ABS-CBN files $4M lawsuit vs. online seller of pirate set-top boxes  

Information on Anthony Brown and 1700 Cuts Technology from the packaging.

HOUSTON, Texas — Filipino media and entertainment company ABS-CBN filed a complaint in U.S. Federal Court in the Southern District of Texas against Anthony Brown and 1700 Cuts Technology, seeking damages in excess of $4 million for trademark infringement and allegedly pirating the company’s content.

The lawsuit alleges that Texas local resident Brown promoted and sold modified illegal set-top boxes via various Facebook.com pages operated by Brown and 1700 Cuts Technology.

The devices enabled buyers to access ABS-CBN’s live programming without paying the appropriate fees for such services.

TFC being offered among other Filipino content through the set-top box.

The Facebook pages used to promote the illegal set-top boxes included two personal profile pages and a business page for “Lifeforgreatness.”

“Beware of these operations that are not licensed or affiliated in any way with ABS-CBN,” warned the company’s global anti-piracy head Elisha Lawrence.

The set-top box allegedly being sold by Anthony Brown and 1700 Cuts Technology.

“We will continue to protect customers by shutting these operations down. The only genuine ABS-CBN internet subscription services are TFC on cable and satellite, IPTV and TFC.tv.”

Other ABS-CBN channels aside from TFC that were allegedly pirated include DZMM, Cinema One and ANC.

“What these pirates do is literally rob from this ecosystem of content creators, pretend to own the content, and scam customers by making money off that content,” said ABS-CBN Managing Director for North and Latin America Jun Del Rosario. (We are) committed to stopping them and bringing them to justice.”

ABS-CBN is represented by Steven Abbott and Stephen M. Gaffigan and Christine Daley of Stephen M. Gaffigan, P.A.