(1)A person who makes, imports, sells or lets for hire any unauthorised decoder shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.
(2)It is a defence to any prosecution for an offence under this section for the defendant to prove that he did not know, and had no reasonable ground for knowing, that the decoder was an unauthorised decoder.
(3)In this section—
“apparatus” includes any device, component or electronic data;
“decoder” means any apparatus which is designed or adapted to enable (whether on its own or with any other apparatus) an encrypted transmission to be decoded;
“transmission” means any programme included in a broadcasting or cable programme service which is provided from a place in the United Kingdom; and
“unauthorised” in relation to a decoder, means a decoder which will enable encrypted transmissions to be viewed in decoded form without payment of the fee (however imposed) which the person making the transmission, or on whose behalf it is made, charges for viewing those transmissions, or viewing any service of which they form part.]
Textual Amendments
F1S. 297A inserted by Broadcasting Act 1990 (c. 42, SIF 96), s. 179(1)