Six more pubs ordered to pay for Premier League copyright breaches

Six more pubs across the country have been ordered to pay a total of £55,000 in costs for breaching Premier League copyright as the number of High Court actions against pubs showing unauthorised football tops 350.

The six pubs recently ordered to pay the Premier League for making unauthorised foreign broadcasts of its matches are:

  1. On Broadway, Green Lanes, London – £5,800 in costs
  2. The Bees Knees, Burnley – £5,000
  3. The Butchers Arms, Canton, Cardiff – £11,500
  4. Victoria and Albert Inn, Whitley Bay – £12,000
  5. The Downgate, Hungerford – £10,000
  6. Loop Sports Bar, York – £11,000

The Premier League has an ongoing programme of enforcement activity to protect its copyright and the investment made in English football’s top flight by Sky Sports and BT Sport.

These actions conclude a season in which investigations agency ID Inquiries – working on behalf of the Premier League – visited over 6,000 pubs and passed on information which led to the Premier League commencing action against 350+ pubs.

The High Court has frequently awarded injunctions and costs awards in the Premier League’s favour.

Read our in-depth article on copyright breaches with Sky, the Premier League and FACT

'Significant costs'

A Premier League spokesman said last season was its largest ever pub and supplier investigations programme.

“The risks of engaging in this activity are very clear: Injunctions and significant costs awards are regularly being made in our favour in the High Court and a supplier of foreign satellite systems which allowed pubs to show unauthorised broadcasts of Premier League football was jailed for nine months in late 2014,” the spokesman said.

“We would advise all publicans to ignore the lies peddled by suppliers who make false claims about the legality of foreign broadcasts of our matches, and to contact Sky Sports and BT Sport as they are both authorised to show live Premier League football in commercial premises in the UK.”