At the end of every year, we take a look at the most-downloaded TV shows among torrenting pirates.

For several years in a row, the list was headed by Game of Thrones , but that reign came to an after the final season.

In the years that followed, Disney+ releases stepped in to fill the void, with ‘Wandavision’ and ‘The Mandalorian’ taking wins in 2020 and 2021 respectively. This takeover didn’t last very long, however, as HBO Max’s ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ snatched the title in 2022 .

With no dragon-themed series in the mix, HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama ‘The Last of Us’ snatched the title last year . That change didn’t last, however, as the Dragons came out on top again this year.

While ‘House of the Dragon’ faced stiff competition from ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ two years ago, it easily secured the top spot this year. Surprisingly, Amazon’s Tolkien-inspired series barely cracked the top 10.

Amazon did get an entry in the top three with The Boys in second place, followed by Disney’s historical drama series Shōgun.

Interestingly, all other entries in the top 10, including Netflix’s massively popular animated series Arcane, come from major streaming platforms. This marks a shift from last year when no Netflix shows made the list.

Last year, we theorized that, as the leading streaming service, Netflix was less susceptible to ‘complementary’ piracy than its competitors. That argument may still hold, but Netflix certainly isn’t immune to it.

In closing, we should note that the chart is based on BitTorrent traffic, which represents a small portion of the piracy landscape. Most people use streaming sites and services nowadays, which generally do not report viewing stats.

—

Below we have compiled a list of the most-torrented TV shows worldwide released in 2024 (per episode). The ranking is estimated based on sample data from several sources, including I Know . Anime series are not included.

Most downloaded TV-shows on BitTorrent, 2024

rank	last year	show	network
torrentfreak.com
1	(…)	House of the Dragon	Max
2	(…)	The Boys	Amazon Prime
3	(…)	Shōgun	Disney+
4	(…)	Arcane	Netflix
5	(…)	The Penguin	Max
6	(…)	Fallout	Amazon Prime
7	(…)	Reacher	Amazon Prime
8	(6)	Silo	Apple TV+
9	(…)	Dune: Prophecy	Max
10	(…)	Halo	Paramount+

The full list of all ‘most pirated’ shows is as follows:

– 2024: House of the Dragon
– 2023: The Last of Us
– 2022: House of The Dragon
– 2021: Wandavision
– 2020: The Mandalorian
– 2019: Game of Thrones
– 2018: The Walking Dead
– 2017: Game of Thrones
– 2016: Game of Thrones
– 2015: Game of Thrones
– 2014: Game of Thrones
– 2013: Game of Thrones
– 2012: Game of Thrones
– 2011: Dexter
– 2010: Lost
– 2009: Heroes
– 2008: Lost
– 2007: Heroes

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

At the end of every year, we take a look at the most-downloaded TV shows among torrenting pirates.

For several years in a row, the list was headed by Game of Thrones , but that reign came to an after the final season.

In the years that followed, Disney+ releases stepped in to fill the void, with ‘Wandavision’ and ‘The Mandalorian’ taking wins in 2020 and 2021 respectively. This takeover didn’t last very long, however, as HBO Max’s ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ snatched the title in 2022 .

With no dragon-themed series in the mix, HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama ‘The Last of Us’ snatched the title last year . That change didn’t last, however, as the Dragons came out on top again this year.

While ‘House of the Dragon’ faced stiff competition from ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ two years ago, it easily secured the top spot this year. Surprisingly, Amazon’s Tolkien-inspired series barely cracked the top 10.

Amazon did get an entry in the top three with The Boys in second place, followed by Disney’s historical drama series Shōgun.

Interestingly, all other entries in the top 10, including Netflix’s massively popular animated series Arcane, come from major streaming platforms. This marks a shift from last year when no Netflix shows made the list.

Last year, we theorized that, as the leading streaming service, Netflix was less susceptible to ‘complementary’ piracy than its competitors. That argument may still hold, but Netflix certainly isn’t immune to it.

