Singapore High Court Issues Blocking Order to Websites Illegally Streaming Premier League Matches
SINGAPORE, March 21 (Bernama) -- The English Premier League has obtained order from Singapore High Court to force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to 25 of the most popular websites that illegally stream the league’s matches.
The Premier League said the action, as part of its ongoing measures to tackle illegal streaming throughout Asia, takes the number of domains blocked in Singapore by the league to more than 460.
"In the past year, the League has worked closely with the authorities in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam to crackdown on suppliers of illegal Premier League content.
“Legal action has included website blocks in Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia and landmark cases against sellers of illicit streaming devices in Singapore,” it said in a statement, Thursday.
Premier League general counsel Kevin Plumb said they welcomed the decision by Singapore courts which shows a continued commitment to protecting intellectual property.
He said Premier League will continue working with its broadcast partner StarHub, as well as local authorities and ISPs to block illegal streams and to make fans aware of the dangers associated with these websites.
“In shutting down these pirate sites, we are not only stopping illegal activity, but also helping reduce the possibility of fans being put at risk of scams.
“We know from recent research that people accessing illegal streaming sites in Singapore are nearly four times more likely to be exposed to a cyber threat than on a mainstream site,” he said.
A study by leading cybersecurity consultant and researcher Professor Paul Watters revealed that consumers have an average of 48 per cent chance of encountering a cyber threat on the top 25 illegal streaming sites in Singapore.
“More than half (53 per cent) of adverts analysed on these websites were categorised as high risk, with consumers 3.5 times more at risk of scams when visiting illegal sports streaming sites, compared to mainstream sites in Singapore,” it said.
-- BERNAMA
