As part of its campaign to crackdown on satellite TV pirates, the Ministry of Culture and Information raided retail stores selling decoders used to decrypt pay channels. A large volume of such decoders was confiscated, said a press release issued, Wednesday. Stores selling these decoders were sealed and the owners taken in for questioning. Punishment for such offences include heavy fines and other penalties decided by the ministry's special committee formed to study such violations. Ahmed Abdul Aziz Al-Ghamdi, Director of the Internal Media Department, urged the people to cooperate with the ministry in fighting piracy. A software engineer said buyers of these decoders are the biggest losers, since these decoders need frequent updates and maintenance. For instance, stores selling these decoders claim that the devices will not require updates, but within months of purchase, customers will find it difficult able to view pay channels because the TV broadcasters change codes to prevent piracy. __
