Faced with illegal IPTVs, the beneficiaries and the authorities concentrate their attacks on the pirate networks by dismantling them and blocking the sites concerned. For some of the actors arrested in these operations, the adventure sometimes ends in prison. But these measures are insufficient to overcome this phenomenon. Consequently, several European countries have already started to inflict fines on customers of these pirate services.
Up to 5000 euros fine
We have just learned that a new bill is being studied in Greece plans to inflict a “Administrative fine to those who illegally obtain access to audiovisual media” through paid subscriptions. These contraventions would be applied to users and suppliers of illegal software and streaming equipment.
The Greek Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, is favorable, and, according to her, this measure is a good complement to the blocking efforts of pirate sites. Quoted by Torrentfreakshe underlines thus:
The fine is staggered according to the severity of the offense and goes from 750 euros in the case of home users, to 1,500 euros in the event of public display and use and up to 5,000 euros in the case where the offense is committed for financial or commercial gain.
In other words, private customers, bars who use these devices, or any other person who is trying to take advantage of it is a very severe sanction. Especially since the fines will be doubled in the event of a recurrence.
It remains to be seen if this device will be really effective. As our colleagues explain, it is not easy to discover the identity of fraudsters and this presupposes in particular the assistance of the IPTV Pirate supplier himself or a payment service. The Greek authorities have not revealed their plan to confuse cheaters.
5000 euros fine for IPTV customers in Italy
As a reminder, Greece is not the only European country to have adopted this type of measure. Italy also directly targets IPTV customers. Last year, Massimiliano Capitanio, the director of AGCOM, the Italian regulatory authority of transalpine telecommunications, warned:
Perhaps it is not yet clear that fines of 150 to 5,000 euros will soon arrive, and that, like all fines, is a step that we would like to avoid, but which has become necessary, especially because Those who do illegal business make it believe that unworthy users that they risk nothing.
Transalpine public authorities then accelerated the step and plan to send fines directly to identified customers. Note, however, that if the hearing of pirate platforms has decreased in our neighbors, this did not benefit the legal offers.
By: opera
