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Call for EC action on live content piracy

October 5, 2022

By Colin Mann

Over 100 organisations from the world of media, sports, music and culture are urging the European Commission to take decisive legislative action to tackle piracy of live content.

As the Commission finalises its work programme for 2023, 108 organisations and companies representing media, sports and culture in Europe stress that piracy remains a major issue for content industries and is hugely damaging for the EU economy.

They say that piracy has and continues to drain Europe’s creative and cultural ecosystems, sports and live performance sectors depriving workers and industries from billions in annual revenues and undermining the sustainability of an essential part of our social and economic fabric.

Their Call to Action (below) relates in particular to piracy of live content. The signatories call on the European Commission to deliver a legislative instrument to tackle this issue in the 2023 Work Programme, notably guaranteeing that notified illegal content is taken down immediately and blocked before the live event terminates. “Such measures build on the existing corpus of European and national laws to deliver effective tools to fight and disable piracy networks,” they assert.

CALL TO ACTION – END LIVE PIRACY NOW
108 organisations across Europe call the European Commission to protect creativity, sports & culture

We, the undersigned, call on the European Union to address the issue of piracy and particularly live content piracy. Piracy has and continues to drain Europe’s creative and cultural ecosystems, sports and live performance sectors depriving workers and industries from billions in annual revenues and undermining the sustainability of an essential part of our social and economic fabric.
 
We call on the European Commission to deliver a legislative instrument to tackle live content piracy as a firm commitment from the European Executive branch to address this issue with adequate measures. Notably, guaranteeing that notified illegal content is taken down immediately and blocked before the live event terminates.
 
In so doing, we recall that such measures build on the existing corpus of European and national laws to deliver effective tools to fight and disable piracy networks. Networks incorporating a number of criminal operators that use piracy as a means to launder gains from illegal activities.
 
It is Europe’s duty to protect and promote its world leading creative and cultural workforce and industrial base as well as preserving consumers from the risks tied to piracy.
 
Any non-legislative instruments would be inadequate and insufficient to address the magnitude of the problem. Only a European wide regulation could provide an appropriate answer.
 
We encourage the European Commission to act firmly and rapidly towards proposing such an instrument.

SIGNATORIES OF THE CALL TO ACTION

  1. A+E Networks EMEA
  2. AEPO-ARTIS
  3. AMC Networks International
  4. Asociación clubes baloncesto
  5. Asociaţia Română de Comunicaţii Audiovizuale
  6. Association of Bulgarian Broadcasters
  7. Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe
  8. Association of Danish ensembles, orchestras and opera institutions
  9. Association of music festivals
  10. Association of the Professional theatres in the Czech Republic
  11. Association professionnelle des régies publicitaires TV et radio
  12. Association Sygnał
  13. ATP Media
  14. Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance
  15. Australian Football League
  16. beIN Sports
  17. British Horseracing Authority
  18. BT Sport
  19. Bulgarian Association of employers in Culture
  20. Canal+ Group
  21. Central European Media Enterprises
  22. Confindustria Radio Televisioni
  23. Cricket Australia
  24. Deutsche Fussball Liga
  25. Deutscher Fussbal-Bund
  26. Discovery+
  27. Ekstraklasa
  28. England and Wales Cricket Board
  29. England Rugby
  30. English Football League
  31. Euroleague Basketball
  32. European Arenas Association
  33. European Professional Club Rugby
  34. European Tour
  35. Eurosport
  36. Federation Equestre Internationale
  37. Fédération Française de Rugby
  38. Fédération Française de Tennis
  39. Federazione per la Tutela delle Industrie dei Contenuti Audiovisivi e Multimediali
  40. FIFA
  41. Football DataCo
  42. Global Cycling Network
  43. Guinness Six Nations
  44. Indian Premier League
  45. International Cricket Council
  46. International Netball Federation
  47. International Paralympic Committee
  48. International Tennis Federation
  49. KIGEiT – Krajowa Izba Gospodarcza Elektroniki i Telekomunikacji
  50. Ladies European Tour
  51. LaLiga
  52. Ligue de Football Professionnel
  53. London Marathon
  54. Mediapro
  55. Mediaset España
  56. Mediaset S.p.A.
  57. Motion Picture Association EMEA
  58. Moto GP
  59. News Media Europe
  60. Nova Broadcasting Group
  61. Nova Greece (Wind)
  62. Nova TV Croatia
  63. NRL
  64. Paramount
  65. Pearle* Live Performance Europe
  66. PGA Tour
  67. Premier League
  68. Premiership Rugby
  69. Roland Garros Paris
  70. Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
  71. Rugby AU
  72. Rugby Football League
  73. Rugby World Cup
  74. Ryder Cup
  75. Scottish Professional Football League
  76. Scottish Rugby
  77. Serie A
  78. Sky plc
  79. Speedway Great Britain
  80. Sport Integrity Global Alliance
  81. Sports Rights Owners Coalition
  82. State Federation of Associations of Theatre and Dance production enterprises
  83. Swedish Performing Arts
  84. Syndicat national du spectacle musical et de variété
  85. Tennis Australia
  86. TF1
  87. The British Golf Championship
  88. The Championships Wimbledon
  89. The European VOD Coalition
  90. The Football Association
  91. The Lawn Tennis Association
  92. The Walt Disney Company
  93. tvi
  94. UEFA
  95. UNI Global Union Europa – Media, Entertainment & Arts
  96. Union Internationale des Cinémas
  97. United Media
  98. UTECA – Televisión Comercial en Abierto
  99. VAUNET – Verband Privater Medien
  100. Verband Österreichischer Privatsender
  101. Viaplay Group
  102. Vivacom
  103. Warner Brothers Discovery Sports
  104. Women’s Tennis Association
  105. World Athletics
  106. World Federation of Advertisers
  107. World Snooker
  108. ZPPM Lewiatan – Związek Pracodawców Prywatnych Mediów Lewiatan.

 

 

 

 

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