# articles

feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=129799
title: Time Warner Cable Threatens Pirates With Account Termination
uri: Time-Warner-Cable-Threatens-Pirates-With-Account-Termination
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/1k50OmIX9xw/
content:
<p><img src="media/a79925fd.twc.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/twc.png" alt="twc" width="277" height="109" class="alignright size-full wp-image-129970">It hasn&#8217;t made the news much over the past year, but the U.S. <a href="http://www.copyrightinformation.org/">Copyright Alert System</a> is still in full swing. </p>
<p>First implemented <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-starts-130225/">more than three years ago</a>, the main goal of the &#8220;six strikes&#8221; program is to educate the public. That is, informing people whose connections are being used to pirate, and pointing them to legal alternatives.</p>
<p>While repeat infringers face so-called mitigation measures, the copyright holders and ISPs have made it very clear that no one will permanently lose their Internet access. At least, not under the alerts program itself.</p>
<p>However, Time Warner Cable has decided to update its standard copyright alerts to emphasize that people who continue to infringe may risk losing their Internet subscription, email account, and more.</p>
<p>In recent months the following paragraph has been added to the copyright alert notification, underlining the point.</p>
<p>&#8220;In addition, in accordance with our acceptable use policy, your internet service may be subject to termination at our sole discretion if we continue to receive credible allegations that your internet connection has been used to share copyrighted content without permission of the copyright owner.&#8221;</p>
<p>Time Warner Cable adds that an account termination may also result in the loss of the email account at the ISP, as well as many other third-party services that rely on the Internet, such as Netflix.  </p>
<p><center><strong>The text that was added</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/bc086e23.twcthreat.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/twcthreat.png" alt="twcthreat" width="579" height="178" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-129978"></center></p>
<p>The rest of the copyright alert messaging remains intact and has remained pretty much the same since 2013. Overall it&#8217;s well-balanced, informing subscribers how the system works and what their rights are. </p>
<p>The big question is, why did Time Warner Cable add the termination language? After all, the acceptable use policy itself isn&#8217;t new in any way. </p>
<p>Without an official statement we can only speculate, but there have been some recent developments that may have played a role.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s the lawsuit between BMG and Cox Communications, where the latter lost its safe harbor protection because it failed to implement a repeat infringer policy. As a result, Cox must pay <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-is-liable-for-pirating-subscribers-ordered-to-pay-25-million-151217/">$25 million in damages</a>, a ruling that&#8217;s currently under appeal. </p>
<p>This may have prompted Time Warner Cable to make its stance on repeat infringers more visible. </p>
<p>At the same time, various copyright holder groups have been turning up the pressure. The MPAA, for example, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-wants-isps-to-disconnect-persistent-pirates-160415/">told the U.S. Copyright Office</a> that terminating the accounts of persistent pirates is &#8220;critical&#8221;.</p>
<p>In the U.S. it is currently rare for ISPs to disconnect infringing subscribers, with many arguing that only a court can decide if someone can be stripped of an essential service such as Internet access.</p>
<p>However, the MPAA stressed that Internet providers “must terminate users who repeatedly and blatantly infringe copyright, regardless of whether there has been a judicial determination that the user is liable for copyright infringement.&#8221;</p>
<p>At the same time, ISPs and copyright holders are currently negotiating over the Copyright Alert System, including whether it should continue or if changes are needed to improve the current procedure. </p>
<p>Undoubtedly, the repeat infringer requirement will be part of these discussions. Since the MPAA is one of the founding groups of the program, they are likely to ask all ISPs to include this language in their notifications.</p>
<p>Despite the added account termination warning, TorrentFreak hasn&#8217;t received any reports that Time Warner Cable is disconnecting subscribers on a large scale. Perhaps this means that the threats are doing their job, or&#8230;?</p>
<p>&#8212;<br>
&#8212;</p>
<p><em>Below is an example of Time Warner Cable&#8217;s full alert, in the educational stage (emphasis is original).</em></p>
<blockquote><p><font size="-1"><em><strong>Dear Subscriber,</p>
<p>We have been notified that copyrighted content may have been shared using your Internet connection without permission of the copyright owner.</p>
<p>What does that mean?</strong></p>
<p>Copyright owners (such as artists, moviemakers, authors) and their representatives routinely monitor peer-to-peer networks to see if their content (such as music, movies, and TV shows) is being shared without their permission. If they notice somebody sharing their content without their permission through a Time Warner Cable account, they let us know.</p>
<p>As the primary account holder, you are responsible for making sure your account is not used for copyright infringement. Please note that we don&#8217;t know which computer or other device may be the one to have triggered the notification; it could be any device using your account.</p>
<p><strong>What was allegedly shared and when?</strong></p>
<p>File Name: Pirate Something<br>
Content Type: Movie<br>
Content URL: Pirate link<br>
Shared: 6:23pm &#8211; 1/3/2099<br>
IP Address: 000.00.000.00</p>
<p><strong>Did you provide my personal information to the copyright owner?</strong></p>
<p>We have not shared any of your personal information with the copyright owner in connection with the notice that we received. Rather, the copyright owner or its representative simply provided us with an IP address associated with your account and we then sent this alert to you directly.</p>
<p><strong>Alright, so what do I need to do?</strong></p>
<p>&#8211; If you have been sharing content illegally using your Internet connection, please <strong>stop doing so immediately.</strong><br>
&#8211; Make sure that <strong>everyone who uses your Internet connection knows</strong> that you received this alert, and advise them not to make any illegal use of music, television and movie content.  For information regarding authorized source for music, movies and TV shows, please see http://www.copyrightinformation.org/a-better-way-to-find-movies-tv-music/.  Other examples of legal sources include:  http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/residential-home/tv/channels/on-demand.html, and http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/residential-home/tv/premiums.html<br>
&#8211;<strong> Secure your home wireless network</strong> so that nobody who is unauthorized to use it is able to do so. (learn more here: http://onguardonline.gov/articles/0013-securing-your-wireless-network)<br>
&#8211; <underline><strong>Be aware of the dangers associated with using peer-to-peer (“P2P”) networks</strong></underline>: P2P programs can pose dangers to your computer and other devices, and to our network.  Risks can include mistaken downloading of malware, pornography or copyrighted material, and allowing any anonymous person on the Internet to access and copy your computer files.  Therefore, it is important that you inspect your computer and other devices for P2P programs and ensure that you are neither intentionally nor inadvertently making copyrighted works available for uploading by others.  Click here for more information about the various risks:   http://onguardonline.gov/p2p<br>
Hopefully this is the last time we contact you. If a copyright owner does not identify further instances of alleged copyright infringement involving your account then this will be your last alert from us.</p>
<p><strong>And what if this continues to happen?</strong></p>
<p>Using your account to share content without the copyright owner’s permission can be a violation of U.S. copyright laws, and of our acceptable use policy. Under the Copyright Alert System (for more on CAS click here http://www.copyrightinformation.org), further instances of suspicious activity involving your account may result in our undertaking measures <strong>that will temporarily affect your Internet experience.</strong> The range of actions may include redirection to a landing page for a period of time or until you contact Time Warner Cable.</p>
<p>We will, of course, provide you with advance notice prior to taking any such steps. We will also offer you the ability to challenge a copyright owner’s notices through an independent party prior to any service alterations. You may wish to preserve records or information that could be used to demonstrate that the activity in question was non-infringing.</p>
<p><strong>In addition, in accordance with our acceptable use policy (located at http://help.twcable.com/twc_misp_aup.html), your internet service may be subject to termination at our sole discretion if we continue to receive credible allegations that your internet connection has been used to share copyrighted content without permission of the copyright owner.  Note that the termination of your internet service may also result in the loss of any Time Warner Cable provided email addresses; other services accessible via your Time Warner Cable high speed data service, such as Wi-Fi, Roku, IP Video, Over-the-Top content, etc.; and other third party provided services you receive that are internet reliant (for example, internet accessible third party phone services).</p>
<p>I still have questions about this alert; where can I go?</strong></p>
<p>For additional information about this alert, to learn how you can prevent further alerts, and to understand more about the Copyright Alert System, please visit the Center for Copyright Information – Copyright Alert System website at http://www.copyrightinformation.org.</p>
