In order to improve the current legislative framework on intellectual property rights, the plenary session of the European Parliament on Wednesday proposed some measures to eradicate the illegal broadcasting of live sporting events over the Internet.

With a vote of 479 in favor, 171 against and 40 abstentions, MEPs explained through a statement that this type of content “is currently not subject to copyright protection.”

In this sense, the initiative proposes that it be forced to eliminate this type of illegal content from Internet platforms “immediately or within a maximum period of half an hour” from the time a complaint is received from the owners of retransmission rights or other “trusted” claimants.

Similarly, they request Brussels to introduce “specific provisions” on the rights of organizers of sports competitions, for whom the retransmission agreements with television channels “are a key source of income.”

Likewise, the European Parliament maintains that actions to combat illegal broadcasts of sporting events should not be “arbitrary” or “excessive” but must respond to the principle of proportionality.

In this vein, reference is also made to legal offers to access live sports content, which should be better promoted in the EU, to facilitate access to users.

Angel Dzhambazki, MEP responsible for the resolution, asserted that the illegal broadcasting of live sporting events is a challenge of the utmost importance for the organizers since current regulations do not allow to combat the problem on time.