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Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Confessions of a dodgy box owner: ‘It did give me pause for thought but the savings are incredible'
Anthony Maguire* has had his 'dodgy box' for just over two years. He resisted the temptation for a long time because he believed the quality of the streams would be patchy and the prevalence of pornographic pop-ups off-putting. A friend who sells and installs the boxes eventually convinced him to buy one so he handed over €300 for the hardware and paid an annual subscription of €150 to access pretty much all the content in the world. 'When I first looked at them years ago the quality was crap. I just couldn't watch a match with all the pixellating and lagging so I stuck with Sky Sports,' he says. 'But the bill was just astronomical, something like €160 a month.' His friend gave him a demo and he was sold. 'The quality was unbelievable, just excellent.' READ MORE He also watches pay-per-view boxing, and his kids have access to movies and television programmes from all the big platforms, often while they are still being screened in Irish cinemas. [ Dodgy boxes: Could I get in trouble for owning one after recent court cases? Opens in new window ] And then there is the ease of use and the portability. 'We went on holidays to Portugal last summer and all I had to do was plug the stick out of my TV at home and into the one on holidays and we had access to exactly the same content,' he says. 'I was able to watch the All-Ireland hurling final just like I was at home.' He says his pal 'who makes a few quid off these things in the background of his life' is not overly concerned he will face any sanctions. 'I suppose if he was caught he could just stop doing it but he has been selling them at a low level for 20 years.' Maguire is not oblivious to the moral and ethical questions of streaming content illegally. He is also old enough to remember the anti-piracy messages found on vinyl records in the 1980s when music fans were warned that home taping was killing music. 'I don't think my mixtapes did any harm to the Violent Femmes or Nirvana really,' he says. 'It does or did give me pause for thought and that is why I was so late to it but the savings are just incredible. When you add the sports to the cost of a terrestrial subscription and three or four streaming platforms, you'd be looking at €250 a month compared to the €150 a year that I pay. 'I know there is an ethical dilemma here; there's no doubt about it. But at the same time these corporations are making astronomical sums and this is just a drop in the ocean to them.' When asked if he has concerns about Sky's latest hints that it might come after end users such as him, he simply laughs. 'I wouldn't be losing any sleep over that,' he says. *Not his real name.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Sky alleges Co Wexford man may have made €450,000 a year from ‘dodgy box' service
Broadcaster and telecommunications giant Sky has claimed in the High Court that a Co Wexford man may have earned up to €450,000 a year from operating a so-called 'dodgy box' service. Sky TV Limited alleges David Dunbar has operated an illegal service providing thousands with access to its copyrighted broadcast material since 2018. Last month, Sky was granted various orders aimed at gathering evidence of Mr Dunbar's alleged infringement, including permission to seize devices belonging to him. In a sworn statement to the court, a Sky anti-piracy investigator says Mr Dunbar is considered by Sky to be a 'top-level' copyright infringer, and that his activity 'is likely to have been to the very serious detriment' of Sky and broadcasters as well as legitimate streaming services in Ireland. Last November, investigators at Sky became aware of a social media account involved in selling an Internet Protocol television service (IPTV). IPTV is the technology behind 'dodgy box' services. READ MORE This account was later linked to Mr Dunbar, the investigator says. Separately, Sky investigators were informed of an anonymous tip-off received by An Garda Síochána's Crime Stoppers initiative, alleging Mr Dunbar's operation of the service. The investigator estimates Mr Dunbar to have up to 5,000 customers paying for his service, generating about €450,000 per year from the operation. Sky's investigation found Mr Dunbar allegedly charged two annual subscription rates for the service, priced at €80 and €100 respectively. The investigator says he believes Mr Dunbar has at least 1,682 customers, but the true number is likely much higher. On Thursday, barristers for Sky said Mr Dunbar, with an address at Manor Crescent, Roxborough Manor, Co Wexford, had breached a number of the court's orders, and was in contempt of court. Theo Donnelly BL, appearing for Sky and instructed by Philip Lee solicitors, said statements made by Mr Dunbar in the proceedings contained inaccuracies and inconsistencies, and failed to explain certain breaches of orders. Mr Donnelly said bank statements exhibited to an unsworn statement, received by his side this week and due to be filed with the court, appeared to show a dissipation of funds, in breach of freezing orders granted by the court. Mr Donnelly suggested that Mr Dunbar be given a final opportunity to clarify Sky's concerns, brought on by his statements. Adam Dodd, a solicitor representing Mr Dunbar, said his client had provided a 'fulsome' affidavit, 'warts and all'. He said his client had admitted to his contempt of court, and has indicated that he is seeking to comply with the orders of the court. Mr Justice Mark Sanfey said he was of the view that Mr Dunbar should 'put his best foot forward' and answer queries raised by Sky regarding his statements to the court. Mr Justice Sanfey warned Mr Dodd that there was a limit to his patience. The judge adjourned the case to next month.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Alleged 'dodgy box' operator may have earned €450,000 per year, court told
Broadcaster and telecommunications giant Sky has claimed in the High Court that a Co Wexford man may have earned up to €450,000 a year from operating a so-called 'dodgy box' service. Sky TV Limited alleges David Dunbar has operated an illegal service providing thousands with access to its copyrighted broadcast material since 2018. Advertisement Last month, Sky was granted various orders aimed at gathering evidence of Mr Dunbar's alleged infringement, including permission to seize devices belonging to him. In a sworn statement to the court, a Sky anti-piracy investigator says Mr Dunbar is considered by Sky to be a 'top-level' copyright infringer, and that his activity 'is likely to have been to the very serious detriment' of Sky and broadcasters and legitimate streaming services in Ireland. Last November, investigators at Sky became aware of a social media account involved in selling an Internet Protocol television service (IPTV). IPTV is the technology behind 'dodgy box' services. This account was later linked to Mr Dunbar, the investigator says. Advertisement Separately, Sky investigators were informed of an anonymous tip-off received by An Garda Síochána's Crime Stoppers initiative, alleging Mr Dunbar's operation of the service. The investigator estimates Mr Dunbar to have up to 5,000 customers paying for his service, generating about €450,000 per year from the operation. Sky's investigation found Mr Dunbar allegedly charged two annual subscription rates for the service, priced at €80 and €100 respectively. The investigator says he believes Mr Dunbar has at least 1,682 customers, but the true number is likely much higher. On Thursday, barristers for Sky said Mr Dunbar, with an address at Manor Crescent, Roxborough Manor, Co Wexford, had breached a number of the court's orders, and was in contempt of court. Advertisement Theo Donnelly BL, appearing for Sky and instructed by Philip Lee solicitors, said statements made by Mr Dunbar in the proceedings contained inaccuracies and inconsistencies, and failed to explain certain breaches of orders. Mr Donnelly said bank statements exhibited to an unsworn statement, received by his side this week and due to be filed with the court, appeared to show a dissipation of funds, in breach of freezing orders granted by the court. Ireland 'Dodgy box' operator jailed for possession of over... Read More Mr Donnelly suggested that Mr Dunbar be given a final opportunity to clarify Sky's concerns, brought on by his statements. Adam Dodd, a solicitor representing Mr Dunbar, said his client had provided a 'fulsome' affidavit, 'warts and all'. He said his client had admitted to his contempt of court, and has indicated that he is seeking to comply with the orders of the court. Mr Justice Mark Sanfey said he was of the view that Mr Dunbar should 'put his best foot forward' and answer queries raised by Sky regarding his statements to the court. Mr Justice Sanfey warned Mr Dodd that there was a limit to his patience. The judge adjourned the case to next month.