<p>Thank you for subscribing to Time Warner Cable’s high speed data service. We look forward to having you as a customer for years to come.</p>
<p>Sincerely,<br>
Customer Service</em></font></p></blockquote>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130022
title: Pirate Party Books Election Victory in Iceland
uri: Pirate-Party-Books-Election-Victory-in-Iceland
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/pn7Hh5uhGzg/
content:
<p><img src="media/49d572a8.pp-iceland.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pp-iceland.png" alt="pp-iceland" width="198" height="92" class="alignright size-full wp-image-69355">Founded in 2006 by Rick Falkvinge, the Pirate party movement has scored some significant victories over the years, but what happened in Iceland today trumps them all. </p>
<p>According to the first results that came in over the past few hours, one in seven Icelanders voted <a href="http://www.piratar.is/">Pirate</a> in the national parliamentary elections. This is an impressive victory for the Pirate Party, which increased the number of parliament seats from three to <a href="http://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/elections2016/">nine</a> in just three years.</p>
<p>This makes the Pirates one of the big winners of the election, and the third largest party in the country behind the Independence Party and the Left-Green Movement which got 29.1% and 15.8% of the votes. </p>
<p>Traditionally, Iceland has a coalition government consisting of several parties. With this outcome the party now has a prominent seat at the negotiation table, where the new government will be formed during the weeks to come.</p>
<p>Today’s success doesn&#8217;t come as a surprise as the party has been <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-to-dominate-icelan-parliament-survey-finds-160314/">polling very well</a> this year. </p>
<p>At one point it was close to total majority in the polls. That dropped off quite a bit in recent months, but with the current result the Pirates still managed to nearly triple their votes compared to the previous election. </p>
<p>The Icelandic Pirate Party was formed in November 2012 by several Internet activists including Birgitta Jónsdóttir, who&#8217;s well known for her former involvement with WikiLeaks.</p>
<p>Within a year the party participated in its first parliamentary elections, scoring three seats, which was a major milestone for the Pirate movement at the time.</p>
<p>The Pirate Party&#8217;s success hasn&#8217;t gone unnoticed by the mainstream media either. Several prominent publications all across the world have covered the &#8216;unusual&#8217; candidates this week, and rightly so.</p>
<p><center><strong>Pirate MP Ásta Helgadóttir voting today</strong> <sub>(photo via <a href="https://twitter.com/Senficon/status/792314068732350464">@Senficon</a>)</sub><br></br></center><center><img src="media/ad7842e5.votingbooth.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/votingbooth.jpg" alt="votingbooth" width="600" height="385" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130025"></center></p>
<p><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-on-course-for-historic-election-win-in-iceland-161023/">Speaking</a> with TorrentFreak last week, Ásta Helgadóttir, Member of Parliament for the Icelandic Pirate Party, said that the party is ready to bring the change many citizens are longing for.</p>
<p>“Firstly, by adopting a new constitution which has already been voted on in a non-binding referendum,” Helgadóttir says.</p>
<p>“This will change how Iceland functions as a democracy, transitioning into a much more meaningful democracy. The Pirates are focused on decentralization of power, access to information and civil and human rights. The pillars of any meaningful notion of democracy.”</p>
<p>Despite the unusual name, at least in politics, the Pirates are by no means a single-issue party. </p>
<p>They have a detailed plan for how Iceland can break free from the ruling political establishment. Their <a href="http://piratar.is/en/core-policy/">core policy</a> has a strong focus on freedom of information and expression, a right to privacy, transparency and direct democracy.</p>
<p>But first, it&#8217;s time to celebrate, which will undoubtedly involve several bottles of rum and plenty of Pirate flag waving.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=129855
title: Swedish File-Sharing in Decline, Anti-Piracy Lawyer Says
uri: Swedish-File-Sharing-in-Decline-Anti-Piracy-Lawyer-Says
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/11FsucXjVdc/
content:
<p><a href="media/1e966c9f.piracydown.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/piracydown.jpg"><img src="media/198e8dc2.piracydown.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piracydown.jpg" alt="piracydown" width="180" height="162" class="alignright size-full wp-image-73866"></a>Like many European countries, Sweden has millions of file-sharers. Many will have been inspired to take up their hobby through the antics of The Pirate Bay, a site that their government tried and failed to contain.</p>
<p>But despite the site managing to regain and maintain its position as the world&#8217;s most popular torrent site, it appears that at least to some extent, file-sharing is falling out of fashion in Sweden.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s according to Henrik Pontén, a lawyer with infamous anti-piracy outfit Rights Alliance (Rättighetsalliansen)</p>
<p>&#8220;We see a trend reversal. Until now, we have seen a huge increase in file sharing, but we do not see that anymore,&#8221; Pontén told <a href="http://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/orebro/stora-skadestand-ett-verkligt-hot-for-natpirater">SVT</a>.</p>
<p>Pontén and his colleagues have been waging a war against local pirates for more than a decade and despite the progress, it isn&#8217;t one that&#8217;s likely to end anytime soon. The legal chief says they&#8217;re now filing more complaints with the police, who are becoming used to handling these types of cases.</p>
<p>&#8220;We do not say how many referrals we make, but it is becoming more and more. The police are becoming better at investigating these cases and now the majority of complaints lead to a prosecution,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>While Rights Alliance isn&#8217;t particularly well-known for going after the very casual file-sharer, it has a track record of aggressively pursuing bigger cases. Pontén warns that a successful prosecution these days is likely to end in big claims from the studios.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is always millions per movie. It rests on various things, including what a license to distribute the film legally costs,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;We could claim damages on many more movies, but we usually run with just one, that&#8217;s enough.&#8221;</p>
<p>While peer-to-peer file-sharing in Sweden and elsewhere may well be on the decline, other instances of piracy are on the rise. In particular, streaming is proving very popular with consumers and Pontén says that his group is currently focusing on people who operate streaming sites.</p>
<p>But in common with other countries facing a similar climate of illicit consumption, it&#8217;s now becoming clear that enforcement is only part of the solution. Alice Bah Kuhnke, Swedish Minister of Culture and Democracy, believes that cooperation between stakeholders will play a key role.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have collected a number of actors involved in this, and had round tables. There are different players with different interests. A code of conduct is one of the concrete proposals we came up with,&#8221; Bah Kuhnke <a href="http://computersweden.idg.se/2.2683/1.668174/bah-kuhnke-upphovsratt">says</a>.</p>
<p>Describing the protection of intellectual property as a central issue for the government, the minister says that developing a voluntary code will assist with that aim.</p>
<p>&#8220;The code is also designed to make the Internet a safe and legal place for consumers and businesses. To promote innovation and investment in legal options and limit economic crime based on copyright infringement. I hope that more people want to subscribe to the code to make it a growing platform,&#8221; the minister concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=129298
title: Torrent Site 1337x Hopes New Design Will Prevent Search Engine Bans
uri: Torrent-Site-1337x-Hopes-New-Design-Will-Prevent-Search-Engine-Bans
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3EvIe3H9uH0/
content:
<p><img src="media/e7f567ec.1337xlogo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/1337xlogo.jpg" alt="1337xlogo" width="234" height="126" class="alignright size-full wp-image-129735">For many veteran BitTorrent users, 1337x is a familiar name. The site has been around for many years and was generally known for its lively community. </p>
<p>While <a href="https://1337x.to">1337x</a> hasn&#8217;t been at the center of attention much, the past year has been quite an eventful one for the torrent index.</p>
<p>After weathering a revolt of its moderators <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/1337x-staff-abandon-insecure-torrent-site-start-over-151220/">last December</a>, this summer 1337x suddenly had to deal with a massive spike in traffic after KickassTorrents was shut down by the Us.S Government. </p>
<p>Most new visitors came in through Torrentz, and these disappeared just as quickly when the torrent meta-search engine called it quits in August. However, traffic has been steadily increasing since, as the graph below nicely illustrates.  </p>
<p><center><img src="media/ba2bc071.1337xalexa.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/1337xalexa.png" alt="1337xalexa" width="412" height="178" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-129849"></center></p>
<p>&#8220;To be honest, it has been a rollercoaster with traffic,&#8221; the site&#8217;s operator tells TorrentFreak in a comment</p>
