Two men convicted of selling illegal TV streaming services

The court sentenced Benjamin Yates and Lewis Finch to 20 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months and 250 hours of unpaid work.  

Both men, who were trading under the name ‘Titan Streams’, pleaded guilty to illegally supplying Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) which allows access to services such as Sky and BT Sport (now TNT Sports)  

Yates and Finch, both from Worcester, were convicted of offences under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.  

The prosecution followed an investigation by Worcestershire County Council’s Trading Standards team with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and BT.

Test purchases by FACT and BT led to the case being referred to Trading Standards and entry warrants being executed at both their addresses.

An examination of IT equipment seized during the investigation confirmed that both men had been heavily involved in the provision of IPTV services with approximately 3,971 subscribers.  

Further investigations of their PayPal accounts showed that payments of over £320,000 had been received over three years.

Simon Wilkes, Head of Worcestershire Regulatory Services said: “Trading Standards are committed to protecting the rights of legitimate businesses. This joint investigation has led to a successful outcome, which sends a clear message that we will seek out and prosecute those who are involved in this type of crime.  

“This is not a victimless crime; it damages the interests of those who own the intellectual property rights to the subscription TV services and can affect legitimate customers through higher subscription prices.”

Kieron Sharp, CEO FACT added: “This court result underscores the value of our collaboration with Worcestershire County Council’s Trading Standards team and our broadcast partners. The individuals behind this illicit streaming service made a considerable amount of money through their fraudulent activities and this outcome serves as a stern warning to those who sell subscriptions or devices that provide access to content without properly compensating the rightful owners.  

We will continue to use all available powers to work with law enforcement and our broadcast partner, TNT Sports, to combat illegal streaming services and the broader criminal activities they support.”

If anyone has any information about the sale of illegal streams or counterfeit goods, they can report it to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.