IPGuys was a popular live TV service. However, it has been ordered to pay DISH Network a mere $14,000 for copyright infringement.
TorrentFreak initially reported that DISH Network filed a copyright lawsuit. This happened in August 2019 against the IPTV service known as “IPGuys,” whose legitimacy hadn’t been verified.
DISH Network has been in the headlines a lot lately. It’s been busy with its legal battles against pirate live TV services. Some of those include Nitro TV and Universe IPTV.
In its initial complaint, DISH claimed that IPGuys’ operators obtained DISH satellite broadcasts illegally. They then transmitted them under the “IPGuys” name.
IPGuys made some bold claims. It said it could provide thousands of channels and VOD content. All this, at a fraction of what a DISH Network subscription would cost.
The individuals accused of running IPGuys were identified as Tomasz Kaczmarek from Canada. Also accused were John and Julia Defoe from New York.
DISH’s complaint included a rather noteworthy statement.
“Kaczmarek retransmits DISH Programming to users of his IPGuys service. He does this without authorization from DISH. Kaczmarek made a profit from the Rebroadcasting Scheme. He sold codes designed to give customers access to servers that retransmit DISH programming on his IPGuys service.”
Even after two years of legal wrangling, DISH Network didn’t seem to be making much progress against IPGuys.
In February 2021, DISH requested a default judgment.
The case ended up in the hands of Judge Sanket J. Bulsara.
Interestingly, Judge Bulsara had some suggestions. He proposed that the complaint against Kaczmarek be dismissed. The reason was a lack of personal jurisdiction. He also thought the judgment against the Defoes should be limited to just $7,000.
It’s safe to say DISH wasn’t thrilled with these recommendations. In July 2021, they filed an objection to Judge Bulsara’s suggestions.
United States District Judge Eric Komitee then took over the case. It seems DISH was hoping for harsher penalties against IPGuys.
Ultimately, Judge Komitee came to the same conclusion. The Court, he agreed, did not have personal jurisdiction over Kaczmarek.
Judge Balsara decided on the damages amount based on something specific. He used the number of seeder accounts, which was seven. He didn’t use the total number of subscriptions sold.
Judge Komitee confirmed this. However, he felt that the $1,000 award per violation wasn’t quite fair to DISH.
Judge Komitee made a statement about the damages.
“I therefore assess $2,000 per violation of 47 U.S.C. § 605(a). I will not, however, apply the $100,000 enhancement for willfulness under 47 U.S.C.§ 605(e)(3)(C)(ii) that DISH has requested. ”
In the end, here’s what happened. The case against Kacmarekt was thrown out. The Defoes were found responsible for a bunch of violations of the Federal Communications Act. They were ordered to cough up just $14,000 in damages.
It’s going to be fascinating to see what the future holds for this IPGuys case. Will DISH Network file more lawsuits? Only time will tell.
We’re committed to keeping you in the loop. As more information emerges about this situation, expect updates from us.
Here’s another interesting tidbit. There are a number of websites claiming to be “IPGuys” that are still up and running. They say they offer access to thousands of channels.
If you’re looking for the official documents, we’ve got you covered. The link below provides access to the complete PDF file that details the memorandum and default judgment.
DISH Network Memorandum – IPGuys
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