AMC -14 story gets more interesting

Stargazer

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Sep 7, 2003
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Seems like SES wants to still get most of the money it would have received for a limited life satellite if Echostar / Dish is still going to use it because of the additional risk involved and the possibility of not getting as much as what an insurance payout would bring or finding someone that would pay more than Dish for that shorter term.
 

vegassatellite

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Nov 5, 2007
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I wonder if it would be considered insurance fraud if SES took a payout on a bird they claim can't be put into proper orbit but then Echostar puts it there, proving it can be put in to proper orbit. Maybe that is why they don't want Echostar to buy it. If SES can't put it in proper orbit without violating Boeing's patent, perhaps they would rather scrap it and take the claim instead of risking the lawsuit. Charlie, on the other hand, loves to play the court game and would probably do battle with Boeing just to get that satellite up there for cheap. Either way, SES would end up looking like they lied to the insurance company.
 

mike123abc

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Sep 25, 2003
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Sending it around the moon may or may not work though. Yes it probably will make it to orbit with fuel still left to work 5+ years, but the last satellite that went that way got damaged. SES probably could rightly point out that the trip around the moon is dangerous and not really to be considered a sure way to salvage the satellite.

Dish of course probably would like to get the satellite for free for the test sending around the moon, and only pay if it makes it successfully.
 

David_Levin

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Oct 13, 2003
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No news in awhile? I wonder how long before the sat has spent too much time passing through the Van Allen belt to be usable (it fries the electronics).

Perhaps SES is trying to stall ?
 

FitzAusTex

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Jan 3, 2007
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What does any of this have to do with Boeing?
Boeing apparently has the patent rights to the lunar fly by slingshot maneuver that has been talked about being used to help put AMC14 into proper orbit/inclination. Seems the guys here are theorizing that Charlie is playing poker and may/may not attempt to use the patented maneuver with or without Boeing consent. At least that's been a discussion in one the the threads here.
 

mike123abc

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It would be a very interesting patent fight if Echostar were to perform the lunar flyby without licensing it from Boeing. How could Boeing possibly win damages? How could Boeing show they had damages? No product was imported into the US and it definitely happend outside the US.

If I remember correctly there was a recent case where someone was suing ATT for selling a product that violated US patents outside the US and the Supreme Court said tough luck to the patent holder since it was not in US jurisdiction.

Of course Dish does business with Boeing, there are other ways Boeing could fight back.

Only way I see the patent working is if you wanted to start a launch service that would put payloads into low earth orbit and use the moon to finish the job. And of course you launched them from the US.
 

OV_HDFan

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Feb 13, 2008
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The way I see it. Boeing doesn't want SES to use the lunar flyby. SES doesn't want to use the lunar flyby. Echostar does. IF E* went to the FCC and said I want to drop this satellite in the ocean. The FCC is going to want to investigate if that is in the public's best interest. E* is hoping they will find that it is not in the public's best interest and recommend a lunar flyby or the Government will purchase the satellite and do a lunar flyby then resell it to somebody. The fact that the request was revoked tells me that there may be some negotiating between Boeing and E*
 

whatchel1

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Sep 30, 2006
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US jurisdiction

It would be a very interesting patent fight if Echostar were to perform the lunar flyby without licensing it from Boeing. How could Boeing possibly win damages? How could Boeing show they had damages? No product was imported into the US and it definitely happend outside the US.

If I remember correctly there was a recent case where someone was suing ATT for selling a product that violated US patents outside the US and the Supreme Court said tough luck to the patent holder since it was not in US jurisdiction.

Of course Dish does business with Boeing, there are other ways Boeing could fight back.

Only way I see the patent working is if you wanted to start a launch service that would put payloads into low earth orbit and use the moon to finish the job. And of course you launched them from the US.

1 thing is if it is a patent infringement situation then would it be allowed to transmit into the US? Of course E* might have it done a replace at sat outside of the US and move that one to the US.
 

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Letter From Charlie Ergen

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