In closing, we should note that the chart is based on BitTorrent traffic, which represents a small portion of the piracy landscape. Most people use streaming sites and services nowadays, which generally do not report viewing stats.

—

Below we have compiled a list of the most-torrented TV shows worldwide released in 2024 (per episode). The ranking is estimated based on sample data from several sources, including I Know . Anime series are not included.

Most downloaded TV-shows on BitTorrent, 2024

rank	last year	show	network
torrentfreak.com
1	(…)	House of the Dragon	Max
2	(…)	The Boys	Amazon Prime
3	(…)	Shōgun	Disney+
4	(…)	Arcane	Netflix
5	(…)	The Penguin	Max
6	(…)	Fallout	Amazon Prime
7	(…)	Reacher	Amazon Prime
8	(6)	Silo	Apple TV+
9	(…)	Dune: Prophecy	Max
10	(…)	Halo	Paramount+

The full list of all ‘most pirated’ shows is as follows:

– 2024: House of the Dragon
– 2023: The Last of Us
– 2022: House of The Dragon
– 2021: Wandavision
– 2020: The Mandalorian
– 2019: Game of Thrones
– 2018: The Walking Dead
– 2017: Game of Thrones
– 2016: Game of Thrones
– 2015: Game of Thrones
– 2014: Game of Thrones
– 2013: Game of Thrones
– 2012: Game of Thrones
– 2011: Dexter
– 2010: Lost
– 2009: Heroes
– 2008: Lost
– 2007: Heroes

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

At the end of every year, we take a look at the most-downloaded TV shows among torrenting pirates.

For several years in a row, the list was headed by Game of Thrones , but that reign came to an after the final season.

In the years that followed, Disney+ releases stepped in to fill the void, with ‘Wandavision’ and ‘The Mandalorian’ taking wins in 2020 and 2021 respectively. This takeover didn’t last very long, however, as HBO Max’s ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ snatched the title in 2022 .

With no dragon-themed series in the mix, HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama ‘The Last of Us’ snatched the title last year . That change didn’t last, however, as the Dragons came out on top again this year.

While ‘House of the Dragon’ faced stiff competition from ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ two years ago, it easily secured the top spot this year. Surprisingly, Amazon’s Tolkien-inspired series barely cracked the top 10.

Amazon did get an entry in the top three with The Boys in second place, followed by Disney’s historical drama series Shōgun.

Interestingly, all other entries in the top 10, including Netflix’s massively popular animated series Arcane, come from major streaming platforms. This marks a shift from last year when no Netflix shows made the list.

Last year, we theorized that, as the leading streaming service, Netflix was less susceptible to ‘complementary’ piracy than its competitors. That argument may still hold, but Netflix certainly isn’t immune to it.

In closing, we should note that the chart is based on BitTorrent traffic, which represents a small portion of the piracy landscape. Most people use streaming sites and services nowadays, which generally do not report viewing stats.

—

Below we have compiled a list of the most-torrented TV shows worldwide released in 2024 (per episode). The ranking is estimated based on sample data from several sources, including I Know . Anime series are not included.

Most downloaded TV-shows on BitTorrent, 2024

rank	last year	show	network
torrentfreak.com
1	(…)	House of the Dragon	Max
2	(…)	The Boys	Amazon Prime
3	(…)	Shōgun	Disney+
4	(…)	Arcane	Netflix
5	(…)	The Penguin	Max
6	(…)	Fallout	Amazon Prime
7	(…)	Reacher	Amazon Prime
8	(6)	Silo	Apple TV+
9	(…)	Dune: Prophecy	Max
10	(…)	Halo	Paramount+

The full list of all ‘most pirated’ shows is as follows:

– 2024: House of the Dragon
– 2023: The Last of Us
– 2022: House of The Dragon
– 2021: Wandavision
– 2020: The Mandalorian
– 2019: Game of Thrones
– 2018: The Walking Dead
– 2017: Game of Thrones
– 2016: Game of Thrones
– 2015: Game of Thrones
– 2014: Game of Thrones
– 2013: Game of Thrones
– 2012: Game of Thrones
– 2011: Dexter
– 2010: Lost
– 2009: Heroes
– 2008: Lost
– 2007: Heroes

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Rightsholders see Italy’s elaborate ‘ Piracy Shield ‘ system as the future of anti-piracy efforts.

