LaLiga's Javier Tebas and ESPN's Fernando Palomo
Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga, emphasized the negative impact that piracy has on the league’s operations. During the Intellectual Property Summit in Miami, Tebas spoke candidly with Fernando Palomo, a soccer reporter for ESPN. He mentioned that for 11 years, they have been actively combating piracy through a well-designed project. According to Tebas, they possess a great deal of expertise and knowledge about piracy, and they are among the leaders globally in dealing with this problem. However, Tebas is still worried because, despite their best efforts, they seem to be one or two steps behind the pirates all the time.
He pointed out that there are approximately 46 thousand Internet Providers (IPs) worldwide that are transmitting illegal content. “How do we prevent these pirates from reaching customers or cutting their signal? Although there are technological solutions available, these alone are not sufficient without legal support. Legislation plays a crucial role in this scenario. Moreover, the cooperation of all operators in the audiovisual industry is necessary but it may not be easy to achieve since their interests may not align.”
INTERNET BROWSER
Tebas criticized search engines for blocking child pornography and drugs, but not free sports content sites.
He mentioned a pact they have with Google for Android, which ensures that any illegal apps are taken down from the app store. This has resulted in the removal of over 400 to 500 apps in recent years. “However, users who already have these apps on their phones can still use them. Removing them from the app store is no longer sufficient; they must also be removed from users’ phones. The technology necessary for this already exists, and the apps can be updated to unauthorize the dissemination of piracy.”
Tebas is concerned that he does not see Google on the board of anti-piracy organizations. “There is a red light for pornography and drugs, but not for the issue of intellectual property. There is an absence of legal regulations in most countries and the problem of lack of will in many companies.”
ANTI-PIRACY LAB IN ABU DHABI
Tebas announced that LaLiga will launch a laboratory in Abu Dhabi to tackle audiovisual piracy with the support of the UAE government.
He suggested that the middlemen of piracy, namely Telegram and WhatsApp, must also be targeted as illegal content links are shared through these platforms.
“I see a lot of ignorance in the soccer world, and with lack of knowledge, it is difficult to find solutions,” he said.
MagisTV, one of the most popular pirate operators in LatAm, advertises at bus stops, he said. “This is a big problem in LatAm.”
He referred to two technological tools that LaLiga uses to fight piracy: Marauder, which discovers all illegal content occurring on the websites, and Black Hole, which discovers IPs.
For Tebas piracy is an essential issue within the entertainment and leisure industry. “We are at a key moment to take a step forward. I am hopeful because the technology is there but the will of the operators is needed. Every month we meet with pay TV operators in Spain to raise awareness.”
