MPA presses for VPNs to have a role in anti-piracy row in Europe chiara.castro@futurenet.com (Chiara Castro) | usagoldmines.com

• The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is pressing for VPN providers, proxies, and Content Delivery Systems to cooperate with anti-piracy measures
• The MPA also urges the EU to adopt an automated system that can block pirated content in real-time, without the need for court approval
• Italy and France have already begun forcing some VPN and DNS services to block access to illegal streaming sites

After sports streaming groups, the movie industry is now pressing for VPN providers, proxies, and Content Delivery Systems to help combat online piracy in Europe.

The Motion Picture Association (MPA), a group representing Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros., and other major streaming giants, urges European countries to adopt an automated system that can block pirated content in real-time, without requiring court approval. Crucially, the MPA demands that VPN and other intermediary services must cooperate by actively blocking illegal streaming content.

This comes only a few days after Canal+ scored a legal victory in France, as some of the best VPN service providers were ordered to block access to 203 domains linked to illegal sports streaming sites.

MPA demands

Responding to a 2023 inquiry from the EU Commission, the MPA submitted some detailed remarks on May 25, 2025 – as first reported by Torrent Freak.

Specifically, the group pointed out that, while the EU framework currently grants rights-holders some powerful tools, there are existing inconsistencies among EU countries in implementing blocking laws to successfully tackle copyright infringements.

“Focus should be placed on ensuring their effective implementation across all EU Member States,” wrote the MPA in a letter.

One way to do that, according to the group, is enabling rights-holders to act quickly when copyright infringements occur, especially when it comes to live content.

“MPA is therefore supportive of automated effective site-blocking mechanisms that can be updated in real-time with appropriate safeguards to address emerging infringing streams,” said the group, mentioning real-time blocks already in place across Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Brazil.

To do so, however, not only should internet service providers (ISPs) play a key role in blocking pirated content. The MPA also pressures for cooperation from all other service providers that may connect users to piracy sites.

“This includes reverse proxy providers, content delivery networks (CDNs), hosting providers, VPNs, and search engines,” said MPA.

VPNs, DNS services warn against the risk of blocking orders

Short for Domain Name System, a DNS server acts as the Internet phone book by translating users’ requests into strings of numbers – IP addresses – to connect them with the right websites on the web. A DNS also plays a key role in how a Content Delivery Network (CDN) works to enable efficient traffic routing and optimize content delivery.

A virtual private network (VPN) is a security software that masks users’ real IP addresses. While this skill is crucial to bypass strict government-imposed internet restrictions, it can also be used as a workaround to current anti-piracy tactics that involve blocking access to piracy sites based on users’ browsing location.

This is why, according to the MPA: “Failing to involve these actors undermines the effectiveness of dynamic injunctions, as pirates increasingly rely on them to obscure their infrastructure and evade enforcement.”

While asking CDN, DNS, and VPNs to block illegal content seems to be the way to go for rights-holders, these providers have been warning that these measures could damage the infrastructure upon which the internet is built on.

As a recent report pointed out, in fact, internet blocking can lead to overblocking incidents and internet fragmentation. In Italy, for example, the country’s Piracy Shield system caused widespread service outages on other platforms such as Google Drive.

This is why, according to leading DNS and CDN provider Cloudflare, “network blocking is never going to be the solution” and suggested we should think of any internet block as internet censorship.

Tensions between rights-holders and internet services have now escalated as VPN services enter the fray. As mentioned earlier, a French Court recently ordered five VPN providers to block access to over 200 illegal sports sites. Italy has shared plans to extend anti-piracy obligations to DNS and VPN providers, too.

The VPN industry, however, warns that this creates “a dangerous precedent,” which could have a chilling effect on all the people using these services to protect their privacy and security.

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• “A dangerous precedent” – The VPN industry reacts to France’s order to block illegal streaming sites
• Experts warn against the risks of growing internet blocking
• “Network blocking is never going to be the solution” – Cloudflare slams anti-piracy tactics