NDS wins latest EchoStar hearing

The Supreme Court of the United States of America has denied a petition to hear the challenge by EchoStar Satellite Corporation to repeal a ruling from 2010 concerning a hacking case that originated with EchoStar claiming NDS was stealing satellite signals.

In 2003, EchoStar filed a US$2 billion (€1.5 billion) claim against NDS alleging that it was responsible for the compromise of EchoStar’s satellite television programming platform, now known as Dish Networks.

The Supreme Court’s denial ends the challenge to the Ninth Circuit’s award against EchoStar in August 2010, which awarded NDS US$18 million and the release of a further US$4.3 million of NDS’ funds held in escrow pending the appeals. NDS is seeking a further US$1.7 million in attorney’s fees, costs and interest.

“In May 2008 we were overwhelmingly exonerated by the jury following trial and are gratified that the Supreme Court denial can now be recognised as conclusive validation that we were not involved in compromising the EchoStar platform, putting firmly to rest the unsavoury insinuations made during this court case which we believe were designed to malign NDS’ reputation,” said Abe Peled, executive chairman, NDS Group. “As the industry’s leading provider of pay TV security solutions, NDS has a known reputation for successfully protecting billions of dollars worth of content for its customers and being at the forefront of the battle against piracy which is so injurious to the industry. From the outset of the allegations made by EchoStar, we have maintained that the claims were baseless and an effort to thwart competition and deflect attention from a fundamentally flawed technology and strategy pursued by EchoStar and NagraStar. NDS today stands proud of its position as a leading global provider of end-to-end software solutions to the pay-television industry, achieved not through the underhanded schemes alleged by EchoStar, but through the sheer hard work and investment in its 5,200 global employees who we believe include some of the brightest and most talented engineers in the industry, with a patent portfolio of over 475 granted patents and over 500 patents pending. This decision is an endorsement to the hard work of our valued employees.”