Canadian Court Upholds Signal Piracy Decision

A Canadian federal court has upheld a lower court order to seize satellite equipment and access cards from a number of dealers in Ontario and Quebec. The federal court also issued an injunction prohibiting the dealers from selling satellite equipment and access cards until the conclusion of an ongoing trial to consider whether the defendants engaged in illegal activity. The defendants are Dawn Elizabeth Branton, 1254719 Ontario (c.o.b. as Tech Electronics Services), Halton Sight & Sound, and Atilla Gyurko (c.o.b. Sat-Toys).

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) filed the suit and praised the federal court’s decision. CCTA President and CEO Janet Yale said that the decision “confirms that the sale of black market satellite equipment causes real harm to our businesses. This sends a powerful message that the sale of unauthorized satellite equipment has serious legal consequences.” Added CAB President and CEO Glenn O’Farrell, “The verdict affirms that the aggressive actions taken to date by private broadcasters are on target.”