Landmark ruling in favor of Irish pub sued for showing soccer game live | Irish News | IrishCentral

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Landmark ruling in favor of Irish pub sued for showing soccer game live
Judge rules that use of Slingbox device does not constitute satellite piracy
By JAMES O'SHEA, IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Thursday, March 8, 2012, 7:17 AM Larger Text Print E-mail Updated Thursday, March 8, 2012, 11:31 AM Newsletter

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An Irish bar and restaurant owner in America has won a landmark case against Premium Sports which has had a monopoly on showing Irish GAA and many soccer and rugby games in selected bars throughout America. Eugene Rooney, owner of the Old Castle Pub in Manhattan, won his case by proving that the game he showed was not pirated from a satellite signal. Instead, the court agreed with Rooney that the game he showed on February 13, 2010 between Scotland and Wales in soccer, was not a simultaneous transmission, but rather was a minutely delayed signal from a Slingbox device in a home in Dublin.

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A Slingbox allows programs shown in one country to be shown in another by streaming the data. There is usually a minute or so delay. The decision appears to allow Irish bars all over the US to show Irish games via Slingbox. Premium Sports, formerly Setanta Sports, previously had a monopoly. Judge Katherine Forrest ruled that the transmission that was shown from an apartment in Dublin, Ireland was not the initial transmission and that defendants had not intercepted the transmission. In effect, she stated it was a rebroadcast, not an interception of a live signal and that the initial live signal had been legally acquired in Dublin. --------------Read more: Top Rabbi believes Catholic Church is imposing Sharia Law on Americans over contraception Top ten Irish songs to avoid this Saint Patricks Day - VIDEOS --------------http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Landmark-ruling-in-favor-of-Irish-pub-sued-for-showing-soccer-game-live-141885283.html Page 1 of 4

Landmark ruling in favor of Irish pub sued for showing soccer game live | Irish News | IrishCentral

3/13/12 12:07 PM

An expert called by the Rooney side had testified that there was at least a one or two minute delay from the time the signal was received legally in Dublin and then sent via Slingbox to America. Therefore, they stated that no unlawful scrambling of the signal had taken place. The federal statute regarding cable and satellite piracy is quite favorable to the providers, but it does have its limits, and Premium really tried to push those limits in this case, said Joel Christoph of the Law Offices of Thomas S. Rosenthal, attorney for Old Castle. The Slingbox doesnt intercept or descramble signals, it merely records and re-transmits content that has already been received. That type of activity is generally not prohibited by the satellite piracy statutes. Christoph continued. Old Castle principal Eugene Rooney was extremely pleased with the result. It takes so much time and money to stand up to these people and most pubs will just cave into Premiums demands to avoid the hassle. I knew we were in the right and I was not going to back down. I couldnt be happier. Having gotten all of Premiums claims against it dismissed, Old Castle now intends to pursue its own claims against Premium for Breach of Contract.
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paddydavis10 | Mar 11, 2012, 02:49 PM EDT It is fantastic that we do not have to pay the $20 to those Setanta bullies any more. Fair play to Eugene Rooney for getting it done, enjoy the games at the Old Castle all!!!
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lb11 | Mar 11, 2012, 09:34 AM EDT Someone needed to stand up to these bullies fair play to Eugene Rooney!!SETANTA you got what you deserved...i know where il be watching the games from now on..The OLDCASTLE PUB & RESTAURANT see you all there free of charge like it should be!!
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Collie52 | Mar 10, 2012, 06:39 PM EST Setanta have been charging people for years for the privalege of watching Irish Gaelic Games. Its about time somebody stopped them in their tracks. Well done to the Oldcastle.
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Landmark ruling in favor of Irish pub sued for showing soccer game live | Irish News | IrishCentral

3/13/12 12:07 PM

marg1122 | Mar 09, 2012, 01:48 PM EST Job well done by Rooney! Sure O'Rourke wont be too happy now! Premium has got what they deserved! Looking forward to watching all of the games in Oldcastle for FREE!
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IrelandNorth | Mar 09, 2012, 06:55 AM EST Geez, guys! Get a grip. What a photograph of the cream of Irish manhood. As a qualified psychotherapist, looks too much like a case mania to me. Masculinity in crisis, is what I say. Makes Salem village in the 1690's seem serene my comparison. As some Irish commentator once described football: "Grown men, kicking an inflated pigs bladder around a field, and everyone getting excited about it." What has the world come to at all, at all.
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JamesDempsey | Mar 09, 2012, 06:19 AM EST Delighted, Ill never forget the time I had to pay setanta $20 at the door just to walk into a pub in woodside NY just because Ireland were being shown on tv
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ShaunnaYank | Mar 08, 2012, 10:18 PM EST Cheers mcaleer! Congrats to the guys at the Old Castle. Premium Sports got EXACTLY what they derserved!
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mcaleer | Mar 08, 2012, 10:10 PM EST We have been held hostage by Premium/Setanta for long enough and it is about time somebody stood up to them! They are nothing but a bunch of bullies who have been put in their place. Now a poor old pensioner can watch his home team without forking over his last 20 quid to Setanta, well done I say!
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dannykerrigan1 | Mar 08, 2012, 09:53 PM EST Fair play to the guy at the Old Castle. He took on the bully and WON. Cry yourself to sleep O'Rourke. You and premium sports got what you deserved. D.K
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slatri | Mar 08, 2012, 02:51 PM EST Jerry it was premium that was holding the GAA under the bus and not letting the sport grow in this country. I agree that there should be something in place to ensure that the broadcasting is paid for. Now is the time to say good bye to premium and start a North America GAA channel available to all bars and promote GAA game from all over the states as well as the games from Ireland.So we can promote out great games to everyone.
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Jerry Kelly | Mar 08, 2012, 01:46 PM EST Fanaig nimad, a chairde. Conas a dhanfaidh Premium airgead anois? Agus ar ball, conas a dhanfaidh GAA airgead as an margadh seo? Nuair a bhaineann t airgead na "content-providers", lagann t iad, uaireanta go banc-bhriseadh. Cpla bliain anois, cad a dhanfaidh GAA gan an tairgead seo? An bhfuil riteach eile ann gan an GAA a chaitheamh faoin mbus? //////////////////// Wait a minute, a chairde. How will Premium make money now? And eventually, how will the GAA make money out of this market? When you take money from the "content-providers', you weaken them, sometimes to bankruptcy. A couple of years from now, what will the GAA do without this money? Is there another solution that doesn't throw the GAA under the bus?
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Ms.Gail | Mar 08, 2012, 12:58 PM EST Well, well, well! Well done.
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zpaul | Mar 08, 2012, 11:51 AM EST I love this - no more $20, $30 and even $40 covers just to see a match. Let's get the word out to all the pubs (and get all of Ireland hooked up to Slingbox)!
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Landmark ruling in favor of Irish pub sued for showing soccer game live | Irish News | IrishCentral

3/13/12 12:07 PM

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