Quebec Court of Appeal Rules in Vavour of Videotron and TVA Group
Bell ordered to pay compensation totalling $137 million for failing to effectively fight piracy of its signals to the detriment of its competitors
MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Mar 9, 2015) - Quebecor Media today expressed satisfaction with the unanimous judgement handed down by the Québec Court of Appeal on March 6, 2015 ordering Bell ExpressVu Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of Bell, to pay $82.3 million to Videotron GP (Videotron) and $404,000 to TVA Group Inc. (TVA Group) for having deliberately neglected to implement an appropriate security system to prevent piracy of the signals broadcast by its satellite television service between 1999 and 2005, although it knew and must have foreseen that this would cause serious harm to its competitors, including its main rival in Québec, Videotron. The Québec Court of Appeal ordered Bell to pay Videotron and TVA Group a total amount of $137 million, including interest and experts' fees.
"We welcome this judgement, which condemns practices by Bell that had the effect of depriving its competitors, including Videotron and TVA Group, of customers and substantial revenues over a period of more than six years," said Pierre Dion, President and CEO of Quebecor and Quebecor Media. "This is a landmark decision and an historic event for the telecommunications industry, a ruling that sheds some light on how Bell did harm to other industry players," concluded Pierre Dion.
About Quebecor Media
Quebecor, a Canadian leader in telecommunications, news media, entertainment and culture, is one of the best-performing integrated communications companies in the industry. Driven by their determination to deliver the best possible customer experience, all of Quebecor's subsidiaries and brands are differentiated by their high-quality, multiplatform, convergent products and services.
Quebecor (TSX:QBR.A)(TSX:QBR.B) is headquartered in Québec. It holds a 75.36% interest in Quebecor Media, which employs nearly 14,000 people in Canada.
A family business founded in 1950, Quebecor is strongly committed to the community. Every year, it actively supports people working with more than 400 organizations in the vital fields of culture, health, education, the environment and entrepreneurship.
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