A wave of civil actions and settlements caught out 12 pubs that screened unauthorised foreign broadcasts of Premier League matches. The pubs were:
- Elmhurst Hotel, Tottenham, London, ordered by the High Court to pay £12,500
- Coach & Horses, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, ordered by the High Court to pay £9,500
- The Bulldog, Liverpool, ordered by the High Court to pay £9,695
- Bridge Bar, East Grinstead, West Sussex, ordered by the High Court to pay £7,782
- Hare & Hounds, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, ordered by the High Court to pay £5,238
- Behans Bar, Birmingham, ordered by the High Court to pay £9,909
- Prince of Wales, Bracknell, Berkshire, ordered by the High Court to pay £10,000
- Beyond Bar & Grill, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, agreed to pay £6,462
- Jack Sparrow, Chertsey, Surrey, agreed to pay £4,992
- Coffee House, Liverpool, agreed to pay £8,400
- Mare & Foal, Manchester, agreed to pay £8,000
- The Cumberland Arms, North Shields, Tyne and Wear, agreed to pay £6,000
Total: £98,478 paid by pubs in costs for breaching Premier League copyright
The actions against the 12 pubs has continued the Premier League’s programme of protecting its copyright and supporting those in the industry that broadcast Premier League football via commercial subscriptions to Sky Sports and/or BT Sport.
During the past year the Premier League has also taken action against suppliers of systems that facilitate illegal broadcasts of its matches.
Undercut
A spokesman for the Premier League said: “These actions against pubs across the country make it absolutely clear that there are huge risks for pubs when they enter into contracts with suppliers other than Sky Sports and BT Sport.
“We are regularly contacted by publicans who broadcast our matches the right way – on Sky or BT – and which are being undercut by competitors that make unauthorised foreign broadcasts.
“Feedback we have had from the trade in recent years is that we should also target suppliers of unauthorised systems and we have done so. In the last year alone we have taken legal action against four suppliers.
“Our message to pubs is clear: don’t take the risk and call Sky and BT to find out about their latest offers for commercial premises in the UK."