A group of pirates who between them managed some 20 illegal streaming sites have been ordered to pay more than €7 million in damages to the broadcasters whose content they had pirated from 2014 to 2017.
It follows a joint complaint brought by Canal+ Group, beIN SPORTS and RMC Sport, in partnership with l’Association de Lutte contre la Piraterie Audiovisuelle (ALPA).
In a statement Canal+ said it welcomed the heavy sentence that sent a strong signal about the risks involved and the seriousness of illegal broadcasting of sports content.
“Content piracy is a growing problem with multiple repercussions on the entire sports ecosystem, the media industry and pay-TV. Piracy of audiovisual content is not, and cannot be, a trivial act. This conviction is an illustration of this,” said Céline Boyer, Canal+ Group’s Director of Content Protection. “The Court’s decision is a real victory: it is the culmination of our efforts to protect sports rights holders and reinforces the Canal+ Group in its fight against audiovisual piracy.”
Last December, ALPA was involved in action that blocked 8 illegal IPTV operations.
