AMMAN - As thousands gather in homes and cafés each night to watch 2010 World Cup matches, some will be witnessing or taking part in a crime, according to authorities.
According to the National Library Department (NLD), the Kingdom's top authority concerned with intellectual property rights, "less than half" of cafés may be screening the matches illegally.
With satellite cards being sold at a discount for JD60, 40 per cent of the monthly minimum wage, for one month of matches, the offer is not attractive to some families and football fanatics, who are instead tempted by a rising trade of satellite TV piracy.
One of the most common and cheaper items on the black market are imported cards which can be used to decode the signal of a given station or satellite feed, according to the NLD and vendors.
Relatively affordable (as low as JD35 for a card depending on the quality of the satellite feed) the card's drawback, according to vendors, is that it must be reprogrammed or replaced according to changes in the satellite and legal provider.
Another tool of "satellite hackers" in Jordan is the Internet, providing customers with software updates to decrypt satellite channel signals through ADSL and selling the illegally obtained signal at a monthly rate much cheaper than the legal cost.
NLD Director General Mamoun Talhouni said the Kingdom is now witnessing a newer, and increasingly proper trend: a direct satellite which pirates the signals of channels across the world.
The NLD has registered 20 cases of satellite piracy, mostly in coffee shops, over the last eight months, but the trend is skyrocketing this World Cup season, making it a tall task for protecting IPR, according to Talhouni.
"This puts us in a difficult situation. We have referred several people who have used illegal cards and parts to hijack signals for commercial gains and we are enforcing the Copyright Law in the country regardless of people or stations who own the [broadcasting] rights," he said.
Purchasing an illegal card to watch his beloved French squad was no moral dilemma for 46-year-old Salah Mohammad.
"We are not wealthy here in Jordan. This is not the US, a lot of us struggle to put food on the table," the engineer said in defence of his pirated satellite feed.
Yahya chooses to watch the matches from the deli he works at as he cannot afford a satellite dish, legal or illegal.
"I choose the afternoon and evening shifts so I can catch the games," he said, noting that if he had the funds, he would purchase a receiver and illegal card "right away".
Hasan, 32, said he and his neighbour in Jabal Hussein share a stolen broadcast feed, which was installed just in time for the World Cup opener on Friday for JD100.
"This was a good investment for me, and I haven't missed a match," he said.
Ahmad, who declined to use his real name for fear of legal action against him, said his electronics repair store has made "big business" by selling satellite decoders and cards as cheap as JD40 to hijack satellite channels from across the globe.
"There is a large demand, because otherwise people here can't watch these channels. If they want to stop people from watching illegally, they should make it cheaper," he said.
For those who do not have receivers which take cards, the 36-year-old sells receiver and satellite packages, whose prices depend on the quality of signal and variety of stolen channels customers are looking for.
He stressed that the technology he sells is "manufactured and imported legally".
Technology designed for the purpose of hijacking satellite TV stations is considered illegal under the Copyright Law, and the Jordan Customs Department denies entry for such a technology. Yet it is often difficult to discern legal cards from illegal products, according to experts.
In order to stamp out the rising trade, Talhouni said it is up to companies that suspect that their property is being stolen to come to the department and submit a complaint concerning areas where there is an infringement so that the NLD's inspection teams can follow up on the case.
Representatives of Al Jazeera Network, the Qatar-based giant which broadcasts World Cup matches in the Middle East and North Africa, was unavailable for comment.
Until technological advances in blocking out "satellite pirates", or penalties outweigh the perceived benefits of breaking the law, those like Ahmad believe they will continue to have a thriving business, particularly during high seasons like the FIFA games.
"May the World Cup never end," he said.
The Jordanian Copyright Law stipulates that it is a crime to download software, music or movies that are protected under the legislation.
The legislation also prohibits the alteration of technological safeguards for the unlicensed commercial use of a protected product, particularly satellite feeds. Offenders face a prison sentence of between three months and three years and a fine ranging from JD1,000 to JD6,000.
But not all are deterred amid World Cup fever.
By Taylor Luck
© Jordan Times 2010