<p>The end result is that 1337x.to now has a steady place among the most-visited torrent sites, currently ranked in the top five. Still, the site is not always easy to find for newcomers as the homepage has been taken out of Google&#8217;s search results due to a takedown notice. </p>
<p>Traditionally, the homepage listed a variety of popular torrents, so Google has no other option than to remove the URL when <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/1623131">Feelgood Entertainment</a> reported it last year.</p>
<p>To address this issue and prevent similar problems in the future, the site recently released a new design. Aside from various layout changes and using a responsive design, the homepage now only features a search box, no torrents.</p>
<p>&#8220;Due to our old index being blocked by search engines, new users were having issues finding the website. We developed a new index page that contains only search, so we don&#8217;t get blocked by search engines in the future,&#8221; a notice on the site explains.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/e7c0825e.1337xnewdesign.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/1337xnewdesign.jpg" alt="1337xnewdesign" width="600" height="447" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-129736" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/1337xnewdesign.jpg 600w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/1337xnewdesign-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to the 1337x operator who doubts that Google will reinstate their homepage right away. However, the new design should prevent similar problems in the future. </p>
<p>The new design has been in the planning for a very long time already and spiraled a bit out of control. Initially, the plan was to only update the homepage, but it didn&#8217;t stop there.</p>
<p>&#8220;Seeing how cool a responsive layout could look we decided to make a whole new frontend. That literally took months to develop, and we changed backend code as well, which fixed several bugs and issues that were in the old version,&#8221; 1337x&#8217;s operator tells us.</p>
<p>And the work is not done yet. The next step is to release the new forums which people will be able to use with their existing 1337x account. If there are no major issues, this will go live in a month or so.</p>
<p>In moderator &#8216;relations&#8217;, progress has been made as well. While some have left the site for good, others came back and continue to remove spam and fake torrents with some new and improved tools. </p>
<p>The 1337x.to operator is mostly looking ahead at the moment. Work on the site and moderator features is far from completed, but the team is trying hard to move a few steps closer every week.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130092
title: 86-Year Old Grandma Accused of Pirating a Zombie Game
uri: 86-Year-Old-Grandma-Accused-of-Pirating-a-Zombie-Game
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/hgZwy-Z_-_E/
content:
<p><img src="media/46fe3a07.metro2033.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/metro2033.jpg" alt="metro2033" width="270" height="157" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130098">Not to sound ageist, but generally speaking 86-year-old women are not that interested in zombie games like Metro 2033.</p>
<p>This also applies to Christine McMillan from Ontario, Canada. In fact, she&#8217;d never even heard of the game until an anti-piracy group accused her of pirating a copy via BitTorrent. </p>
<p>McMillan is one of the hundreds of thousands of people who&#8217;ve been accused of copyright infringement under Canada&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/canadian-isps-vpns-now-alert-pirating-customers-150102/">notice and notice</a>&#8221; regime. </p>
<p>Due to a change to Canada’s copyright law early last year, ISPs are now required to forward copyright infringement notices to their customers. As a result, tens of thousands of Internet subscribers have received warnings in their mailboxes, with some asking for cash settlements.</p>
<p>The 86-year-old woman falls in the latter category. In the letter received from anti-piracy group <a href="http://canipre.com/">Canipre</a>, she&#8217;s threatened with thousands of dollars in damages, if she doesn&#8217;t comply. </p>
<p>&#8220;They didn&#8217;t tell me how much I owed, they only told me that if I didn&#8217;t comply, I would be liable for a fine of up to $5,000 and I could pay immediately by entering my credit card number,&#8221; McMillan told <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/notice-and-notice-system-internet-copyright-enforcement-settlement-1.3823986">Go Public</a>.</p>
<p>At first, McMillan thought she was dealing with spammers but Cogeco, her Internet provider, confirmed that the email with the settlement offer was legitimate. </p>
<p>The power of the settlement scheme lies in the uncertainty people face. Most recipients are unaware of the notice-and-notice system and fear that a lawsuit is looming. However, thus far not a single lawsuit has followed in these cases.</p>
<p>They are basically regular takedown notices, bundled with a settlement request, which are common in the U.S. as well. The rightsholders have no idea who the accused are and have no way to contact them directly. </p>
<p>McMillan is obviously not happy with the notice-and-notice legislation which she brands as &#8220;foolish.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That somebody can threaten you over the internet … that to me is intimidation and I can&#8217;t believe the government would support such action,&#8221; she says.</p>
<p>Canipre&#8217;s owner Barry Logan, however, doesn&#8217;t see anything wrong with the practice and says that his company is helping its clients to educate the public on piracy and theft. The threatening language in the letters doesn&#8217;t cross any lines, he notes. </p>
<p>For the anti-piracy group the new legislation has been a great success. By sending out tens, or hundreds of thousands of warning letters, they&#8217;ve collected about $500,000 in settlements since it was put in place last year.</p>
<p>This also means that Canadian Internet subscribers are half a million lighter as a result. </p>
<p>Interestingly, McMillan is not one of them. While she made herself known by going to the press, she has no intention of paying up for pirating a zombie game she&#8217;d never even heard of. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130060
title: Martin Shkreli Begs For Private Torrent Site Invitation
uri: Martin-Shkreli-Begs-For-Private-Torrent-Site-Invitation
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/hTJkQYYZLbU/
content:
<p><a href="media/8620dbbb.martin.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/martin.jpg"><img src="media/c702342f.martin.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/martin.jpg" alt="martin" width="232" height="243" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130078"></a>Martin Shkreli is the founder and former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals and wherever he appears, controversy is never far behind.</p>
<p>Last year the 33-year-old was subjected to massive criticism when Turing obtained a license to produce antiparasitic drug Daraprim and promptly boosted its price by more than 5,000%. </p>
<p>It was a move that saw him being <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34331761">branded</a> in the media as the most hated man in America.</p>
<p>But it&#8217;s not just pharma that has built Shkreli&#8217;s reputation. With a reported net worth of between $45m and $100m, the entrepreneur&#8217;s flamboyant spending has also hit the headlines. A keen hip-hop fan, Shkreli was <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-martin-shkreli-wu-tang-clan-album/">revealed</a> in 2015 as the buyer of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, a one-off album from Wu-Tang Clan.</p>
<p>With a price tag of a cool $2m, it&#8217;s clear that Shkreli doesn&#8217;t mind digging deep when it comes to spending money on exclusive music. However, it appears that the businessman might also have a penchant for getting music for free, when the circumstances are right.</p>
<p><a href="media/17cc8471.what.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/what.jpg"><img src="media/68ff8de5.what.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/what.jpg" alt="what" width="220" height="78" class="alignright size-full wp-image-27967"></a>Rising from the ashes of the defunct <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/oinkcd-servers-raided-admin-arrested/">private tracker OiNK</a>, What.cd is currently the most prestigious music torrent site on the Internet, bar none. The site has a largely hand-picked userbase who in turn are allowed to invite friends. Somehow it appears that Shkreli managed to get on board.</p>
<p>Tweeting from Manhattan late Friday, Shkreli appeared to indicate that he was having trouble with his account on What.cd. This led him to start <a href="https://twitter.com/MartinShkreli/status/792076815200292865">begging</a> for an invitation to get back on the site.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/05f256ad.what-tweet.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/what-tweet.png"><img src="media/77edae7f.what-tweet.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/what-tweet.png" alt="what-tweet" width="635" height="256" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130071"></a></center></p>
<p>Somewhat inevitably, people following him on Twitter decided this would be a good time to have some fun.</p>
<p>&#8220;Why don’t you use USE.net like a normal person Martin,&#8221; one asked, sarcastically referencing the Usenet system.</p>
<p>&#8220;Newsgroups?&#8221; Shkreli accurately responded. This guy clearly knows his piracy haunts.</p>
<p>As fans already know, What.cd prides itself on covering every musical genre in depth, while offering the rarest of rare releases. With that in mind, if only there was an individual with access to the rarest recording of all time who might upload that to What.cd in exchange for an invitation&#8230;.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/c8ee2fbc.what-invite.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/what-invite.png"><img src="media/6a2fccc4.what-invite.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/what-invite.png" alt="what-invite" width="640" height="175" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130076"></a></center></p>
