Dubai Sentences Illegal IPTV Technology Vendor to Jail

An illegal dealer of IPTV technology was sentenced to three-months in jail by the Dubai court.

In addition to this, a fine of Dn 50,000 ($13,613) followed by deportation after the jail term was ordered. The defendant has the right to appeal within 15 days.

The dealer was found to be selling set-top boxes that enable viewers to watch movies and TV shows through an IPTV network illegally.

Distribution of pirated IPTV video content is against the law. In Dubai, the Criminal Investigation Department of the Dubai Police seeks to shutdown unauthorized and unlicensed distribution of content through any illegal IPTV technology.

Not only that it’s against the law to distribute illegal IPTV content, it is also not a good business. As a matter of fact, several Pay TV networks launched campaigns against illegal IPTV content distribution.

In March, several Pay TV networks in UAE launched a campaign Do the Right Thing to warn its public against TV piracy through illegal downloading of content.

David Butorac, CEO of OSN, said “The conviction is a strong message to all illegal TV service providers that the government and authorities take copyright infringement seriously. Distributing IPTV service in the UAE is illegal and customers must also be vigilant against accessing such service. We will take strong action and work with the concerned authorities to curb all forms of piracy that impact the industry.”

According to Omar Obeidat, Partner and Head of Intellectual Property at leading law firm Al Tamimi & Co., the piracy laws are clear and should be adhered to.

He added, “The UAE is stringent in its IPR laws and the nation is committed to protecting the legal rights of businesses. TV piracy is increasingly becoming a menace that impacts the industry adversely.  It is important that every stakeholder realizes that TV piracy of any form will not be tolerated and stern action will be meted out to its perpetrators.”

Distribution of illegal content through various IPTV technologies can get you jailed. If get caught, you can lose all of your customers, revenue, and business.

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