The streambox MLM niche appears to have dissipated as quickly as it appeared.

The first one I reviewed was
vStream TV
back in March, 2015. Over the rest of 2015 another five MLM streambox opportunities were launched and reviewed.

So far in 2016? Only two.

Most of the controversy around the various piracy box opportunities focuses on the legality of 
selling
access to piracy. Affiliates of such schemes often evoke the strawman argument that 
watching
 streamed pirated content is legal.

This obviously doesn’t address the profiting from piracy issue.

Following two separate crackdowns by British police (
June 2015
and
March 2016
), the Canadian Federal court has issued an injunction prohibiting the sale of piracy-friendly streamboxes.

The
lawsuit in question
was filed in the Canadian Federal Court by Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, Videotron and others against ‘
several retailers of Android set-top boxes
‘.

The plaintiffs made claims under both the Copyright Act and Radiocommunication Act, the latter due to the devices receiving “illegally decrypted programming”.

Describing pre-loaded set-top boxes as an “existential threat” to their businesses, the plaintiffs said that piracy and subsequent declining subscriptions are the main factors behind falling revenue.

On this basis and as a deterrent to others supplying such devices, an injunction should be granted.

The one defendant that rocked up, trotted out excuses similar to what we’ve seen from MLM streambox company affiliates:

Vincent Wesley of MTLFreeTV told the court that he had nothing to do with the development or maintenance of the installed software.

The set-top boxes, he argued, are just pieces of hardware like a tablet or computer and have “substantial non-infringing uses.”

The court’s decision reads much like any BehindMLM review of an MLM streambox opportunity:

The devices marketed, sold and programmed by the Defendants enable consumers to obtain unauthorized access to content for which the Plaintiffs own the copyright.

This is not a case where the Defendants merely serve as the conduit.

Rather, they deliberately encourage consumers and potential clients to circumvent authorized ways of accessing content — say, by a cable subscription or by streaming content from the Plaintiffs’ websites — both in the manner in which they promote their business, and by offering tutorials in how to add and use applications which rely on illegally obtained content.

The Court went on to grant an interlocutory injunction against the streambox sellers, with “companies selling similar devices” able to be added to the injunction at the plaintiff’s request.

In the order granting the injunction, the presiding Judge wrote;

I am satisfied that the Plaintiffs have established a strong prima facie case of copyright infringement and that an injunction would prevent irreparable harm without unduly inconveniencing the Defendants.

The matter still has to go trial (if it even gets there), but for

🤖 Quick Answer

What legal action did the Canadian Federal Court take against streambox services?
The Canadian Federal Court issued an injunction prohibiting the sale of piracy-friendly streamboxes following enforcement actions by British police. This ruling addressed the profitability concerns associated with distributing unauthorized access to pirated content, distinguishing between consuming streamed material and profiting from its distribution.

Why did the streambox MLM niche decline in 2016?
The streambox MLM sector experienced significant contraction in 2016, with only two new opportunities launched compared to six in 2015. Increasing legal scrutiny, including police crackdowns and court injunctions against piracy-based business models, contributed to the rapid dissipation of this commercial segment.

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