TWO WORCESTER men who ran a firm selling illegal subscriptions to watch sports online have been sentenced.
At Worcester Crown Court, Benjamin Yates and Lewis Finch, both from Worcester, were sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and 250 hours of unpaid work.
The men, who were trading under the name ‘Titan Streams’, pleaded guilty to illegally supplying Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) which allows access to services such as BT Sport, now TNT Sports, and Sky.
The duo were convicted of offences under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
An investigation was conducted by Worcestershire County Council’s Trading Standards team along with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and BT.
Test purchases by FACT and BT led to the case being referred to Trading Standards.
Entry warrants were executed at both their addresses.
The IT equipment seized during the investigation was examined and it confirmed both men had been heavily involved in the provision of IPTV services with approximately 3,971 subscribers.
Further investigations of their PayPal accounts showed they had received payments of over £320,000 over three years.
Simon Wilkes, Head of Worcestershire Regulatory Services said: “This joint investigation has led to a successful outcome, which sends a clear message that we will seek out and prosecute those who are involved in this type of crime.
“This is not a victimless crime; it damages the interests of those who own the intellectual property rights to the subscription TV services and can affect legitimate customers through higher subscription prices.”
Kieron Sharp, CEO FACT added: “The individuals behind this illicit streaming service made a considerable amount of money through their fraudulent activities and this outcome serves as a stern warning to those who sell subscriptions or devices that provide access to content without properly compensating the rightful owners.”
