World Trade Organization finds Saudi links to sports piracy

The World Trade Organization has ruled Saudi Arabia failed to stop a broadcasting operation pirating sports coverage and blocked moves to shut it down in a proxy of the Gulf economic and diplomatic dispute with Qatar.

The Qatar-owned beIN Sports network, which is banned from operating in Saudi Arabia, holds the Middle East rights that are being pirated by beoutQ — including to matches from FIFA's World Cup and the English Premier League.

The WTO decision on Tuesday provides a further complication for the Premier League, which is having to decide whether to approve a takeover of northeast English club Newcastle by the Saudi sovereign fund, after spending two years trying unsuccessfully to get beoutQ shut down.

“The panel considers that Qatar has established a prima facie case that beoutQ is operated by individuals or entities subject to the criminal jurisdiction of Saudi Arabia,” the WTO said.

It is the latest evidence the Saudi state has facilitated the bootlegging of rights worth billions of dollars which Champions League organizer UEFA says threatens “existence of professional sport as we know it.”

Saudi Arabia failed to take action to stop beoutQ’s operations and protect the intellectual property of rights holders, the WTO dispute panel concluded. The panel highlighted how beIN was prevented from hiring lawyers in Saudi Arabia to take action in the courts against the piracy.

“Qatar has established that Saudi Arabia has not provided for criminal procedures and penalties to be applied to beoutQ despite the evidence establishing prima facie that beoutQ is operated by individuals or entities under the jurisdiction of Saudi Arabia,” the WTO said.

Saudi authorities declared beIN illegal as the nation launched an economic and diplomatic boycott of Qatar...