The fight against pirated IPTV has just taken a giant step in Spain, confirming the intention of the owners of the rights: to go after the users, and not only those responsible for these services. Although fines for watching IPTV are not yet law in Spain, LaLiga’s latest judicial victory lays the foundations for them to become a reality, and for potentially millions of Spaniards to receive letters requesting payment.
Traditionally, the fight against piracy has focused on platforms that offer access to pirated content, whether they are services that allow the download of files, or streaming platforms that allow users to share videos or broadcasts. For example, for years LaLiga has already had judicial authorization to order blocking of servers that offer soccer games to their users; but now the organization led by Javier Tebas has taken the next step. This is how the latest measure that has been approved by the Spanish justice system is understood, and that allows the LaLiga Digital Fraud Department to obtain the personal data of users of IPTV services.
Specifically, and as shared Broadbandthe measure approves identifying “IP addresses from which their rights to audiovisual content are being violated through the use of AceStream technology”, referring to one of the most popular programs for reproducing pirated IPTV lists.
The court order authorizes LaLiga to request from the operators a list of the IP addresses that have been connected to the so-called ‘mirror channels’, which transmit the content of the official broadcast. Although it may seem that the order only gives permission to identify the IP addresses “from which your rights are being violated”, that is, those that are retransmitting the content, in practice with this request LaLiga also obtains the data of all users that connect to that server.
Although the order only refers to the legal process against people who are violating LaLiga’s rights by broadcasting the match, during the process the organization obtains the IP addresses of absolutely everyone who connects to the service; hiding behind the fact that he needs that data to identify who is responsible. But once it has the data that also identifies those who are simply users, the organization can start another letter writing campaign requesting the payment of hundreds of euros to these people.
LaLiga’s new tactic makes sense, because it has already worked before. Let us remember that last March, the Commercial Court number 8 of Barcelona caused a real ‘earthquake’ in Spain, by approving the obtaining of the IP addresses of all users of a pirate ‘cardsharing’ service. Although the Court later clarified that the order only referred to those responsible for the service, the ‘Pandora’s box’ was already open, and LaLiga used the data obtained to send letters requesting “conciliation” with the payment of hundreds of euros.
Now, LaLiga appears to have used the same tactic, requesting the data necessary to “identify those responsible,” but will also obtain data from all users and be able to send letters again. Not only that, but this car allows you to obtain data with weekly frequency throughout the 2024/25 football seasonso potentially, LaLiga could obtain the data of all Spanish pirates.
