One brother lives in New York, another in Dhaka. Two Bangladeshi brothers used to live stream NBL, NBA and NHA games illegally. They used to charge a minimum fee of 10 dollars for this. In this way, they have grabbed more than 7 million dollars. Not only that, the illegal live streaming has caused a total loss of more than 100 million dollars to various aggrieved parties. They have been indicted by a US jury, Fortune magazine said in a report citing the Department of Justice.
Among them, Noor Nabi Chowdhury (56) lives in Cheektowga, New York. Noor Nabi Chowdhury was arrested on Tuesday morning. His brother Mohammad Rahman (36) lives in Dhaka. It was alleged against them that they used to run illegal live streams under the name '247/TV Stream'. He used to charge a monthly fee for this. It broadcasts live sports programming and various television shows without copyright.
According to court documents, Noor Nabi Chowdhury and his brother Mohammad Rahman have been running this illegal activity for several years. They have collected more than 7 million dollars in subscription fees from subscribers through '247/TV Stream'. It is estimated that their actions have cost legitimate copyright owners more than $100 million. And for this activity they hide their identity and use the identity of another person.
During the court hearing, the head of the criminal justice department, Nicole M. Argentieri said, 'The two accused brothers broadcast the other's copyrighted live sports programs and various television shows without authorization. Thus they have caused economic damage to legitimate persons.'
“Our office and the Department of Justice are committed to taking a tough stance against digital piracy,” said Eastern District Attorney Brian Peace.
Homeland Security Investigations (ASI) New York Field Office Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker said, 'According to the complaint, Noor Nabi Chowdhury and his brother Mohammad Rahman were operating an illegal streaming site using the identity of another person while concealing their identity, causing a loss of more than Tk 10 crore to the legitimate copyright owners.'
Domain names used to operate '247/TV Stream' have been seized by the government. In addition, their servers in the UK and the Netherlands have also been seized.
If the charges are proved, Noor Nabi Chowdhury and his brother Mohammad Rahman can be jailed for up to 30 years.
