KUWAIT CITY, Oct 29, (Agencies): The concerned authorities in Kuwait during a series of raids on commercial centers have seized a lot of settop boxes of India-based DTH service Dish TV to keep a tap on TV piracy and distribution of what the authorities called unauthorized decoders since Dish TV in the Middle East is illegal. Its operation and broadcast licence and satellite contract are limited to its origin in India, say sources.

In other parts of the GCC the authorities are said to have conducted similar raids and several people have been convicted and fined and Kuwait has stepped in to follow suit to tackle TV piracy. According to reliable sources, the raids were conducted following complaints by Orbit Showtime Network (OSN), the region’s leading pay-TV network that offers international television entertainment services.

It has been reported the OSN has sought the support of Kuwait’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry to tackle TV piracy and distribution of unauthorized TV decoders in the country since Dish TV is one of the major piracy concerns in Kuwait because many South Asian expatriates are using the service illegally.

“The raids demonstrate that the fight against illegal TV-piracy is not just confined to one or two countries but is a region-wide issue that needs cooperation from a number of agencies and the public at large,” said David Butorac, Chief Executive Officer of OSN.

“As the Kuwaiti authorities have outlined, perpetrators can expect tough penalties for flouting the law as the campaign to stamp out TV-piracy gains momentum and awareness across the region increases,” Butorac said. Omar Al-Qahtani, Senior Associate, Al Tamimi and Co Kuwait, said, “As a governing authority, we will continue to work with partners such as the OSN to protect intellectual property rights and will not tolerate any form of activity that infringes on them. “In addition to confiscating illegal decoders and equipment, operating in this illegal trade will lead to the closure of shops and fines being issued,” he said