The former overseer of HeHeStreams IPTV utility has been sentenced to imprisonment for three years and has been directed to compensate $3 million in damages.
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HeHeStreams was a well-received IPTV facility that provided multiple live streams, PPV, and additional sports content.
3-Year Prison Term for HeHeStreams IPTV Operator
The accused, known by the online alias “Josh Brody,” was accused of enabling copyright violation by managing the HeheStreams platform, which facilitated unauthorized streaming of live sports events by users.
“Josh Brody” is actually Joshua Streit, who has encountered legal consequences from anti-piracy entities on numerous occasions.
As per the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), HeheStreams facilitated access to live sports event streams, encompassing basketball, football, soccer, and baseball matches.
The service was operational from 2015 to 2020, with Streit purportedly serving as the primary administrator.
In February 2021, Streit admitted guilt to one count of criminal copyright violation, acknowledging that he deliberately and knowingly managed HeheStreams to enable users to violate copyrighted content.
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) also confiscated HeHeStreams’ domains in 2021.
In 2022, Streit arrived at a settlement with the US government for $500K in copyright damages.
As part of this recent plea agreement, Streit consented to remunerate the victims of his offenses with $3 million, which encompassed leading sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB.
The accused also agreed to surrender all assets and equipment linked with HeheStreams, encompassing servers, domain names, and social media accounts.
In addition to restitution and asset confiscation, Streit was given a three-year prison term, followed by three years of monitored probation.
During his probation, he will be barred from participating in any business associated with the sale or distribution of copyrighted material.
The lawsuit against Streit was managed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, with support from the DOJ’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
This isn’t the first instance of noteworthy IPTV services being shut down by anti-piracy authorities.
- Eminent Piracy Threats Reported to US Government
- Marvel Streams IPTV Operator Arrested
- ACE Halts Smooth Streams
- ACE Shuts Down Iconic Streams
For more insights into this narrative, consult the primary article on TorrentFreak.
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