Canal+ Group, the subscription channel and platform provider, and digital security specialist Kudelski Group have announced the shutdown of a piracy organisation based in Canton of Vaud in Switzerland (in the Lake Geneva region) that delivered French-speaking on-demand content to thousands of customers. The operation is the result of a criminal complaint from Canal+ Group and NAGRA, the digital TV division of the Kudelski Group, to the Vaud Police, which led the effort with the support of Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, and Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation. This is said to be the first piracy shutdown of its kind in Switzerland.
The pirate network, called KBoxServ, provided access to a catalogue featuring more than 77,000 TV episodes and 7,000 movies. The service was actively promoted on social networks including Facebook and Instagram, boasting thousands of followers. IPTV devices, pre-configured to give lifetime access to protected content, were sold online and through multiple retail shops across Switzerland and France for approximately 150 CHF (approx. $US160) each.
The pirated content was distributed through servers located in various European countries, including Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands. The pirate organization had full control over these servers, was constantly updating their VOD catalogue of stolen content and even serving advertisements to its subscribers.
Pascal Métral, VP Legal Affairs and Head of Anti-Piracy Investigations, Intelligence and Litigation at NAGRA, says: “This shutdown is yet another example of how close collaboration between content producers and owners, governmental entities and anti-piracy companies can bring tangible results in the fight against commercial piracy. KBoxServ is a true pirate broadcasting station that has now been dismantled – an organization that has been broadcasting stolen premium content to thousands of users for years in exchange for high profits. We thank the cybercrime unit of Vaud Police for leading this operation and for supporting us and our customers in this effort.”
“We appreciate the support of the Vaud Police and all organizations that were involved in bringing down this operation,” adds Céline Boyer, Head of Content protection, Canal+ Group and Brice Daumin Director of Canal+ Switzerland. “The Kudelski Group has been a valuable partner in the fight against piracy on a global level to help us not only protect content owner rights but ensure we can continue to deliver high-quality content to our subscribers. Together, we are sending a clear sign that piracy of protected content is theft.”
