Pirates — those men once portrayed as adventurers seeking treasures — are no longer just fictional characters living in stories and legends. Today, they continue to exist, not on the open seas, but in the vast and impersonal waters of the internet and streaming services. Modern piracy of audiovisual works has none of the glamor of old tales; instead, it is a dark act of illegality with serious consequences for society, creators, and the economy.
As Panagiotis Varvatsoulis, General Director of the Hellenic Audiovisual Works Protection Company (EPOE), explains: “Piracy is a constant challenge for EPOE, as it negatively impacts the country’s cultural and entertainment industries, depriving creators, producers, and all legitimate stakeholders of valuable revenues. It also causes major financial losses to the state, with hundreds of millions of euros lost annually in tax revenues.”
Illegal revenues from such activities exceed $2 billion annually, while the total damage to the global economy is estimated at around $71 billion per year.
For Greece, data from international and national studies show that online piracy remains widespread, with 600,000–800,000 users turning to pirate platforms, compared to 1.3 million subscribers to legal streaming services. This means that the annual financial loss from piracy in Greece is estimated at a minimum of €180 million for subscription providers and €60 million for the state. It is worth noting that this loss not only affects public revenue but also damages local content production, discouraging new investment in the fields of sports and entertainment. Among European countries, Greeks rank among the highest consumers of illegal streaming. A recent study by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO, June 2024) shows that 20% of users in Greece consume illegal audiovisual content, compared to the European average of 12%. Among those aged 15-24, the percentage rises to 41%, compared to 27% in the rest of Europe.
Pirates have long been targeted by authorities. In the last two years alone, there have been 20 police operations across Greece, resulting in 49 arrests, 1,700 pirate IP addresses blocked, and 205 pirate websites shut down. Around 50,000 end users are under judicial investigation, and there have been 12 convictions by Greek courts.
On March 17, the biggest trial ever held in Greece for audiovisual piracy began at the Three-Member Court of Felonies, with 17 defendants on trial. The case, investigated by the Patras Security Sub-Directorate, involved charges of forming and participating in a criminal organization, violations of intellectual property laws, and other offenses. Investigations revealed that for the past eight years, members of the criminal organization distributed illegal decoders that enabled unauthorized retransmission of subscription channels, using specialized technical equipment, illegal software, and custom decoders. The organization had built up a client base of 13,000 people — the largest ever discovered in Greece — and managed to generate more than €25 million in illegal profits, causing economic damage to rights holders estimated at €100 million. “Major cases like this prove that piracy is not just a minor illegal activity but part of an organized criminal ecosystem with serious economic and legal consequences,” said Mr. Varvatsoulis. “EPOE works closely with authorities to provide evidence and support such operations,” he added, highlighting strategic partnerships with organizations like Super League Greece and major studios and production companies, aimed at detecting and dismantling illegal live sports streams and other pirated movie and series content.
At the end of March, the Single-Member Court of Felonies of Evia sentenced a Greek national for reselling pirated subscriptions. The defendant was not granted any mitigating circumstances and received a prison sentence of five years and a fine of €15,000. This decision came just days after a similar lengthy hearing at the Single-Member Court of Felonies of Thrace in Komotini, where another defendant was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for piracy and distribution of illegal equipment.
New legal provisions aim to put a halt to the widespread piracy trade. The law passed in mid-February, which is awaiting the issuance of a Joint Ministerial Decision for full implementation, strengthens the protection of intellectual property rights. It introduces administrative fines not only for those distributing illegal boxes but also for end users consuming pirated content, for those publicly displaying pirated content (with or without commercial gain, such as bars and cafés using pirate subscriptions), and for those advertising pirated services or advertising within such services.
The fines provided for are €750 for the end user, €1,500 for pirate distributors, and €5,000 for bars, cafés, and others who either advertise pirate services or advertise through them. In cases of repeat offenses, the fines are doubled. Following the recent arrest of two individuals in Kilkis using pirate TV in a café for their customers, authorities and the tax office (AADE) are launching an extensive crackdown targeting businesses that use illegal subscriptions.
Offenders, both distributors and end users, will be identified through a combination of technical and legal tools. Initially, through dynamic blocking procedures, illegal service providers will be identified and their access cut off. Meanwhile, through collaborations with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and AADE, users consuming illegal content will be identified but only through judicial orders based on evidence gathered from police raids on pirate organizations and analysis of seized customer lists. Fines for end users will be imposed by AADE through administrative penalty procedures.
But what about illegal websites offering free audiovisual content? “These platforms belong to an international network of illegal providers offering content without licenses, depriving creators and the audiovisual industry of revenue,” Mr. Varvatsoulis said. Greece, through EPOE and the Committee for Online Copyright Infringement (EDPPI), applies dynamic blocking to prevent access to such sites. Users who visit these platforms face not only criminal penalties and administrative fines but also significant risks such as malware, data theft, and fraud.
