Logic backs off legal action as C3 waits on OfReg

| 11/07/2018 | 24 Comments

Cayman News Service(CNS): Logic, the TV cable company that secured the rights to broadcast the World Cup football tournament in the Cayman Islands, has backed off suing locally owned provider C3, after accusing the rival company of showing games illegally on their service. But C3, which had complained to utility regulator, OfReg, about Logic’s move to allow Flow access but not them, agreed to stop showing games until the regulator ruled on the complaint.

The law suit was filed in the Grand Court last week, in which Logic claims that its rival, which is owned by Randy Merren, had shown the first game of the tournament on one of the channels in its customer package and, despite agreeing to black out further games, the matches continue to be broadcast on channels supplied by C3 to its customers.

But Logic then withdrew the injunction applications.

“C3 is not broadcasting the remaining World Cup games,” Randy Merren told CNS. “We are awaiting a decision from the Regulator that was filed by C3 on 15 June. It was noted that it was extremely time sensitive; unfortunately we still await that decision. We have little hope that a decision will be published by the Regulator for this World Cup, which is disappointing since only C3 subscribers are being blocked from viewing the World Cup Games. I have to question what the Regulator’s priorities are, as its actions are contrary to its Mission Statement,” he added.

Merren pointed out that OfReg is supposed to uphold fairness and enforce regulations that are in the public interest. But the C3 boss has raised his concerns from the start that there was no level playing field regarding the broadcasting of the tournament and that Logic was not complying with its obligations under the FIFA deal to provide access to games for customers that do not subscribe to its service, given that the over-the-air channels are all but impossible to watch on most modern TVs.

However, Logic cut a deal with Flow to allow that service to broadcast games but not C3, compounding the feud between the TV providers.

This article was updated after CNS learned that Logic had withdrawn its civil suit.

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Comments (24)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Can the OfReg Sue him for not providing all island cable coverage, and can we the people Sue the OfReg if we got to foot the bill for the cable extension they are proposing we fund?
    Until then, shut up and go provide what your contract demands.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Until such time as any one provider is able to provide 100% coverage across all three Cayman Islands, there can be no exclusive rights to anything, not even Sesame Street.

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  3. Cess Pita says:

    Mr Merren will be waiting a long time for that decision as nobody at OffReg can rule on it without hiring a consultant and legal advisors for $1000 an hour. However Offreg are now actively training their staff so that in future they will not need outside assistance to scratch their backsides and they confidently predict that when the next World Cup comes round in 2022 they will be ready!.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    England are out and I don’t care who shows it any more!

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  5. Anonymous says:

    If you have an internet connection, all you need is an IPTV box. Also, the smart TV’s now have the app.

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  6. Anonymous says:

    Please give me for free what you had to pay for.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    It’s not coming homeeeeeeee!!! It’s going to France!!!

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  8. Kiss the well says:

    Well. I have been comfortably watching, and broadcasting my World Cup games through my Dish Network here.

    Unlike Logic/ WestStar I paid for my service, always.

    Good luck to ILL-Logic in suing Dish Network.

    Tell them drug smugglers, pirates to stay under the rock they crawled out from..

    Ha ha ha ha. Nothing they can do about tooo.

    Goooooo France!!!!!!

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  9. Anonymous says:

    C’mon Croatia!

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  10. Cess Pita says:

    Is Logic able to confirm that all the channels they have broadcast from overseas, in the past, and currently, have been legally authorised by their owners?.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    Wouldn’t matter since C3’s connection is as consistent as … Well, it’s just not consistent enough to follow a soap opera. LOL couldn’t think of anything better to compare.. Basically their TV connection is so bad I’ve cancelled their service and gone back to Logic.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Not true actually. I have had all three and C3 is almost certainly the best. But then I suspect you probably know that.

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  12. Anonymous says:

    Letting one provider carry the rights to a WORLD game is insane and shouldn’t have been allowed. You can get dish on this island and I’m pretty sure you could watch all the games that way? I hope C3 doesn’t have to pay. Stupid stupid stupid.

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