Police Raid Store in Bangkok Mall, Seize Illegal IPTV Boxes, and Charge Owner

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod

 

Police from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECS) and officials from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) have raided a store in a prominent shopping mall in Prawet District, Bangkok, seizing illegal IPTV boxes and detaining the shop owner for legal action.

 

On December 14, Pol. Maj. Gen. Phutthidech Boonkraphue, Commander of the ECS Division, directed Pol. Lt. Col. Thanakhun Phromkhun, Deputy Inspector of Division 1, ECS, to lead a team of officers and NBTC officials to execute a search warrant issued by the Criminal Court. The raid targeted a shop suspected of selling unauthorised IPTV boxes, which enable illegal streaming of television channels over the internet.

 

During the search, officers seized 10 IPTV boxes, which had been modified to illegally access subscription-only TV channels, including those offered by True Visions Group, without paying monthly fees.

 

The investigation was initiated after True Visions Group filed a complaint with Division 1 of the ECS. The company alleged that the shop was selling IPTV boxes capable of bypassing copyright protections to access their content without authorisation. Based on this evidence, authorities secured a court warrant to inspect the premises.

 

The shop owner, identified as Mr. Atsawin was taken into custody and handed over to investigators at Prawet Police Station. He faces charges of “copyright infringement for commercial purposes” and “selling unauthorised subscription TV signal converters.”

 

The seized equipment and evidence will be used to prosecute the case in accordance with the law. Authorities emphasised their commitment to cracking down on intellectual property violations and protecting licensed broadcasting services.

 

-- 2024-12-15

 

 

[Emdog]

The number of shops that sell this sort of equipment is only exceeded by the number of 7/11's.... just a rough estimate mind you

[hotchilli]

One shop out of many...

[HappyExpat57]

Doesn't the ECS offer brown envelope insurance?

[bradiston]

A bare bones Android TV box without any mods is surely legal. But once a streaming package is added, usually costing an annual sub, then I guess it gets iffy. The answer is, don't sell bundled software with the hardware