ITV

Tag: Illegal

  • Sony partners with Markscan to tackle illegal streaming during FIFA World Cup

    Sony partners with Markscan to tackle illegal streaming during FIFA World Cup

    MUMBAI: The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off today with the host nation Russia taking on Saudi Arabia. While the world’s top teams will battle it out on the pitch, Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) is tackling a different set of opponents off it. Broadcasters have been dealing with the menace of illegal streamers for quite some time now. However, the problems linked with privacy rise exponentially when major events like the World Cup are telecast.

    While many anti-piracy bodies will be trying report and take off illegal live streams during the event, SPN has decided to put its anti-piracy efforts at work even before the first ball has been kicked.

    SPN has been working with Markscan, an Indian anti-piracy body, to make sure illegal streamers don’t run riot during the World Cup. 

    Sony holds the  TV, radio, mobile, and broadband broadcasting rights for the FIFA World Cup in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. 

    Markscan has sent out pre-emptive warnings to piracy websites that will be streaming World Cup matches illegally.

    “Protecting our copyrights is of utmost importance to us, and we have invested substantial resources towards this effort. We have an on-going contractual relationship with several companies (including Markscan) in the anti-piracy space. We work closely with these companies depending on the specialization required,” SPN, general counsel, Ashok Nambissan told Indiantelevision.

    According to a the statement in the Neowin portal, MarkScan on behalf of SPN has warned potential defaulters with a strict note saying, “Our client [Sony] will be streaming the matches and content related to FIFA World Cup 2018 in the Indian sub-continent countries on its web and portal Sony Liv, which is the official internet and mobile broadcaster of FIFA 2018.”

    “By way of the present caution notice issued to you, we caution you and your website, not to indulge in any broadcasting, rebroadcasting, making available for viewing and / or communicating to the public, the FIFA 2018 matches and any content associated thereof, without obtaining permission / authorization from our client”, Markscan added.

    One of the recipients of the warning said, under the condition of anonymity, that the warning will not deter their plans and that they intend to stream the entire tournament.

    Also Read:

    Sony bets big on 2018 FIFA World Cup

    SPN’s digital play for the FIFA World Cup

    SPN launches first campaign for FIFA WC 2018 Russia

  • Hathway files FIRs against illegal disruption in Pune

    Hathway files FIRs against illegal disruption in Pune

    MUMBAI: One the leading MSOs in India,  Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited, undertook stringent action against recent disruption of its services in Pune by lodging three FIRs in multiple police stations across the city.

    In a series of incidents recently, fibre optic cables of Hathway provided by Tata tele-services were cut at multiple locations in the city by unknown parties leading to disruption of Hathway services and causing inconvenience to several Hathway customers.

    Due to the fibre cuts, Hathway signals were disrupted and lost for around 4 to 6 hours during the crucial ICC World Twenty20 matches including the semi-final encounter between India and  West Indies, which led to huge consumer angst and created a lot of dissatisfaction to several Hathway customers. The fibre cuts caused by certain unknown parties seemed to be a deliberate and an intentional attempt to disrupt Hathway services in Pune and tarnish the brand image of the company, especially, during a high decibel event like the ICC World Twenty20. Hathway suspects that  the agenda was to destabilise Hathway in the city and cause revenue loss.

    Senior Hathway officials in Pune immediately took measures to counter this act of fibre cutting by illegal means by lodging FIRs across three major police stations in the city, demanding a probe.

    Once the police investigation is out, Hathway seeks to take legal measures against the culprits.

     

     

  • Hathway files FIRs against illegal disruption in Pune

    Hathway files FIRs against illegal disruption in Pune

    MUMBAI: One the leading MSOs in India,  Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited, undertook stringent action against recent disruption of its services in Pune by lodging three FIRs in multiple police stations across the city.

    In a series of incidents recently, fibre optic cables of Hathway provided by Tata tele-services were cut at multiple locations in the city by unknown parties leading to disruption of Hathway services and causing inconvenience to several Hathway customers.

    Due to the fibre cuts, Hathway signals were disrupted and lost for around 4 to 6 hours during the crucial ICC World Twenty20 matches including the semi-final encounter between India and  West Indies, which led to huge consumer angst and created a lot of dissatisfaction to several Hathway customers. The fibre cuts caused by certain unknown parties seemed to be a deliberate and an intentional attempt to disrupt Hathway services in Pune and tarnish the brand image of the company, especially, during a high decibel event like the ICC World Twenty20. Hathway suspects that  the agenda was to destabilise Hathway in the city and cause revenue loss.

    Senior Hathway officials in Pune immediately took measures to counter this act of fibre cutting by illegal means by lodging FIRs across three major police stations in the city, demanding a probe.

    Once the police investigation is out, Hathway seeks to take legal measures against the culprits.

     

     

  • IndiaCast UTV vs DishTV: Who really won?

    IndiaCast UTV vs DishTV: Who really won?

    MUMBAI:  It’s a battle that has both warring parties claiming victory. We are referring to the IndiaCast UTV Disney vs Dish TV scrap wherein each has been taking potshots at each other on an ‘on-request channel’ scheme that the platform has been running which involves the aggregators’ channels.

