Sky Sports illegal streamer fined

Broadcaster Sky has obtained a judgment in the English High Court against a customer who had been streaming Sky Sports content illegally online.

On Wednesday, October 25, the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) announced that Yusuf Mohammed, based in Bristol, UK, had been ordered to pay legal costs of more than £16,000. 

Mohammed was also ordered to disclose details about the money he made and people he colluded with.

Kieron Sharp, CEO of FACT, said: “This is the latest action taken in the ongoing crackdown on illegal digital piracy. It should now be crystal clear to anyone thinking of pirating or watching a pirated stream that this is not a grey area and that it is illegal.”

The week before, an individual provided a written apology to Sky and agreed to pay legal costs for sharing the Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko boxing fight on Facebook.

The stream was viewed by around 600,000 people.

Sharp added: “This should serve as a warning to others—whether it’s a copyright-infringing website, a ‘fully loaded’ streaming device or an illegal stream on social media, it is still piracy and breaking the law.”

In September, a report on digital piracy, released by FACT, in conjunction with the UK Intellectual Property Office and the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, found that more than one million illegal set-top boxes with add-ons have been sold in the UK over the past two years.

On Monday, October 23, FACT also reported that two men were sentenced for selling streaming devices pre-configured to allow illegal access to premium content.