Signal Piracy: the Theft of United States Satellite Signals SATELLITE SIGNALS
Fordham International Law Journal Volume 8, Issue 1 1984 Article 3 Signal Piracy: The Theft of United States Satellite Signals SATELLITE SIGNALS Lori A. Yarvis∗ ∗ Copyright c 1984 by the authors. Fordham International Law Journal is produced by The Berke- ley Electronic Press (bepress). http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/ilj Signal Piracy: The Theft of United States Satellite Signals SATELLITE SIGNALS Lori A. Yarvis Abstract This Note examines the problem of the unauthorized interceptionand transmission of United States programming, specifically concentrating on programming intercepted in the Caribbean Basin and Canada. SIGNAL PIRACY: THE THEFT OF UNITED STATES SATELLITE SIGNALS INTRODUCTION Advances in communications technology have enabled United States cable television companies' and networks2 to place their program signals3 on satellites4 and send them to 1. At present there are six United States domestic satellite systems carrying cable and other television services. Motion Picture Exporting Association of America, Inc., Memorandum on the Uses of Satellite Technology 23 (Jan. 30, 1984) (avail- able from the Motion Picture Exporting Association of America) [hereinafter cited as MPEAA Memo]. These are SATCOM III-R and SATCOM IV (owned by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA)); WESTAR IV and WESTAR V (owned by Western Union); COMSTAR D-4 (owned by American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) and General Telegraph & Electronics (GTE)); and GALAXY I (owned by Hughes Communications). Id. Most of the major cable companies and networks are carried by SATCOM III-R (ARTS, Cable News Network, Cinemax, Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), Music Television Network (MTV), Nickel- odeon, Spotlight, Showtime, USA Network, The Weather Channel, WGN-TV Chi- cago, and the Ted Turner Broadcasting Service (WTBS)); SATCOM IV (Bravo, ESPN, the Financial News Network, and the Playboy Channel); and WESTAR V (ARTS, Madison Square Garden Television, Satellite News Channels, and WOR- TV).
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