Astro was subsequently able to secure from the High Court a declaration that the outlet owners’ acts of screening and showing Astro copyrighted content to the public in their business premises without Astro’s consent or licence was an act of copyright infringement pursuant to Section 36 of the Copyright Act 1987.
The two outlets and their owners have admitted their misconduct and ceased from infringing the Astro copyrighted content. Restoran Jamal Mohamed & Sheriff has also committed to a legal Astro subscription.
Astro’s civil claims against these F&B outlets were based on the precedent set by the High Court’s landmark ruling that it secured with the Premier League in November 2022, which made it clear that it is illegal for commercial premises to show content to the public from unauthorised sources, including Astro broadcasts without the appropriate commercial licence.
In a separate case, directors of Robataya Sdn Bhd, who owns Scotsman Yakatori Bar in Petaling Jaya, have issued a public apology to Astro for showing unauthorised Astro content, after being issued a cease-and-desist letter. Robataya Sdn Bhd has entered into a settlement agreement with Astro, admitting to its wrongdoing and signing up to a legal Astro subscription.
This follows our previous reporting of 2 other incidents of individuals being fined, but this is the first time that F&B outlets have publicly been fined. With Astro investing a reported RM300mil in local content on top of the partnership with the Malaysian Football League, the company has a vested interest in making sure piracy is stamped out in Malaysia.