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Man faces deportation, Dh50,000 for uploading torrents

The Abu Dhabi Court held the administrator of a pirate website liable for illegally uploading torrents and streaming of copyrighted television series, movies, and misusing OSN’s intellectual property rights.

The Court convicted him and a six-month imprisonment for the man. He will also be deported to his home country. The pirate will also have to pay Dh50,000 as compensation to OSN for copyright and trademark infringement.

As per the court’s order, the Prosecutor’s Office will work with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) to block the pirate website. The pirate was initially imprisoned for about two months and has since appealed the verdict.

Sophie Moloney, General Counsel of OSN, said: “The authorities have adopted extreme vigilance to all forms of television piracy, which has resulted in websites streaming illegal content being blocked in the UAE.”

The counsel said the Court action will serve as a stern warning against TV piracy.  She added that “The public can contribute to fighting it by voluntarily staying away from accessing illegal content on any platforms.”

According to estimates by the International Data Corporation, TV piracy – through the use of illegal set-top boxes, unauthorized VPN subscriptions, and torrent downloads – costs over $750 million in losses to the content and consumer product creation industries in the Middle East and Africa every year.

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