United States Ninth Circuit

In a dispute arising from piracy of satellite television signals, a judgment of unauthorized reception of broadcast signals in violation of 47 U.S.C. section 605(e)(4), 18 U.S.C. section 2511(1)(a) and 47 U.S.C. section 605(a) is affirmed in part and reversed in part where: 1) 47 U.S.C. section 605(e)(4) does not apply to end users of pirate access devices; and 2) though circumstantial evidence can sustain claims under 18 U.S.C. section 2511(1)(a) and 47 U.S.C. section 605(a), possession of multiple pirate access devices does not constitute multiple violations of these statutes.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/16/2006
• Decided 09/25/2008
• Published 09/25/2008

Judges

• CLIFTON, Circuit Judge:, Before: PROCTER HUG, JR., HARRY PREGERSON, and RICHARD R. CLIFTON, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Albert A. Zakarian (argued);  Robert S. Apgood (argued), Carpelaw, PLLC;  for the appellant/cross-appellee, Scott Webb., Howard Rubin (argued);  Joshua G. Berman, Marc J. Zwillinger, Jacqueline Sadker, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP;  for the appellee/cross-appellant, DirecTV, Inc.