In cooperation with LaLiga, RettighedsAlliancen has had one of the longest existing and best-known illegal services, Rojadirecta, convicted by a Danish court. Rojadirecta must therefore be blocked by the Danish Internet Service Providers.
A total of nine illegal services were convicted illegal earlier this year and was blocked after allowing users to stream football matches live, without having the required authorization. The verdict was the first of its kind in Denmark and addresses the widespread distribution of sports matches on illegal services.
On Friday, another live-sports streaming service was convicted illegal. The internationally popular service, Rojadirecta, which at the time of the proceedings of the case had 19,000 Danish visitors in just one month, has allowed users to stream live football matches, including matches of which the Spanish football league LaLiga has the rights.
In this case, it has also been emphasized that the purpose of linking to the football matches in question has been to attract traffic in order to gain financial profit through ad revenue. According to RettighedsAlliancen it is typically football that draws users to illegal services, and thus form the basis of advertising revenue and data for the criminals behind these sites.
Recognition of the blocking system as an enforcement tool
According to Maria Fredenslund, CEO at RettighedsAlliancen, it is rare that representatives of indicted services appear in court and be heard, even though they are always provided with information and are called to appear during the case. Rojadirecta did, and therefore the verdict underlines that the blocking system functions appropriately.
“Rojadirecta appeared in court and presented a defence but was convicted and blocked nonetheless – just like other illegal services. It stands to confirm that the blocking system works even if it is challenged, and of course we are very pleased with this,” says Maria Fredenslund.
Also, Melcior Soler, the director of LaLiga’s audiovisual department, explains why this result is important for LaLiga:
“We are very satisfied with how the process ended. Blocking one of the best-known pirated content sites is a very important achievement. With this victory we feel more protected, as do our broadcasters, and also our audiovisual value,” he says.
Also a victory for users
However, blocking live-sports services is not only a victory for the rightsholders, but also for the users, according to CEO at RettighedsAlliancen Maria Fredenslund:
“When navigating on illegal services, studies show that there is an increased risk of being afflicted by malware because the criminal offenders who operate the services do not prioritize the safety of users, but merely their own financial gain,” she explains.
Thus, the protection of rights goes hand in hand with user security on the Internet.
For questions, please contact Sofie Guldager Rafn, Press & Communication Management, P: +45 22 10 08 15 M: sofie.rafn@rettighedsalliancen.com