The broad blocking powers it provides certainly made an impact this year but not all news was positive.

Multiple reports of overblocking included mishaps where the anti-piracy system blocked access to Google Drive and other legitimate sites and services . An incident just after launch saw a Cloudflare IP-address blocked which rendered many legitimate websites inaccessible.

Cloudflare’s Piracy Shield Responsibilities

Cloudflare wasn’t only targeted inadvertently. Earlier this year, football league Serie A filed a complaint against the company at the Court of Milan, an attempt to compel Cloudflare’s participation in the novel anti-piracy system.

Cloudflare was able to fend off this approach after the court concluded that it lacked authority to compel Cloudflare to join the Piracy Shield program. Serie A’s subsequent appeal turned things around, however.

On appeal, the Court of Milan concluded that Cloudflare’s services are instrumental in enabling the illegal streaming of football matches, since they allow users to bypass the Piracy Shield blocks imposed by AGCOM.

The court sees this as a “causal contribution” to copyright infringement, which is sufficient to establish legal responsibility and compel Cloudflare to take action.

“Both Cloudflare’s causal contribution to the reported offenses through its services, and its refusal to prevent the violations despite the warning issued by the rightsholders, are established,” the Court of Milan writes (loosely translated) .

All Cloudflare Services

The Court of Milan’s decision prohibits Cloudflare from resolving domain names and routing internet traffic to IP addresses of all services present on the “Piracy Shield” system. This also applies to future domains and aliases used by these pirate services.

The order applies to Cloudflare’s content delivery network (CDN), DNS services, and reverse proxy services. The order also mentions Cloudflare’s free VPN among the targets, likely referring to the WARP service.

If any of the targeted pirate streaming providers use Cloudflare’s services to infringe on Serie A’s copyrights, the company Cloudflare must stop providing CDN, authoritative DNS, and reverse proxy services to these customers.

( Note: This is an Italian court order and Cloudflare previously used geotargeting to block sites only in Italy . It may respond similarly here, but terminating customer accounts only in Italy might be more complicated. )

Finally, the order further includes a data disclosure component, under which Cloudflare must identify customers who use Cloudflare’s services to offer pirated streams. This should help Serie A to track down those responsible.

The data disclosure section also covers information related to the ‘VPN’ and alternative public DNS services, where these relate to the IPTV platforms identified in the case. That covers traffic volume and connection logs, including IP-addresses and timestamps.

In theory, that could also cover data on people who accessed these services using Cloudflare’s VPN and DNS resolver.

‘Crucial Ruling’

Law firms Studio Previti and SPTech Legal , who represented Serie A and several intervening parties, are pleased with the outcome. In a press release, they state that the order highlights Cloudflare’s responsibility as a third-party intermediary and access provider.

“This decision represents a crucial step in the battle against digital piracy,” Lawyer Lorenzo Pinci writes in a detailed overview of the order.

“Not only because it constitutes the first interpretative ruling of Law 93/2023 and the functioning of the ‘Piracy Shield’ platform, but also because it established Cloudflare’s role as an intermediary and provider of network access services utilized to facilitate piracy.”

Cloudflare did not respond to our request for comment at the time of publication, but it’s clear that the order is a massive setback for the company, which sees itself mostly as a passive intermediary.

The court ordered Cloudflare to cover the costs of the proceeding and if it doesn’t implement the blocking requirements in time, an additional fine of €10,000 per day will apply.

—

A copy of the order, as issued by the Court of Milan, is available here ( pdf, Italian ).

