The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) is urging policymakers to take decisive action against online piracy of live events following a key industry meeting hosted by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

This gathering brought together leaders from the European Commission, Member States, rights organisations, media companies, and tech platforms to assess the impact of the Commission’s Recommendation on combating online piracy, issued on May 4th 2023.

Despite ongoing industry efforts, findings from the most recent second Grant Thornton study (March 2025) reveal:

• Little to no reduction in piracy levels since May 2023
• No meaningful action from online intermediaries to curb piracy
• The Digital Services Act remains underdeveloped in addressing live content piracy

Critically, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and technical intermediaries have not participated in data collection, their silence serving as an indicator of the Recommendation’s limited impact.

The Urgent Call for Legislation

AAPA and industry stakeholders insist that voluntary measures are failing. To protect content creators and broadcasters an concrete update of legislation is mandatory, potentially through an extension of the DSA, including:

• A precise definition of “expeditious” action for live event protection
• A clear and enforceable Know Your Business Customer (KYBC) provision
• Broad inclusion of all relevant intermediaries

“We welcome the discussion, but talk is not enough,” stated Oliver Pribramsky, co-President of AAPA, Head of IP & Content Protection and Committees, DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH. “Without concrete regulation, rightsholders will continue to haemorrhage resources, limiting their ability to reinvest in valuable content. The time to act is now. Thank you to our esteemed colleagues from2 CANAL + and Premier League, both members of our association, for representing the live rightsholders’ point of view during the debate”

AAPA looks forward to contributing to the recently opened Call for Evidence on Piracy of Live Content to plead once again that the fight against piracy demands urgent legislative support—industry efforts alone are not enough.

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Categories: Articles, Business, Content, Piracy, Policy, Regulation, Rights

Tags: AAPA, Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance, EUIPO, European Union Intellectual Property Office, live events piracy