Last week, the trial was held at the Patent and Market Court of Appeal (PMÖD) against two of the men behind IPTV King.
One of the men was convicted by the Patent and Market Court (PMD) to a suspended sentence and to pay just over 2 million in damages to the plaintiffs, the film companies. Both the convicted man and the prosecutor appealed the verdict.
The other man was acquitted by PMD because there was not sufficient evidence during the indictment period. The court noted in the judgment that there are several circumstances linking the man to IPTV King before the indictment period, and that he received transfers from bitcoin addresses linked to the illegal service. Because the man stayed away in Turkey, the statute of limitations for the crime expired. The court, however, forfeited SEK 2,5 million, watches and jewellery, in proceeds of crime, finding that he had earned the funds through criminal activity. The man appealed this part, and it is now under consideration by PMÖD.
Links to international organized crime connections are clear. IPTV King was a reseller for one of the world’s largest illegal IPTV services, initially called IPTV Stack (later renamed Rapid IPTV), which was administered mainly from Spain.
The administrators of IPTV Stack were convicted in Spain last week. The network provided IPTV infrastructure and had over a million paying users worldwide, via almost a thousand websites. The organization is believed to have earned over €15 million (about SEK 137 million).
The lead suspect ran the organization from Barcelona, where he led a luxurious life. He has now accepted a two-year prison sentence, forfeiture of the seized material, and payment of €8.7 million (about SEK 80 million) in fines. In addition, he must pay €12 million (about SEK 110 million) in damages to the affected rights holders.
Four additional defendants have also accepted charges in exchange for reduced penalties, and admitted various offenses against IP rights, the market, and consumers, and in several cases, money laundering.
The case has shownshows how online piracy is intertwined with complex money-laundering networks in various countries, where several channels are used to support and divert the enormous profits generated, said Inspector José Luis Gómez Pidal of the Spanish police, in a statement to The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), which can be read in full here, together with more information about the Spanish investigation and judgment.
ACE is the world’s leading coalition dedicated to protecting the legitimate creative market and reducing digital piracy, and they have achieved many successful actions against illegal streaming services. The Rights Alliance is part of ACE’s international network.
The case shows strong and concrete links between Swedish IPTV services and serious organized crime.
Publicerad: 2026-04-24