DirecTV Sues Canadian Pirate

A Canadian citizen already under injunction to stop selling pirate devices on the Internet has been sued by DirecTV Inc. in that country for violating the court order.

DirecTV alleged that Elio Gino D’Amario of Hamilton, Ontario, continues to sell pirate hardware on his Web site despite injunctions issued both by a U.S. District Court and by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice last July.

A DirecTV investigation identified the man in 1999 as the operator of a network of companies and Web sites peddling bogus direct-satellite television receiving equipment. As a result of prosecution, he was targeted with several injunctions in 2002.

Now, DirecTV is seeking a contempt order against D’Amario, alleging that he “flagrantly” breached the multiple court orders.

The DBS company noted that last month, another pirate found in breach of court bans received a nine-month prison sentence, and investigators can now search his premises without prior warning in order to prevent destruction of evidence.