Okay, now we'll talk about a hacked satellite dish box. Such boxes do NOT have substantial non-infringing uses. Their only viable use is to steal copyrighted presentation of satellite service. Even without the DMCA, you are guilty of contributory copyright infringement...and the illegal box should be taken in as evidence.
I don't understand what they are stealing? Certainly making copies of the shows that are transmitted by the satellite signal and then reselling them is a crime, but by rearranging the data into a format that is easier for the human eye to see (in other words decrypting the signal) what are you stealing? DirectTV might say that you are stealing the money they would get from your monthly subscription dues. But in reality DirectTV is not selling the show that you can see by decrypting the signal, they are selling you the ability to decrypt the signal in the first place. The signal is free, you get the signal in your home even if you don't have a satellite tv box, heck even if you don't have a tv!
I'll admit that I am not an expert on the law, but I would guess that if I wrote a book, copyrighted it, encrypted it, then went around throwing it in people's backyards and trying to sell those people my decrypter in order to read it, which is basically what the satellite company does with their satellite signal. If then someone learned how to decrypt my book and told their friends how to decrypt my book, I think I would have a hard time charging them with theft seeing as how I forced my book on them in the first place. Of course if selling encrypted books that are haphazardly thrown into people's backyard's suddenly became a billion dollar industry I have a hunch that pressing charges would magically become a whole lot easier.
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thats the funniest shit i have heard in a while.
I don't understand what they are stealing? Certainly making copies of the shows that are transmitted by the satellite signal and then reselling them is a crime, but by rearranging the data into a format that is easier for the human eye to see (in other words decrypting the signal) what are you stealing? DirectTV might say that you are stealing the money they would get from your monthly subscription dues. But in reality DirectTV is not selling the show that you can see by decrypting the signal, they are selling you the ability to decrypt the signal in the first place. The signal is free, you get the signal in your home even if you don't have a satellite tv box, heck even if you don't have a tv!
I'll admit that I am not an expert on the law, but I would guess that if I wrote a book, copyrighted it, encrypted it, then went around throwing it in people's backyards and trying to sell those people my decrypter in order to read it, which is basically what the satellite company does with their satellite signal. If then someone learned how to decrypt my book and told their friends how to decrypt my book, I think I would have a hard time charging them with theft seeing as how I forced my book on them in the first place. Of course if selling encrypted books that are haphazardly thrown into people's backyard's suddenly became a billion dollar industry I have a hunch that pressing charges would magically become a whole lot easier.