Blog Post

PRESS RELEASE: Piracy cases in Czech Republic and Slovakia yield results

AAPA

11th February 2013

Demonstrate effectiveness of collaboration and police support

Two new cases of the piracy practice known as card sharing have been brought to resolution in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The cases involved the theft of services from UPC DTH S.à r.l. (operating the brand freeSAT in these markets) enabling the illegal reception of services and depriving UPC of payment.

Following criminal complaints filed by UPC DTH S.à r.l., whose parent company Liberty Global is a member of AAPA (Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance), the matter was addressed in co-operation with Irdeto (conditional access system provider to freeSAT service) and local police authorities in Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Two full investigations were conducted with partner to UPC DTH S.à r.l., and member of AAPA. Both Irdeto and the local police provided high levels of cooperation and skill, leading to the successful prosecutions.

The defendants in both cases pleaded guilty and have accepted the settlements requiring them to pay UPC DTH several thousand Euros compensation.

In the Czech Republic case, the court conditionally closed the criminal proceedings as the defendant pleaded guilty, settled to cover the claimed damage and had no previous criminal history. The court also set up a probationary period of two years.

In the Slovak case, the police successfully closed the investigation and the state attorney closed the case due to the fact that defendant pleaded guilty, settled to cover the claimed damage and had no previous criminal history.

In welcoming the decision the AAPA's Executive Director, Sheila Cassells, said that "these are cases which show that this and that local officials fully support the need to maintain the legitimate protection of the services our members provide to paying customers in these countries. AAPA will continue to support its members in taking necessary action."

Magnus Ternsjö, MD of UPC DTH S.à r.l added, "we have made many technological improvements to limit the ability of thieves to steal our services but we cannot be fully successful without the support of local law enforcement to apprehend and prosecute those who try to circumvent our security to illegally provide services to others. We have further pending cases and count on additional success in gaining significant restitution and sentencing that includes putting people behind bars. We are and will always go after people we can prove are involved with illegal activities and violate our terms and conditions. These activities not only include "card sharing" piracy, but also frauds committed by individuals and groups which harm UPC DTH and our paying customers. We appreciate very much the support of the law enforcement officials in the countries, Irdeto, as well as AAPA and praise them for helping us to successfully convict people who have been involved with piracy and other related criminal activities."

Rory O'Connor, VP of Services at Irdeto, commented, "The collaboration between S.à r.l., AAPA , the Irdeto Anti-Piracy and Forensics Unit and local authorities sends a strong message to criminals that media piracy will not go unpunished. The verdicts of these cases will act as a strong deterrent to others who undertake in such illegal activity and is an extremely pleasing outcome that follows recent successful prosecutions in Greece, Belgium and Netherlands. Irdeto will continue to work closely with our customers and local authorities to understand where piracy is occurring - and actively taking measures to counter and stop it."

Note to editors

1. The defendants were distributing to third parties the decoding keys of pay TV programmes from freeSAT via the internet. Users were then able to view programmes without subscription, using the illegitimately adapted set top boxes or private boxes suitable for piracy activities.

2. In the Czech Republic the matter was handled by Police Presidium of Czech Republic (Policejní prezídium ČR), the Department of economic crime and police in the city of Kromeriz (Oddělení hospodářské kriminality PČR Kroměříz). In Slovakia the case was handled by Police Presidium of Slovakia (Policejní prezídium SR) and the County department of police in Prievidza (Obvodné oddelenie PZ Prievidza).

AAPA contact:
Sheila Cassells:
+44 7500 243 136

Sheila.cassells@aapa.eu

Miranda Rock

+44 7957 391 498

Rocket Launch for AAPA

Miranda@rocketlaunch.co.uk

.........

UPC DTH S.à r.l contact:
Jim Helfgott

+352 26 84 70 21

press@upcdth.lu

Irdeto contact:

Laura Strong

Ruder Finn for Irdeto

Office: +44 (0)20 7438 3070

lstrong@ruderfinn.co.uk

Katie Judd

Senior Manager, Public Relations, Irdeto

Office: 415-967-7148

Mobile: 603-738-9599

Katie.Judd@irdeto.com

About AAPA

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (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 which 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.

Supplementing companies own activities, AAPA brings it members together to share information about piracy activities and to co-ordinate their actions, where appropriate. Effective action requires appropriate and effective legislation, implemented consistently across the EU in the first instance, supported by global co-ordination. Through the activities of its members and the work of the Intelligence Committee AAPA is able to identify where legislation can be improved. AAPA maintains a dialogue with the EU institutions to promote effective legislation.

AAPA members are committed to investing in, developing, implementing and maintaining robust protection systems to support existing and new means of distributing protected audiovisual content. AAPA works to inform stakeholders about the importance of effective content protection in the context of technological developments, such as hybrid TV and the cloud.

Current AAPA members:
BSkyB, Conax, Eutelsat, INSIDE Secure, Irdeto, Liberty Global, Melita, Nagra, NDS, Nova, Open Tech, Pace, Sky Deutschland, Sky Italia, Verimatrix, Viaccess, Ziggo, Zon

About UPC DTH S.à r.l.

UPC DTH S.à r.l. is a high quality provider of satellite television services based in Luxembourg, the European capital of satellite services. It provides services to Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and manages the satellite television services of the provider in Romania. Its Direct-To-Home (DTH) service, known as UPC Direct in the Hungarian market, freeSAT in the Czech and Slovak markets and Focus Sat in Romania has more than 675,000 customers (as per 30 September 2012). UPC DTH S.à r.l. offers its customers more channels, better content, award winning customer service and superior signal quality, including crystal-clear high-definition programming. UPC DTH S.à r.l. is part of Liberty Global, Inc.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global is the leading international cable company, with operations in 13 countries. We connect people to the digital world and enable them to discover and experience its endless possibilities. Our market-leading television, broadband internet, and telephony services are provided through next-generation networks and innovative technology platforms that connect 20 million customers who subscribe to 34 million services as of September 30, 2012.

Liberty Global's consumer brands include UPC, Unitymedia, Kabel BW, Telenet and VTR. Our operations also include Chellomedia, our content division, UPC Business, a commercial services division and Liberty Global Ventures, our investment fund. For more information, please visit www.lgi.com.

About Irdeto

Irdeto is a world leader in media protection, multi-screen and revenue assurance solutions for pay media companies. Through its innovative conditional access, dynamic monetization content security and anti-piracy technologies, the company allows new forms of distribution for broadcast, broadband and mobile entertainment. Regionally headquartered in Amsterdam, Beijing, and San Francisco, the company employs approximately 1,000 people in 24 locations around the world. Irdeto is a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers (JSE: NPN). Please visit Irdeto at www.irdeto.com

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

by 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.

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.”