Amazon, Netflix and others seek millions in damages from pirate TV service

Amazon, Netflix and a handful of Hollywood studios are asking a court for millions in damages from Set Broadcast, a company accused of infringing multiple copyrights through a pirate video service named SET TV.

According to TorrentFreak, the copyright holders have requested maximum damages on 51 different titles – totaling more than $7.6 million – as well as a permanent injunction against Set Broadcast.

“Set Broadcast has willfully infringed Plaintiffs’ copyrighted works and, in doing so, caused Plaintiffs and their entire business model immense damage. The $7,650,000 statutory damages sought here therefore represents only a fraction of the actual damages inflicted by Set Broadcast on Plaintiffs,” the plaintiffs wrote in a motion filed in a California federal court.

The motion this week comes after last year the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Set Broadcast – naming Jason Labossiere, the site operator and domain registrant of www.setvnow.com, and Nelson Johnson, a partner in Set Broadcast, as defendants.

“‘Setvnow’ and other piracy software applications undermine the legal market for films and television shows, causing harm to a vibrant creative economy that supports millions of workers around the world. ACE is dedicated to protecting creators and reducing online piracy through dedicated actions against illegal enterprises like ‘Setvnow,’” ACE spokesperson Jolyon Kimble said in a statement.

ACE has filed similar suits against other services including Tickbox and Dragon Box.

In addition to Amazon and Netflix, ACE members include CBS, Discovery, Disney, HBO, Hulu, Lionsgate, MGM, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. The organization formed in 2017 with the intent to conduct research, work closely with law enforcement to curtail illegal pirate enterprises, file civil litigation and forge cooperative relationships with existing national content protection organizations to help curb or stop online video piracy.