Most internet users in Argentina know Fútbol Libre. For those who don’t, Fútbol Libre is the most popular free online streaming platform in Argentina.
It was also accessible from other Latin American countries, and it was used mainly to watch live soccer matches and some other sporting events.
The number of matches it offered and how easy it was to access — you didn’t even need to sign up — earned it millions of followers. But its success did not last long. Why? Because it operated in violation of copyright law.
In July 2024, after an exhaustive investigation, the Argentine authorities responsible for copyright and sports matters responded to complaints from the major sports leagues about the illegal broadcasting of copyrighted content on the Fútbol Libre platform. That response was the arrest of Ezequiel Ponce, the creator and operator of the online platform. The young man, from the city of Mendoza, Argentina, is accused of copyright infringement, as well as of distributing copyrighted material without authorization.
Is Fútbol Libre a legal business?
It can be described as a business model based on retransmitting live soccer matches without obtaining or holding the necessary licenses from the rights holders. This is a direct violation of intellectual property law in Argentina, and it affects the broadcasting industry, causing significant economic losses.
A few days after his arrest, Ezequiel Ponce was released, as the courts found that, although he was involved in the platform, there was not enough evidence to prove he was its sole or main operator. However, the platform itself remains illegal and almost inaccessible thanks to the authorities’ ongoing efforts to fight online piracy.
Nor does it have a registered trademark under which to operate.
Copyright: an essential area of intellectual property
The Fútbol Libre case helps us show why it is important to register your copyright.
Copyright is a set of rules that grant rights, which arise the moment a person creates a work. For example, someone who writes a book, a photographer who takes a picture, or a singer who writes a song: from the very moment they create it, that person acquires a right over the work, which is the fruit of their talent, creativity, and/or skill.
Copyright, therefore, is the set of rights that protect the expression of creators’ original ideas. Anyone who reproduces, distributes, or modifies a work without the author’s consent is infringing that person’s rights.
It is worth stressing that every consumer needs to be aware of the legal implications of accessing and/or sharing copyrighted content without authorization.
Fútbol Libre highlights one of the many consequences of copyright infringement. It underscores the importance of respecting intellectual property rights and the challenges authorities face in the fight against online piracy.
“The intellectual property in a literary, artistic, or scientific work belongs to its author by the mere fact of its creation.”
If you are interested in this topic, here is some suggested reading from WIPO.
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