Roku Still Unable to Import and Sell Products in Mexico

• Despite the company's efforts, Roku is still banned from importing new devices to Mexico.
• The ban was put into action by the Superior Court of Justice following a copyrights complaint from Cablevision - a TV company.
• The concern is that Roku devices can be altered to allow streaming of unauthorized content. 

Roku, the manufacturer of a popular line of streaming devices have been banned by the Superior Court of Justice following a copyright complaint from a TV company. The ban which was put into action in June 2017 was temporarily lifted, but then swiftly returned and it seems like it's here to stay.

Media streaming boxes (and sticks) are the new trend, with most households having access to these set-top devices. However, since they are yet to receive official programmings legally, the devices are getting reprogrammed to offer access to those programmings illegally. Of course, the manufacturers have no hand in this behavior. But still, Cablevision filled the copyright complaint, and Roku is now banned from importing their devices to Mexico. Amazon, El Palacio de Hierro, Sears and many more are prohibited from putting Roku devices on sale.

Image Courtesy of Engadget

At the time of the ban, piracy activities were at its peak as over 300 channels of unauthorized content were being offered to consumers at $8/month rates. Roku has accused to harbor faulty-software which could be tampered to allow streaming of unauthorized programming. However, PCs, laptops, and even mobiles can be used to consume all such pirated content. So the question comes - why ban Roku?

Supposedly, this logic led a federal judge to suspend the ban temporarily, but as soon as sales figures started to recover, the Mexico City tribunal went with the previous decision to uphold the ban once more. The same argument is being put forward again that Roku devices can be used to practice “dishonest commerce” violating Mexico’s copyright law.

Finally, it is worth noting that the use of Roku devices is still legal, and the ban is only on the importation. Hence, people who currently own a Roku device are unaffected by the ban and are receiving proper services and regular update.