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Cricket and other sports pirates get the boot as broadcasters flex their legal muscle
MUMBAI: The International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy (Ibcap) has been rather busy playing digital sheriff, rounding up streaming rustlers and making pirates walk the legal plank. The coalition’s 2025 annual report, released at its Anaheim gathering on 14 May, revealed a year of impressive swashbuckling against content thieves who’ve been helping themselves to premium programming without so much as a by-your-leave.
The real crowd-pleaser was Ibcap’s cricket crusade, where it showed that protecting live sports requires the reflexes of a wicket-keeper and the persistence of a tail-end batsman. During the 2024 Indian Premier League tournament, its analysts in India and America worked in real-time shifts, sending takedown notices faster than Jasprit Bumrah delivers yorkers. The result was spectacular: 6,723 streams disrupted over the tournament’s duration and more than 2.1 million Facebook Live views blocked worldwide. Its takedown rate on social media and mobile apps achieved a perfect 100 per cent—leaving pirates and would-be viewers equally frustrated.
The highly popular cricket T20 World Cup saw similar success, with Ibcap’s laboratory removing 3,783 streams and disrupting over a million Facebook Live views globally. On set-top box and IPTV services, it knocked out 2,852 streams with a 77 per cent success rate, whilst web-based live streams suffered even more, with 5,940 removed at a 70 per cent clip. Social media and mobile apps once again proved no match for IBCAP’s digital fielding, maintaining that perfect 100 per cent takedown rate.
Ibcap expanded it merry band of crusaders with three notable additions: Japanese public broadcaster NHK, whose programming reaches 160 countries, joined the fray in June 2024, bringing protection for Japanese-language content into the fold. American video distribution heavyweight DirecTV followed suit in March 2025, broadening Ibcap’s reach into mainstream American programming. Most recently, Italy’s national broadcaster Rai signed up, dragging its popular channels Rai Uno and Rai Italia—home to variety shows, sports, and live Serie A football—under Ibcap’s protective umbrella. With programming available across 174 countries on five continents, RAI’s addition proves that even the land of pasta and beautiful football isn’t immune to streaming skulduggery. Ibcap currently represents over 220 television channels from America, Europe, Brazil, the Middle East and South Asia.
The coalition hasn’t just been collecting members like Panini stickers. Its laboratory techies have developed a rather clever automated monitoring system that spots dodgy video-on-demand content on set-top boxes and IPTV services faster than you can say “buffering.” This proprietary digital bloodhound doesn’t just watch—it captures evidence, preserves it for legal proceedings, and fires off automated takedown notices to infringing services, content delivery networks, and hosting companies worldwide. The result? Illegal streams vanish quicker than a Test match in Perth. Ibcap is so pleased with this technological marvel that it’s considering offering the service to non-members and other organisations in the broader anti-piracy battle.
Ibcap’s legal team has been throwing punches worth millions, building on its successful track record of making hosting providers pay for digital negligence. After pocketing a tidy $3m settlement from hosting provider Datacamp—a warning shot across the industry’s bow—it has trained its legal cannons on Virtual Systems and Innetra PC with lawsuits filed in October 2024 and May 2025 respectively.
Virtual Systems’ behaviour was particularly brazen, operating what can only be described as a piracy paradise. The company allegedly ran a “DMCA ignored” policy—about as subtle as a brick through a window—advertising that “we ignore DMCA takedown notices” to potential customers. When Ibcap sent over 500 separate infringement notices, Virtual Systems treated them with all the respect of junk mail, allowing numerous pirate services to continue using its servers and network infrastructure to stream copyrighted content. The company’s reward for such cavalier attitudes? A lawsuit seeking over $41m in statutory damages plus a permanent injunction.
Innetra PC proved equally troublesome, emerging as a major offender in Ibcap’s crosshairs after being identified as responsible for delivering approximately 15 per cent of unauthorised Ibcap member streams on set-top box and IPTV services during the first quarter of 2025. Its comeuppance: a lawsuit demanding more than $25m in statutory damages and, like Virtual Systems, a permanent injunction to stop hosting infringing content.
Perhaps most satisfying was the legal thrashing handed to the operators of Lemo TV and Kemo IPTV in April 2025. These streaming scallywags had been particularly audacious, continuing to broadcast Ibcap protected content despite receiving approximately 100 infringement notices—roughly one for every boundary in a decent innings. During the first quarter of 2025 alone, the service accounted for almost 30 per cent of all unauthorised streams detected on set-top box and IPTV services monitored by Ibcap’s laboratory.
The service’s persistence in piracy proved costly. The lawsuit seeks statutory damages exceeding $25m, plus profits from potentially thousands of unregistered works that were illegally distributed. But the legal punishment doesn’t stop at financial penalties—Ibcap wants a permanent injunction to shut down the operation entirely, an order forcing the transfer of domain names used by the service, and recovery of reasonable legal fees and costs. It’s the equivalent of not just getting bowled out, but having your stumps scattered across three counties.
The message is crystal clear: content pirates may think they’re sailing in international waters, but Ibcap’s legal navy is patrolling every digital sea lane with an arsenal that would make admiral Nelson proud. With automated monitoring systems scanning the digital horizon, a growing fleet of broadcaster allies from five continents, and a track record of multi-million-dollar settlements, the coalition is proving that in the world of content protection, crime doesn’t pay—especially when it’s streaming someone else’s cricket match, Serie A fixture, or prime-time drama without permission.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
