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AAPA Honours Law Enforcement Agencies with Annual Awards for Excellence in Copyright Enforcement

AAPA

19 December 2024

Date, Brussels, Belgium The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) is proud to announce the recipients of its annual awards, celebrating exceptional contributions by law enforcement agencies in combatting online piracy and protecting intellectual property in the audiovisual sector. This year’s honorees have demonstrated exemplary efforts in the investigation, enforcement, and dismantling of illegal content distribution networks that undermine the creative industries.

The AAPA Annual Awards recognize agencies whose proactive strategies and collaborative actions have significantly advanced copyright enforcement online. These awards reflect the growing importance of international cooperation in addressing the evolving and sophisticated tactics used by piracy networks.

Oliver Pribramsky, Co-President of AAPA, praised the recipients of the awards, saying:

"We are honoured to recognise the outstanding work of these administrative and law enforcement agencies. Online piracy remains one of the most significant challenges facing the audiovisual industry, costing billions in lost revenue each year and threatening jobs across the sector. The dedication and innovation displayed by our award winners not only protect the industry but also reinforce the critical role that law enforcement plays in safeguarding intellectual property in the digital age."

Award Recipients

This year’s AAPA Awards for Excellence in Copyright Enforcement are presented to:

1. Lifetime achievement Award for Sheila Cassells:

On behalf of all AAPA members and stakeholders from all spectrums of the industry, we would like to thank Sheila for her loyalty and friendship over the last 14 years where she transformed AAPA into the organisation it is today and honour her remarkable achievements and lifelong dedication to the fight against audiovisual piracy with this Lifetime Achievement Award.

Chris Pyer of Irdeto & AAPA presenting to Sheila Cassells

2. Joint winner of AAPA Award - Massimiliano Capitanio of AGCOM:

His exceptional work, both in Parliament and AGCOM, in implementing Italy's new internet blocking system has demonstrated his unwavering commitment to combating piracy and protecting intellectual property rights. His leadership have set a new standard for anti-piracy efforts and have had a profound impact on the Italian market. Hopefully, this will establish a precedent for other EU members to implement such measures.

Massimiliano Capitanio of AGCOM

3. Joint winner of AAPA Award - The Patras Security Directorate of the Hellenic Police, for its excellent achievement in the fight against piracy and, in particular, Police Officers Bantzis Georgios and Delimaris Konstantinos

Two officers with extensive expertise in police investigations led the special team against organised subscription piracy groups in Greece. The Patras Unite has developed an active and effective presence in the fight against subscription piracy, with a track record of dismantling multiple criminal organisations throughout the Greek territory. In doing so, they have also contributed to enforcement efforts and jurisprudence in piracy cases and a significant contribution to raising public awareness of the positive effects of police raids. As a result of their activities and success, other teams from the Hellenic Police are consulting the Patras team in similar investigations.

Hellenic Police, Ministry of Citizen Protection, Patras Security Sub-Directorate

4. High commendation for the Federal Bureau of Investigation / Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation / DOJ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section for the successful prosecution of Bill Omar Carrasquillo AKA Omi in a Hellcat

Bill Omar Carrasquillo along with his co-defendants operated a large-scale internet protocol television (IPTV) piracy scheme in which they fraudulently obtained cable television accounts and then resold copyrighted content to thousands of their own subscribers, who could then stream or playback content. The defendants also made fraudulent misrepresentations to banks and merchant processors in an effort to obtain merchant processing accounts. During the period of their scheme, the defendants earned more than $30 million. Carrasquillo, in particular, converted a large portion of his profits into homes and dozens of vehicles, including high-end sports cars.

Mark Mulready presenting the award to Ryan Dickey, Trial Attorney, Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), United States Department of Justice who accepted on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation / Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation / DOJ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section

5. High commendation for Nucleo di Polizia Economico-Finanziaria della Guardia di Finanza di Milano and Squadra Reati Informatici della Procura della Repubblica di Milano.

Nominated for their innovative investigative work in the running of a high-impact operation carried against television piracy in June of 2024, which has led to a series of searches involving 13 suspects resident in various regions of Italy. The exceptional nature of the operation, conducted by the Unit, lies in having set the objective of the investigative efforts to combat criminal organizations that use a new intrusion technique. This technique allows criminals to illicitly access the conditional access systems of the various television platforms and steal the contents which are then sold illegally through IPTV services managed by digital pirates.

From the right - Liutenant Davide D'Agostino, Marta Giannini SKY Italia & Eugenio Fusco the Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Court of Milan

From the right - Liutenant Davide D'Agostino, The General Andrea Fiducia new provincial commander of the Gdf of Milan, , Marta Giannini SKY Italia and Colonel Roberto Sciarretta commander of Nucleo di Polizia Economico-Finanziaria della Guardia di Finanza di Milano.

Building a Stronger Future Through Enforcement

The recipients of the AAPA Awards have not only displayed innovative enforcement practices but have also highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in tackling piracy. The success of these operations is a testament to the coordinated effort between law enforcement agencies, the audiovisual industry, and international legal bodies.

