Piracy: Paris Court of First Instance orders 5 VPNs to block sites, "a judicial first"

"On 15/05/2025, Canal+ obtained a favourable decision from the Paris Court of First Instance to block 203 domain names relating to illegal sites broadcasting sports content by five VPNs, a judicial first," announced the French pay and free TV group on 16/05/2025.

"In accordance with this decision, NordVPN, CyberGhost, Surfshark, ExpressVPN and Proton are now obliged to block 203 domain names of illegal sites broadcasting UEFA Champions League, Premier League and Top 14 matches, three competitions for which Canal+ holds exclusive broadcasting rights in France. Canal+ welcomes the Court's decision, which sends out a strong signal on the responsibility of VPNs, qualified for the first time as technical intermediaries, in the illegal broadcasting of sports content," said the group.

"On Thursday 15/05/2025, the Paris Court of First Instance ruled in favour of the LFP and LFP Media, in proceedings targeting VPNs whose services could be misused to access streaming sites and IPTV services illegally broadcasting Ligue 1 McDonald's and Ligue 2 BKT matches. The LFP and LFP Media welcome this…