BBC to make fresh claims of Rupert Murdoch firm law-breaking After learning of the documentary, lawyers for News Corporation sent a letter to media organisations that read: "The allegation which the BBC appears to be broadcasting on Monday is that News Corporation has been involved in illegal activities designed to cause the collapse of a business rival ... this allegation is serious, defamatory, false and highly damaging." Canal+ filed a lawsuit in California alleging that NDS "spent large amounts of money and resources" to crack the code on television smart cards used by a Canal+ subsidiary in Italy and then was responsible for the code appearing on a website that allowed people to use it to access programmes for free. That lawsuit - described at the time by NDS as "outrageous and baseless" - ended when News Corp acquired the Canal+ Italian operation and merged it with its own in the country, creating Sky Italia. The following year NDS faced similar allegations relating to another rival, EchoStar. NDS denied the allegations and was later cleared by a US court and awarded $18.9 million (£12 million) in damages. The documentary will heap further pressure on Mr Murdoch if it alleges that any illegality occurred in America. His media empire is based in New York but the scandals engulfing the company have largely been confined to his British newspapers based in London. NDS is based in Britain and provides what it describes as "technology solutions" for BSkyB and some of Mr Murdoch's paid-for television channels. A News Corporation spokesman said: "NDS has consistently denied any wrongdoing to Panorama and we fully accept their assurances. Indeed the United States court has considered these issues and completely vindicated NDS, leaving its accuser with a $19 million legal bill. The BBC has not even bothered to pose questions to News Corporation ahead of broadcast and seem unwilling to engage in any fair or balanced debate on this issue. An NDS spokesman said: "Like most companies in the conditional access industry - and many law enforcement agencies - NDS uses industry contacts to track and catch both hackers and pirates. This is neither illegal nor unethical. A BBC spokesman said that the corporation was aware of the legal letter and that the show would air as planned. Meanwhile, another documentary chronicling the phone hacking scandal is to air in America next week. Murdoch's Scandal will be broadcast on PBS on Tuesday.