A California federal judge has ordered Zachary DeBarr to pay $15 million in damages for operating the illegal IPTV service “Outer Limits.”
The massive judgment represents one of the largest awards in recent IPTV and piracy cases overall.
Background of the Outer Limits IPTV Case
DeBarr, a Murrieta resident, ran Outer Limits IPTV through his company iLockSports LLC. The service offered subscribers access to over 4,000 live channels plus a video-on-demand library containing more than 13,000 movies and 3,000 TV series.
Outer Limits IPTV Service Login
Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Apple, Paramount, and other major studios filed the lawsuit back in March through the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE). They accused DeBarr of massive copyright infringement dating back to 2017.
The defendant promoted his service through the iTrustStream YouTube channel, which had accumulated 100,000 subscribers before the legal action began.
iTrustStream YouTube channel
Long History of Piracy Activities
Court documents reveal DeBarr’s piracy operations evolved over several years. He initially sold modified Firesticks loaded with unauthorized content. Later, he moved into reselling existing IPTV subscriptions before launching his own service.
The studios documented extensive infringement patterns spanning multiple years. DeBarr allegedly profited by selling direct subscriptions while paying nothing to content owners for their copyrighted materials.
Default Judgment and Maximum Penalties
DeBarr failed to appear in court or respond to the lawsuit, prompting the studios to request a default judgment. Judge Josephine Staton of the Central District of California awarded the maximum statutory damages of $150,000 for each of the 100 copyrighted works listed in the complaint.
The judge found DeBarr’s conduct particularly egregious, noting he had previously shut down operations in 2020 after receiving a cease-and-desist notice, only to relaunch in 2021 while ignoring further warnings from rightsholders.
Outer Limits IPTV Lawsuit Conclusion
Permanent Injunction and Domain Seizure
Beyond the financial penalty, Judge Staton granted a permanent injunction preventing DeBarr from future copyright infringement. The court also ordered him to transfer the outerlimitsiptv.com and outerlimitshosting.net domains to the plaintiffs.
The judge cited a “significant threat of recidivism” based on DeBarr’s history of willful infringement and his failure to appear in court.
Final Thoughts
This $15 million judgment represents a major victory for media giants and anti-piracy authorities in their ongoing battle against illegal streaming services.
However, the reality of IPTV piracy remains unchanged – when one service like Outer Limits shuts down, dozens more quickly emerge to fill the void.
The cat-and-mouse game between copyright holders and pirates continues, with new operators learning from past mistakes to avoid detection.
While these massive penalties may deter some potential operators, the lucrative nature of IPTV businesses means the supply will likely continue meeting consumer demand for cheap streaming alternatives.
For more information on this story, refer to the U.S. District Court documentation (PDF) and the report from TorrentFreak.
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