Open clash between Serie A and Cloudflare: 'Threats don't help'

On piracy, the Lega Serie A has decided to carry out 'a fight without quarter'. This is a concept that Lega Serie A chief executive Luigi De Siervo intends to relaunch even more strongly following the clash with Cloudflare. The US company, one of the world's leaders in Cdn (content distribution networks via the Internet), was hit with a 14 million fine decided by Agcom for repeated violations of online copyright protection regulations. Over the weekend, CEO Matthew Prince commented on X with harsh statements and references to possible stops to investments and services on the Italian market.

Unacceptable statements, De Siervo replied to the Sole 24 Ore. 'All I saw was a lot of aggression and a sense of superiority over a system of European rules. No company can think it is above the law'. For the Serie A ad, the issue is not technical, but one of responsibility. 'When talking about digital infrastructure there is a tendency to confuse the neutral role of technology with the use that is made of it. No one is being asked here to censor content, but simply to prevent certain technical infrastructures from being used to enable or facilitate illegal activities'. And on Cloudflare's threats, he is clear: 'Evoking retaliation or revenge does not help confrontation, rather it gives the measure of an arrogant approach'.

De Siervo then broadens his gaze to the global context: 'Online piracy is an industry worth billions of dollars. Countering it has nothing to do with freedom of speech or geopolitical issues: it is all about huge profits built on illegality'. He adds: 'As the full cooperation of many other infrastructure providers proves, blocking illegal flows in a quick and targeted manner is possible. What is needed, however, is cooperation'.

For this reason, the Lega Serie A, summarised the CEO, has decided to continue to invest with conviction in the fight against pirated content. After all, an important part of the value of production for Serie A (38% according to the latest Figc Report) comes from revenues from TV and radio rights. And it is no coincidence that there are letters in the offing, with a dry request for damages, addressed to the pirates identified in the investigations carried out by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Gdf. "We are sending out over two thousand letters in which we ask for one thousand euro to those who have been identified by the Guardia di Finanza as users of illegal platforms. We consider this a necessary step to make it clear that there are no longer any grey areas'.

The heart of the message is the end of anonymity. "There is still the illusion of being invisible, but every digital violation leaves precise and indelible traces," De Siervo points out. "But instead, even years later, those traces can be reconstructed and lead to a sanction." And there is a further risk, which is often ignored: 'Every time you carry out an illegal online transaction you hand over your data to opaque circuits, which can use or resell them'.