IPTV ‘piracy shield’ may stop people illegally streaming Premier League games permanently

The crackdown may stop games being streamed illegally for good

Crackdowns on the use of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) technology, which allows users to deliver TV content through Internet Protocol, or broadband, services, to stream live sports events to people around the globe.

Amazon fire sticks have also been used to illegally stream Premier League matches.

As per the Fraud Act 2006, it is illegal "to watch TV or streaming services without paying the required fee".

It is also classed as a breach of copyright law and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT UK) have warned that people could face jail time - with one 42-year-old man jailed for 12 months earlier this year.

Others are following suit

In light of the recent action in the UK, other countries around the world are also clamping down on the use of illegal streaming.

Italy have recently introduced an IPTV "Piracy Shield" which has already succeeded in blocking 528 IP addresses and 114 illegal streaming sites after going live in February.

The shield works by blocking illegal streaming, including IPTV services, as well as other Domain Name System (DNS) and Virtual Private Network (VPN) services that are able to get beyond otherwise geoblocked routes.

This will also enable illegal streams to be removed from search engines.

Currently there are no plans for a similar procedure to be adopted in the UK, but that could change.

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