Grey/Cross-Border Trading of PayTv Satellite Decoders And Subscriptions: Is It A Crime

I have now taken it upon myself to shed light on the mystery surrounding the cross-border trading of official decoders. There are at least 5 major categories of satellite tv broadcast piracy which you can read here. The most common type is re-broadcasting; in most cases, the consumers know they are committing a crime. Today’s topic focuses on cross-border piracy. However, some of my colleagues in the satellite business industry have suffered litigation merely by selling an official decoder or helping their clients subscribe to an official satellite tv package outside the defined territory.

It causes me a lot of pain to see anyone suffering from a crime that he or she is ignorant of. Today, I will comprehensively analyze cross-border/grey marking as a broadcast piracy concern.

Cross-border piracy analysis – what is a “grey area?”

According to Collins dictionary, If you refer to something as a grey area, you mean that it is unclear, for example, because nobody is sure how to deal with it or who is responsible for it, or it falls between two separate categories of things. Just like the name implies, grey-marking of decoders occurs in such a way as to make it difficult to know if you are guilty of intellectual property theft or not. Admittedly, some perpetrators know they are doing something illegal, while many think it is normal and lawful.

Cross-border piracy-what exactly does this entail?

In layman’s language, cross-border piracy of official satellite decoders occurs when smartcards or decoders with smart cards are sold outside the allowed area of coverage/the predefined territory.

Types of cross-border piracy with their examples

Below are some basic examples or forms of broadcast piracy through grey-marking or cross-border transportation.

• You are guilty of piracy if you buy an official satellite decoder from a neighboring country when the same company is well-represented in your own country. A good example is that of DStv Ghana and DStv Nigeria. We all know that Multichoice Nigeria owns both DStv Ghana and DStv Nigeria. However, one is independent of the other. Failure to sell and meet targets may lead to the folding up of the branch of that company in that country. To explain this further, if you leave Nigeria and go to Ghana to buy your DStv decoder, and you start using it in Nigeria. You usually subscribe through your contact in Ghana; you have taken the business away from DStv NG.

The implication for the company is negative. If the trend continues unchecked, DStv NG will seize to exist, and their asset will turn into a liability. The fact that the money is going into the same pursuit will not be enough to cushion the losses incurred if the company folds up. The reverse can also be the case. This type of piracy is perpetrated with the products of the same company that are meant for different markets.

• The second type of cross-border piracy of satellite tv official decoders is less confusing. In this case, you buy decoder A from company A and go with it to utilize it at Country B, where only Company B is licensed to own broadcast rights. For example, if you buy a bein sport from Qatar to be used in Nigeria, it is outright piracy, and there is no ambiguity in this. Nigeria belongs to DStv, kwese, startimes, and others, while Qatar belongs to beIN.

LONG-TERM NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF CROSS-BORDER SALES OF PayTV DECODERS ON THE CONSUMERS

• In the long run, you will lose your investment as a consumer, and there is nothing you can do. I remember one of my friends using A BEIN decoder in Nigeria. He used to do the yearly subscription. Suddenly, a security update was rolled out by beIN, and his subscription was suspended. He could not legally reactivate that box, and his heavy investment went down the drain. That is one of the reasons why beIN sports in Nigeria is now less popular.
• Also, as time goes by, it will become more and more difficult for you
• Secondly, as the consumer, you may be caught and used as bait to get the supplier.
• Thirdly, you may lose most updates and benefits due to every eligible subscriber.

Cross-border piracy hurts satellite tv producers, the community, and the Government

• To the provider, we have a huge loss of income when one branch is not selling enough.
• This may lead to the sacking of workers to stay in business
• The government may lose taxes from a declining company.

CONCLUSION

This post is contextual in its entirety. Please be guided as regards its applicability. One can lead to enormous revenue loss, and piracy is just part of it.

Read Also:

• Why Satellite broadcast pirates are being prosecuted – 3 Popular cases
• Is IPTV legal? Find out Everything You Need to Know About the Legality of IPTV Services.