EU considers adopting Italy’s Piracy Shield model to combat sports piracy

The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) is reviewing a study that proposes adopting a binding EU regulation to combat live sports piracy, using Italy’s ‘Piracy Shield’ model as a blueprint.

Coordinated by Professor Giovanni Maria Riccio of the University of Salerno, the study suggests moving away from non-binding recommendations toward a mandatory regulation. A central feature of this proposal is the requirement for intermediaries to remove illegal live streams within 30 minutes of a report, mirroring the rapid response mechanism implemented by Italy’s communications authority, AGCOM.

The push for stricter enforcement follows data showing the scale of the issue. In 2019, approximately 13.7 million EU users spent an average of 5.7 euros per month on illegal IPTV, generating nearly one billion euros in annual revenue. In Italy, piracy is estimated to cause 2.2 billion euros in lost revenue and threatens over 12,000 jobs. The proposed regulation aims to harmonize dynamic injunction procedures across all member states to prevent the current fragmented legal landscape.