After Synnex Trading was fined $160,800, and its director, Jia Xiaofeng faced three months of jail term as well as a fine of $5,400 for the sale of illegal Android TV boxes, on Wednesday, October 30th an appeal has been filed by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) to the High Court against the excessive sentences, as this is the second case which involves the highest fine in Singapore. It should be noted that Jia and Synnex Trading were each convicted of four charges under the Copyright Act.
As per AGC, they have learnt that part of the sentencing submissions made in the State Court was erroneous, in that it relied on a previous decision of the State Courts which had been overruled. In addition, it also mentioned that the sentences imposed may thus have been excessive.
Court documents revealed that the Android TV boxes which Jia had sold in the Synnex store in Geylang Road allowed the users to watch live English Premier League football matches, TVB channels streamed on StarHub, National Geographic documentaries owned by Fox and so many other channels. It should be noted that these boxes are widely sold in Sim Lim Square and easily available at electronics stores.
Jia had supplied illegal streaming devices to another company director, Abdul Nagib Abdul Aziz. He paid a commission of $20 and $25 for each device sold to Abdul Nagib, who was fined $1,200 for copyright infringement. However, Neil Kevin Gane, the general manager of the Coalition Against Piracy, represented several right owners, including the English Premier League and operators such as Singtel and StarHub, in the action against Jia and Synnex.
