Premier League fans have been accessing streams of matches not shown on British TV channels through other means, but a crackdown on the technology is now set to take place.
Police are trying to crack down on the use of illegal fire sticks and boxes (Image: Getty Images)
The details of more than 300 Dangerous Box users will be handed over to Sky after a ruling by the Irish High Court.
Judge Brian Cregan ordered Revolut Bank UAB to provide the names and addresses of 304 subscribers and 10 resellers. The order comes after Sky launched a civil lawsuit against Revolut over subscribers using the banking app to pay resellers of pirated content.
Sky had initially sought an order from Norwich Pharmaceuticals allowing it to obtain information about individuals “mixed up” with the fraud. Sky representative Theo Donnelly told the High Court that the details and information obtained will be used to take legal action against resellers and some users.
Revolut’s lawyer John Freeman said his client was neutral on Sky’s application. The company’s new move comes as a result of a civil complaint against David Dunbar from the University of Wexford.
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Sky was found to be operating an illegal streaming service and ordered to pay 480,000 euros (£415,000) in damages and 100,000 euros (£86,000) in costs. Mr Dunbar was fined a further €30,000 (£26,000) for contempt for breaching a court order to preserve the data.
It was also discovered that 12 resellers and 304 users had transferred amounts to Dunbar through Revolut, prompting Sky to request further information from banks. The court noted that lawsuits had already been filed against two of the 12 resellers.
Information about the 304 users will be handed over to Sky in an encrypted spreadsheet within the next 28 days.
The use of so-called “danger boxes” or illegal Fire Stick devices is considered a “serious crime” and police in the UK and Ireland are working with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) to crack down on their use.
Fans use illegal boxes to watch Premier League matches (Image: Getty Images)
A man from Merseyside was recently sentenced to prison for personal use.
Sergeant Adam Dagnall, from Merseyside Police’s Cyber Crime Unit, said at the time: “Merseyside Police takes illegal streaming very seriously because it often funds organized crime and puts users at real risk.”
“Not only is this a crime, but unauthorized streaming services frequently contain malware that can compromise personal devices, causing loss of information such as bank account information, or be used for identity fraud.
“Legitimate providers have security measures in place to protect you from these threats. Don’t be tempted by cheap, so-called ‘fully-featured’ or ‘jailbroken’ devices, even as Christmas presents. You may end up getting more than you bargained for.”
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