Man guilty of 34 copyright violations in Singapore

A shop owner in Singapore, Wang Yue, has pleaded guilty to 34 charges related to selling illegal streaming devices. He is the owner of Ace Technologies, which operated in Sim Lim Square. Wang, a 36-year-old Chinese national, faced the charges in State Courts on March 20. The court found that between 2018 and 2022, his company sold devices that allowed users to access copyrighted content from major providers like Disney and the English Premier League. According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Jonathan Tan, Wang was responsible for sourcing the devices from an overseas supplier. He instructed his employees to promote the devices by claiming customers could watch content without extra fees. Each device was sold for prices between $149 and $249, giving Wang profits of $39 to $99 per sale. He reportedly earned around $18,000 a month from these sales. Wang continued selling the devices despite receiving warnings from the Premier League in 2020. He was arrested in October 2022 after police seized over 1,000 illegal devices from his shop during a raid. The prosecution is seeking a jail term of up to six months and five weeks, along with a fine for Wang and his firm. Wang and Ace Technologies initially faced 50 copyright charges each. Some remaining charges will be considered during his sentencing on April 24. Changes to Singapore’s Copyright Act in 2021 made it illegal to sell streaming boxes that help access pirated content. Following these changes, warnings sent to shop owners have reportedly reduced the number of physical stores selling such devices by about 80%.