Caution Advised for Group World Cup Viewing at Restaurants: Potential Legal Risks

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Are you enjoying the ongoing North and Central America World Cup?

Many people gather to watch the World Cup in groups at restaurants and bars.

Business owners should be aware when hosting group viewing events.

This is due to the Public Viewing (PV) rights for public spaces.

Using World Cup broadcasts to promote a business or drive sales without securing these rights could potentially be illegal.

According to FIFA's World Cup PV regulations, if a public viewing event is held for commercial gain, one must pay a fee to the licensor to obtain an official license.

However, the majority of business owners are broadcasting the games without paying any separate fees.

That said, there have been almost no cases in South Korea where small business owners have been punished for unauthorized World Cup broadcasts.

This is because broadcasters have generally overlooked the practice, taking into account the business environment of small merchants and public sentiment.

During the 2018 Russia World Cup, terrestrial broadcasters announced that they would not impose any separate sanctions or charges on establishments for showing the games on TV.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.