CASBAA crackdown against pay TV piracy continues

Hong Kong - The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) has fired a warning shot to clubs and public venues about the illegal broadcasting of sports ahead of the launch of the Rugby World Cup this weekend.

CASBAA has sent 300 "awareness" letters to pubs and clubs warning that illegally broadcasting sports are acts of copyright infringement that will result in hefty fines.

CASBAA has today placed ads in the South China Morning Post and other magazines to further increase public awareness about pay TV piracy.

The pay TV industry made "six-figure settlement payments" along with a public apology from three Hong Kong bars for illegally broadcasting the 2006 FIFA World Cup football tournament in June last year.

Two additional Wan Chai bars, The White Stag and Devil's Advocate, still have outstanding copyright claims pending.

"The pay-TV industry will continue to take necessary legal action against pay-TV content copyright and illegal TV signal broadcast violators,"

Simon Twiston Davies, CEO of CASBAA, said the industry will continue to protect the copyright of TV content.

"We, as an industry are committed to protecting the copyright of TV content and the interests of authorised pay-TV distributors not only in Hong Kong but across the entire region. We urge Hong Kong bars, clubs and other public venues to subscribe to licensed pay-TV programming from authorised pay-TV operators," he said.