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Rightsholders see Italy’s elaborate ‘ Piracy Shield ‘ system as the future of anti-piracy efforts.

The broad blocking powers it provides certainly made an impact this year but not all news was positive.

Multiple reports of overblocking included mishaps where the anti-piracy system blocked access to Google Drive and other legitimate sites and services . An incident just after launch saw a Cloudflare IP-address blocked which rendered many legitimate websites inaccessible.

Cloudflare’s Piracy Shield Responsibilities

Cloudflare wasn’t only targeted inadvertently. Earlier this year, football league Serie A filed a complaint against the company at the Court of Milan, an attempt to compel Cloudflare’s participation in the novel anti-piracy system.

Cloudflare was able to fend off this approach after the court concluded that it lacked authority to compel Cloudflare to join the Piracy Shield program. Serie A’s subsequent appeal turned things around, however.

On appeal, the Court of Milan concluded that Cloudflare’s services are instrumental in enabling the illegal streaming of football matches, since they allow users to bypass the Piracy Shield blocks imposed by AGCOM.

The court sees this as a “causal contribution” to copyright infringement, which is sufficient to establish legal responsibility and compel Cloudflare to take action.

“Both Cloudflare’s causal contribution to the reported offenses through its services, and its refusal to prevent the violations despite the warning issued by the rightsholders, are established,” the Court of Milan writes (loosely translated) .

All Cloudflare Services

The Court of Milan’s decision prohibits Cloudflare from resolving domain names and routing internet traffic to IP addresses of all services present on the “Piracy Shield” system. This also applies to future domains and aliases used by these pirate services.

The order applies to Cloudflare’s content delivery network (CDN), DNS services, and reverse proxy services. The order also mentions Cloudflare’s free VPN among the targets, likely referring to the WARP service.

If any of the targeted pirate streaming providers use Cloudflare’s services to infringe on Serie A’s copyrights, the company Cloudflare must stop providing CDN, authoritative DNS, and reverse proxy services to these customers.

( Note: This is an Italian court order and Cloudflare previously used geotargeting to block sites only in Italy . It may respond similarly here, but terminating customer accounts only in Italy might be more complicated. )

Finally, the order further includes a data disclosure component, under which Cloudflare must identify customers who use Cloudflare’s services to offer pirated streams. This should help Serie A to track down those responsible.

The data disclosure section also covers information related to the ‘VPN’ and alternative public DNS services, where these relate to the IPTV platforms identified in the case. That covers traffic volume and connection logs, including IP-addresses and timestamps.

In theory, that could also cover data on people who accessed these services using Cloudflare’s VPN and DNS resolver.

‘Crucial Ruling’

Law firms Studio Previti and SPTech Legal , who represented Serie A and several intervening parties, are pleased with the outcome. In a press release, they state that the order highlights Cloudflare’s responsibility as a third-party intermediary and access provider.

“This decision represents a crucial step in the battle against digital piracy,” Lawyer Lorenzo Pinci writes in a detailed overview of the order.

“Not only because it constitutes the first interpretative ruling of Law 93/2023 and the functioning of the ‘Piracy Shield’ platform, but also because it established Cloudflare’s role as an intermediary and provider of network access services utilized to facilitate piracy.”

Cloudflare did not respond to our request for comment at the time of publication, but it’s clear that the order is a massive setback for the company, which sees itself mostly as a passive intermediary.

The court ordered Cloudflare to cover the costs of the proceeding and if it doesn’t implement the blocking requirements in time, an additional fine of €10,000 per day will apply.

—

A copy of the order, as issued by the Court of Milan, is available here ( pdf, Italian ).

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Rightsholders see Italy’s elaborate ‘ Piracy Shield ‘ system as the future of anti-piracy efforts.

The broad blocking powers it provides certainly made an impact this year but not all news was positive.

Multiple reports of overblocking included mishaps where the anti-piracy system blocked access to Google Drive and other legitimate sites and services . An incident just after launch saw a Cloudflare IP-address blocked which rendered many legitimate websites inaccessible.

