There have been twelve new arrests and seventeen sentences for piracy of pay TV signal in Greece and Cyprus.

These are new arrests are related to "card sharing" networks in Greece and Cyprus.

So far there have been 17 sentences in total, since 2010,. Sentences range from imprisonment of 6 months to 9 years and with corresponding monetary penalties of up to €32,000.

The more recent sentence on June 7 this year constitutes a significant case, involving one of the largest criminal networks in Greece and with much heavier penalties being imposed. The defendant, who was distributing keys to decode pay TV services, was sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment, a fine of €20,000, deprivation of civil rights for 3 years, confiscation and destruction of the seized material and forfeiture of a guarantee of €5,000. The court also judged that the lodge of an appeal will not be permitted in this case.

The ever growing number of arrests by the police electronic crime prosecution departments of Greece and Cyprus for technical piracy and illegal trading of the pay TV signals demonstrates the seriousness with which the authorities now deal with the problem of the piracy of pay TV signal. It signifies also important developments in the legislative approach. Specifically, piracy of the pay TV signal now constitutes a felonious act, resulting in criminal prosecutions.