Brussels gives fresh recommendations on how to end piracy for live events

The European Commission wants to end piracy affecting live events, such as sports matches and concerts.

The plan is based on a dynamic blocking system to links broadcasting illegally live events, as well as encouragement to member states to grant this ability to event organisers.

“This is a topic which is very important because it creates a lot of losses to rightsholders and also it is an area where action needs to be taken very quickly because the value is in the streaming and once the streaming is over the value is so much lower – almost non-existent,” Commission spokesperson Johannes Bahrke said on Thursday.

“It’s a phenomenon that we see actually increasing and this is why we adopted the recommendation.”

For many of the companies in charge of broadcasting the events, the Commission’s recommendations do not go far enough, particularly since they are non-binding, something that the Live Content Coalition believes will not push for new measures.

In a letter written last year, the organisation said: “We strongly believe this will not create the necessary legal incentive for online intermediaries to respond immediately when illegal live content is notified.”

But some MEPs, including from the European Pirate party say that the best way to reduce illegal streaming is to grant “universal and affordable legal access to sports events”.

The Commission will review the impact of the recommendation in 2025.