Premier League respond after man jailed for selling dodgy firesticks

The Premier League has responded after a man was jailed for modifying Amazon firesticks for the illegal streaming of premium sports, TV shows and movies. Jonathan Edge, 29, made at least £15,000 modifying the devices at his Anfield home between April 2020 and December 2023.

He advertised his services on Facebook and Instagram at a cost of £30 per firestick, with discounts offered for the purchase of multiple firesticks. The illegally modified devices gave customers access to subscription-based content belonging to Sky and BT Sport, as well as a library of around 10,000 blockbuster films, worth "well over £1m".

His advertising was noticed by FACT, the federation against copyright theft, in October 2020, and the authority issued takedown notices to have the ads removed. However, despite multiple takedown requests from FACT, Edge continued to advertise his business on social media.

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In August 2023, an undercover FACT investigator carried out a test purchase of four illegal firesticks from Edge at a cost of £100. These firesticks were examined, and the federation's findings were passed onto Merseyside Police.

On December 13 2023, police officers carried out a search warrant at Edge's house on Anfield Road and seized a mobile phone, on which they found the names of 500 customers. Edge, who has previous convictions for fraud, was on licence at the time he began his illegal trade, having been sentenced to three years for dealing cocaine in 2019.

He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud. Sentencing the dad of two to 40 months in prison, Judge Andrew Menary said: "Many broadcasters and other media outlets make TV content available online, which can be accessed legitimately if users pay for a subscription.

"This revenue stream is vital to allow the companies to continue to provide the services, and to avoid this subscription is not only dishonest but also threatens the operations of these services. People like you seem to think it's clever or funny or a legitimate con if you can get away with it. But the reality is broadcasters lose millions through such activity.

"The defence submits on your behalf you were operating at the bottom of the chain, a somewhat wretched and pathetic individual; out of his depth. I do not accept that. Your activities were blatant, and probably because you never thought you would be held to account."

The Premier League has since responded to the sentencing. Kevin Plumb, Premier League General Counsel, said: “The significant sentence handed down to the individual involved once again serves to highlight the severity of his actions and we thank Merseyside Police for their support throughout the case.

“We will continue to pursue legal action against those supplying unauthorised access to Premier League football, regardless of the scale or mode of operation. Ignoring warnings to stop only served to make the consequences worse for the individual.

“The selling of broadcast rights supports the Premier League’s industry-leading financial contribution to the whole football pyramid and we’re pleased that the courts have once again recognised the importance of safeguarding these rights with the outcome of this case. No matter the scale, we will continue to protect these rights by carrying out investigations and prosecuting illegal operators at every level.”

Keiron Sharp, CEO of FACT, added: “FACT are committed to investigating and acting against IP crime. Offenders should be aware that regardless of their level of operation or advertising methods, including word-of-mouth or platforms like Facebook, creating an illegal business for the purposes of selling stolen content to others will be investigated by the police, resulting in sentences such as the one given today.

“We thank Merseyside Police for their collaboration in this case. Piracy is a crime and we will continue to work with law enforcement to protect our members’ content and ensure that offenders face the consequences of their criminal actions.”