istock-940901390fotokot197
18 June 2018Copyright

FIFA to take action over illegal broadcast of World Cup matches

FIFA, the international football governing body, has said it will take action to prevent a pirate channel from illegally broadcasting World Cup matches in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

On Friday, June 15, FIFA said that it is aware of a pirate channel named BeoutQ that has been streaming the opening matches of the FIFA World Cup within the MENA region.

The football tournament kicked off on Thursday, June 14, with Russia playing Saudi Arabia.

“FIFA takes infringements of its IP very seriously and is exploring all options to stop the infringement of its rights, including in relation to action against legitimate organisations that are seen to support such illegal activities,” FIFA said in a statement.

The governing body added: “We refute that BeoutQ has received any rights from FIFA to broadcast any FIFA event.”

Qatar-based beIN Sports is the exclusive broadcaster of the World Cup in the MENA region.

This isn’t the first instance of IP infringing activity involving FIFA and the World Cup.

On Friday, June 15, WIPR reported that Hong Kong customs had seized more than HK$15 million (US $1.9 million) worth of counterfeit World Cup products between April 30 and June 13.

Five arrests were made in connection with the 259,000 pieces of suspected infringing items, which included apparel, accessories, shoes and bags.

Last week, WIPR also reported that Sony, which is the official broadcaster of the World Cup in India and neighbouring countries, sent letters to streaming sites warning them against broadcasting the tournament illegally.

The email was sent to streaming sites from India-based law enforcement agency MarkScan on behalf of Sony.

Did you enjoy reading this story?  Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox.

Today’s top stories

US and China target each other with 25% tariffs

Monster Energy’s opposition to Tencent’s TM fails in Singapore

Nike drops collection after TM warning from US Naval Academy

Already registered?

Login to your account

To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.

Two Weeks Free Trial

For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk


More on this story

Copyright
25 June 2018   Hong Kong customs has arrested two men and seized approximately HK$20,000 ($2,549) of illegal re-broadcasting equipment following an anti-piracy operation.
Copyright
12 July 2018   Just days before the end of the football World Cup, the sport’s international governing body FIFA has revealed its plan to tackle a pirate site.
Trademarks
21 November 2022   Criminal networks ‘exploiting fan loyalty’ | UK Intellectual Property Office partners with City of London police to seize shirts, badges, and cash from multiple raids.