A Glasgow pub has been ordered to pay more than £10,000 in damages after illegally screening games on Sky Sports without a licence.
The owners of the Bridge Inn on Easterhouse Road, Baillieston have been forced to hand over a hefty fine for infringing the broadcaster's copyright by showing the games without commercial viewing agreement.
The TV giant claimed the establishment was showing football matches without the correct commercial licence required for businesses.
Licensees in Glasgow, Dundee, Lanarkshire and East Lothian have each been ordered to pay £10,000 in penalties plus interest by the Court of Session in Edinburgh following a probe into illicit streaming.
Other pubs include the Masons Arms in Lanark, Crown and Kitchen in East Linton and the Mun Lounge and Beer Garden in Dundee.
Pub owners fork out up to £2,000 per month for the right to broadcast Sky’s range of sports, though the subscription package varies between establishments.
The broadcasting giant has been cracking down on so-called ‘pub piracy’ in recent months amid a growing number of illegal streaming services.
Sky sought and was awarded permanent interdicts in the Court of Session, Edinburgh which prevent bars and anyone acting on their behalf from infringing Sky’s copyright by showing Sky programming without the correct commercial licence.
Compliance Manager at Sky, Sara Stewart, said: “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."
