Livingston pub fined £10k for Sky Sports infringements
September 20, 2023
Following successful legal action taken by Sky, a Designated Premises Manager (DPM) of The Stirrup Stane in Livingston has been ordered to pay £10,000 in damages for infringing Sky’s copyright by showing Sky Sports programming illegally in their premises.
Sky sought, and was awarded, a permanent interdict in the Court of Session in Edinburgh, which prevents the DPM, and anyone acting on their behalf, from infringing Sky’s copyright by showing Sky programming without the correct commercial licence. The DPM has been ordered to pay damages in the sum of £10,000, plus interest and must also pay Sky’s costs.
This successful case comes from Sky’s instruction of intellectual property experts Burness Paull and forms a key part of Sky’s commitment to protecting pubs who invest in legitimate Sky Sports subscriptions.
Sky says it is committed to visiting every licensed premises which are reported by members of the public and/or organisations for illegally showing Sky, and have arranged to visit hundreds of pubs each week in towns and cities across the UK this season.
Sara Stewart, Head of Compliance at Sky Business, commented: “Now, more than ever, it’s important to protect the investment of our customers. Businesses that show Sky Sports illegally can leave our legitimate Sky subscribers feeling short-changed. We actively visit thousands of pubs every season to monitor the games they are showing to help protect hardworking Sky customers who are unfairly losing business due to this illegal activity. Venues who continue to televise content in this way are breaking the law, and are at risk of being caught, which can result in licensees being ordered to pay significant damages and legal costs to Sky, and/or losing their personal licence.”