simple
May 9th, 2002, 05:42 AM
Astral, Alliance join satellite court case
Barbara Shecter, with files from Shannon Kari, Southam News
Financial Post, with files from Southam News
Two Canadian broadcasters have won the right to participate in a court case that will determine whether U.S. satellite signals TV should be legally allowed to be distributed in Canada.
Justice Robert Blair of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, yesterday allowed Astral Media Inc. and Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. to join Canadian satellite TV operator, Bell ExpressVu LP, as intervenors in a case brought by grey market satellite operators.
Last month, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled it is illegal to receive foreign satellite signals. However, the court left the door open to a constitutional challenge, which is slated to begin on May 21.
The constitutional challenge claims Canadians' rights to freedom of expression are violated when the government refuses to allow them to watch television beamed into the country by U.S. or other foreign satellite distributors.
The Canadian broadcasters argued yesterday that the whole system on which their business is founded will crack if the argument is successful.
Bill McKenzie, a lawyer for the three media companies, argued that they must be heard because the survival of their businesses depends on the outcome.
For example, Astral said its Family Channel is damaged when Canadians are allowed to view the Disney Channel, a U.S. operation from which the Family Channel buys much of its programming.
Black and grey market satellites rob Family Channel of its only source of revenue: subscription fees and compromise commercial relationships between Family Channel and Disney Channel, according to John Riley, president of Astral Television Networks.
DirectTV and Echostar are the two large U.S. satellite TV providers whose signals are available in Canada through the grey market - when Canadians set up fake U.S. addresses and pay for the services - and through the black market when they receive "hacked" cards that break the encryption codes that scramble the U.S. signals.
An injunction blocking police from seizing satellite dishes or shutting down distributors pending the constitutional challenge was extended until Friday at noon.
At that time, Judge Blair is to rule on whether to extend the injunction through the challenge.
Simple.
Barbara Shecter, with files from Shannon Kari, Southam News
Financial Post, with files from Southam News
Two Canadian broadcasters have won the right to participate in a court case that will determine whether U.S. satellite signals TV should be legally allowed to be distributed in Canada.
Justice Robert Blair of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, yesterday allowed Astral Media Inc. and Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. to join Canadian satellite TV operator, Bell ExpressVu LP, as intervenors in a case brought by grey market satellite operators.
Last month, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled it is illegal to receive foreign satellite signals. However, the court left the door open to a constitutional challenge, which is slated to begin on May 21.
The constitutional challenge claims Canadians' rights to freedom of expression are violated when the government refuses to allow them to watch television beamed into the country by U.S. or other foreign satellite distributors.
The Canadian broadcasters argued yesterday that the whole system on which their business is founded will crack if the argument is successful.
Bill McKenzie, a lawyer for the three media companies, argued that they must be heard because the survival of their businesses depends on the outcome.
For example, Astral said its Family Channel is damaged when Canadians are allowed to view the Disney Channel, a U.S. operation from which the Family Channel buys much of its programming.
Black and grey market satellites rob Family Channel of its only source of revenue: subscription fees and compromise commercial relationships between Family Channel and Disney Channel, according to John Riley, president of Astral Television Networks.
DirectTV and Echostar are the two large U.S. satellite TV providers whose signals are available in Canada through the grey market - when Canadians set up fake U.S. addresses and pay for the services - and through the black market when they receive "hacked" cards that break the encryption codes that scramble the U.S. signals.
An injunction blocking police from seizing satellite dishes or shutting down distributors pending the constitutional challenge was extended until Friday at noon.
At that time, Judge Blair is to rule on whether to extend the injunction through the challenge.
Simple.