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Technology Stocks : Echostar Comm. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Stoctrash who wrote (1237)	2/1/2000 9:30:00 PM
From: Stoctrash	Respond to of 1394

EchoStar sues competitor DirecTV DENVER, Feb 1 (Reuters) - EchoStar Communications Corp. (NasdaqNM:DISH - news) on Tuesday sued DirecTV Enterprises Inc., claiming its competitor had monopolized the rapidly growing distribution of satellite television. The Littleton, Colo.-based EchoStar, which markets under the DISH Network name, also named Hughes Network Systems and Thomson Consumer Electronics Inc., doing business as RCA, as defendants. The market that uses high-powered satellites to beam scores of channels to viewers exceeds ``billions of dollar per year,' the lawsuit said. EchoStar has 1.47 million subscribers while DirecTV, a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp. (NYSE:GMH - news) has 7.9 million customers. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Denver, also alleged the defendants have interfered with contractual relations with retailers of direct broadcast service to damage EchoStar's business interests. A spokesman for DirecTV said he was unaware of the lawsuit and could not comment until the company's lawyers reviewed it. Hughes Network Systems, which allegedly works with DirecTV to sell DBS products, and Thomson, a manufacturer, could not be reached immediately for comment. The lawsuit seeks, among other forms of relief: -- An injunction to bar the defendants ``from engaging in predatory, anti-competitive conduct with the specific intent to destroy DISH Network as a competitor.' -- An injunction to bar the defendants from offering inducements to retailers, such as Best Buy and Circuit City, in exchange for not selling DISH service or equipment. -- A court order to overturn agreements between DirecTV and the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and other unspecified sports leagues under which DISH allegedly ``is precluded from a fair opportunity to compete for the rights' to carry sports programming. -- A jury trial for unspecified monetary damages -- A court order to overturn agreements between DirecTV and RCA and other unspecified manufacturers that allegedly prohibit the manufacturers from making equipment capable of receiving DISH programming. EchoStar said DirecTV has agreements with makers of High Definition TV sets to build the sets in a way that DISH service can not be accessed. The lawsuit claimed that DirecTV has made false statements to consumers about DISH service and has engaged in unfair competition. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More Quotes and News: Echostar Communications Corp (NasdaqNM:DISH - news) General Motors Corp (NYSE:GMH - news) biz.yahoo.com