A HARTLEPOOL man who sold illegal internet TV boxes that allowed pubs and clubs to screen pay-to-view TV free of charge has received a suspended prison sentence and been ordered to pay £250,000.
Malcolm Mayes, 65, of Egerton Road, received a ten-month prison sentence suspended for one year when he appeared at Teesside Crown Court yesterday (Monday 6th March 2017) and admitted breaching the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988 by advertising and selling adapted IPTV boxes.
He was also ordered to pay costs of £170,000 and a Proceeds of Crime Order was made against him for a further £80,000.
IPTV boxes - sometimes called ‘Android’ boxes or ‘Kodi’ boxes - allow users to watch television and movies streamed via the internet. The boxes themselves are not illegal but when modified can be used to freely view content that should otherwise be paid for, including live sport and new movies. A box modified in this way is often described as being ‘fully loaded’.
Mayes was prosecuted by Hartlepool Borough Council’s Trading Standards department following a lengthy international investigation by the National Trading Standards North East Enforcement Team.
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