Three arrested over alleged breach of copyright law

Three Sydney men have been arrested and charged with breaches of the Copyright Act after search warrants were conducted on premises in Sefton, Granville and Lidcombe late last week.

Two Sefton men, one aged 26 and another 60, and a 38-year-old Granville man, have been 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 premises in Lidcombe 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 $60,500.

AFP’s National Manager for Economic and Special Operations, Assistant Commissioner Mandy Newton, said these arrests should serve as a warning to consumers against the purchase and use of unauthorised decryption devices.

“We would remind consumers that use of unauthorised decryption equipment constitutes a criminal offence,” Assistant Commissioner Newton said.

“Our officers have taken possession of documentation which may serve to identify purchasers of this equipment and investigations into this matter are ongoing.”

Individual use of an unauthorised broadcast decoding device may constitute an offence under the provisions of state and territory legislation.