Is a TV License required for non UK/EU channels?

almillar

'live' means 'as it is broadcast'. So that includes a B/W film from 1950 as much as it inludes the live 6 o-clock news. It also includes recording it as it was broadcast, and watching it later. But NOT the catchup stuff mentioned above.

gnus

Point must be raised, has anyone ever been done for watching non-uk channels though?

Kurtis_Blue wrote: »

This legislation is all in clear and concise English.

I would disagree that its clear and concise

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/21/notes/division/5/4

Section 363: Licence required for use of TV receiver

762.This section prohibits the installation or use of a television receiver without a TV licence issued by the BBC

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/21/section/363

363 Licence required for use of TV receiver
(1)A television receiver must not be installed or used unless the installation and use of the receiver is authorised by a licence under this Part.



This law is written to confuse, as currently "install" means different things to different people.

System

However if you read The Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004 which puts into paractice the regulations stated in the Communication Act 2003 then this clearly states that the licence is to'install AND use a televesion receiver'

So both conditions must be met to make a licence a requirement. Install on its own doesn't require a licence. CA 2003 then goes on to clarify when the licence is needed I.E watching or recording live/as it is broadcast transmissions.

So the full requirement for a licence is 'Install AND use a television receiver to watch or record a broadcast as it is transmitted'

gnus

!!!!!! wrote: »

then this clearly states that the licence is to'install AND use a televesion receiver'

I realise that, as you cannot be done for just having a receiver.

Point was that its not clear and concise. If you just looked at 363 then that does not tally with the 2004 regulations, so isn't clear and concise. The fact that the OP is unaware if he requires a license also shows its not clear and concise.

The fact that (I don't think) it has ever been tested in court as to whether you can watch a stream of a american football game taken from CBS, whilst the same game is being shown on sky sports, means theres a lot of unknowns in this legislation.

System

Legislation tends to be written for the understanding of people who deal with the laws. If you wish to understand the laws then consult a solicitor. in this case the TV licence SI had not been mentioned. This is the item that provides the information, to a certain extent, of how the CA2003 should be applied in relation to the licence.

In your example, if the CBS stream is live (via the internet I assume) then it is immaterial whether it is on Sky. It is a live 'as it happens' stream and therefore requires a licence.

However, due to its nature the requirement can not be effectively policed. I would think that if a case ever came to court with sufficient evidence that somebody was watching a streamed transmission that was a live broadcast in another country then it would result in a conviction.

hackeron

I am willing to forgo the privilege to watch live television but what happens if I visit a website which unbeknown to me carries a live stream which starts playing instantly? - Am I given a set time to close the website before I am open to prosecution by the government? - Are no other parts of the website accessible to me because of the live stream on the home page?

Isn't it against all reason and logic that visiting a website, any website, can potentially open me up to prosecution?

I am a law abiding citizen and currently pay a TV license but I no longer wish to finance the BBC, if I apply to no longer pay a TV license, am I opening myself to prosecution by still browsing the web?

Kurtis_Blue

I have never seen a webpage that starts running a live feed automatically, do you have an example.

hackeron

For one cctv websites - often the sites stream a tv channel just to demo their CCTV DVRs - in low framerate and without sound. Security is my trade so a visit websites like this a lot!

ustream dot tv
justin dot tv
many blogs
livestream

There are a few. Point is there is no way to tell until you happen to click on the link.

Just about anyone can embed a live stream in their site that can and often does autoplay - often times there can be a TV on in the background or something else that qualifies as a live broadcast available in the UK. Is a time window given to close the site, or am I instantly open to prosecution?

Kurtis_Blue

Broadcast CCTV/webcams with a TV on in the background are not covered by the licence.

There are LOTS of illegal/dubious things on the internet you can stumble across but never seen a broadcaster do that.

hackeron

Kurtis_Blue wrote: »

Broadcast CCTV/webcams with a TV on in the background are not covered by the licence.

There are LOTS of illegal/dubious things on the internet you can stumble across but never seen a broadcaster do that.

Yes, you can stumble across a website that has illegal content, but it isn't illegal to do so and you can close the website in your own time. Simply visiting a link that happens to have illegal content doesn't open you up to prosecution. But visiting a website that happens to have, unbeknown to you, a live stream, without a TV license, opens you up to prosecution?

And are you saying you can broadcast a TV channel using CCTV equipment? - This is the specific case I am talking about. Often CCTV resellers will connect a CCTV DVR to a TV receiver or point a camera towards a TV just to have some motion in their demo. So I could watch a CCTV broadcast of a friend broadcasting NBC to me from the US?

I understand people that broadcast live TV on their sites can be breaking the law, but am I breaking the law by accidentally visiting such a site without a TV license?