In Las Vegas, the trial over the creators of the illegal streaming service Jetflicks, which provided users with access to a huge library of pirate content, has concluded. The federal court found five accused guilty of conspiracy to violate copyright.
According to the materials of the case, Jetflicks used special software to scan the Internet and collect illegal copies of films and television shows from torrent trackers and usenet. The service catalog totaled more than 183,000 episodes of various television programs, surpassing the collections of legal platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.
The leader of the group, Christopher Dalman, was also found guilty of money laundering. Jetflicks operators reportedly earned hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from subscriptions. Dalman himself mentioned in an online chart that the service brought him $750,000 in a year.
In 2012, the American Association of Films (MPAA) flagged the activities of Jetflicks and requested the site operators to cease their illegal actions. However, a formal investigation only commenced in 2016 when FBI agents, undercover, subscribed to the service for six months.
Investigators documented numerous instances of illegally loading popular shows like “Shameless,” “Ray Donovan,” and “12 Monkeys,” as well as traced the flow of users’ money into the accused’s accounts.
The sentencing date is yet to be determined, but the US Department of Justice indicates that Dallman could face up to 48 years in prison, while the other four accused may face up to 5 years.
Jetflicks first emerged in 2007, boasting on its main page that viewers could access nearly any television show or film “Any and anywhere.”
According to the indictment filed in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2019, Jetflicks had amassed over 37,000 subscribers. Content was available to be viewed on nearly any device with a web browser capable of streaming videos.