Are you planning on installing a TV in your place of business?

If so, you might want to charge your customers to watch a major TV event. However, before you do you want to be aware of the legal ramifications of doing so.

It’s not always legal to allow customers to watch a TV event such as a sports match or even a film without taking permission from the copyright holder.

Do you want to learn more? Here’s how business TV streaming services works.

Are Business TV Streaming Services Legal?

As of now, streaming for a large crowd isn’t permitted though there isn’t clear information on if it’s illegal.

If you charge customers to watch a major event on TV, you’re essentially earning profits from someone else’s intellectual property. As such, you’d be expected to compensate the original owner.

However, you also have to take permission from the original owner. You legally can’t stream copyrighted content for a crowd unless you have express written permission.

As a side note, you should read here how streaming works for your business.

What Can Happen if It’s Illegal?

You might be wondering what’ll happen if you have a TV program streaming at your place of business. What are the legal ramifications of such a scenario?

Let’s suppose you run a bar that attracts many sports fans. On a few large TVs, you might want to stream a paid event such as a popular UFC match.

This might attract even more patrons to your bar. They’ll spend more money at your bar because they want to watch the TV event.

You can also expect a lawyer to be sitting at the bar ready to write up a legal notice for you! They’ll state that you have to compensate the copyright holders because you earned money indirectly from their intellectual property.

In some cases, you might also get sued for showing a TV program without prior consent from the copyright holder.

What to Do if You Come Across Issues

You will want to contact the copyright holder directly. Introduce yourself and discuss the nature of your business. Ask them if it’s permitted to stream their content in your place of business.

If they consent, make sure you draft a legal agreement to the terms and conditions. This should include how often you can stream their content and the required compensation.

We can expect the laws around streaming to become more favorable toward business owners in the future. In the meantime, make sure you speak to the copyright holders in advance.

That’s How Business TV Streaming Services Work

Now that you know how business TV streaming services work, you can ensure you don’t run into legal issues with your company.

As of now, it’s not legal to stream a TV program in a place of business. Doing so can result in a lawsuit and lots of money spent to compensate the copyright holder.

As a result, ensure that you contact the copyright holder in advance. Negotiate the terms on your own as we wait for the laws to change.

You can find more business tips on our blog, so check those out next.