For decades, cable operators have been bedeviled by viewers who illegally intercept their transmission and don’t pay for the signal.
But in the never-ending war on piracy, the cable industry may finally have something to take delight in: The competition also is getting ripped off.
DirecTV, the California-based satellite TV company, has undertaken an aggressive nationwide campaign against viewers using high-tech gadgets to watch its pay TV for free.
The company has sued about 22,000 people as it tries to combat those who think nothing of stealing their signal.
The tactics, similar to those used by the music industry to fight illegal downloading of songs, have attracted attention and derision.
Some say the company is strong-arming individuals to pay thousands of dollars to avoid a court battle. Others claim DirecTV is encroaching on civil liberties.
DirecTV says it’s simply defending its business. The company notes that it loses $204 per month for every individual using a pirating device.
“The point is to deter piracy and get the point across that that activity is theft and you can get caught and there are consequences,” DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer said.
The law, at least, is on DirecTV’s side. Federal law makes it illegal to intercept and watch pay TV without paying for it. It’s also a crime to make and sell devices for the purpose.
More Top Picks Best Fidget Toys For Adults
The law also permits companies such as DirecTV to sue for damages in civil court. And DirecTV has done so with gusto, suing everyone from your next-door neighbor to O.J. Simpson.
The El Segundo, Calif., company kicked off its legal campaign after using court orders to raid firms it suspected of selling illegal decoding equipment.
Sales records seized in the raids led DirecTV to individuals who ordered access cards and other equipment, according to court filings.
The company then sent more than 100,000 letters to individuals demanding restitution of $3,500 or more. It’s not clear how many individuals have agreed to pay to settle their cases.
Those letters were then followed by a flood of civil suits. Since the fall of 2002, DirecTV has filed about 22,000 lawsuits. That’s equal to 8 percent of all the federal civil suits filed in the 12 months before DirecTV first went to court.
DirecTV generally demands $10,000 in damages in its federal suits. But in some instances, it has sought as much as $100,000.
For its part, DirecTV notes it is four-for-four in the only cases that have gone to trial–in California, Florida, South Carolina and Virginia.