Studios Sue Descrambler Salesman

A Renton man already convicted of selling illegal cable television descramblers to receive premium channels for free is being sued by several major movie studios.

The Motion Picture Assocation of America said the lawsuit, filed in federal court last week against Gary Alexander, was the first time a studio has tried to recover civil damages in such a case. Plaintiffs include MGM, Disney and Universal.

The studios are seeking up to $100,000 for each alleged violation of the federal law that makes it a crime to pirate cable signals.

Alexander is serving a 10-month prison sentence after being convicted last year of illegally distributing the modified descramblers, according to the lawsuit by the motion picture assocation, a trade group fighting piracy problems.

FBI agents searched Alexander’s Renton home in 1993 and found several descrambler devices.