Two brothers from Ilford, East London, have been sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison for operating an illegal streaming service that offered subscriptions to premium television content, including Sky. Amir Butt was sentenced to seven years in prison and his brother Ammar Hussain was sentenced to four years after being found guilty […]
In one of the largest operations to date, UK intellectual property protection body FACT and partners, including Sky, have taken action across the UK to combat illegal streaming and the use of unlawfully modified Firestick devices. In a month-long coordinated and sequenced nationwide surge, FACT and police targeted individuals providing unauthorised access to premium TV […]
Detectives from the Cheshire Police Cyber Crime Unit, in the northwest of England, with the support of copyright protection body FACT, have arrested a man as part of an investigation into illegal online streaming services. At around 9.30am on July 3rd officers conducted a warrant at an address in Widnes, Cheshire. A 51-year-old man was […]
A man has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for advertising and selling specially configured STBs. These devices allowed unlawful access to subscription services from Sky, BT, and Virgin Media, as well as thousands of on-demand films and pay-per-view content. Additionally, Michael Hornung of Hyde, Greater Manchester, received a 12-week jail sentence […]
Kevin James O’Donnell, from Liverpool in the northwest of England, has been handed down a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to charges of promoting and selling illegally modified firesticks that offered unauthorised access to premium film and television content, including live football matches. The verdict, handed down at Liverpool Crown Court, follows an extensive […]
UK intellectual property protection body FACT has been honoured for excellence in international trade with the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise 2024. Personally approved by His Majesty, the King’s Award for Enterprise is the highest official award for British businesses, recognising and celebrating business excellence across the country. FACT has been recognised for outstanding growth […]
Two men from Worcester in the UK’s West Midlands who operated a business selling illegal subscriptions to watch sports online have been sentenced at Worcester Crown Court. The court sentenced Benjamin Yates and Lewis Finch to 20 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months and 250 hours of unpaid work. Both men, who were trading under […]
The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police executed a week of action, carrying out interviews across the country as part of a crackdown on the supply of illegal streaming services, with a focus on individuals selling modified Fire Sticks. The operation, in conjunction with FACT and the Premier League, targeted […]
IP protection body FACT has reported that, on January 10th, Jordan Longbottom, a 42-year-old man from Manchester, received a 22-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to charges of advertising and selling unauthorised decoders. The decoders were designed for fraudulent use, allowing users to access pay-TV services without remunerating legitimate providers, significantly undermining their commercial interests. […]
The BBC has announced three new history and science titles – D-Day: The Unheard Tapes, Human and Artemis: A Horizon Special – which aim to take viewers on eye-opening journeys across time and space. Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual, commented: “The BBC is committed to bringing the very best science and history stories […]