I am in a slightly unusual situation and have asked the following questions of the authorities.

What do you suppose the answers will be?

Neighbouring properties, one with a tv licence, one without. I occupy both properties. Both properties can consensually pick up the other's wifi. My questions are:

1) Is it lawful to download programmes in the property without a licence using its wifi and watch them in the property with a licence;

2) Is it lawful to download programmes in the property without a licence using the wifi of the other property and watch them in the other property;

3) Is it lawful to download programmes in the property with a licence using its wifi and watch them in the property without a licence;

4) Is it lawful to download programmes in the property with a licence using the wifi of the other property and watch it in the other property.

Hmm, tricky. How separate are the properties? Both detached but next door to each other with separate house numbers? Or are you meaning the main house and the cattle shed at the bottom of the garden? You yourself can't occupy both properties at the same time, but your wife could be in one with you in the other...but then what does "occupy" mean? At any one instant, or for an hour, or permanently?

There are two other options of course, and I would imagine that new option 5 must be OK, but new option 6 sounds the least acceptable:

5) Is it lawful to download programmes in the property with a licence using its wifi and watch them in the same property (which has the licence);

6) Is it lawful to download programmes in the property without a licence using its wifi and watch them in the same property (which has not got the licence);

I was wondering the same sorts of things, Emjay - given the mobile nature of iPlayer, when am I covered by my home licence and when not?

I'm pretty sure they'll say the licence at one property only allows you to download and view TV programmes at that property. However, your TV licence does allow you to watch programmes from iplayer anywhere (within the UK), provided the device you're using is "powered by internal batteries" (or something).. so in other words, you could watch iplayer next door using a laptop or ipad, but not a plasma TV, and it wouldn't matter which wifi you were using.

Don't quote me on that though!

Find a 75 year old to move in with you Mark and you won't need to pay for a TV licence.

Dave - 2 different addresses (all to do with the build). So from day to day I might use one address to cook and wash in, the other address to sleep in.

Lucifer, I read something to that effect - and it talks about "your" licence. Which struck me as being misleading - as I thought the licence related to an address rather than being personal. So in my questions I deliberately talked about properties having the licence, rather than me having the licence.

I think the situation has to be, if you live in more than one property, provided one has a tv licence, you can download and watch anywhere.

Which then would mean I can go to a friend's whose property doesn't have a licence, use his tablet to download something and then watch it in his home, and it would be legal for him to watch it with me. When I go for a 'comfort break' he is breaking the law if he keeps watching.

Pete - good idea. But would they have to follow me around if I go to a property that does not have a licence if I want to watch a downloaded programme?

Hang on a minute Mark, I thought you used to not ever have a TV, let alone watch anything? What's gone wrong?

Right i just read about this today as my daughter is off to Uni
Separate properties seems to be classed by a separate entrance and washing cooking laundry facilities

You will need one at each house/property if they both have a traditional TV

You can get away with one at one of the properties only, provided at the other property there is NO typical TV and veiwing is on a device that has its own internal battery and NO ariel! (ipad etc.)
This was from a link via bbc news website!

Hope that Helps

Daveg - Indeed.

Come to think of it, it was linked from the BBC so they are probably very biased! Worth double checking!

Can you not just put the same door number on both properties!

Problem Solved!

You have a television licence and it covers the property which is receiving the television signal - whether by aerial or internet ( and in any event the properties are essentially the same residence). The need for a television licence to use iPlayer recognises that people will be watching television via that medium outwith their normal residence. Even if you were to suffer the attentions of the most brainless hidebound TV licensing official, they rely totally on people making admissions to use of TV equipment without a licence, so make no such admission.

This is two detached properties at different addresses. Also for me whether they can prove an offence is not the issue - pay unto Caesar what is Caesar's and all that. But if I can lawfully structure things so nothing is due...

No response yet. Will be interesting to see if they do come back. To ask the question you are compelled to give an address, so I explained how my personal data was not required in order to answer the query and gave the postcode for Downing Street confirming it was not actually my address.

I heard nothing

So I send a chaser.

TV licensing: thank you for your enquiry we will get back to you in 3 days.

*Sigh*

They have now got back to me

Dear Ms Jones

Thank you for your email.

