More than twenty “ease and desist” have been issued to people suspected of selling illegal TV streaming services, known as ‘dodgy boxes’, in recent months.
It is the third wave in a series of legal warnings that have been delivered in person, by post and by email to people across Ireland involved in providing illegal access to premium TV content, sometimes known as IPTV.
The cease-and-desist notices instruct those running selling modified smart TV devices to immediately stop all illegal streaming activity or risk facing the consequences, including criminal prosecution.
The warnings were issued to addresses within the counties of Dublin, Cork, Meath, West Meath, Kilkenny, Clare, Limerick, Louth, Galway and Monaghan between 22 January and 2 February.
The legal notices form part of a broader targeted campaign in Ireland designed to disrupt and shut down piracy networks.
Previous wave of warnings were issued in March and August, with the Federation Against Copyright Theft organisation saying that “more than 60 targets have been engaged with, resulting in the vast majority of illegal services being taken down”.
The organisation said it would continue to “monitor channels used to advertise and sell illegal streams, modified Fire Sticks, and other devices to take action against illegal IPTV suppliers and operators”.
“Operators of illegal IPTV services should be aware that not only are they committing an offence themselves, but they’re also putting consumers at real risk of malware, data loss and identity theft,” FACT said.
