A 68-year-old man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison in the United Kingdom for operating an illegal Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service that generated approximately £980,812 (equivalent to $1.3 million USD) over three years. Milan Ibrahim was found to have run a sophisticated operation providing unauthorized IPTV services to customers both within the UK and internationally.
The investigation, led by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police, revealed that Ibrahim's service illegally broadcast content from major rights holders. These included prominent organizations such as the BBC, ITV, Sky, the Premier League, and the Motion Picture Association.
Authorities conducted enforcement actions that resulted in the seizure and shutdown of 80 servers. These servers, located at premises in Chorley, were central to the operation's ability to provide illegal streaming services. The disruption effectively ceased the unauthorized streams being delivered to users.
Law enforcement officials have indicated that the seizure of these servers could potentially lead to the identification of individuals who subscribed to the illegal service. Such users may face fines or other legal consequences for their involvement in copyright infringement activities.
In addition to the prison sentence, Ibrahim is expected to face further proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act. These proceedings are designed to recover the financial gains accumulated through the illegal enterprise.
The Premier League's Director of Legal Enforcement characterized the operation as one of the UK's most significant and long-standing providers of pirate services, underscoring the importance of the law enforcement action.
While UK government records show Ibrahim was a director of CTU Systems, a now-dissolved company that marketed IPTV software, authorities have not officially linked CTU Systems to the specific illegal service that was prosecuted in this case. The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) also participated in the law enforcement action.
