đ° New article from TorrentFreak
UEFA Secures Pirate Site Blocking and (Global) Domain Suspension Order in India
UEFA Just Got a Global Power-Up Against Pirate Streams â And Itâs Bigger Than It Looks
In a major win for sports rights holders, UEFAâbacked by the Alliance of Creativity and Entertainment (ACE)âhas secured a global domain suspension order in India, targeting 79 pirate streaming sites used to broadcast the Champions League and other top-tier matches.
Think of it as a digital takedown with teeth: Indian ISPs must block the sites locally, but crucially, 23 domain registrarsâincluding GoDaddy, Tucows, and Squarespaceâare also legally required to lock or suspend the domains worldwide. That means if your domain is on the list, it could go dark everywhere, not just in India.
The order uses an evolving legal tool called âDynamic+â blocking, allowing UEFA to update the list in real time without returning to courtâideal for chasingçĄçž pirates who swap domains like flash mobs.
But here’s the twist: while Namecheap and others have complied in past cases, many of todayâs targets remain online. Some sites are already redirecting to new domains or using more resilient registries (like Tongaâs government-run TLD for footybite.to). Registrars outside Indian jurisdiction may also be holding fireâat least for now.
Still, UEFAâs messaging is clear: Piracy just got harder to run at scale. As one exec put it, this is about protecting billions in broadcast valueâand keeping fans, broadcasters, and clubs invested in the beautiful game.
The real test? Whether registrars with global reach truly act globally. For now, the cat-and-mouse game continuesâone suspended domain at a time.