\u201cThe police investigation shows that there is a lot of evidence against the man, both of a financial and digital nature. There have been raids on the man\u2019s home and the police have also carried out remote searches, including the Telegram chat application. The fact that the police are now allowed to carry out remote searches is a good and long-awaited tool, which was made possible by a relatively recent change in the law,\u201d the anti-piracy group explains.<\/p>\n
A Tiny Drop in a Huge Ocean<\/h2>\n
Rights Alliance says that the suspect has confessed, but whether that means a custodial sentence and\/or an award for damages will depend on the circumstances. From the description, it seems likely that the suspect was reselling subscriptions, not running a video platform of his own. Rights Alliance says the service was marketed via email and from the \u2018marketing\u2019 we\u2019ve seen independently, also by posting on sites like Reddit.<\/p>\n
\u201c[I]t can be suspected that the man ran more illegal services,\u201d Rights Alliance adds.<\/p>\n
While to us this seems to confirm that the man was indeed reselling subscriptions, the terminology is a little ambiguous. In general, determining the importance of those prosecuted to the overall ecosystem isn\u2019t always straightforward, which can make overall progress difficult to gauge.<\/p>\n
As far as alleged subscription sales to the public are concerned, some of those convicted in Sweden had thousands of customers, a significant amount in financial terms. However, since only those at the top of the supply chain are critical to the survival of a pirate service, the removal of a reseller won\u2019t affect overall content availability.<\/p>\n
Letters to Government<\/h2>\n
Actions that have a real effect on IPTV supply are rare and this isn\u2019t just a problem for Sweden. Those who subscribe to these services may view this as a positive but for major rightsholders, doing nothing is rarely an option. That may explain why rightsholders in Sweden appear to be considering controversial measures targeting the other end of the supply chain.<\/p>\n
Rights Alliance highlights a letter\u00a0(1<\/a>)<\/em>\u00a0sent to Minister for Justice\u00a0Gunnar Str\u00f6mmer<\/a>\u00a0by Social Democratic politician Lars Mejern Larsson, asking what the government intends to do to about rising consumption of pirated content.<\/p>\n Records held at the Riksdag (parliament) reveal that Larsson sent the same letter to Minister of Culture Parisa Liljestrand\u00a0(2<\/a>)<\/em>\u00a0and Minister of Finance Elisabeth Svantesson\u00a0(3<\/a>)<\/em>. Larsson speaks about the negative effects on the film industry and points out that criminals are also stealing from the government.<\/p>\n \u201cPiracy of film and television content damages the rights holder financially and thus affects the possibility of \u2013 and the desire for \u2013 new production. It is a major threat to a viable Swedish film industry,\u201d the letter notes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Swedish Tax Agency has also said that Sweden stands out with the highest percentage of the population that buys illegal television, and this is estimated at around 600,000 people. The market has a turnover of SEK 550,000,000 [~US$53.1m].\u201d<\/p>\n The main message in Larsson\u2019s letter ends with the suggestion that while criminals make off without paying taxes, ultimately the finger of blame can be pointed at those who give them money.<\/p>\n \u201cSomewhat harshly, anyone who downloads films illegally contributes to organized economic crime,\u201d Larsson notes.<\/p>\n In his response, Minister of Justice Gunnar Str\u00f6mmer says that the government is aware of the effects on rightsholders and society in general. He notes that a change to the law in 2020 enabling stiffer sentences and greater damages awards has already produced results and more prosecutions are in the pipeline.<\/p>\n Str\u00f6mmer says that an\u00a0investigation by the tax authorities<\/a>\u00a0will lead to criminal charges in the majority of cases. When combined with the government\u2019s \u201cextensive measures\u201d to target combat organized crime generally, the above should have an effect on the illegal provision and consumption of pirated content.<\/p>\n These measures should be given time to exert the necessary pressure before taking direct action against those who consume content from illicit sources. For Rights Alliance, more needs to be done, sooner rather than later. But it\u2019s not difficult to see where this could end up if all else fails.<\/p>\n Source: \u00a0Targeting Pirate IPTV Subscribers<\/h2>\n
![\"TorrentFreak\"](\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/torrentfreak.png\")
<\/a> TorrentFreak.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"