June 2006
Internet Streaming Not Allowed
The European Football body, UEFA, recently secured Summary Judgment against Sporting streams.com, a website streaming European Champions League football.
The case was so clear that the Judge found that there was no need to go to a full trial and indeed the Defendant’s did not even turn up. The defendants infringed the copyright in the broadcasts and in other underlying works and that copyright had been infringed by both communicating each of the copyright works to the public contrary to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 s.20 and by copying them.
Mr Justice Lindsay ordered that the defendants be restrained from broadcasting any more Champion’s League matches over the internet, pay the costs of UEFA’s claim and disclose information regarding their profits so that these can be paid to UEFA.
The Judge said that the judgement was appropriate as, “the defendant’s have no real prospect of successfully defending the proceedings…Indeed, the claimant’s say that the defendants have indicated a cynical disregard for UEFA’s copyrights and a determination to continue infringing in order to make substantial profits for themselves”.
Briffa Comment
Internet streaming is rife at the moment. More and more people have signed up to broadband and the technology has continually been getting better. It was inevitable that people would try their luck with online streaming, however this case is an important reminder that such content attracts copyright protection and when you are using a third party’s copyright works without permission you are in fact stealing their property.
For further information Amandeep Singh