With French court ruling, music companies send strong message to businesses enabling streaming fraud

06 October 2025 - Press release

Decision confirms that intermediaries must stop supporting streaming fraud

  

In a decision announced yesterday, the Paris Judicial Court ruled that enabling streaming fraud is illegal in France and demonstrated that it would act to stop companies from providing such services to streaming fraud businesses. The ruling requires OVH, one of France's largest hosting providers, to refrain from providing services to two streaming fraud services JUSTANOTHERPANEL and buybestsuperfans. The action is the latest in a string of actions that record companies have taken against streaming fraud around the world, most recently in Brazil, Canada, Denmark and Germany.

Victoria Oakley, CEO of IFPI, the record labels' global trade body, said: "This is an important result for the industry's ongoing work against streaming fraud in music. Today's decision confirms that enabling streaming fraud is unlawful in France and empowers the music industry to act against those offering these damaging services in the country. Streaming fraud is illegal. Those who carry it out must be prevented from diverting earnings away from artists, misleading music fans and damaging music's ecosystem. This success clearly demonstrates our commitment and those of our DSP partners to tackling streaming fraud both in France and around the world."

'Streaming fraud' is a fraudulent practice where play counts of songs on digital service providers (DSPs) are artificially inflated using methods such as automated software, botnets and click farms. The perpetrators of this illegal activity steal royalties from legitimate artists. It also, if unchecked, risks distorting the charts, undermines the integrity of the streaming ecosystem, damages the consumer experience and harms the financial stability of artists and creators.

SNEP, representing the French recording industry, supported by IFPI, representing the recording industry worldwide, initiated the action in June 2024. The action was supported by Deezer, SoundCloud and Spotify.

Alexandre Lasch, Managing Director, SNEP, said: "This court decision represents a major step forward in the fight against streaming fraud in France and beyond. I welcome the fact that SNEP took the initiative in this action, demonstrating the organisation's ability to act decisively in the interest of its members and the entire music ecosystem.

"The ruling clearly establishes that service providers bear responsibility in the fight against unfair practices in the music sector. By ordering the cessation of services provided to fraudulent sites, the court sends a strong message: these actions are illegal and harm artists, producers, and the entire value chain of music. SNEP will continue, alongside IFPI and digital platforms, its strong commitment to fostering a music environment that supports the growth of a market where creativity and music production are fully recognised and valued."