Malcolm Rhead, the licensee of the Sneyd Arms in Stoke-on-Trent, has been ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £5,535.70 after illegally screening Sky Sports in his pub. The conviction, brought by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), took place in his absence at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on Monday, August 10.
Offences and Penalty
Rhead was found guilty of two offences relating to the dishonest broadcast of Sky televised programming. Sky Sports is only available to licensed premises in the UK via a commercial viewing agreement from Sky Business. The court ordered him to pay the total sum, which includes fines and costs.
Nick Sumner, FACT Investigations manager, said: "Showing Sky Sports in a commercial venue without the correct agreement is illegal and unfair to the many pubs and clubs that pay legitimately. This outcome demonstrates that licensees who attempt to avoid the proper subscription charges can face prosecution and financial penalties. FACT will continue to work with Sky Business to identify infringements and take action."
Impact on Legitimate Businesses
Sara Stewart, Head of Compliance at Sky Business, added: "Pubs and licensed venues invest in Sky Sports because live sport is an important part of the experience they offer their customers. Illegal screenings undermine those businesses and the value of the content itself. We work closely with FACT to protect legitimate customers and take action against venues that show Sky Sports without the correct commercial viewing agreement."
A spokesperson for FACT said that businesses that show Sky Sports without a commercial viewing agreement risk a hefty fine themselves. They added: "FACT brought the criminal prosecution at North Staffordshire Justice Centre against the licensee, for showing Sky Sports to customers without having valid commercial viewing agreements in place. Business premises that show Sky broadcasts without a commercial viewing agreement risk similar action, or even civil legal action."
