“There are laws around it and the implications can be huge, from large fines to actual jail time”
Tyson Fury’s meeting with Deontay Wilder is one of the most eagerly anticipated fights of the year
The bout, which will take place at Los Angeles’ Staples Center during the early hours of Sunday morning, is expected to attract millions of viewers the world over. Inevitably, with the fight pay-per-view in the UK, some boxing fans will opt to watch it on illegal streams – despite warnings from authorities.
In recent years, some have broadcast big fights on their social media via Facebook Live or Periscope. This, however, could result in a huge fine for those found doing it.
A report from the Independent last month detailed how one man, Josh Mellor, was hit with thousands of pounds worth of fines – despite not broadcasting any fight footage.
Mellor had been at a friend’s house when he used his smartphone to broadcast several minutes of pre-fight footage of a boxing match on Periscope.
“I’d heard in the pub, and from friends, that you could watch free live streams of the fight and wondered how as we’d paid to watch it,” he said. “Whilst on Periscope, I saw a number of streams and while exploring I clicked the ‘Go Live’ button. I streamed the pre-fight coverage from my mate’s TV for a few minutes before quitting the app.”
Shortly after closing the app, the set-top box he and his friend were using to legally watch the fight was shut down. The report explains that the stream was identified because of unique identifiers, made up of codes personalised to each account that appear on screen during a PPV stream. Users, the report says, “may not see” them.
Days later, Mellor’s friend received a letter warning him of court proceedings associated with piracy. Having agreed to take on the responsibility, Mellor covered the cost of damages and legal fees.
“I think there are a lot of people out there who don’t understand that digital piracy comes with some very real risks,” Mellor adds. “There are laws around it and the implications can be huge, from large fines to actual jail time.”
