English Premier League scores against pirates

England’s top level football league, the Premier League, has been successful in preventing an illegal streaming supplier from selling subscriptions, resulting in its liquidation.

Ace IPTV, run by Craig Driscoll and Ian Isaac, agreed to pay the Premier League £600,000 ($810,000) for breaching the league’s copyright.

According to the Premier League, the company was selling subscriptions to illegal Premier League streams directly to consumers. This allowed the customers to view the footage on a range of devices, including Kodi-type boxes.

Under terms of the settlement, Ace IPTV has terminated all subscriptions. As a result, subscribers that have pre-paid significant sums of money have paid for services that they will not be receiving. All of Ace IPTV’s customers have been written to by the company’s liquidators.

“This large settlement is further evidence that the law will catch up with companies and individuals that think they can defraud owners and breach copyright,” commented Kevin Plumb, director of legal services for the Premier League.

“As a result of this payment, the company is being liquidated and customers are being left out of pocket.”

The Premier League said that Driscoll and Isaac had tried to hide their identities and evade detection at various times.

Ace IPTV voluntarily disclosed the personal information of its customers, which the Premier League will use to review in compliance with data protection legislation. Further investigations will be carried out and the appropriate action will be taken.

“Using these services is unlawful and fans should be aware that when they do so they enter into agreements with illegal businesses and risk being victims of identity theft by handing over personal data and financial details,” commented Plumb.

The Premier League’s fight against anti-piracy has resulted in 215,000 streams being removed, while 450,000 clips have been prevented from being viewed this season.

Last year, the English High Court forced several UK internet service providers to block streams broadcasting illegal Premier League content.