Licensee fined £2000 for illegal screening of match

By Dina Behrman

A LICENSEE from Radlett has become the first person in the country to be prosecuted for illegally screening a football match.

William Clark, manager of Ryans Freehouse in Watling Street, Radlett, was fined almost £2,000 for showing a Premiership game using a foreign satellite decoder. The action was brought by the FA Premier League.

Clark, who failed to show up at the hearing at St Albans Magistrates Court, was found guilty of illegally screening a foreign transmission of a Chelsea vs Leicester football match during the official closed period of 2.45pm to 5.15pm on a Saturday.

He was also found guilty of showing an England vs Wales rugby match on Sky, despite not having paid the subscription fee.

He was fined almost £2,000 and ordered to pay costs.

Licensee fined for illegal football screening
Published 15th September 2004

A licensee has been punished for illegally showing Premier League football with a satellite decoder.

Stephen Seager of the Anchor Inn in Chelmsford, Essex, appeared at Witham Magistrates Court last week where he was ordered to pay a fine of £1,000 and £2,404.74 in costs to the Premier League.

Investigators from the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) had visited the pub and found staff televising a match during the closed period, which runs from 2.45pm and 5.15pm on days when there is a full league fixture list.

They had spoken to Mr Seager prior to the visit and explained that using decoders was illegal.

Dan Johnson of the Premier League said: "Some licensees are still being hoodwinked but when it can be proved that they are knowingly breaking the law they will always be punished."

Mr Seager was not at the pub during the investigation and said he was not aware that the manager at the time was showing the game.

"This is a warning to all licensees that you cannot show the game during the closed period," he said. "It also emphasises that even if the licensee is not on the premises they are still responsible for what goes on in the pub."

Under section 297(a) of the Designs and Patents Act 1988 it is an offence to own a decoder. Section 297 states it is illegal to receive a programme with it.

FACT said there were more prosecutions to come over the next two months.