Ace IPTV, a platform that showed pirated content from football’s English Premier League, has been forced to liquidate after agreeing to pay £600,000 (€681,000/$812,000) for breaching the league’s copyright.
Ace IPTV, run by Craig Driscoll and Ian Isaac, sold subscriptions to illegal Premier League streams directly to consumers.
As part of the settlement with the Premier League, Ace IPTV has terminated all subscriptions. The company’s liquidators have written to all customers.
The league said that Ace IPTV “voluntarily disclosed the personal details of their customers, which the League will now review in compliance with data protection legislation”. It added that further investigations will be carried out and action will be taken where appropriate.
The league has removed 215,000 illegal streams and 450,000 illegal clips have been blocked this season.
“This large settlement is further evidence that the law will catch up with companies and individuals that think they can defraud rights owners and breach copyright,” the league’s director of legal services, Kevin Plumb, said. “As a result of this payment the company is being liquidated and customers are being left out of pocket.
“Using these services is unlawful and fans should be aware that when they do so they enter into agreements with illegal businesses and risk being victims of fraud or identity theft by handing over personal data and financial details.”