Córdoba judge allows LaLiga and Telefónica to order instant VPN blocks on pirate football | OneFootball

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, a Córdoba judge has issued two precautionary orders compelling two major VPN providers to block, at once, any signals that LaLiga and Telefónica flag as illegal match broadcasts.

The provisional rulings plug a legal gap in LaLiga’s anti-piracy drive, an activity it says costs clubs and rights holders at least €600 million a year.

On 18 December 2024, Barcelona’s mercantile court number 6 effectively allowed LaLiga to instruct Telefónica, Vodafone, MasOrange and Digi to block IP addresses sharing illicit feeds immediately. A central war room spots streams in real time and forwards IPs for blocking, though evasion remains possible.

The Córdoba court said earlier Spanish web blocking orders must be made effective, requiring defendants to apply technical measures to stop access from Spain-based users. The injunctions were granted without hearing the VPN firms to avoid delay, and target location-spoofing connections that bypass geo blocks.

Each company must implement internal controls immediately so IP addresses linked to listed domains are inaccessible via their services to users in Spain. LaLiga welcomed the move, describing it as unprecedented in Spain and pioneering worldwide for its dynamic nature, and as validating the procedures it has been using.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo