The conflict between the football broadcasting rights and use virtual private networks The situation has taken an unexpected turn in Spain. A commercial court in Córdoba has authorized LaLiga and Telefónica to take their fight against unauthorized broadcasts of matches a step further, directly targeting two of the most popular VPNs on the market: ProtonVPN and NordVPN.
The decision introduces a previously unseen scenario: that certain VPN providers will find themselves forced to apply IP address blocking During LaLiga matches, the system will replicate the model already in place on the operators' networks. This precautionary measure, still subject to the reaction of the affected companies, opens a significant legal and technological debate in Spain and across Europe.
From IP tracking with AceStream to a focus on VPNs
The ruling comes from the same magistrate of Commercial Court No. 1 of Córdoba which by the end of last year had already allowed LaLiga to identify users whose IP addresses appeared to be linked to broadcasts using AceStream. This initial method was being used to gather data and send collection notices to those allegedly involved in the illegal broadcasting of matches.
In this new phase, LaLiga and Telefónica have managed to get the court to endorse a much more ambitious request: Extend IP blocking to NordVPN and ProtonVPN networksThe aim is to prevent these encrypted connections from serving as an escape route to bypass the filters already applied by Internet service providers in Spain.
The offensive has not come as a surprise. Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, had hinted a few weeks ago that one was coming. relevant resolution related to VPNsThis aligns with the information that has been reported in economic and technological media over the past few hours.
The underlying argument put forward by LaLiga and Telefónica is based on the claim that ProtonVPN and NordVPN have advertised offers and campaigns expressly mentioning the parties of the Spanish competition, suggesting the possibility of circumventing geographical restrictions or IP blocks. This practice, they argue, would conflict with a ruling by the Commercial Court No. 6 of Barcelona from December 2024, which already allowed the deployment of the current dynamic blocking system.
All of this is part of a broader strategy against piracy of football in Spain, in which LaLiga has intensified both technical actions and legal avenues, relying on the collaboration of operators and, increasingly, technological intermediaries.
What exactly does the court order NordVPN and ProtonVPN to do?
According to the press release issued by LaLiga, the Commercial Court No. 1 of Córdoba has ruled several orders for precautionary measures "ex parte"That is, resolutions adopted without having heard the affected companies beforehand, justified by the court in an alleged emergency scenario to stop illegal broadcasts during matches.
The orders are specifically directed to Two well-known VPN providers: NordVPN and ProtonVPNAccording to what LaLiga claims is stated in the court documents, both companies must implement internal mechanisms to prevent access from Spain to the IP addresses identified as being involved in illegal broadcasts.
The key lies in the concept of dynamic lockThe judge has authorized LaLiga and Telefónica to periodically submit a list of IP addresses they believe are linked to pirate broadcasts. These addresses will be updated, and VPNs should be using them. blocking access to them during matches, copying the scheme that operators already apply in their networks.
In a passage cited by LaLiga, the documents indicate that NordVPN and ProtonVPN must «implement immediately LaLiga has implemented appropriate measures within its internal systems to ensure that the IP addresses reported by the plaintiffs are inaccessible from Spanish territory. LaLiga describes these decisions as "unprecedented in Spain" and "pioneering worldwide" precisely because of their dynamic nature and because they target VPN providers located outside of Spain.
Furthermore, the resolutions consider that these VPNs act as technology intermediaries subject to European Digital Services regulationsThis would place them on the same level as other providers required to collaborate in preventing infringements through their infrastructure.
VPNs, identified as part of the problem
The information released by LaLiga highlights that the court orders explicitly recognize that VPNs are a means "highly effective and accessible" for accessing unavailable content in certain geographical areas. The court's reasoning is that, if these tools allow users to circumvent previously ordered mass IP blocks, they constitute a key link in the chain of football piracy.
The documents cited by LaLiga go further, emphasizing that some commercial campaigns by ProtonVPN and NordVPN They would highlight that ability to "distort the real location" According to the judge, this advertising helps circumvent restrictions already agreed upon by other courts, and justifies requiring VPNs to stop being a haven where blocks cease to have any effect.
However, LaLiga's own text admits that it is precautionary measuresnot a final judgment. The companies mentioned may object and submit arguments once they receive formal notification, requesting that the orders be revoked or modified after hearing their side of the story.
At the same time, the court orders LaLiga and Telefónica to preserve sufficient digital evidence of the illicit broadcasts associated with each IP address they request be blocked. In theory, this should serve to prove to the judge that the reported addresses were indeed involved in unauthorized retransmissions of protected content.
This approach reinforces the perception that the court intends to fit VPNs into the anti-piracy system already deployed with the operators, turning them into one more actor in the filtering chain which decides which traffic is cut off and which is not.
ProtonVPN questions the procedural validity of the order
From Switzerland, the parent company Proton AG has reacted strongly to the news that has been appearing in the Spanish press. In a statement sent to technology media outlets, the company emphasizes that He has not received any official notification so far. of the Spanish courts related to these measures.
