Former pub landlord Michael Thorpe has had his conviction for illegally showing foreign footage of Premier League games overturned after eight years . A pub landlord convicted of showing Premier League football matches on foreign TV channels has won an eight-year legal battle to clear his name . Michael Thorpe says he has paid a heavy price for the lengthy fight to get his conviction quashed and has lost his pub as a result . Mr Thorpe , 55 , was convicted of showing a Premier League game without having an agreement with official broadcasters in November 2006 at the Stoke Inn in Plymouth , Devon . He said he could not afford to pay Sky TV 's rates for football matches , and opted instead to show Albanian transmissions of matches , which he says he thought was legal . But he was convicted , fined and ordered to pay costs eight years ago , when screening the matches was still treated as a criminal offence . Judge Recorder Nicolas Gerasimidis has now upheld his appeal and overturned the conviction following a landmark European court ruling . His appeal took so long as he had to launch the case after the European Court of Justice found enforcing previous rules was anti-competitive . Mr Thorpe said he was 'overwhelmed ' that a judge and magistrates had upheld his appeal after all this time . But it is a bitter-sweet victory , as the long-running dispute cost him his business and his livelihood . He said : 'We put a lot of money into that pub and it went from a thriving business to absolutely zero . People stopped coming to the pub , it cost me my business . ' Mr Thorpe launched an appeal against his conviction soon after his trial , but the case was delayed by a similar test case which went as far as the European Court of Justice . The court ruled that having an exclusive system was a restraint of free trade and contrary to European Law . But the landlord says the court action has seen him lose the Stoke Inn in Plymouth which he used to run . Mr Thorpe 's appeal was further delayed until another case involving Media Protection Services Ltd , the company which took him to court on behalf of the Premier League , but which no longer does so . Mr Thorpe was awarded his legal costs , which he paid privately , but he would not disclose the sum . The European court decision in 2012 cleared a landlady of a criminal conviction , but judges left the door open for court action against publicans by ruling pubs should get permission from the copyright owner before screening matches . The Premier League has since been taking landlords to civil courts for breaching copyright , with some ordered to pay up to £65,000 in costs . The league sends teams of investigators to pubs around the country to try and catch those screening games illegally . Legal cases have been brought against 250 bars and pubs during the current football season . He said he does not know whether he can retrieve the £1,000 fine and £1,500 costs ordered by the magistrates . Despite the decision , the Premier League has insisted pubs still can not show foreign-TV footage of its games . Since the European Court decision , it is taking landlords to civil courts and suing them using copyright laws , which were not affected by the previous ruling . In 2012 , pub Karen Murphy landlady won a landmark legal battle to overturn her conviction for using foreign decoders instead of Sky to show Premier League football matches . Ms Murphy , who ran The Red , White and Blue pub in Portsmouth , Hampshire , bought games through a Greek satellite broadcaster Nova for £800 a year instead of Sky , which was then priced at £700-a-month . The Premier League took legal action against her Mrs Murphy and she was fined £8,000 for dishonest reception of a television reception in 2006 . But a European Court of Justice ruling said having an exclusive system of TV rights was contrary to EU law and the High Court overturned her conviction . A recent investigation by trade publication , The Morning Advertiser , quoted a pub landlord saying Sky Sports cost him £16,000-a-year , compared to the £300-per-year of screening it illegally . The decision came after Portsmouth landlady Karen Murphy won a European court battle over her conviction . Despite the ruling , the Premier League can still take pub owners to civil courts over breach of copyright .
Premier League was convicted and fined for showing Albanian footage of games . But landmark European Court ruling has since ended such prosecutions . Premier League has now had convicted overturned but has since lost his pub . Landlord still taking landlords to civil court using copyrights laws .