Blog Post

ARTICLE: Brazil football event – streaming reality

AAPA

7th January 2015

The following article appeard in EU Observatory News. You can download the full newsletter here

Many football fans and commentators alike have described this year’s World Cup as one of the most exciting tournaments in the history of the competition. That is a view which is certainly supported by the record numbers of television viewers who followed the action and by the illegal streaming. Let’s examine some figures here... though fully audited figures have to be released, the findings of anti-streaming campaigns already revealed that over the course of the tournament, 20 million fans watched games on illegal websites. Other data collected from the campaigns show that 60 % of viewers unlawfully streamed at least one match on line during the event and the Final was seen by nearly 600 000 illegal viewers. All in all, intelligent security tools deployed during the World Cup revealed that the scale of piracy was such that between 100 000 and 500 000 people tuned in to each game illegally!

Social media networks also played a critical role during the football competition both in positive and negative manner. According to Twitter, there were 618,725 tweets per minute at the end of the final match, which is a social media record. However, security solutions could identify that several of these networks were used by specific piracy groups and links. There is no more need at this stage to demonstrate that piracy IS a reality. The figures show operators and right owners that it is possible to track and fight back via intelligent tools sending take down notices to sites featuring unauthorized content. These solutions will continue to improve over time. In parallel, the fight should also be led by all actors. Not only by the security solution providers, but also by right owners and operators who could for instance make available legal streaming services in order to maximize viewing possibilities for subscribers.

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) con- tinues its mission in that respect, gathering from its members all data, raising awareness, closely working with enforcement bodies, with EU representatives and OHIM.

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Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance 2024-2029 EU Manifesto

by AAPA • 1 October 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) publishes its first Manifesto, linked here . The document aims to recognise past efforts of EU legislators when it comes to content protection and the fight against copyright infringement, whilst admitting that more can and should be done to address this growing issue. Miruna Herovanu, Executive Director of AAPA said : " After years of laying the groundwork to combat online piracy it’s time for EU policymakers and beyond to fully acknowledge that decisive, targeted measures are needed at the European level. The rise of digital theft demands action. We call for strong political resolve to end the theft of our members' content. We're ready to support every stakeholder—law enforcement, policymakers, and industry representatives—to dismantle criminal networks and protect European consumers from harm."

AAPA ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

by AAPA • 28 May 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) has announced the appointment of Miruna Herovanu as its Executive Director. Miruna was previously the Director at the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand in Europe in charge of Intellectual Property and Competition policies. She took up her position with AAPA on 27 May 2024 and will be based in Brussels. Miruna will replace Sheila Cassells who is retiring as Executive Vice President of AAPA and will report on a day-to-day basis to the two Co-Presidents, Mark Mulready, VP of Cyber Services at Irdeto and Oliver Pribramksy, Head of IP Protection and Committees at the Deutsche Fussball Liga. She will be responsible for the implementation of the strategy agreed by AAPA members, managing relationships with law enforcement agencies such as Europol, Eurojust, INTERPOL and the European Institutions, delivery of AAPA’s Working Group goals and general management of the Alliance. Mark Mulready said that: “We are delighted to appoint someone of Miruna’s calibre and experience to become the Executive Director of AAPA. Miruna’s commitment to copyright protection is well-known. Her knowledge of the Brussels institutions and the EUIPO will stand AAPA in good stead for future policy developments. A priority will be for Miruna to work closely with AAPA members, the EUIPO and the European Institutions to deliver on, inter alia, the goals of combatting online piracy of sports and other live events recommendation.” Miruna Herovanu commented that: “My professional experience demonstrated that piracy is an ever-growing issue that eats at the heart of Europe’s most important industries. This is a golden opportunity and a new professional challenge that will help further develop my passion for and commitment to protecting copyright. Being able to work with and support industry experts and practitioners in AAPA, law enforcement, the European Institutions and other trade associations is essential to the fight against piracy. I am excited to be taking on this role.”