Law enforcement authorities have arrested two men allegedly linked to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) Lime Fiber Internet for providing illegal internet services in Nairobi County.
The Partners Against Piracy Association of Kenya (PAP) and the Kenya Police Cybercrime and Crime Scene Forensic Units led an operation targeting illegal Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the County, resulting in the arrest of the duo.
As a result of the operation, authorities seized tools used in the unlawful activities, including 5 mobile phones, 2 VOIP headsets, 3 CPUs, 12 hard drives, 1 laptop, 4 internet switches, and 1 optical line terminal.
PAP stated in a press release that this intervention has disrupted the illegal services offered to about 3,000 subscribers in the Kasarani-Mwiki-Santon areas.
“This intervention has disrupted the illegal services provided to approximately 3,000 subscribers in the Kasarani-Mwiki- Santon areas, who were illegally accessing premium content, such as English Premier League (EPL), WWC and La Liga live sports through the WeCast App,” PAP said.
“The investigations revealed that the WeCast App is installed on the client’s mobile phone or digital television upon subscription to Lime Fiber internet, where login details are provided by the perpetrators.”
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According to the Authorities, such illicit activities deprive rightful owners of their deserved income and negatively impact overall investments in producing quality content.
“This illicit activity deprives rightful owners of their due revenue, and impacts the overall investment in quality content creation,” said PAP.
“Additionally, it creates unfair competition for other ISPs, Video On Demand services and Broadcasters, operating within the legal framework, by adhering to copyright laws and ethical business practices, as well as paying taxes.”
Section 36 (6) of the Copyright Act stipulates that copyright infringement is a criminal offense, carrying a maximum fine of Ksh. 800,000 and/or imprisonment not exceeding 10 years.
