£10,000 fine for illegal screenings of Sky TV
THE licensees of a Skelmersdale pub have been fined more than £10,000 for illegally showing Sky Sports.
Sara Jones and Karl Jones were ordered to to pay £10,908 after being convicted of 10 offences of showing Sky Sports without a commercial agreement.
The pair were found guilty in their absence at Preston Magistrates’ Court on August 29 after being caught screening matches on five dates through April at the Old Toby Inn, which has since been renamed Toby Venue.
Fact brand protection and anti-piracy services brought the criminal prosecution to court as Sky Sports is only available to licensed premises in the UK via a commercial viewing agreement.
Sky says that working with Fact forms a key part of its commitment to protecting pubs and clubs pay for legitimate subscriptions.
The broadcaster visits every licensed premises reported by other publicans for illegally showing Sky and has made arrangements to visit hundreds of pubs each week in towns and cities in the UK this year. Stephen Gerrard, prosecuting manager with Fact, said “These cases should send a clear warning to pub owners and licensees who show Sky broadcasts without a commercial subscription.
“If convicted, fines for this offence are unlimited and you may have to pay substantial legal costs, as well as putting yourself at risk of having your licence suspended or revoked.”
George Lawson, head of commercial piracy at Sky, said: “These are the latest in a long line of criminal cases Fact has successfully prosecuted resulting in big fines, demonstrating the seriousness of fraudulently screening TV programmes.
“The law is clear – the only legal way to show Sky Sports programming in licensed premises in the UK is through a valid commercial viewing agreement with Sky.”
“We remain committed to visiting thousands of pubs, as well as investigating suppliers, to protect our customers and ensure they are not left shortchanged by illegal activity.
‘‘If you choose to televise content illegally then you run the very real risk of being caught and having legal action taken against you – the risks are not worth running”.