Under the Communications Act 2003, you need to be covered by a TV Licence if you watch or record television programmes as they are being shown on TV. This is the case no matter what device you use, whether a TV, computer, mobile phone, games console, digital box or DVD/VHS recorder.

Please be aware that the law is changing.

From 1 September 2016 you will need to be covered by a TV Licence to download or watch BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer. For more information, visit tvlicensing.co.uk/lawchange.

I hope this information is helpful.

Yours sincerely

Dylan Roberts
TV Licensing

I have replied:

That information is of no help whatsoever because it does not answer the questions I asked.

I have now waited 9 days.

Can someone read what I have asked (in at least sufficient detail so they can work out my correct gender) and give a proper response.

TV licensing: thank you for your enquiry we will get back to you in 3 days.

Yup - bloody hopeless

I believe the licence covers the owner of a building to view BBC content on any device within that property which then extends to mobile devices owned by the inhabitants of said building.
So, WiFi does not enable you to watch content, it is merely a vessel.
I'd say that you can't watch the content sat inside the address with no licence attached to it regardless of how the content arrives - the licence isn't for delivering the media it is for viewing it.

Yes - but if I download an iplayer programme at home (where I have a licence) and I'm waiting for a flight, would it be illegal to watch it at the airport or on the plane with colleagues (assuming neither the location nor the colleagues have a licence)?

I think it's the download that counts not the playback in those circumstances - if you're in a Free WiFi zone then I have no idea!!
At best I player shows how outdated the licence fee is, at worst it's a legal nightmare!

If you are at the airport, chances are you'll be on battery power anyway, so your home licence covers you anyway

Normally I'm plugged into the USB socket in the lounge

"It has now been 15 days since I submitted my original query. The only response in that time was a cut and pasted paragraph providing information nobody asked for and that bore no relation to the query.

I am having to chase yet again.

Very unimpressed."

TV Licensing: thank you for your enquiry we will get back to you in 3 days.

You're just too honest Mark, although being as how you are in the legal profession, I guess you have to be above the law (unlike the rest of us, pond scum).

You can just imagine what might happen if you did choose to flounce the law on this (assuming that anyone can decide what the law is):

TV Licensing: thank you for your illegal viewing, we will prosecute you in 3 days

Offer your services to the BBC's legal department?

For a fee of course.....to be disclosed within 15 working days

But not more than £150,000 or you'll have to be named and shamed!

At last an answer in part.

In a property with a licence anybody can download anything (presumably even using WiFi of unlicensed property) and watch it there or anywhere else so long as the device is not plugged into the mains when in unlicensed property

So their whole public stance of "you" must have a licence is wrong. It is also misleading and people will be breaking the law without knowing eg lawfully downloaded at home, watch it plugged in somewhere else.

So did it say anything about students away from their permanent home as there are constant scare adverts on radio 1 it's almost like its that time if year lads extra revenue to be had from all the students!

Mark, I'd read that as:

- anyone can download in a property which is licensed
- anyone can download anywhere if they have a license for their property (but must not be mains-powered if where they are is not licensed)

Which is pretty much the old rules for receiving broadcast material. Doesn't saw what happens if you are not watching at the time of download, though: I understand 'download' to mean 'the video file ends up accessible on my machine' which I rather suspect the BBC system doesn't allow unless you take steps.

They said you can't download in the unlicensed property. You can watch the downloaded programme there so long as not plugged in. Don't see it would be possible to distinguish watching live from downloading - so what matters is where you are watching live rather than if your home has a licence.

Which is ridiculous. It means you pay for a licence but you can't watch live TV at mine, nor download at mine to watch back at yours. I don't pay for a licence and I can watch live TV at yours and download at yours to watch at mine.

I'd be curious to know how they can tell my machine is replaying a previously recorded video file...

Though of course I encourage each and every one to purchase more and more and more TV licenses: I have a BBC pension coming in a couple of years and I'd hate them to run out of dosh before they finish the top-up!

How bizarre. What constitutes plugged in?

Must admit what difference being on battery or mains power makes is beyond me. With technology moving forward as it is you can use power mats to recharge as you watch, no plugs