Sundar Pichai Called to Testify in Ecuador Over LaLiga’s Piracy Allegations Against Google

Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, has been summoned to testify in Ecuador in relation to allegations made by LaLiga. The Spanish football league accuses the American company of facilitating the illegal distribution of content from both the Primera and Segunda División. This development was first reported by the newspaper ‘Expreso’.

LaLiga’s complaint asserts that Google has permitted twelve applications to broadcast matches without proper authorization. Additionally, other Google executives have also been called to provide testimony.

Among the applications identified by LaLiga are Futbol Online, Futbol Now, Futbol Plus, Futbol Sport, Futbol en Vivo Pro, Futbol en Vivo Total, Futbol en Vivo Hoy, Futbol Mania, Tele Futbol App, Futbol en Vivo Play, Como Ver Futbol en Vivo, and Fútbol en Vivo. LaLiga claims that despite receiving prior notifications to remove these applications, Google has continued to host them in its store.

Javier Tebas, LaLiga’s president, has openly criticized Google in various statements regarding piracy, asserting, “Google is an essential cooperator in this theft; Google profits from it.” He has mentioned that there are multiple criminal complaints filed against Google for various offenses, including complicity and money laundering, as noted during the recent MARCA Sport Weekend.