3 Count: Italian Takedowns

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1: Italy: Illegal IPTV Services Taken Down

First off today, Colin Mann at Advanced Television reports that Italy’s state police have carried out a massive operation against illegal TV streaming services and has managed to take down what it estimates as 80 percent of the illegal streaming services in the country.

The operation involved more than 200 specialists from 11 branches in the country. It wound up primarily targeting a hub in the city of Messina that was raided and shut down. When operating, the service legally acquired much of the content it distributed but then rebroadcast it without permission over the internet.

It is unclear if arrests were made as part of the raid but several homes were also searched and had items seized, including significant amounts of cash. The state police estimate that pirate tv brings in €15 million ($18.3 million) every month for operators.

2: Serie A and Google Team Up to Tackle Online Piracy

Next up today, Ed Dixon at SportsPro reports that Serie A, the premiere soccer league in Italy, has announced a deal with Google to fight back against piracy by ensuring the removal of apps that enable users to watch games illegally.

Google has said it will use “innovative instruments” to detect copyright infringing apps and remove them proactively. Google reiterated that it does remove such apps when they are spotted but hopes that the new approach will reduce the issue further.

According to a representative from Serie A, this move will help push them to “a level of protection unique in the world.” and help further secure Serie A content from piracy.

3: Judge Won’t Enjoin Alcon Product Sales in J&J Code Theft Case

Finally today, Brendan Pierson at Reuters reports that a federal judge has denied an injunction against the medical company Alcon despite the fact the plaintiff showed the judge that they have a high likelihood of winning the case.

The case was filed by AMO Development, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The case started out in June 2020 as a patent lawsuit that alleged Alcon infringed patents when building and selling systems that perform LASIK eye surgery. However, it amended the complaint to add copyright infringement, specifically over computer programming code within Alcon’s systems.

However, the judge in the case has denied an injunction for AMO saying that, even though they proved they will likely succeed in the case, there is no harm that can’t be recovered by damages. Furthermore, the judge expressed concern about how such an injunction might impact patients and felt the danger was simply too high.

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