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In recent years, the European Commission has proposed and adopted various legislative changes to help combat online piracy.<\/p>\nIn recent years, the European Commission has proposed and adopted various legislative changes to help combat online piracy.<\/p>\n
They include the Copyright Directive which passed in 2019<\/a> and the Digital Services Act (DSA), which followed<\/a> not long after.<\/p>\n These measures have been spurred on by major copyright holders, who have long called for stricter enforcement of pirated content online. At the same time, there are continued calls for additional legislation, particularly in respect of live-streaming events<\/a>, including sports. <\/p>\n Last year, The European Commission adopted a recommendation<\/a> to combat online piracy of sports and other live events. This non-binding measure encourages member states to take action against illegal live-streaming. According to many rightsholders, however, that\u2019s not enough. <\/p>\n The legislative process in the EU is complex and according to the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA<\/a>), time is running out. The European anti-piracy group, whose members include Sky, BT, Irdeto, the Premier League, LaLiga, Viaplay, Wiley, and Vodafone, has just released a new manifesto in which it calls for concrete measures. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n AAPA\u2019s Executive Director, Miruna Herovanu, says that it\u2019s time for EU lawmakers to make a change, so online piracy and the associated criminal networks can be properly dealt with. <\/p>\n \u201cAfter years of laying the groundwork to combat online piracy it\u2019s time for EU policymakers and beyond to fully acknowledge that decisive, targeted measures are needed at the European level. The rise of digital theft demands action,\u201d Herovanu says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe call for strong political resolve to end the theft of our members\u2019 content. We\u2019re ready to support every stakeholder\u2014law enforcement, policymakers, and industry representatives\u2014to dismantle criminal networks and protect European consumers from harm.\u201d <\/p>\n In its manifesto, AAPA advocates for stronger protections for audiovisual content, including live sports and other events. The group outlines their policy priorities for 2024-2029, which includes five main points:<\/p>\n \u2013 Introduce innovative data-driven legislation to combat live content piracy in 2025.<\/sup> The most broad suggestion calls on the EU to propose new legislation that builds on insights it received though the DSA, while also implementing some of the key measures from its earlier recommendation to combat live-streaming piracy. <\/p>\n This new framework should be specifically targeted at the characteristics of live-streaming piracy. That includes near-instant takedowns of allegedly infringing content. <\/p>\n \u201cThe European Commission should propose legislation which ensures near immediate take down of live content, at the latest in November 2025, at the end of the data-collection exercise jointly run by the EU Intellectual Property Office and European Commission. <\/p>\n \u201cSuch an approach would further enhance the EU\u2019s capability to effectively combat online piracy and protect both content creators and consumers,\u201d the manifesto adds. <\/p>\n The other key points also focus on optimizing anti-piracy capabilities. For example, by expanding the DSA to include robust \u2018Know Your Business Customer\u2019 requirements. That should help to identify operators of pirate sites and services. <\/p>\n In addition, more rightsholders should be allowed to act as \u201ctrusted flaggers\u201d under the DSA. At the same time, the takedown notices of these trusted flaggers should be followed up \u201cnear immediate\u201d, instead of \u201cwith priority\u201d, as it is now. <\/p>\n In another recommendation, AAPA specifically mentions shortcomings related to hosting companies, who often don\u2019t respond properly to takedown notices. The manifesto does not specify how AAPA would like this addressed, but the shortcoming isn\u2019t limited to services that store content.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n AAPA also includes Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and reverse proxies. This includes Cloudflare, which is used by many pirate sites, although the US-based company isn\u2019t specifically mentioned.<\/p>\n The hosting and CDN comments begin with mentions of general shortcomings related to takedown notices. Two paragraphs later, however, there\u2019s a rather broad call to expand site blocking measures, far beyond regular Internet providers. <\/p>\n In essence, AAPA would like to formally expand the current \u2018site blocking\u2019 injunctions to search engines, VPNs, DNS resolvers, domain registrars, and even Internet browsers. <\/p>\n \u201cPer codification of existing CJEU case-law that injunctive relief under Article 8.3 Info Soc Directive is available against all intermediaries whose services are used to infringe intellectual property rights, including (but not limited to) payment providers, advertising companies, search engines, Internet browsers, VPN (Virtual Private Network) providers, alternative DNS resolvers and domain registrars.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n The suggestion is quite broad, but several of these recommendations are already in play. For example. Cloudflare has been ordered to block pirate sites<\/a> in the EU, and the same applies to DNS resolvers<\/a>. Meanwhile, Google, payment providers and advertising services block pirate sites though voluntary initiatives. <\/p>\n Earlier this week, Italy also approved legislation<\/a> that requires VPNs to block pirated content, so that\u2019s no longer a novelty either. <\/p>\n Officially codifying the extension of these measures to other intermediaries, including web browsers, follows this trend. If it\u2019s up to the AAPA, Europe will formally write this into law, so that future injunctions can target Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Brave, and others. <\/p>\n Whether any of these recommendations will be followed up has yet to be seen, but the 2025-2029 manifesto, which is available here<\/a>, gives a good idea of where major rightsholders will focus their policy lobbying efforts in the years to come. <\/p>\n From: TF<\/a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.<\/p>\nAAPA Demands Action<\/h2>\n
![\"aapa](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/aapa-members.jpg\")
<\/center><\/p>\n2025-2029 Manifesto<\/h2>\n
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\n\u2013 Promote the enforcement and expansion of the Digital Services Act to ensure that what is illegal offline is illegal online.<\/sup>
\n\u2013 Harmonize EU-level protection for audiovisual content to enable robust investment in original content and grassroots sports.<\/sup>
\n\u2013 Expand the reach of legislation to address piracy facilitated and engaged in by key intermediaries, including Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and reverse proxies.<\/sup>
\n\u2013 Continuing to represent a unified voice on anti-piracy for intermediaries willing to engage towards the betterment of the online environment.<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nExpanding the Anti-Piracy Toolbox<\/h2>\n
![\"aapa](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/cdns-etc.jpg\")
<\/center><\/p>\nExpanding Site Blocking to VPNs and Internet Browsers<\/h2>\n