This is perhaps the biggest piracy case ever tried in Greece. Since last week, seventeen people have been on trial for setting up an illegal internet television service, in other words pirate IPTV. According to the police, this system allowed its operators to rake in no less than 25 million euros.
A well-organized, and very lucrative network
The service offered subscribers access to paid sports channels – like Cosmote, Nova, or Vodafone – for a handful of euros per month. Official broadcasters estimate they lost more than 100 million euros in the process. The money generated was then laundered, according to investigators, through real estate purchases, the creation of front companies, and transactions with sports betting companies. Several high-end vehicles were also seized.
But the organizers aren't the only ones in the crosshairs. The Greek authorities now have a new weapon: a law that also targets those who consume this type of content.
Recently, a simple IPTV app installed on a device can cost you dearly. A new law authorizes authorities to impose administrative fines on individuals who access illegal streams... or who simply possess the hardware or software to do so. The fine is 750 euros. And in the event of a repeat offense, the fine increases to 1,500 euros.
No need to have watched anything: having a pirate app or box is enough. The law doesn't go into detail; you can be punished even without pressing the play button. It all depends on the information users may have left behind: name, email address, bank details... If this data ends up in an investigation file, it can be used to send a registered letter. Or worse: trigger a surprise visit.
And this isn't just an empty threat. The ongoing trial is based on a database of 13,000 customers. It's not yet clear how many of them will be fined, but the authorities seem determined to send a message.
As a reminder, a study by the EUIPO (the European Intellectual Property Office) shows that 20% of Greeks admit to having already watched sports through illegal sources. That's huge. So while not everyone will be worried, Greece has clearly just tightened the screws.
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