In a landmark legal victory against global digital piracy, UEFA, in collaboration with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) and UC3, has secured a high-court injunction in India to implement dynamic blocking of illegal streams. The order, issued by the Delhi High Court on February 20, 2026, targets large-scale unauthorized broadcasts of the UEFA Champions League.
The ruling authorizes the immediate blocking of 79 domains linked to piracy networks that collectively draw over 2 billion visits annually. These measures will be enforced via Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and domain intermediaries, effectively disrupting access on a global scale.
A Unified Front Against Football Piracy
The move highlights a growing trend of sports organizations using advanced legal and technological “live-blocking” tools to protect broadcasting rights:
- Global Impact: Unlike static blocks, dynamic blocking allows UEFA to identify and shut down “mirror” sites and new domains in real-time as pirates attempt to bypass restrictions during live matches.
- Economic Defense: Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA, emphasized that piracy fuels organized crime and diverts essential revenue away from clubs and grassroots football development.
- Spanish Context: Simultaneously, LaLiga has intensified its own anti-piracy crusade. This February, the Spanish league and Telefónica secured a precautionary measure in Spain to block access to specific servers associated with NordVPN and ProtonVPN, alleging these services facilitate illegal viewing.
LaLiga Bolsters Tech Arm with Globant
To stay ahead of sophisticated piracy networks, LaLiga Content Protection SL has significantly scaled its operations:
- Strategic Appointments: The league recently formalized 30 new appointments, including approximately 20 executives from the digital giant Globant.
- Innovation: This influx of talent is aimed at reinventing anti-piracy solutions through AI and innovative technological infrastructure, reinforcing LaLiga’s status as a leader in intellectual property protection.
Key Anti-Piracy Actions (February 2026)
| Entity | Action Taken | Target |
| UEFA | Dynamic Injunction (India) | 79 Domains / 2 Billion Annual Visits |
| LaLiga | Precautionary Blocking (Spain) | VPN Infrastructure (NordVPN, ProtonVPN) |
| LaLiga | Organizational Expansion | 30 New Executives (Tech/AI Specialists) |