HBO legal moves stun Columbus

In a statement issued from its Miami offices, HBO LAG senior vice-president Emilio Rubio said every effort has been made to reach agreement with Columbus and he reiterated that HBO LAG is the “sole owner of broadcast rights” for HBO and Cinemax programming in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Stressing that no operator can broadcast these channels without a valid licence, Rubio declared: “This is simply a case of piracy and we’re not going to allow it.”

He claimed that Columbus was attempting to justify its case by maintaining that the majority of HBO LAG’s programming is in English with Spanish subtitles. Rubio further alleged that Columbus uses unauthorised receivers to pick up HBO and Cinemax channels via satellite. Columbus’ subscribers pay for receiving those channels but Columbus does not pay for the corresponding broadcast rights, he claimed.

When contacted Thursday, Columbus marketing and communications manager Rhea Yaw Ching told Newsday that Columbus had not been advised about HBO LAG’s intention to take legal action. She said negotiations were ongoing with HBO LAG. Yaw Ching previously said Columbus did not have a license to broadcast HBO and Cinemax but was working with the relevant authorities to correct that situation.