The latest ruling for illegal Sky use clearly demonstrates that venues which choose to show Sky Sports without a licence are committing copyright infringement and will face legal actions – and considerable financial consequences.
Sara McIntosh and Avalon Bar Ltd have been ordered to pay over £70,000 in fines, damages and legal costs for showing Sky Sports illegally in their pub – the largest award ever made against a pub in actions of this kind.
An earlier Court of Session ruling in February 2014 found Sara McIntosh and Avalon Bar Ltd in Glasgow to be in breach of Sky’s copyright by showing Sky Sports at the venue without the required commercial agreement. The Court of Session in Edinburgh also found the licensees to be in contempt of court for breaching an interdict (injunction) obtained by Sky to prevent further infringements. The court has now ordered that the licensees also pay costs, bringing the total figure to more than £73,300 in acknowledgement of the seriousness of the infringement.
The full awards made against the licensees of the Avalon bar include:
- A court order preventing further infringement of Sky’s copyright
- An award of £10,000 damages in respect of the infringements that took place
- Combined court fines of £7,000 in respect of the charge of contempt of court
- The placing of advertisements, funded by the licensees, advertising the court’s judgment at a total value of £1,500
- £56,328.32 in total costs
The courts treat copyright infringement seriously
Alison Dolan, Deputy Managing Director, Sky Business, said: “This landmark ruling demonstrates how seriously the courts treat copyright infringement and reiterates that Sky Sports can only be shown legally in pubs via a commercial agreement directly from Sky.
“Copyright infringement creates an uneven playing field for thousands of hardworking licensees who legitimately invest in Sky Sports, which is why we are committed to visiting thousands of pubs, as well as investigating suppliers, to protect our customers and ensure they are not left short-changed by illegal activity.”