Piracy/Cloudflare: "Companies running business must abide by local laws" (World Leagues Association)

"Technology intermediaries play a vital role in the digital ecosystem. With that role comes responsibility. Companies running business must abide by local laws, in the present case Italian and European laws, and comply with lawful orders issued by competent authorities. Unsubstantiated claims of a hidden agenda of local institutions promote the theft of intellectual property rights and are deeply concerning," said the World Leagues Association on 12/01/2026.

The body responded to recent statements made by Matthew Prince, CEO of Cloudflare, after the American service provider was fined €14.2m on 08/01/2026 for failing to comply with an AGCOM order aimed at combating the illegal distribution of content in Italy.

"We will now fight the unjust fine. Not just because it’s wrong for us but because it is wrong for democratic values. In addition, we are considering the following actions: discontinuing the millions of dollars in pro bono cyber security services we are providing the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympics; discontinuing Cloudflare’s Free cyber security services for any Italy-based…