We have smart TVs nowadays and they run various operating systems, one of them being Android TV. This is usually loaded on the TV itself or through streaming boxes which are connected to a TV.
However, some people have used these streaming boxes to load software that allows them to stream copyrighted material illegally. Well this next case seems like a fight against such practices.
In Singapore, one of two retailers charged in January under the copyright act for selling Android streaming boxes pleaded guilty yesterday.
Abdul Naguib Aziz, the company director for a local retailer, An-Nahl was fined $1,200 (Kshs 121,848) after he pleated guilty of willfully infringing on the copyright of rights owners for commercial gain. The charges against his company were withdrawn.
He was found to have sold one Android TV box at one of his 5 shops and helped the customer use the device to make unauthorized copies of copyrighted programmes.
The prosecution case was brought by 4 parties: The Premier League, Fox Networks Group and telcos Singtel and StarHub.
Apparently the other party proposed to Naguib a commission of $20 for every Android TV box sold and an addition $5 if the customer purchased Kodi. When Naguid asked about the legality of the boxes, he was told that they were licensed by Astro Malaysia and in essence the Android TV boxes were like ‘YouTube’.
When Mr Naguid received a cease and desist letter, he said he stopped selling the Android TV boxes since September 21st 2017 as well as stopped trading in electrical products he didn’t have sufficient knowledge in.
This is a landmark ruling in the sense that the courts in Singapore did not have an opportunity to clarify their legal positions on the law against piracy and the use of such streaming devices.
