John Philip Tagrett of the Forester pleaded guilty to four offences of showing a Sky Sports match without intending to pay. He was ordered to pay £7,253 in fines and costs following the successful prosecution by the Federation against Copyright (FACT.)
Stephen Gerrard, prosecuting manager for the Federation against Copyright said: “This latest conviction demonstrates how seriously licensees and their staff should take the issue of illegally showing Sky Sports in their premises.
“In addition to the risk of being subject to an unlimited fine for the offences they commit, the court can order legal costs to be paid and there is a requirement to inform the local licensing authority of the criminal offence, which can impact their license.”
Alison Dolan, deputy managing director at Sky Business added: “It’s important to us that businesses are aware of the consequences of copyright infringement – it affects thousands of hardworking licensees who legitimately invest in Sky Sports.
"We actively visit thousands of pubs every season to monitor the games they are showing and continue to support FACT’s work to protect Sky customers who are unfairly losing business due to this illegal activity.”
Tagrett joins a wave of licensees recently prosecuted for showing Sky Sports illegally, with some ordered to pay as much as £17,000. Previously capped at £5,000, licensees who show matches without a commercial agreement now face an unlimited fine, with Sky pledging to visit 700 premises a week as part of an organised crackdown.