A HAMPSHIRE pub landlady today suffered a defeat in her High Court battle over using a foreign broadcaster - rather than the more expensive domestic broadcaster BSkyB - to show live English Premier League football matches to her customers.
But two senior judges gave Karen Murphy, who runs the Red White and Blue pub at Southsea, one last chance to win her case by relying on European Community legislation.
Mrs Murphy argued that she did not commit a crime under domestic laws designed to prevent criminal copyright theft.
But Lord Justice Pumfrey, sitting with Mr Justice Stanley Burnton, dismissed her appeal at the High Court in London.
The judge said BSkyB had the exclusive right to screen, or broadcast, the football matches in question in the UK and it was ''apparent'' that Mrs Murphy knew that was the case.
However, the judge said the court had not heard argument on whether European Community single market rules on free movement and competition might affect the position.
The court granted Mrs Murphy permission to reopen the appeal for further argument to decide those issues at a one-day hearing in January.
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