When none of the defendants responded in court, DISH asked for a $28.65 million default judgment in March. At the time, it appeared that the case would be over soon.
That changed in September when one of the defendants, Ammar Towir, asked the court to set aside the default. DISH argued that the defendant owns and operates the Kemo and Lemo domains, as well as the financial accounts behind them. However, Towir argues that he was never properly served, saying that he lived in Dubai and not at the Malaysian address where the complaint was sent.
Court Denies $28.65m Default
This week, U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell denied DISH’s request without prejudice. According to the judge, DISH’s motion simply stated that the defendants were properly served, without explaining why.
“DISH fails to set forth any facts or Malaysian legal authority in its motion establishing the propriety of service on Defendants,” the order reads.
DISH can refile its $28.65 million request. First, however, the court has to decide whether the defendant was indeed properly served. That question is now before the magistrate judge.
This is the second setback for DISH’s campaign against Kemo and Lemo this year. In March, a California court dismissed its lawsuit against UK hosting provider Innetra for lack of jurisdiction. However, the Florida case also revealed that Towir faces criminal allegations in Dubai, where a separate enforcement action unfolded.
Criminal Probe in Dubai
In his declaration, Towir explains that he stayed out of the Florida case because he is the subject of a criminal complaint in Dubai. He initially believed DISH was behind it, but later learned that it was filed by Apple, Warner Bros., Paramount, Columbia Pictures, Disney, Netflix, and Amazon.
These companies are all members of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) and, when we asked, the anti-piracy coalition confirmed its involvement.
“We can confirm that ACE is behind the complaint filed in Dubai in late July 2025 against the alleged operator of the Kemo Lemo IPTV service, Mr. Ammar Towir. The matter was subsequently referred to a specialized law enforcement unit,” ACE informed TorrentFreak.
The July 2025 date means that ACE filed its complaint nearly three months before DISH filed its lawsuit in Florida, and more than three months after DISH’s initial Lemo/Kemo case in Texas, which likely helped to identify the alleged operator.
The Dubai prosecution is ongoing and ACE says that the Public Prosecutor referred the case to the Dubai Criminal Court last month, where it is currently pending. Given the ongoing proceedings, ACE can’t comment further but Towir’s declaration in the DISH case adds additional color.
Travel Ban
The alleged Lemo/Kemo IPTV operator said he was interviewed by the Dubai Police several times and handed over his computers and smartphone. He is also not allowed to leave the country.
“Interestingly enough, as the travel ban that is automatically instituted when a criminal complaint is filed in Dubai was about to expire, another criminal complaint was filed against me further prohibiting me from traveling,” he writes.
Towir notes that, on advice he received in Dubai, he chose to await the outcome before responding in the U.S. case. DISH, however, describes his wait for the Dubai report as a “pretext for delay.” The two sides also discussed a settlement, but no deal was reached.
Evidence and Next Moves
In his declaration, the defendant also admits that he buys from a wholesaler and resells to customers outside the U.S. However, he says these sales had nothing to do with Kemo IPTV or Lemo TV.
DISH doesn’t buy it. In an opposition brief, the company points to PayPal records listing Towir as the owner of accounts named ‘KEMO IPTV’ and ‘KEMO E MARKETING SDN. BHD.’, and to credit card payments in his name for the Namecheap account that renewed Kemoiptv.com and Lemotv.com.
This and other evidence could become relevant again in the DISH case after the court decides whether the default against Towir stands. The criminal case in Dubai, meanwhile, remains pending.
For now, at least one Kemo IPTV storefront is still selling subscriptions at Kemoiptv.io, which is one of the domains DISH wanted taken over. Whether the defendant indeed controls this domain name is not confirmed.
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A copy of the order denying DISH’s motion for default judgment is available here (pdf). Towir’s motion to set aside the default and his declaration are available here (pdf) and here (pdf). DISH’s opposition can be found here (pdf).
We reached out to Towir’s lawyers but they did not respond before publication.
