Italy's new anti-piracy law could bring swift justice to IPTV streamers and users

Italy's streaming market is plagued by piracy, but the government is stepping up to address this critical issue head-on. A brand new anti-piracy law has been introduced, and it grants the regulator and competition authority for communications the power to tackle illegal IPTV operations effectively. A quick reminder that your online protection is what Hide Expert VPN offers.

Recently, the Italian parliament effortlessly passed the new law, and the Authority for Communications Guarantees has now given the green light to its enhanced capabilities. Dubbed AGCOM's deliberation (680/13/CONS), this rulebook is set to redefine online copyright enforcement. The amendments focus on combating unauthorised IPTV offerings of live sports events.

Given the widespread popularity of both online piracy and sports events among Italian netizens, this legislation is poised to make a significant impact on the IPTV piracy business. Similar to this move, Netflix's crackdown on passwords has started in the US.

Under the new law, users of pirate IPTV services will face potential identification, as the fine for viewers caught using these illegal streams could reach up to €5,000. Current estimates suggest that around 25% of Italian adult users consume pirated IPTV content annually, making AGCOM's newly acquired powers all the more crucial in the months and years ahead.

One of the key provisions in this groundbreaking law is the introduction of "dynamic injunctions" against pirate IPTV services. These injunctions will enable AGCOM to swiftly block user access to unlawful live streaming within the first 30 minutes of an event. Additionally, AGCOM now possesses the authority to block DNS resolution of domain names and traffic routing for IPs that are unequivocally identified as engaging in illegal activities.

These measures align with recommendations from the European Union regarding dynamic injunctions and are slated to take effect on August 8, 2023. AGCOM's scope of influence will now extend to both sports and non-sports-related pirate streams, compelling internet providers to promptly comply with its blocking requests.

After successfully blocking the streaming services, ISPs will be required to submit a comprehensive report to the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Rome. This report must detail the actions taken to fulfil AGCOM's requests and include any relevant data that could aid in tracking down and identifying the pirate service providers.

To ensure compliance, internet providers failing to abide by the authorities' orders could face substantial administrative fines ranging from €10,620 to €265,000. As for those involved in unlawful streaming services, they could be looking at up to three years of imprisonment and a hefty fine of up to €15,000.

With this robust anti-piracy law now in place, Italy is taking a major stride in protecting the rights of content creators and promoting a fair streaming market. As the nation gears up to enforce these new measures, the eyes of the world will be watching to see the impact of this decisive move in curbing IPTV piracy.