Singer Tommy Fleming awarded damages over TV station's copyright breach

A High Court judge has awarded €150,000 in damages to singer Tommy Fleming, his wife Tina Mitchell Fleming, and their company TF Productions following an unauthorised broadcast of their copyrighted material by Irish TV. The court heard that the broadcaster, which operated from Westport Industrial Park in County Mayo, transmitted Mr Fleming's promotional DVD for his 2004 recording Voice of Hope in December 2014 without permission, rebranding it as the Tommy Fleming Musical Extravaganza. Mr Justice Paul Gilligan found that the copyright infringement caused serious damage to Mr Fleming's entertainment career and professional standing. The judge awarded €100,000 for intellectual property infringement and €50,000 to the production company to offset losses incurred in mitigation efforts. Legal costs were also awarded to the plaintiffs. Irish TV, which operated a 24-hour channel across multiple platforms, did not contest the application. The broadcaster is currently in liquidation.