Fake Netflix & Prime Video: $5M Illegal OTT Racket
An illegal streaming service called Jetflicks, which offers over 183,000 tv episodes and 10,000 films for a $9.99 monthly subscription, is comparable to Netflix and amazon Prime, but it was created and run by five guys who were found guilty of doing so. In addition to Dallmann being accused with money laundering, the leaders, Kristopher Dallmann, Douglas Courson, Felipe Garcia, Jared Jaurequi, and Peter Huber, were found guilty in Las Vegas of copyright infringement and associated offences.
According to the US Department of Justice, Jetflicks amassed a collection bigger than the combined contents of Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and amazon Prime by copying hundreds of thousands of tv programmes without authorization. With the promise of providing almost any episode or movie on demand, the service highlighted its vast collection and let users watch content on a variety of devices.
The gang downloaded tv series and films from pirate websites using automated programmes, then kept them on their own servers. They frequently competed with official streaming platforms by releasing fresh episodes soon after they aired. They pretended to be a provider of aircraft entertainment in order to avoid copyright concerns and payment problems. The service brought in a tonne of money. According to court records, Kristopher Dallmann bragged that Jetflicks made $750,000 in just a single year during an online discussion. Thus, they might have easily made $5–$6 million in 10–12 years.
The gang downloaded tv series and films from pirate websites using automated programmes, then kept them on their own servers. They frequently competed with official streaming platforms by releasing fresh episodes soon after they aired. They pretended to be a provider of aircraft entertainment in order to avoid copyright concerns and payment problems. The service brought in a tonne of money. According to court records, Kristopher Dallmann bragged that Jetflicks made $750,000 in just a single year during an online discussion. Thus, they might have easily made $5–$6 million in 10–12 years.
They failed to pay for the streaming rights even though they were generating millions of dollars, which resulted in significant losses for the owners of copyrights. Jetflicks was closed in 2019 after an FBI investigation that started in 2016 resulted in the current convictions. Dallmann may be sentenced to 48 years, while the other defendants may be sentenced to a maximum of 5 years apiece. Dates of sentencing are not yet set.