ProtonVPN emphasizes that has learned of the existence of proceedings through the mediaand that, until they have formal notification, they have not had the opportunity to exercise their right to a defense. Therefore, they maintain that any court order issued without proper notification and without giving them the opportunity to be heard would be "procedurally invalid" from the perspective of due process.
The company points out that even Spanish courts, like any jurisdictional body in a state governed by the rule of law, are subject to minimum procedural guarantees which ensure that the affected parties can present their case before a binding ruling is issued. Lacking direct access to the case files, ProtonVPN believes that we are, at the very least, facing a highly irregular situation.
This clash raises an obvious practical problem: How to enforce a precautionary order in practice which the recipient company itself claims not to have received yet. Without formal communication, the chances of ProtonVPN implementing immediate changes seem rather limited.
NordVPN calls the approach unacceptable and ineffective
The reaction from NordVPN, based in Panama, is similar. Company spokespeople have indicated that, to the best of their knowledge, They have not been part of any legal proceedings in Spain related to these measures, nor have they had the opportunity to defend their position before the court in Cordoba.
Even so, and without yet knowing the exact contents of the ruling, NordVPN believes that these types of decisions that affect the basic functioning of the Internet They represent an "unacceptable" approach by rights holders. The company warns that this path, rather than tackling piracy, could end up generating significant collateral damage.
In its broader analysis, NordVPN insists that the domain, IP, or service blocking Ultimately, they are an ineffective tool against piracy. They may help resolve some specific cases, but they don't address the root of the problem: the original sources of illegal content, the funding structures of these networks, or the lack of a sufficiently accessible and attractive legal offering for the average user.
The company also reminds everyone that many pirates may bypass these blocks without too much difficulty by using subdomains or other technical resources. In the end, the content remains available somewhere, and the economic incentive to distribute it is hardly affected if the core of those operations is not targeted.
Clash with the reality of free VPNs and privacy
One of the most critical points raised by NordVPN is that these measures, in their view, They target primarily paid VPN providers with a certain reputation.while free services, which are much more difficult to regulate and monitor, would be practically left out.
The company reminds users that those specifically searching not paying for audiovisual content They are also generally unwilling to subscribe to a paid VPN. In that sense, free networks would continue to be an escape route for those who want to circumvent restrictions, with fewer controls and greater risks to privacy.
The debate also cannot be separated from legitimate use of VPNsThese tools are commonly used for secure remote work, to protect connections on public WiFi networks, to safeguard user privacy, or even to access information when certain media or services suffer controversial blocks by operators or governments.
In Spain, it has recently been seen how, thanks to VPNs, many citizens were able to exercise their constitutional right to information accessing certain media while these were subject to network restrictions. The possibility that VPN providers may be forced to actively filter traffic raises questions about to what extent could they become intermediaries who decide what content gets through or not?.
If the court orders are applied as described by LaLiga, NordVPN and ProtonVPN users in Spain would effectively be subject to the the same blocks they already experience without a VPN When they try to access IP addresses associated with unauthorized broadcasts, they lose one of the main advantages they found in this type of service, for example when Use a VPN on your Android TV.
A delicate precedent in Spain and at a European level
Beyond the specific battle against football piracy, the measures adopted by the Cordoba court raise a complex precedent In the European sphere, ProtonVPN and NordVPN have their headquarters in countries like Switzerland and Panama, which raises the question of the extent to which a Spanish court can force them to modify the operation of their networks.
At the most extreme end, some experts speculate that if these companies decided not to comply with the order, attempts would be made to force them to do so. Spanish operators to directly block the nodes of these VPNsThat scenario, even if hypothetical, would be especially drastic: normal access to ProtonVPN and NordVPN from Spain could be completely cut off, affecting not only those who pirate matches, but all types of users who use these networks for professional or privacy reasons.
For now, the issue being raised is that VPNs collaborate in filtering certain IPs associated with illegal broadcasts during matches, while maintaining all other functionalities. Even so, the legal debate centers on whether it is reasonable to require an intermediary to act in this way, especially when it could impact entirely legitimate uses.
There are also doubts about how the list of IPs to be blocked is constructed and What guarantees exist to avoid collateral damage?Often, a single IP address or range can host both illegal content and perfectly legal websites and services. Mass blocking of entire ranges has drawn criticism in the past for rendering inaccessible services that had nothing to do with piracy.
In this context, the step taken by the Córdoba court reinforces the feeling that Spain is becoming one of the most aggressive laboratories In Europe, in the fight against audiovisual piracy, measures are being taken that strain the balance between copyright protection and the preservation of an open and functional Internet.
With the new orders from the Commercial Court No. 1 of Córdoba, LaLiga and Telefónica are extending the dynamic blocking model already applied to operators to the major paid VPNs, but they are doing so through precautionary measures adopted without hearing from those affected. ProtonVPN and NordVPN consider these measures procedurally questionable, and organizations and experts see them as a risky move: the fight against illegal broadcasting is advancing, yes, but at the cost of opening a delicate front regarding the extraterritoriality of Spanish judges, the role of VPNs as intermediaries obligated to filter content, and the impact all of this may have on both privacy and legitimate access to information in Spain and the rest of Europe.
