Cable giants in Canada attempting to outlaw IPTV

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fatso
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Cable giants in Canada attempting to outlaw IPTV

Post by fatso » Fri Dec 23, 2016 9:19 pm

Although I don't use iptv (too crappy and doesn't appeal to my generation), it really burns me up to see these mega media monopolies in Canada trying to outlaw any kind of competition to their established cartel. Such a challenge probably couldn't happen in the USA, but here in Canada, Rogers and Bell rule with an iron fist and control the CRTC and our elected representatives through powerful lobby groups. At one time, you could legally buy any kind of satellite hardware and service in Canada, such as c band, directv, dish, etc. In fact, I remember in the nineties you could walk into any Radio Shack store and purchase whichever service you wanted. Well it didn't take long for Bell and Rogers to launch several legal challenges all the way up to the Supreme Court to get every single competing service banned. :angrydude They even changed the CRTC rules to explicitly prohibit Canadians from viewing any foreign encrypted signals regardless of whether you were paying for them. In recent years, these same crooked monopolies have bullied all the big electronics stores to remove ALL OTA antennas and sell only Rogers / Bell services. They are currently in the process of banning OTA signals :reallyangry altogether which will outrage millions of Canadians who rely on such basic tv reception.

Enough of my long winded diatribe. They will crush iptv just like they cruched everything else before iptv and once they force the CRTC to pull the plug on OTA, it will be game over in the great white north. :doh


Here is the article:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/free-tv ... -1.3900760

Cable giants step up battle against 'free TV' Android box, but can they win?
About 45 Canadian companies targeted in a court case to stop loaded Android boxes
By Sophia Harris, CBC News Posted: Dec 18, 2016 5:00 AM ET
Cable giants are stepping up their legal battle to stamp out the fully loaded Android TV box business. Their method of attack: adding more retailers to the hit list.

According to court documents, Bell, Rogers and Quebec's Vidéotron are now going after about 45 Canadian companies for selling Android boxes loaded with special software.

Customers connect the box to their televisions and watch everything from TV shows to movies to live sports — for free. High speed internet is required.

The three TV and content providers launched their case in Federal Court in June, naming just five retailers. They have continued to add defendants and will keep doing so if the opportunity strikes, Bell told CBC News in an email.

But some industry insiders claim that, no matter how many dealers get hit, legal action is not going to stop the growing loaded Android box industry.

"I don't see this court case changing anything," says Patrick O'Rourke, a Toronto-based writer for the tech site MobileSyrup. "You shut down these companies, there'll be hundreds more that will pop up."

As with other forms of piracy, O'Rourke says, the only way to effectively combat it is to offer customers what they want — cheaper, more tailored legitimate TV services.

'Obvious case of piracy'

Fully loaded Android boxes have become the scourge of the cable TV industry. The devices are similar to Apple TV, but the added software enables customers to easily stream an almost limitless amount of pirated content.

Vincent Wesley in Montreal used to sell the boxes for a one-time fee of $70 to $250. He advertised that TV watchers could get "everything for free."

"I guess I painted a bit of a bull's-eye," he says.

Indeed, he was one of the first people to be named in the court case. Wesley works as an operations manager for a pharmaceutical waste company. He sold loaded boxes on the side through his company, MTLFreeTV.

He currently can't sell the product or even post YouTube videos about it. That's because Bell, Rogers and Vidéotron have won a temporary injunction to block defendants from selling loaded boxes until the matter is resolved. Wesley is appealing the court decision.

In court documents, the plaintiffs argue that dealers promoting and selling the boxes have "induced and authorized" customers to engage in copyright infringement. They also claim the devices threaten their business because they motivate people to cut their cable.

"This is an obvious case of piracy, which is why we asked the court to stop the illegal use of our content," said Rogers spokesman Andrew Garas in an email.

Wesley's lawyer, Constantin Kyritsis, argues the devices are like iPads, Apple TVs or computers that can be used for both legal and illegal purposes.

"The vendor doesn't control or authorize what users do, or what software providers enable users to do," he told CBC News.

'Simply Free TV'

But whatever the legal argument, O'Rourke argues that the box business is too big to shut down.

"You can go on Kijiji right now, search fully loaded Android TV and buy one."

CBC News tried this and pages of retailers popped up. One Ontario dealer asking for $119 per device boldly states in the ad: "These boxes are great and give you free TV, movies, shows."

Another dealer with the company name, "SimplyFreeTV," announces, "Say goodbye to your monthly TV subscription."

Wesley says he knows of many people still peddling the loaded boxes and that the publicity from the legal battle has actually helped promote the device.

"If anything, they've made it worse because they've put a spotlight on it," he says.

But Bell expects the spotlight will work in its favour. "We hope that we've increased awareness that these boxes are illegal and highlighted their negative impact on people working in Canada's content production industry," said spokeswoman Michelle Michalak.

Do-it-yourself box

Wesley also argues that even if the cable giants manage to round up every Canadian retailer, people can still order the product from U.S. dealers.

Or, they can buy the Android box — which is a legitimate and legal product — and simply load the software themselves.

O'Rourke points out there are YouTube videos available that show people the necessary steps.

"There's guys online that you can follow. It can be done, if you know what you're doing, in 15 to 20 minutes.

So what about cracking down on the people providing the software? Wesley says it would be next to impossible to track down many of the developers who live in distant countries.

"You can't stop people from designing applications," he says.

Both he and O'Rourke argue that the only recourse for cable companies is to improve the services they offer Canadians.

Give them what they want?

Although the boxes offer "free TV," people who use them still face hiccups, says O'Rourke. That's because sometimes links to stream content don't work or a pirated video can fail in the middle of a show.

"You're still getting something that's not up to par," says O'Rourke. He claims cable companies could win over customers by offering cheaper and more tailored TV packages and streaming services.

"The only way to battle piracy is through convenience and more reasonable pricing."

Wesley has his own idea for a more effective solution. "Instead of taking a million dollars and trying to drown out Vince [Wesley]," he suggests that cable companies instead "Take $10 a month and knock it off everybody's bill."
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Re: Cable giants in Canada attempting to outlaw IPTV

Post by skink » Sat Dec 24, 2016 8:55 am

No surprise fatso.The big boys are" circling the wagons" now that people are realizing there are alternatives to their overpriced product.They will use the bureaucrats to squelch the exodus and enforce the status quo.Remember when a large U.S. phone was going to set up in Canada and cause maybe competition.Well it went quietly into the night using the excuse it was too expensive.Things won't change without input from the end user.

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Re: Cable giants in Canada attempting to outlaw IPTV

Post by Z_finigan » Fri Dec 30, 2016 8:41 pm

Hey
Remember you are talking about cable companies and the law that sides with them.
If anything. The cable companies win. Then start there own team. To search out the ip's of the video stream. And block. One IP at a time. They can do that. And it would take time, but it could be done. Pretty fast too.
Don't doubt it. It's easy to do. And once blocked. They will keep going. And you would be surprised how they would have not problem doing it.
It's for money. And they will spend it too make it.
And if they are real unlucky. The law could ban the use of streaming services. And make it illegal for the end user and fine them. Just like when Napster was free. Australia did just that. I remember the banner warned people from Australia it was illegal.

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