Michigan Federal Court issues a broad injunction against Worldstream and other hosting providers, as well as domain name transfers by registries The International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy (IBCAP) today announced that a federal court in Michigan has ordered the removal of IBCAP member channels from the iStar IPTV service, one of the largest pirate services offering multicultural content in the U.S. This order follows a judgment and permanent injunction already issued against Atlas Electronics, which resulted in the shutdown of sales through one of the largest iStar retailers in the U.S. The recent order also requires iStar and its CEO, Ahmed Karim, to pay $15,700,000 in damages. Not only did the court issue a broad injunction against iStar, but it also:
  • Enjoined all dealers, distributors and sellers of the iStar service.
  • Ordered Worldstream B.V. and certain other hosting providers to disable certain IP addresses used by iStar and cease providing other services to iStar.
  • Ordered VeriSign, Inc. and Registry Services, LLC to disable certain iStar-related websites and transfer key domain names used by iStar to market and operate the service.
“As with other lawsuits coordinated by IBCAP against pirate services, our goal is to obtain court orders that result in the removal of IBCAP member channels, if not the shutdown of the service entirely. The crux of our strategy is to secure broad injunctions which effectively remove the elements necessary for the operation of a pirate service such as hosting providers, CDNs, domain registrars and dealers,” said Chris Kuelling, executive director of IBCAP. “Once such order is obtained, the next phase is methodical and persistent enforcement against these critical elements of the pirate network. This strategy has consistently proven effective in shutting down a long list of pirate services. We look forward to having iStar join that list.” The case was filed by IBCAP member DISH Network, and a copy of the order can be found here. About IBCAP International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy, Inc. (IBCAP) is a coalition of leading international and U.S. content owners, broadcasters and distributors representing more than 170 television channels from the U.S. and around the world. As the largest anti-piracy organization focused on illicit services offering multicultural content, the non-profit organization proactively monitors and identifies unauthorized video services, collects evidence and assists with legal actions and criminal investigations against organizations and individuals engaging in pirate activities. IBCAP coordinates with government agencies and law enforcement both in the U.S. and abroad, reports suspected infringers to the appropriate authorities, initiates investigations and promotes the prosecution of persons or companies who participate in the illegal distribution of its members’ video content. More information is available at www.IBCAP.org. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn