Crackdown targets illegal decoding of pay TV channels for World Cup

AMMAN — With the 2014 World Cup nearing, the National Library Department (NLD) said Sunday it will launch a campaign this week to crack down on stores that illegally decode pay TV channels to enable customers to watch matches for free.

“Whenever there is a World Cup, this business booms and stores develop techniques to decode pay TV channels, cashing in on the popularity of football in Jordan,” NLD Director General Mohammad Abbadi told The Jordan Times.

“Teams working at the NLD will tour several governorates to inspect these stores. Some of them usually put big signs saying they can decode pay TV channels for JD20 or less,” Abbadi added.

The NLD teams will fine those stores and will inform them that what they do is illegal. 

The Brazil World Cup starts on June 12.

“Those selling decoders or decoding satellite channels will be sent to court for violating the Copyright Law,” Abbadi said.

The law stipulates that it is a crime to download software, music or movies that are protected under the legislation.

Offenders face a prison sentence of between three months and three years and a fine ranging from JD1,000 to JD6,000.

The inspection campaign will also target cafés, Abbadi said, noting that some café owners buy family subscriptions to show World Cup matches at their venues, which is illegal as they have to buy the commercial subscription.

Meanwhile, the NLD director said a study by the Business Software Alliance on piracy rates in Jordan and the rest of the Arab world is expected to be released this month.

He expected Jordan to score a better ranking than previous years due to a series of campaigns it conducted to confiscate pirated items.