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Bronze Member Username: F117aPost Number: 11 Registered: Dec-07 | Echostar has asked C**lsat to turn over the names of everyone who has purchased a C**lsat FTA satellite receiver... you should assume they will ask all the other FTA receiver companies too... Tuesday, August 19, 2008 EFF Urges Court to Protect Customers' Privacy San Francisco, CA - iThe Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) asked a federal court Friday to reject efforts by Echostar to get the names and addresses of every customer that purchased a free-to-air satellite receiver. Echostar claims that the receiver can be modified to pirate DISH satellite TV programming. EFF argues that Echostar's demand, which seeks all purchasers regardless of whether they actually pirated DISH TV, would violate user privacy and leave innocent purchasers vulnerable to bogus legal threats. The demand for customer records came up in a lawsuit between Echostar, the company behind the DISH satellite TV service, and Freetech, Inc., the manufacturer of C**lsat free-to-air satellite receivers. As part of the suit, Echostar subpoenaed 17 distributors of C**lsat receivers, demanding the names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and other information of every person who purchased a C**lsat receiver over the last five years. "Innocent customers should not be dragged into federal litigation just because they bought a product that other, less scrupulous purchasers may be hacking for unlawful purposes," said EFF Senior Intellectual Property Attorney Fred von Lohmann. "The court should recognize the privacy interests of these customers, especially since Echostar does not need these customer lists in order to have its day in court against Freetech." In recent years, satellite TV companies, record labels, and movie studios have all engaged in dragnet litigation tactics that threaten individuals with costly lawsuits unless they pay significant financial sums to "settle" the dispute. These mass litigation campaigns leave innocent consumers trapped between paying a "settlement" for something they did not do or facing even higher legal costs to prove their innocence. Satellite TV provider DirecTV pioneered this approach in 2001, threatening more than 120,000 individuals with legal action and commencing more than 24,000 federal lawsuits, often with no evidence other than the fact that the individual purchased multi-purpose devices that could be used for piracy. "Once the names of Freetech customers are disclosed to Echostar, there may be little that any court can do to protect these people from harassment, settlement demands, and legal expenses," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Matt Zimmerman. "This may be the last chance the court has to protect the privacy of these individuals." |
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Bronze Member Username: Avr1Post Number: 32 Registered: Jun-08 | That has already been posted here. Old news. |
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Silver Member Username: JustforhahasPost Number: 130 Registered: Jul-08 | Echostar being sued now for this cooolsat piracy accusations and Echostar's request for private info. Group Targets EchoStar Suit on Piracy // 2008-08-20 An advocacy group has started a legal challenge that targets work by EchoStar to address its piracy issue. The Electronic Frontier Foundation said it has asked a federal court to reject efforts by EchoStar to get the names and addresses of consumers who purchased a free-to-air satellite receiver. EchoStar has claimed that the receiver can be modified to pirate its satellite TV programming. The foundation said EchoStar's demand would violate user privacy and leave innocent purchasers vulnerable to bogus legal threats. "Innocent customers should not be dragged into federal litigation just because they bought a product that other, less scrupulous purchasers may be hacking for unlawful purposes," said EFF Senior Intellectual Property Attorney Fred von Lohmann. EchoStar/DISH declined to comment on the foundation's moves. Echostar is treading on thin ice here. |
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Bronze Member Username: Avr1Post Number: 33 Registered: Jun-08 | They are trying a tactic that served direct tv so well for many years. |
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Silver Member Username: JustforhahasPost Number: 132 Registered: Jul-08 | But there's a BIG differnce. FTA receivers are legal, where as DTV used shipping and purchase records from busted dealers selling illegal cards, programmers, bootsraps, and loaders as evidence for their $3000 demand letters sent to suspected DTV pirates, who usually paid the demands in the civil suits. With FTA, there is no illegally purchased hardware or any proof of piracy by FTA receiver owners, since FTA receivers are legal and only software which is public everywhere on the net, is used by pirates. There is no proof that illegal software was ever used or the FTA receiver was altered and modified. DN is using a tactic that has no foundation, like DTV had against alleged pirates. DTV and FTA hacking are like apples and oranges, and have nothing in common. Any judge in a court of law, will never allow DN to harass and threaten FTA owners, and extort monies from alleged pirates, like DTV was allowed. |
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Gold Member Username: Oleg1474Florida Usa Post Number: 1092 Registered: Aug-06 | www.endofworld.net |