Resort pub faces £7,500 bill for illegally screening football

The George in Central Drive was one of 22 venues across the UK ordered to pay nearly a quarter of a million pounds for breaching Premier League copyright.

The pub has been told it must pay £7,500 for screening Premier League matches

The actions follow a change in law which took place last summer that means a pub simply showing an unauthorised broadcast of a Premier League football match – irrespective of whetherlogos or graphics are displayed – infringes Premier League copyright and could face legal action.

Ten of the pubs ordered to pay costs were using logo blocking technology that suppliers had wrongly told them would mean broadcasts did not breach copyright.

A Premier League spokesman said:“The Premier League is currently engaged in its biggest ever copyright protection programme and that will continue in 2017/18 with pub investigations and legal actions.

“We know there are suppliers making false claims to publicans, including that systems showing foreign channels are legal when they of course are not. Last year a supplier of such systems was jailed, another ordered to pay £250,000 – both clear signs that these devices are illegal.

“For publicans, the risk of legal action and having to pay huge costs, not to mention being ripped off by a service that is low quality and disrupted during broadcasts, simply isn’t worth it.

“Sky Sports and BT Sport are the only authorised Premier League broadcasters in UK commercial premises and we advise publicans to contact them to hear about the current offerthey have available.”

Pubs are set to pay a combined £218,000 in costs after the Premier League successfully took legal action against twenty-two establishments

The Gazette was unable to contact The George for comment.