For the first time in France, the courts have mandated that five VPN providers block access to over 200 illegal streaming websites. This marks a significant win for Canal+ and the French Professional Football League as they tackle the remaining loopholes in online sports piracy.
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VPN Providers Ordered to Block Access to Over 200 Pirate Sites
The Paris Judicial Court has sided with Canal+ and the French Professional Football League by ordering several VPN providers to block 203 domain names associated with illegal streaming sites. NordVPN, Proton, Cyberghost, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN are required to implement this ruling within three days. This is unprecedented: until now, only DNS platforms, search engines, and internet service providers were targeted. This time, VPNs are directly held accountable, with the court labeling them as “technical intermediaries” in the unauthorized distribution of sports content.
The Last Stronghold of Piracy
VPNs had become a common escape for internet users looking to bypass geographic restrictions or ISP-imposed limitations. By connecting to a server in another country, it was easy to access illegal streams of Ligue 1, Premier League, Champions League, or Top 14 matches. The court’s decision aims to put an end to this ease of access. Canal+ and the French Professional Football League can now submit to Arcom, at any time until the end of the competitions (until June 28, 2025), new site names to be blocked. This preventive blocking applies even to platforms suspected of intending to broadcast protected content, whether or not they have already started to do so.
A Precedent That Could Set a Trend
This decision could signify a turning point that extends beyond French borders. Blocking by VPNs represents a new phase in a progressively evolving legal strategy that began in 2022. Initially targeting ISPs, then alternative DNSs, search engines, CDNs, and proxies, each link in the technical chain has been addressed. The focus now shifts to VPN services, which might, following the example of Cisco with OpenDNS, exit the French market due to the increasing complexity of filtering obligations.
VPN providers failed to convince the court despite their defense focusing on the neutrality of their services and the technical complexity of filtering. Canal+ has hailed this as a “major advance” and has sent a clear message: piracy of sports competitions, even through tools previously considered neutral, will no longer be tolerated. It remains to be seen if other jurisdictions will adopt this approach, and whether VPNs will continue to cooperate or choose to leave.