KUALA LUMPUR – An electronics retailer in Malaysia has been raided by the country’s Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA) for allegedly selling illegal streaming devices, which provided unauthorised access to entertainment and sports content including Premier League matches. The action was jointly coordinated by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world’s leading anti-piracy coalition, and the Premier League.
The retailer, who is based in Johor Bahru, allegedly sold a range of devices, including SVICloud boxes. The devices were installed with infringing applications that provided access to film and television content, as well as live sports programs, including Premier League content. In addition to selling such devices via their retail outlet, the retailer is suspected of running an illicit sales operation through multiple online platforms.
The Premier League and ACE are among the first few organisations to bring enforcement action under Malaysia’s new Copyright (Amendment) Act 2022. The amended Copyright Act strengthens legislation around copyright infringement and empowers authorities to act against those selling illegal streaming devices and illegal website operators.
Jan van Voorn, Executive Vice President and Chief of Global Content Protection for the Motion Picture Association and head of ACE said: “We commend the Malaysian government for the recent amendments to the Copyright Act, which criminalises the sale of such illicit streaming devices. These new provisions have become a gold standard within the APAC region. We would like to thank the MDTCA for taking prompt action to shut down this illicit operation.”
“IPTV piracy services like the one closed down today put consumers at risk of malware, undermine investment, reduce tax contributions to governments, and stifle creativity. We will continue to identify and interdict the operators of such online piracy services and work closely with Malaysian law enforcement agencies to protect the livelihood of Malaysian and international creators and distributors,” van Voorn added.
Premier League General Counsel Kevin Plumb said: “We are extremely pleased to be able to put the recently amended Copyright Act into action. The strengthened legislation puts Malaysia at the forefront of copyright protection, making it very clear that anyone involved in providing or facilitating illegal streams is carrying out a crime.
“The Premier League is committed to fighting piracy in Malaysia and will continue to take action against those responsible for providing illegal access to our content. We want to ensure fans watch Premier League content in the best quality and safest way – and the majority do so via authorised sources. However, for those who don’t, they must be aware that by using devices such as SVICloud they face security risks and disrupted viewing experiences.”
“I would like to place on record our thanks to the MDTCA for their cooperation and swift response to support this enforcement action.”
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About The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is the world’s leading coalition dedicated to protecting the dynamic legal market and reducing digital piracy. Driven by a comprehensive approach to addressing piracy through criminal referrals, civil litigation and cease-and-desist operations, ACE has achieved many successful global enforcement actions against illegal streaming services and sources of unauthorized content and their operators. Drawing upon the collective expertise and resources of all members and reinforced by the content protection operations of the Motion Picture Association, ACE protects the creativity and innovation that drive the global growth of core copyright and entertainment industries. The current governing board members for ACE are: Amazon, Apple TV+, NBCUniversal, Netflix Studios LLC, Sony Pictures Entertainment, ViacomCBS, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and Warner Bros. Charles Rivkin is Chairman of ACE and the Motion Picture Association. For more information, please visit www.alliance4creativity.com.
Press Contact for ACE:
John Mercurio
John_Mercurio@motionpictures.org
About The Premier League
The Premier League produces some of the most competitive and compelling football in the world. The League and its clubs use the power and popularity of the competition to inspire fans, communities and partners in the UK and across the world. The Premier League brings people together from all backgrounds. It is a competition for everyone, everywhere and is available to watch in 880 million homes in 188 countries.
Premier League anti-piracy action in Malaysia
- The Premier League has a fantastic, passionate fanbase in Malaysia. The League is committed to its fans and partners in the region and opened its APAC office headquarters in Singapore three years ago. The local office enables the Premier League to get closer to its fans and broadcast partners and improve understanding of the local landscape. One area of focus for the office is the work it undertakes to tackle piracy across the region.
- The Premier League has worked closely with its broadcast partner Astro and local law enforcement to successfully obtain the first-ever criminal prosecution of an ISD seller in Malaysia in February 2021.
- Action undertaken by the Premier League in collaboration with Astro and authorities includes blocking hundreds of top pirate website domains for Premier League content in Malaysia as well as disrupting live streams during matches and removing clips or highlights across social media platforms.
- The Premier League will continue to work with its partners and take an extremely active approach to tackling piracy and taking tailored actions against different piracy methods in Malaysia and across the whole region.
