THE High Court today reserved judgment on a pub landlady's bid for a test case declaration that she did not commit a crime when she used a foreign broadcaster to show live English Premier League football matches to her customers.

Hampshire publican Karen Murphy used the Greek service rather than the more expensive domestic broadcaster BSkyB.

Lord Justice Pumfrey and Mr Justice Stanley Burnton are expected to give their decision, which could affect thousands of public houses all over the country, in the next few weeks.

Ms Murphy, who runs the Red, White and Blue pub at Southsea, was convicted under laws designed to prevent criminal copyright theft.

The FA Premier League (FAPL), in order to protect its commercial interests, said licensed premises were prohibited from screening matches without a valid agreement with BSkyB.

Ms Murphy bought a dish, decoder and card that enabled her to receive the games from Greek station Nova at a much cheaper rate than that offered by BSkyB, which claims exclusive rights in the UK.

FAPL used a company called Media Protection Services Ltd to take out a private prosecution against Ms Murphy, along with several other publicans.

An initial prosecution failed but in January she was convicted of criminal copyright theft at Portsmouth magistrates' court.

The conviction was upheld on appeal to Portsmouth Crown Court.

During a two-day hearing she renewed her appeal at the High Court in London, closely watched by many other licensees who have installed a European satellite system in their premises.

The FAPL also has an enormous amount at stake, given the threat the case poses to the huge fees rolling in from BSkyB on the basis that it has exclusive rights to Premier League matches in the UK.

Ms Murphy said outside the Royal Courts of Justice: "'This is the end of a long road and I am hoping justice will prevail.

"What I did was not a criminal offence.

"It's a free market. I bought the service off Nova legally and paid my subscription. I got it for £800, when it would have cost me about £6,000 from Sky, and I was entitled to do that."

Ms Murphy was prosecuted for two offences under section 297 (1) of the Copyright Design and Patents Act.

She was found guilty of ''dishonestly receiving a programme included in a broadcasting service provided from a place in the UK with intent to avoid payment of any charge applicable to the reception of the programme''.

The offences relate to matches played on August 19 and September 25 2006.

During the two-day hearing, the judges heard complex legal argument involving how programme-broadcasting signals are beamed around the world by satellite.

Ms Murphy's lawyers argued she was not committing a crime because she received the match broadcasts via an encrypted satellite signal that originated with Nova in Greece, and not from ''a broadcasting service provided from a place in the UK''.

QCs for Media Protection Services said the games were played in the UK and the broadcasts also originated in this country.

They accused the opposing team of QCs appearing for Ms Murphy of misinterpreting or misunderstanding section 297 (1) of the Copyright Act and argued their case was supported by relevant European Community directives on satellite broadcasting.