Cyprus-Forum.com

[paliometoxo]

Police are to decide how to proceed with the island-wide crackdown against illegal Dreambox viewing after the Attorney General advised against subscribers being prosecuted.

Their No1 priority at the moment is to track down illegal distributors and outlets of the cable digital decoder. The heat appears to be temporarily off subscribers after it emerged that illegal viewing on the island was more widespread than originally anticipated.

The Attorney General argued that prosecuting each and every illegal subscriber would be a mammoth task which would require a huge police effort and incur a massive legal cost. The result might also mean a significant diversion of police manpower and attention from more urgent crimes.

This does not, however, change the fact that subscribers are breaking the law and the authorities have not ruled out the possibility of house searches as part of the crackdown campaign.

CID Headquarters Chief Yiannakis Charalambous said police were continuing to track and shut down all outlets selling illegal receivers that enable free access to pay-TV channels.

“We do not have accurate figures of how many illegal viewers there are on the island at the moment but we know that we are dealing with thousands at least,” said Charalambous.

Two illegal Dreambox suppliers were arrested in Limassol last week and a third outlet was raided in Larnaca over the weekend. In both raids the police confiscated servers, Dreambox decoders and dozens of devices used for copying subscriber cards.

“We have still not ruled out the possibility that subscribers will be prosecuted,” said Charalambous “and at this point we know that some subscribers will be used to testify as witnesses against their suppliers of illegal Dreambox services.”

Viewers who have signed up with providers who have been raided will have already had their signal terminated.

Subscribers can pay up to €600 for an illegal Dreambox installation and a year’s subscription. And police believe they are sending out a strong message to viewers who have found themselves without a signal before the Champions League games are to be aired.

“There are a number of ways to track down illegal subscribers,” said Charalambous. “Once we have confiscated a server from a distributor we have immediate access to the IP addresses of all the company’s customers and their details.”

Although Dreambox is used often illegally, it should be noted that the device itself is not an illegal receiving unit. The problem lies with illegal software patches and subscriber cards which are developed and distributed by Pay-TV hackers, often for half the price of the originals.

Illegal subscribers and providers of Dreambox are open to both criminal and civil liability according to lawyer Achilleas Demetriades. In the case of criminal liability the police/state are eligible to prosecute the defendant before the court. This means illegal Dreambox subscribers could potentially face a fine of up to €50,000 or receive a prison sentence of up to three years.

When it comes to civil liability, whoever loses out can make a claim. This puts illegal viewers at risk of being sued by legal pay-TV providers who have suffered revenue loss through illegal viewing.

“With thousands of euros in potential revenue at stake, pay TV-providers take signal theft very seriously,” said Demetriades.

He added that it would take a change in perception on the part of the public to understand that, like shoplifting, signal theft is not a victimless crime.

“We should not forget that what’s happening here is a case of simple theft,” says Demetriades. “It is clear that TV companies lose out when they pay a lot of money to secure content which is then broadcast illegally but it is also a government concern.

The wider issue here is that illegal signal providers are evading VAT and potentially costing the state hundreds of thousands of euros each year.

“For example, pay-TV providers in Cyprus charge between €27.50 and €70.15 for monthly subscriptions to various TV packages. If we were to assume that viewers pay an average of €50 a month (including 15% VAT) this would mean that each viewer would pay €7.5 VAT a month.

If we were to then assume that there are 10,000 illegal subscribers on the island that would amount to €75,000 a month in tax evasion and €900,000 a year,” said Demetriades.

In other words, signal theft means a loss of revenue for the state that would otherwise be covered by legitimate subscribers.

“This sum is pocketed by the illegal signal providers and, as you can see, we are talking about serious money,” said Demetriades.





How pay-TV hackers operate


Cable television signal theft is the illegal interception of cable programming services without the authorisation of or payment to a cable system.

Pirate-TV providers use their equipment to hijack channels and then pass them on to illegal subscribers who access the channels using cracked satellite cards. By using an illegal set-top box viewers are given access to hundreds of pay channels which can otherwise only be accessed through legitimate subscription cards.

When someone does not subscribe to a cable service but maintains an unauthorised connection that they have connected themselves or had someone else connect this constitutes cable-TV signal theft.



What is a Dreambox?


Dreambox is a Linux-powered digital satellite decoder, also known as a set-top box.

When used legally, the viewer obtains a card that functions as a decrypting key to access the channels he or she has subscribed to through a TV-provider.

It differs from many other similar devices because its firmware (software and hardware) is officially upgradeable.

Because it’s based on an open source platform, it can be easily hacked to facilitate card sharing, which is why it is commonly used by viewers who wish to obtain television services without paying the subscription fees.

Illegal TV-providers manipulate Dreambox devices to pass on or sell a digital decryption keys to viewers all over world via the internet.

What makes Dreambox so popular is that you can get a combination of football, films and popular TV series on one, cheaper service, that no one platform provides to legitimate subscribers.

