In Ternopil Region, a "Pirate" Received 3 Years in Prison for Illegally Broadcasting Ukrainian TV Channels
1+1 Media reports on the criminal prosecution of a man who was involved in the illegal distribution of television content
Recently, on August 7, 2025, the Zboriv District Court of Ternopil Region convicted a local resident who organized the sale of media set-top boxes configured for illegal viewing of the TV channels 1+1 Ukraine, 2+2, TET, UNIAN, Bigudi and PLUSPLUS.
The criminal proceedings were initiated upon the application of 1+1 Media, a participant in the “Clear Sky” Initiative, in order to protect the intellectual property rights of TV channels. As the investigation established, a 36-year-old man connected access to TV channels through one of the pirated OTT services and sold “stitched” stands for 700 hryvnias without concluding a license agreement with the copyright holders. In addition, the offender provided illegal access to Starlight Media channels, which are also participants in the Initiative.
“We consistently continue to fight piracy and illegal use of content. We urge Ukrainians not to support such practices and to choose only legal sources for viewing media. This is not only a matter of legality, but also an important step towards protecting intellectual property and developing a civilized media market in Ukraine,” commented Vyacheslav Mienko, head of the anti-piracy Initiative “Clear Sky”.
Such activity is a criminal offense, according to Part 2 of Article 176 (violation of copyright and related rights committed on a large scale), as well as Parts 1 and 2 of Article 361-2 (unauthorized sale of information with limited access stored in automated systems) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Due to the admission of guilt and compensation for the damages caused, the man was sentenced to 3 years in prison, with a probationary period of one year. During this period, the “pirate” is obliged not to violate the law and to notify the probation agency about his whereabouts.
1+1 Media and the Clean Sky Initiative urge viewers to use only legal services to view content and support the development of the Ukrainian media market. They also emphasize:
- Sellers of media equipment are obliged to comply with the requirements of the law;
- Setting up pirated services is not “easy money”, but big problems: criminal cases, searches, seizure of equipment, compensation for damages and a criminal record.
