In recent years, Illegal streaming of Movies, TV shows and live sports through pirate sites and services has emerged as a serious problem in the streaming realm. And since the fight against digital piracy has accelerated globally,  authorities secured Brazil’s first landmark Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) conviction. 

The latest conviction results from Operation 404, an anti-piracy campaign implemented by authorities to tackle illegitimate media suppliers. The initiative aims to de-function platforms streaming premium content for free to monetise subscription-based platforms’ productions. Disney+, Premier League, Champions League, Netflix, and Prime Video stand among badly affected platforms. 

First Landmark IPTV Conviction Against Digital Piracy

The defendant has been sent to prison for over five years. It marks a pivotal achievement since officials have struggled to curb illicit streaming activities for years. The judge at Fifth Criminal Court of Campinas in Sao Paolo, Marina Figueiredo Coelho, sentenced the criminal to five years and four months in jail. 

Before Operation 404 took down the illegal operator, the plaintiff produced an annual income of over $914,500 and had over 20,000 subscribers under the moniker “Flash IPTV”.

Since the anti-piracy group marks its first landmark IPTV conviction, Alianza, also known as Alliance Against Pay Piracy, publicised the case. Some multinational mass media companies representing Alianza include Warner Bros, La Liga, The Walt Disney Company and Discovery.

Identifying the defendant only as A.W.AP, President of the Executive Committee of Alianza, Victor Roldán, added,

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.

What is Operation 404?

When accessing a region-blocked web page you might have seen a code, HTTP 404, that indicates geo-restriction. Operation 404 originated from the same term to stop illegal streaming activities. Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security introduced this anti-piracy initiative in 2019. The motto behind this move was to enable transparent distribution of IPTV content on national and international levels. 

So far, officials have arrested 11 individuals in executing 32 search warrants proposed after Operation 404 came into power. According to the reports, 606 websites featuring illegitimate content are also blocked across the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Peru. The cross-border impact of the digital piracy fight depicts the importance of the operation.

Like Brazil’s law enforcement started a crackdown against illegal streams, India is also taking steps to protect the broadcasting rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The state held a crucial court ruling to prevent the illegal hosting of unauthorised streams. 

Global forces ramped up their efforts after noting that increasing numbers of individuals are providing illegal streams of television shows, live sports, and movies. Most of them target IPTV to resort to streams illegally, drawing global jurisdictions’ attention.