THIS FROM THE BBC…...........

The case against Karen Murphy, a pub landlady convicted of using foreign satellite feeds to show Premier League football, has been referred to Europe.

The European Court of Justice will now have to consider whether national broadcasting rights breach rules on the free movement of goods in Europe.

The High Court in December rejected Ms Murphy’s appeal on domestic law, but adjourned to consider European law.

Ms Murphy was using a decoder from the Greek broadcaster Nova.

Nova charged her about ?800 a year, compared with the ?6,000 a year that she would have had to pay satellite TV firm BSkyB for the service.

The Premier League warned other publicans that they “should not see this as an indication that the use of foreign satellite equipment in the UK has been legitimised”, and stressed it would continue to pursue other such pubs in the courts.

Earlier in the week, a civil case brought against two of the companies that provide such equipment to pubs was also referred to the European Court of Justice.

The companies, QC Leisure and AV Station, had argued that European law allowed the free movement of goods throughout the community, and if the decoder cards were available on the market then they could be sold anywhere within the EC.

It is expected to be at least a year before the cases are heard.