09-29-2016, 06:15 PM
No excuses for low punches to boxing's bottom line, says Sky
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Sky TV has appealed to people to "play fair" by paying to view Saturday's Joseph Parker fight.
Sky Television says it's ready to step into the ring if anyone helps people watch free live footage of Saturday night's heavyweight boxing bout between Joseph Parker and Alexander Dimitrenko.
The broadcaster was left red-faced and boxing promoter Duco fuming in May after Moze Galo, then living in Porirua, filmed a fight between Parker and Carlos Takam on his phone and live-streamed it on his Facebook page.
More than 100,000 people illegally watched Parker's victory, prompting legal threats.
![[Image: 1475117835103.jpg]](http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/e/h/8/z/p/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.1eh2lq.png/1475117835103.jpg)
A win by Ukrainian fighter Alexander Dimitrenko is paying out $8 at the TAB.
Galo said he would not be watching Saturday's contest. "I don't watch boxing anymore. Ever since I moved to Silverstream," he said.
READ MORE:
* Joseph Parker's handlers start negotiations for world title fight in New Zealand
* Joseph Parker's world title prospects increase as WBO puts heat on ill Tyson Fury
* Joseph Parker fight promoter threatens to sue
* Joseph Parker fight illegally broadcast to more than 100,000 viewers
Sky spokeswoman Kirsty Way believed Sky was still weighing up whether to take legal action against Galo and was "very confident" it would be able to get on top of any similar issues on Saturday.
"We are always monitoring and looking at taking down streams, looking at who these people are, and considering taking action against them," she said.
Way declined to say how Sky rooted out culprits.
"That is not something we want to talk about ... because we don't want to give all the tricks away," she said.
Sky is giving satellite TV subscribers and non-subscribers the opportunity to watch the Parker-Dimitrenko fight legally for $39.95, by showing it as a pay-per-view event both on Sky TV and on its FanPass internet service, she said.
Way appealed to viewers to "play fair, support Joseph and do the right thing".
"Duco forks out millions of dollars to put on an event like this so it is in both of our interests to protect copyright. We have been working closely with them."
Way was unable to immediately comment on whether Sky had made progress weighing up its legal options with regard to the Facebook streams of the Parker and Takam fight that appeared in May.
"We are still looking at those options," she said. "It is not off the table."
Duco has also threatened to sue.
IT and media law expert Richard Shera said it was pretty clear that copying television broadcasts and re-uploading them to Facebook did breach copyright.
Anyone who followed in Galo's footsteps might face a higher risk, he said.
"The fact it was publicly put-out there that this is infringing activity means that if someone was to do it again, and Sky did decide to take action, the courts are going to look pretty unfavourably on that, and there are provisions in the Copyright Act to ask for special damages for blatant infringement.
"The courts will take into account whether the person has been warned and if they should have known this was an infrignement."
Duco spokesman Craig Stanaway said all the indications were pointing to a "very big" pay-per-view audience at Manukau City on Saturday but the company does not release figures.
The TAB has Parker as strong odds-on favourite, with a dollar on a win for Ukrainian fighter Dimitrenko paying out $8.
- Stuff
ANDREW CORNAGA/PHOTOSPORT
Sky TV has appealed to people to "play fair" by paying to view Saturday's Joseph Parker fight.
Sky Television says it's ready to step into the ring if anyone helps people watch free live footage of Saturday night's heavyweight boxing bout between Joseph Parker and Alexander Dimitrenko.
The broadcaster was left red-faced and boxing promoter Duco fuming in May after Moze Galo, then living in Porirua, filmed a fight between Parker and Carlos Takam on his phone and live-streamed it on his Facebook page.
More than 100,000 people illegally watched Parker's victory, prompting legal threats.
ANDREW CORNAGA/PHOTOSPORT
A win by Ukrainian fighter Alexander Dimitrenko is paying out $8 at the TAB.
Galo said he would not be watching Saturday's contest. "I don't watch boxing anymore. Ever since I moved to Silverstream," he said.
READ MORE:
* Joseph Parker's handlers start negotiations for world title fight in New Zealand
* Joseph Parker's world title prospects increase as WBO puts heat on ill Tyson Fury
* Joseph Parker fight promoter threatens to sue
* Joseph Parker fight illegally broadcast to more than 100,000 viewers
Sky spokeswoman Kirsty Way believed Sky was still weighing up whether to take legal action against Galo and was "very confident" it would be able to get on top of any similar issues on Saturday.
"We are always monitoring and looking at taking down streams, looking at who these people are, and considering taking action against them," she said.
Way declined to say how Sky rooted out culprits.
"That is not something we want to talk about ... because we don't want to give all the tricks away," she said.
Sky is giving satellite TV subscribers and non-subscribers the opportunity to watch the Parker-Dimitrenko fight legally for $39.95, by showing it as a pay-per-view event both on Sky TV and on its FanPass internet service, she said.
Way appealed to viewers to "play fair, support Joseph and do the right thing".
"Duco forks out millions of dollars to put on an event like this so it is in both of our interests to protect copyright. We have been working closely with them."
Way was unable to immediately comment on whether Sky had made progress weighing up its legal options with regard to the Facebook streams of the Parker and Takam fight that appeared in May.
"We are still looking at those options," she said. "It is not off the table."
Duco has also threatened to sue.
IT and media law expert Richard Shera said it was pretty clear that copying television broadcasts and re-uploading them to Facebook did breach copyright.
Anyone who followed in Galo's footsteps might face a higher risk, he said.
"The fact it was publicly put-out there that this is infringing activity means that if someone was to do it again, and Sky did decide to take action, the courts are going to look pretty unfavourably on that, and there are provisions in the Copyright Act to ask for special damages for blatant infringement.
"The courts will take into account whether the person has been warned and if they should have known this was an infrignement."
Duco spokesman Craig Stanaway said all the indications were pointing to a "very big" pay-per-view audience at Manukau City on Saturday but the company does not release figures.
The TAB has Parker as strong odds-on favourite, with a dollar on a win for Ukrainian fighter Dimitrenko paying out $8.
- Stuff