In its decision on Nov 6, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered Brew Nation Sdn Bhd to pay RM75,000 in statutory damages under Section 37 of the Copyright Act 1987, and RM5,000 in legal costs to Astro.

In a statement, Astro said this was the company’s first-ever statutory damages award in a copyright infringement case.

Brew Nation’s pub in Bandar Rimbayu, Selangor, had streamed live sports content, including football matches, on Aug 12, 2023, in hopes of attracting customers.

Separately, Astro said it reached a RM15,000 settlement in another copyright infringement case involving Yap Kim Hon, who sold illegal streaming devices under his company YKH Digital Enterprise.

It said Yap sold and distributed Astro’s copyrighted works without authorisation, violating several provisions under the Copyright Act.

“As part of the settlement, Yap agreed to cease all infringing activities and refrain from enabling others to violate Astro’s copyright.”

On Aug 19, popular nasi kandar chain Thaqwa (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd agreed to pay RM221,773.20 to Measat Broadcast Systems Sdn Bhd for illegally broadcasting Astro content.

The settlement was reached through a consent judgment at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.