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IPTV crackdown 'Operation 404' sees person sent to prison

Home> News> Crime

Updated 09:22 28 Mar 2024 GMTPublished 09:23 28 Mar 2024 GMT

IPTV crackdown 'Operation 404' sees person sent to prison

This marks a landmark conviction

Tom Earnshaw

Tom Earnshaw

A landmark IPTV conviction has taken place with following years of effort to shut down illegal streaming.

It is just the latest in a very recent surge in efforts to tackle those who supply films, TV shows and live sport free of charge, bypassing subscriptions to watch the likes of the Premier League, Netflix, Champions League, Prime Video, and Disney+.

And with a growing number of people around the world watching illegal streaming via the likes of Internet Protocol television (IPTV), it's seen authorities up their efforts worldwide.

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Just this week, a significant court injunction was passed in India to protect the broadcaster rights of those who pay to broadcast the Indian Premier League (IPL).

It means that illegal streaming websites must be banned in the country to stop them from hosting illicit streams.

Now, in South America the ante is being upped through an anti-piracy campaign dubbed 'Operation 404'.

Man in handcuffs.
getty stock images

First launched in 2019 by Brazil's Ministry of Justice and public Security, the aim has been to stamp out illegal streaming as best they can.

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Named after HTTP 404 - the message you will get when a website is no longer available - it symbolises the objective of making illegal content unavailable on the internet for anyone.

And this week, Operation 404 recorded its first conviction for those supplying illegal IPTV streaming.

Alianza [Alliance Against Pay Television Piracy] publicised the case; itself an organisation made up of media providers looking to end illegal streaming. It includes Warner Bros, Discovery, The Walt Disney Company, and Spain's top football competition, La Liga.

Caught out.
Getty Stock Images

In a statement, Alianza revealed that courts in Brazil had successfully prosecuted the operator of a piracy service known as 'Flash IPTV'.

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Giving the defendant's identity only as A.W.A.P, Victor Roldán, President of the Executive Committee of Alianza, stated: "We appreciate the commitment of the police and judicial authorities in resolving this important case.

"The conviction of A.W.A.P. is a milestone that reinforces our commitment to defending the rights of creators and fighting against illegal practices that harm the creative economy."

They were put in prison for five years and four months after being sent down by Judge Marina Figueiredo Coelho of the Fifth Criminal Court of Campinas in Sao Paolo.

Watching premium sport on IPTV is illegal.
Getty Stock Images

Before it was taken down by Operation 404, Flash IPTV had more than 20,000 users who subscribed to its platform, and made $914,500 (£725,271) a year.

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Since Operation 404 was launched, 11 people have been arrested through 32 search warrants.

Local media has also reported 606 websites have been blocked hosted across Bazil, Peru, and the United Kingdom.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images

Topics: Crime, Film, Football, Sport, TV, TV and Film, Technology, UK News, World News

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.

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@TREarnshaw

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