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Tech avoids jail for running 'dodgy box' business
Summary
Paul O'Brien, 38, pleaded guilty to three counts of copyright infringement for selling android 'dodgy boxes' that enabled cheap access to about 4,000 TV channels. He sold the boxes to 150 customers, charging €12 a month for activation codes, generating roughly €1,800 monthly. Gardaí traced him after a Sky investigator purchased a box from his website, IPTV Wizard, and seized evidence including a black Tower PC, flyers, business cards and bank details. O'Brien's bank account held €34,410, about 60 % from illegal sales. Judge Martin Nolan, noting the offence's "sneaky" nature, imposed 240 hours of community service instead of a custodial sentence, ordered forfeiture of €20,410 and destruction of seized equipment, and adjourned the case for finalisation on 27 April. The judge highlighted the potential earnings and the impact on O'Brien's personal life, including his partner's cervical cancer diagnosis and their 14‑year‑old son. The case remains at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Tech avoids jail for running 'dodgy box' business. Charges or matters: three sample counts of copyright infringements involving the possession and sale of so-called "protection-defeating devices" on dates between June 2016 and December 2017. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 2016 Incident
- December 2017 Incident
- April 27 Adjournment
- October 2017 Incident
- September 2018 Incident
- 2023-02-10 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: three sample counts of copyright infringements involving the possession and sale of so-called "protection-defeating devices" on dates between June 2016 and December 2017 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: The judge said his first thought had been to imprison O'Brien, describing the offences as "classic white collar criminal behaviour" and commented the only deterrence was a custodial sentence. The judge referred the case to the probation service to see if O'Brien was suitable for community service, ordering 240 hours community service in lieu of two years imprisonment.; He adjourned the case to April 27 next for finalisation.
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