Dodgy box users face legal action in Ireland for the first time as Sky targets households over illegal streaming.
The broadcaster lodged legal papers in Wexford Circuit Court against two households. Historically, legal action targetted those selling the boxes or Fire Sticks, leading to jail time for some sellers in recent years. Now, individual users face civil legal proceedings under the Copyright Act 2000, according to the Irish Mirror.
Sky is seeking damages and aggravated damages against two households that allegedly refused to stop using their dodgy boxes. Up to 200 households across Wexford, Carlow, and the South-East received warnings in May, giving them 14 days to sign an agreement to never subscribe to an illegal IPTV service again.
Several households settled for up to €1,200 to avoid court prosecution, Cork Beo reported. Other households that received warnings committed not to use dodgy boxes again and faced no fines.
The legal move follows a High Court order issued in March by Mr Justice Brian Cregan. The court ordered Revolut Bank UAB to provide Sky with the details of 304 dodgy box subscribers and 10 resellers who used the platform to receive payments. Last year, householders received initial warnings that they could face action.
Anti-piracy efforts also target retail premises. In 2025, the Federation Against Copyright Theft worked with Sky TV to serve legal notices to shops and resellers across nine counties, including Cavan, Donegal, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Mayo, Meath, and Wexford. The organisation said that shops are a primary point of contact for consumers.
“Sky can confirm it has issued legal proceedings against two individuals who infringed our copyright by purchasing an unlawful subscription to an illegal IPTV service,” Sky said in a statement to the Irish Independent. “We take the protection of our content extremely seriously and, in the circumstances, no option but to initiate these proceedings.”
Scale of Illegal Streaming
Approximately one in five Irish households use a dodgy box or Fire Stick to access subscription television channels illegally. That amounts to almost 400,000 homes across the country. Earlier this year, approximately 318,000 Irish households watched the Champions League final between Arsenal and PSG using an illegal stream. By contrast, 434,000 viewers watched the match live on RTÉ 2.
Sky uses Copyright Act to target illegal streaming
What legislation is Sky using for this legal action?
Sky is taking legal action under the Copyright Act 2000. The broadcaster filed papers in Wexford Circuit Court against households that allegedly refused to stop using illicit services.
How many subscribers were identified through Revolut?
The High Court ordered Revolut Bank UAB in March to provide Sky with details of 304 subscribers and 10 resellers. Those resellers used the platform to accept payments for illegal streaming access.
Which counties were targeted in previous retail crackdowns?
The Federation Against Copyright Theft served legal notices to shops and resellers across nine counties in 2025. Those counties were Cavan, Donegal, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Mayo, Meath, and Wexford.
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