The streaming portal Roja Directa has been ordered to compensate the production company Mediapro with 31.6 million euros for having pirated football content.
The Commercial Court No. 2 of A Coruña has established the compensation that Puerto 80 and its administrator, Igor Seoane, must compensate Mediapro for the damages caused by the broadcast of La Liga matches whose related intellectual property rights belonged to the audiovisual group during the 2014-2015 season, according to a press release released by Mediapro.
Previously, in 2022, the Supreme Court declared Puerto 80 Projects and its administrator, Igor Seoane, responsible for the illicit activities carried out by the Roja Directa website, illegally distributing La Liga matches and obtaining great economic benefits from it. Now, the Court of A Coruña has established compensation for the damages caused of 31.6 million euros, of which its administrator, Igor Seoane, is jointly responsible for 15.8 million.
The compensation calculation has been made based on the economic consideration that Puerto 80 Projects should have paid to Grup Mediapro to have access to the signal. “Almost 10 years after the start of the judicial proceedings, Grup Mediapro has managed to close the website in Spain and establish compensation for the infringement of related Intellectual Property rights,” states the press release.
The Roja Directa website gave access in Spain to illegal content that violated intellectual property rights through links that allowed people to watch live Spanish league matches and other sports content that was broadcast on pay television. Although access was free for the user, Puerto 80 Projects obtained million-dollar income through advertising and charging commissions for diverting traffic to sports betting house websites. Judicial expert reports from 2022 showed income of more than 11 million euros in just one of the company’s accounts.
At the same time, the person responsible and sole administrator of Puerto 80 Projects is facing criminal proceedings, promoted by Grup Mediapro and La Liga, for a continued crime against intellectual property through Roja Directa and for the benefits obtained from this illegal activity.
The prosecutor of the process, which is in the oral trial phase, requests four years in prison for the administrator of Puerto 80. Grup Mediapro and La Liga request six years in prison. Puerto 80 Projects and its administrator should have deposited a bond of 4 million euros to face future liabilities given the “special economic significance” of the profits obtained and the damages caused, according to the prosecutor’s conclusions. “Puerto 80 Projects continues with its illegal activities outside of Spain,” indicates the press release.
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