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ANNOUNCEMENT: Pirate TV supplier sentenced to 24 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months

AAPA

11th June 2015

Alexander Woodmass, the supplier of a card sharing network appeared at Durham Crown Court on Friday 5th June 2015 where he was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months following an investigation by Sky UK investigators.

Woodmass was fraudulently selling his customers access to Sky’s premium Pay TV content.

He admitted six counts of fraud between the periods of April 2011 and December 2013. Three charges related to the possession of articles for use in fraud; a micro-server and pc tower both containing card-sharing software, and card-sharing data, two counts relate to supplying articles for use in fraud; satellite receiving boxes and card-sharing data capable of receipt of Sky TV without subscription payment. The sixth charge was one of obtaining services by deception, namely subscription owner TV broadcast content when no payment was made, gaining access via a card-sharing server.

Shaun Dryden prosecuting summed up the case as a man who was "buying digital boxes from China, capable of receiving Sky, and fraudulently supplying pubs and clubs in the area….the value placed in the lost subscriptions would amount to £112,000”.

Details of the full sentence handed down were as follows

· 24 months Imprisonment suspended for 24 months on Suspended Sentence.

· To Pay a Victim Surcharge of £100.00 payable at rate to be set by magistrates court.

· Order under s. 143 Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 for forfeiture of all items seized by the Police and destruction of these items.

· Suspended Sentence - Must carry out unpaid work for 250 hours before 04-Jun-2016 Probation officer will supervise this work.

A Proceeds of crime timetable was set and a hearing is scheduled for 7th December 2015.

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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.”