<p>While Shkreli does some wild stuff, uploading Once Upon a Time in Shaolin to What.cd is probably going to be a step too far, even for him. However, he could do so if he wishes. He&#8217;s under investigation by the FBI but last year they revealed that they hadn&#8217;t seized the album.</p>
<p><center><br>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Breaking?src=hash">#Breaking</a> no seizure warrant at the arrest of Martin Shkreli today, which means we didn&#39;t seize the Wu-Tang Clan album.</p>
<p>&mdash; FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewYorkFBI/status/677597263540191232">December 17, 2015</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center></p>
<p>Contractually, the album can&#8217;t be exploited commercially until 2103, but according to Wu-Tang, Shkreli could legally give it away for free.</p>
<p>&#8220;It can be exhibited publicly and it can be given away for free. But it cannot be commercialized as a conventional album release until 2103. Even then, it will be the owner&#8217;s decision to release it or keep it as a single unit, not the Wu-Tang,&#8221; the group said following the album&#8217;s sale.</p>
<p>However, there is a bigger problem. If you&#8217;ve ever had a <a href="https://opentrackers.org/what-cd/">What.cd account</a>, you can&#8217;t have another. Those are the rules and not observing them can get both you and your inviter banned.</p>
<p>Shkreli&#8217;s only real option is to head off to the site&#8217;s IRC channels and ask for his account to be reinstated. If the disabling of the account was for a minor issue, it&#8217;s possible they&#8217;ll just re-enable it. He might also try the &#8220;do you know who I am&#8221; routine to get some leverage, although that might not go entirely to plan.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130064
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 10/31/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-10-31-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/wnNdrGmAYZs/
content:
<p><img src="media/e62a09de.findingdory.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/findingdory.jpg" alt="findingdory" width="300" height="162" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130068">This week we have three newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Finding Dory is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-102416/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/finding-dory-torrent-downloads/">Finding Dory</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2277860/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKJA-VLpiCo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bfg-torrent-downloads/">The BFG</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3691740/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frGSzFj10p4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/suicide-squad-torrent-downloads/">Suicide Squad</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386697/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmRih_VtVAs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/bad-moms-torrent-downloads/">Bad Moms</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4651520/">6.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0FNjPsANGk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/jack-reacher-never-go-back-torrent-downloads/">Jack Reacher: Never Go Back</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3393786/">6.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOAB_h-cBbs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/sausage-party-torrent-downloads/">Sausage Party</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1700841/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBdeE7mzED4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/lights-out-torrent-downloads/">Lights Out</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4786282/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct8kBEWmG_s">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(10)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_america_civil_war">Captain America: Civil War</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKrVegVI0Us">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/dont-breathe-torrent-downloads/">Don&#8217;t Breathe</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4160708/">7.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76yBTNDB6vU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_infiltrator">The Infiltrator</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1355631/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7_M4hjXW1I">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130148
title: YouTube Signs Landmark Deal to End Music Video Blocking in Germany
uri: YouTube-Signs-Landmark-Deal-to-End-Music-Video-Blocking-in-Germany
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/jLOF66AsS_8/
content:
<p><img src="media/0052363b.youtubehappy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubehappy.png" alt="youtubehappy" width="230" height="158" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130150">Over the years, many Germans have gotten used to YouTube&#8217;s <a href="media/4d0517ff.leider.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/leider.jpg">blocking notice</a>, which prevented them from playing music videos that are widely available in the rest of the world. </p>
<p>At the root of this issue is a dispute between the video hosting platform and <a href="https://www.gema.de/">GEMA</a>, a local music group that claims to represent 70,000 artists.</p>
<p>YouTube and GEMA have been fighting several court cases for more than half a decade, but today they announced a breakthrough.</p>
<p>The two parties have signed a licensing agreement where the video hosting platform agrees to pay a fee for making the music videos of GEMA members available in Germany. As a result, the blocking notifications on many videos will disappear.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is a win for music artists around the world, enabling them to reach new and existing fans in Germany, while also earning money from the advertising on their videos,&#8221; says YouTube&#8217;s Christophe Muller.</p>
<p>&#8220;And for YouTube users in Germany, who will no longer see a blocking message on music content that contains GEMA repertoire, for the first time in seven years.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>YouTube created a special GIF to celebrate the occasion</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/8d7d0fd9.youtubeavailable.gif" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubeavailable.gif" alt="youtubeavailable" width="600" height="363" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130149"></center></p>
<p>GEMA is happy with the outcome as well, in particular because YouTube agreed to pay retroactive compensation for videos that have been published since the start of the dispute in 2009. </p>
<p>&#8220;After seven years of tough negotiations, signing a deal with YouTube marks a milestone for GEMA and its members,&#8221; GEMA&#8217;s Harald Heker comments.</p>
<p>&#8220;What is crucial is that the license agreement covers publications from both the future and the past. With this agreement, we can provide our members their royalties,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>Increasingly, music groups are <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-says-youtube-is-running-a-dmca-protection-racket-160412/">criticizing YouTube</a> for &#8220;profiting&#8221; from the hard work of artists without paying proper compensations, so it&#8217;s not unlikely that similar deals will follow in other countries. </p>
<p>On the other hand, music insiders have also complained about GEMA&#8217;s restrictive policies. Sony Music&#8217;s Edgar Berger previously said that <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sony-music-boss-censored-youtube-videos-cost-us-millions-120224/">millions were lost</a> because of the YouTube ban. At the same time, some musicians <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/music-rights-group-claims-money-from-creative-commons-event-111114/">complained</a> that there were not able to share their music freely. </p>
<p>With this in mind, the current agreement is certainly a big step forward for both musicians and the public at large.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130116
title: Copyright Trolls Abandon Sweden in a Blaze of Bad Publicity
uri: Copyright-Trolls-Abandon-Sweden-in-a-Blaze-of-Bad-Publicity
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/yyIm-rR6M4Q/
content:
<p><a href="media/67ffec03.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg"><img src="media/17a592c8.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" alt="trollsign" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108977"></a>In the US, Europe, and Canada, copyright holders have been teaming up with piracy monitoring firms to develop a new flow of revenue. Together they track down alleged pirates and hit them with a demand for cash settlement &#8211; or else.</p>
<p>This so-called &#8216;copyright-trolling&#8217; hit Sweden earlier this year. An organization calling itself Spridningskollen (Distribution Check) headed up by law firm Gothia Law, said its new initiative would save the entertainment industries and educate the masses.</p>
<p>“One can compare it to a speed camera. In the same way that a speed camera only records those who drive too fast, only those Internet users who share copyrighted material without permission are logged,” <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/attention-swedish-pirate-bay-users-copyright-trolls-have-arrived-160902/">said</a> spokesman Gordon Odenbark.</p>
<p>Those &#8216;speeding fines&#8217; were set at around $250 but backed up by threats that they would increase if file-sharers were uncooperative. Predictably there was a huge backlash, both among the public and in the media, but few expected the announcement that came yesterday.</p>
<p>&#8220;Gothia Law, who on behalf of rights holders in the film and television industry created Distribution Check, is now ending its involvement in the file sharing issue,&#8221; the firm said.</p>
