LaLiga Wants Major VPNs on EU Piracy Watch List over Affiliate Marketing
3 hours ago
- LaLiga's 2027 submission to the European Commission's Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List targets VPN providers (NordVPN, ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark) and the AFTVnews Downloader app for facilitating piracy.
- The league does not object to VPN technology itself but argues that affiliate programs market circumvention of geo-blocking and pirate site blockades, with VPNs profiting from these guides.
- Affiliate publishers and influencers produce guides on how to watch LaLiga matches for free using VPNs, bypassing territorial licensing and court-ordered blocks; LaLiga's submission does not name specific guides or publishers.
- LaLiga also targets Downloader by AFTVnews, claiming its short codes provide a curated catalogue linking to pirate apps; the app's creator denies this, stating codes are user-generated and subject to takedown requests.
- The European Commission's 2025 Watch List did not include VPNs, but the inclusion of such services in the 2027 list remains contested in courts and among lawmakers.