File sent to DPP after illegal TV services probe

GARDAÍ have sent a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) following an investigation into an alleged black market supply of TV services.

Gardaí seized 70 television receivers and other computer hardware equipment during a search of a premises in Finglas, north Dublin, last year.

Gardaí believe the equipment was used to illegally access and distribute NTL and Chorus channels.

UPC, the company that owns NTL and Chorus, estimates the value of the equipment at €70,000.

The search of the business premises was conducted under the Broadcasting Act.

No arrests were made following the search, which was carried out on December 17.

A file has since been sent to the DPP, a Garda spokesman confirmed.

A spokeswoman for UPC said: “We have had a number of successful prosecutions in the past and expect more in the future.

“UPC has and continues to take any breach of our security systems very seriously and will take every step to protect our signal and our business interests.

“We have had a number of successful prosecutions in the past and expect more in the future.”

She said the use of such equipment, not just the sale of it, was illegal.

The case was not an isolated one, she said.

“We have an anti-piracy team that constantly monitors activity across our network in addition to monitoring fraudulent activity online.

“We have been very successful in our collaboration with online providers such as eBay and others [like Yahoo and Google] to ensure regular removal of illegal postings,” she said.

“Furthermore, from a technical point of view, we constantly deploy electronic counter-measures in order to impede the use of these illegal boxes.

“In addition, we are working with our encryption solution provider to introduce a new level of safety measures, to add another layer of security to render these illegal boxes inoperable.”

She said the area was covered by legislation such as the Broadcasting Act 1990 (sections 9 & 10), Copyright and Related Acts 2000 (sections 48 & 372) and the EC (Conditional Access) Regulations 2000 (SI 357 of 2000) (section 3).