Satellite pirate ordered to pay $51 million

Whether Dish Network, EchoStar and NagraStar will ever be able to collect anywhere near the full amount remains to be seen, but a federal judge in Tampa has awarded them $51 million from Robert Ward, who was found to have posted software on the Internet for people to receive subscription satellite TV without paying.

"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," said NagraStar CEO Pascal Lenoir.

Nagrastar LLC is a joint venture between EchoStar and Kudelski SA. It supplies conditional access and smart cards for satellite TV systems.

Read the full Radio Business Report article at:
http://www.rbr.com/tv-cable/19881.html