Sky have told the High Court that they intend to take legal proceedings against dodgy box users. 

The company took a civil prosecution against Wexford resident David Dunbar, who operated an illegal streaming service that charged dodgy box users between €80 and €100 a year. 

As part of the case, Sky obtained the names, addresses and bank details of 304 dodgy box users. 

On The Claire Byrne Show, Irish Independent journalist Adrian Weckler said civil action would set a legal precedent. 

“It's the first time, probably, that normal householders who use Dodgyboxes are likely to start facing some sort of legal action,” he explained. 

“Maybe it will be legal letters, maybe it will be something more.

“But we know now for a fact, because Sky has said it in court, that they're going to begin some sort of legal proceedings against ordinary Dodgybox users, of whom they have names, addresses and banking details.” 

A man is holding a remote control. Picture by: Alamy.com.

An estimated 400,000 households in Ireland have a dodgy box, meaning roughly one million Irish people use then. 

It is a phenomenon that costs streamers millions in lost revenue every year. 

“We know from earlier this month, the telecoms regulator conducted research which showed that the number of people paying for legitimate pay TV services, that's Sky and Virgin, other traditional services, that has fallen in the last three years from 70% to 57%,” Mr Weckler said. 

“So, there's clearly an effect happening here; the likely reason that that is happening is because there is generally no prosecution or enforcement of the law against Dodgybox users.”

He added that the lack of repercussions for using a dodgy box means that there is now “impunity to use them”. 

Few users seem troubled by the impact dodgy boxes are having on those who produce the content they enjoy. 

“A lot of people will push back on the idea that using a dodgy box is really horribly bad,” Mr Weckler said. 

“They'll say that it's the effect of overpricing from the commercial TV companies. They'll say that they're being asked to pay over €100 a month to watch premium sports or TV content. 

“That's a little bit of a weak argument; it's not like they're being asked to pay over €100 a month for a life necessity - like shelter or water or food. 

“I mean, we are talking about Game of Thrones or Nottingham Forest versus Manchester United on a Tuesday night. These are luxury items, essentially.”

Main image: A man is holding a remote control. Picture by: Alamy.com.