Injunction against cable operators not granted

Belize’s cable operators won a victory today in their efforts to keep the copyright dogs at bay; ironically the challenge came from one of their own. Ramon Reyes of Star Limited, a Caye Caulker cable company, claimed he owned Belizean rights to networks like MTV, Discovery Channel, ESPN, and Nickelodeon, and when his fellow operators refused to pay him for their services he went to the Supreme Court for relief. Today Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh, after a hearing in his chambers, refused Star the injunction it sought. News 5 has not read the judgement, but we are informed that Star’s contract with the networks in question, while valid for Caye Caulker, did not grant the right of resale to other cable systems. This leaves the door open for the networks to enforce their rights directly in Belize, without the benefit of a local intermediary. The cable operators, through their trade association, have begun to regularize their use of copyrighted material and have already signed agreements with the Turner Network, as well as some Spanish language services out of Mexico. It is envisioned that the association will implement new agreements gradually with consumers’ cable bills slowly rising to compensate for higher costs.