European broadcasters are stepping up the fight against signal piracy by calling for immediate international action. In a united front, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT), and the Association of European Radios (AER) have released a joint position paper urging Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to convene a Diplomatic Conference to adopt the long-awaited WIPO Broadcasting Organizations Treaty.
The core issue: rampant online piracy that crosses borders and undermines the commercial value of live and premium content. As digital distribution becomes the norm, traditional legal frameworks lag behind. Broadcasters are demanding a modern, comprehensive treaty that covers all forms of signal transmission—terrestrial, satellite, and especially online.
In recent developments, these broadcasting groups published their aligned stance through the EBU, reiterating the need for “effective legal protection for all means of distribution” and warning that piracy is not just a technological threat but a direct economic one.
According to the EBU, ACT, and AER, the current draft of the treaty (SCCR/46/3) must explicitly include digital broadcasts to be effective. Without global legal consistency, broadcasters risk continued financial and operational damage due to unauthorized signal use and redistribution.
This call to action comes as European broadcasters rally around a common strategy to combat broadcast piracy. As reported by the EBU, the consensus is clear: signal piracy is a systemic risk to broadcasters' business models, and coordinated legal measures are the only viable solution moving forward.
With billions invested annually in content creation and acquisition, the broadcast industry sees the treaty as a necessary safeguard. The groups are now calling on WIPO Member States to recommend the treaty’s finalization and adoption at the upcoming General Assembly, pressing for a future-proof framework that reflects today’s digital reality. For broadcasters, this is more than policy—it’s business-critical.
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