Courts / Dublin / Report
Computer technician avoids jail for 'reprehensible' dodgy box scheme
Summary
Paul O'Brien, a 38‑year‑old computer technician from Tallaght, pleaded guilty to three counts of copyright infringement for selling Android boxes that enabled cheap access to thousands of TV channels. Between June 2016 and December 2017 he sold about 150 boxes, charging customers €12 a month for activation codes that unlocked roughly 4,000 channels. Gardaí traced the scheme after a Sky investigator purchased a box in October 2017, leading to warrants and a raid in December 2017 that seized computers, flyers, business cards and a black tower PC containing data on activation codes. O'Brien's bank account held €34,017, about 60 % of which came from the illegal sales. At the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to 240 hours of community service, ordered the forfeiture of €20,410 and the destruction of the seized equipment, and noted that a custodial sentence was considered but ultimately not imposed.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Computer technician avoids jail for 'reprehensible' dodgy box scheme. 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
- October 2017 Incident
- September 2018 Incident
- 2023-04-27 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 previously referred the case to the probation service to see if O'Brien was suitable for community service, ordering 240 hours of community service in lieu of two years imprisonment. The court heard today that O'Brien was deemed eligible for community service, and the judge finalised the sentence.
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