Italy/piracy: legal proceedings brought by Cloudflare to contest AGCOM fine (€14.2m)

The American company Cloudflare has launched legal proceedings to challenge its €14.2m fine imposed by AGCOM in Italy, according to a statement reported by several Italian media on 28/01/2026.

Cloudflare 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. The authority notably accused the American service provider of failing to block access to illegal content streams reported by rights holders via the Piracy Shield platform. Launched in Italy by AGCOM on 01/02/2024, the platform enables websites broadcasting content illegally - including live sports streams - to be blocked within 30 minutes of being reported.

The American company is also challenging the amount of the fine. In the event of non-compliance with AGCOM's injunctions regarding copyright protection, the authority may impose a fine of up to 2% of the company's turnover as reported in its last fiscal year prior to the dispute. Cloudflare therefore argues that it should have received a fine of no more than €140,000 (based on its turnover in…