The British newspaper "Mail on Sunday" reported that Saudi Arabia seemed to be making an offer to break the piracy stalemate, which cast serious doubts about the deal of the Saudi investment fund's acquisition of Newcastle United team for $ 370 million.
But this offer - according to the newspaper - instead of providing a step along the way to angered several sports organizations, including the Premier League, which could lead to further delay in the decision on the deal.
The British newspaper viewed a letter from a member of the Saudi Fund to the British government claiming that they would be happy to close the illegal broadcasting piracy of the Premier League in the event that "one of them complained through the official channels and the correct email."
If the deal is completed, it will transfer ownership of 80% of Newcastle shares from the current owner, Mike Ashley, to the investment fund headed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The remaining 20% of the shares will be divided between a subsidiary of businesswoman Amanda Staffeli (who plays the broker in the deal) and Rubin Brothers, which is owned by Britain's second richest family.
Saudi Arabia reiterates its denial of any relationship with the pirate channel "B Out Q", which broadcasts illegally most of the sports competitions, especially the Premier League matches.
A letter signed by Saudi Trade Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qusaibi, a member of the Saudi Investment Fund, said that “no evidence of civil or criminal infringement of broadcasting rights has been submitted to the Saudi authorities responsible for enforcing and protecting property rights in the kingdom.”
In the message, the minister added, "We want to emphasize the transparency and ease of the process of providing information or complaints regarding intellectual property protection, in order to address any intellectual property related complaints in Saudi Arabia, only the right holder should send an email to the relevant authorities."
The newspaper revealed that the Premier responsible for approving the acquisition had received a copy of the letter, and despite the officials ’refusal to make any statement, it is believed - according to“ Mail on Sunday ”- that they are upset by the Saudis’ allegations that the Premier officials are not aware of any concerns about the role of the Saudis in Piracy.
It is believed - according to the British newspaper - that the letter also angered the Spanish Football League (League) and the American Basketball Association (NBA) and the Wimbledon tennis championship.
The Governmental Liaison Office in the State of Qatar confirmed that the report published a few days ago by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, contained false and misleading allegations about the results of a ruling issued by the World Trade Organization dispute settlement committee on the issue of piracy of broadcasting rights owned by the "BN Sports" channel.
In a statement issued yesterday, Saturday, the office said that the statement published by the Saudi commission last Tuesday included a series of incorrect allegations regarding the report.
The Qatari statement reminded that the ruling published on the World Trade Organization website, which is available to the public, concluded that Saudi Arabia had failed to protect intellectual property rights, and that it should correct its measures to bring them in line with its obligations under the TRIPS Agreement.
The organization confirmed in its report that it "found no exception that would justify Saudi Arabia's failure to take criminal measures against the piracy channel (B out Q) despite the evidence confirming its operation by individuals or entities subject to the Kingdom's criminal jurisdiction, which confirms that Saudi Arabia has acted in a manner that contradicts the article 61 of the TRIPS Agreement. "
The organization's dispute resolution committee concluded that BN Sports and international rights holders have repeatedly sent detailed information to the Saudi authorities to inform them of pirate activities for B outQ, without receiving a response from the Saudi side.
This is in addition to the fact that the committee concluded in its report that Saudi Arabia had taken measures that prevented BN Sports from obtaining legal advice in the Kingdom.