As Spanish legislation was updated to adapt to the internet and everything related to it (social networks, downloads, hacks and others), the number of options to enjoy copyright-protected content was gradually reduced. totally freewithout having to pay a subscription or tie ourselves to a specific operator.
SeriesLy, Z-Library, Pordede are some examples of websites that we have talked about in SoftZone, with access to this type of content that were finally forced to close. If we talk about live sports, we have to talk about Rojadirecta, a mythical website for sports fans.
The origin of Rojadirecta
Roja Directa was a Spanish website founded by Igor Seoane through which it was possible to access any game of any sport completely free of charge, without the need to register, once it was launched for the first time in 2005. During the first years of operation, this website gradually gained an important place in the hearts of users from all over the world. world who wanted to have access to all kinds of sports broadcasts for free.
The home page of this website included a direct access to all sports broadcasts available along with the broadcast time. In addition, it had a search engine that could be used to check if a certain match, of any sport, was going to be available through this platform. As for monetization, this website was maintained through advertising from the main bookmakers around the world. In addition, it included a forum where it was necessary to register in order to access the match summaries already issued through the platform.
This website was accessible through the domains rojadirecta.com, rojadirecta.org, rojadirecta.es, rojadirecta.me and rojadirecta.in. In January 2011, the .com and .org domains were closed by the United States Department of Justicedespite not having jurisdiction to do so and anticipating the Spanish authorities who still did not contemplate this type of activity in any way.
Rojadirecta denounced the Department of Justice of the United States for blocking the .com and .org domains of its website, domains that are under their supervision, so they did not have the right to exercise this blocking. In August 2012, the United States Department of Justice withdrew the lawsuit and returned both domains, domains that were quickly back up and running as they had since its launch in 2005.
Your demise
In October 2016, the administrator of Rojadirecta was arrested on charges of infringing intellectual property rights, but was released. While the judicial process and the investigations continued their course, the website continued to function normally until November of that same year, when the court forced it to stop broadcasting football matcheseither live or deferred as a result of the lawsuit by Mediapro, the owner of the soccer rights at that time.
Three months later, in February 2017, the Mercantile Court No. 1 of A Coruña ordered the Total closure of the Rojadirecta website and the payment of compensation to Movistar+, the Mediapro partner with whom it shared the rights to broadcast football in Spain.
Many are the users who confuse the Rojadirecta website with El Rincón de Roja directa, however, the only thing they shared was the name Roja Directa, nothing more. In addition, the founder of this second, if he was sentenced to a prison sentence of two years in addition to 18 months of disqualification from working in any sector related to computing in addition to paying a fine of 500,000 euros.
Alternatives to Direct Red
Currently, the only way to watch football matches that are not broadcast open to Spain is by using IPTV services paid, although it is increasingly difficult to find one that works and that, in addition, is of quality and does not close overnight. Another option, and which is also completely free, is to find out which channels from other countries broadcast the matches that we would like to see openly and use the different websites to watch television online in a totally legal way.