<p>&#8220;In a short time, Distribution Check has given rise to criticism but also a decline in illegal file sharing. This without a single collection letter being sent out.&#8221;</p>
<p>Noting that in a short time the anti-piracy campaign had generated intense debate, the law firm also went on to claim that it had been a success.</p>
<p>&#8220;Knowledge of an individual&#8217;s legal responsibility is higher today than it was before the initiative was launched. It also established that the method to address a claim against a person who held a particular IP address through which copyrighted materials were distributed illegally, is in full compliance with both Swedish and European legislation,&#8221; the company added.</p>
<p>The claim that the campaign had somehow achieved its aims is somewhat weak, especially when one considers the legal and administrative costs that have been accrued in what was a sizeable operation.</p>
<p>That is further compounded by the fact that no letters being sent out means that a) all the threats and promises were hollow and b) zero revenue was generated. Perhaps worse still, those threats were made by a law firm that now has to deal with damage to its reputation among both its clients and the general public.</p>
<p>&#8220;The polarized debate focused on how to act to avoid the Swedish law. Many hold the belief that it is socially acceptable to withhold the truth in order to escape the penalty for a criminal act, which also seriously damages the cultural sector,&#8221; Gothia said.</p>
<p>&#8220;As legislation and public opinion differs in a significant way, Gothia Law has now ended its involvement in the file-sharing issue.&#8221;</p>
<p>It is quite something for a law firm to state that it&#8217;s backed out of a project because people have no respect for the law. Then again, it&#8217;s not unusual for law firms to get involved in this type of work only to find that it&#8217;s more trouble than it&#8217;s worth. Still, the company signs off with its successes, which were apparently achieved in just two months and without sending out a single letter.</p>
<p>&#8220;The initiative has meant a certain success for rights holders who will continue to protect their own interests in the file-sharing issue. Not only has the issue risen on the agenda, during the time that has passed since the initiative was launched, illegal downloading in Sweden also declined,&#8221; Gothia said.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s reportedly true that file-sharing in Sweden <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/swedish-file-sharing-in-decline-anti-piracy-chief-says-161030/">is on the decline</a>, it seems unlikely that this campaign had much of an effect on that since its launch in September. Nevertheless, Gothia insists that it did.</p>
<p>&#8220;The decline in sharing of the 150 titles represented by Distribution Check has been greater than the overall decline. For some titles, the download has fallen by 17 percent,&#8221; the company concludes.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s difficult to see the announcement as anything less than a damage limitation exercise but for local ISP Bahnhof, the news is still welcome. Bahnhof CEO Jon Karlung has been Distribution Check&#8217;s most <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bahnhof-trolls-copyright-trolls-160922/">vocal critic</a> and through his company has been a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/swedish-isp-attacks-copyright-trolls-over-trademark-infringement-160905/">thorn in the side</a> of the project. Now it&#8217;s all over, people can relax again.</p>
<p>&#8220;This means that ordinary families do not have to come home to mysterious invoices that you have to think about whether to pay or not,&#8221; Karlung says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Hopefully this means that the copyright industry will seriously leave the 90s behind and put their resources into better experiences instead, such as Netflix and Spotify have done.&#8221;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=129959
title: Alleged KickassTorrents Owner Stays in Prison, Court Rules
uri: Alleged-KickassTorrents-Owner-Stays-in-Prison-Court-Rules
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/CFFnSSoOqY4/
content:
<p><img src="media/75141223.kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png" alt="kickasstorrents_500x500" width="222" height="222" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-96995" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-150x150.png 150w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px">In July, Polish law enforcement officers <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">arrested Artem Vaulin</a>, the alleged owner of KickassTorrents, who’s been held in a local prison ever since.</p>
<p>The 30-year-old Ukrainian was arrested on behalf of U.S. authorities who want him extradited. According to a grand jury indictment, Artem is one of the brains behind the popular torrent search engine.</p>
<p>Artem&#8217;s defense team refutes these claims and has asked the U.S. federal court to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-defense-torrents-are-not-copyrighted-content-us-has-no-case-161018/">dismiss the case</a> in its entirety. At the same time, they have been trying to get their client released from prison on bail.</p>
<p>The case has now been <a href="http://it.wnp.pl/sa-wlasciciel-kickass-torrents-pozostanie-w-areszcie,284361_1_0_0.html">heard before</a> the Court of Appeals in Warsaw, Poland, but with a disappointing result for the KickassTorrents defendant. The court ruled that Artem should remain in custody during the extradition proceedings. </p>
<p>The defense argued that Artem should be released on bail while awaiting extradition hearing. Among other things, they questioned how the crimes alleged by the U.S. applied under Polish law.</p>
<p>In addition, they stressed that their client is in need of good medical care, possibly surgery, for a spinal hernia he&#8217;s suffering from. His release could have been under police supervision and Artem was willing to hand over his passport and remain in Warsaw, if needed.</p>
<p>The Court of Appeals reviewed the arguments and concluded that the alleged KickassTorrents owner will remain in prison, citing a fear of complications during the extradition proceedings.</p>
<p>According to Judge Marzanna Piekarska-Drążek, there are still valid reasons to extend the detention. She noted that the evidence provided by the U.S. authorities is &#8220;sufficient&#8221; to warrant this decision. </p>
<p>The health issues cited by the defense were not seen as severe, with the court noting that Artem could get the help he needs while in custody.</p>
<p>Artem&#8217;s Polish counsel, Tatiana Pacewicz, is disappointed by the outcome. She believes that her client&#8217;s rights are being violated and notes that the case has been referred to the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak also reached out to Val Gurvits, who is part of the U.S. defense team. He told us that they are still not allowed to meet with Artem to prepare his defense. Meanwhile,  the Polish authorities appear to have shared evidence with the U.S. without due process.</p>
<p>&#8220;We continue to be frustrated by our inability to have an attorney-client meeting with Artem in Warsaw,&#8221; Gurvits says.</p>
<p>&#8220;In addition, it seems that the Polish authorities prematurely handed over to the US authorities Artem&#8217;s personal effects including his laptop. This is troubling since Artem was denied his right to oppose this,&#8221; he adds. </p>
<p>The extradition hearing is currently scheduled for later this month, so more news is expected to follow soon.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130186
title: Facebook Deletes Music Piracy Groups Following Complaints
uri: Facebook-Deletes-Music-Piracy-Groups-Following-Complaints
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/YRYNzqlt2Xk/
content:
<p><img src="media/a2a234fe.facebook-share.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/facebook-share.jpg" width="200" height="107" alt="" class="alignright size-large">When peer-to-peer file-sharing was in its infancy, Internet forums were the places where the enthusiasts came to meet. Regular users hung out with file-sharing site owners, while developers offered the latest builds of their new clients.</p>
<p>For a number of years, these forums housed thriving communities but slowly but surely most fell out of use, hit by a double whammy of failing to stay current alongside the advent of social media. For many, sites like Facebook and Reddit became the go-to place for discussion and news.</p>
<p>Of course, these platforms can be used for outright piracy too, with users posting links to the latest content on groups dedicated to file-sharing. This hasn&#8217;t gone unnoticed by the entertainment industries who often put sites like Facebook under pressure to take action.</p>
<p>According to anti-piracy outfit BREIN, that&#8217;s exactly what&#8217;s just happened. BREIN says that it complained to Facebook about nine groups which were being used to share several thousand music albums without permission from rightsholders.</p>
<p>&#8220;Links to infringing files hosted on cloud services were indexed on the pages. Knowingly posting links to infringing files is itself a violation,&#8221; BREIN says.</p>
<p>After being contacted by BREIN, Facebook responded by deleting all nine &#8216;pirate&#8217; groups. However, this wasn&#8217;t the first time the social network has taken this kind of action. BREIN says that earlier this year Facebook removed a number of similar groups following complaints of infringement.</p>
<p>But while shutting down &#8216;pirate&#8217; groups will have some short-term effect, the people that were participating in them are likely to regroup and set up elsewhere. Of course, BREIN can follow them to their new homes but it&#8217;s also aware of the value of targeting individuals.</p>
<p>&#8220;The posters of the infringing links are also often the illegal uploader of unauthorized files [on cyberlocker sites],&#8221; BREIN says, adding that in some circumstances it will seek to hold those people responsible for their actions.</p>
