ProtonVPN forced to block 31 illegal streaming sites in France
After Internet service providers and search engines, VPNs are now in the crosshairs of rights holders.
Indeed, the Paris Judicial Court has ordered Proton AG, the parent company of ProtonVPN, to block 31 websites that illegally broadcast sporting events, at the request of Canal+ and the National Rugby League.
This decision marks a strategic turning point in the regulation of online piracy and, following a possible ban in France, raises the question of the technical and legal role of VPN services in the European digital ecosystem…
31 Premier League and Top 14 websites targeted
The Technical Puzzle of Territorial Blocking
Unlike other players recently targeted in Europe, ProtonVPN chose to defend itself in French court.
The Swiss company presented five lines of defense, focusing on challenging territorial jurisdiction, demanding proof of Canal+'s rights, incompatibility with the European Net Neutrality Regulation, violation of WTO rules, and the technical impossibility of a block limited to France.
It was this last point that was at the heart of the matter, as ProtonVPN argued that a VPN, by its very nature, does not have the same mechanisms as an internet service provider to restrict access. Blocking to a single territory. A French injunction could therefore, according to the company, result in an unintentional global block.
For its part, the court ruled that these difficulties were not supported by quantified and verifiable technical evidence, thus rejecting the argument. The same fate befell the argument based on net neutrality, deemed too imprecise in its formulation.
Proton has already announced its intention to take the matter before the highest European court. A new legal battle is therefore beginning, as VPNs, in turn, become a strategic link in the fight against online sports piracy…
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