In a decisive move against digital piracy, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), which includes major entertainment companies such as Amazon, Netflix, Disney, Paramount, and other top Hollywood studios, has launched two separate copyright lawsuits targeting individuals allegedly running illegal IPTV services in the United States. These cases, filed in federal courts in Pennsylvania and California, specifically identify pirate IPTV platforms like “Outer Limits IPTV,” “Shrugs,” and “Zing,” accusing them of unlawfully profiting from copyrighted content streams. ACE is requesting court injunctions to halt these illegal operations, along with damages potentially reaching into millions of dollars, according to ACE and TorrentFreak.
Karyn Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel at the Motion Picture Association (MPA), emphasized ACE’s commitment to combating piracy, stating: “These legal actions underscore ACE’s determination to protect creators and legitimate streaming services from digital piracy on a global scale. Unauthorized IPTV operations not only undermine the industry financially but also expose users to significant security and fraud risks. We will continue taking robust legal measures to dismantle these operations and hold infringers accountable.”
In the Pennsylvania lawsuit filed in the Middle District court, Brandon Weibley of Mechanicsburg is identified as operating several illegal IPTV brands, including Beast Mode Live, GreenWing Media, Viking Media, BTV, and later rebranded entities “Shrugs” and “Zing.” According to court documents, Weibley began offering pirated streams as early as 2017 via beastmodebuilds.com. Despite attempts to conceal his identity, investigators connected his personal email to subscription payments, linking him directly to a network providing access to over 9,000 illegal channels, including live sports and international programming. Following a cease-and-desist notice in December 2023, Weibley allegedly continued his operations by moving to a new domain, vonwik.com. Studios cite infringement of popular titles like The Boys, The Witcher, and Forrest Gump, seeking damages up to $150,000 per infringed title.
Concurrently, the California lawsuit filed in the Central District targets Zachary DeBarr of Murrieta, the alleged operator of “Outer Limits IPTV.” DeBarr reportedly offered subscribers more than 4,000 live channels and a vast library of 13,000 movies and 3,000 TV series, priced competitively at $20 monthly or $200 annually. According to the lawsuit, DeBarr has been involved in piracy since 2017, selling modified streaming devices and subscriptions to unauthorized IPTV providers like Nitro TV and Glitch TV. Since 2020, DeBarr allegedly used his popular iTrustStream YouTube channel, which has over 100,000 subscribers, to promote Outer Limits IPTV. After ignoring multiple communications from ACE, legal action was pursued. The plaintiffs, which include Apple alongside ACE members, are seeking substantial statutory damages and a permanent injunction.
These dual lawsuits highlight ACE’s ongoing battle against the rising prevalence of inexpensive, unauthorized IPTV services, aiming to send a strong deterrent message to similar operations across the industry.
