Russia’s leading pay-TV operator Tricolor initiated 15 criminal cases against pirates in 2019.
This, according to the company, was three more than the previous year and against 17 persons. In total, the courts passed 10 convictions. Tricolor adds that deprivation of liberty, although conditional, or the restriction of liberty, is no longer exceptional in such cases.
In one instance, for the manufacture and distribution of modified smart cards, the pirate was sentenced to 18 months of forced labour and a deduction of the convict’s salary of 10% of the state’s monthly income.
The court in the Stavropol territory also fined the pirate R105,192 (€1.282).
Although the pirate lodged an appeal, their sentence was only reduced by one month. In another case a pirate from Ingushetia convicted of distributing a modified smart card was sentenced to three years in prison, with a probationary period of one year.
The severity of the punishment was probably influenced by the fact that the offender was an authorised Tricolor dealer at that time.
Tricolor also monitors the illegal distribution of its services in public places and last year sent over 50 allegations of the violation of rights to law enforcement agencies.
Inspections were initiated in each case and 18 agreement concluded pre-trial, worth a total of almost R700,000 a year.
In addition, Tricolor continued to fight sites that misused its trademark. This resulted in a number of lawsuits, with violators paying between R50,000 and R100,000 in compensation.
