Formula 1 has accused BeoutQ of illegally transmitting content from the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship in the Middle East and North Africa, just over a week after it was similarly accused of illegally transmitting the FIFA World Cup.
In a statement, Formula 1 said that “beoutQ has not acquired any rights from Formula 1 to transmit coverage of the FIA Formula One World Championship.”
“Formula 1 takes intellectual property infringement of this nature extremely seriously,” the statement added. “We are looking into the issue and those that are involved and will take appropriate action.”
Earlier in June, Qatar accused Saudi Arabia of pirating content – including the FIFA World Cup – through BeoutQ, a charge that Saudi officials strongly deny.
FIFA, which makes millions of dollars selling TV rights to the tournament, has said it is weighing legal action against the channel, which claims it is backed by Colombian, Cuban and Middle Eastern investors.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, has alleged that BeoutQ is based in Saudi Arabia, but hasn’t offered any evidence to support the claim.
Bloomberg, however, has reported that televisions playing BeoutQ have become a common sight at homes, restaurants and cafes across the kingdom, and has been played at government-sponsored events and large public screens broadcasting the Saudi national teams World Game matches.
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