U.S. Courts Hit Pirate IPTV Operators With $24M in Damages, June 12

U.S. federal courts handed down two major copyright judgments against illegal IPTV operators this week. A New York judge found a Queens electronics store liable for selling pirate IPTV boxes, while a Pennsylvania court ordered a digital piracy operator to pay $9 million. These rulings show courts are targeting both resellers and operators in the illegal streaming ecosystem.

New York Store Faces $25 Million in Potential Damages

On June 9, 2026, U.S. District Judge Orelia Merchant granted partial summary judgment against Massive Wireless and its owner Khaled Akhtar in Jackson Heights, Queens. The store sold pirate IPTV boxes preloaded with the service Glo TV, also known as Rays IPTV. DISH Network, which filed the lawsuit in December 2023, used a private investigator to purchase one of the boxes as evidence. The store owner admitted he made only $5,000 in gross proceeds from selling the boxes, yet faces up to $25 million in statutory damages for willful contributory and vicarious copyright infringement.

Pennsylvania Operator Hit With $9 Million Default Judgment

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) announced that Judge Jennifer Wilson in the Middle District of Pennsylvania awarded $9 million in statutory damages against Brandon Weibley. Weibley operated multiple illegal IPTV services including Beast Mode Live, GreenWing Media, and Viking Media dating back to at least 2017. His services gave subscribers unauthorized access to more than 9,000 channels, including international programming and live sports. The court also granted a permanent injunction requiring Weibley to transfer all piracy-related domains to ACE.

Enforcement Strategy Targets Entire Supply Chain

Courts are holding resellers, operators, and wholesalers liable across the pirate IPTV ecosystem. The New York case traced boxes from wholesaler Mumtazur Rehman Daud to the retail store, showing how the supply chain operates. A separate California operator behind Outer Limits IPTV received a $15 million default judgment in similar circumstances. These judgments serve as deterrents, though defendants who do not appear in court rarely pay the full amount. The real enforcement tool is domain seizure and the public warning to future operators.

What This Means for Consumers and the Industry

These rulings establish that selling or operating pirate IPTV services carries significant legal risk. Courts have shown they will pursue both small retailers and large operators. Consumers using these services face potential legal exposure, and legitimate streaming providers like DISH benefit from reduced competition. The judgments signal that copyright holders will continue aggressive litigation against the illegal streaming supply chain.

Final Thoughts

Federal courts are cracking down on pirate IPTV operators with multimillion-dollar judgments and domain seizures. Investors in legitimate streaming platforms may see reduced competition, though collecting damages from defendants remains challenging.

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The content shared by Meyka AI PTY LTD is solely for research and informational purposes.  Meyka is not a financial advisory service, and the information provided should not be considered investment or trading advice.