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The latest wave of the UK government\u2019s Copyright Infringement Tracker study was expected a year ago. There\u2019s still no indication when it will arrive, or even if it will arrive at all, a shame considering interest generated by previous reports.<\/p>\n
That said, the first three weeks of 2025 has seen the publication of other IP-focused reports, including the Intellectual Property Office\u2019s (IPO) 2022\/23 Report and Accounts<\/a> and its Innovation and Growth Report 2023\/24<\/a>. <\/p>\n Neither provide fuel for our reporting niche quite like the Infringement Tracker, but one interesting nugget concerning the funding of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) warranted a closer look.<\/p>\n The IPO\u2019s publicatiob notes that BEIS, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, \u201d can utilize IPO surpluses through taking additional dividends and currently does so to fund other IP related initiatives.\u201d <\/p>\n The report states that the arrangement covers PIPCU\u2019s funding requirements, as shown in the extract below.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n While BEIS no longer exists, having been replaced by three new departments in 2023<\/a>, PIPCU\u2019s funding arrangement seems unchanged. City of London Police currently lists<\/a> the IPO as PIPCU\u2019s funding provider, with an annual figure of \u00a32,053,000. <\/p>\n Whether that figure covers all operational costs is unclear. PIPCU launched in 2013 with annual funding of \u00a32.56 million, with an increase to \u00a33.39 million reported in 2019. Since City of London Police can generate income through commercial partnerships, charging for services, and recovery through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), additional funding may be available from elsewhere (pdf<\/a>)<\/em>.<\/p>\n With fraud online now at record highs, City of London Police as a whole is clearly busy. On the IP crime front lines specifically, PIPCU may be busier that its intermittent press releases seem to suggest.<\/p>\n Details of some PIPCU activities appear in several official reports; the National Lead Force Performance Report, and the Economic & Cyber Crime Committee\u2019s Communications & Strategic Engagement report, for example.<\/p>\n From the volumes reported, tackling online scams and insurance fraud consumes significant resources at City of London Police. At least in public reporting, tackling online piracy seems to receive less attention. However, when police engage the public on issues that include piracy, a dedicated social media team monitors for engagement and the results are reported accordingly.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n One example featured an appearance in the media, which aimed to highlight the dangers of illegal streaming in support of a \u201cpartner agency.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDCI Gary Robinson was quoted in ITV News, Independent, Express, The Sun, Mirror, Daily Star, Daily Mail, Metro, LADbible and several others after [City of London Police] contributed to a partner agency\u2019s press announcement on the risks associated with using illegal streaming services,\u201d a Communications & Strategic Engagement update notes.<\/p>\n The \u2018partner agency\u2019 goes unnamed but \u2018Federation Against Copyright Theft\u2019 seems a perfect fit for the scenario. It may also go some way towards explaining the sudden and massive interest in piracy over the past couple of years, much of it on display in the publications mentioned above.<\/p>\n A subsequent Commissioner\u2019s Update Report reveals significant action against a pirate IPTV provider. While there are similarities with reported events, we can\u2019t be 100% sure which case this refers to, and the same goes for the other cases mentioned below. There\u2019s no doubting their importance, however.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team took down a very large Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) provider alongside partners at Sky TV. This was one of the UK\u2019s biggest illegal streaming operations,\u201d the statement reads. <\/p>\n \u201cLosses to the TV broadcaster will be counted in the millions of pounds. Over two operations there have been three arrests and large data capacity servers seized.\u201d<\/p>\n A similar update three months later notes that \u201cPIPCU attended a EUROPOL conference in Romania to discuss joint Investigations\/operations against criminal activities concerning IPTV\u201d and other illegal streaming.<\/p>\n \u201cPIPCU advised on how European law enforcement authorities can enhance their response against the threat of illegal television streaming networks and to identify and tackle Organized Crime Groups behind this criminality.\u201d<\/p>\n Subsequent reports provide additional information on what appears to be the same case. There\u2019s no additional information available beyond the following quotes, but the combination of details sound very familiar.<\/p>\n \u201c[The case is an] investigation into illegal IPTV streaming involving the top tier, which includes a father and son and an in- law. Similarly, the suspected benefit figure runs over \u00a34m with a restraint order of \u00a31.68m. There are 86 accounts so far identified.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOp Talos \u2013 Very large Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) illegal TV streaming and money laundering \u2013 Final restraint figure now confirmed at \u00a31.6m, this is the biggest restraint in PIPCU\u2019s 10 year history\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In addition to [Op]eration Talos, PIPCU also mentioned [Op]eration Delaware, which reportedly targeted what was \u201cbelieved to be the UK\u2019s largest Illegal streaming service causing losses to the industry of \u00a317 million a year.\u201d <\/p>\n This illegal TV network \u201chad millions of global users,\u201d the report concludes.<\/p>\n In another PIPCU case, the restraint and confiscation of \u00a3186,182, relating to the sale of \u2018counterfeit IPTV set-top boxes\u2019, sits among others in the shade of the cases detailed above. Nevertheless, it still carries value as a potential source of additional funding, on top of any surplus cash supplied by the Intellectual Property Office.<\/p>\n From: TF<\/a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.<\/p>\nIPO\u2019s \u2018Surplus\u2019 Millions Fund PIPCU<\/h2>\n
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<\/center><\/p>\nPIPCU Fights Fraud First, Pirates Handled Later<\/h2>\n
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<\/center><\/p>\nPolice Authority Board \u2013 Commissioner\u2019s Update Reports<\/h2>\n
Further Updates on Pirate IPTV Cases<\/h2>\n
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