DirecTV pursues alleged signal thefts

Bangor News ^ | 12/27/03 | Judy Harrison

[Skooz]

My goodness. I meant to hit the spellchecker before I posted that absurd scramble of disconnected alpha characters.

Sorry.

[Cacique]

btt

[BlazingArizona]

Cable companies have done this for years. Where's the news?

What's different here is that many of the "pirating devices" in DirecTV's suits are actually general-purpose smartcard programmers. DirecTV has combed the customer lists of companies who sell these programmers and has autogenerated suits against everybody who merely purchased a smartcard programmer. The promblem is, most of the people targeted have nothing to do with signal piracy. It's as though every Porsche owner were to be pre-emptively charged with reckless driving.

Hundreds of engineers who bought programmers to do contract work for transit companies, banks, copier-rental companies - anyone whose service business demands smartcards - have been hit by these suits. It has become a major stink in the IT industry.

[BlazingArizona]

I am an engineer and I work with smart cards and other interesting things and I could EASILY rip DirectTV or Dish or whatever but I refuse to

But if you ever ordered a smartcard programmer from an electronics supply house, you're in the list to be sued by DirecTV. You will get a demand letter ionsisting you pay a settlement of $3,500 and give up your programmer, on grounds that it could be used for signal theft.

I want DirecTV to die horribly over this one, and for its entire board to go to ass-pounding federal prison.

[amigatec]

I am an engineer and I work with smart cards and other interesting things and I could EASILY rip DirectTV or Dish or whatever but I refuse to and do not and never have because I like what I get from my Dish and hate the crap that is free on broadcast TV.

This is the problem.DirecTV assumes that because you have smart card equipment, the ONLY reason is to steal DirecTV.
There have been many of these cases so far where the person that owned the equipment didn't even own a DirecTV system, or had any ideas about stealing the signal.
One of these was a Doctor in Texas that was trying to to use it as an easier way to Doctors to log in at the Hospital. He was sued and lost.
This is abuse of the DMCA. It is the same as RIAA suing me because I own a CD burner, or the Movie industry suing because I own a VCR.
Do some research there is a Law firm that will defend against these suits.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

They don't have to in a civil trial. A jury would help, tho.

[TheFrog]

Re:"The internet is free" Could you tell that to my ISP : )

[TheFrog]

Re:"Hundreds of engineers who bought programmers to do contract work for transit companies, banks, copier-rental companies - anyone whose service business demands smartcards - have been hit by these suits." Come off it. Look at the companies that were raided. ISO programmers can be purchased for much less than these companies advertised their programmers for from reputable electronic suppliers.

[mvpel]

Hey Ed, who paid the millions of dollars to put that satellite into orbit that's beaming down the DirecTV signal? Don't you think those capitalists ought to be able to secure a return on their investment?

[Jerry Attrick]

Years ago (around 1980) there was a company in Portland Oregon that broadcast HBO via microwave. Building a microwave antenae was very simple and I had one. At some point the company went around and logged everyone that had a "pirate" antenae and sued us. I believe there about 3000 of us.

Same thing..they demanded an enormous amount to "settle" and if not, a greater amount if you went to court.

Fortunately, a law firm in town instituted a class action counter-suit against the company and I was able to join it for $75.00. The result was that all we had to do was sign a paper that said we would take down the antenae.

In my opinion, these people need to band together for legal defense.

[hotshot]

Using simple logic, Direct TV should bill everyone in the country for receiving the their signal that falls or beamed in everyones yard. They delivered the signal didn't they? So bill us all.

[clamper1797]

I helped design the ASIC that goes into the Direct access cards. That SAME ASIC goes into a hundreds of other applications. An ISO programmer bought at an electronics distributor costs $300.00+. That same programmer or one that will perform the same functions could be bought over the internet for under $100. I use that program to debug my designs on that ASIC. Though that equipment could be used to decrypt directvs signal ... that is NOT what it is used for. It is NOT illegal to own or use these devices. There are countless uses for this technology. This technology does NOT belong to Direct nor do they have a patent on it. BUT Directv found it in themselves to sue ANYONE who bought a programmer no matter what the purpose was without ANY investigation. Following that logic they could sue anyone with a computer because it to can be used to decrypt their signal. They know that a normal Joe could NOT pay for the lawyer to fight their case and hoped for a settlement. Even if Joe Blow wins his case in court he still has to pay the lawyer. EVERY time Directv goes to court against an end user THEY LOSE but that end user still pays $5000+ for their lawyer. Directv knows this so the offer to "settle" for $3000.

I have a programmer ... I use it to debug my designs. I have broadband High Def cable and have NOT had Direct for years ... I bought my programmer from an internet electronics warehouse. I have NEVER used it to decrypt Directv. I too am being sued by Directv. for those who don't think this is happened ... you don't know what the HELL your talking about

[Wil H]

Cable companies have done this for years. Where's the news?

The news is that they don't have to actually prove theft, they are making prosecutions and getting convictions based on spurious circumstanial evidence.

If you are a Direct TV customer and own a smart card reader/writer then you are presumed guilty. Smart cards are used for a myriad of applications and are now quite common. was in the smart card business for many years and have lots of related equipment.

Prosecuting someone on the basis that they had the means to steal the signal is like prosecuting you or I for bank robbery because we own fast cars.

[mvpel]

Ed's objection was not to the circumstantial and flimsy evidence they're using to sue owners of smart-card programmers, he was objecting to their pursuit of signal pirates at all with the communist "radio waves are free" argument, ignoring the fact that the satellite and its launch were most certainly not free, and decrypting proprietary content on those radio waves is not the same thing as listening to the radio.

[Paul C. Jesup]

Well actually Direct TV is suing people with the equipment to recieve video (including those who don't even own DISHS) without their box on the basis that they WILL steal airwaves.

This is like suing gun owners because they MIGHT commit a crime with their guns.

Plus the fact they threaten to bankrupt their victims if they don't pay a $12.000.00 out of court settlement and go to court.

This is the same extortion racket that the RIAA, MPAA and SCO are doing.

This is why I would rather roast in hell then be a Direct TV costumer.

[Dog Gone]

In a letter dated Dec. 7, the 73-year-old Bangor man admitted that he purchased the device and that it arrived without directions but with a warning. He stated that he threw the device into the trash without ever using it.

Um, sure.

[Ditto]

I have a programmer ... I use it to debug my designs.

File a counter-claim for harassment. You can't be alone. Sounds like a good class-action situation.

[clamper1797]

Well ... Ed might have the outdated notion that he has the right to look at anything that enters his home. If Directv doesn't want a person to look at their signal ... keep it out of their house and/or use encryptions that can't be readily and cheaply decrypted they are available and I would be the one to know it. BUT no ... that would cost tham a little more money . Better ... they sue ANYONE with a programmer guily or not to hell with investigation. Sorry I have NO sympathy for Directv

[Mamzelle]

Waitaminute--

Is this a crime or a tort? I mean, DirectTV is suing but is also accusing the defendant of a crime.

Huh--if they can't prove it, doesn't the defendant have a cause of action slander/libel?

[clamper1797]

In a letter dated Dec. 7, the 73-year-old Bangor man admitted that he purchased the device and that it arrived without directions but with a warning. He stated that he threw the device into the trash without ever using it.

That is EXACTLY how they arrive ... most come without even a power supply.