Spanish startup Smart Protection gets €5.2 million to combat online piracy

Madrid-based Smart Protection, an AI platform that combats online piracy and counterfeiting, has raised a €5.2 million Series A. The investment round, led by Nauta Capital, will help the business keep companies and their assets safe online.

According to the International Trademark Association, global losses due to online piracy amounted to $760 billion in 2017, estimated to exceed $1.2 trillion in 2022. Smart Protection set out to police this activity for companies that own intellectual or industrial property rights, or that distribute content or products online.

The modular SaaS platform adapts to the needs of each client, who decide which channels of the internet to monitor: search engines, online marketplaces, social networks, apps, P2P torrents, and download or counterfeit websites.

The service begins by identifying a brand’s assets through monitoring the web with its data technology. Once data is collected, the platform combines machine learning with cybersecurity expertise to analyse the information and eliminate any infringements. SmartPlatform can remove links used for piracy or counterfeiting in a matter of hours, at over 95 percent efficacy.

To date, the startup has delisted over 11 million hyperlinks on Google, for clients located in 18 countries, including big names such as Warner Bros Entertainment, Movistar+ and McAfee.

Jordi Vinas, Nauta Capital’s General Partner said: “Smart Protection has developed a world-class technical platform able to take down illegal content from the internet efficiently — often surpassing competitors that have raised significant amounts of money. From our first interaction with the team, we were impressed with their track-record and stellar team, and we look forward to working together on the mission to make Smart Protection the go-to Anti-Piracy platform of the internet.”

Commenting on how the funds will be used, the company’s CEO and co-founder Javier Perea said: “This partnership with Nauta will boost the development of our Artificial Intelligence technology, facilitate international expansion, and also allow us to recruit the best talent in order to build an increasingly secure internet.”