€95K FIGHT FRIGHT
Boxing fan gets huge bill after friend streams bout
It’s heavy handed. I’ve apologised and told them we were drunk
CRAIG FOSTER ON SKY DEMAND FOR €95,000
A BOXING fan was hit with an €95,000 demand after a drunk pal streamed Anthony Joshua’s big fight to 4,250 people on Facebook.
Craig Foster, 34, shelled out €20 to watch the sell-out Wembley bout on Sky at home with friends.
But the media giant landed him with the knockout blow after one guest picked up Craig’s ipad, opened Facebook Live, and pointed it at his TV.
Sky tracked down Craig from a watermark of his account number which flashed up on screen during April’s bout, in which AJ beat Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko in the eleventh round.
They cancelled his subscription – and sent him an €95,000 demand for the loss in revenue from pay-per-view sales.
LETTERS
Dad-of-one Craig said: “I’d paid for the boxing, it wasn’t like I was making any money. My ipad was signed in to my Facebook account and my friend just started streaming the fight.
“I didn’t think anything of it, then a few days later they cut my subscription.
“They’re demanding the names and addresses of all my mates who were round that night but I’m not going to give them up. I said I’d take the rap.”
Facebook faced a wave of criticism over the fight after more than 400,000 people used the site to watch illegal live streams. It was claimed it cost Sky millions in lost revenue.
Craig said: “They’re making an example of me.
“I know streaming the fight was wrong. I didn’t stop my friend but I was watching the boxing. I’m just a bloke who had a few drinks with his friends.” Craig, of Scarborough, North Yorks, claimed he had been bombarded with letters from law firm Foot Anstey LLP, which represents Sky. One ordered him to pay €6,000 in legal costs or face court over the full amount. It said the “unlawful redistribution... of [Sky’s] content is a serious matter which has a significant impact on its business.” The letter also demanded an apology “to use in education materials concerning unlawful redistribution of programmes”.
Coachbuilder Craig said he agreed to the demand in a panic – but now plans to fight it in court. He added: “It’s heavy-handed. I’ve apologised and told them we were drunk.”
Neil Parkes, of Foot Anstey, said: “Mr Foster broke the law. He has acknowledged his wrongdoing, apologised and signed a legally binding agreement to pay a sum of £5,000 to Sky.” Last May’s Digital Economy Act raised the maximum jail term for copyright infringement to 10 years.
Aimed at pirates selling illegal content, it could also apply to live social media streams.
dan.warburton@trinitymirror.com