TV licence email what do I do

Detail_Merchant

iniltous said:

do you have a license

I would say the question "do you have a licence" should be read as "are you covered by a TV licence", so the OP should have answered yes, whereas I guess maybe they said no, which caused the email.

Re any moral question, I don't see any difference between someone who doesn't have a TV licence at home using iPlayer in this scenario, and someone who doesn't have Sky Sports at home watching Sky Sports in their hotel room.
The person staying at the hotel is paying the hotel for the room, and part of the hotel's costs are the payment for their TV licence, so effectively the person is paying a fraction of the cost of a TV licence, and getting a fraction of the benefit.

Cornucopia

Detail_Merchant said:

iniltous said:

do you have a license

I would say the question "do you have a licence" should be read as "are you covered by a TV licence", so the OP should have answered yes, whereas I guess maybe they said no, which caused the email.

Re any moral question, I don't see any difference between someone who doesn't have a TV licence at home using iPlayer in this scenario, and someone who doesn't have Sky Sports at home watching Sky Sports in their hotel room.
The person staying at the hotel is paying the hotel for the room, and part of the hotel's costs are the payment for their TV licence, so effectively the person is paying a fraction of the cost of a TV licence, and getting a fraction of the benefit.

I think it's quite likely that a person would have to answer "Yes" and actually use iPlayer to watch BBC TV to trigger the email.   I'd hope that watching S4C on iPlayer wouldn't trigger the email (because a Licence isn't required to do that).

I agree with you, though, that the question effectively means "Are you currently covered by a TV Licence".   There are a lot of circumstances when a person using iPlayer doesn't personally have a Licence, but is covered by one.   Fundamentally, there's a problem with the confusion between a person having a Licence and a location having one - the latter is what the law requires.

EnPointe

Joeyb247 said:

Hi I don't have a TV licence as I never watch live TV or iPlayer. I recently stayed in a UK hotel that had BBC channels/licence and I watched an episode on iPlayer. I have now received an email telling me I have to buy a licence, is this right have I inadvertently broken the rules?

given that iplayer requires you to confirm that you  do have a  valid TV licence  to acces content which requires a TV licence to  view , you are  firmly in the wrong 

EnPointe

iniltous said:

No one is suggesting the question on the Iplayer is a legal document, it’s a moral question….do you have a license, if the asnswer is no but you proceed to watch , you have lied .

It is a legal  declaration.

LightFlare

Cornucopia said:

Detail_Merchant said:

iniltous said:

do you have a license

I would say the question "do you have a licence" should be read as "are you covered by a TV licence", so the OP should have answered yes, whereas I guess maybe they said no, which caused the email.

Re any moral question, I don't see any difference between someone who doesn't have a TV licence at home using iPlayer in this scenario, and someone who doesn't have Sky Sports at home watching Sky Sports in their hotel room.
The person staying at the hotel is paying the hotel for the room, and part of the hotel's costs are the payment for their TV licence, so effectively the person is paying a fraction of the cost of a TV licence, and getting a fraction of the benefit.

I think it's quite likely that a person would have to answer "Yes" and actually use iPlayer to watch BBC TV to trigger the email.   I'd hope that watching S4C on iPlayer wouldn't trigger the email (because a Licence isn't required to do that).

I agree with you, though, that the question effectively means "Are you currently covered by a TV Licence".   There are a lot of circumstances when a person using iPlayer doesn't personally have a Licence, but is covered by one.   Fundamentally, there's a problem with the confusion between a person having a Licence and a location having one - the latter is what the law requires.

Licence is required when watching ANY live broadcast regardless of the broadcaster

TooOrangeyForCrows

Just use a throwaway email and VPN regardless. End of . . .  

Cornucopia

EnPointe said:

Joeyb247 said:

Hi I don't have a TV licence as I never watch live TV or iPlayer. I recently stayed in a UK hotel that had BBC channels/licence and I watched an episode on iPlayer. I have now received an email telling me I have to buy a licence, is this right have I inadvertently broken the rules?

given that iplayer requires you to confirm that you  do have a  valid TV licence  to acces content which requires a TV licence to  view , you are  firmly in the wrong 

The question is wrong - it should ask whether a person is covered by a Licence in the place they are viewing from.   Which it is likely the OP was.

Cornucopia

LightFlare said:

Cornucopia said:

Detail_Merchant said:

iniltous said:

do you have a license

I would say the question "do you have a licence" should be read as "are you covered by a TV licence", so the OP should have answered yes, whereas I guess maybe they said no, which caused the email.

Re any moral question, I don't see any difference between someone who doesn't have a TV licence at home using iPlayer in this scenario, and someone who doesn't have Sky Sports at home watching Sky Sports in their hotel room.
The person staying at the hotel is paying the hotel for the room, and part of the hotel's costs are the payment for their TV licence, so effectively the person is paying a fraction of the cost of a TV licence, and getting a fraction of the benefit.

I think it's quite likely that a person would have to answer "Yes" and actually use iPlayer to watch BBC TV to trigger the email.   I'd hope that watching S4C on iPlayer wouldn't trigger the email (because a Licence isn't required to do that).

I agree with you, though, that the question effectively means "Are you currently covered by a TV Licence".   There are a lot of circumstances when a person using iPlayer doesn't personally have a Licence, but is covered by one.   Fundamentally, there's a problem with the confusion between a person having a Licence and a location having one - the latter is what the law requires.

Licence is required when watching ANY live broadcast regardless of the broadcaster

Yes (any TV broadcast) - but not for watching S4C on-demand on iPlayer, or indeed any commercial on-demand content on any platform.

Cornucopia

EnPointe said:

iniltous said:

No one is suggesting the question on the Iplayer is a legal document, it’s a moral question….do you have a license, if the asnswer is no but you proceed to watch , you have lied .

It is a legal  declaration.

It isn't a legal declaration.   Ts & Cs for the website at best.