The legal battle between Cloudflare and LaLiga has reached a new level with the filing of a lawsuit by the internet security company against the Spanish football organization. Cloudflare accuses LaLiga of implementing indiscriminate IP blocking that affects millions of users and businesses, causing serious economic and operational harm.
Indiscriminate Blocking and Collateral Damage
Since early February, LaLiga has been ordering telecommunications operators in Spain to temporarily block shared IP addresses that are part of Cloudflare’s infrastructure. The aim of these measures is to curb illegal broadcasts of football matches; however, these blocks have generated unwanted consequences. Multiple businesses and legal services have been impacted, with users unable to access thousands of websites during sporting events.
Some companies report that the measures have had a direct impact on their operations. “We had an architecture firm shut down for two days due to the blocks,” reports one affected party. These situations reflect the extent of the problem and have led Cloudflare to take legal action to stop these practices.
Cloudflare’s Response: Legal Action to Defend Open Internet
In an official statement, Cloudflare argued that LaLiga’s strategy is disproportionate and ineffective, as it does not directly target the sources of the problem but instead applies broad and indiscriminate restrictions. “LaLiga obtained a ruling without notifying the cloud service providers, hiding from the court the foreseeable harm to third parties and the public interest,” the company stated.
The company has filed a motion to annul in court, aiming for the ruling that supports the blocks to be reviewed and ultimately declared illegal. Cloudflare hopes that this move will not only stop the current restrictions but also set a legal precedent that prevents future cases of unjustified censorship on the internet.
Telecom Operators Silent in Response to LaLiga’s Offensive
The role of telecommunications operators has also come under criticism. Despite the evident harm to their customers, companies have complied with LaLiga’s orders without resistance. “It is striking that it is the affected parties who have to turn to the courts, when the operators should be defending open internet access,” points out a digital law expert consulted by this medium.
A Structural Problem Hard to Combat
An industry analyst highlights the difficulty small businesses and websites face in organizing to confront this type of blocking. “Cloudflare becomes the last line of defense for thousands of small websites and online businesses. If they do not take legal action, it’s hard for individual businesses to coordinate against an organization with the power of LaLiga,” she states.
The case, which has already sparked interest in the tech and legal sectors, could mark a milestone in internet regulation in Spain. Meanwhile, affected users and businesses continue to deal with the blocks, awaiting a resolution that clarifies how far rights holders can go in their fight against piracy.
Cloudflare’s Statement
As a long-time advocate of an open internet, Cloudflare provides security and reliability services that protect millions of websites from cyberattacks and strengthen internet infrastructure. In recent weeks, LaLiga and Spanish ISPs have mistakenly attempted to address the issue of illegal broadcasts, based on a recent ruling that supposedly mandates blocking shared IP addresses from Cloudflare and other cloud service providers—a clumsy and ineffective approach that has prevented millions of users from accessing thousands of unrelated websites. LaLiga obtained that Ruling without addressing the cloud service providers, hiding from the court the foreseeable harm to third parties and the public interest. LaLiga’s actions pose a clear threat to an open internet. Cloudflare has today filed a motion to annul that Ruling in order to establish that LaLiga’s disproportionate blocking measures are illegal.
Cloudflare routinely collaborates with rights holders to help resolve issues like illegal broadcasts, but LaLiga has left Cloudflare no choice but to pursue this legal route. Instead of addressing the concerns of Spanish users regarding over-blocking of content, LaLiga has attempted to divert attention with unfounded accusations against Cloudflare while intensifying its illegal blocking practices. Cloudflare hopes that this legal action helps prevent future indiscriminate blocking measures and clarifies that rights holders cannot prioritize their commercial interests over the fundamental right of millions of consumers to access an open internet.