Landmark case in Guatemala regarding illegal streaming

By Mayora IP

Mayora IP legally advised a company that owns multiple related rights that were being infringed by a foreign party through illegal online streaming. Without authorization, the offender was consistently and continuously broadcasting sport events across multiple websites.

Live sports broadcasts are often transmitted illegally online through websites whose business model is based on subscription fees or advertising. This infringes intellectual property rights and could be a security risk for users, who could be exposed to malware or data theft, including credit card fraud.

Mayora IP filed a copyright infringement lawsuit and successfully obtained a precautionary measure before a civil court that ordered all Internet providers (backbone providers) to block access to the URLs that streamed the sport events.

To stop the infringement of the related rights, the resolution states that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in all Guatemalan territory shall “immediately block access in the country” to 28 URLs and “other websites” that can be released with the same or similar illegal purposes.

The decision specifically orders ISPs working in Guatemala to interrupt the transmission, hosting and provision of any Internet service to those URLs so that it “completely and securely prevents” the public to access them. The measure clarifies that the websites list is non-exhaustive, meaning that other URLs may be added in the future.