- A commercial court in Cordoba grants LaLiga and Telefónica precautionary measures to ensure that ProtonVPN and NordVPN apply IP blocking during matches.
- The orders are issued "inaudita parte", without hearing the VPNs beforehand, and are based on European regulations for digital services.
- ProtonVPN and NordVPN deny having been notified, question the procedural validity, and describe the strategy as ineffective against piracy.
- The decision sets a precedent regarding the role of VPNs as intermediaries obligated to filter content, with potential impact on privacy and legitimate access.
The conflict between football broadcasting rights and the use of virtual private networks 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: certain VPN providers may be forced to block IP addresses during LaLiga matches, replicating the model already in place on the networks of mobile operators. 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 judge of the Commercial Court No. 1 of Córdoba who, at 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 secured court approval for a much more ambitious request: extending IP blocking to the NordVPN and ProtonVPN networks . The aim is to prevent these encrypted connections from serving as a loophole 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 a significant resolution related to VPNs was imminent , which aligns with the information that has been circulating in economic and technological media in recent hours.
The main argument put forward by LaLiga and Telefónica rests on the claim that ProtonVPN and NordVPN advertised offers and campaigns that explicitly mentioned matches of the Spanish league, suggesting the possibility of circumventing geographical restrictions or IP blocks. This practice, they maintain, conflicts with a ruling by the Commercial Court No. 6 of Barcelona from December 2024, which already permitted the deployment of the current dynamic blocking system.
All of this is part of a broader strategy against football piracy 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 issued several orders for precautionary measures "inaudita parte ." That is, rulings adopted without having heard from the affected companies beforehand, justified by the court in an alleged emergency scenario to stop illegal broadcasts during matches.
The orders specifically target two well-known VPN providers: NordVPN and ProtonVPN . According to LaLiga, as stated in the court orders, 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 blocking . The judge has authorized LaLiga and Telefónica to periodically submit a list of IP addresses they deem linked to pirate broadcasts. These addresses will be updated, and VPNs should block access to them during matches , mirroring the system already used by the operators on their networks.
In a passage cited by LaLiga, the court orders state that NordVPN and ProtonVPN must " immediately implement the appropriate measures in their internal systems" to render the IP addresses reported by the plaintiffs inaccessible from Spanish territory. LaLiga describes these decisions as "unprecedented in Spain" and "pioneering globally" 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 technological intermediaries subject to European Digital Services regulations , which would place them on the same level as other providers obliged to collaborate to prevent infringements through their infrastructures.
VPNs, identified as part of the problem
The information released by LaLiga highlights that the court orders explicitly recognize VPNs as a "highly effective and accessible" means of accessing content unavailable in certain geographic 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 court orders cited by LaLiga go further, emphasizing that some ProtonVPN and NordVPN advertising campaigns highlight this ability to "distort the user's real location." According to the judge, this advertising helps circumvent restrictions already established by other courts, justifying the requirement that VPNs cease to be a haven where blocking is ineffective.
However, LaLiga's own statement acknowledges that these are precautionary measures , not a final ruling. 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 require LaLiga and Telefónica to retain sufficient digital evidence of the illegal 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, making them another actor in the filtering chain that 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 appearing in the Spanish press. In a statement sent to technology media outlets, the company emphasizes that it has not yet received any official notification from the Spanish courts regarding these measures.
ProtonVPN emphasizes that it learned of the proceedings through the media and that, without formal notification, it has not had the opportunity to exercise its right to defense. Therefore, it maintains that any court order issued without proper notification and without giving them the opportunity to be heard would be "procedurally invalid" from a due process perspective.
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 that ensure 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 a clear practical problem: how to enforce a restraining order that the company itself claims not to have received yet. Without formal notification, ProtonVPN's chances of implementing immediate changes seem rather slim.
NordVPN calls the approach unacceptable and ineffective
The reaction from NordVPN, headquartered in Panama, is similar. Company spokespeople have indicated that, to the best of their knowledge, they have not been involved in any legal proceedings in Spain related to these measures, nor have they had the opportunity to defend their position before the court in Córdoba.
Even without yet knowing the exact content of the court order, NordVPN considers these kinds of decisions, which affect the basic functioning of the internet, to be an "unacceptable" approach by rights holders. The company warns that this path, rather than curbing piracy, could end up causing significant collateral damage.
In its broader analysis, NordVPN insists that blocking domains, IPs, or services is ultimately an ineffective tool against piracy. While it may help to close some isolated cases, it doesn'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 option for the average user.
The company also points out that many pirates can circumvent these blocks without much difficulty using subdomains or other technical means. Ultimately, the content remains available somewhere, and the financial incentive to distribute it is barely affected unless the core of those operations is 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, primarily target paid VPN providers with a certain reputation , while free services, which are much more difficult to regulate and monitor, would be left virtually untouched.
The company points out that users specifically seeking to avoid paying for audiovisual content are also generally unwilling to subscribe to a paid VPN. In this sense, free networks remain an escape route for those wanting to circumvent restrictions, offering fewer controls and greater risks to privacy.
The debate also cannot be separated from the legitimate use of VPNs . These tools are commonly used for secure remote work, to protect connections on public Wi-Fi networks, to safeguard user privacy, or even to access information when certain media outlets or services are subject to 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 by accessing certain media outlets while those outlets faced online restrictions. The possibility that VPN providers may be forced to actively filter traffic raises questions about the extent to which they could become intermediaries deciding what content is allowed through.
If the court orders are applied as described by LaLiga, NordVPN and ProtonVPN users in Spain would effectively be subjected to the same blocks they already experience without a VPN when trying to access IP addresses associated with unauthorized broadcasts, losing one of the main advantages they found in this type of service, for example when using 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 set a complex precedent in Europe. ProtonVPN and NordVPN are headquartered in countries like Switzerland and Panama, raising the question of the extent to which a Spanish court can compel them to modify the operation of their networks.
At the most extreme end of the spectrum, some experts speculate that if these companies decide not to comply with the order, an attempt will be made to force Spanish operators to directly block these VPN nodes . This scenario, while still hypothetical, would be particularly 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 proposal is for VPNs to help filter out certain IP addresses associated with illegal broadcasts during matches, while maintaining their other functionalities. However, the legal debate centers on whether it's 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 compiled and what safeguards exist to prevent collateral damage . Often, the same IP address or range can host both illicit content and entirely legal websites and services. Mass blocking of entire ranges has already drawn criticism in the past for rendering inaccessible services that had nothing to do with piracy.
In this context, the step taken by the court in Córdoba reinforces the feeling that Spain is becoming one of the most aggressive laboratories in Europe in the fight against audiovisual piracy, with measures that strain the rope between the protection of copyright 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.
