Mediapro welcomes ‘landmark’ piracy sentence

Spanish broadcaster and producer Mediapro has welcomed what it describes as a landmark penalty and prison sentence imposed by a Málaga court on individuals behind a pirate network that sold decoders that accessed pirated premium football content. 

The court levied fines totalling €500,000 on the outfit and sentenced its administrator to six months in prison for illicitly distributing rights-protected content. Mediapro received €200,000 in compensation, as did La Liga, while EGEDA received €20,000. The three individuals accused of running the service were ordered to pay legal costs in addition to being fined. 

The company involved in the piracy has agreed to work within the law and work with legitimate licensees of the pirated content in the future. The unnamed network spanned the cities of Benalmádena, Estepona, Fuengirola, Guadacorte, Guadiaro, Marbella, Mijas, Málaga and Torremolinos.

Mediapro said that it and La Liga had reinforced the struggle against piracy and illicit consumption of rights-protected content by securing this verdict.