On May 15, 2025, the Paris Judicial Court, ordered the blocking of 203 domain names associated with illegal sports streaming sites by five VPN providers, a legal first; following a complaint by CANAL+ and the French Professional Football League (LFP).
As a result, Nord VPN, Cyberghost, Surfshark, Express VPN, and Proton are now required to block access to 203 domain names used to illegally stream UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and TOP 14 matches — three competitions for which CANAL+ holds exclusive broadcasting rights in France.
VPN industry advocates respond
While this decision was seen as a big win by the media industry and by copyright advocates, it was not taken well by VPN industry stakeholders. The VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) weighed in, saying that “Ethically-operated VPNs do not host, store, or promote illegitimate access to copyrighted material. In fact, they unequivocally prohibit the misuse of VPNs for illegal activities. Targeting reputable VPN services is a misguided and disproportionate approach,” said VTI.
VTI further cited Italy’s Piracy Shield as a misguided effort and noted that Piracy Shield has caused VPN providers to exit the Italian market. In March, Italy’s communications regulator AGCOM announced that Piracy Shield extended its own coverage to include VPNs, DNS services and search engine de-indexing.
In reporting by 24 Matins.uk, a spokesperson from Nord VPN said that “Broad restrictions risk undermining national cybersecurity standards.”
Focus on sports piracy in France
Coincidentally, the French regulator ARCOM released sports piracy statistics for the years 2022 through 2024, and for the first four months of 2025; showing that ARCOM has stepped up its own efforts.
ARCOM reported that 3,797 blocks were carried out in 2024, compared to 1,544 the previous year. Overall, 18% of French residents watch sports content illegally. 32% of illegal streaming consumers experienced a block by Arcom, which was up by 5% over 2023.
CANAL+ itself obtained the blocking of over 1,300 domain names in 2024, and welcomed the Paris Court’s decision, which sent a strong message regarding the responsibility of VPN providers — recognized for the first time as technical intermediaries — in the illegal broadcasting of sports content.
Further reading
Canal+ obtains a court order from the Paris Jucidial Court mandating VPN blocking of illegal sports streaming sites. Press release. May 15, 2025. Canal Plus Group corporate communications
France: ARCOM reports illegal sports site & domain blocking for 2022-2024 and 2025 through April. Article. May 15, 2025. by Steven Hawley. Piracy Monitor
VTI response to French blocking ruling: Limiting VPNs is misguided and ineffective. Press release. May 16, 2025. VPN Trust Initiative.
Canal+ triumphs as leading VPNs face penalties in French anti-piracy crackdown. Article. May 20, 2025. by “Benjamin.” 24 Matins.uk
Why it matters
Canal Plus Group observed that this current ruling continues the trajectory established by previous court orders that were obtained in 2022 targeting illegal streaming sites via Internet Service Providers, in 2024 via alternative DNS providers, and in 2025 via CDN and proxy services. “This new ruling against VPNs is fully aligned with the group’s strategy to hold all types of technical intermediaries accountable in the battle against audiovisual piracy,” said Canal Plus Group in its prepared statement.
Founded as a French subscription-TV channel, CANAL+ is a global media and entertainment company with 26.9 million subscribers worldwide, over 400 million monthly active users on its OTT and video streaming platforms, and a total of more than 9,000 employees. It generates revenues in 195 countries and operates directly in 52 countries, with leading positions in Pay-TV in 20 of them. CANAL+ operates across the entire audio-visual value chain, including production, broadcast, distribution and aggregation.
