Man arrested, council says selling free TV streaming boxes is illegal

Stockton Council says devices which bypass subscription fees to access pay-to-view TV are against the law

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A man has been arrested after raids on a Teesside electronics firm which sells free TV streaming boxes.

The 38-year-old was arrested under the Copyright Designs and Patent Act and was later bailed pending further inquiries.

The raids on Geeky Kit in the Dundas Shopping Arcade, Middlesbrough town centre, and sister store in Mill Lane, Billingham, took place yesterday morning.

The company sells electronics items including Free TV streaming boxes.

Officers were seen bagging up electrical goods at both shops.

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A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said: “Working in partnership with the local authority Trading Standards Department, police attended a business in Billingham yesterday where a warrant was executed.

“A 38-year-old man was arrested under the Copyright Designs and Patent Act and he has been bailed pending further inquiries.”

Three other premises, including two private addresses in Billingham and one in Yarm were also targeted in the raids.

Councillor Steve Nelson, Stockton Council’s Cabinet Member for Access, Communities and Community Safety, said: “A significant amount of computer equipment and internet streaming boxes were seized yesterday at commercial premises across Teesside as part of a joint operation between the council, Cleveland Police, Middlesbrough Council and North East Scambusters team.

“Selling devices which bypass subscription fees to access pay-to-view TV, including movies and sports, is illegal.

"We have worked with partners to identify businesses who are supplying these devices and will take appropriate action.

“Anyone living in Stockton borough who has information about businesses selling these devices or any other equipment breaching copyright should contact Stockton Council’s Trading Standards team on 01642 526560 or trading.standards@stockton.gov.uk”

Source : http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/geeky-kit-raids-man-arrested-9419599?ref=BreakingNewsTeesside&utm_medium=facebo%20ok

Torrent Freak have now picked up on this story, here is the article...

‘PIRATE’ ANDROID TV BOX SELLERS RAIDED BY POLICE

Sellers of Android boxes loaded with software enabling the free viewing of movies, TV shows and live sports have been raided this week by UK authorities. Trading Standards officers, police and representatives from Sky TV carried out raids in several locations, causing other sellers to quickly reconsider the tone of their marketing efforts.

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While paying subscriptions to services such as Netflix, premium satellite and cable channels, sports broadcasters and PPV outlets are legitimate ways to obtain content on a TV, there are others that require very little outlay.

Apple TV boxes, Android set-top boxes and even the lowly Raspberry PI can run software such as Kodi (previously XBMC) alongside third-party addons to provide all of the above at virtually zero cost. Unsurprisingly, this annoys content providers no end.

While selling any of the above devices alone is entirely legal, over the past couple of years online markets such as eBay and Amazon have been flooded with “fully loaded” boxes (Android-based in particular) that enable free viewing of anything from first run movies to live sports.

Surprisingly, many vendors have been happy to publicly advertise that fact, with many apparently under the impression that if they don’t provide the illegal content themselves then they aren’t liable. In the UK that argument is unlikely to fly and during the past week patience appears to have run out.

Earlier this week Trading Standards officers and police carried out raids on sellers of Android boxes setup to receive unauthorized content. One seller, operating from GeekyKit.com, told customers that his physical shops would not be trading as normal.

“As you may be aware we were visited yesterday by Sky [television] in conjunction with Trading Standards. Whilst we continue to investigate our position the stores will remain closed and support will remain suspended. Our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused,” he explained.

“We do not control the content that is accessible on the internet via the product that we sell. We are currently working with Trading Standards to ensure that we can sell our products whilst adhering to UK copyright laws.”

Although no details on changes were provided by GeekyKit, the signs on the front of one of their shops will be the first thing to go after leaving little to the imagination.

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A source who asked to remain anonymous told TorrentFreak that raids were also carried out at home addresses. In those cases officers reportedly seized computer equipment and mobile phones. A 38-year-old man was arrested under the Copyright Designs and Patent Act.

The raids have certainly provided food for thought for other companies involved in the supply of similar devices. DroidSticks, one of the most prominent UK suppliers, is now limiting discussion on its Twitter account to matters relating only to the device.

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Whether or not the company intends to continue packaging third-party addons with its boxes will remain to be seen, but for now ‘pirate’ talk is strictly off-limits. DroidSticks did not respond to our request for comment.

Finally, complying with UK legislation should be a fairly straightforward process if sellers want to play it safe, but that will probably mean never mentioning the “special features” of these boxes in a sales pitch ever again.

It could also mean relying on users to install their own third-party addons from scratch. It’s a simple enough process for those with patience but something unlikely to appeal to Joe Public who increasingly wants a simple plug-and-play device.