The closed-door verdict threatens freedom of action on the internet.
Spain is stepping up its fight against illegal football streaming and taking its stand against digital services to a new level. A court has ordered two major VPN providers to restrict access to resources that broadcast matches without copyright holders' permission, with the decision made without prior notice to the companies.
Córdoba's Commercial Court No. 1, in response to a lawsuit filed by LaLiga and its media partner Telefónica Audiovisual Digital, ordered NordVPN and ProtonVPN to immediately configure their systems to block specific IP addresses. The copyright holders deemed these addresses to be sources of illegal match streams.
The court ordered the plaintiffs to preserve digital evidence of the illegal display of content to substantiate their claims. The decision is not subject to appeal and was made without the defendants' participation. The companies were not invited to the hearing or given the opportunity to present their position before the information was published in the media.
LaLiga has been actively campaigning against piracy for several years . The league previously filed suit against Cloudflare, citing its facilitation of illegal sports streams. Now, the focus has shifted to VPN services. In its case, the league cited provisions of the European Digital Services Act, arguing that such providers are obligated to prevent copyright infringement on their networks.
The court documents state that VPN services effectively help bypass geographic restrictions and provide access to websites with protected content. It is also noted that providers themselves promote the ability to bypass blocking as a benefit of their products.
ProtonVPN publicly questioned the legitimacy of the proceedings. The company stated that it had not received official notification of the lawsuit and learned about it from press publications. The provider believes that the court's decision without providing a right of defense violates the fundamental principles of justice.
NordVPN also stated that it has no court documents and is not involved in any proceedings in Spain. The service's representatives believe it is premature to discuss possible measures without reviewing the text of the ruling.
NordVPN further noted that blocking domains does not address the problem systemically. The company believes that such measures primarily affect paid VPN services, while free alternatives remain unchecked. Users searching for illegal streams can easily switch to other domains or use subdomains, while the content source itself continues to operate.
Providers insist that the fight against piracy should target content hosting infrastructure, funding illegal projects, and expanding access to legal services . The Spanish decision demonstrates that pressure on digital platforms is intensifying, and the responsibilities of intermediaries in the content distribution ecosystem are gradually expanding.
Spain is stepping up its fight against illegal football streaming and taking its stand against digital services to a new level. A court has ordered two major VPN providers to restrict access to resources that broadcast matches without copyright holders' permission, with the decision made without prior notice to the companies.
Córdoba's Commercial Court No. 1, in response to a lawsuit filed by LaLiga and its media partner Telefónica Audiovisual Digital, ordered NordVPN and ProtonVPN to immediately configure their systems to block specific IP addresses. The copyright holders deemed these addresses to be sources of illegal match streams.
The court ordered the plaintiffs to preserve digital evidence of the illegal display of content to substantiate their claims. The decision is not subject to appeal and was made without the defendants' participation. The companies were not invited to the hearing or given the opportunity to present their position before the information was published in the media.
LaLiga has been actively campaigning against piracy for several years . The league previously filed suit against Cloudflare, citing its facilitation of illegal sports streams. Now, the focus has shifted to VPN services. In its case, the league cited provisions of the European Digital Services Act, arguing that such providers are obligated to prevent copyright infringement on their networks.
The court documents state that VPN services effectively help bypass geographic restrictions and provide access to websites with protected content. It is also noted that providers themselves promote the ability to bypass blocking as a benefit of their products.
ProtonVPN publicly questioned the legitimacy of the proceedings. The company stated that it had not received official notification of the lawsuit and learned about it from press publications. The provider believes that the court's decision without providing a right of defense violates the fundamental principles of justice.
NordVPN also stated that it has no court documents and is not involved in any proceedings in Spain. The service's representatives believe it is premature to discuss possible measures without reviewing the text of the ruling.
NordVPN further noted that blocking domains does not address the problem systemically. The company believes that such measures primarily affect paid VPN services, while free alternatives remain unchecked. Users searching for illegal streams can easily switch to other domains or use subdomains, while the content source itself continues to operate.
Providers insist that the fight against piracy should target content hosting infrastructure, funding illegal projects, and expanding access to legal services . The Spanish decision demonstrates that pressure on digital platforms is intensifying, and the responsibilities of intermediaries in the content distribution ecosystem are gradually expanding.
