International. The International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy, IBCAP, announced the latest member lawsuit. This latest case comes on the heels of more than 20 successful trials coordinated and supported by IBCAP over the past five years.
DISH Network, a member of IBCAP and owner of exclusive rights that were infringed, filed this lawsuit after multiple infringement notices sent by IBCAP to iStar Company and Atlas Electronics were ignored.
The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District, The District of Michigan targets iStar Company (operator of iStar IPTV service, one of the leading Arabic-language pirate services in the U.S.), Ahmed Karim (owner and director of iStar Company), Atlas Electronics (a Retailer of unauthorized IPTV services based in Dearborn, Michigan), and Alaa Al-Emara (owner and director of Atlas Electronics).
Claims include direct and indirect copyright infringement against iStar Company and Ahmed Karim and an indirect claim of copyright infringement against Atlas Electronics and Alaa Al-Emara. In total, the lawsuit seeks damages of more than $24 million and injunctions.
Judgments in previous trials coordinated by IBCAP have included devastating monetary recognitions against pirate services and distributors and retailers in its distribution chain, including lawsuits that have forced retailers out of business, some of which have filed for bankruptcy in order to try to avoid liability. In addition to the financial impact, at the core of almost all of these legal victories is a court order that disabled the pirate network by directing third parties such as hosting companies, CDNs, and retailers to stop supporting that pirate network.
