Augusta, GA asked in Copyright and Trademark for Georgia

Q: I have an inquiry about Copyright and or Trademark infringement. Please see details.

A friend of mine is a fight promoter for a local boxing club. There is an admission charged to see the fights, and there are concessions sold. For the moment, the money from ticket and concession sales is only enough to cover his overhead. He was telling me that he was considering setting up an event where there would be a NO CHARGE viewing of a professional boxing match on Pay Per View. The local amateur fights would commence after the Pay Per View event. The purpose of the Pay Per View event would be strictly for the purpose of drawing a larger crowd for the amateur fights. I am not an attorney, but my gut tells me this is illegal for at the very least, copyright and trademark infringement. I need to know if there is a loophole that he could utilize to make this event legal.

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1 Lawyer Answer
Benton R Patterson III
Benton R Patterson III
Answered
  • Trademarks Lawyer
  • Dallas, TX

A: This comes up all the time for bar owners. Your friend has to purchase a commercial license to show the PPV broadcast. Commercial licenses are more expensive than personal licenses. The prices are typically tied to the size of the venue or the number of people attending. He would need to contact his cable/satellite provider for the rates.

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