Naples – The European challenge to digital piracy begins in Naples. During the conference "Stop Piracy. European Cooperation to Combat Piracy," organized by Agcom and Parthenope University, a common path was outlined between authorities, institutions, and industry professionals to build a "European shield" against the so-called pezzotto, the illegal distribution of audiovisual content.
"Today in Naples, the foundations were laid for a European-level synergy to combat the cancer of piracy," said Massimiliano Capitanio, Commissioner of AGCOM. "The conference compared the best Italian, French, and Spanish experiences, highlighting the possibility of joint action in line with the European Digital Services Act regulation."
Capitanio highlighted the results achieved with Piracy Shield, the system developed by Agcom and the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Financial Police) that allows for the real-time blocking of illegal broadcasts: "In just a few minutes, 12.000 IP addresses and 56.000 FQDNs were blocked, with 2.200 users already fined. But that's not enough: now we need coordinated action with VPN and DNS providers, tools often used to circumvent controls and hide copyright infringements."
European alliances
The conference was attended by representatives of Confindustria Radio Tv, Asstel, Lega Serie A, the Spanish LaLiga, Google, AIIP, and the Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Guardia di Finanza, the Postal Police, and the French authority Arcom.
It might interest you
Cooperation between European authorities, explains Agcom, is an essential element of the new regulatory framework outlined by the Digital Services Act (DSA), which strengthens supervisory tools and holds online platforms accountable for preventing the spread of illegal content.
Naples, European laboratory
The Neapolitan meeting also provided an opportunity for discussion between academia and industry. Parthenope University hosted experts, lawyers, and representatives of the major legal streaming platforms, emphasizing that the fight against piracy is not just a technological issue, but also a cultural and economic one.
"The fight against pezzotto not only protects the rights of broadcasters and producers, but also safeguards thousands of jobs and an entire economic ecosystem," Capitanio emphasized, expressing his hope that Naples can become "the reference point for a European cooperation network against digital piracy."
Comments (1)
The article addresses the important issue of digital piracy, but it's unclear whether the proposed measures are sufficient. More concrete action is needed, not just words. Let's hope for tangible results in protecting copyright.