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Saturday, Feb 22, 2025
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Man arrested for selling program that plays paid TV channels for free
A male owner of a Sham Shui Po shop was on Wednesday arrested by customs for selling a program online that allows users to bypass the paywall and watch paid TV channels for free ahead of next month's FIFA World Cup.
Customs recently receive a complaint from Now TV, the copyright owner of those paid TV channels, that a seller has been promoting on online platforms a program that can stream its TV channels for free.
After investigations, customs found that the seller is a 35-year-old man running a shop in Sham Shui Po that sells tablet computers and video equipment installed with the program. Customs then raided the shop Wednesday and seized four sets of smart TV, 41 tablets, and 62 sets of video equipment worth around HK$120,000.
Officers also arrested the 30-year-old man for providing circumvention services in the course of business.
Customs stressed that the copyright owner had applied an effective technological measure to protect its own copyright work. Those who wish to watch the paid TV channels legitimately must subscribe to the service and watch the channels either by using the official decoder or logging in to the online service account.
The arrestee's program, with an annual fee ranging between HK$240 and HK$280, can live-stream the paid TV channels online as well. The arrestee also attracted customers by claiming the program works worldwide. He accepted online electronic payments and even offered a three-day free trial, customs added.
Anticipating that the 2022 FIFA World Cup matches will provide opportunities for criminals to develop infringement business, customs said they will continue to maintain close co-operation with copyright owners, and step up patrols in the market and on the internet.
A spokesperson for Now TV welcomed customs' law enforcement action to protect intellectual property rights. If any infringement is detected in the future, the TV station will report to customs and may file a civil lawsuit against the offenders.
Customs warned the public to respect intellectual property rights and not to buy any circumvention devices.
Under the Copyright Ordinance, any person who sells or lets for hire a device for the purpose of a circumvention business commits an offense. The maximum penalty upon conviction carries a HK$500,000 fine and four years' imprisonment.
After investigations, customs found that the seller is a 35-year-old man running a shop in Sham Shui Po that sells tablet computers and video equipment installed with the program. Customs then raided the shop Wednesday and seized four sets of smart TV, 41 tablets, and 62 sets of video equipment worth around HK$120,000.
Officers also arrested the 30-year-old man for providing circumvention services in the course of business.
Customs stressed that the copyright owner had applied an effective technological measure to protect its own copyright work. Those who wish to watch the paid TV channels legitimately must subscribe to the service and watch the channels either by using the official decoder or logging in to the online service account.
The arrestee's program, with an annual fee ranging between HK$240 and HK$280, can live-stream the paid TV channels online as well. The arrestee also attracted customers by claiming the program works worldwide. He accepted online electronic payments and even offered a three-day free trial, customs added.
Anticipating that the 2022 FIFA World Cup matches will provide opportunities for criminals to develop infringement business, customs said they will continue to maintain close co-operation with copyright owners, and step up patrols in the market and on the internet.
A spokesperson for Now TV welcomed customs' law enforcement action to protect intellectual property rights. If any infringement is detected in the future, the TV station will report to customs and may file a civil lawsuit against the offenders.
Customs warned the public to respect intellectual property rights and not to buy any circumvention devices.
Under the Copyright Ordinance, any person who sells or lets for hire a device for the purpose of a circumvention business commits an offense. The maximum penalty upon conviction carries a HK$500,000 fine and four years' imprisonment.
