sending a strong message to criminal operators that running an illegal IPTV business can and will land them in prison. Copyright infringement is not a victimless crime, in fact, it’s the people who work tirelessly as caterers, set builders, production assistants and camera operators, among others, whose livelihoods are threatened each time video content is pirated. ACE remains committed to assisting local law enforcement and the criminal justice system in Germany in the fight to protect the creative marketplace and the rights of content creators all over the world. We look forward to future collaborations with the German authorities.”

The group operated the German-language IPTV service since 2006, initially focusing on satellite piracy before expanding into the illegal IPTV business. The service boasted an extensive library consisting of 24,830 movies, 23,730 TV episodes, and a comprehensive range of TV channels.

Categories: Articles, Business, Content, IPTV, OTT, Piracy, Policy, Regulation, Rights

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