[January 06, 2009] Region bars could pay for piracy alleged in federal lawsuit Tweet (Times, The (Munster, IN) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jan. 4--HAMMOND -- A Pennsylvania company that sells televised broadcasts of mixed martial arts fights is using lawsuits to send a two-fisted message to bars the company accuses of piracy. The Copper Penny, 7015 Kennedy Ave., Hammond, is the latest of several Indiana bars sued in Hammond federal court since 2001 by Joe Hand Promotions. Recent suits accuse the bars of stealing cable access to Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts. Joe Hand Promotions hires contractors to monitor "random" taverns that have not ordered the company's licensed events, and one of the contractors was at The Copper Penny on May, 24 2008, said Julie Cohen Lonstein, a lawyer for the promotion company. The contractor video-recorded the tavern's managers showing the UFC Ill Will event on four televisions, Lonstein said. Lonstein said she could not say how she suspects The Copper Penny would have intercepted the program. Joe Hand Promotions seeks as much as $170,000 each from the bar and its owner. No one answered phone calls to the bar, and the owner could not be reached for comment last week. One recent court judgment suggests bars could save a lot of money by ordering the events legally. In November, South Bend-based federal Judge Allen Sharp entered a $16,000 judgment against two Lafayette bar owners accused of pirating UFC event in May 2007. Home pay-per-view access to UFC events cost less than $50. Joe Hand Promotions does not clearly advertise rates for taverns. Judges have dismissed some suits against bars while awarding judgments to Joe Hand Promotions in others. The owners of the Green Top Tap in Gary settled a 2001 suit with Joe Hand Promotions. Snuzzo's in Gary settled a 2002 suit with the company. Lonstein would not talk about the settlement amounts. To see more of The Times, Munster, Ind., or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.nwitimes.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Times, Munster, Ind. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]