Premiere combats hackers: “Partial victory in the fight against the organised criminal theft of rights” By obtaining the injunction against the receiver importer Zehnder, Premiere has gained a first, important victory in the fight against the pay-TV piracy. But: not only the distributors of the so-called patchable receivers for the illegal reception of Premiere have to face considerable consequences. One will also take legal action against the buyers of the illegal receivers, Andreas Rudloff pointed out towards Digitalmagazin.weekly.


Digitalmagazin.weekly: The Hamburg District Court has forbidden patchable receivers all over the country. What does this mean for Premiere


Rudloff: The decision of the Hamburg District Court is an important partial victory for us in the fight against the organised criminal theft of rights. We will continue our efforts and consequently take all legal steps against these criminal actions. We will not just take advantage of all the measures available under criminal law, but in addition we will also call to account all those who have tried to enrich themselves at other people's expense with significant damage claims.

Digitalmagazin.weekly: What is the reason for the fact that Premiere for the first time has obtained judicial success against an importer in the fight against illegal viewers

Rudloff: We found out that the receivers in question had implemented preinstalled applications which are clearly designed to enable the illegal reception of Premiere programming without a subscription. The Hamburg District Court expressed this fact in its decision. We expect further details in the grounds for the judgement which are not yet available to us.

Digitalmagazin.weekly: Which consequences does the injunction of the Hamburg District Court have for importers who want to import similar goods into the country

Rudloff: It is the first time ever a court ascertained that receivers whose operating system contains an emulator, which simulates a smart card for the illegal reception of Premiere, are forbidden. The injunction gives direction to possible legal steps against other importers or manufactures. Also distributors should consider carefully whether they still want to offer similar devices.

Digitalmagazin.weekly: Which consequences do end users of the distributor Zehnder have to face who bought one of the patchable receivers for the illegal reception of Premiere

Rudloff: First of all, we will thoroughly check the data which Zehnder has to provide to us after the injunction. In the interests of our honest subscribers, we will also take legal action against the buyers of these receivers. The illegal viewing of Premiere is no trivial offence.

Digitalmagazin.weekly: What reactions on the part of distributors or subscribers can Premiere already note in its fight against illegal viewers

Rudloff: Our subscribers have already been supporting us for years in the fight against pay-TV piracy. We receive lots of positive news from customers, Premiere specialist retailers and last but not least from our partners in the receiver industry.

Digitalmagazin.weekly: You obtained the injunction against Zehnder. Will you leave it at that or will Premiere take further steps against other distributors or end-customers in its fight against piracy

Rudloff: Importers and receiver manufactures should thoroughly check whether they want to continue importing cheap goods from the Far East. If these devices are able to receive Premiere illegally, they have to face an injunction and considerable claims for damages but also complaints of offences if corresponding requirements are given. We are just checking other receiver types which might have implemented similar applications. After that, we will take corresponding legal action against manufactures and/or importers.

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