A Spanish court has granted precautionary measures against NordVPN and ProtonVPN, ordering the two popular VPN providers to block 16 websites that facilitate piracy of football matches.
The restrictions will apply to a dynamic list of IP addresses in Spain, and there will be no opportunity for appeals. The measures were taken 'inaudita parte', meaning that the defendants weren’t called to participate in a hearing.
LaLiga - the country’s professional football organizer, and its broadcasting partner, Telefónica, are required to “preserve sufficient digital evidence of the unlawful transmission of the protected contents.”
LaLiga showed a strong stance against the piracy ecosystem in recent years, previously targeting Cloudflare, accusing the internet giant of facilitating illegal sports streaming.
The two organizations proved that the VPN providers fall under the EU Digital Services Regulation, and therefore have a duty to help prevent copyright infringement carried out through their infrastructure.
“The orders identify how VPN systems prove to be a suitable means, 'highly effective and accessible to generate the possibility of access to content not accessible in certain geographic points,' distorting the real geographic location of online access, and facilitating 'access to websites that broadcast protected content illegally,'” reads LaLiga’s announcement.
“What is more, the orders highlight how the defendant companies acknowledge and even advertise that their system is excellent at evading restrictions.”
LaLiga characterized the ruling as unprecedented in Spain, aligning it with similar decisions in France, and celebrated that the liability of VPN providers for piracy is clearly recognized.
In response, ProtonVPN took to Twitter to question the decision, declaring a total lack of awareness of the proceedings and stating that they have not been formally notified.
“Any judicial order issued without proper notification to the affected parties, thereby denying them the opportunity to be heard, would be procedurally invalid under fundamental principles of due process, stated the VPN service provider.
... continue reading