DISH Network, EchoStar, & NagraStar recieve $51 Million in Anti-Piracy Case

In Florida, a federal court judge awarded Dish Network, EchoStar, and NagraStar with $51 million, ruling against Robert Ward, over his distribution of software that enabled internet users to illegally recieve Dish Network’s programming via the Free-to-Air recievers. The new precedent set by this ruling ensures a much smoother legal fight against piracy in the future, especially for the satellite television industry.

Pascal Lenoir, CEO of NagraStar, said: “This is a significant victory in our effort to eradicate piracy of the DISH Network system. We thank the court for its well-reasoned analysis.”

The court ruled the pirate software to be in violation of the Federal Communications Act, and the sum of the award was based upon the number of users who downloaded the piracy software.