A 36-year-old man and two Singapore-registered companies operated by him will be charged in court on 26 March 2024 for their suspected involvement in commercial sales of illegal streaming devices and provision of illegal streaming services.
On 4 October 2022, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department conducted simultaneous raids at several retail shops in Sim Lim Square, seizing more than 400 sets of illegal streaming devices from two retail shops operated by the man. These devices would enable consumers to access unauthorised online content from illegal sources.
The man and the two companies will be charged for multiple offences under section 150(1)(b), read with section 445(b), punishable under Section 447(2)(a) and 447(2)(b) of the Copyright Act 2021, including for commercially distributing or selling a device to access works communicated to the public without the copyright owner’s authority.
If convicted of an offence under section 445(b) of the Copyright Act 2021, individuals shall be liable to a fine up to $100,000, an imprisonment term of up to five years, or both, while companies shall be liable to a fine of up to $200,000.
The Police take a serious view of intellectual property rights infringement and would like to remind the public that distribution and sales of illegal streaming devices, and providing service to access works communicated without authority are serious offences. The Police will not hesitate to take tough action against any person or entity found involved in such acts.