LaLiga Imposes First Anti-Piracy Block In Ecuador

LaLiga’s global battle against audiovisual piracy has gathered new momentum in Ecuador, where for the first time, a content block has been activated for the violation of intellectual property rights at the request of LaLiga.

SENADI (the National Service for Intellectual Rights) has ordered the blocking of five different websites with names stemming from the ‘Rojadirecta’ platform which used to provide illegal streams of LaLiga matches.

The decision sets an important precedent that paves the way for possible blocks of other portals that infringe ownership rights, while strengthening the role of blocking as a tool in the fight against online audiovisual piracy.

These blocks have been implemented thanks to the commitment of SENADI to the defence of intellectual property rights. The public institution, which is affiliated with the Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, is the authority entrusted with the regulation, management and control of intellectual rights in Ecuador.

From now on, any user who navigates to the illicit sites will be automatically redirected to a website which will provide information on the block applied to the sites.

“This has been a success for LaLiga, but above all for SENADI and Ecuador, which has taken a big step forward in the battle against audiovisual piracy across the country,” explained Melcior Soler, the Director of LaLiga’s Audiovisual Department.

“For LaLiga, it’s another step down the path to protect intellectual property rights. The number of affected users isn’t the only important factor here, but also the fact that a major precedent has been set for the future.”

Meanwhile, Alfonso Rivera, the Director of Intellectual Property and Antipiracy at Tobar ZVS, the firm that fronted the operation, stated, “We’ve been battling to protect intellectual property rights in this country for many years. The website block measure, which was imposed by SENADI for the first time, is great news for all copyright holders in Ecuador. The violation of intellectual property rights must be combatted whichever platform it takes place on.”

LaLiga’s commitment to the battle against piracy over the last five seasons has seen the investment of significant resources, both in human and technical terms. These endeavours have seen access to over 30 illegal streaming sites blocked in Spain and the closure of around 20 sites.

Extensive work is also taking place on the international stage. The blockings in Ecuador join those already secured recently in Brazil, Peru and Denmark. The most common forms of piracy that LaLiga is battling against are streaming sites, applications, unauthorised content posted on social media, illegal satellite devices and illegal IPTV platforms.