Rochester Tavern Willfully Intercepted June 2021 PPV Boxing Match, Says Complaint

A Rochester, New York, bar and its owner “willfully engaged” in wrongful acts when they intercepted the June 2021 pay-per-view broadcast Gervonta Davis vs. Mario Barrios boxing match, alleged Joe Hand Promotions’ Communications Act complaint Tuesday (docket 6:24-cv-06397) in U.S. District Court for Western New York. William Burke-Mattis, owner of the Side Bar lounge, knew or should have known that the broadcast's interception and exhibition weren't “properly authorized,” said the complaint. The broadcast wasn’t for private viewing, nor was it for residential, noncommercial purposes, it said. The bar sold food and drinks during the broadcast, and the public display of the program was to entice patrons to the establishment to spend money while viewing it, it said. Burke-Mattis intentionally pirated the program for his own economic gain, while other establishments paid substantial sums for the proper commercial sublicense to show the broadcast legitimately to their customers, the complaint said. It seeks maximum damages of up to $170,000 for each willful violation of Section 605 or Section 553 of the Communications Act.