In a recent decision, a Canadian Federal Court judge ruled that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are required to block access to IPTV services during NHL games. This follows a similar order at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 season which mandated a blockade of a single service.
As initially reported by TorrentFreak, ISPs are obligated to “block or attempt to block each of the IP Addresses for the Target Servers”. These include identified IPTV services detailed in a confidential schedule within a Public Order issued by the federal court.
The previous year witnessed a landmark decision by Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal. The court upheld a ruling to block access to a prominent IPTV site, primarily to prevent unauthorized streaming of NHL games.
Canadian Federal Court Upholds Ruling to Block GoldTV
This year’s order has a broader scope. It encompasses numerous IPTV services that all ISPs are required to comply with. The push for this blockade was spearheaded by prominent media organizations, including Rogers, Bell, and The Sports Network.
These companies requested the courts to extend the decision from the 2021-2022 season to cover the current NHL games. Despite the NHL season being in progress, the media entities have actively pursued this matter at the federal level.
To evaluate the implementation of the initial order, the court appointed an independent expert, David Lipkus, to conduct a review. Mr. Lipkus found that 90% of third-party respondents successfully blocked all tested IP addresses. Additionally, no legitimate complaints related to the blocking were received from individuals or businesses.
Based on insights from Mr. Lipkus and another expert, Mr. Jon Wilkins, Federal Judge Jocelyne Gagné determined that the overall supply of infringing copyrighted content had been reduced. Considering the independent reviews and other collected data, the court issued the following order:
the Defendants are ordered, by themselves or by their employees, representatives and agents, or by any company, partnership, trust, entity or person under their authority or control, or with which they are associated or affiliated, to immediately cease providing unauthorized access to live streams of NHL Live Games in Canada, including by directly or indirectly operating, maintaining, and/or promoting unauthorized streaming servers that provide or
facilitate access to live streams of NHL Live Games in Canada…
The complete injunction issued by the Federal Court’s Associate Chief Justice Jocelyne Gagné is available for review below.
IPTV services have faced increased scrutiny recently. Many have been shut down, and end-users have been subjected to fines.
Italian Police Fine IPTV Users After Tracking IP Addresses
SmoothStreams IPTV Shut Down by ACE/MPA
In light of this recent Canadian ruling, it remains to be seen whether similar site-blocking measures will be adopted by other countries or courts to restrict streaming access.
What are your thoughts on the site-blocking initiatives implemented in Canada? We encourage you to share your opinions in the comment section below!
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