Court ruling could see pre-loaded ‘dodgy boxes’ become a thing of the past

The end of the so called ‘dodgy box’ could be in sight after a ruling by the European Court Of Justice yesterday.

The ruling specifically focused on the sale of devices which are pre-loaded with software which enables the user to stream copyrighted content such as TV programmes, movies and sports.

Up until now there had been a grey area in Irish and European law in relation to the sale of pre-loaded boxes, however the court ruled that, “the sale of a multimedia player which enables films that are available illegally on the internet to be viewed easily and for free on a television screen could constitute an infringement of copyright”.

The ruling came after a case in the Netherlands in which the seller of the device was selling an item that had been pre-loaded with software which allowed the buyer to stream copyrighted content.

Many sellers of the devices in Ireland market them as a way for people to watch premium movies, sports and more for free, but the ruling by the European Court Of Justice means sellers may have to rethink how they market the boxes.

This week eBay announced they would be withdrawing any pre-loaded devices from their site, with an eBay spokesperson saying: “Anyone found to be knowingly selling items that don’t comply with the law will be investigated and could face account restrictions or suspension.”

Although the ruling does go further than before, the sale of devices that do not contain specific software remains legal, and with online guides showing how to install software that would allow users to stream copyrighted content readily available, it remains to be seen whether or not the ‘dodgy box’ will survive or slowly fade away.