§605 — Title 47 Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs | U.S. Code

Summary

Makes it illegal for anyone who receives or helps handle interstate or foreign phone, wire, or radio messages to tell others about those messages or use them unless the sender or the law allows it. Only the message’s addressee, that person’s agent or lawyer, authorized forwarders or accounting officers, a ship’s master, a court with a valid subpoena, or other lawful authority may get the information. It is also illegal to intercept radio messages and then tell, publish, or use them if you are not allowed. Public broadcasts, distress calls, amateur radio, and citizens band radio are not covered by this rule. People may receive or help with satellite-delivered cable programming for private home viewing only if the program is not encrypted and either there is no authorization/marketing system in place or, if there is such a system, the person has obtained authorization. Key definitions (one line each): satellite cable programming — video sent by satellite mainly for cable companies; agent — includes employees; encrypt — change a signal so only special gear can view it; private viewing — watching at home with equipment that gets satellite programming; private financial gain — does not mean a person using a program at home without authorization; any person aggrieved — owners or distributors harmed by interception. Penalties: willful violations can bring a fine up to $2,000 or jail up to 6 months, or both. Willful violations for commercial advantage or private gain can bring up to $50,000 or 2 years for a first offense, and up to $100,000 or 5 years for later offenses. An injured party can sue in court, get injunctions, recover costs and reasonable lawyers’ fees, and choose either actual damages (and violator’s profits) or statutory damages of $1,000–$10,000 per violation (and $10,000–$100,000 for certain equipment-related violations). Courts may increase damages by up to $100,000 per violation for willful profit-motivated acts, or lower them to at least $250 if the violator had no reason to know they broke the law. Making, selling, or distributing devices meant mainly to help unauthorized decryption can bring up to $500,000 in fines or 5 years in prison per violation. States may also pass their own laws. The Federal Communications Commission must study whether a universal encryption standard is needed and may make rules if it finds one is in the public interest.

Title 47, §605

Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Except as authorized by chapter 119, title 18, no person receiving, assisting in receiving, transmitting, or assisting in transmitting, any interstate or foreign communication by wire or radio shall divulge or publish the existence, contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning thereof, except through authorized channels of transmission or reception, (1) to any person other than the addressee, his agent, or attorney, (2) to a person employed or authorized to forward such communication to its destination, (3) to proper accounting or distributing officers of the various communicating centers over which the communication may be passed, (4) to the master of a ship under whom he is serving, (5) in response to a subpena issued by a court of competent jurisdiction, or (6) on demand of other lawful authority. No person not being authorized by the sender shall intercept any radio communication and divulge or publish the existence, contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning of such intercepted communication to any person. No person not being entitled thereto shall receive or assist in receiving any interstate or foreign communication by radio and use such communication (or any information therein contained) for his own benefit or for the benefit of another not entitled thereto. No person having received any intercepted radio communication or having become acquainted with the contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning of such communication (or any part thereof) knowing that such communication was intercepted, shall divulge or publish the existence, contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning of such communication (or any part thereof) or use such communication (or any information therein contained) for his own benefit or for the benefit of another not entitled thereto. This section shall not apply to the receiving, divulging, publishing, or utilizing the contents of any radio communication which is transmitted by any station for the use of the general public, which relates to ships, aircraft, vehicles, or persons in distress, or which is transmitted by an amateur radio station operator or by a citizens band radio operator.

(b)The provisions of subsection (a) shall not apply to the interception or receipt by any individual, or the assisting (including the manufacture or sale) of such interception or receipt, of any satellite cable programming for private viewing if—

(1)the programming involved is not encrypted; and

(2)(A)a marketing system is not established under which—

(i)an agent or agents have been lawfully designated for the purpose of authorizing private viewing by individuals, and

(ii)such authorization is available to the individual involved from the appropriate agent or agents; or

(B)a marketing system described in subparagraph (A) is established and the individuals receiving such programming has obtained authorization for private viewing under that system.

(c)No person shall encrypt or continue to encrypt satellite delivered programs included in the National Program Service of the Public Broadcasting Service and intended for public viewing by retransmission by television broadcast stations; except that as long as at least one unencrypted satellite transmission of any program subject to this subsection is provided, this subsection shall not prohibit additional encrypted satellite transmissions of the same program.

(d)For purposes of this section—

(1)the term “satellite cable programming” means video programming which is transmitted via satellite and which is primarily intended for the direct receipt by cable operators for their retransmission to cable subscribers;

(2)the term “agent”, with respect to any person, includes an employee of such person;

(3)the term “encrypt”, when used with respect to satellite cable programming, means to transmit such programming in a form whereby the aural and visual characteristics (or both) are modified or altered for the purpose of preventing the unauthorized receipt of such programming by persons without authorized equipment which is designed to eliminate the effects of such modification or alteration;

(4)the term “private viewing” means the viewing for private use in an individual’s dwelling unit by means of equipment, owned or operated by such individual, capable of receiving satellite cable programming directly from a satellite;

(5)the term “private financial gain” shall not include the gain resulting to any individual for the private use in such individual’s dwelling unit of any programming for which the individual has not obtained authorization for that use; and

(6)the term “any person aggrieved” shall include any person with proprietary rights in the intercepted communication by wire or radio, including wholesale or retail distributors of satellite cable programming, and, in the case of a violation of paragraph (4) of subsection (e), shall also include any person engaged in the lawful manufacture, distribution, or sale of equipment necessary to authorize or receive satellite cable programming.

