beIN Sports has become the first broadcaster to obtain a French court order against the illegal distribution of its content.
The broadcaster has seen its exclusive coverage of the Africa Cup of Nations highly pirated.
Caroline Guenneteau, deputy general secretary of beIN Media Group, welcomed the speed of the action taken by the Paris Court of Justice: “This first-ever court decision is the culmination of years of work and fight against piracy led by beIN Media Group and beIN Sports France, in order to protect the intellectual property of broadcasters and rights holders, and to preserve the sports ecosystem.”
Article L. 333-10 of the Sports Code, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) allows for offending sites and addresses to be blocked, preventing visitors from accessing the pirated content.
beIN Sports has suffered significantly from piracy, most notably from the Saudi Arabian beoutQ that was broadcast widely in the region, while beIN itself was denied access. Its coverage of Champions League, Bundesliga, Premier League, Formula 1 and NFL has also been widely pirated online.
