LaLiga Demands Testimony from Google and Huawei in NewPlay Piracy Case

• Google and Huawei are to testify in court following accusations of generating profit from a piracy scheme.
• Apple is also among the giants accused of generating profit from the reportedly copyright-infringing app.
• A criminal investigation involving the NewPlay IPTV app alleges app stores failed to disable the installed versions on user devices.

Google and Huawei were ordered to testify in a criminal investigation involving the IPTV app, NewPlay. The app, downloaded nearly 900,000 times in Spain during 2021, allegedly provided access to pirated audiovisual content through M3U playlists. 

The app’s developer, ITECH SLU, is under judicial scrutiny, sparking debates over the culpability of major tech firms in facilitating piracy.

Accusing Google, Apple, and Huawei of failing to disable copies of NewPlay on users’ devices after court-ordered removal from app stores, Spain's premier football league is actively pursuing criminal liability for what it describes as non-compliance.

By labeling Google and Huawei as "profit-making participants" in the piracy scheme, LaLiga has prompted the Spanish court to demand testimony from executives at Google Ireland LTD and Google Commerce Limited. 

Huawei is also required to testify, although Apple is notably absent from the latest legal proceedings.

NewPlay's legal team denies piracy allegations, claiming that the app does not host pre-loaded playlists or links to copyrighted material. They further argue that NewPlay does not directly produce or share pirated content. 

However, LaLiga highlights that the app served as a tool for users to access unauthorized streams of football matches and other broadcast content.

A key legal point under debate is whether football matches qualify for copyright protection under EU law. While NewPlay’s defense contests this, LaLiga argues that other protected elements, such as logos and broadcast graphics, clearly violate copyright.

LaLiga claims this partial compliance has enabled ongoing piracy and calls for punitive measures against the directors of these tech companies.

LaLiga's aggressive anti-piracy efforts extend beyond NewPlay. The organization alleged Cloudflare contributes to IPTV piracy and has secured judicial support for blocking Cloudflare IP addresses. However, Cloudflare contests these actions, arguing it was not allowed to defend itself in court.