Media: the Premier League plans to sue 100 pubs in England and Wales

The English Premier League plans to sue 100 pubs in England and Wales which broadcast the matches of the English championship illegally via foreign satellite operators, the BBC reported on the 23/01/2014.

Owners of pubs in the UK use foreign satellites, whose subscriptions are cheaper than BT Sport or Sky Sports, to broadcast Premier League matches in their establishments. Many pubs in Wales have subscribed to foreign operators to broadcast the matches of Swansea City and Cardiff City on Saturdays at 15:00 GMT which are not available on BT Sport or Sky Sports.

English courts determined that it was legal to use a satellite network of any country in Europe. In contrast, the distribution of all the visual and sound elements (logos, introduction, official music, graphics, summaries of previous meetings, etc) of the Premier League are infringements of intellectual property.

• The Premier League has hired the Scottish company ID Inquiries, specialising in private investigations and the protection of trademarks, to investigate the illegal use of foreign satellites for retransmission of the…