2old4this
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I know this is a British board, but there are many hobbyists out there who follow the wider satellite developments in Europe, especially on the legal front...
Today in the Netherlands a judge ruled against a satellite dealer ("MSat"). That the dealer was found guilty of illegally selling pre-programmed cards is not a surprise. What was a surprise, and what is worrying, is that the judge also ruled that the sale of blank cards and programmers by MSat was illegal. This ruling contradicts that of a different judge some months ago in an almost identical case against the Dutch dealer "Xtra-sat" (formely part of the STV group).
There will no doubt now be an appeal to higher courts, but if upheld, this will effectively stop the sale of such goods via satellite dealers in Holland. Whether or not the sale of the same goods through other outlets unconnected with satellite would also be illegal, is not addressed by the ruling.
The company that brought the action was the Dutch arm of Canal+. The Canal+ group operates in most European countries and may well see this as a green-light to pursue similar actions elsewhere.
2old
Today in the Netherlands a judge ruled against a satellite dealer ("MSat"). That the dealer was found guilty of illegally selling pre-programmed cards is not a surprise. What was a surprise, and what is worrying, is that the judge also ruled that the sale of blank cards and programmers by MSat was illegal. This ruling contradicts that of a different judge some months ago in an almost identical case against the Dutch dealer "Xtra-sat" (formely part of the STV group).
There will no doubt now be an appeal to higher courts, but if upheld, this will effectively stop the sale of such goods via satellite dealers in Holland. Whether or not the sale of the same goods through other outlets unconnected with satellite would also be illegal, is not addressed by the ruling.
The company that brought the action was the Dutch arm of Canal+. The Canal+ group operates in most European countries and may well see this as a green-light to pursue similar actions elsewhere.
2old