<p>&#8220;BREIN did this already with other intermediaries such as Google, Usenet providers and hosting providers of torrent sites, cyberlockers and streaming link sites.&#8221;</p>
<p>BREIN chief Tim Kuik says there are now plenty of affordable legal alternatives but choosing the unauthorized route could prove costly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Illegally offering free links and files causes damage to authors, rights holders and legal online services. They should realize that this can be expensive,&#8221; Kuik says.</p>
<p>That message hit home earlier this year when BREIN tracked down a prolific cyberlocker uploader who shared pirated music in a dedicated Facebook group. The man <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/brein-tracks-down-facebook-music-pirate-settles-for-e7000-160818/">agreed</a> to sign a €7,000 settlement and left the group, which was shut down soon after.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130226
title: Steal This Show S02E05: Trolling For Justice
uri: Steal-This-Show-S02E05-Trolling-For-Justice
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/uM0tHvMWVW4/
content:
<p><strong><sup><em>If you enjoy this episode, consider becoming a patron and getting involved with the show. <a href="https://patreon.com/user?u=4275705">Check out Steal This Show&#8217;s Patreon campaign</a>: support us and get all kinds of&nbsp;fantastic benefits!</em></sup></strong></p>
<p><img src="media/d01749d9.stslogo180.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stslogo180.png" alt="stslogo180" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-113928">In this episode we meet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Vamos">Mike Bonanno</a>, <em>aka</em> Igor Vamos, one half of the dynamic, culture jamming activist duo&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men">The Yes Men</a>. To date, they&#8217;ve produced three films: <i><a title="The Yes Men (film)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men_(film)">The Yes Men</a></i> (2003), <i><a title="The Yes Men Fix the World" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men_Fix_the_World">The Yes Men Fix the World</a></i> (2009)&nbsp;and <i><a title="The Yes Men Are Revolting" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men_Are_Revolting">The Yes Men Are Revolting</a></i> (2014). </p>
<p>In these films, they impersonate entities that they dislike, a practice that they call &#8220;identity correction&#8221;. In reality The Yes Men are maybe the original mass media trolls, &nbsp;having successfully flummoxed&nbsp;the BBC, Chamber of Commerce, and even George W. Bush. But it&#8217;s trickery for good causes, from raising awareness around the Bhopals disaster to global warming.</p>
<p>After a news roundup from Jamie (AT&amp;T/Time Warner merger, Pirate Party showing in Iceland elections, and copyright lobbies going after core Internet infrastructure) the episode explores the increasing power of media activists and the capacity figures like Julian Assange and Edward Snowden have to affect the political stage. It&#8217;s a &nbsp;bumper episode of STEAL THIS SHOW, weighing in at about 1hr 15mins. Some fun topics:</p>
<ul>
<li>The origins of The Yes Men&nbsp;in a bizarre, pornographic, surrealist piece of videogame sabotage;</li>
<li>The Yes Men&#8217;s dubious claim to be the internet&#8217;s Original Trolls.;</li>
<li>Trolling George W. Bush as a claim to fame;</li>
<li>How to knock billions of dollars off &nbsp;Fortune 100 company;</li>
<li>The perils of liberating porn, and why you just do not (ahem)&nbsp;fuck with&nbsp;Big Porno;</li>
<li>What it&#8217;s like to visit Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy.</li>
</ul>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><a href="https://stealthisshow.com">Steal This Show</a> aims to release bi-weekly episodes featuring insiders discussing copyright and file-sharing news. It complements our regular reporting by adding more room for opinion, commentary and analysis. </p>
<p>The guests for our news discussions will vary and we&#8217;ll aim to introduce voices from different backgrounds and persuasions. In addition to news, STS will also produce features interviewing some of the great innovators and minds. </p>
<p><strong>Host:</strong> Jamie King</p>
<p><strong>Guest:</strong> Mike Bonanno</p>
<p><center><iframe width="100%" height="180px" src="//stealthisshow.com/?lpe-frame=1&#038;lpe-season=2&#038;lpe-episode=05" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<p><strong>Produced </strong> <em>by </em>Jamie King<br>
<strong>Edited &#038; Mixed</strong> <em>by</em> Riley Byrne<br>
<strong>Original Music</strong> <em>by</em> David Triana<br>
<strong>Web Production</strong> <em>by</em> Siraje Amarniss</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130134
title: 123Movies Circumvents ISP Blocking With New .GS Domain
uri: 123Movies-Circumvents-ISP-Blocking-With-New-GS-Domain
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/b_vRClItwDg/
content:
<p><img src="media/e4674c14.123moviesdark.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/123moviesdark.png" alt="123moviesdark" width="275" height="78" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130136">Pirate movie streaming sites and services continue to gain popularity, with 123movies at the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-sites-remain-popular-in-the-uk-despite-website-blockades-161022/">forefront</a> of this movement. </p>
<p>Hollywood is not happy with this trend and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-reports-pirate-sites-and-hosting-providers-to-u-s-government-161010/">reported</a> the site to the U.S. Government&#8217;s Trade Representative last month, labeling it one of the most &#8220;notorious&#8221; pirate markets. </p>
<p>&#8220;123movies is a very popular streaming website that embeds popular movie and series content from third-party cyberlockers,&#8221; the MPAA wrote. </p>
<p>In addition, the movie industry group applied to have 123movies <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-piracy-blocklist-expands-with-123movies-and-other-streaming-sites-161028/">blocked by UK ISPs</a>. In response, the High Court ordered the website to be blocked, alongside a dozen other streaming portals. </p>
<p>The people behind 123movies, who prefer to remain anonymous, fear that the blockade will hurt their visitor numbers so have decided to take counteraction. A few hours ago they started redirecting UK and Indian visitors to <a href="http://123movies.gs/">123movies.gs</a>, using a TLD from the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. </p>
<p>The reason for the sudden move is clear, according to a site representative. &#8220;To give UK users a place to stream movies after the ban on 123movies.to,&#8221; we were told.</p>
<p>The .GS domain is not an arbitrary choice. The 123movies team believes that this is a relatively safe option. However, it&#8217;s worth noting that The Pirate Bay <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-loses-new-domain-name-hydra-lives-on-150522/">lost its .GS domain fairly quickly</a> last year after the registry suspended it over copyright infringement issues.</p>
<p>With the switch, 123movies hopes to be safe for a while but they may have to relocate UK and Indian traffic again in the future. </p>
<p>The site&#8217;s operators say they don&#8217;t have a larger goal in mind for the site. Their main motivation is to provide free video content to the public at large, and with millions of visitors per day they are doing just that. </p>
<p>&#8220;We have no goal, we just want to provide free movies to users all around the world,&#8221; a 123movies representative told TorrentFreak. </p>
<p>&#8220;In some countries, it&#8217;s really expensive to buy a ticket at the cinema, and not all people can afford it. 123movies will help them to be able to enjoy their favorite movies at no cost.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Hollywood studios will cringe at 123movies&#8217; deviant stance and are likely to take countermeasures of their own. In the UK they can request the new domain name to be blocked as well, which they are bound to do. </p>
<p>However, 123movies is not planning to give up anytime soon. They are thinking about starting a network of proxy sites, like The Pirate Bay has, to ensure that people will always be able to access the site.</p>
<p>And so it appears that Hollywood has another cat and mouse game on their hands&#8230;  </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130245
title: UK Govt. Will Address Music ‘Value Gap” as Part of Brexit
uri: UK-Govt-Will-Address-Music-Value-Gap-as-Part-of-Brexit
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/MP4Rrk8pjY4/
content:
<p><img src="media/0a732ba1.youtubeface.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubeface.jpg" width="222" height="158" alt="" class="alignright size-large">Earlier this year, RIAA chief Cary Sherman <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-says-youtube-is-running-a-dmca-protection-racket-160412/">accused</a> YouTube of running a protection racket.</p>
<p>The DMCA requires the site to take down infringing content on request. However, millions of pieces of content are missed or are reuploaded after being taken down, meaning that YouTube is able to monetize them, without paying an appropriate license fee. Services like Spotify and Apple Music, on the other hand, must license all the content they offer.</p>
<p>While YouTube acts within the law, industry players have been working to get law in the United States and Europe tightened up so it cannot continue to exploit was has become known as the &#8220;value gap&#8221;.</p>
<p>This week the issue was raised again, this time as part of the debates surrounding the UK&#8217;s Digital Economy Bill. In order to assess the government&#8217;s position, Kevin Brennan MP tabled a probing amendment to section 19 of The Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002, which deals with service provider safe harbor.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/b19bb64c.directive-2002.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/directive-2002.png"><img src="media/da6a93a4.directive-2002.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/directive-2002.png" alt="directive-2002" width="600" height="274" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130248"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;The Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002, which put into law the EU’s e-commerce directive 2000, include certain exemptions from liability for online services, including copyright-protected works,&#8221; Brennan said.</p>
