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Men Charged with Violating Copyright Act
03 December 2012
Three Sydney men have been arrested and charged with breaches of the Copyright Act after search warrants were conducted in November, according to an Australian Federal Police (AFP) report. The men were charged under section 135ASB (1) of the Copyright Act 1968.
Police allege the men were engaged with the selling or hiring of unauthorised devices capable of decoding the signals of subscription television (pay-TV) broadcasters such as Austar, Foxtel and United Broadcasting International (UBI).
Two homes, a business and a number of vehicles were searched as part of the operation. The maximum penalty for breaching this section of the Copyright Act is five years imprisonment and/or a fine of A$60,500 (US$40,000).
AFP’s National Manager for Economic and Special Operations, Assistant Commissioner Mandy Newton, said the arrests should serve as a warning to consumers against the purchase and use of unauthorised decryption devices. “Our officers have taken possession of documentation which may serve to identify purchasers of this equipment and investigations into this matter are ongoing.”
