2024-02-02 20:39 CNA
Chen, the responsible person of Pro-Media Source Technology, along with former employees Lai and Zheng, were charged with instructing and assisting consumers in installing copyright-infringing apps when selling Unblock TV Boxes at the Guanghua Digital Plaza storefront. The New Taipei District Court sentenced Chen to 4 months in prison for violating copyright act.
In addition, former employees Lai and Zheng were sentenced to 30 days and 20 days of detention respectively, for jointly infringing copyright act. Three individuals including the responsible person Chen have their sentence commutable to a fine. while the Pro-Media Source Technology was fined NT$100,000. The entire case is subject to appeal.
The case stems from collaboration between the responsible person Huang of the Taiwan’s Unblock Tech and Chinese piracy entities, which broadcast copyrighted content from 72 companies through set-top boxes. The verdict for the entire case by the New Taipei District Court is scheduled for the end of February; the prosecution has also implicated the Pro-Media Source Technology in the case.
This case has garnered significant public attention due to entertainer “Blackie Chen’s” use of the set-top box to watch copyright-infringing audiovisual content in 2021.
According to the written judgment of the New Taipei District Court, Chen, the responsible person of the Pro-Media Source Technology, along with former store manager Lai and store clerk Zheng, instructed and assisted consumers purchasing Unblock TV Boxes at the Guanghua Digital Plaza storefront in installing apps such as “UBTV” and “UBLIVE” from 2019 to 2021. These actions enabled consumers to watch related channel programs through these apps, thereby infringing copyright.
The judge of New Taipei District Court believes that the three individuals have infringed upon numerous copyrights, and as of now, have not reached a settlement with the plaintiffs. Considering that the responsible person Chen and Pro-Media Source Technology are authorized distributors of Unblock TV Boxes, purchasing goods outright and bearing their own profits and losses, while Lai and Zheng were employees at the lower end of the criminal hierarchy, and all three individuals admitted to their actions, the above verdict was made.
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