Premier League Targets Streaming Pirates with Cloudflare Subpoena

• The Premier League has obtained a DMCA subpoena against Cloudflare in the United States.
• This subpoena focuses on 38 pirate streaming site domains and an April 3 compliance deadline.
• It demands Cloudflare to provide comprehensive identifying information about account holders linked to these sites.

The Premier League has intensified its battle against illegal streaming services that threaten its multibillion-pound broadcast rights. This time, it turned its focus to Cloudflare that delivers DNS services and enables shielding the hosting locations of websites, including those facilitating piracy.

Through its U.S.-based law firm, the Premier League recently sought a DMCA subpoena from a California federal court. This subpoena focuses on 38 pirate streaming site domains, such as “totalsportek.space,” some of which attract millions of visitors monthly, and has an April 3 deadline for Cloudflare’s compliance.

The subpoena demands that Cloudflare provide comprehensive identifying information about account holders linked to these sites, including names, physical addresses, IP addresses, email addresses, financial details, and account history. 

With this information, the Premier League aims to reveal and pursue key players behind the illegal streaming operations. 

Before opting for the subpoena, the Premier League sent a takedown notice to Cloudflare, requesting the removal or disabling of accounts associated with piracy.

Many football fans turn to unauthorized pirate streaming services to watch games, circumventing official paid services. To counter this challenge, the Premier League has pursued legal action, resulting in website blocking orders, lawsuits, and even prison sentences for offenders.

Recognizing that pirate sites often rely on Cloudflare’s services, which hide their hosting providers and operational details, the Premier League has now taken legal steps to unveil the identities of these operators.

The League argued that these sites would continue infringing on its copyrights throughout the season, causing ongoing financial losses. Despite this notice, Cloudflare did not disable the accounts, leaving the sites operational.

The Premier League’s legal maneuver now shifts to compelling Cloudflare to release detailed user data through the subpoena. Cloudflare has been known to comply with such legal requests, though whether the disclosed information can pinpoint individuals behind the operations remains uncertain. 

In February, Cloudflare filed a legal motion in Spain to challenge the "disproportionate" piracy site-blocking measures enforced by LaLiga, Spain's top football league, seeking a ruling to declare these practices illegal.