Most countries have an underlying piracy problem and there’s no shortage of rightsholders prepared to remind governments that work still needs to be done.
The prospect of one day being removed from the USTR’s piracy and counterfeiting Watch List may provide additional incentive for those hoping to improve trade relations with the United States.
Thailand was placed on the Priority Watch List in 2007 and it was another decade before the situation improved enough to move Thailand to the regular Watch List. An operation reported this week seems likely to further nudge Thailand in the right direction.
Operation Dev Shutdown
In statements issued a few days apart, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment and Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) announced a multi-location enforcement operation targeting INWIPTV, an IPTV service that according to ACE has been running for the past 13 years.
Thailand-based True Visions holds the local rights to broadcast Premier League matches, and since both are members of ACE, the group’s involvement is not unexpected.
“Operating since 2012, INWIPTV (formerly FWIPTV) charged users a subscription fee of 300 Thai baht (approximately US$10) per month for access to a broad range of content, including from the U.S., international, and Thai markets as well as live sports and adult content,” ACE notes.
“The DSI obtained search warrants and conducted coordinated search operations across six locations in Nonthaburi and Bangkok on September 21. Twelve employees were brought in for questioning as part of the search operations.”
Images from the raids published by Thai authorities feature racks and other pieces of equipment that suggest an organized business.
True Visions / MPA Complaint Triggered Investigation
The DSI reports that four of the six locations mentioned by ACE were searched pursuant to a search warrant from the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court, in connection with Premier League content illegally obtained from True Visions’ broadcasts.
A joint True Visions/MPA complaint and subsequent investigation confirmed that INWIPTV was illegally intercepting, decoding, and rebroadcasting Premier League matches and Warner Bros. movies. An estimated 100,000 INWIPTV members were charged fees starting at around 300 Thai baht (~US$10.00) per month, Thai authorities say.
In addition to computers, True Visions decoder boxes, satellite dishes, laptop computers, hard drives, and numerous mobile phones, ACE reports the seizure of “large-scale unauthorized signal transmission equipment, 46 servers, electronic storage devices, financial documents and records, and multiple IPTV devices.”
Pirate IPTV and Much More Besides
Thai authorities report that access to the INWIPTV website generated over 200 million baht (~US$6.17 million) in annual revenue. However, a much larger figure in excess of 1 billion baht (~US$30.9 million) is attributed to INWIPTV’s direct link to a major online gambling network.
“They established a multi-tiered membership system, offering daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly subscriptions for television programs, movies, pornography, and, crucially, online gambling banners, including baccarat, sic bo, roulette, and sports betting,” the DSI reports.
“This systematic approach lured viewers into gambling. Authorities seized additional evidence from the online gambling website’s admin team, including host computers, mobile phones, and mule accounts, which were used to circulate large sums of money to conceal their origins.”
The investigation also revealed ties to the businesses ‘Thep IPTV’ and ‘FW Esports,’ which operated from the same main location.
A Successful Operation, Welcomed By All
ACE and True Visions seem satisfied with the outcome.
“We commend the DSI for their decisive action in Operation DEV Shutdown against a key IPTV target in Thailand,” said Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer for the MPA. “The case is testament to the power of our strategic partnerships with local law enforcement and our local ACE member True Visions.”
Sompan Charumilinda, Executive Vice Chairman of True Visions, thanked the DSI and ACE for their work.
“By shutting down piracy services, we not only protect Thai youth and communities from harm but also support the country’s creative economy. These results are possible thanks to the strong cooperation we have received from both Thai authorities and global organizations like ACE,” he said.
Trade Implications for Thailand
For Thailand, an operation of this type is likely to improve its standing with the United States, and it appears that good news may soon appear on the horizon. Thailand was placed on the Priority Watch List (PWL) in 2007 where it remained until 2017. Since then Thailand has stayed on the regular Watch List (WL) but now feels progress is being made.
“Thailand expects to be removed from the WL this year, the [USTR] report states that last year Thailand made progress in developing its intellectual property protection and enforcement system, including stricter law enforcement, which has clearly resulted in satisfaction for rights owners,” a DSI statement reads.
While that’s good news for Thailand, small but important differences in the statements issued by ACE and DSI hark back to February 2021 when FWIPTV (as INWIPTV was then known) was ‘shut down’ following raids in five locations.
This time around, ACE went with “shut down” in line with the name of the operation. According to the DSI, Operation ‘DEV Shutdown’ was “launched to disrupt the INWIPTV copyright-infringing website network.”
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Powered by WPeMatico
