Is it legal to sell used/old Direct tv equipment ? I do not plan to
sell any illegal equipment to decrypt satellite signal but actual direct TV
Receiver Boxes and Valid Access cards.
Thank in Advance.

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 25 Apr 2003 12:07 PDT

Laws vary greatly from nation to nation and from province to province
within nations.

Approximately where are you located?

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Clarification of Question by anotherlearner-ga on 25 Apr 2003 12:32 PDT

I live in California,USA zip 95120

Howdy anotherlearner!

Keep in mind the "Important Disclaimer: Answers and comments
provided on Google Answers are general information, and are
not intended to substitute for informed professional medical,
psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal, investment, accounting,
or other professional advice."

That said, I have been unable to find any law which prohibits
the buying or selling of used DIRECTV equipment in the US.

In fact, DIRECTV's web page on "Installing Your DIRECTV Receiver"
has a scenario where someone buys a used system from a friend.
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/learn/FAQ_DTVInstallation_Install.jsp

"Q: I bought a used DIRECTV System from a friend. What should
I do to get the system installed and activate programming?

A: 1. The person who gives up the DIRECTV System should call
DIRECTV to de-activate the DIRECTV System access card. This
is for the original owner's protection.

2. The new owner should call 1-800-DIRECTV to order a new
access card. We charge the new owner $20 for the new access
card. We send the new card via Federal Express, along with
a postage-paid envelope to make returning the old card easy."

Even though it is the Echostar Knowledge Base (not related to
Echostar Communications), they have a good caveat.
http://ekb.dbstalk.com/235

"Used receivers should be obtained from very reliable sources.
If you buy a receiver that has purchases on the smart card, or
from an account that had an open and/or unpaid balance, you may
not be able to activate the receiver without paying the past
due amounts."

Bacon Magazine brings up a problem with selling the receivers
to people in Canada.
http://www.frymybacon.com/articles/article_0181.html

"DirecTV and Dish Network satellite receivers are illegal in
Canada."

Search Strategy:

Searched Google with the keywords: "used directv" equipment
://www.google.com/search?q=%22used+directv%22+equipment

Searched Google with the keywords: used directv equipment USA law
://www.google.com/search?q=used+directv+equipment+USA+law

I also searched the DIRECTV ( http://www.directv.com ) website.

If you need any clarification, feel free to ask.

Looking Forward, denco-ga

Thank you.

Thanks for the 4 start rating anotherlearner!

Looking Forward, denco-ga