Roja Directa ordered to pay €31.6m to Grup Mediapro for pirating La Liga content

Roja Directa has been ordered to pay damages amounting to €31.6m to Grup Mediapro for pirating football content owned by the group.

A commercial court in Spain determined the compensation that Puerto 80 and its administrator, Igor Seoane, must pay Grup Mediapro for the damages caused by broadcasting La Liga matches, for which the associated intellectual property rights belonged to the audio visual group during the 2014/15 season.

Previously, in 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that Puerto 80 Projects and its administrator, Igor Seoane, were responsible for the illicit activities carried out by the Roja Directa website, which illegally distributed La Liga matches and generated economic benefits from this activity.

Now, the court has set compensation for the damages caused at €31.6m, of which €15.8m is jointly and severally liable to the company’s director, Igor Seoane.

Compensation was calculated based on the economic value that Puerto 80 Projects should have paid to Grup Mediapro to access to the signal.

Almost ten years after the legal proceedings began, Grup Mediapro has succeeded in securing the closure of the website in Spain and setting compensation for the infringement of related intellectual property rights.

Although access was free for users, Puerto 80 Projects generated millions of euros in revenue through advertising and commissions for redirecting traffic to sportsbook websites. Judicial expert reports from 2022 revealed revenues exceeding €11 million in just one of the company’s accounts.

Meanwhile, the director and sole administrator of Puerto 80 Projects is facing criminal proceedings, brought by Grup Mediapro and La Liga, for the ongoing illegal activity of intellectual property rights violations via Roja Directa and the profits obtained from this activity.

The prosecutor for the case, which is currently at the oral hearing stage, is seeking a four-year prison term for Puerto 80’s administrator, while Grup Mediapro and La Liga are demanding a six-year term.

Puerto 80 Projects and its administrator were required to deposit a bond of €4m to cover future liabilities, given the “special economic significance” of the profits obtained and the damages caused, according to the prosecutor’s conclusions.