The Republic of Ireland’s High Court have issued an order to block the illegal streaming of UEFA competition matches.
In a boost for UEFA's ongoing fight with piracy, the decision will block the illegal streaming of the European football governing body’s matches by Irish-based internet service providers.
The court order, done to protect the brodcasting rights of the European Championships, Nations League, Champions League and Europa League, will see a series of internet service providers (ISPs) in Ireland required to block access to IP addresses of servers illegally streaming matches.
“We are pleased with the decision taken by the Irish High Court,” said UEFA’s chief counsel, commercial and technology legal services, Seong Sin Han.
“This new measure builds upon the similar blocking order we have had in place in the United Kingdom for several years now.
“Both orders are effective and welcome tools in UEFA’s ongoing fight against audiovisual piracy because they place the ability to stop illegal streams firmly in the hands of the rights holder.
"The protection of our intellectual property from internet piracy is a top priority for our organisation and UEFA is actively cooperating and developing relationships with major digital platforms to disrupt the piracy ecosystem and protect our broadcast partners.”
The majority of UEFA's funding of grassroots football comes from revenue generated from media rights with plans to generate €44 million over the next four years for its 55 member associations.
