A BRIT has been told to pay £860,000 in damages to Sky after being caught running illegal streaming services.
The dodgy apps allowed Brits to watch Sky Sports and Sky Cinema on the cheap.
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Michael Green, of Glasgow, operated a now-shuttered app called Incredible Streams.
He was charging users as little as £50 a year to get full access to Sky’s premium telly.
It meant that Brits could watch the content illegally, dodging Sky’s fees to access footie streams and Hollywood movies.
Green was ordered by the Court of Session to pay Sky £863,781.68 in damages.
The damages relate to “his involvement in operating and supporting illegal IPTV services”.
In his judgement, Lord Richardson legally barred Green from running or creating any IPTV services for streaming Sky broadcasts.
“This ruling underscores the serious financial and legal consequences of illegal streaming,” said Sky’s Matt Hibbert.
“Sky is committed to protecting its content and will continue to pursue legal action against those who undermine its services and violate copyright law,” Hibbert, the group director for anti-piracy at Sky, continued.
“Customers should be aware that not only are IPTV services often linked to organised crime, but illegal streams can also carry serious risks from malware to theft of money or personal information.”
Green is also barred from running or helping out with any platforms that enable illegal access to TV.
That includes websites, forums, social media or software.
He’s banned from publicly sharing Sky’s broadcasts, or helping anyone to “infringe Sky’s copyright”.
STREAMING CRACKDOWN
Sky says it invests “billions of pounds” in entertainment for customers.
“It’s therefore important that companies like ours do what they can, alongside the Government and the rest of the media and technology industries, to help protect copyright,” the broadcaster explained.
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“Such protection makes sure that consumers continue to benefit from TV programmes, movies and music both now and in the future.
“This means taking effective action against online piracy and copyright infringement.”
A regular Sky Sports package costs £22 a month on a 24-month contract.
That works out at £528 over the full term.
And Sky Cinema costs £13 a month on a 24-month contract, or £312 for the full two-year run.
Combined, they would cost Brits £420 a year if paying Sky lawfully for the services.
That’s why some Brits are willing to pay £50 a year for pirated streaming services, despite the risks and illegality.
Sky works with police and courts to prevent dodgy websites, apps, and “cracked” streaming sticks or boxes from being used in the UK.
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“Copyright holders who believe broadband users have unlawfully shared content online have the option of taking their cases to court,” Sky explained.
“They can present evidence based on IP addresses, a unique code that identifies a broadband connection.
“Internet service providers like Sky have records of their customers’ IP addresses.
“So, copyright holders can ask the court for an order obliging them to reveal the names and addresses associated with the IP addresses presented.
“If the order is granted, the service provider must comply.
“The copyright holder is likely to contact the customer directly and may ask them to pay compensation.”
Picture Credit: AFP
That includes Brits who try to watch the footie without paying.
The broadcaster has had dozens of illegal streaming websites blocked through High Court orders.
“On 13th March 2017, the High Court ordered the UK’s major internet service providers, including Sky, to try and block certain servers from illegally streaming Premier League matches,” Sky said.
“We support this as the hosts of these streams are breaking the law and by watching the stream you infringe Sky’s copyright.
“If you were watching a Premier League game on your Kodi box or IPTV device then it’s very likely that you were watching this game via an illegal stream.”
Sky and the police have also warned that Brits accessing illegal streaming services are putting themselves at risk.
A victim previously told The Sun that thousands was accessed from their bank account within minutes of signing up to a dodgy streaming service while trying to watch F1 illegally.
“There were all sorts of transactions on my bank account for quite a large amount of money which were on various times and various dates for different amounts,” they said.
“It’s scary really, they attempted thousands.”
The Sun has previously warned over the dangers of using dodgy streaming devices.
