Opinion ID: 1189699
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Smartcards, programming electronics, and other hardware and software

Text: The government next argues that smartcards, programming electronics, and other seized hardware and software are contraband per se under section 1029(a)(9) and should not be returned to Harrell. Section 1029(a)(9) makes it a crime to knowingly . . . [possess] hardware or software, knowing it has been configured to insert or modify telecommunication identifying information associated with or contained in a telecommunications instrument so that such instrument may be used to obtain telecommunications service without authorization. . . . Specifically, the government argues that possession of the property encompassed in items 020SW, 021SW and 022SW is in and of itself a crime and that the district court properly determined that the property should not be returned to Harrell. After again accepting Toy's conclusions as fact, the court construe[d] items 020SW and 021SW as capable of pirating and/or having been illegally altered, and found that they should not be returned to Harrell. See 2007 WL 1279505, at . The district court did not separately address item 022SW. In reaching its conclusion, the court specifically noted that Harrell does not seek to have returned to him any items which are capable of pirating. Id. There is some support for the district court's assertion in the record; in Harrell's initial motion he states that he has no desire to have property encompassed within items 020SW and 022SW returned to him that are identified as having no `legitimate' use, piracy devices, or used in the pirate community. However, in his reply, Harrell clarified that unless an item is accompanied by a reliable explanation that it has no known legitimate purpose, it must be returned to him. Harrell argues that items 020SW and 022SW must be returned to him because the government did not satisfy its burden of showing these items to be contraband per se. The Department Evidence Report describes item 020SW as including miscellaneous smartcard programming electronics, and item 022SW as including miscellaneous satellite electronics from organizer on desk. These descriptions are not particularly helpful in identifying the property in dispute; however, Harrell's motion treats items 020SW and 022SW as referring to property described in four of Clifford's analysis reports (Ex. S in support of Harrell's motion), and so, we do the same. We also refer to these items as Clifford did in his analysis reports. In the first of these reports, Clifford concluded that switches included in item 24G are used in any multi-antenna requirement, legitimate or illegitimate, that item 24I is a general computer component and that nothing makes [it] noteworthy regarding satellite television piracy, and that items 26P and 26Q appear to have no piracy application. The government offered no evidence to contradict these conclusions; therefore, items 24G, 24I, 26P and 26Q are not contraband per se under section 1029(a)(9). Because the government agrees to return nine assorted computer cables and adaptors included in item 24E, this item is not in dispute. In the second report, Clifford concluded that [t]here are no known legitimate purposes for the possession of [items 24C, 26C, 26F and 26G] other than to be used with satellite receivers for the reason of stealing satellite signals. All of these items are locks, used in the pirate community to interrupt signal commands sent to receivers. Clifford explained that these locks allow the user to control whether [receivers] accept certain updates in order to keep [them] from accepting Electronic Countermeasures sent by Dish Network. Toy further explained that these locks have no other purpose than stealing satellite signals as they are installed in the receiver so that the user can evade Electronic Countermeasures sent by DISH Network. While it is undisputed that Harrell possessed this hardware, the government failed to specifically show that these locks are configured to insert or modify telecommunication identifying information pursuant to section 1029(a)(9). Clifford and Toy explained that these locks control receivers and keep them from accepting Electronic Countermeasures sent by the service provider DISH Network. However, that conclusion does not explain how, or whether, locks in fact insert or modify telecommunication identifying information (i.e., boxkey identification numbers). Whether this is in fact the case requires a technical electronic analysis that is not in the record. Therefore, the government failed to meet its burden of showing these locks to be contraband per se. We do not decide whether these locks could be contraband per se under another statutory provision, as that issue is not before us; nor do we foreclose the possibility that Congress may broaden section 1029(a)(9)'s language to account for technological developments in satellite television piracy in the future. However, here, because the government seeks to retain these locks pursuant