[jankers]

I must admit I found this thread really interesting and quite amazing in many aspects. Since coming to the Island 13 years ago and since moving here the one thing that has always stood out in my mind is the enormity of the pirate video/dvd/cd market. Kiosk after kiosk and some smaller supermarket like one we visit openingly display them and even after having them seized they get a new lot in to replace them and carry on regardless.
The Police and Customs have turned a blind eye to this matter but in terms of lost revenue theft of copyright and so on it is absolutely massive so why do they permit it to carry on.
It is alleged that it is illegal to broadcast Sky on the Island yet thousands have it so why have they picked on Dreambox and ignored Sky. Thousands upon thousands of counterfeit watches,teeshirts,computer games etc etc are still offered from countless outlets.All are permitted to continue uninterrupted.
This also works in reverse whereby Customs charge a huge sum on registration of an imported second hand car which is illegal under EU rules See Article 25. Maybe they chose Dreambox due to pressure from other countries. Who knows but claiming back the money on registration tax/duty is worthwhile

[Sotos]

It is alleged that it is illegal to broadcast Sky on the Island yet thousands have it so why have they picked on Dreambox and ignored Sky.

Sky like all satellite programs are broadcast to all places that the satellite covers. So it is not illegal to broadcast it in Cyprus. What is illegal is for people to use their sky subscription from outside the UK. The illegality in this case is done by every individual separately. In the case of dreambox the illegality is done mostly by the one who has the server and sells illegal subscription to thousands of others. So they can stop the illegality by closing down the servers without the need to go after every individual subscriber!

[jankers]

Can you please explain how having stated categorically it is legal to watch Sky in Cyprus where the cards are available from in Cyprus to enable viewing of BBC1 2 etc . or is it another Sky that is watched e.g Italy. We have been unable to obtain a card (legal one) from anywhere so what Sky can we legally watch please. Who installs the equipment to enable the people with UK cards to do so?? If the cards are illegal for use in Cyprus they could not be used unless an installer (like a Dreambox server) makes it possible so is it legal to install. Thanks

[Hazza]

Sky doesn't have the required license to broadcast in Cyprus. Anyone that has sky has a service not permitted in Cyprus. Its easy to know who has it in Larnaca. Anyone with a 4.2M dish will more than likely be subscribed to sky.

[Zorba]

BUT you have a 4.2m dish in Larnaca to receive the weak BBC/ITV signal which is transmitted FREE TO AIR,and you can receive them without a sky digibox. So NOT illegal.
The pay channels are received on a sky subscription card registered to an address in UK and brought over to Cyprus and used in a skydigibox and paid via a UK account,so its hard to track. The subscription is paid to sky so it is NOT stealing. It is forbidden to use a sky card out of UK but not a criminal offence( you will not go to prison or fined.If sky find out they will cancel the contract and switch off the pay channels).Its all to do with copyright restrictions.Its wrong but sky still get their money.
The dreambox receiver helps you receive pay channels(cheaper than official subscription price) from the providers but no money goes to the providers,who spend a lot of money buying the top movies,sports and scrambling systems/cards etc so i think they are a bit annoyed.

[souroul]

dreamboxes are not illegal

they are just used in an illegal matter.

much like you use a car to run away from the cops. that doesnt make cars illegal.

[CBBB]

BUT you have a 4.2m dish in Larnaca to receive the weak BBC/ITV signal which is transmitted FREE TO AIR,and you can receive them without a sky digibox. So NOT illegal.
The pay channels are received on a sky subscription card registered to an address in UK and brought over to Cyprus and used in a skydigibox and paid via a UK account,so its hard to track. The subscription is paid to sky so it is NOT stealing. It is forbidden to use a sky card out of UK but not a criminal offence( you will not go to prison or fined.If sky find out they will cancel the contract and switch off the pay channels).Its all to do with copyright restrictions.Its wrong but sky still get their money.
The dreambox receiver helps you receive pay channels(cheaper than official subscription price) from the providers but no money goes to the providers,who spend a lot of money buying the top movies,sports and scrambling systems/cards etc so i think they are a bit annoyed.

BBC/ITV are free to air for the UK, it is still illegal to view them in Cyprus!!

However I don't see how anyone who can pick these up here could be prosecuted, unless the TV licensing authority in the UK take you to court and sieze your assets in Cyprus a la the Orams case in reverse!

[iceman]

BUT you have a 4.2m dish in Larnaca to receive the weak BBC/ITV signal which is transmitted FREE TO AIR,and you can receive them without a sky digibox. So NOT illegal.
The pay channels are received on a sky subscription card registered to an address in UK and brought over to Cyprus and used in a skydigibox and paid via a UK account,so its hard to track. The subscription is paid to sky so it is NOT stealing. It is forbidden to use a sky card out of UK but not a criminal offence( you will not go to prison or fined.If sky find out they will cancel the contract and switch off the pay channels).Its all to do with copyright restrictions.Its wrong but sky still get their money.
The dreambox receiver helps you receive pay channels(cheaper than official subscription price) from the providers but no money goes to the providers,who spend a lot of money buying the top movies,sports and scrambling systems/cards etc so i think they are a bit annoyed.

BBC/ITV are free to air for the UK, it is still illegal to view them in Cyprus!!

However I don't see how anyone who can pick these up here could be prosecuted, unless the TV licensing authority in the UK take you to court and sieze your assets in Cyprus a la the Orams case in reverse!

Watching BBC/ITV is not illegal outside UK...It's just not licenced...but it is NOT a criminal offence like cardsharing done by Dreamboxes is.
If you have a dish the size of a bloody house and you watch BBC/ITV in Cyprus, you are not committing crime because you are NOT stealing from anyone..

SKY is not licenced to sell their package outside UK but using a SKY system purchased in UK,does not consist a criminal offence cos this service is being paid for by the end user and if proven the worst thing that can happen is SKY cancelling the contract for this subscriber.

[Theodosis]

server owners have friends in the police, this will never stop! And theres no way receivers will be punished! This is Cyprus!