A British expat and Thai man have been fined 25 million baht and given a suspended prison sentence of three years for illegally streaming Premier League football matches online.
The Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court in Bangkok ruled that the two must pay 15 million baht in damages and hand over 7 million baht that was seized by authorities.
Additionally, the men must pay an extra 3 million baht related to other crimes involved with the illegal pirating operation.
It is one of the highest ever damages rulings ever in Thailand for copyright infringement, according to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
The two men streamed the game on various websites and made customers pay monthly subscriptions to view them.
The Thailand copyright infringement case began in Hong Kong but it was soon discovered that the illegal streams of the football matches were being broadcast from Bangkok.
The games–streamed across multiple websites–received views from all over Southeast Asia.
Multiple other warrants have been issued for individuals suspected to be involved with pirating the football matches.
The Premier League issued a thank you to the DSI and a warning to would-be pirates.
“This is one of the most substantial compensations for piracy-related crimes in Thailand and is a stark warning to anyone involved in the illegal supply of Premier League streams,” said Premier League representative Kevin Plumb.
Read the full story here.
