On 11 September 2026, LaLiga and Canal+ announced an anti-piracy partnership covering nearly 50 countries in Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti, under which they will share intelligence, coordinate enforcement strategies and act faster against illegal distribution networks. For European rights holders, it confirms a pattern in anti-piracy enforcement in Africa: private monitoring and intelligence, combined with local legal action country by country, often moves faster than waiting for courts to act alone. It matters to broadcasters, sports bodies, studios and any brand whose content or products are copied across the corridor.
Key takeaways
- The alliance pools the anti-piracy expertise, technology and enforcement capabilities of a Spanish league and a French broadcaster active in nearly 70 countries.
- It is a private agreement: it creates no new legal powers, so action still runs through each country’s courts, police and customs.
- In the 17 OAPI states, the Bangui Agreement treats pirate decoders as counterfeiting and obliges police, customs and gendarmerie to assist rights holders.
- Nigeria’s Copyright Act 2022 adds statutory takedown notices and lets the Copyright Commission block infringing sites.
- Evidence gathered by private monitoring only pays off if it meets the procedural rules of the country where you act.
What did Canal+ and LaLiga agree?
According to LaLiga’s announcement of 11 September 2026, the two organisations will combine their expertise, technologies and enforcement capabilities to share intelligence, coordinate strategies and accelerate action against illegal networks operating across several territories. The agreement builds on an existing distribution relationship between them. Both stressed the consumer angle too: illegal services expose users to data theft, malware and fraud. Piracy Monitor reported the alliance on 18 September 2026 as one spanning Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti.
The announcement does not give technical details, budgets or targets, and we do not speculate on them. What it shows is the model: two rights holders with overlapping content and markets treat piracy as a shared operational problem rather than a series of separate lawsuits.
Why private alliances matter for anti-piracy enforcement in Africa
A live match loses most of its value within hours, while infringement claims in any country take weeks or months. In Sub-Saharan Africa, rights holders also face many separate legal systems, different languages and limited case law on online piracy. A private alliance cannot replace courts, but it can do three things they cannot: monitor continuously, identify the operators behind the streams and prepare evidence before a single filing is made.
The legal tools are often already there. Two examples from the corridor:
| System | Tool available to rights holders | Source |
|---|---|---|
| OAPI (17 states, mainly French-speaking Africa) | Making or importing devices that allow unauthorised reception of encrypted broadcasts is counterfeiting | Bangui Agreement, Annex VII, Art. 71(3) |
| OAPI | Imprisonment of three months to two years and a fine of 1 to 10 million CFA francs, doubled for organised gangs or repeat offenders | Annex VII, Arts. 73-74 |
| OAPI | Police, customs and gendarmerie must assist rights holders; seizure with approval of the prosecutor or judge, and court referral within 15 days | Annex VII, Arts. 79, 80 and 82 |
| OAPI | Customs detention on written request, lifted after 10 working days unless proceedings are shown | Annex VII, Art. 83 |
| Nigeria | Written takedown notices to service providers, which must remove content and prevent re-upload | Copyright Act 2022, ss. 54-55 |
| Nigeria | The Nigerian Copyright Commission may block or disable access to infringing content or websites | Copyright Act 2022, s. 61 |
The Bangui Agreement as revised on 14 December 2015, in force since 14 November 2020 according to OAPI, describes Annex VII on literary and artistic property as a minimum framework, so national laws may add more. Nigeria’s Copyright Act 2022 dates from 17 March 2023 according to the official text published by the Commission.
What this means for your business
- Map where your content or products are copied and which legal system applies in each market: OAPI, national law or both.
- Secure your title first: chain-of-rights documents for content, registered trade marks for brands, and licences that allow your local partners to act.
- Set up monitoring that produces evidence usable in court: dated captures, test purchases and records of who operates what.
- Choose the forum country by country: takedown notices, customs requests, criminal complaints or civil seizures.
- Consider allies. Distributors, broadcasters and collective management organisations often share the same infringers and, under Annex VII, collective organisations and professional associations have standing to act.
If you need this coordinated across several countries, our cross-border IP enforcement and anti-piracy team can plan the actions and work with local correspondents. For the rights themselves, see our copyright and digital works service.
When to bring in an adviser
- Evidence that does not travel. Screenshots gathered abroad may not satisfy the court where you act; plan the format with local counsel first.
- Missing short deadlines. Under Annex VII a seizure can be released if the case is not referred within 15 days, and customs detentions lapse after 10 working days.
- Unclear chain of rights. Licences that do not expressly allow local enforcement leave distributors unable to sue.
- Acting market by market without a plan. Separate advisers in each country rarely share intelligence, which is exactly what this alliance tries to fix.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Canal+ and LaLiga alliance create new legal powers?
No. It is a private cooperation agreement to share intelligence and coordinate enforcement. Any blocking, seizure or prosecution still depends on the law and the authorities of each country concerned. Its value lies in identifying infringers faster and preparing evidence so that local actions can be filed quickly and consistently.
Can I stop pirate decoders and IPTV boxes in OAPI countries?
Annex VII of the Bangui Agreement treats the manufacture or import of devices that allow unauthorised reception of encrypted broadcasts as counterfeiting, punishable with imprisonment and fines. Rights holders can ask for seizures and customs detention, but each action is brought in the member state concerned, through its courts and authorities.
Can IP Global Guard coordinate anti-piracy actions in Africa?
Yes. We assess your rights and evidence, choose the right tool in each country and coordinate qualified local correspondents for takedowns, customs requests and court actions, from a single point of contact. We do not have our own offices in Africa; we manage the work as one strategy across Europe, Latin America and Africa.
How IP Global Guard can help you act against piracy
The lesson from this alliance is coordination: intelligence, evidence and local action working together. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, coordinates enforcement with one strategy and one billing relationship across more than 25 jurisdictions; see our coverage in Europe, Latin America and Africa.
Tell us which content or brands are being copied and in which countries. We will map the legal tools available in each and propose a coordinated plan. Get in touch with our enforcement team.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the situation on its publication date.
Sources
- LaLiga, Canal+ and LaLiga sign a landmark agreement to combat sports content piracy (11 September 2026)
- Piracy Monitor, Canal+ and LaLiga enter anti-piracy alliance (18 September 2026)
- OAPI, Bangui Agreement as revised on 14 December 2015, English text, Annex VII
- OAPI, History of the organisation (entry into force of the 2015 revision on 14 November 2020)
- Nigerian Copyright Commission, Copyright Act 2022 (17 March 2023)
