Operators of a Major Pirate Streaming Service Seek Acquittal

Five men recently convicted of running one of the largest pirate streaming services in the United States are now seeking to have their convictions overturned.

The defendants—Kristopher Dallmann, Douglas Courson, Felipe Garcia, Jared Jaurequi, and Peter Huber—were found guilty last month by a Las Vegas jury in the largest IPTV piracy trial in US history.

While four of the men face up to five years in prison, Dallmann could be sentenced to a maximum of 48 years.

The Jetflicks Case

After years of legal battles and delays, the Las Vegas jury convicted the five operators of Jetflicks to prison sentences.

This subscription-based platform offered more content than major legal services like Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and Amazon Prime, and generated millions of dollars in revenue.

The convictions included conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. Dallmann was additionally convicted on charges of money laundering by concealment and misdemeanor criminal copyright infringement. Despite their convictions, none of the men have yet been sentenced.

Dallmann’s Motion for Acquittal

Kristopher Dallmann is actively fighting his conviction, having filed a new motion for acquittal. He argues that the government’s evidence was insufficient on all counts, including conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, copyright infringement by distribution, and money laundering.

One specific objection from Dallmann pertains to an episode of the TV show “Paradise.” He claims the government failed to prove he downloaded or distributed the episode, citing that the show was published after the date listed in a seized document from his home.

Co-Defendants Also Seek Acquittal

Dallmann’s co-defendants—Jaurequi, Courson, Huber, and Garcia—are also seeking acquittal. This marks their third attempt, as previous motions have been denied. The government’s response, filed on Tuesday, urges the court to deny these motions and uphold the jury’s verdict.

The prosecution highlighted the substantial revenue generated by Jetflicks and its extensive content library. The platform boasted over 180,000 television episodes and more than 37,000 subscribers, who paid between $9.99 and $16.97 monthly for access to infringing content.

Evidence and Legal Arguments

The government asserts that there was ample evidence to convict the men of criminal copyright infringement. This evidence included testimony from copyright holders and comparisons between Jetflicks’ content and legitimate broadcasts.

The site reportedly reproduced copyrighted TV episodes in quantities far exceeding the legal thresholds for criminal copyright infringement.

Dallmann’s defense contends that the government did not meet the ‘best evidence’ rule, arguing that original copies from the U.S. Copyright Office were not used for comparison.

However, the court previously explained that Jetflicks’ reproductions could be compared with representative copies of the copyrighted works.

To support the criminal copyright infringement charges, the government needed to show that the defendants reproduced at least 10 copies of copyrighted works valued over $2,500 within a 180-day period.

The prosecution presented extensive evidence of Jetflicks’ vast library, including 183,285 episodes available on the site and tens of thousands of files processed by software used by the service.

Government’s Response

The government’s 23-page response asserts that the jury had sufficient evidence to find the defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement.

The prosecution maintains that the vast amount of infringing content on Jetflicks, spanning the entire period of the conspiracy, satisfies the legal requirements. They argue that all calls for acquittal should be denied.

Conclusion

The battle over the convictions of the five men behind Jetflicks continues, with motions for acquittal pending.

The case highlights the complexities of prosecuting digital piracy and the extensive legal processes involved in securing convictions. As the legal proceedings unfold, the final outcomes remain to be seen.

For more details on this story, refer to the court documentation (PDF) and the report from TorrentFreak.

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