Italy’s media & communications regulator AGCOM has approved amendments to its Regulation on online copyright and the fight against the illegal distribution of audiovisual content. By extending the Piracy Shield platform to films and TV series, as well as sporting events, it will be possible to shut down illegal websites and apps which distribute that copyrighted audiovisual content in 30 minutes.
Piracy Shield is an automated platform hosted by AGCOM and designed to notify Internet service providers serving consumers in Italy of infringing distribution, giving them 30 minutes to block it. The platform went into production service at the end of 2023 and while it has been subject of controversy, it also has benefitted from ongoing enhancements and fine-tuning.
“The wait is over,” exclaimed the announcement by Italy’s Federation for the Protection of Audiovisual and Multimedia Content Industries (FAPAV), an industry organization.
Scope of changes
The changes expand the scope of intervention of “dynamic injunctions” to all subjects holding live events, who are therefore entitled to submit a request to the Authority for violations concerning audiovisual and similar content transmitted live and, consequently, to be accredited to the Piracy Shield platform also through the Associations or Anti-Piracy Federations.
With these measures it will be possible to disable access to illegally disseminated content in the first thirty minutes of the transmission of live content and first viewings of cinematographic and audiovisual works or entertainment programs, as well as works of similar sound character, by blocking the DNS resolution of domain names and blocking the routing of network traffic to IP addresses mainly intended for illegal activities.
Care in reporting
Rights-holders reporting incidents on the Piracy Shield platform must use “the utmost diligence and rigor” and avoid reporting resources that present a high risk of overblocking. In the event of non-compliance with the requirements and conditions governing the operation of the Piracy Shield platform, the Authority will suspend the the reporter’s accreditation to use the platform. The Authority’s power to order the unblocking of resources blocked for at least six months remains. AGCOM may be asked at any time to unblock resources no longer intended for illegal activity.
The Authority’s measures are recipients of mere conduit and hosting service providers, as well as caching service providers and all subjects involved in the accessibility of illegal websites or services, such as VPN service providers and publicly available DNS service providers, as well as search engine managers.
Violations of copyright and related rights by providers of audiovisual media services are intended to initiate a sanctioning procedure, as established by the new provisions of the Consolidated Text on audiovisual media services.
The Regulation, adopted with the vote against of Commissioner Giomi, incorporates, in particular, the innovations introduced with the approval of the European Regulation on Digital Services (DSA) and with the amendments made by the so-called decree. Omnibus to the Anti-Piracy Law, as well as with the modification of the Consolidated Text on Audiovisual Media Services.
Further reading
Piracy Shield also for movies, TV series and pirated music. Online copyright protections are expanded. Press release. August 1, 2025. Autorita per le Garanzie Nelle Communiazioni (AGCOM).
AGCOM extends Piracy Shield to Film and Series TV. Press release. August 1, 2025. FAPAV (Federazione per la Tutela delle Industrie dei Contenuti Audiovisivi e Multimediali)
Why it matters
“With the amendments approved by the Communications Regulatory Authority, we have reached an important milestone in combating audiovisual piracy, positioning our country among the most innovative and advanced nations in Europe in this area,” said Federico Bagnoli Rossi, President of FAPAV. “Intervening within 30 minutes to shut down sites that illegally broadcast films and TV series, as well as sporting events, is crucial, precisely because until now the problem of timely intervention has allowed pirates and operators of illicit platforms to migrate illegal content from one site to another.
“There is also another decidedly relevant aspect of the AGCOM provision,” continued Mr. Bagnoli Rossi. “Namely the call for the responsibility of ISP Providers: to combat piracy, each player in the supply chain, from the production to the distribution of audiovisual and multimedia content, must do their part to protect copyright and the entire sector it represents.
In 2024, according to the latest FAPAV/Ipsos data, approximately 295 million acts of copyright infringement will be committed. Piracy, resulting in an overall economic loss estimated at €778 million. A thorn in the side not only for the audiovisual industry but for the entire country: considering all three types of content (film, series/fiction, and live sports), the repercussions for the Italian economy are estimated at approximately €2.2 billion in lost revenue for companies (and not just for the audiovisual industry), resulting in a loss of GDP of approximately €904 million, a loss of revenue for the state of €407 million, and an overall loss of employment of over 12,000 jobs, all figures increasing compared to 2023.
