The English Premier League has secured a judgment in the UK High Court requiring six internet service providers in the country to block access to illegal live streaming website First Row Sports.
The court ruled that First Row Sports was breaching the Premier League’s copyright by acting jointly with third party streaming services to offer live footage of league matches. First Row Sports gives its users links to third party sites offering streamed live sport from around the world, including matches from the Premier League.
It was the first use by a sporting body of Section 97A of the UK Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 to get an order blocking a site that infringes its copyright. It is also the first time that such an order has been granted against a website that facilitates access to other illegal streaming sites. The act has been used previously by the music and film industries to secure protection from illegal streaming sites.
A Premier League spokesman said: “It is absolutely imperative that content industries are afforded protection under the law if they are to continue investing in the sort of quality talent and facilities that has made them successful and of interest in the first place.
“The judgment recognises the parasitic nature of the enterprise; this was an out and out commercial operation with estimated revenues of up to £10m (€11.6m/$15.1m) a year, whilst giving nothing back to the sport.
“The content industries are playing an increasingly significant role in the UK economy, so it is pleasing to see that the courts recognise this and prevent continued abuses of copyright.”
The order comes as the Premier League’s lucrative new set of domestic media rights deals come into effect, for the 2013-14 to 2015-16 seasons. The league has secured a 70 per cent increase in the value of the rights, with pay-television broadcasters BSkyB and BT Vision splashing out a combined £3.018bn for the live rights over the three seasons.