The Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court has ordered Super Broadband Network (SBN), the provider of AIS Playbox service, not to broadcast the World Cup 2022 on its IPTV service, to protect against violation of broadcast rights held by True Corporation.
The order, issued late on Friday, is in response to the petition filed by True Corporation which claims that it owns the rights to broadcast the tournament on the Internet Protocol television (IPTV) and over-the-top (OTT) platforms.
According to a source at True Corporation, one provider of IPTV service through the AIS Playbox service has no permission to broadcast the tournament and the company decided to ask for court intervention.
Following the court's order, True Corporation has asked all providers of IPTV and OTT services which do not have permission to broadcast the football tournament to stop broadcasting the matches to avoid consequences.
True Corporation has insisted the court's order does not affect the broadcast of the football tournament via free TV and paid television services that meet standard encryption of broadcasting signals.
The action follows the recent National Broadcast and Telecommunications Commission's (NBTC) announcement on the "must carry" rule which says major sports events like the World Cup must be broadcast for free across all platforms in Thailand, including on IPTV platforms.
Teeradet Dumrongbhalasitr, co-president of True, said on Friday the NBTC's announcement is deemed in violation of copyright laws and the company is considering taking action.
A source in the IPTV industry has raised questions as to why True Corporation claims such rights when the memorandum between the NBTC and the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) on the broadcasting of the World Cup tournament stipulates the broadcast must be carried by all operators under the supervision of the NBTC.