    Both petitioned the Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) for a resolution and judgment.

    The matter was heard by the TDSAT today. IndiaCast’s pleas were:

    *Declare that the ‘on request’ categorisations of IndiaCast UTV channels in its current form be declared null and void.

    * Declare that the payment of monthly licence fees by DishTV be done in terms of TRAI regulations.

    * Declare that the scrolls/crawls being run by DishTV on IndiaCast UTV is (sic.) absolutely illegal.

    *Permanently restrain Dish TV from running any scroll in any manner whatsoever.

    *Pass an ad interim ex-parte order directing Dish TV to pay licence fees to IndiaCast UTV on the basis of the number of subscribers of packages in which the aggregators channels are placed.

    * Pass an ad interim order restraining Dish TV from, in any manner whatsoever switching off or blacking out the aggregator’s channels to subscribers, subscribing to the package in which the IndiaCast UTV channels exist.

    DishTV’s plea was:

    * IndiaCast UTV be restrained from issuing false, frivolous, and baseless alert notices to the subscribers of DishTV.

    *Declare the alert notice issued by IndiaCast UTV as illegal, malafide and defamatory.

    * Direct IndiaCast UTV to issue an unconditional and unqualified apology for publishing the wrong false and misleading alert notices to subscribers of DishTV.

    * Direct IndiaCast UTV to issue a corrigendum in all the newspapers and channels with the same prominence where the alert notices have been published.

    At the time of writing both claimed that the tribunal had ruled in their favour.

    While IndiaCast UTV stated that the TDSAT has struck down the ‘on-request channel’ scheme, Dish TV said it has not, adding that it is going to continue with it – albeit with a rejoinder that it will be called an ‘a la carte on request channel scheme.’

    IndiaCast UTV, on its part, has agreed to DishTV’s pleas to stop running the alert notices in newspapers and on air.

    Sources in IndiaCast UTV say their fears about the scheme were that DishTV could have mis-utilised it by making its channels available in both the DTH operator’s base and other subscriber packs and also in its a la carte offerings.

    If subscribers did not send an SMS confirming that they wanted the IndiaCast UTV channels, these would be dropped from their pack offerings, even as subscribers would continue paying as per earlier pack prices. Since subscribers would have unsubscribed, Dish TV would not be liable to make payments to IndiaCast UTV despite collecting the entire price for the pack (inclusive of the IndiaCast UTV channels).  This, IndiaCast UTV executives feared, would lead to a loss of revenues for them.

    They point out to an earlier interview in which DishTV CEO R.C. Venkateish was quoted as saying that the ‘on request channel’ scheme “is not a la carte offering but a scheme that will run on existing packs. We intend to progressively classify a number of channels as ‘on request channels’.”

    DishTV’s lawyers, however, clarified with the TDSAT today that the IndiaCast UTV channels would not be offered in all the various subscription packs that the operator offers but rather as a la carte offerings from 1 January 2014. And this is exactly what the aggregator was seeking, say IndiaCast UTV sources.

    Earlier agreements between DishTV and IndiaCast UTV for 22 channels in its bouquet are slated to expire on 31 December 2013, while those for another 11 are slated to expire on 31 March 2014.

    DishTV sent out an official statement, which said:

     “The TDSAT has disposed off the petition of IndiaCast UTV and has upheld the ‘on request DishTV’ scheme where the channels of IndiaCast UTV will be provided by DishTV to its subscribers on a la carte basis.  On the petition of DishTV, the TDSAT has also directed IndiaCast UTV to stop publishing advertisements against the ‘on request channel’ scheme of DishTV. We have also been allowed to run the scrolls publishing the ‘on request channels’ scheme by mentioning that the channels will be available on a la carte basis.”

    We at indiantelevision.com don’t know if we have seen the last of the exchange of fisticuffs between the two. Let’s wait and watch how things pan out in the coming days.

  • Google Pakistan domain challenged as illegal

    Google Pakistan domain challenged as illegal

    NEW DELHI: Even as a complaint has been filed against Google for running the domain name .pk without registering the trademark and without having an office in Pakistan, it is learnt that several multi-national companies refuse to open offices in the country as the government refuses to give any guarantee for safety of employees.

    The Intellectual Property Rights Organisation in Pakistan has sent notices to central ministries and security agencies following the complaint against Google, according to an American-based Pakistani website.

    ce has been sent to the Information and Technology Ministry, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority, the Security and Exchange Commission and Google.
    The complaint was filed by Information Technology industry’s Dr Kamal Muzaffar who said Google was generating illegal revenue from Pakistan without getting registered in the country.

    He alleged that Google had not been paying taxes in Pakistan, thus generating illegal money.

    Interestingly, multi-national technology companies such as Microsoft, Samsung, and Google do not have any regional office in the country and all of them only have representative offices which do not have the power for taking decisions.

    All these companies want the Pakistan government to provide for security for their employees as a pre-requisite before setting up offices in the country.