Asked about the recent rise in lawsuits concerning PayTV events in bars and restaurants, I was quoted as follows:
“In my experience they tend to be owners of really small establishments,” Paul B. Overhauser, an attorney in Indianapolis who has represented hundreds of restaurants in piracy cases, said in an interview. “If there is a default judgment, it’s probably because the bar owner couldn’t afford an attorney.”
Overhauser said the sports promoters use the amount of those default judgments in pressuring other owners to settle. “They’ll say, ‘You better settle with us right away for $10,000 because this other one paid $150,000,'” he said. “If you’re a business owner and you get a letter like that, it’s pretty compelling if you don’t have a lawyer.”
The satellite and cable laws allow the promoters to collect attorneys’ fees if they win. The bars and restaurants don’t get such fees if they prevail.
“A lot of attorneys think these statutes are onerously one-sided in favor of the plaintiffs,” Overhauser said.
To read the full article at Bloomberg, click here.