The war on IPTV in Spain continues. LaLiga has suffered another setback in its fight against football piracy, prompting President Javier Tebas to seriously investigate links illegally broadcasting matches. Despite extensive blocking measures against various websites, LaLiga is determined to end piracy on all fronts, from illegal signals to intermediaries.
Given the growing popularity of football, LaLiga has intensified its efforts by monitoring IP addresses and collaborating with providers such as Vodafone, Orange, Digi, MásMóvil, and Telefónica to combat piracy. Targeted blocking has also been implemented during the most popular football matches to minimize the impact on legitimate users.
This more aggressive approach aims to prevent illegal consumption and protect the broadcasting rights of professional football in Spain. It should be noted that last year, LaLiga received permission to identify and prosecute users who watch pirated football broadcasts.
Fine of €450 for watching pirated football
The decision of the Commercial Court No. 8 of Barcelona resulted in the imposition of fines on users who access football matches through pirated IPTV services. This court ruling requires providers to provide the identification data of individuals who connect to illegal servers.
In this context, the judge authorized the identification of users who connect to IP addresses associated with card-sharing services. This practice enables the illegal retransmission of legally acquired television signals, allowing people who do not directly subscribe to LaLiga to watch football matches for free or at a reduced price. Due to these unlawful practices, providers were forced to disclose these users’ personal data, including first name, last name, ID, mailing address of the line installation, and billing information.
By using this data, LaLiga was able to send messages to affected users demanding €450 in damages and threatening legal action if they refused.
Providers’ reaction to this decision
As recently reported by the newspaper BandaAncha, Vodafone, Orange, and Digi asked the court whether they were actually required to disclose the identities of the end users of these pirate services. It was announced that Digi submitted a brief to the judge challenging the measure, while Orange and Vodafone asked for clarification as to whether the purpose of the measure was to identify users who watch football or merely those who broadcast the signal.
LaLiga responded that its target audience included all participants in the card-sharing process, both the signal retransmitters and the end users. Despite the fact that the three providers withdrew their requests, the judge issued a new order clarifying that the authorization was directed at the operators of these services.
Although this decision was made, it was too late to back out, as LaLiga confirmed that its target was the end users of pirate services. Since then, the institution has focused on obtaining the necessary authorizations to obtain data from pirates.