Mark Mulready, co-President of AAPA, remarked:

"Piracy is not a victimless crime; it impacts creators, producers, and legal distributors across the globe. As piracy methods become more advanced, the work of these administrative and law enforcement agencies becomes even more critical. Their tireless efforts are making a real difference, and we are proud to support them in their fight against piracy."

AAPA continues to work closely with its members and law enforcement bodies worldwide to develop new strategies for effective copyright protection. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so too does the commitment to eradicating piracy and safeguarding the creative content that powers the audiovisual sector.

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AAPA MEMBERS JOIN FORCES WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE WORLD’S LARGEST-EVER OPERATION AGAINST AUDIOVISUAL PIRACY

by AAPA • 27 November 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) has supported the Catania Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Croatian State Attorney Office for Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime and law enforcement agencies in Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Croatia and England in dismantling the world’s largest transnational criminal organisation alleged to be serving pirated audiovisual content to over 22 million users, and generating over 250 million euros in illegal revenue per month. The operation, conducted yesterday, was coordinated by Europol and Eurojust and involved over 270 officers from the Polizia Postale carrying out 89 property searches in 15 Italian regions. An additional 14 searches were conducted by law enforcement agencies abroad, including five addresses in England, and further searches and seizures in the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, France, Bulgaria, Germany and Croatia. 11 people were arrested by the Cybercrime Division of the Croatian Police. During yesterday's searches, cryptocurrencies in excess of EUR 1,650,000 and cash in excess of EUR 40,000 were seized as alleged proceeds of the offences committed. These immediately seized proceeds represent only a fraction of an illegal business that is alleged to yield approximately EUR 3 billion per annum. Digital piracy harms the entertainment and creative industries across the continent and is often run by sophisticated criminal networks that may use their profits to fund other serious forms of criminal activity. At the same time, illegal streams can expose the end user to the risks of data theft, fraud and malware. Mark Mulready, Co-president of AAPA, said: “We applaud the efforts of the Catania Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Croatian State Attorney Office for Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime, Europol, Eurojust, and all of the law enforcement agencies involved in these operations. The scale of these multi-jurisdictional law enforcement actions highlights the considerable challenge our industry faces when dealing with such sophisticated international pirate networks. We are proud to have collaborated with our law enforcement partners to provide technical training and in-field support to assist them in successfully tackling the world’s largest pirate network. We are very grateful to the AAPA members who supported this action day, including Premier League, Sky Group, Nagravision, Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), beIN Sports, United Media, Friend MTS and Irdeto. We will continue to closely collaborate with law enforcement agencies in Europe and beyond to enable them to successfully identify, investigate and prosecute large-scale cross-border pirate networks.” ---------- AAPA contact: Mark Mulready +31651246415 Co-President AAPA Miranda Rock +44 7957 391 498 Rocket Launch for AAPA

Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance 2024-2029 EU Manifesto

by AAPA • 1 October 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) publishes its first Manifesto, linked here . The document aims to recognise past efforts of EU legislators when it comes to content protection and the fight against copyright infringement, whilst admitting that more can and should be done to address this growing issue. Miruna Herovanu, Executive Director of AAPA said : " After years of laying the groundwork to combat online piracy it’s time for EU policymakers and beyond to fully acknowledge that decisive, targeted measures are needed at the European level. The rise of digital theft demands action. We call for strong political resolve to end the theft of our members' content. We're ready to support every stakeholder—law enforcement, policymakers, and industry representatives—to dismantle criminal networks and protect European consumers from harm."

AAPA ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

by AAPA • 28 May 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) has announced the appointment of Miruna Herovanu as its Executive Director. Miruna was previously the Director at the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand in Europe in charge of Intellectual Property and Competition policies. She took up her position with AAPA on 27 May 2024 and will be based in Brussels. Miruna will replace Sheila Cassells who is retiring as Executive Vice President of AAPA and will report on a day-to-day basis to the two Co-Presidents, Mark Mulready, VP of Cyber Services at Irdeto and Oliver Pribramksy, Head of IP Protection and Committees at the Deutsche Fussball Liga. She will be responsible for the implementation of the strategy agreed by AAPA members, managing relationships with law enforcement agencies such as Europol, Eurojust, INTERPOL and the European Institutions, delivery of AAPA’s Working Group goals and general management of the Alliance. Mark Mulready said that: “We are delighted to appoint someone of Miruna’s calibre and experience to become the Executive Director of AAPA. Miruna’s commitment to copyright protection is well-known. Her knowledge of the Brussels institutions and the EUIPO will stand AAPA in good stead for future policy developments. A priority will be for Miruna to work closely with AAPA members, the EUIPO and the European Institutions to deliver on, inter alia, the goals of combatting online piracy of sports and other live events recommendation.” Miruna Herovanu commented that: “My professional experience demonstrated that piracy is an ever-growing issue that eats at the heart of Europe’s most important industries. This is a golden opportunity and a new professional challenge that will help further develop my passion for and commitment to protecting copyright. Being able to work with and support industry experts and practitioners in AAPA, law enforcement, the European Institutions and other trade associations is essential to the fight against piracy. I am excited to be taking on this role.”