13 Nov 2007 9:43 PM:

One thing communities need to be cogniscent of if they go for an unlicensed tv system - either a Sky dish which is not licensed for use in Spain or a 're-broadcast' system - is the implication of the European Copyright Directive. Amongst other things, this states that the distribution of copyrighted property - which includes the good old Beeb programmes - without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal anywhere in the EU. This is what prompted seizures of re-broadcast equipment in Murcia recenty and before that in Lanzarote.

For an individual to be in receipt of a signal is a civil matter, for a community to be complicit in its distribution is in fact a criminal matter. Your administrator should advise you of this fact before you make a decision.

Also - don't hijack any existing TV distribution mechanism at the expense of a terriestrial signal as this is also illegal under Spanish law. Regardless of whether the community may all agree to do this, community statues are expressly forbidden to contradict national (and therefore by implication EU) law.

Thread: Communal Dishes

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