Featured Image Credit: Merseyside Police/Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
Topics: Crime, Football, Premier League, UK News, IPTV
Jess Battison
Topics: Crime, Football, Premier League, UK News, IPTV
A British man who sold ‘dodgy firesticks’ for people to stream the football has been jailed for three years.
This comes as a huge crackdown has been underway in the UK with authorities tightening up on the use of IPTV and illegally modified Fire TV sticks.
Jonathan Edge, from Liverpool, was described by his lawyer as ‘helping the poor like Robin Hood’ after he ran a service uploading illegal services on to Firestick devices in return for cash-in-hand payments at his home.
The 29-year-old sold these dodgy sticks that enabled people to watch Premier League matches without having to pay for subscriptions.
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But after being warned several times to pack it in, he ended up remanded in custody at the end of last month.
And yesterday (12 November), Edge pleaded guilty to three offences under the Fraud Act.
The Premier League confirmed he has now been jailed for three years and four months – including a separate sentence for accessing and viewing the content he supplied.
Julian Nutter, defending Edge, argued the man was helping those who would struggle to afford to access the football games.
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“Whether or not he made a significant profit is an issue which is raised,” he said.
"The point should be made on his behalf that the people who would buy his products would not be people who are likely to have the money to buy a Sky subscription.”
But this did not stand as the judge stressed how legitimate subscribes are victims of fraudulent operations like the one Edge ran.
Kevin Plumb, Premier League General Counsel, said: “The significant sentence handed down to the individual involved once again serves to highlight the severity of his actions and we thank Merseyside Police for their support throughout the case. We will continue to pursue legal action against those supplying unauthorised access to Premier League football, regardless of the scale or mode of operation. Ignoring warnings to stop only served to make the consequences worse for the individual.
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“The selling of broadcast rights supports the Premier League’s industry-leading financial contribution to the whole football pyramid and we’re pleased that the courts have once again recognised the importance of safeguarding these rights with the outcome of this case.
"No matter the scale, we will continue to protect these rights by carrying out investigations and prosecuting illegal operators at every level.”
And detective Sergeant Steve Frame from Merseyside Police said: "Merseyside Police is committed to working in collaboration to investigate intellectual property theft and we welcome today’s sentence handed to Edge.
“Many people see no harm in illegally streaming TV services but they are wrong, and this outcome should serve as a further warning how seriously such copyright theft continues to be taken.”