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Article: Federal court caps piracy fines. (California appeals court sets statutory damages under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 for theft at $60,000)
- Article from:
- Multichannel News
- Article date:
- September 29, 1997
- Author:
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Spurning cable attorneys' arguments that they might be creating a "de facto licensing fee" for stealing cable, a federal appeals court in California ruled that the Telecommunications Act of 1996 caps statutory damages for theft at $60,000.
The ruling set aside a federal district court assessment of $1.2 million in damages that had been awarded to MediaOne. Attorneys who defend cable companies and manufacturers against pirates decried the decision, stating that the damage award to MediaOne could be reduced to a mere $10,000 to $60,000.
The U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, acted on an appeal brought by the attorney for brothers Alvin and Daniel Poll, who do ...