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Caught Our Eye

Qatar turns to D.C. in Saudi sports-piracy battle

Posted by Keturah Hetrick on Oct. 17, 2018

Qatar is taking advantage of swelling anti-Saudi sentiment in Washington, hiring two lobbying teams to help wage its 1-billion-dollar sports-piracy war against the Middle East kingdom.

Qatari state-financed BeIn Media Group alleges that a "Saudi-based pirate TV channel" is illegally broadcasting sports programs to which BeIn holds exclusive rights. BeIN estimates that the alleged infringement has cost the media group tens of millions of dollars in revenue and seeks $1 billion in compensation.

Just weeks after Qatar announced it was launching World Trade Organization proceedings against Saudi Arabia over the trade issue, BeIN has also initiated lobbying contracts with both Sidley Austin and R2P Strategies for work on "intellectual property issues," according to recent disclosures.

For more than a year, Qatar has suffered an ongoing diplomatic crisis, with Saudi Arabia leading a coalition of Middle Eastern countries who have cut off ties with the Gulf state.