Can You Record a Fight if You Attend It?
Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto will meet on the 3rd of December 2011 for the Boxing Super Welterweight WBA World Championship at New York’s Madison Square Garden. If you have been lucky enough to obtain tickets, you may wonder whether you are entitled to record the match on your own device. The rules about this are very unclear. One problem with allowing people to record the match on a device is that they could potentially use an internet connection to immediately place the match online, potentially allowing others to view the match for free. This, of course, is not allowed. However, are you allowed to watch a match for your own enjoyment?
As it is incredibly hard to prove that you were only recording a match for your own enjoyment, it is generally not allowed to do so, particularly not on a mobile phone or other device that is able to send information. Bringing a standard video camera is less frowned upon, as you will not be able to share the images you took until after the match has been completed of course.
Unfortunately, it does seem like many people manage to bring in their phones or other mobile devices and illegally broadcast the match live. There is a vicious circle going on at present between supporters of this system, who feel there would be no need to perform illegal recordings if prices to watch it on television or online weren’t so high (through HBO’s Pay Per View); and opponents of this system, who state that prices are only high because so many people perform illegal broadcasting, meaning the innocent pay the price.
Which side of the coin you are on is a personal decision, but getting caught filming a match and broadcasting it can have quite serious consequences. If you intend to watch boxing live this Saturday you might go for Cotto-Margarito of course.