Dutch cable operator Ziggo is seeking €1.6 million in damages from a 36-year old man from Apeldoorn who supplied card-sharing codes to his clients.
The suit follows a conviction of a number of card-sharing pirates in December 2015. The conviction followed police action in 2013, when several locations were raided and people arrested.
The original action was taken by cable operators UPC and Ziggo, who have since merged. Irdeto, who supplied to original CA system, worked with the operators to refer the case to the Dutch police in 2012. They conducted extensive investigations and provided evidence that led to the raid of five homes in the Netherlands and resulted in arresting several people suspected of operating illegal card sharing piracy networks, including Hakan A. The operator is now seeking damages from the man from Apeldoorn, who is named Hakan A and now residing in Turkey.
The civil suit came as a surprise to the court and Hakan A. was not present at the hearing. According to his lawyer, the man has no intention of returning to the Netherlands.
The court adjourned the session because it first wants to hear the man; a likely follow-up will probably take place in six months’ time.
Hakan A. is accused of providing customers with a so-called ‘Dreambox’ and codes which gave access to encrypted channels on the cabler’s network.