Dish Network Wins $51M Judgment

Momma always said there’s no such thing as a free lunch.  Unfortunately for one Robert Ward of Florida, she was right.  He stole DISH Networks signal and was ordered to pay up $51M.  It all arose when EchoStar, a subsidiary of DISH Network, discovered that someone was able to work around the set-top box and encryption.  Not only did this guy steal the signal, but he posted the software online, unlocking DISH Network for whoever downloaded the hack.  It’s unsure what happened to the others who downloaded the software, but from the press release it seemed like Ward took the brunt of the hit.