Irdeto Helps Shut Down Alleged ISP Piracy Ring in Spain

9 Feb, 2017 By: Stephanie Prange

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The Spanish National Police have successfully raided a store in a Calahonda shopping center in Málaga, Spain, owned by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) suspected of hosting a large-scale illegal IPTV streaming business, according to digital platform security firm Irdeto.

Premier League and Irdeto assisted in the investigation, which revealed that the ISP, known as Y Internet, was allegedly being run by two U.K. citizens and providing unauthorized online subscription services featuring more than 100 international pay-TV channels, including Premier League matches.

Y-Internet allegedly sold illegal IPTV service packages with annual contracts to the large foreign population in the Malaga region, including reception devices that were adapted to receive decrypted pay-TV signals without authorization.

The Premier League initiated the investigation with the help of Irdeto as part of a global crackdown on illegal online redistribution of its live broadcasts. An Irdeto investigator told the police that he went to the store in the shopping center and bought a reception device and a premium subscription.

“The raids conducted by the Spanish authorities, supported in this case by Irdeto’s expertise, are a positive example of law enforcement taking seriously piracy and IP infringement,” said Premier League director of legal services Kevin Plumb. “This approach is essential for organizations like the Premier League — and other creative industries — as our model is predicated on the ability to market and sell rights and protect intellectual property. It is because of this that clubs can invest in star players and managers, and world-class stadiums — the very things fans enjoy about our competition."

The premises included a surveillance system that allowed the owners to supervise the employees from the U.K., where they are currently living, according to Irdeto.

“We are grateful to the Spanish police for their support and decisive action against IPTV piracy,” said Mark Mulready, senior director of cyber services and investigations at Irdeto. “We will continue to work closely with our customers, partners and law enforcement agencies to detect, analyze, investigate and counter all types of piracy affecting on-demand and live real-time content. This is a growing problem affecting content owners, broadcasters and operators across the world. Efforts like this are more critical than ever and set an example that piracy will not be tolerated.”

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