Cloudflare’s Piracy Shield Responsibilities

Cloudflare wasn’t only targeted inadvertently. Earlier this year, football league Serie A filed a complaint against the company at the Court of Milan, an attempt to compel Cloudflare’s participation in the novel anti-piracy system.

Cloudflare was able to fend off this approach after the court concluded that it lacked authority to compel Cloudflare to join the Piracy Shield program. Serie A’s subsequent appeal turned things around, however.

On appeal, the Court of Milan concluded that Cloudflare’s services are instrumental in enabling the illegal streaming of football matches, since they allow users to bypass the Piracy Shield blocks imposed by AGCOM.

The court sees this as a “causal contribution” to copyright infringement, which is sufficient to establish legal responsibility and compel Cloudflare to take action.

“Both Cloudflare’s causal contribution to the reported offenses through its services, and its refusal to prevent the violations despite the warning issued by the rightsholders, are established,” the Court of Milan writes (loosely translated) .

All Cloudflare Services

The Court of Milan’s decision prohibits Cloudflare from resolving domain names and routing internet traffic to IP addresses of all services present on the “Piracy Shield” system. This also applies to future domains and aliases used by these pirate services.

The order applies to Cloudflare’s content delivery network (CDN), DNS services, and reverse proxy services. The order also mentions Cloudflare’s free VPN among the targets, likely referring to the WARP service.

If any of the targeted pirate streaming providers use Cloudflare’s services to infringe on Serie A’s copyrights, the company Cloudflare must stop providing CDN, authoritative DNS, and reverse proxy services to these customers.

( Note: This is an Italian court order and Cloudflare previously used geotargeting to block sites only in Italy . It may respond similarly here, but terminating customer accounts only in Italy might be more complicated. )

Finally, the order further includes a data disclosure component, under which Cloudflare must identify customers who use Cloudflare’s services to offer pirated streams. This should help Serie A to track down those responsible.

The data disclosure section also covers information related to the ‘VPN’ and alternative public DNS services, where these relate to the IPTV platforms identified in the case. That covers traffic volume and connection logs, including IP-addresses and timestamps.

In theory, that could also cover data on people who accessed these services using Cloudflare’s VPN and DNS resolver.

‘Crucial Ruling’

Law firms Studio Previti and SPTech Legal , who represented Serie A and several intervening parties, are pleased with the outcome. In a press release, they state that the order highlights Cloudflare’s responsibility as a third-party intermediary and access provider.

“This decision represents a crucial step in the battle against digital piracy,” Lawyer Lorenzo Pinci writes in a detailed overview of the order.

“Not only because it constitutes the first interpretative ruling of Law 93/2023 and the functioning of the ‘Piracy Shield’ platform, but also because it established Cloudflare’s role as an intermediary and provider of network access services utilized to facilitate piracy.”

Cloudflare did not respond to our request for comment at the time of publication, but it’s clear that the order is a massive setback for the company, which sees itself mostly as a passive intermediary.

The court ordered Cloudflare to cover the costs of the proceeding and if it doesn’t implement the blocking requirements in time, an additional fine of €10,000 per day will apply.

—

A copy of the order, as issued by the Court of Milan, is available here ( pdf, Italian ).

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Two years after its debut in 2005, Rojadirecta faced legal action in Spain for providing links to unlicensed sports streams. Rojadirecta was adamant that under existing law the site operated legally and steadfastly refused to shut down.

In 2009, that position was endorsed by a district court and then upheld by a provincial court after rightsholders filed an appeal.

Despite the losing streak, rightsholders subsequently convinced the Department of Homeland Security to seize two of Rojadirecta’s domain names; under mounting legal pressure, DHS eventually gave them back . A shifting legal landscape and unwavering rightsholder pressure ensured that successive wins like these would soon become a thing of the past.

