January 3 – A Europol and Bulgarian police-led investigation that saw a pan-European and multi-jurisdiction co-operation, has brought down a network of illegal streaming and IPTV platforms that reached more than 22 million users worldwide.
Codenamed ‘Kratos’, the operation cracked a network that was illegally distributing more than 2,500 TV channels with more than 560 resellers of pirated services identified.
More than 112 searches and seizures were conducted, with at least 29 servers and 270 IPTV devices seized, as well as 100 domains linked to illegal activities. Drugs and weapons were seized in the searches, and cryptocurrency worth about €1.6 million was confiscated, as well as €40,000 in cash.
UEFA and Spain’s La Liga co-operated with the investigation by helping to identify illegal content, and identifying the source of the signal.
An official statement released by LaLiga, said: “The operation involved the participation of 15 countries, including Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, with the support of Europol, Eurojust and the Alliance against Audio-Visual Piracy (AAPA) being key to the coordination of the action.”
With the backdrop of a summer of 2024 sports that included the 2024 Euros and the Paris Olympic Games, the investigation has also triggered action in a number of other countries where illegal platforms are pirating rights, including in the North Macedonia, Hellenic Republic, Spain, Latvia, Republic of France, Netherlands, Romania, Portugal and others.
The investigation targeted illegal distribution of material from streaming services including movies, series and TV channels (including sports), identified 102 suspects, 11 of whom have been arrested.
The statement said: “Operation Kratos is a natural follow-up to Operational Action 3.2 under the priority ‘Crimes against Intellectual Property, Counterfeiting of Goods and Currencies’ in the EMPACT platform established by the European Commission and is an important milestone in the efforts to combat illegal streaming and illegal IP TV. This operation is an important signal of international cooperation in the fight against digital piracy and illegal trade in counterfeit goods, demonstrating the commitment of Bulgaria and its partners to protect intellectual property and ensure online safety.”
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