FIAD becomes a stakeholder of the EUIPO Observatory

FIAD's application to become a stakeholder of the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights has been approved. The decision was communicated in a letter dated 7 September 2026 from Patricia García-Escudero Márquez, Director of the Observatory at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

The Observatory brings together public authorities, private stakeholders and civil society to build the evidence base on intellectual property infringement in Europe and to translate it into practical responses. Its work is organised around four working groups: IP in the Digital World, Enforcement, Economics and Statistics, and Public Awareness. In her letter, the Director indicated that FIAD could play a key role in this work.

Stakeholder status gives FIAD a direct route into the forum where much of the EU's evidence on piracy is produced and discussed. FIAD's 2025 position paper on the piracy of film and audiovisual content already drew extensively on EUIPO and Observatory research — including the study on business models infringing IP, which estimated that criminal groups earn close to €1 billion a year from illegal content in the EU alone, and the Expert Group on Cooperation with Intermediaries on the misuse of online advertising.

The priorities FIAD carries into this work follow from the same paper: coordination between EU and national law enforcement against transnational piracy networks; targeted consumer awareness campaigns on the cybersecurity risks of illegal IPTV and streaming; standardising, streamlining and promoting dynamic site-blocking across member states, including cross-border recognition of blocking orders; extending Know Your Business Customer obligations under the Digital Services Act beyond online marketplaces; and strengthening co- and self-regulation, drawing on national models such as the Spanish protocol.