The Australian Rugby League Commission has today welcomed the decision of the Full Bench of the Federal Court of Australia upholding the rights of sporting events in the protection of broadcasting rights.
The Full Bench found that the Optus TV Now service infringes the ARLC's copyright in the broadcasts of NRL and other matches.
ARLC Chief Executive, Mr David Gallop, said today that the decision was an important recognition of the rights of sports and that it was all the more significant given the ARLC’s current broadcasting negotiations:
“We have always believed there was a clear principle in play here: that the sports are entitled to control who shows their events and who profits from those events.
“Companies should not be able to profit from our content without investing in the sport itself.
“We have partners who are working with us to develop innovative new ways of experiencing the game and they are doing so in ways that benefit the fans, the players and the sport in general.
“It is important that we all share in the opportunities that new technology provides but this can’t be at the expense of our basic commercial rights and this is an area that government needs to continue to address.”