Russian internet firm Rambler Media Group is seeking to sue Twitch over 'illegal' broadcasts of various Premier League matches.

The company claims to have exclusive broadcasting rights to Premier League games in Russia and has accused Twitch of over 36,000 breaches of rights between August and November. Moscow District Court will hear the case on December 20th.

“Our suit against Twitch is to defend our exclusive rights to broadcast English Premier League matches and we will continue to actively combat pirate broadcasts. We’re currently holding talks with Twitch to sign a settlement agreement,” said Rambler Group head of sports project Mikhail Gershkovich.

Twitch's lawyer, Julianna Tabastaeva, responded to the claims, calling the case "unfounded" as the platform "only provides users with access to the platform and is unable to change the content posted by users, or track possible violations".

The platform's community guidelines state that users can only broadcast content that they own or with permission from the copyright owner. It states that any unauthorized content shared on Twitch may be subject to a takedown by the rights-holder, and a permanent account suspension. 

According to the BBC, Rambler bought the rights to distribute Premier League Games in Russia for three seasons throughout 2019. Twitch parent company Amazon owns exclusive rights to broadcast a number of UK Premier League games over the next three years.