Blog Post

PRESS RELEASE - New sentences in Greece for pay TV piracy

AAPA

6th January 2013

In two new judgments the Three-member Felonies Appellate Court of Athens has found two defendants guilty of piracy offences, involving card sharing, and issued a sentence of 9 years imprisonment to one of the accused.

The defendants were distributing to third party customers via the internet the decoding keys of pay TV programmes from NOVA. Users were then able to view programmes without subscription using illegitimately adapted set top boxes.

Following complaints filed by AAPA (Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance) member, Multichoice Hellas S.A., the Three-member Felonies Appellate Court of Athens, declared the defendants guilty of repeated violation, for their own gain, of laws regarding the protection of intellectual property, and the legal protection of the pay TV services.

The Court, in one case, declared the defendant guilty on all three grounds, imposing a penalty of a 9year prison sentence and a fine of €32,000.

In the second case, the Court found the defendant guilty of violating the legal protection of intellectual property, imposing a 3 year prison sentence and €8,000 fine. The defendant's sentence was suspended in recognition of previous good conduct.

In welcoming the decision of the Greek court AAPA's Executive Director, Sheila Cassells, said that "these are very significant judgments which demonstrate that audiovisual piracy will be treated as a serious felony, resulting in possible imprisonment, and substantial fines, in Greece. Those involved in piracy in Greece and other countries should take note of the seriousness with which courts deal with piracy."

AAPA represents companies involved in the provision of protected audiovisual services, security technology for such services, and the manufacturing of products, which facilitate the delivery of such services. AAPA's mission is to enable the fight against piracy where this involves the development, promotion, distribution, application or use of technologies resulting in the unauthorised use of protected audiovisual content, by co-ordinating intelligence and action supported by effective legislation and its implementation.

For more information about AAPA's work visit www.aapa.eu

AAPA contact:
Sheila Cassells:
+44 7500 243 136

Media enquiries:
Miranda Rock:
+44 7957 391 498

Notes to editors:
The laws involved are: Law 2121/1993 regarding the protection of intellectual property, 386A on fraud through a computer and PD 343/2002 on the legal protection of pay TV services.

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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.”