‘Dodgy box’ sellers face legal threat as Sky ramps up anti-piracy campaign

Kenneth Fox

Anti-piracy organisation FACT (The Federation Against Copyright Theft) and Sky have issued legal warnings to 10 suspected illegal IPTV resellers across Ireland as part of the latest phase of their campaign against content piracy.

Illegal IPTV resellers sell subscriptions directly to members of the public, giving them unauthorised access to premium television, films and live sport.

The latest enforcement action targeted individuals operating across Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Galway, Laois and Limerick.

The legal warnings were served to the 10 resellers after FACT and Sky investigations identified the individuals and their addresses.

These cease-and-desist notices instructed those targeted to stop selling illegal IPTV subscriptions, commonly known as ‘dodgy boxes’, immediately or risk further action, including civil proceedings or referral to the gardaí.

Collectively, the services are believed to have supplied thousands of end-users, and those accessing illegal services should be aware that their details may be identified and passed to authorities.

The latest campaign focuses on the supply of illegal subscriptions, demonstrating that resellers continue to face investigations and potential legal action as part of the wider effort to disrupt piracy across Ireland.

Nick Sumner, FACT Investigation Manager, said: “Illegal streaming depends on a chain of people who promote, sell and provide access to unauthorised content. This latest campaign shows that we will continue targeting every part of that chain."