MultiChoice Cracks Down on Streaming Pirates with Another Arrest

MultiChoice streaming pirates arrest: MultiChoice Group, through its subsidiary Irdeto, has taken action against another pirate streaming operation, the second such action it has announced in as many days.

The company did this by working with the country’s law enforcement agencies. MultiChoice had previously signed an agreement with the South African Department of Justice against piracy. 

Multichoice Streaming Pirates Arrest

The company with the help of Western Cape Police recently arrested two suspects on the charge of piracy.

One of the suspects is the person behind the WAKA TV streaming operation, while the other suspect was arrested in Gauteng. He was arrested for the “illegal sale of internet streaming pirate devices that allowed individuals to access MultiChoice content, violating several legal statutes”. He was arrested on the 4th of June and accused of committing the following crimes:

• Section 2 of the Cybercrime Act (unauthorised access to content);
• Sections 44 and 45 of the Rica Act (possession and sale of an infringing device); 
• Section 27 of the Copyright Act (infringement of a rightsholder’s rights).

The second suspect, whose name is unknown, was granted bail of R3,000. Also, he will be arraigned at the Kempton Park magistrate’s court on June 18.

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MultiChoice said in a statement, “The apprehended suspect managed several pirate customers and resellers. He also illegally distributed live TV channels, including several DStv channels, movies and series. The disruption caused by this raid is a significant blow to the illegal streaming industry in Africa.” 

The company finally said, “Digital piracy, far from being a fringe activity, has become a widespread practice that transcends demographics and geographies. It challenges the norms of intellectual property rights.”

Multichoice Streaming Pirates Arrest To Clamp Down On Piracy

Copyright infringement undermines the efforts of content providers. It’s no wonder why MultiChoice is clamping down on criminals who initiate and encourage piracy. Their actions devalue content and trivialise streaming companies’ efforts.

Frikkie Jonker, Irdeto’s broadcasting cybersecurity anti-piracy director said, “Acts of piracy, ranging from illegal streaming to black-market digital piracy, are forms of copyright infringement that undermine the efforts of content providers and the software industry. They also pose a digital threat to the commercial distribution of content.”

He continued, “This huge milestone follows the successful raid and arrest of a key suspect. He was involved in one of the most extensive pirate operations in Africa, known as Waka TV, which occurred on 31 May in the Western Cape.”

Conclusion

MultiChoice highlighted that two suspects arrested are “just the beginning” of a series of planned operations against illegal streaming providers across South Africa. It is termed as ‘Concerted crackdown’. 

The company said, “MultiChoice is committed to a concerted crackdown on internet streaming piracy. To protect the integrity of its services and ensure consumers receive high-quality, legitimate content. Also, MultiChoice is actively working with the South African Police Service as investigations continue into the thousands of individuals connected to these pirate networks. Resellers supporting these illegal operations are also under investigation.”