Terry O’Reilly was last week sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court for supplying IPTV and android-type boxes which included apps and other add-ons that scanned the internet searching for illegal streams.
A second supplier who worked with O’Reilly, Will O’Leary, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and received a two-year suspended prison sentence.
The Premier League brought a prosecution against O’Reilly and O’Leary because they both sold devices, via their company Sat4Pubs, to pubs and consumers which facilitated mass piracy, including the broadcasting of Premier League football on unauthorised foreign channels.
One-of-a-kind case
The Premier League's director of legal services, Kevin Plumb, said: "This case is particularly important as it is the first involving sellers of so-called IPTV devices which enable people to watch illegal content. The courts have provided a clear message: this is against the law and selling systems which allow people to watch unauthorised Premier League broadcasts is a form of mass piracy and is sufficiently serious to warrant a custodial sentence. There can now be no doubt for consumers that these systems are illegal."
In bringing the prosecution the Premier League was supported by FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft). FACT's director general Kieron Sharp added: "Today’s result should send a hard-hitting message to anyone involved in selling illegally modified set-top boxes. The sale and distribution of these boxes, which are loaded with infringing apps and add-ons allowing access to copyrighted content, is a criminal offence and the repercussions could result in years behind bars."