to section 1029(a)(9), it bears the burden of showing that they insert or modify telecommunication identifying information, and the government did not meet that burden. Clifford further noted in his second report that items 24F (satellite finder) and 26A (memory eraser), while they are used to pirate satellite television, have a commercial use. Toy also conceded that satellite finders and memory erasers have a commercial use. Therefore, these items are not contraband per se. Finally, Clifford concluded that items 24H, 24J-1, 24J-2, 26H and 26I are piracy devices. Items 24H, 26H and 26I are J-TAG interface devices and items 24J-1 and 24J-2 are Sombreros. Toy explained, that J-TAG interface devices designed to function with DISH Network equipment have no other purpose than stealing satellite signals as they are piracy devices that aid in transferring piracy software between receivers and PC computers. Toy further explained that Sombreros have no other purpose than stealing satellite signals as they are used to extract boxkeys from the memory of a DISH Network receiver. We conclude that items 24H, 26H, 26I, 24J-1 and 24J-2 are contraband per se under section 1029(a)(9) because they are configured to insert or modify telecommunication identifying information. In the third report, Clifford found items 24B, 24D, 26B, 26J, 26L and 26N to be potentially associated with the piracy of DirecTV materials, and stated that they had to be submitted for proper identification and forensic analysis. Items 24B and 26B are card programmers, items 24D, 26J and 26L are described as Shadow II and Chamelon piracy devices, and item 26N is an ISO bootloader. There is no record evidence that any of these items were ever analyzed, nor is there any record evidence indicating the results of this analysis, if it did in fact take place. The only additional record evidence pertaining to these items is Toy's explanation that smartcard programmers have a legitimate commercial business use. Therefore, the government did not meet its burden of showing these items to be contraband per se under section 1029(a)(9). Clifford's fourth report includes another Sombrero, item 24A, which Toy stated has no other purpose than stealing satellite signals. Again, because this item is configured to insert or modify telecommunication identifying information, it is contraband per se under section 1029(a)(9). As for the remaining five items in this report, 26D, 26E, 26K, 26M and 26 O, Clifford's report indicates that these items are configured to insert or modify telecommunication identifying information, and Toy explained that they serve no other purpose than to pirate satellite signals. Specifically, item 26D consists of ATMEGA 128 piracy devices, which are used in lieu of smartcards and are programmed to receive a pirated satellite signal, item 26E consists of DSSREV piracy devices, which are also used in lieu of smartcards, and items 26K, 26M and 26O consist of audio video replicators and their respective programmers, which are used to transfer piracy software and program piracy devices. As each of these items are configured to insert or modify telecommunication identifying information, they are contraband per se under section 1029(a)(9). Finally, the Department Evidence Report describes item 021SW as miscellaneous compact discs with satellite programs. The property encompassed in item 021SW appears to correlate with the property in one of Clifford's reports (Ex. T in support of Harrell's motion). Of the six items included in this report, Harrell seeks the return of only two, items 25A and 25B5. Clifford concluded that item 25A contains software for a 3D/4D Brower [sic] Mouse. As there is no record evidence that this item is contraband per se, it must be returned to Harrell. Harrell argues that item 25B5 must also be returned to him because it is a compact disc that contains music downloads and internet shortcuts that have nothing to do with alleged satellite signal piracy. However, Clifford's report indicates that in addition to these downloads and shortcuts, item 25B5 also contains satellite television piracy material regarding the extraction of DISH Network boxkeys from various receivers through their respective JTAG terminal. Toy also concluded that instructions on the extraction of boxkeys ... serve no purpose other than to pirate satellite signals. As Harrell does not seek the return of any discs containing downloaded instructions explaining how to modify equipment to permit the illegal viewing of encrypted television signals, item 25B5 need not be returned to Harrell. The government agrees to return the remaining seized property to Harrell. This property includes two hard drives (002CS, 003CS), a remote control (010SW), a computer (034SW), and four unmodified DISH Network blue cards included in item 032SW (416986, 821637, 069703, 673556). Harrell does not seek the return of a fifth modified blue card (803651). The government has already returned shipping paperwork, envelopes, and miscellaneous paperwork (018SW) and one computer (033SW) to Harrell.