(e)(1)Any person who willfully violates subsection (a) shall be fined not more than $2,000 or imprisoned for not more than 6 months, or both.

(2)Any person who violates subsection (a) willfully and for purposes of direct or indirect commercial advantage or private financial gain shall be fined not more than $50,000 or imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both, for the first such conviction and shall be fined not more than $100,000 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both, for any subsequent conviction.

(3)(A)Any person aggrieved by any violation of subsection (a) or paragraph (4) of this subsection may bring a civil action in a United States district court or in any other court of competent jurisdiction.

(B)The court—

(i)may grant temporary and final injunctions on such terms as it may deem reasonable to prevent or restrain violations of subsection (a);

(ii)may award damages as described in subparagraph (C); and

(iii)shall direct the recovery of full costs, including awarding reasonable attorneys’ fees to an aggrieved party who prevails.

(C)(i)Damages awarded by any court under this section shall be computed, at the election of the aggrieved party, in accordance with either of the following subclauses;

(I)the party aggrieved may recover the actual damages suffered by him as a result of the violation and any profits of the violator that are attributable to the violation which are not taken into account in computing the actual damages; in determining the violator’s profits, the party aggrieved shall be required to prove only the violator’s gross revenue, and the violator shall be required to prove his deductible expenses and the elements of profit attributable to factors other than the violation; or

(II)the party aggrieved may recover an award of statutory damages for each violation of subsection (a) involved in the action in a sum of not less than $1,000 or more than $10,000, as the court considers just, and for each violation of paragraph (4) of this subsection involved in the action an aggrieved party may recover statutory damages in a sum not less than $10,000, or more than $100,000, as the court considers just.

(ii)In any case in which the court finds that the violation was committed willfully and for purposes of direct or indirect commercial advantage or private financial gain, the court in its discretion may increase the award of damages, whether actual or statutory, by an amount of not more than $100,000 for each violation of subsection (a).

(iii)In any case where the court finds that the violator was not aware and had no reason to believe that his acts constituted a violation of this section, the court in its discretion may reduce the award of damages to a sum of not less than $250.

(4)Any person who manufactures, assembles, modifies, imports, exports, sells, or distributes any electronic, mechanical, or other device or equipment, knowing or having reason to know that the device or equipment is primarily of assistance in the unauthorized decryption of satellite cable programming, or direct-to-home satellite services, or is intended for any other activity prohibited by subsection (a), shall be fined not more than $500,000 for each violation, or imprisoned for not more than 5 years for each violation, or both. For purposes of all penalties and remedies established for violations of this paragraph, the prohibited activity established herein as it applies to each such device shall be deemed a separate violation.

(5)The penalties under this subsection shall be in addition to those prescribed under any other provision of this subchapter.

(6)Nothing in this subsection shall prevent any State, or political subdivision thereof, from enacting or enforcing any laws with respect to the importation, sale, manufacture, or distribution of equipment by any person with the intent of its use to assist in the interception or receipt of radio communications prohibited by subsection (a).

(f)Nothing in this section shall affect any right, obligation, or liability under title 17, any rule, regulation, or order thereunder, or any other applicable Federal, State, or local law.

(g)The Commission shall initiate an inquiry concerning the need for a universal encryption standard that permits decryption of satellite cable programming intended for private viewing. In conducting such inquiry, the Commission shall take into account—

(1)consumer costs and benefits of any such standard, including consumer investment in equipment in operation;

(2)incorporation of technological enhancements, including advanced television formats;

(3)whether any such standard would effectively prevent present and future unauthorized decryption of satellite cable programming;

(4)the costs and benefits of any such standard on other authorized users of encrypted satellite cable programming, including cable systems and satellite master antenna television systems;

(5)the effect of any such standard on competition in the manufacture of decryption equipment; and

(6)the impact of the time delay associated with the Commission procedures necessary for establishment of such standards.