Mediapro Delivers a Significant Blow

In 2016, Puerto 80 Projects SL – the Spanish company behind Rojadirecta – was found liable for violating the intellectual property rights of broadcaster Mediapro. Rojadirecta’s subsequent appeal failed in 2018, effectively ending the site’s ability to service any further visitors from Spain.

Despite landing a significant win, Mediapro wasn’t entirely happy with the outcome. The Commercial Court of A Coruña ruled that liability for Rojadirecta’s infringement lay with Puerto 80 Projects SL, a company run by Igor Seoane, the man who had operated Rojadirecta from the very beginning. With piracy battles becoming ever more bitter, Mediapro wanted to see Seoane personally on the hook.

Supreme Court Confirms Joint Liability

In 2022, Mediapro’s persistence paid off. Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that Puerto 80 Projects SL, and company owner/Rojadirecta operator Igor Seoane, could be held jointly liable.

Commercial Court No. 2 of A Coruña has now determined the amount of compensation to be paid to Mediapro, for infringement carried out a decade ago during the 2014/2015 football season.

With the commercial entity and its owner confirmed liable, on Friday the Court ordered Puerto 80 and owner Seoane to pay Mediapro 31.6 million euros (US$33m), with Puerto 80 and Seoane jointly liable for 15.6 million euros (US$16.3m) of the total award.

Believed to be the most significant award ever handed down in a Spanish case of its kind, the figure is said to represent how much it would’ve cost to obtain a license to show the content legally.

Mediapro Welcomes Decision

Rojadirecta has been facilitating access to unlicensed content in Spain for almost 20 years, primarily through links that allow users to watch live sports content that’s ordinarily available on pay TV platforms in exchange for a fee.

On the consumer side, Rojadirecta has always been available for free, something that undoubtedly plays a significant part in its enduring popularity even today. It’s alleged that Puerto 80’s business model has generated millions of euros from both regular advertising and affiliate commissions earned by diverting visitors to sports betting websites.

Criminal Prosecution For Same Conduct

In parallel, Puerto 80 and Igor Seoane are also fighting a criminal prosecution pursued by Mediapro and LaLiga. The companies claim that Seoane continues to unlawfully benefit from ongoing infringement by providing access to illegal streams via Rojadirecta.

The matter is still in its early stages but with a demand for a four-year prison sentence, the prosecutor clearly means business. Mediapro and LaLiga are demanding a six-year prison sentence, alleging that Rojadirecta continues to operate illegally outside Spain.

Puerto 80 and its owner should have deposited a bond of 4.15 million euros to cover future liabilities, the prosecutor said, noting the ‘special economic significance’ of the profits and damages alleged in the case.

Citing expert reports from 2022, ElMundo reports that in 2022, just one of the company’s accounts reportedly showed income of more than 11 million euros.

Rojadirecta Was Created to Solve a Problem

According to an ABC report ( paywall ), a then 21-year-old Seoane was inspired to launch Rojadirecta one afternoon; he wanted to watch his team (Barca) play but didn’t really feel like going to the bar where pay-per-view events are often shown. “There has to be another way to do it,” he thought.

Two decades later, ABC notes that Seoane – who speaks English, Portuguese, and Galician fluently, and is able to “get by” in French and Italian – is rarely seen in public, except during various Rojadirecta-related trials he has to attend.

“In some of them he has appeared disguised, with a showy curly wig and glasses. Thus, he has been described as the ‘Galician without a face’, an anonymity that gave rise to various myths about his place of residence, among some Internet users who considered him a kind of ‘Robin Hood’, capable of bringing football back to its fans.”

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Two years after its debut in 2005, Rojadirecta faced legal action in Spain for providing links to unlicensed sports streams. Rojadirecta was adamant that under existing law the site operated legally and steadfastly refused to shut down.

In 2009, that position was endorsed by a district court and then upheld by a provincial court after rightsholders filed an appeal.

Despite the losing streak, rightsholders subsequently convinced the Department of Homeland Security to seize two of Rojadirecta’s domain names; under mounting legal pressure, DHS eventually gave them back . A shifting legal landscape and unwavering rightsholder pressure ensured that successive wins like these would soon become a thing of the past.

