IPTV crackdown 'Operation 404' sees person sent to prison

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.

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'.

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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.

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.

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

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.

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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.

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.