Pay-TV piracy could become a crime in Brazil

The clandestine reception of pay-TV signals could soon become a crime in Brazil, reports O Estado de Sao Paulo. This is what is in bill 186/2013, currently being processed by the Senate's Constitution, Justice and Citizenship Committee (CCJ). According to the draft bill, distributing or receiving pay-TV pirate signals would result in imprisonment from six months to two years and a fine of up to BRL 10.000. Those who manufacture, import or sell equipment or products for unauthorized interception or reception could get one to three years of detention, in addition to a fine of BRL 5.000.

If approved by the CCJ, the bill will go directly to the Chamber of Deputies.  According to the Brazilian Association of Subscription Television (ABTA), 3.3 million Brazilian households now have pirated access to pay-TV. This generates an annual loss of BRL 6 billion.