In a decisive move against digital piracy, Greece has expanded its legislative and regulatory arsenal to target not only the distributors of illegal IPTV services but also the consumers themselves.

1. Legal Foundations: Law 2121/1993

At the heart of Greece’s efforts lies Law 2121/1993, the country’s foundational copyright legislation governing literary, audiovisual, and other creative works. Key provisions include Article 65A, which outlines administrative penalties for intellectual property violations—including unauthorized access to audiovisual content—and Article 66, which addresses criminal offenses related to piracy.

2. Joint Ministerial Decision 358834/2025: Administering the Fines

The procedural mechanism for enforcing fines stems from Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) 358834/2025. This decision lays out the rules for issuing and collecting administrative fines under Article 65A of Law 2121/1993.

• It empowers entities such as the Independent Authority of Public Revenue, the Financial Crime Prosecution Corps, Market Control Unit, police, and Customs Authorities to initiate investigations and levy fines.

• Fines for end users begin at €750 per violation, doubling to €1,500 for repeat offenses.

• In commercial contexts (e.g., a business using pirated IPTV), the penalties start at €5,000, rising to €10,000 for repeat violations.

• For more serious infringements—typically through distribution—fines start at €2,900, though paying double the administrative amount can avoid criminal prosecution.

3. New Joint Ministerial Decision (Culture + Finance): Criminal Penalties Added

Recently, a separate Joint Ministerial Decision signed by the Culture and Finance Ministries has further strengthened the legal framework. Now, the use of pirated audiovisual content is a criminal offense:

• Offenders may face a minimum of one year in prison and fines starting at €2,900.

• Administrative fines remain similar to those under JMD 358834/2025: €750 for individual use, €1,500 for promotion, and up to €5,000 in commercial cases—with penalties doubling for repeat infractions.

• Importantly, criminal charges can be dropped if the offender pays double the imposed administrative fine.

4. Conclusion

Greece’s updated approach combines a long-standing copyright framework with newly sharpened enforcement tools. By operationalizing administrative fines through JMD 358834/2025 and adding criminal consequences via the Culture-Finance JMD, authorities have created a multi-layered system aimed at deterring both casual viewers and large-scale distributors of pirated IPTV content.

The message is clear: even private streaming of illegal channels is no longer a low-risk activity. With fines starting at €750 and the possibility of prison time, Greek users are being pushed toward legal alternatives.

This raises an important question for the rest of Europe: could Greece’s model inspire similar crackdowns in piracy-heavy countries like Spain, where illegal IPTV use is also widespread?