The first of seven court cases against customers of a man who sold illegal IPTV subscriptions opened in Norway on Wednesday, NRK reported. The seven customers have refused to accept the police fines issued to them.
The cases stem from a Sør-Øst police district investigation that began after a complaint about illegal sales of IPTV subscriptions. During the investigation, police found that a man in his 50s from Buskerud had sold the services to several hundred people over a period of five years, and they believe he earned 1.7 million kroner in that time.
In court, the first customer said he had not used the box. "I haven't used the box. I can admit that I bought it, but it hasn't been used," the man said.
He claimed he bought the box for a family member but would not say who. He came into contact with the seller through others and arranged the box by text message, paying by transferring money to a private account number with "dog rescue" written in the subject field.
The fines now being issued to customers start at 10,000 kroner and up, and they must also pay compensation to the state for the amount they are said to have saved. Police say they calculated the amount by working through what it would have cost to buy an equivalent package to the one the IPTV service provided.
"It is crime that is difficult to detect, and it is very widespread, and a big increase in society, so it is something we take seriously," police attorney Sofie Earl Færøvig said. She said police hope the reaction has a preventive effect. "We know that many use illegal IPTV, and that it is an increase. Maybe many think this isn't so serious, or that it doesn't get any reaction, so it's important that we also go after those who buy," she said.
IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television, a system for sending and receiving TV signals over the internet. Distributing unauthorised access to TV channels is illegal in Norway under section 203 of the Penal Code and can be punished with fines or up to three years in prison, depending on the severity of the offence.