MotoGP has just won a crucial battle in its fight against sports piracy in Europe. On March 28, 2025, the Paris Judicial Court issued a resounding decision: Cloudflare, the American giant of DNS, CDN, and reverse proxy services, was deemed a "technical intermediary" and held liable for illegal broadcasts of MotoGP via its infrastructure. The result? The company must block, within three days, access to 14 sites identified by Canal+ (the rights holder in France) that are broadcasting the championship without authorization, throughout France. This is a victory for Dorna Sports, organizer of MotoGP, at a time when the popularity of motorcycle racing is exploding in France—and with it, piracy.
MotoGP has just won a major victory in its fight against piracy, with a landmark ruling by the Paris Judicial CourtThe latter judged Cloudflare, the American giant specializing in internet traffic management, as technically responsible for the illegal broadcasting of content, and forced it to block websites illegally broadcasting MotoGP races in France.
Since the rise of the quarries of Johann zarco et fabio quartararo, interest in the MotoGP en France has continued to grow. The grandstands of the circuit Mans are regularly full, despite the lack of competitive motorcycles for these French riders.
For Dorna, this decision represents a crucial step in protecting its broadcasting rights.
However, this popularity has also led to an explosion of illegal streaming, whether on pirate sites or through unofficial channels. This is where Dorna, the organizer of the MotoGP world championship, intervened by bringing the case before the French courts.
The decision of Paris Judicial Court imposes on Cloudflare to block these illegal broadcasts starting next April. The American company argued that implementing these blocks was technically complex and expensive, but this justification was rejected by the court. Dorna, this decision represents a crucial step in the protection of its broadcasting rights and in the fight against digital piracy.
This decision could well have repercussions far beyond the FranceIf followed by other European and international jurisdictions, it could complicate the task of pirates seeking to illegally broadcast sporting events. In any case, this legal victory sends a strong message and a warning to those involved in sports piracy worldwide.