(h)If the Commission finds, based on the information gathered from the inquiry required by subsection (g), that a universal encryption standard is necessary and in the public interest, the Commission shall initiate a rulemaking to establish such a standard.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Subsec. (e)(4). Pub. L. 104–104 inserted “or direct-to-home satellite services,” after “programming,”. 1994—Subsec. (d)(6). Pub. L. 103–414, § 303(a)(25), substituted “subsection (e)” for “subsection (d)”. Subsec. (e)(3)(A). Pub. L. 103–414, § 303(a)(26), substituted “paragraph (4) of this subsection” for “paragraph (4) of subsection (d)”. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 103–414, § 303(a)(27), redesignated subsec. (f), relating to universal encryption standard, as (g). Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 103–414, § 304(a)(15), which directed substitution of “The Commission” for “within 6 months after November 16, 1988, the Federal Communications Commission”, was executed by making the substitution in text which read “Within 6 months” rather than “within 6 months” in introductory provisions to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Pub. L. 103–414, § 303(a)(27), redesignated subsec. (f), relating to universal encryption standard, as (g). Former subsec. (g) redesignated (h). Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 103–414, § 303(a)(27), (28), redesignated subsec. (g) as (h) and substituted “subsection (g)” for “subsection (f)”. 1988—Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 100–626 added subsec. (c) and redesignated former subsec. (c) as (d). Former subsec. (d) redesignated (e). Subsec. (d)(6). Pub. L. 100–667, § 205(1), which directed the addition of par. (6) to subsec. (c), was executed to subsec. (d) to reflect the probable intent of Congress and the intervening redesignation of subsec. (c) as (d) by Pub. L. 100–626. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 100–667, § 205(2)–(12), which directed the amendment of subsec. (d)(1) to (4) of this section, was executed to subsec. (e)(1) to (4) of this section, see below, to reflect the probable intent of Congress and the intervening redesignation of subsec. (d) as (e) by Pub. L. 100–626. Pub. L. 100–626 redesignated subsec. (d) as (e). Former subsec. (e) redesignated (f). Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 100–667, § 205(2), substituted “$2,000” for “$1,000”. Subsec. (e)(2). Pub. L. 100–667, § 205(3), substituted “$50,000 or imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both, for the first such conviction and shall be fined not more than $100,000 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years” for “$25,000 or imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both, for the first such conviction and shall be fined not more than $50,000 or imprisoned for not more than 2 years”. Subsec. (e)(3)(A). Pub. L. 100–667, § 205(4), inserted “or paragraph (4) of subsection (d)” before “may bring”. Subsec. (e)(3)(B). Pub. L. 100–667, § 205(5)–(8), struck out “may” after “The court” and substituted “may grant” for “grant” in cl. (i), “may award” for “award” in cl. (ii), and “shall direct” for “direct” in cl. (iii). Subsec. (e)(3)(C)(i)(II). Pub. L. 100–667, § 205(9), inserted “of subsection (a)” after “violation”, substituted “$1,000” for “$250”, and inserted before period at end “, and for each violation of paragraph (4) of this subsection involved in the action an aggrieved party may recover statutory damages in a sum not less than $10,000, or more than $100,000, as the court considers just”. Subsec. (e)(3)(C)(ii). Pub. L. 100–667, § 205(10), substituted “$100,000 for each violation of subsection (a)” for “$50,000”. Subsec. (e)(3)(C)(iii). Pub. L. 100–667, § 205(11), substituted “$250” for “$100”. Subsec. (e)(4). Pub. L. 100–667, § 205(12), added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4) which read as follows: “The importation, manufacture, sale, or distribution of equipment by any person with the intent of its use to assist in any activity prohibited by subsection (a) shall be subject to penalties and remedies under this subsection to the same extent and in the same manner as a person who has engaged in such prohibited activity.” Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 100–667, § 204, added subsec. (f) relating to universal encryption standard. Pub. L. 100–626 redesignated subsec. (e), relating to rights, obligations, and liabilities under other laws, as (f). Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 100–667, § 204, added subsec. (g). 1984—Pub. L. 98–549, § 5(a), designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsecs. (b) to (e). 1982—Pub. L. 97–259 struck out “broadcast or” after “communication which is”, substituted “any station” for “amateurs or others”, struck out “or” after “general public,”, and substituted “ships, aircraft, vehicles, or persons in distress, or which is transmitted by an amateur radio station operator or by a citizens band radio operator” for “ships in distress”. 1968—Pub. L. 90–351 inserted “Except as authorized by chapter 119, title 18”, designated existing provisions as cls. (1) to (6), inserted “radio” before “communication” in second and fourth sentences, struck out “wire or” before “radio” in third sentence, and substituted “intercepted” for “obtained” in fourth sentence.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

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of 1988 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–667 effective Jan. 1, 1989, see section 206 of Pub. L. 100–667, set out as an

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note under section 119 of Title 17, Copyrights.

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of 1984 Amendment Pub. L. 98–549, § 5(b), Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 2803, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect on the

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of this Act [Dec. 29, 1984].” Amendment by Pub. L. 98–549 effective 60 days after Oct. 30, 1984, except where otherwise expressly provided, see section 9(a) of Pub. L. 98–549, set out as an

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note under section 521 of this title.

§605 Unauthorized publication or use of communications

Summary

Title 47, §605

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