Man who sold illegal TV Fire sticks jailed after 'cheating Sky, BT and Netflix out of £108k'
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A man who sold illegal TV Fire sticks and cheated legitimate providers out of more than £108,000 has been jailed for two years. Sunny Kanda, 40, sold the illegally-modified devices - known colloquially as "dodgy sticks" during an 18-month period between 2020 and 2022, a court heard. By giving his customers access to content that is usually only available on paid platforms such as Sky, BT Sport, Disney+ and Netflix, he infringed copyright laws.
The court heard Kanda, who sold the Fire sticks on a closed Facebook group which had more than 3,900 members, was arrested following an investigation by National Trading Standards, local government and intellectual property organisation 'FACT'. An undercover investigator, posing as a customer, infiltrated the social media group and bought one of the devices.
The investigator later found the device had been modified to provide unauthorised access to premium film, television, and live sports content using applications called The Vodfather XC and Plex, Birmingham Live reported. Kanda was sentenced at York Crown Court on January 3 after pleading guilty in August to three charges relating to fraud, copyright and concealing bank transfers linked to criminal activity.
A hearing will be held on May 7 to decide if financial orders will be imposed on him. A spokesperson for National Trading Standards said on Friday: "Accessing pirated content through illegal TV Fire sticks undermines the UK's entertainment industry, putting its talented workforce and supply chains at risk by depriving them of fair earnings and revenue.
