The conflict between technology companies and LaLiga has reached a new level with the filing of an appeal for protection by RootedCON and other affected parties before the Constitutional Court. The measure follows several months of massive IP address blocking, dictated by court rulings at the request of LaLiga and Telefónica, seeking to combat the illegal broadcasting of football matches.
These blocks have not only impacted allegedly infringing websites, but have also dragged down numerous completely legal services and pages., from online stores and forums to platforms like Steam, X, Redsys, and even institutional sites like Madrid City Council or public administration websites. The problem lies in the use of shared IP addresses, where the shutdown of a single address ends up affecting hundreds or thousands of websites unrelated to piracy.
An appeal for fundamental rights and a request for precautionary measures
RootedCON, organizer of one of the largest cybersecurity conferences in Spain, along with companies like Cloudflare and various users, have decided to take action after exhausting other unsuccessful legal avenues. The Barcelona commercial court previously rejected their appeals, finding that no damages had been proven, and issued a final judgment. This ruling upheld the nationwide blocking order for thousands of IP addresses, in line with the strategy outlined by LaLiga under Javier Tebas.
The appeal for protection to the Constitutional Court alleges that The judicial measures adopted lack proportionality, transparency and guarantees, restricting access to legitimate users and setting a serious precedent for rights such as freedom of expression and information, protected by the Spanish Constitution. The hope is that the Constitutional Court's ruling will help balance these rights and ensure a more fair and proportional use of these blocks.
Side effects and social debate
La The impact is not limited to individual users or digital businesses.Media outlets, home automation platforms, popular forums, and essential resources have seen their operations disrupted for hours or even days, especially on weekends during football matches. The technical reports presented in the appeals demonstrate cascading economic losses, reputational damage, and human rights violations that worsen with each new day of blockages.
According to the appellants' argument, The judicial system has ignored fundamental rights in favor of fighting piracyThe judge's refusal to assess the severity of the impact on digital society has led many to consider such orders "practices typical of authoritarian regimes," as RootedCON warns in its statements.
LaLiga's responses and political reaction
LaLiga, for its part, maintains that the measures are protected by current intellectual property legislation. and that the judicial action confirms that no guarantees were violated and no direct damages to the plaintiffs have been proven. The organization insists that the court ruling was final and in accordance with the law, and therefore expresses respect for the affected parties' decision to appeal to the Constitutional Court, although it notes that the case must still go through the admission process.
The matter has even reached the Congress of DeputiesRepresentative Néstor Rego (BNG) has presented an initiative urging the government to assess the legality and impact of the blockages, demanding greater control and transparency on the internet and respect for digital rights. Meanwhile, government agencies and the technology sector remain without a clear response from the Ministry of Digital Transformation.