ITV

Tag: Coalition Against Piracy

  • Indonesian police bust major pirate operator streaming live sports illegally

    Indonesian police bust major pirate operator streaming live sports illegally

    Mumbai: The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) and its anti-piracy arm, the Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), join with Vidio in congratulating the West Java Regional Police for their action this week in arresting the individual behind a major piracy operation in  Indonesia.

    Following a complaint by Vidio, on 16 October, the operator of the pirate sites PaseoTV and OkStream was arrested by West Java Regional Police. The sites were illegally streaming pirate content owned or licensed by Vidio, including the Premier League, Ligue Un, and AFC. OkStream was one of the most popular pirate streaming sites in Indonesia, with millions of views every month. The owner and operator of the sites also operated a Telegram account that was used to share links to Paseo and OkStream sites. He now faces potential penalties of up to eight years in prison and a fine of up to two billion Rupiah ($126,000).

    “Vidio has always been committed to being at the forefront of fighting piracy. Vidio’s piracy mitigation commitment requires collaboration not only with law enforcement and industry associations, but also cooperation with the public. Effective anti-piracy measures are critical for maintaining the integrity and sustainability of the content industry,” said Vidio Sr VP, legal anti-piracy and government affairs Gina Golda Pangaila.

    “Indonesia has one of the best site blocking programs in Asia-Pacific, however site blocking is not sufficient  alone to protect content, and action by local enforcement teams remains a vital component in protecting  both the local content industry and consumers who are increasingly being targeted by pirates for the  spread of malware, viruses and identify theft1,” said CAP general manager Matt Cheetham. “CAP’s research shows that social media and messaging platforms are the most popular forms of consumers  accessing pirate content in Indonesia, and Telegram by some distance the most popular platform for this  activity in Indonesia2.”

  • AVIA & TVB applaud Hong Kong Customs for crackdown on illegal streaming devices

    AVIA & TVB applaud Hong Kong Customs for crackdown on illegal streaming devices

    Mumbai: The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) and its anti-piracy arm, the Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), congratulate the Hong Kong Customs for their successful enforcement operation against 10 retail shops in Sham Shui Po and Yuen Long that were selling Illicit Streaming Devices (ISDs) that allowed users to watch illegally streamed content.

    Acting on information received from Television Broadcasts Ltd (TVB), Hong Kong Customs, supported by TVB throughout the action, raided the shops, seizing more than 1,000 ISDs and related computers and video equipment, with a value in excess of $150,000. In addition to the seizures, three shop owners and three salespersons were arrested. Investigations are ongoing and there may well be further arrests.

    The actions were the first in Hong Kong to apply the “communication right” in enforcement actions against ISD sellers since the implementation of the Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2022. Potential penalties for this enforcement include imprisonment of up to four years and fines of USD6,400 for each infringed work.

    TVB’s Sr IP enforcement advisor Michael Kwan stated, “TVB works closely with Hong Kong Customs in these enforcement actions, which demonstrate the unwavering commitment of both the Hong Kong  Customs and TVB to protecting intellectual property rights and ensuring a fair and sustainable creative industry. We applaud the collaborative efforts in sending a strong message against the sale and  distribution of ISDs.”

    “CAP’s data shows that Hong Kong has the highest per capita rates of illegal streaming of pirate content in the countries CAP monitors in Asia-Pacific, and consumer usage of ISDs to access pirate content is second only to social media1. Recent studies also show the real risks to consumers from accessing content via pirate sources,” said CAP general manager Matt Cheetham. “It is therefore vital that Hong  Kong’s enforcement authorities send a strong message that the sale and distribution of ISDs is illegal in  Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Customs are to be congratulated for these actions that act to protect both  its creative economy and its consumers.”

  • AVIA appoints Matthew Cheetham as GM of Coalition Against Piracy

    AVIA appoints Matthew Cheetham as GM of Coalition Against Piracy

    Mumbai: The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has appointed Matthew Cheetham as general manager of the Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), with immediate effect.

    In his new role, Cheetham will take over from Aaron Herps and build on the accomplishments achieved by CAP to date, with the aim of creating a stronger and healthier environment in which the video industry can prosper, said the statement.

    Over the last four years, CAP has made real inroads into the systemic problems of video piracy faced by the broadcast and streaming video industry in the Asia Pacific (APAC). “CAP is critically important to AVIA and the industry as a whole and I am delighted that in Matt we have such a seasoned and experienced executive taking over,” said AVIA CEO Louis Boswell. “Matt will bring his own ideas and energy to the role and I am confident CAP and the industry’s anti-piracy efforts will grow in strength under him.”

    Cheetham is a qualified lawyer specialising in intellectual property, more specifically copyright protection, with over 20 years of experience working in APAC for some of the largest content producers in the world. Prior to taking up his role at CAP, he was the Premier League’s head of business affairs, APAC. In this role, Cheetham opened and headed up the Premier League’s APAC office in Singapore, the Premier League’s first office outside the UK, and oversaw all enforcement, policy and outreach efforts for the Premier League in APAC.

    Prior to working for the Premier League, Cheetham spent ten years as the Motion Picture Association’s (MPA) regional legal counsel and assistant policy officer for APAC following which he was the managing director of the MPA’s New Zealand office, the New Zealand Screen Association (NZSA) that oversaw all enforcement, policy and outreach efforts for MPA member companies in New Zealand.