Blog Post

ANNOUNCEMENT: 42 month sentence for defrauding Sky

AAPA

24th August 2015

Fraudsters who illegally sold on access to Premier League football coverage have been jailed following a joint investigation by Surrey Police and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) with assistance from Sky UK.

The Duo ran a company (Digicams) in Bagshot, Surrey, obtaining hundreds of domestic-use-only Sky cards, using fraudulent names and addresses in an attempt to hide their real identities. The cards were then sold on to commercial premises, including pubs, betting shops and yachts. Although the commercial premises paid a large one-off premium for the cards, they made huge savings on their monthly fees in the long run. They were also under strict instructions not to contact Sky directly or they would face having their subscription cancelled.

After a carefully planned and executed investigation the defendant's homes were searched in September 2012 where payslips and paperwork relating to the fraud were found.

On Wednesday 19th August 2015, Simon Hopkins and Leon Passlow pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud between January 2008 and September 2012. They were sentenced to a three and a half year custodial sentence with an asset confiscation hearing scheduled for February 2016.

This judgement serves as a reminder to the pub industry, and other businesses which show live football, that Sky Sports and BT Sport are the only authorised broadcasters of live Premier League football in the UK.

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."
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.”
by AAPA 26 April 2024
Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance member, NOS , marks World IP Day with a powerful campaign to eliminate piracy. Spread the message!
by AAPA 21 December 2023
by AAPA 20 December 2023
by AAPA 19 December 2023
by AAPA 18 December 2023
by AAPA 15 December 2023
by AAPA 13 December 2023
by AAPA 10 December 2023
Show More
Share by: