Blog Post

PRESS RELEASE: Landmark investigation by Bundeskriminalamt in Germany

AAPA

2nd March 2016

Unterföhring, 1 March 2016 – In the scope of a cross-European raid against operators of so-called “underground economy forums”, the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime (ZIK) of the Attorney General in Frankfurt/Main has issued an arrest warrant against an alleged administrator of illegal streaming platform “istreams.to” at the request of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). The website enabled its users to illegally access to Sky’s sports- and fiction programming against a fixed monthly fee. The platform is no longer available; its operator is being held in custody.

The investigation of the Federal Criminal Police Office against the streaming platform was preceded by a criminal charge issued by Sky Deutschland in 2012 and a continuous preservation and presentation of evidence by Sky. The investigators stroke on 23 and 24 February this year and arrested a 22-year old German from the Münsterland region in Northwest Germany.

The arrest is already the second significant success against the illegal utilization of Sky content within one month. On 10 February, the district court in Verden sentenced a 53-year old card-sharing operator to a suspended 12 months prison sentence. The verdict of the district court is the first judicial sentence of a higher instance in Germany regarding this type of information- and communication crime (“cybercrime”) and can therefore be regarded as a landmark decision for similar cases in future proceedings. The verdict is still subject to appeal.

Dr. Holger Enßlin, Chief Officer Legal, Regulatory, & Distribution at Sky Deutschland: “After the groundbreaking verdict of the district court in Verden, the impressive success of this operation shows that illegal streaming has no future in Germany. Sky has the most valuable programming portfolio in the fields of live sports, films and TV series in Germany and Austria. We will protect our content by any means necessary and work closely with the responsible authorities to ensure that operators of illegal platforms will be treated with the full force of the law. In addition, users of such offerings should realize by now at the latest that with their payments, they are supporting large-scale criminal activities. “

According to the BKA, “The concentrated investigations both domestically and abroad constitute a major breakthrough in the fight against the German underground economy scene and is another proof that the internet does not provide full anonymity – not even the Darknet. Furthermore, they underline the significance of international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime.”

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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.”