On Tuesday, the FIOD and the Public Prosecution Service took an illegal TV service off the air, which was offered via the internet from a data center in Den Helder. With a box and a subscription of about 10 euros per month, subscribers could watch all films and series from, for example, Disney +, Netflix, Viaplay, Videoland, ESPN and more than 10,000 TV channels.
In a press release informs the FIOD that they have raided a data center in Den Helder together with Customs. The illegal TV service, with an estimated hundreds of thousands of subscribers, was distributed from that data center. Four people have been arrested in Almere and Den Helder.
On black
“It was a TV service that was sold, among other things, via call shops for cash payment. With a box and a subscription of about 10 euros per month, subscribers could watch all films and series from, for example, Disney +, Netflix, Viaplay, Videoland, ESPN and over 10,000 TV channels.”
During the raid, the data center was shut down and searched. As a result, as of today, the IPTV subscriptions no longer work. Hundreds of thousands of screens have gone black as a result.
In the press release, the FIOD states:
“The technique of IPTV, watching television via the internet, is legal in itself in the Netherlands. However, it is a criminal offense to offer and conclude subscriptions if you watch films, series and programs for which no license fee has been paid. This includes infringement of the rights of film and program makers, broadcasting organizations and television stations to distribute their films, series, programs and TV channels (copyright and neighboring rights).Not only offering, but also watching illegal IPTV is punishable.”
Copyright organization Stichting Brein speaks of the largest criminal investigation by FIOD and the Public Prosecution Service into digital piracy in the Netherlands ever. The foundation leaves in a press release know how to report the illegal streaming service. “It concerns tens of millions of euros in damage in the Netherlands alone,” writes director of Brein Tim Kuik.
The Functional Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is in charge of the investigation, suspects that the proceeds resulting from the provision of the illegal IPTV have been laundered on a large scale.
Money dogs
In this context, business premises in Den Helder, Almere, Hengelo and homes in Amsterdam, Almere, Enschede, The Hague and Den Helder were searched for the presence of cash. During the searches, special money dogs were used, among other things.
During searches, bank accounts, five cars and large amounts of cash were seized.
