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
- A+E Networks EMEA
- AEPO-ARTIS
- AMC Networks International
- Asociación clubes baloncesto
- Asociaţia Română de Comunicaţii Audiovizuale
- Association of Bulgarian Broadcasters
- Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe
- Association of Danish ensembles, orchestras and opera institutions
- Association of music festivals
- Association of the Professional theatres in the Czech Republic
- Association professionnelle des régies publicitaires TV et radio
- Association Sygnał
- ATP Media
- Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance
- Australian Football League
- beIN Sports
- British Horseracing Authority
- BT Sport
- Bulgarian Association of employers in Culture
- Canal+ Group
- Central European Media Enterprises
- Confindustria Radio Televisioni
- Cricket Australia
- Deutsche Fussball Liga
- Deutscher Fussbal-Bund
- Discovery+
- Ekstraklasa
- England and Wales Cricket Board
- England Rugby
- English Football League
- Euroleague Basketball
- European Arenas Association
- European Professional Club Rugby
- European Tour
- Eurosport
- Federation Equestre Internationale
- Fédération Française de Rugby
- Fédération Française de Tennis
- Federazione per la Tutela delle Industrie dei Contenuti Audiovisivi e Multimediali
- FIFA
- Football DataCo
- Global Cycling Network
- Guinness Six Nations
- Indian Premier League
- International Cricket Council
- International Netball Federation
- International Paralympic Committee
- International Tennis Federation
- KIGEiT – Krajowa Izba Gospodarcza Elektroniki i Telekomunikacji
- Ladies European Tour
- LaLiga
- Ligue de Football Professionnel
- London Marathon
- Mediapro
- Mediaset España
- Mediaset S.p.A.
- Motion Picture Association EMEA
- Moto GP
- News Media Europe
- Nova Broadcasting Group
- Nova Greece (Wind)
- Nova TV Croatia
- NRL
- Paramount
- Pearle* Live Performance Europe
- PGA Tour
- Premier League
- Premiership Rugby
- Roland Garros Paris
- Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
- Rugby AU
- Rugby Football League
- Rugby World Cup
- Ryder Cup
- Scottish Professional Football League
- Scottish Rugby
- Serie A
- Sky plc
- Speedway Great Britain
- Sport Integrity Global Alliance
- Sports Rights Owners Coalition
- State Federation of Associations of Theatre and Dance production enterprises
- Swedish Performing Arts
- Syndicat national du spectacle musical et de variété
- Tennis Australia
- TF1
- The British Golf Championship
- The Championships Wimbledon
- The European VOD Coalition
- The Football Association
- The Lawn Tennis Association
- The Walt Disney Company
- tvi
- UEFA
- UNI Global Union Europa – Media, Entertainment & Arts
- Union Internationale des Cinémas
- United Media
- UTECA – Televisión Comercial en Abierto
- VAUNET – Verband Privater Medien
- Verband Österreichischer Privatsender
- Viaplay Group
- Vivacom
- Warner Brothers Discovery Sports
- Women’s Tennis Association
- World Athletics
- World Federation of Advertisers
- World Snooker
- ZPPM Lewiatan – Związek Pracodawców Prywatnych Mediów Lewiatan.