Dodgy boxes are back in the news are they?
They are rarely out of the news these days but there has been a pretty big development in the ongoing saga after the High Court gave the green light for the names and addresses of around 300 dodgy box users are to be provided to Sky as part of its continuing efforts to tackle illegal streaming of its content.
Users? You mean people like my ‘friend’ who has a dodgy box?
Well maybe your “friend” is one of the 304 people whose names will be shared with Sky. Justice Brian Cregan granted an order that Revolut must give the broadcaster the names and addresses of subscribers who used their accounts to send money to dodgy box resellers as well as the details of 10 resellers.
Um, just out of curiosity, what is Sky going to do with this information?
Well the court heard that the information which will be provided by Revolut in the coming days will be used to take legal actions against resellers and some of the end users. The court was told it would just not be possible to bring cases against all 304 subscribers.
End users? That sounds alarming?
Well it might sound alarming if you use a dodgy box for sure but you probably don’t need to get ready to be carted off to prison just yet.
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So what is going on?
The court was told that this latest case has its roots in a separate investigation into David Dunbar, a man with an address at Manor Crescent, Roxborough Manor, Co Wexford. Last year he was revealed as a provider of the copyright infringing IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) streaming service called “IPTV is Easy”. He sold subscriptions for €80-€100 per year with the payments made primarily to his Revolut bank account.
Tell me more?
Well, the court was told that much of the data relating to his customers was lost or destroyed and that led to him being fined for contempt of court. His Revolut account was closed but his statements revealed large payments from resellers and end users over more than three years. Sky had no way of confirming the identities of the resellers or customers who had sent him money so it sought that information from Revolut. The fintech, in turn, said it could only do so on foot of a court order. And that is what Sky has now been granted.
And Sky is going after those users it has identified now is it?
That could certainly be where things are heading but we’re not there yet. The court heard that Sky recently received intelligence that at least five of Dunbar’s resellers continue to sell the IPTV service.
And time is of the essence is it?
It is, the court heard that levels of infringement peak around this time of year with the English Premier League reaching its climax and many people keen to find out if Arsenal, the league leaders, will bottle it. Formula 1 racing and major golf tournaments also see interest in dodgy boxes spike. The court heard that Sky, which broadcasts much of this content to its paying customers, is keen to “take decisive action” the five resellers before the Premier League season ends.
So, just out of curiosity, could more dodgy box owners be targeted and end up before the courts?
It certainly seems more possible now than it did this time last year. And the court case today could leave a whole lot of people legally exposed, making today’s case a real game-changer. But it is worth bearing in mind that there are still tens of thousands of dodgy boxes in homes all over the country – by some guesstimates there could be as many as 400,000 boxes in the country.
There are nowhere near enough court hours to target all those users but by knowingly circumventing properly applied restrictions to access copyrighted content, you are at least theoretically be exposed to prosecution.
