Italy: Cloudflare filed appeal against EUR 14.25 million fine for failing to comply with a blocking order issued under Piracy Shield

On 8 March 2026, Cloudflare appealed the EUR 14.25 million fine imposed by the Authority for Communications, arguing that the penalty is disproportionate and unlawfully calculated on global rather than Italian revenue. The company contends that the underlying enforcement framework violates the European Union's laws. particularly on due process and proportionality requirements under the Digital Services Act. The company is seeking annulment of the fine before the Italian administrative courts. In December 2025, the Authority for Communications fined Cloudflare EUR 14.25 million for failing to comply with an order to disable Domain Name System and network traffic routing to domain names and Internet Protocol addresses used for the illegal live streaming of sports content (Resolution No. 333/25/CONS). The order noted that the sanction, set at 1 per cent of Cloudflare’s global turnover, reflects the seriousness, duration, and reiteration of the infringement and the role of Cloudflare’s global infrastructure in enabling the circumvention of blocking measures.