Paris court blocks Spliiit Ligue 1+ account sharing
A Paris court has ordered subscription-sharing platform Spliiit to remove Ligue 1+ sharing listings and stop using the service’s branding, handing the LFP Group an early legal win in its push to protect streaming revenues.
The Paris Judicial Court has ordered Spliiit to stop facilitating account sharing for Ligue 1+ after finding the platform’s activity created a “manifestly unlawful disturbance” for the LFP Group and caused direct commercial harm to its streaming service.The ruling, issued in summary judgment on April 15, targets Spliiit’s model of connecting subscribers to paid digital services with other users to share access, a practice the court said conflicted with Ligue 1+ contractual rules.The court held that Spliiit encouraged subscribers to breach Ligue 1+ Terms of Service, which explicitly prohibit sharing outside the household via third-party platforms, and criticised Spliiit for presenting the practice as lawful to users.The judge also found a likely infringement of the “LIGUE 1+” trademark, concluding that Spliiit’s use of the marks to promote subscription-sharing offers unlawfully exploited LFP Group intellectual property.To halt the conduct, the court ordered Spliiit to remove all Ligue 1+ subscription-sharing offers from its website and mobile app immediately, with a €300 per day penalty for delays.Spliiit is also prohibited from offering the service or using the “Ligue 1+” trademarks, again backed by a €300 per day penalty, and the platform was ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings.The decision strengthens the LFP Group’s position as it tries to protect the value of French football’s rights and exclusive content, at a time when leagues are increasingly focused on limiting leakage from password sharing and unauthorised redistribution.It also signals that courts may treat facilitation platforms differently from casual household sharing, particularly when the intermediary markets the practice, provides matching functionality and reassures users about legality.The case is likely to be watched closely by other European rights holders and subscription services evaluating similar actions against third-party account-sharing marketplaces, as they try to improve conversion and retention for their direct-to-consumer products.