Football Piracy: The Major Challenge for Digital Law

Football Is No Longer Played Only in Stadiums

Today, a large part of the game takes place online, where thousands of users access free broadcasts through illegal streaming platforms. This phenomenon, which generates millions of views each week, directly threatens audiovisual rights and the economic sustainability of sports competitions.

According to LaLiga data, more than 20% of Spanish Internet users have accessed pirated sports content at some point. What many perceive as a simple innocent link hides a complex network that infringes copyright, generates illicit profits, and raises ethical, technological, and legal dilemmas.

And it is precisely Digital Law that seeks to set the rules of this new game.

Audiovisual Rights and the Legal Framework in the Digital Era

The starting point is the Intellectual Property Law (Royal Legislative Decree 1/1996), which in Article 17 recognizes the exclusive right of authors and audiovisual producers to authorize or prohibit the reproduction, distribution, and public communication of their works.

Broadcasting or linking football matches without permission directly violates this right, as well as the provisions of Articles 195 and following, which empower the Intellectual Property Commission to act against infringing websites.

Law 34/2002, on Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce (LSSI-CE), completes this framework by establishing the liability of digital intermediaries when, knowing of illegal activity, they do not remove or block the content.

At the European level, Directive (EU) 2019/790 on copyright in the Digital Single Market and Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act) reinforce the obligation of platforms and service providers to prevent the dissemination of illegal content and cooperate with authorities to remove it.

The result is an increasingly transversal Digital Law, combining intellectual property, cybersecurity, and technological responsibility.

The Rojadirecta Case: A Turning Point in the Fight Against Piracy

The most well-known example in Spain is Rojadirecta, the website that for more than a decade offered links to unauthorized football broadcasts.

Operated by Puerto 80 Projects S.L.U. and linked to Igor Seoane Miñán, it was one of the first portals to face serious judicial consequences for digital piracy.

In 2016, a commercial court in A Coruña ordered the cessation of its activity for violating the rights of Mediapro and LaLiga, and in 2022, the Supreme Court confirmed Seoane’s personal liability, establishing that administrators of linking sites are not mere intermediaries: their actions can constitute unlawful public communication (Art. 20 LPI).

Article 20 of Royal Legislative Decree 1/1996, which regulates public communication, states:

"Any act by which a plurality of people can access the work without prior distribution of copies to each of them shall be considered public communication."

In other words, public communication is not only broadcasting a match directly or uploading it to a platform, but also facilitating access to the public through digital means, even through links or embedded content.

This is crucial in Digital Law because it establishes that linking to illegal content can also infringe copyright, provided it is done knowingly or for profit.

Finally, in December 2024, Commercial Court No. 2 of A Coruña issued a historic ruling:

👉 Rojadirecta was ordered to pay €31.6 million to Mediapro for damages from pirated broadcasts of the 2014-2015 season.

Of that amount, €15.8 million falls directly on Igor Seoane, declared jointly liable.

This case became a fundamental precedent in Spanish Digital Law, consolidating the idea that "linking can also be a crime" and that digital infringements must be treated with the same seriousness as those committed in the physical world.

Why Football Piracy Still Exists

Despite convictions and legislative advances, illegal streaming sites continue to appear. Why?

1. The Internet has no borders. Many of these sites are registered in countries without judicial cooperation treaties, preventing the enforcement of international blocking orders. When a website is shut down in Spain, another appears within hours with a different domain (.me, .io, .to…).

2. They employ advanced concealment technology: mirror servers, virtual private networks (VPNs), proxies, and domain anonymization services, making it almost impossible to identify the real responsible party.

3. There is enormous economic incentive. These platforms are funded with misleading advertising, links to illegal betting, or even malware, making piracy a profitable business despite its illegality.

4. There is social demand. As long as thousands of users keep seeking the “free match,” there will always be someone offering it. Legal responses, therefore, cannot be limited to sanctions; they must be complemented by digital education and affordable access to legal content.

In this sense, Digital Law plays a preventive role: it not only prosecutes infringements but also promotes a more responsible, safe, and sustainable digital environment.

Technology and Law: Allies in Defending Audiovisual Rights

The fight against piracy is not only waged in courts. The National Professional Football League, through LaLiga Tech, has developed AI tools, digital watermarks, and dynamic blocks that detect and neutralize illegal broadcasts in real time.

These technological innovations, supported by the Digital Services Act, reflect the evolution of Digital Law toward a more proactive form of regulation, where law and technology work together to protect copyright in a global and changing environment.

Ethics, Legality, and Social Awareness

Illegal access to football matches is not an innocent act. Behind each pirated broadcast lies a chain of legal violations, economic losses, and digital risks for users.

For this reason, Digital Law not only sanctions but educates: promoting respect for creation, innovation, and the value of legal content.

Citizen awareness, combined with a more accessible and transparent digital offer, will be key to reducing piracy in the long term.

Conclusion: A Match That Is Not Over Yet

The Rojadirecta case marked a turning point in the protection of audiovisual rights but also made clear that the battle is far from over.

Football piracy demonstrates that Digital Law is a living discipline that must continuously adapt to new forms of infringement and global technological challenges.

The future of this debate lies not only in harsher sanctions but in strengthening international cooperation, technological innovation, and digital education.

Because football — like the law — is also played online, and on that field, defending legality remains the most important match.