Football: Thai firm sues Apple over Premier League app
A Thai cable television company on Thursday said it was suing Apple for $3 million accusing the US technology giant of selling an application that violates its exclusive rights to English Premier League football.
CTH has also filed criminal charges against Apple Inc. and Apple Thailand with a Thai court that specialises in international trade and intellectual property disputes, he added.
Thai copyright law allows both civil and criminal actions to be brought by one party.
The complaint pivots on an application sold via Apple's App Store—made by a Thai developer—that shows matches on mobile devices and tablet computers from the wildly-popular English Premier League.
"This app has caused huge damage to us because it has also affected contracts we have with other telephone companies," legal advisor Paiboon Amonpinyokeat alleged, referring to deals with a Thai firm to provide exclusive football coverage.
"It's a contributory copyright infringement. We filed a civil case seeking 100 million baht ($3.1 million) in compensation," he said, adding legal action has also been taken against the app's Thai developer.
Paiboon said CTH had contacted Apple but the contentious app was still available. The court will hear the case on November 18, he added.
Apple could not immediately be reached for comment.
CTH secured rights to this season's Premier League games after beating Thailand's biggest cable True Corporation in an auction, upsetting many Thai consumers who have had to change cable subscription or miss football matches.
© 2013 AFP
