Serie A League Receives Financial Compensation from Pirated Broadcast Users

The Italian Serie A football league has received the first installments of financial compensation from individuals convicted of illegally watching audiovisual content. Each identified user paid €1,000 as part of a settlement agreement. This development follows the Italian financial crime police successfully identifying these users within the framework of a criminal proceeding issued by Italy's Lecce court to combat digital piracy.

Under these legal measures, identified individuals also face additional administrative penalties from the competent Italian authorities, along with the possibility of fines reaching up to €5,000 as stipulated by law. These recovered amounts are part of a broader campaign led by the league to protect its broadcasting rights, noting that this batch of compensation claims is just the beginning of its intensive efforts to pursue intellectual property infringers.

Luigi De Siervo, CEO of the Serie A League, affirmed, "Anyone who uses illegal devices or watches matches unlawfully via applications, pirated internet protocols, or virtual private networks must know that they will be identified by the competent authorities. They will be required to pay fines of up to €5,000 as per the law, in addition to an extra €1,000 to the league as compensation for damages." De Siervo emphasized that the league will not tolerate any form of piracy that harms the sports system.