US embassy cable - 05SANTODOMINGO2448

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 002448 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR, WHA/EPSC,ED/TPP/IPE; DEPT PASS USTR; 
USDOC FOR USPTO (BOLAND) 
DEPT PASS LIBRARY OF CONGRESS FOR COPYRIGHT OFFICE 
WHITE HOUSE FOR USTR FOR R. VARGO, A. MALITO, B. PECK 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KIPR, ETRD, EINV, DR 
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SHUTS DOWN TELEVISION STATION 
BECAUSE OF VIDEO PIRACY 
 
REF: SANTO DOMINGO 1861 
 
1. On April 27 the District Attorney's Office raided the 
headquarters of Dominican television station Virus, located 
in Santiago, the country's second largest city.  Officials 
confiscated four hard drives containing video material  along 
with hardware necessary for the station to broadcast.  Virus 
is now off the air.  This is the first case in the Dominican 
Republic where an investigation into broadcast piracy has 
closed a station.  Itis  a promising development for 
enforcement of intellectual property laws. 
 
2. According to Jaime Angeles, attorney and local 
representative of the Motion Picture Association of America 
(MPAA), the court did not order Virus's transmissions 
suspended but rather authorized the DA's raid to obtain 
evidence that Virus was broadcasting pirated material. 
Officials confiscated equipment and left the station unable 
to broadcast.  It is unclear whether Virus will remain off 
the air indefinitely. 
 
3. Angeles believes that Dominican officials are beginning to 
engage against television broadcast piracy. He expects that 
the District Attorney will soon search other tations, 
including channel 5 Telemicro, and channel 15 Digital 
15(reftel). Angeles was very pleased with both the Ministry 
of Justice and telecommunications authority INDOTEL for  new 
efforts. 
 
 
 
 
 
KUBISKE