IPTV platform BrightBlue convicted of copyright infringement
OCTOBER 3, 2023 EUROPE/LONDON BY BROADBAND TV NEWS CORRESPONDENT

TV5Monde and RAI Uno, together with their agent and distributor Pratensis Media BV and Local Insert BV, have successfully instigated summary proceedings against IPTV platform BrightBlue.

German BrightBlue GmbH & Co KG and its Dutch subsidiary BrightBlue BV made a channel package available to TV providers in the Netherlands through their IPTV platform. However, the channels TV5Monde and RAI Uno were offered on the platform without their consent, according to Pratensis Media and Local Insert.

BrightBlue claimed that it was not at fault, as it only provided a technical service and its B2B customers, the follow-up distributors, were the parties that made the channels available to the public. The court rejected that, concluding that BrightBlue committed copyright infringement, not only because it distributed the TV signals, but also because the signals were stored on servers operated by BrightBlue, offering add-on services such as instant replay, catch-up TV and cloud recording, according to Pratensis Media and Local Insert.

The plaintiffs were represented in the case by Amsterdam-based law firm Boekx, specialists in media and intellectual property.

“We are very happy with this ruling, as we can now take even better action against parties who unlawfully distribute and replicate our channels,” said André Vroegindeweij, CEO of Pratensis Media BV and Local insert BV.

Lawyer Fulco Blokhuis is pleased with the verdict: “This ruling shows that every party in the chain of publicising and multiplying must adequately arrange permission, so that the high level of protection is guaranteed.”

In Germany, BrightBlue ceased operations last year.