LaLiga, the organising body of Spanish club football, has joined forces with the US government and a number of major sports leagues to draw up a “global coalition constitution” to tackle the issue of piracy of audiovisual content.
LaLiga said the global coalition initiative was forged following a meeting held in Washington D.C.
Ignacio Trujillo, LaLiga’s managing director of innovation and global development, attended the meeting, which also drew representation from US government officials such as Daniel Marti, intellectual property enforcement coordinator at the White House.
A host of top sports leagues and organisations were also in attendance. Representatives included Kevin Plumb, head of legal services for the English Premier League; Ayala Deutsch, executive vice-president at the National Basketball Association; Dolores DiBella, counsel for the National Football League; Amy Gold, litigation counsel for Major League Baseball; William Ordower, executive vice-president at Major League Soccer; Tom Prochnow, vice-president at the National Hockey League; Harrison Whitman, general counsel for Top Rank Boxing and Dylan Budd, vice-president at the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
LaLiga said the global coalition constitution will also include other affected organisations, such as sponsors, and will seek to fight against pirate sites offering illegal access to sporting content.
LaLiga said in a statement: “The league representatives have made strides in the struggle against piracy, which is one of the main challenges facing the major sporting leagues across the globe, and a united front has been identified as a key element in bringing an end to this practice.
“LaLiga is committed to continuing to work alongside the world's major sporting leagues to overcome this issue, with a view to ensuring that the LaLiga product continues to maintain its rightful value within the marketplace.”