East London licensee fined for illegal Sky pub broadcasts

Amanda Mansfield, who runs the Army & Navy pub in New Barn Street near Stratford, was convicted of four offences of dishonest reception of a Sky-televised football match without a commercial viewing agreement, with the intent to avoid payment of the applicable charge, contrary to Section 297 (1) of the Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988.

Mansfield was ordered to pay a total of £12,475.75 in fines and costs.

The case was brought by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), and prosecuting manager Stephen Gerrard said licensees can expect to be prosecuted if they persist in breaking the law.

He explained: “Despite clear messages and warnings, we are still finding a small number of licensees who persist in using illegal systems to show Sky broadcasts.”

Gerrard added: “People found to be showing Sky in commercial premises without having entered into the correct commercial subscription agreement with Sky face criminal prosecution, costs and potential loss of licence.”

Considerable penalties​

Alison Dolan, deputy managing director at Sky Business, said: “The courts continue to clearly define the law by delivering considerable penalties to licensees who televise Sky content illegally.

“This case reinforces the message that licensees will face legal action when using any system that allows access to matches to which Sky has exclusive rights in the UK without a commercial viewing agreement.”

Dolan added: “Sky will continue to support FACT in prosecuting licensees who break the law to help protect the thousands of hardworking licensees who invest in Sky Sports to build their businesses and entertain their customers.”

There have been more than 1,500 similar prosecutions to date, with hundreds of further cases in the pipeline.