A 68-year-old man has been jailed for six-and-a-half years after making almost £1 million from an illegal IPTV empire. Milan Ibrahim, from Chorley, Lancashire, was sentenced on Thursday (August 27) after being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud at Preston Crown Court.
His illegal streaming operation generated £980,812 in criminal profits over a three-year period, with Ibrahim supplying pirate IPTV services to customers in the UK and overseas, Lancs Live reports.
Sophisticated operation uncovered
The pensioner's sophisticated operation was uncovered by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police, which found the business was being run from premises in Chorley using 80 servers. All 80 servers were seized and shut down during enforcement action, significantly disrupting the operation.
Ibrahim's business unlawfully captured and redistributed television broadcasts belonging to major rights holders, including the BBC, ITV, Sky, the Premier League and the Motion Pictures Association. The content was converted into formats suitable for IPTV streaming before subscriptions were sold to customers around the world.
Impact and legal proceedings
Investigators found the operation particularly targeted British expats living overseas, allowing them to access unauthorised television content. Ibrahim will now face further proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act as authorities seek to recover money obtained through the illegal streaming operation.
Police said the enterprise caused significant financial harm to broadcasters, rights holders and content creators by providing unauthorised access to copyrighted material.
Investigation Officer Emma Slater, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police, said: "It is important that PIPCU pursues criminals who seek to profit from the supply of illegal IPTV services. These offenders show complete disregard for rights holders and the actors, creative artists, technical specialists and support staff involved in producing the content they unlawfully distribute.
"Illegal IPTV is not a victimless crime. The financial harm caused by these services impacts the entire creative industry.
"PIPCU will continue to pursue those involved in the provision of illegal IPTV services, both in the UK and internationally. We work closely with industry partners and law enforcement agencies around the world to identify, disrupt and prosecute offenders."
Industry response
Stefan Sergot, Director of Legal- Enforcement at Premier League, said: "This is a significant outcome against one of the UK's most prominent and long-standing suppliers of pirate services. Milan Ibrahim repeatedly sold content belonging to the Premier League and other rights holders for his own financial gain. His sentence reflects the seriousness of his offending and sends a clear message that those who profit from piracy will ultimately be held accountable.
"We are extremely grateful to PIPCU and FACT for their determination and expertise in bringing him to justice. We will continue working with our partners to disrupt illegal services and pursue those responsible for them."
Nick Sumner, Investigations Manager at Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), said: "Today's sentence holds Milan Ibrahim to account for selling unlawful access to premium television content. Illegal streaming services undermine the broadcasters and rights holders that invest in creating and distributing that content.
"Having identified the illegal service, FACT referred it to PIPCU for investigation. This outcome sends a clear message: running an illegal streaming service is a criminal offence with serious consequences."
Matt Hibbert, Group Director Anti-Piracy at Sky, said: "This case highlights the persistence, dedication and close collaboration required to tackle sophisticated criminal IPTV operations. We commend the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit and all partners involved for their commitment to bringing this offender to justice.
"Illegal streaming services cause harm to consumers and profit from content in which broadcasters, rights holders and creators invest heavily. Sky will continue working with partners to disrupt piracy, protect consumers and safeguard the content our customers love."
Diane Hamer, BBC Studios Head of Business & Legal Affairs, IP Protection, said: "We thank PIPCU for pursuing this case so diligently. Piracy is not a victimless crime. Those responsible contribute nothing to the creation or broadcast of television programmes.
"Their actions not only deprive the UK's creative industries of vital revenue, impacting creators, businesses, and professionals who rely on the protection of intellectual property rights, but also impacts licence fee payers."
