Premier League's IPTV hunt could soon see illegal streamers' information handed over

The Premier League could soon gain access to illegal streamers' information as the league's IPTV battle continues.

In recent months the Premier League has increased its efforts to crack down on illegal streaming of matches through Internet Protocol television (IPTV).

While IPTV - a way of watching TV online - isn't illegal in itself, it is illegal for users to freely supply content that would usually come at a cost, whether that be live sports, films, or new TV shows.

People offering those services will often charge a lower rate than the official copyright holders as a way of enticing those looking for a bargain, with millions using various services around the world.

This week the Premier League sent a clear warning to those pirating its content when it successfully prosecuted a man behind illegal IPTV service BestBuy IPTV.

Mr Le Hai Nam, based in Vietnam, was convicted of online copyright infringement and ordered to pay total costs of $16,000 (£12,777). He also had a further $24,000 (£19,166) confiscated by authorities.

He was charging people in the USA, UK and Europe £56 a year for a catalogue of 19,000 films, television shows and 10,000 live channels.

Now the Premier League is fighting a legal case that, if it wins, would allow them to obtain the information of illegal streamers including phone numbers, email addresses, names, addresses and payment details.

The Premier League is filing a historic legal case with the United States District Court for the Central District of California against GoDaddy, a company that hosts millions of websites across the world.

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In a letter to GoDaddy, the Premier League's legal team, Hagan Noll & Boyle LLC, wrote: "Premier League has determined that users of GoDaddy’s services are infringing Premier League’s copyrighted works through the following websites and domain names."

The letter listed 28 IPTV services and websites that the Premier League says infringed copyright.

The Premier League not only demands that GoDaddy takes down such websites, but that it also hands over the information supplied by those when setting up the websites or IPTV service.

If the court finds in favour of the Premier League, then it will be a huge victory in the league's battle against illegal streaming.

LADbible Group has contacted GoDaddy for comment.

Topics: Premier League, Football

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton