📰 New article from TorrentFreak
Hollywood, Amazon & Netflix Set to Secure $18.75 Million Damages in IPTV Lawsuit
Hollywood, Netflix & Amazon Set to Collect $18.75M from Pirate IPTV Operator
A Texas courtroom is on the verge of handing down a massive win for Hollywood—and a stern warning to pirate IPTV operators.
William Freemon, a Dallas man and operator of Freemon Technology Industries (FTI), is accused of running a sprawling illegal streaming empire from 2016 to at least 2024. His operation included five IPTV services—most notably Streaming TV Now—offering over 11,000 live channels and 36,000 on-demand titles via modified Fire TV Sticks and unauthorized backend servers.
Despite being served seven times and warned by the court, Freemon refused to mount a legal defense. Instead, he allegedly threatened studios with further demands for money if they stopped suing him. His motions were repeatedly struck for procedural violations—and he even tried (and failed) to file a defense on behalf of his company after being told not to.
Now, Magistrate Judge Renée Harris Toliver recommends a default judgment of $18.75 million—the statutory maximum for 125 works like Oppenheimer—plus a permanent injunction allowing studios to seize eight domains tied to the operation.
Bottom line: Piracy isn’t just risky—it’s expensive. And with courts increasingly willing to enforce heavy penalties, the message is clear: if you monetize stolen content, Hollywood will come knocking.