Russia’s leading pay-TV operator Tricolor, working in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, initiated 12 criminal cases and 28 administrative proceedings against pirates in 2018.
In a statement, the company says it identifies three areas of anti-piracy activities. The first is the search for offenders who organise illegal access to watching TV channels. The second is working with representatives of the HoReC segment, who broadcast packages of Tricolor TV channels in public places without a corresponding agreement. And the third is the suppression of the illegal use of the company’s trademarks.
In adds that in the case of illegal digital TV reception, it initiated 12 criminal cases against 11 persons, nine of who were in Russia and two in Belarus. Over 30 units of pirated equipment, including 10 receivers, 52 smart cards and three PCs, were confiscated.
Regarding the illegal broadcast of TV channels in public places, its employees, along with representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor’s Office, checked 102 locations. These eventually resulted in fines being imposed on 15 legal entities and a warning issued to another. At the same time, 42 locations entered into agreements with tricolor and one reached a settlement agreement.
Tricolor concludes by saying that in 2018 it also brought to court several cases related to the misuse of trademarks it owns. In one instance, faced with the prospect of significant sanctions, one operator reached a pre-trial agreement to pay compensation amouning to R100,000 (€1,374).
