Once upon a time, not that long ago, it was pefectly legal to “pirate” US satelite TV signals in Canada. This was because the CRTC does not license it for broadcast/sale, therefore you cannot steal what you cannot buy.
I recall when Bell ExpressVu & other similar options became available that on the news it said that the govt/RCMP was going to crack down on people using US based systems. Were those threats followed up on, or can you still “pirate” US signals without worry?
MODS: I ask this because I cannot convince a friend that this was actually on the news.
According to an acquaintance in the satellite business in Canada, you can still “pirate” US satellite signals. But it won’t be without worry.
There have been various crackdowns, but they haven’t been in the form of Untouchables-style stings (breaking down doors, making arrests, confiscating equipment, etc.). Rather, they have come in the form of signals that are designed to destroy the unapproved-signal decoding software on the card in the receiver box. This keeps my acquaintance busy, tracking down new software, and distributing it to his customers.
I’m unfamiliar with satellite receiver technology, and I don’t own one myself, so I don’t know how this all works. I also don’t know who is ordering that the destroying signals are sent–whether is is by order of the CRTC, RCMP, or on Bell’s (and similar carriers’) own initiative.
My acquaintance’s business seems to me to be somewhat shady, but he’s doing very well with it. And his customers seem to be prepared to put up with the worry of having their software destroyed, and to line up at his door to have their cards reprogrammed.