On November 26, 2024, a multi-national team, coordinated by Europol and Eurojust, executed an anti-piracy operation that took 100 pirate domains out of service. Europol and FAPAV, the Italian anti-piracy organization, separately but simultaneously announced the take-down the next day. At the time, the involvement of Law enforcement agencies in Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Croatia and England, the Catania Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the Croatian State Attorney Office for Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime was disclosed.
Now, in January, 2025, further details have emerged. Also coordinating the operation was the Cybercrime Directorate of the National Police Agency of the Republic of Bulgaria. The Spanish football league LaLiga, and other sources, have also made statements.
The operation was carried out in the context of major sporting events this summer such as UEFA EURO 2024 and the Olympic Games, with the main objective of combating digital piracy in the form of the publication, distribution and broadcasting of digital content subject to copyright and related rights.
More than 560 resellers of the pirated service were identified, and drugs and weapons were seized in the searches, and cryptocurrency worth around €1.6 million was confiscated, as well as €40,000 in cash, according to LaLiga. The operation involved the participation of 15 countries, with the support of Europol, Eurojust and AAPA being key to the coordination of the action.
According to Bulgarian authorities, the damage from the neutralized criminal activity on an annual basis is estimated at over 3 billion euros.
Cases have been initiated or concluded respectively concerning illegal platforms through which protected content subject to intellectual property rights is broadcast – Republic of Bulgaria, Northern Republic of Macedonia, Hellenic Republic, Kingdom of Spain, Republic of Latvia, Republic of France, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Republic of Romania, Portugal and others.
On the part of private right holders, UEFA, La Liga, AAPA, MPA and several others took part in the operation and also contributed with timely information to identify illegal content, identify the source of the signal and take it down, using the tools of the legal means at their disposal.
Further reading
UEFA suports international anti-piracy operation. Press release. January 17, 2025. UEFA (Union of European Football Associations)
LaLiga takes part in an unprecedented Europol operation to successfully neutralize a record number of illegal streaming platforms and illegal IPTVs. Press release. January 2, 2025. LaLiga
International Operation Kratos neutralizes a record number of illegal streaming platforms and illegal IPTV. Press release. December 19, 2024. National Police Agency of the Republic of Bulgaria
Europol, AAPA and police take down €250M/month piracy operation, said to be the largest ever. Article. November 27, 2024. by Steven Hawley, Piracy Monitor
Why it matters
Collaboration between rights holders, industry associations, copyrights advocates, law enforcement and national governments have resulted in some very large, high-profile enforcement actions against pirates. Another is Operation 404 in Brazil, which has involved not only Brazilian authorities but also law enforcement and copyright stakeholders in other parts of Latin America as well as agencies from the US, UK and Europe.
UEFA summed it up well: “Financial revenue generated from media rights is vital for the well-being of both professional and amateur football. In particular, it is essential to football development and grassroots investment throughout Europe.
“The fight against the online piracy of our competitions remains a key priority for UEFA. We are committed to doing whatever is possible to stop this core threat to the revenues which underpin the European football ecosystem.”