TV piracy, a non-solved problem for Chile

By Aguayo, Ecclefield & Martínez (AEM Law Firm)

In Chile at least 460,000 households have pirated pay-TV services, according to a recent publication by local newspaper El Mercurio, which interviewed Gianpaolo Peirano, legal director of DirecTV Chile and a member of the Alliance Against Pay-TV Piracy.

The 460,000 household figure is equivalent to the fifth operator of the Chilean pay television market. In addition to it there are more than 300,000 "illegal" decoders in the country (60,000 enter the country each year!) and 160,000 subscribers to pirate TV operators, businesses that do not pay for the retransmission of TV signals.

All of it sums up to a dread reality that will continue to expand unless actions are taken, specially legal actions, as the basic problem is attached to law: for example, importation and commercialization of "illegal" decoders are actually legal in Chile.

"Many users are unaware that they are doing something wrong, because they buy these decoders in an established commerce or they pay a monthly subscription to a TV operator for their service", explained Peirano.