Illegal dealer jailed, fined Dh50,000 for TV piracy

dubai — An illegal DishTV India dealer has lost his appeal against a three-month jail term in a case of piracy of OSN services after the Federal Supreme Court upheld a lower court verdict, issued from the Federal Court of Appeals of Ajman.

The highest federal court also asked him to pay a Dh50,000 fine in addition to Dh22,000 in civil compensation to the plaintiff.

The court circuit, presided over by Judge Mohammed Abdelrahman Al Jarrah, ordered that the defendant’s TV set top boxes, smart cards and remote-control units be confiscated. The convicted dealer must also publish the judgment in a local newspaper on his own expenses and pay the court fees.

Simon Wilkes, general counsel of OSN, said: “The ruling sends a very clear message that selling DishTV India subscriptions in the UAE unlawfully is a criminal offence and any dealer caught doing so will be prosecuted.”

In its verdict, the court relied on the Dubai Police’s crime lab technical report which showed that the defendant infringed on the plaintiff’s trademark and copyrights by unlawfully importing, possessing, selling counterfeit devices, recharging DishTV India services and accessing the plaintiff’s decoded channels without its authorisation.

According to the irrevocable judgment, the defendant’s electrical equipment trade business in Sharjah industrial area shall be shut down.