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The court ordered Google, Cloudflare and Cisco to block access to pirated sports sites.
A French court has ruled that Google, Cloudflare and Cisco must interfere with their DNS resolvers to prevent circumvention of blockages targeting about 117 pirated sports sites. This is another step in the fight against piracy on the part of the TV company Canal+, which also received permission to completely exclude these sites from search engine results.
In a country where laws already include measures to block websites and other anti-piracy measures, Canal+ strives to make the most of its rights. Like other broadcasters with rights to broadcast sports events, Canal+ faces the problem of illegal consumption of content through pirated resources that offer it for free or at a significantly lower price.
To strengthen existing blocking efforts through local ISPs, Canal+ has taken the next logical, albeit controversial, step: interfering with DNS resolvers.
The court supported Canal+, obliging providers to implement technical measures to block it. As a result, providers have configured their DNS resolvers to provide invalid responses so that users cannot access blocked sites.
However, users seeking to circumvent blockages have started using alternative DNS resolvers from Cloudflare, Google, and Cisco, which until recently were not subject to interference.
For many Internet activists, interfering with public DNS resolvers is an excessive measure, but major rights holders, such as Canal+, strive to use all legal means available to them. In this case, article L333-10 of the French Sports Code (active from January 2022) allows for the requirement of proportional measures to prevent illegal broadcasting of sporting events.
According to the French publication l'informé, Google lawyer Sebastian Prouvst, after analyzing data from the anti-piracy agency Arcom, came to the conclusion that the effect of blocking will be minimal. Prouvst noted that users of pirated sites using third-party DNS resolvers account for only 0.084% of the total number of Internet users in France. Of these, only 2% will refuse to bypass the blockages, which is equivalent to about 800 people across the country.
Google has declared its intention to comply with the court decision. In a previous case in 2023, Google was already required to exclude domains from search results under the same law.
This means that users who circumvented the initial blockages by using alternative DNS services will again face blockages. This raises the question of what measures Canal+ will take next, and against whom.
In the context of the latest news, Canal+ continues to actively fight against pirated broadcasts, strengthening its position in the market and protecting the rights to exclusive content.
A French court has ruled that Google, Cloudflare and Cisco must interfere with their DNS resolvers to prevent circumvention of blockages targeting about 117 pirated sports sites. This is another step in the fight against piracy on the part of the TV company Canal+, which also received permission to completely exclude these sites from search engine results.
In a country where laws already include measures to block websites and other anti-piracy measures, Canal+ strives to make the most of its rights. Like other broadcasters with rights to broadcast sports events, Canal+ faces the problem of illegal consumption of content through pirated resources that offer it for free or at a significantly lower price.
To strengthen existing blocking efforts through local ISPs, Canal+ has taken the next logical, albeit controversial, step: interfering with DNS resolvers.
DNS manipulation at the local provider level
In 2023, Canal+ took legal action to crack down on pirated sports websites such as Footybite.co, Streamcheck. link, SportBay. sx, TVFutbol.info and Catchystream.com. The broadcaster argued that subscribers of local Internet service providers such as Orange, SFR, OutreMer Télécom, Free and Bouygues Télécom should be restricted from accessing these sites.The court supported Canal+, obliging providers to implement technical measures to block it. As a result, providers have configured their DNS resolvers to provide invalid responses so that users cannot access blocked sites.
However, users seeking to circumvent blockages have started using alternative DNS resolvers from Cloudflare, Google, and Cisco, which until recently were not subject to interference.
Interfering with public DNS resolvers
The use of third-party DNS resolvers to bypass blockages is not new, so last year Canal+ filed a lawsuit against popular public DNS providers-Cloudflare, Google and Cisco, demanding similar blocking measures from them.For many Internet activists, interfering with public DNS resolvers is an excessive measure, but major rights holders, such as Canal+, strive to use all legal means available to them. In this case, article L333-10 of the French Sports Code (active from January 2022) allows for the requirement of proportional measures to prevent illegal broadcasting of sporting events.
Google, Cloudflare, and Cisco Commit to Prevent Block circumvention
The Paris Court of Justice issued two decisions: one related to the Premier League matches, the other to the Champions League. The court ordered Google, Cloudflare and Cisco to implement measures similar to those already in place for local Internet service providers to protect the rights of Canal+. Companies must prevent their services from being used to access approximately 117 pirated domains.According to the French publication l'informé, Google lawyer Sebastian Prouvst, after analyzing data from the anti-piracy agency Arcom, came to the conclusion that the effect of blocking will be minimal. Prouvst noted that users of pirated sites using third-party DNS resolvers account for only 0.084% of the total number of Internet users in France. Of these, only 2% will refuse to bypass the blockages, which is equivalent to about 800 people across the country.
The court rejected arguments against blocking
The Paris court noted that the number of users using alternative DNS resolvers and the ease of changing them do not matter. Canal+ has the legal right to request a block if it is necessary to protect its rights.Google has declared its intention to comply with the court decision. In a previous case in 2023, Google was already required to exclude domains from search results under the same law.
This means that users who circumvented the initial blockages by using alternative DNS services will again face blockages. This raises the question of what measures Canal+ will take next, and against whom.
In the context of the latest news, Canal+ continues to actively fight against pirated broadcasts, strengthening its position in the market and protecting the rights to exclusive content.