Mediapro Delivers a Significant Blow

In 2016, Puerto 80 Projects SL – the Spanish company behind Rojadirecta – was found liable for violating the intellectual property rights of broadcaster Mediapro. Rojadirecta’s subsequent appeal failed in 2018, effectively ending the site’s ability to service any further visitors from Spain.

Despite landing a significant win, Mediapro wasn’t entirely happy with the outcome. The Commercial Court of A Coruña ruled that liability for Rojadirecta’s infringement lay with Puerto 80 Projects SL, a company run by Igor Seoane, the man who had operated Rojadirecta from the very beginning. With piracy battles becoming ever more bitter, Mediapro wanted to see Seoane personally on the hook.

Supreme Court Confirms Joint Liability

In 2022, Mediapro’s persistence paid off. Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that Puerto 80 Projects SL, and company owner/Rojadirecta operator Igor Seoane, could be held jointly liable.

Commercial Court No. 2 of A Coruña has now determined the amount of compensation to be paid to Mediapro, for infringement carried out a decade ago during the 2014/2015 football season.

With the commercial entity and its owner confirmed liable, on Friday the Court ordered Puerto 80 and owner Seoane to pay Mediapro 31.6 million euros (US$33m), with Puerto 80 and Seoane jointly liable for 15.6 million euros (US$16.3m) of the total award.

Believed to be the most significant award ever handed down in a Spanish case of its kind, the figure is said to represent how much it would’ve cost to obtain a license to show the content legally.

Mediapro Welcomes Decision

Rojadirecta has been facilitating access to unlicensed content in Spain for almost 20 years, primarily through links that allow users to watch live sports content that’s ordinarily available on pay TV platforms in exchange for a fee.

On the consumer side, Rojadirecta has always been available for free, something that undoubtedly plays a significant part in its enduring popularity even today. It’s alleged that Puerto 80’s business model has generated millions of euros from both regular advertising and affiliate commissions earned by diverting visitors to sports betting websites.

Criminal Prosecution For Same Conduct

In parallel, Puerto 80 and Igor Seoane are also fighting a criminal prosecution pursued by Mediapro and LaLiga. The companies claim that Seoane continues to unlawfully benefit from ongoing infringement by providing access to illegal streams via Rojadirecta.

The matter is still in its early stages but with a demand for a four-year prison sentence, the prosecutor clearly means business. Mediapro and LaLiga are demanding a six-year prison sentence, alleging that Rojadirecta continues to operate illegally outside Spain.

Puerto 80 and its owner should have deposited a bond of 4.15 million euros to cover future liabilities, the prosecutor said, noting the ‘special economic significance’ of the profits and damages alleged in the case.

Citing expert reports from 2022, ElMundo reports that in 2022, just one of the company’s accounts reportedly showed income of more than 11 million euros.

Rojadirecta Was Created to Solve a Problem

According to an ABC report ( paywall ), a then 21-year-old Seoane was inspired to launch Rojadirecta one afternoon; he wanted to watch his team (Barca) play but didn’t really feel like going to the bar where pay-per-view events are often shown. “There has to be another way to do it,” he thought.

Two decades later, ABC notes that Seoane – who speaks English, Portuguese, and Galician fluently, and is able to “get by” in French and Italian – is rarely seen in public, except during various Rojadirecta-related trials he has to attend.

“In some of them he has appeared disguised, with a showy curly wig and glasses. Thus, he has been described as the ‘Galician without a face’, an anonymity that gave rise to various myths about his place of residence, among some Internet users who considered him a kind of ‘Robin Hood’, capable of bringing football back to its fans.”

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Two years after its debut in 2005, Rojadirecta faced legal action in Spain for providing links to unlicensed sports streams. Rojadirecta was adamant that under existing law the site operated legally and steadfastly refused to shut down.

