La Liga is waging an active war against the piracy of its sports content. A court ruling in Spain has just validated the blocking of IP addresses shared by Cloudflare. Despite Despite the criticism, the judge believes that the procedure complies with the law.
For several years, the football leagues have been trying to stop the illegal broadcasting of their matches online. Faced with pirate IPTV platforms, some organizations no longer hesitate to target technical intermediaries. This is the case of LaLiga, which is increasing its efforts to prevent the unauthorized distribution of its content, particularly via cloud-hosted services.
At the end of 2024, a Spanish court authorized LaLiga to block IP addresses shared by Cloudflare. This blocking aimed to prevent the distribution of pirate streams, but it also affected thousands of Internet users who had no connection to the piracy.
Cloudflare and the cybersecurity group RootedCON then went to court to try to have the measure annulled, arguing that it resulted in indiscriminate blocking. The judge has just rejected their requests, considering that the procedure was in accordance with the law and that the plaintiffs had not provided any proof of damage.
Court dismisses Cloudflare and RootedCON's appeals and validates LaLiga's blocking method
The Commercial Court No. 6 of Barcelona has confirmed that the blocking measures implemented by LaLiga complied with the legal framework. According to the decision, no violation of fundamental rights has been noted, and the blocking of shared addresses is deemed proportionate. The judge emphasizes that no direct evidence of damage, nor any request for technical expertise, was presented. The decision also dismisses the idea of a procedural error or an attack on freedom of access to information.
Cloudflare expressed its disappointment, believing that the decision harms its services and many innocent users. The company is considering further action, despite the impossibility of an appeal. For its part, RootedCON deplores a judgment rendered without sufficient consideration of the technical implications. This case is part of a broader trend in Europe, where authorities are seeking to strengthen anti-piracy measures. Italy is following a similar approach with its Piracy Shield, also criticized. for its collateral effects on unaffected Internet users.
Source: torrentfreak
0 Comments