Victory for Premier League as Singapore streaming retailer jailed

A Singapore-based electronics retailer has been jailed for three months and fines SGD $166,200 ($122,518) for selling illegal streaming devices.

The verdict was announced on Wednesday, October 30, by the Premier League which described it as a “landmark case”.

The Android TV boxes, sold by Synnex Trading, gave users access to illegal broadcasts of Premier League football matches, entertainment content such as films, TV shows, video-on-demand and other live sports.

Additionally, the devices were falsely advertised to the public as legal and containing legitimately sourced content.

The operators were found guilty of four criminal charges of copyright infringement.

The Premier League said the conviction follows the sentencing of another supplier, An-Nahl, in April over a similar charge.

“These are the first-ever successful prosecutions of illegal streaming devices sellers in Singapore,” the Premier League said.

Kevin Plumb, the director of legal services at the Premier League said the sentencing shows there are “serious consequences for sellers of illegal streaming devices”.

“We have fantastic passionate fans in Singapore and we are protecting those who watch Premier League content in the right way. Those who don’t, leave themselves open to a number of risks including becoming victims of fraud or identity theft,” Plumbsaid.

“We have a team based in our Singapore office committed to protecting our IP rights and fighting piracy and we will continue to investigate and pursue all suppliers of illegal streaming services in the region,” he added.