In 2009, that position was endorsed by a district court and then upheld by a provincial court after rightsholders filed an appeal.

Despite the losing streak, rightsholders subsequently convinced the Department of Homeland Security to seize two of Rojadirecta’s domain names; under mounting legal pressure, DHS eventually gave them back . A shifting legal landscape and unwavering rightsholder pressure ensured that successive wins like these would soon become a thing of the past.

Mediapro Delivers a Significant Blow

In 2016, Puerto 80 Projects SL – the Spanish company behind Rojadirecta – was found liable for violating the intellectual property rights of broadcaster Mediapro. Rojadirecta’s subsequent appeal failed in 2018, effectively ending the site’s ability to service any further visitors from Spain.

Despite landing a significant win, Mediapro wasn’t entirely happy with the outcome. The Commercial Court of A Coruña ruled that liability for Rojadirecta’s infringement lay with Puerto 80 Projects SL, a company run by Igor Seoane, the man who had operated Rojadirecta from the very beginning. With piracy battles becoming ever more bitter, Mediapro wanted to see Seoane personally on the hook.

Supreme Court Confirms Joint Liability

In 2022, Mediapro’s persistence paid off. Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that Puerto 80 Projects SL, and company owner/Rojadirecta operator Igor Seoane, could be held jointly liable.

Commercial Court No. 2 of A Coruña has now determined the amount of compensation to be paid to Mediapro, for infringement carried out a decade ago during the 2014/2015 football season.

With the commercial entity and its owner confirmed liable, on Friday the Court ordered Puerto 80 and owner Seoane to pay Mediapro 31.6 million euros (US$33m), with Puerto 80 and Seoane jointly liable for 15.6 million euros (US$16.3m) of the total award.

Believed to be the most significant award ever handed down in a Spanish case of its kind, the figure is said to represent how much it would’ve cost to obtain a license to show the content legally.

Mediapro Welcomes Decision

Rojadirecta has been facilitating access to unlicensed content in Spain for almost 20 years, primarily through links that allow users to watch live sports content that’s ordinarily available on pay TV platforms in exchange for a fee.

On the consumer side, Rojadirecta has always been available for free, something that undoubtedly plays a significant part in its enduring popularity even today. It’s alleged that Puerto 80’s business model has generated millions of euros from both regular advertising and affiliate commissions earned by diverting visitors to sports betting websites.

Criminal Prosecution For Same Conduct

In parallel, Puerto 80 and Igor Seoane are also fighting a criminal prosecution pursued by Mediapro and LaLiga. The companies claim that Seoane continues to unlawfully benefit from ongoing infringement by providing access to illegal streams via Rojadirecta.

The matter is still in its early stages but with a demand for a four-year prison sentence, the prosecutor clearly means business. Mediapro and LaLiga are demanding a six-year prison sentence, alleging that Rojadirecta continues to operate illegally outside Spain.

Puerto 80 and its owner should have deposited a bond of 4.15 million euros to cover future liabilities, the prosecutor said, noting the ‘special economic significance’ of the profits and damages alleged in the case.

Citing expert reports from 2022, ElMundo reports that in 2022, just one of the company’s accounts reportedly showed income of more than 11 million euros.

Rojadirecta Was Created to Solve a Problem

According to an ABC report ( paywall ), a then 21-year-old Seoane was inspired to launch Rojadirecta one afternoon; he wanted to watch his team (Barca) play but didn’t really feel like going to the bar where pay-per-view events are often shown. “There has to be another way to do it,” he thought.

Two decades later, ABC notes that Seoane – who speaks English, Portuguese, and Galician fluently, and is able to “get by” in French and Italian – is rarely seen in public, except during various Rojadirecta-related trials he has to attend.

“In some of them he has appeared disguised, with a showy curly wig and glasses. Thus, he has been described as the ‘Galician without a face’, an anonymity that gave rise to various myths about his place of residence, among some Internet users who considered him a kind of ‘Robin Hood’, capable of bringing football back to its fans.”

From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.