• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Netflix and Amazon launch legal crackdown on IPTV provider 'that uses jailbroken fire sticks'

Home> Entertainment> TV

Published 17:25 4 Apr 2024 GMT+1

Netflix and Amazon launch legal crackdown on IPTV provider 'that uses jailbroken fire sticks'

A huge move from those who own the copyright to most of the world's TV and film shows

Tom Earnshaw

Tom Earnshaw

Featured Image Credit: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images/Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Topics: Amazon, Amazon Prime, Crime, Disney, Disney Plus, Film, Netflix, TV, TV and Film, UK News, US News, World News, Premier League

Tom Earnshaw
Tom Earnshaw

Tom joined LADbible Group in 2024, currently working as SEO Lead across all brands including LADbible, UNILAD, SPORTbible, Tyla, UNILAD Tech, and GAMINGbible. He moved to the company from Reach plc where he enjoyed spells as a content editor and senior reporter for one of the country's most-read local news brands, LancsLive. When he's not in work, Tom spends his adult life as a suffering Manchester United supporter after a childhood filled with trebles and Premier League titles. You can't have it all forever, I suppose.

X

@TREarnshaw

Advert

Advert

Advert

A legal crackdown has been launched by the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Warner Bros, Universal and Sony in the fight against IPTV and illegal streaming.

IPTV, or Internet Protocol television to give it its full name, is regularly used by criminals to illegally stream premium content that you can only legally access by paying subscription fees.

And one of the most common ways organised criminals offer IPTV services is to jailbreak Amazon Fire TV Sticks. This is where they will bypass the fire stick operating system in order to install the illicit apps that have thousands of links to films and television shows, new and old.

But the crackdown on illegal streaming is now growing across the world, with a landmark conviction taking place just last month.

Advert

New court orders have also been passed to protect the copyright holders of the likes of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well as Spain's top flight football competition, La Liga.

And in the UK, police have brought in almost a dozen IPTV suppliers in one of the latest police raids on UK soil.

Now, over in the United States, a massive court case has been filed by eight of the world's major TV and film providers.

Amazon fire stick.
Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

Who is involved in the case?

It's pretty big and involves Amazon, Netflix, Disney, and Sony to name half of them.

Advert

The firms named on paperwork with the case are Disney Enterprises Inc; Netflix Worldwide Entertainment LLC; Amazon Content Services LLC; Columbia Pictures Industries Inc; Paramount Pictures Corp; Sony Pictures Animation Inc; Universal City Studios Productions LLLP; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

The eight firms are being represented by Los Angeles-based legal firm Munger, Tolles & Olson, with a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas.

Most of us pay to watch Netflix.
Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

What are the big eight arguing?

No surprise, but it's all down to copyright.

Advert

Netflix and the other seven believe their copyright has been infringed on a mass scale.

Generally speaking, copyright laws around the work protect your work, and more importantly, stops others from using it without your permission.

Who is accused of violating the copyright of Netflix, Amazon, Disney and co?

The eight media companies have filed the case against a defendant who goes by the name of William Freemon.

It is also nine companies, which the lawsuit alleges have been a group of illegal websites hosting premium content for free. Among them is 'InstantIPTV.net' and 'CashAppIPTV.com'.

Advert

The complaint says the actions of Freemon and his company, Freemon Technology Industries LLC, as well as the other websites, 'caused irreparable harm' to the eight companies filing for copyright infringement.

Amazon are part of the court case.
Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

What do the court documents allege?

The court documents allege 'Freemon operates an extensive and commercially scaled network of illegal streaming services that offers unauthorised access to live channels and video-on-demand streams of copyrighted movies and TV shows'.

It adds: "Freemon makes money by selling subscriptions to his infringing services directly to the public, but he pays nothing to for the copyrighted works he exploits."

Advert

The documents state that the websites offered subscription packages from $20 a month to $150 a year, with those paying up given access to 11,000 illegal channels, 27,000 movies and more than 9,000 TV shows.

It also claims that Freemon sold modified Fire TV Sticks that let people access the content.

Watching premium sport on IPTV is illegal.
Getty Stock Images

What happens next?

Disney, Netflix, Amazon, Columbia, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros are demanding this goes to trial.

Through their legal counsel, lawyers have told the court that the eight companies 'demand a trial by jury on all claims, issues, and damages'.

Statutory rights indicate that each company could be awarded a maximum of $150,000 for every piece of copyright infringed work.

The total amount that could be sought would be determined by the legal team to then be presented at trial.

William Freemon could not be reached for comment despite LADbible's extensive attempts.

  • How ‘dodgy’ firestick users are caught as authorities up IPTV crackdown
  • Illegal £2.5 billion IPTV operation that streamed Premier League to 22 million households busted in major crackdown
  • IPTV crackdown ‘will see you automatically fined up to £4,200’
  • Amazon Fire Stick and IPTV crackdown warning as police make arrest

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
16 hours ago
  • an hour ago

    Jussie Smollett 'hoax' details left out of Netflix show as he breaks silence

    The Netflix documentary has been deeply controversial

    Entertainment
  • 2 hours ago

    Lily Phillips broke down in tears as she shared true reaction after controversial sex stunt

    The OnlyFans star had an emotional moment on camera and revealed how she really felt

    Entertainment
  • 3 hours ago

    Donald Trump has surprising reaction to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement after saying he ‘hated’ her

    Donald Trump reacted to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement announcement during a press conference

    Entertainment
  • 16 hours ago

    Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's nicknames for each other explained as they reveal engagement in sweet post

    The music star left a few people confused after referring to herself and her new fiancé as school staff members

    Entertainment