Exploding the myths on TV soccer

Related tags Premier league Law Sky

I need to set the record straight once again on the question of screening football matches in the bar. This is because two separate issues are being...

I need to set the record straight once again on the question of screening football matches in the bar.

This is because two separate issues are being run together in the media which may confuse licensees into thinking that there might be a loophole or two to exploit. There isn't.

The temptation to try other means to import matches on to the pub TV is largely due to the high cost of Sky. That is clear from the number of e-mails I receive. But there is another issue, particularly on Saturdays.

First of all, taking the Sky feed from another source, like the domestic contract, is clearlyillegal. Showing domestic Sky channels to the pub audience is a clear breach of that agreement and an infringement of copyright as well. So the company is entitled to take strong action against those licensees who are found to be doing it.

But even Sky is bound by the second rule, which is a European-wide one: you cannot show live league matches on television in the UK or in most of Europe during the Saturday afternoon slot from 2.45pm to 5.15pm, whatever the source. So the man who comes in and offers you a satellite "feed", even from a non-European source, where a Premiership game is being shown live, is not himself in direct trouble with the law, but you are. Because the copyright in that game is being breached by the actual showing, whether you have paid a fee for it or not.

It may be difficult to understand, because what the salesman might say is that because this is not a Sky programme they cannot pursue you, so you are all right. That is not the point. The Premier League, through its agency, can take legal action. Although it appears to be less likely to prosecute than Sky, it will still send a warning letter and if you ignore this, it will take you to court and ask for costs as well.

One final point concerns so-called "private" parties. There is a myth going round that if you somehow make the screening a private event, restricting entry to the bar, it is not a public showing and is therefore exempt. Forget it. Copyright law applies to all non-domestic situations, which the Performing Right Society and Phonographic Performance Limited have demonstrated for years, and such an arrangement will not get you off the hook.

Related topics Licensing law Entertainment

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