NDS Sues DirecTV

NDS, a supplier of conditional access technology for digital media, has sued DirecTV, claiming that the satellite broadcaster has been secretly working with a chip manufacturer for two years to develop a knock-off of NDS' latest-generation smart card that infringes on NDS' patent. The countersuit, which also included

Author:: TVTechnology
Publish date:: Oct 23, 2002

NDS, a supplier of conditional access technology for digital media, has sued DirecTV, claiming that the satellite broadcaster has been secretly working with a chip manufacturer for two years to develop a knock-off of NDS' latest-generation smart card that infringes on NDS' patent.

The countersuit, which also included two DirecTV subsidiaries, a chip manufacturer and that manufacturer's North American sales affiliate, was filed in response to a lawsuit filed in September by DirecTV against NDS. That lawsuit claimed similar charges against NDS. NDS also accuses DirecTV of leaking smart card information to pirate Web sites in hopes of an excuse to break agreements and unveil its own competing smart card.

NDS is seeking compensation and an injunction to prohibit DirecTV and the chipmaker from manufacturing the new smart card.

Satellite provider EchoStar filed a similar lawsuit against NDS in September.

Canal+ Group, one of Europe's largest pay-TV providers, has filed a lawsuit against NDS Group Plc in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District Court of California, alleging that NDS engaged in a conspiracy to harm Canal+'s competitive position in the DTV market. Canal+ accuses NDS of attacking its smart card s

DirecTV and several of its affiliates have filed a lawsuit against NDS Group plc and two of its subsidiaries. NDS is the provider of DirecTV's conditional access system. The sealed suit was filed under U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. In the lawsuit, DirecTV alleges that NDS breached its business contract and warra

A federal judge has sentenced a Florida man to seven years in jail for stealing satellite broadcast services from DirecTV. Martin C. Mullen--a.k.a Martin Stewart-- was also ordered to pay $24 million in restitution to DirecTV and NDS, a subsidiary of its smart card provider. Mullen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to com

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