IBCAP Announces $ 7 Million Judgment Against Universe IPTV

DENVER, Oct. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – The International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy (IBCAP) today announced that on September 30, 2021, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a final judgment and a permanent injunction against Univers IPTV and its individual owners. The Court found that the individual defendants – Mohamed Omar, Hossam Abd Elghany and Moustafa Maatouk – owned and operated the Universe IPTV service, illegally transmitted content to users in the United States, and directly violated the rights of the copyright owner . The judgment includes compensation for damages of $ 7,050,000 against the owners, claiming that they “had knowledge of the infringing activity, as evidenced by the receipt of numerous notices of infringement demanding that they stop transmitting the channels” , and they ignored all the advice.

Today’s news follows IBCAP’s recent announcement of legal action against the iStar IPTV service and its owners, and naming one of its largest resellers, Atlas Electronics located in Dearborn, Michigan, as a defendant for the sale of the iStar IPTV service.

Importantly, the Texas Federal Court has also banned all hosting companies, CDNs, social media companies, and email providers from providing services that support activities prohibited by the defendants. This includes an order specifically ordering the deactivation of 10 IP addresses used by Universe IPTV. Finally, the Court ordered all the defendants and their distributors and retailers to transmit the channels in question in the United States or to distribute, supply, sell or promote the Universe IPTV service in the United States.

Universe IPTV is a leading Arabic language IPTV service sold through an extensive network of resellers. The lawsuit against Universe IPTV was coordinated by IBCAP and filed by its member company, DISH Network, in August 2020 after all cease and desist notices were ignored.

“IBCAP continues to make it clear that courts in the United States have no tolerance for those who break the law by operating or selling illegal IPTV services. The owners of this service are now liable for more than $ 7,000,000 in damages, retailers have been ordered to shut down and Universe’s IPTV infrastructure will be disabled, ”said Chris Kuelling, executive director of IBCAP. “Any reseller who continues to sell Universe IPTV will be in contempt of the court order and liable for further damages. With our continued diligence, resellers of illegal IPTV services will quickly learn that it is not worth risking their business by selling pirate IPTV services.

The channels transmitted by the defendants and at issue in the case were as follows: Aaj Tak; Al Hayah 1; ART Cima; Digital ARY; ARY News; ATN Bangla; ATN News; B4U films; CBC, CBC Drama; Channel-i; Dunya Television; Express entertainment; Express news; TV of the future; Geographic news; Geo TV; Hekayat; Hum Masala; Hum Sitaray; Hmm TV; Hmm world; India today; BLC; LBCI (a / k / a LDC); MBC1; MBC drama; MBC Kids (a / k / a MBC3); MBC Masr; Melody Aflam; Classic melody; NTV Bangla; SAB; Sony SET; SET Max; Zee Aflam; and Zee Alwan.

A copy of the court order can be viewed here.

About the International Broadcast Coalition Against Piracy (IBCAP)

International Broadcast Coalition Against Piracy, Inc. is a coalition of leading international broadcasters and distributors representing more than 140 television stations from Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America. IBCAP is the world’s largest anti-piracy organization focused on multicultural content. The non-profit organization proactively monitors and identifies unauthorized video services, collects evidence, and participates in legal actions and criminal investigations against organizations and individuals engaging in piracy activity. The IBCAP coordinates with government agencies and law enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad, reports suspected violators to the appropriate authorities, initiates investigations, and encourages prosecutions against individuals or businesses involved in the process. illegal distribution of the video content of its members. More information is available at www.IBCAP.org. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.