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lamps
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
48 Posts |
 Posted - 02/11/2007 : 12:29:10
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Written by: John Harrington
A Bolton-based action group campaigning against authorities trying to halt satellite football screenings in pubs is set to branch out into north Wales.
Sixteen pubs in the Conwy area have agreed to join the new branch of the Licensees Against Media Protection Services (Lamps), according to the European Satellite TV Association (Esta).
It follows last month’s raid on four pubs in Conwy, when police and trading standards officers seized foreign decoder cards and digiboxes. Similar raids occurred at three pubs in Bolton in September.
The law is clear - every court has ruled the use of foreign satellite systems illegal
Dan Johnson
Premier League
Esta chairman Colin McGhee said: “Esta has formed an alliance with Bolton Lamps. We’ve also gone to north Wales and proposed that we form another Esta chapter up there.”
McGhee said they plan to write to chief constables and trading standards departments in areas where raids have occurred expressing concerns about how they were carried out.
He said letters will be sent to all MPs in towns and cities with Premiership clubs and there are also plans to draw up petitions against the raids for customers to sign in pubs.
David Fare, Enterprise Inns lessee of Ye Old Mail Coach in Conwy - which was one of the pubs raided last month - told the MA: “Esta came to meet me and said they are looking to set up Lamps in north Wales.”
Esta claims the police raids are an abuse of their powers because, in response to questions from Esta, Greater Manchester Police said screenings football via foreign satellites is “not a criminal offence”.
However, MA legal editor Peter Coulson screening games via foreign systems is a criminal offence because it is in breach of an act of Parliament, the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, for which penalties are given.
Premier League spokesman Dan Johnson stressed: "The law is clear - every court has ruled the use of foreign satellite systems illegal.
"We don't want to prosecute licensees week in and week out, but where they ignore the warnings and the courts we have no choice."
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LAMPS Expands 2/11/2007
