Selling Set-Top Boxes That Offer Pirated Streaming Content Will be Illegal in S’pore

We all love good quality content, but hate paying for stuff.

This is one of the many reasons why YouTube has become so popular; who the heck wants to pay to watch cute cats reacting to cucumbers?

Not every show or sports event is accessible on online streaming platforms, however, which is why android set-top boxes have become popular in recent years.

When consumers were told that had to pay a measly yearly sum to have access to all the channels they desire, they couldn’t believe their luck.

But, as my boss told me when I asked him about other companies offering their employees more than one hour of free time a month, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

Selling Set-Top Boxes That Offer Pirated Streaming Content Will be Illegal in S’pore

In fact, if you sell set-top boxes that offer pirated streaming of movies and television shows, you could go to jail.

At least that’s what the Ministry of Law proposed yesterday in Parliament as part of amendments to the Copyright Act.

At the moment, the Copyright Act does not account for set-top boxes or devices that stream content from illegal sources.

Because of this, there’s some legal ambiguity over whether retailers will be prosecuted, and many have taken advantage of this loophole.

Sometimes, customers who purchase these set-top boxes aren’t even aware that the content accessed is illegal.

But not anymore.

Once the proposed changes to the Copyright Act go through, enforcement action can be taken against retailers who continue to sell such devices.

If convicted under the amended act, offenders can be fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to five years, or both.

If the offending retailer is a company, then this fine can go up to $200,000.

Retailers can also be sued by owners who have rights to the shows or movies, and may be ordered to stop sales or compensate the rights owners for losses.

Retailers will also not be permitted to install apps onto a consumer’s device, like a smart TV, so they can watch pirated shows online.

In fact, even if they sell set-top boxes without illegal apps, but instruct the customer on how to access such content, they can still face enforcement action.

What About Streaming Pirated Content Online?

I wouldn’t know anything about this, but there are apparently websites on the interweb that stream movies and tv shows for free without the permission of the rights owners.

Really, I don’t know anything about this and would never use such a thing myself.

While the amended Copyright Act may not directly prosecute individuals for watching pirated content, it does have other provisions for rights owners.

This includes allowing content owners to get a court order that requires Internet service providers to block access to such websites.

This way, consumers will be forced to pay for the content they consume.

If the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act is passed in Parliament, most of the provisions will likely come into effect around November.

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