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Quad9 says it will stop providing its free DNS security service to users in France on Nov. 24, 2026, after a French court ordered it to block DNS resolution for domains involved in a copyright dispute brought by beIN. The Swiss nonprofit says it cannot identify French users reliably without compromising its privacy approach; the court reduced the daily penalty it faces from €580,000 to €1,000, according to Quad9.
Quad9 says it will stop offering its free DNS security service to users in France on Nov. 24, following a French court ruling that requires it to block DNS resolution for a set of domain names in a copyright dispute involving sports broadcaster beIN. The Swiss nonprofit says it cannot carry out the order while maintaining its approach to user privacy and neutral DNS responses; it reports that the court reduced a potential daily penalty to €1,000.
In a blog post dated Oct. 22, Quad9 said the French court issued an unfavorable ruling the previous day. The order, as described by Quad9, requires the resolver to block access to specified domain names for users located in France. The domains are alleged by beIN to be involved in copyright infringement affecting its audiovisual rights to sports broadcasts. Quad9 says it has no connection to the domains or their operators.
Quad9 said the court lowered the financial penalty from €580,000 to €1,000 per day. The organization says the ruling would still require it to change DNS responses for users in France, and that identifying which users are covered is not compatible with its service design. It says its free service does not require registration or identity checks and that it does not keep a list of users tied to particular jurisdictions.
The planned exit applies to users located in France, according to the announcement. Quad9 says it will not simply add the disputed domains to its global threat-blocking database, because doing so would affect users around the world rather than only users covered by the French ruling. The announcement does not describe any change to the service for users outside France.
French Users Face a DNS Service Loss
Quad9’s decision could leave people in France without a free resolver that the nonprofit says provides protection against cyber threats while also respecting its privacy approach. Users may need to select another DNS service or rely on the resolver supplied by their internet provider. The announcement does not establish how many people in France use Quad9, or how many would be affected.
The dispute also raises a practical question about who can be required to enforce online copyright restrictions. A recursive DNS resolver translates domain names into the network addresses needed to reach websites. Quad9 argues that a resolver is an intermediary rather than the source or host of allegedly infringing material. That is the organization’s position; the supplied announcement does not include the court’s reasoning or a response from beIN.
For users, the issue is not just access to the specific domains in the case. Quad9 says it sees a conflict between complying with a geographically limited order and its refusal to identify or profile users by location. If the service exits as planned, the immediate effect will be a change in the DNS options available to its French users.
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How the beIN Dispute Reached Quad9
Quad9 describes itself as a Swiss public-benefit nonprofit that provides free recursive DNS services. Its protective resolver blocks domains it identifies as malicious, such as those associated with malware or phishing. The organization says users can choose whether to use its threat-blocking service and distinguishes this security function from blocking material over copyright claims.
According to Quad9, beIN, a Qatari company with offices in France, sought an order concerning domain names it says are involved in copyright infringement of its sports broadcast rights. Quad9 says the disputed sites and their operators are not affiliated with it. It argues that enforcement should focus on the source or hosting of infringing content rather than a DNS provider that does not publish it.
The announcement also says Quad9 faces 20 other pending cases, but provides no details about their parties, status or likely outcomes. The nonprofit warns that penalties in this and future cases could threaten its ability to continue operating. That concern is Quad9’s assessment, not an independently verified finding in the material provided.
“For us, recursive DNS resolution is a neutral and passive service.”
— Quad9
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Court Order and Exit Details
The announcement is Quad9’s account of the ruling. The supplied material does not include the court judgment, the case number, the list of domains, beIN’s response or an independent explanation of the order’s legal scope. It is therefore not possible from this material alone to assess the court’s reasoning or the precise technical requirements imposed on Quad9.
Quad9 says it intends to withdraw on Nov. 24, but does not specify how users will experience the change, whether all of its French-facing services will be affected, or what steps users should take before that date. The announcement also refers to a daily penalty applying until a blocking deadline of Nov. 14, while separately saying the service withdrawal will occur on Nov. 24. It does not explain the relationship between those dates or how penalties will be calculated if the order is not met.
The status of the 20 other cases and any appeal or further court action is also unclear. No response from beIN or a French court is included in the source material.
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Service Change Set for November
Quad9’s stated next step is to stop serving users in France on Nov. 24, 2026. Until then, the organization says it faces the court’s blocking requirement and the daily financial penalty described in its post. The supplied announcement does not say whether Quad9 will seek further legal review, negotiate with beIN, or change its plans if the ruling is modified.
French users who rely on Quad9 may want to check the provider’s updates and plan for another DNS resolver if the withdrawal proceeds. Any replacement should be assessed on its own privacy practices, security features and service terms; the source material does not endorse an alternative. Further information from Quad9, beIN or the French courts could clarify the order, the disputed domains and the final timeline.
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Key Questions
When does Quad9 plan to stop serving users in France?
Quad9 says its withdrawal from France is planned for Nov. 24, 2026. The announcement does not detail how the shutdown will be implemented for individual users.
Why is Quad9 leaving France?
Quad9 says a French court ordered it to block DNS resolution for domains that beIN alleges are involved in copyright infringement. The nonprofit says it cannot apply the order to French users without identifying their location in a way that conflicts with its privacy approach.
What is the dispute about?
According to Quad9, beIN sought restrictions on domain names it says are associated with infringement of its audiovisual rights to sports broadcasts. Quad9 says it has no connection to those domains or their operators. The court’s full reasoning is not included in the material provided.
Will Quad9 block the domains for everyone?
Quad9 says it will not add the domains to its global threat-blocking database because that would affect users worldwide, not only those covered by the French order. Its announcement does not describe another plan to implement the restriction.
How much is the daily penalty?
Quad9 says the court reduced the potential penalty from €580,000 to €1,000 per day. The announcement does not include the judgment or clarify how the penalty deadline relates to the planned Nov. 24 service withdrawal.
Source: hn
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