Uppercut for illegal streamers
Sky TV and Duco Events have had a victory in their battle against illegal streamers ahead of Joseph Parker’s WBO heavyweight title fight.
Parker takes on Mexican Andy Ruiz in Auckland tomorrow night, a fight that will be broadcast on Sky’s Arena pay-per-view channel at a cost of $59.95.
Pirating of Parker’s fights using Facebook’s live video function has become a major issue for the broadcaster and promoter since the star fighter’s win over Carlos Takam in Auckland in May.
Sky and Duco took civil proceedings against pirates who unlawfully streamed Parker’s subsequent knockout win against Solomon Haumono in Christchurch in July.
The companies confirmed that they had obtained judgment against seven individuals with the judge satisfied that each defendant had infringed Sky’s copyright.
The judge granted an injunction restraining any further infringement of the copyright work and ordered each defendant to delete and/or destroy any copies held, including from Facebook.
They were also ordered to pay nominal damages of $100 as well as costs of $2670.
Duco estimated that more than 100,000 people illegally watched Parker’s victory over Takam after Facebook user Beastmoze broadcast the fight, prompting legal threats from promoters.