<p>&#8220;The fundamental concern from the music industry is that the hosting defense provided by regulation 19 of the 2002 regulations acts as a safe harbor and allows some services, including user-uploaded services such as YouTube, to circumvent the normal rules of licensing.&#8221;</p>
<p>Noting that this situation has led to the &#8220;value gap&#8221;, Brennan cited some figures from UK Music.</p>
<p>&#8220;User-uploaded service YouTube, the most widely used global streaming platform, increased its payments to music rights holders by 11% in 2015, despite consumption on the service growing by 132%. That is the value gap in a nutshell. Further industry analysis indicates that video streams increased by 88% year on year, but generated only a 0.4% increase in revenues,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>To deal with the issue, Brennan suggested a new clause which would only permit sites like YouTube to enjoy safe harbor if they do not &#8220;play an active role in the storage of information including by optimizing the presentation of the uploaded works or promoting them.”</p>
<p>Brennan told MPs that the status quo is distorting the digital market, since YouTube benefits while services like Spotify do not. A line needs to be drawn in the sand, he said, to ensure that music services don&#8217;t enjoy the same protections as &#8216;dumb&#8217; service providers.</p>
<p>&#8220;There was, and continues to be, a justification for exemptions in some areas for passive hosts, but those must reflect the balance between the rights of rights holders and users. The industry is concerned that existing ​provisions are not sufficiently defined and as a result are open to deliberate manipulation,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Minister of State for Digital &#038; Culture Matt Hancock said he understood the concerns.</p>
<p>&#8220;As we have debated, the Bill sends a clear message about copyright infringement, not least because we are increasing the penalty for online copyright ​infringement from <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-bill-introduces-10-year-prison-sentence-for-online-pirates-160706/">two to 10 years</a>,&#8221; Hancock said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course, I know about the concern in the music industry and elsewhere that online intermediaries need to do more to share revenues fairly with creators. That is what this new clause seeks to tackle, and I agree with that concern.&#8221;</p>
<p>However, as the government seeks to make new laws it also has to consider current European Union law and what will happen when the UK eventually leaves the block. Hancock says that the new clause tabled by Brennan is already supported by European Court of Justice case law, a position supported in the UK.</p>
<p>He then turned to the issue of the EU&#8217;s Digital Single Market.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are heavily engaged in the digital single market negotiations and the discussions ongoing in Europe. While we are a member of the EU, we will continue to do that. The issue of the value gap, which the hon. Gentleman mentioned, is important, and the development of ECJ case law in that direction has been helpful,&#8221; Hancock said.</p>
<p>Indeed, during September the European Commission issued its draft <a href="http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52016PC0593&#038;from=EN">Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market</a>. It contains the following text:</p>
<p><em>Article 13 creates an obligation on information society service providers storing and giving access to large amounts of works and other subject-matter uploaded by their users to take appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure the functioning of agreements concluded with rightholders and to prevent the availability on their services of content identified by rightholders in cooperation with the service providers.</em></p>
<p>&#8220;That brings me to Brexit because, as the e-commerce directive is EU single-market legislation, we will have to consider what the best future system will be as we exit the European Union,&#8221; Hancock continued.</p>
<p>&#8220;We will have to consider how the e-commerce regulations as a whole should work in the future. That will be part of the debate about leaving the European Union.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hancock said that given the progress in EU law he is &#8220;wary about making peacemeal changes&#8221; to the current UK regime, but offered assurances that he would take Brennan&#8217;s proposals into account as the UK leaves the EU.</p>
<p>&#8220;I acknowledge the need, through the Brexit negotiations and the process of setting domestic law where there is currently European law, to take into account the important considerations that have been raised,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Brennan subsequently withdrew the probing amendment but it&#8217;s clear that the value gap dispute won&#8217;t be going away anytime soon. However, in a sign that progress can be being made voluntarily, this week YouTube and German music rights group GEMA laid years of legal battles to rest with a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-signs-landmark-deal-to-end-music-video-blocking-in-germany-160101/">landmark deal</a>. Who knows what might follow next.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130215
title: Anti-Piracy Group Uses ‘Pirated’ Code on its Website
uri: Anti-Piracy-Group-Uses-Pirated-Code-on-its-Website
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bJKe9NnTkvk/
content:
<p><img src="media/f26de7b6.pirate-clash-fight.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-clash-fight.jpg" alt="pirate-clash-fight" width="250" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118800" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-clash-fight.jpg 250w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-clash-fight-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px">Copyright is a double-edged sword. Those who sharpen one side often get cut by the other, with all the painful consequences that come with it. </p>
<p>That&#8217;s exactly what&#8217;s happening to the Business Software Alliance (<a href="http://www.bsa.org/">BSA</a>) this week. </p>
<p>Representing major software companies, the BSA uses Facebook ads to encourage people to report businesses that use unlicensed software. If one of these reports results in a successful court case, the pirate snitch can look forward to a cash reward.</p>
<p>While BSA&#8217;s original &#8220;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/reportsoftwarepiracy/?fref=ts">No Piracy</a>&#8221; page is no longer active, they do support a new campaign which is operating under the &#8220;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/australiacybercrimewatch/">Australia Cybercrime Watch</a>&#8221; name. This group only appears to exist on Facebook and is running paid ads to convince people to snitch on software pirates. </p>
<p>Below is an ad that ran during Halloween, promising people thousands of dollars in rewards in return for their cooperation. </p>
<p><center><strong>What’s just as creepy&#8230;?</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/9786fe32.bsaedge.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bsaedge.jpg" alt="bsaedge" width="478" height="424" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130244"></center></p>
<p>There&#8217;s plenty to say about these kind of tactics, and by taking a glance <a href="https://www.facebook.com/australiacybercrimewatch/posts/1625732077720884">through the Facebook comments</a> it&#8217;s clear that many people are not fans, to say the least. </p>
<p>However, it&#8217;s not just the advertising ethics that&#8217;s raising eyebrows. If we visit the <a href="https://reporting-asia.bsa.org/New_Design/submit?src=au&#038;ln=en-au">linked BSA page</a> where people can report <em>unlicensed software</em>, we can&#8217;t help but notice that it violates the license of some of the jQuery code. </p>
<p>Looking at the source of the page we see that it includes custom builds of both <a href="https://reporting-asia.bsa.org/bundles/jquery?v=iAfF7w_9xk3YMliaOVPqpx8pALBmF-FTbrao0RIgp_U1">jQuery</a> and <a href="https://reporting-asia.bsa.org/bundles/jquerymobile?v=x3-qXN9yYTpnH23sJ2sxlVf8iBEFhG4Uf3lbZmM4WUY1">jQuery mobile</a>. The files in question both use jQuery in <a href="media/6a8685b7.source5.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/source5.png">their name</a> and despite the modifications, they show plenty of similarities with the original code.</p>
<p><center><strong><strong>BSA (left) &#8211; Original (right)</strong></strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/341eca81.comparejqmobile.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/comparejqmobile.png"><img src="media/341eca81.comparejqmobile.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/comparejqmobile.png" alt="comparejqmobile" width="600" height="355" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130252"></a></center></p>
<p>In theory, this shouldn&#8217;t be a problem. Millions of websites all around the world use jQuery, which is free software as long as you adhere to the license. Ironically, BSA appears to be using it &#8216;unlicensed.&#8217;</p>
<p>jQuery doesn&#8217;t mind people copying, modifying or even selling their code on the condition that that the <a href="https://github.com/jquery/jquery/blob/master/LICENSE.txt">original license</a> is included. This requirement is spelled out in every copy of the code, something all developers should know.</p>
<p>&#8220;The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software,&#8221; it clearly reads.</p>
<p><center><strong><strong>jQuery license</strong></strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/74c53a16.bsalicense.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bsalicense.png" alt="bsalicense" width="465" height="185" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130251"></center></p>
<p>However, we have combed through both modified jQuery files on BSA&#8217;s servers but none of them includes or references the license. Admittingly, this type of &#8220;offense&#8221; is very common, but for an anti-piracy outfit it&#8217;s quite painful to say the least. </p>
<p>The license was probably omitted by mistake, as the original site also includes properly licensed files. However, BSA usually doesn&#8217;t show any mercy to the organizations that &#8220;forget&#8221; to license their Windows copies.</p>
<p>This isn&#8217;t the first time that one of the BSA&#8217;s anti-piracy campaigns has exposed its own wrongdoings. Previously, the group <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bsa-pirates-busted-140322/">&#8216;stole&#8217; a photograph</a> for an advertisement, which they have quietly since removed.</p>
<p>Perhaps someone should report the BSA to the BSA for their infringing actions? Apparently you can get an award up to $20,000!</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130238
title: Croatia Arrests its First Ever Pirate Site Operator
uri: Croatia-Arrests-its-First-Ever-Pirate-Site-Operator
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4Kc_aIwI12M/
content:
<p><a href="media/339209a8.jail.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/jail.jpg"><img src="media/9c39c603.jail.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/jail.jpg" alt="jail" width="222" height="148" class="alignright size-full wp-image-70302"></a>Many countries around the EU have taken a hostile stance towards those sharing content without permission. However, evidence suggests that the further east a pirate operates, the less likely he is to get in trouble.</p>
<p>As a result, pirates have free reign in a number of countries but as of this week, Croatia can be crossed off that list. Authorities there have just arrested their very first Internet pirate and it&#8217;s all over local media.</p>
<p>According to reports, police swooped on a 31-year-old resident of Rijeka, Croatia&#8217;s principal seaport and its third-largest city. Matej Kalanj was arrested following claims he&#8217;d been operating pirate site Filmovita since 2014.</p>
<p>While Filmovita may not be a huge player on the world stage, the site is extremely popular locally and is currently Croatia&#8217;s 47th most popular overall. The site&#8217;s Facebook page has more than <a href="https://www.facebook.com/filmovitacom/">165,000 members</a>.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/e99258cb.filmovita.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/filmovita.png"><img src="media/1aebe7d9.filmovita.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/filmovita.png" alt="filmovita" width="602" height="304" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130267"></a></center></p>
<p>Local authorities <a href="http://novilist.hr/Vijesti/Crna-kronika/Istrazni-zatvor-rijeckom-piratu-koji-je-filmove-neovlasteno-stavljao-na-internet-i-na-oglasima-zaradio-600-tisuca-kuna">claim</a> that Kalanj published more than 1,250 movies with subtitles online. Via his site and promotion via Facebook, he earned around $89,000 in ad revenue, mainly from foreign companies.</p>
<p>Overall it&#8217;s claimed that the 31-year-old caused damages of more than $592,000 to local rights holders, although no evidence to back that up has been released. Vlaho Hrdalo, a lawyer from Zagreb, informs TF that despite the large numbers involved, a prosecution may not be straightforward.</p>
<p>&#8220;Croatia has a very special formulation in its Criminal Code which regulates that the prerequisite of an existence of a piracy-related felony is that there was excessive damage to the copyright holders,&#8221; Hrdalo explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, the prosecution will have problems proving that since they are claiming damage was done to local distributors. Furthermore, the site was not on a Croatian domain (.hr) but an international one (.com), which is why they will have to go to extreme lengths to prove it.&#8221;</p>
<p>In addition to the infringement charges, Kalanj is also accused of unlawfully accessing the Internet via a modem operated by a third person, believed to be a neighbor with insecure WiFi. Hrdalo says that this too could be on shaky ground.</p>
<p>&#8220;The site operator supposedly used his neighbor&#8217;s internet connection so that his IP address wouldn&#8217;t show up. Even if that is so, this doesn&#8217;t fall within the scope of Article 266 [Croatian Criminal Code] which says that a felony exists if someone gains unauthorized access to a &#8216;computer system or computer data&#8217;. Using other people&#8217;s WiFi does not represent the use of a &#8216;computer system or computer data&#8217; and connecting to other people&#8217;s routers is certainly not a felony,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>Also under investigation is a woman in her late twenties, believed to be Kalanj&#8217;s wife. She stands accused by the District Attorney of money laundering offenses. It&#8217;s alleged that together with Kalanj, the woman tried to hide the source of the site&#8217;s advertising revenue by shifting money between bank accounts.</p>
<p>Perhaps surprisingly given Croatia&#8217;s previous lack of interest in prosecuting pirates, authorities have chosen to detain Kalanj in advance of his trial.</p>
<p>The detention was ordered to stop potential witnesses being influenced and further infringement, a move that has prompted local media to compare Kalanj with alleged KickassTorrents founder, Artem Vaulin. The woman, on the other hand, has been released.</p>
<p>For reasons that have not been made public, the arrest of the Filmovita&#8217;s alleged operator hasn&#8217;t affected the site itself. Despite being targeted by Croatia&#8217;s hi-tech crime unit, it remains operational through its <a href="http://www.filmovita.com">usual URL</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=129431
title: Google Asked to Remove 50 Million 4shared Links
uri: Google-Asked-to-Remove-50-Million-4shared-Links
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/iotLIMweq40/
content:
<p><img src="media/6466fd63.4shared-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/4shared-1.jpg" alt="4shared" width="277" height="91" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118093">As one of the largest online file-sharing services, <a href="http://www.4shared.com/">4shared</a> is closely watched by copyright holders whose work is made available on the site.</p>
<p>The site itself has a <a href="http://www.4shared.com/dmca.jsp">DMCA takedown procedure</a> in place so rightholders can remove files directly, but Google also receives its fair share of takedown notices for the site. </p>
<p>Over the past several years the search engine has received a mind-boggling <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/searchdata/domains/?id=4shared.com">50 million takedown requests</a> for 4shared URLs. Most of these, 35 million, were submitted during the past year alone. </p>
<p>The popular file-hosting site tops Google&#8217;s list of most reported domain names at the moment, way out in front of rapidgator.net and uploaded.net, which are in second and third place respectively.</p>
<p><center><strong>Over 50 million takedown requests</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/4c606537.4shared50m.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/4shared50m.png" alt="4shared50m" width="600" height="422" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130241"></center></p>
<p>While it may look like 4shared is the piracy kingpin of the Internet, over the years the service has taken various measures to decrease infringing activity. </p>
<p>For example, the site uses advanced <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/4shared-uses-unique-fingerprinting-tech-to-scan-for-pirated-files-130816/">fingerprinting technology</a> to scan for pirated music files based on a unique audio watermark. When infringing files are found they are removed from public view.</p>
<p>Interestingly, leading music industry groups RIAA and IFPI haven&#8217;t shown much interest in this tool thus far. </p>
<p>“We tried communicating with RIAA and IFPI, especially because of their possible participation in our music identification system,” 4shared&#8217;s Mike Wilson previously told TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>“We did not receive any assistance, so we started with music ID by ourselves and in just one year it helped to reduce the number of copyright complaints by 16 times, while the volume of stored information is actually still growing.&#8221;</p>
<p>Instead of working with 4shared directly the music industry group are taking their complaints to Google, resulting in the 50 million milestone this week. </p>
<p>On top of that, the RIAA also <a href="media/a5c573ac.RIAA_2016_Notorious_Markets_Submission_.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/RIAA_2016_Notorious_Markets_Submission_.pdf">reported</a> 4shared to the U.S. Government, listing it as one of the prime pirate sites on the Internet, and scolding the fingerprinting system they apparently aren&#8217;t using themselves.</p>
<p>&#8220;4shared remains one of the most popular cyberlocker sites in the world. It is also the source of a staggering volume of infringing files,&#8221; RIAA wrote adding: &#8220;Clearly their audio fingerprinting is at the very least ineffective.&#8221; </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=129955
title: Cloudflare Slams MPAA and RIAA’s “Distorted” Piracy Claims
uri: Cloudflare-Slams-MPAA-and-RIAA-s-Distorted-Piracy-Claims
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/GKg0fQCNEZc/
content:
<p><img src="media/4a535cc9.cloudflare.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cloudflare.png" alt="cloudflare" width="275" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-96401">Last month several copyright holder groups sent their annual “Notorious Markets” submissions to the U.S. Trade Representative (<a href="https://ustr.gov/">USTR</a>).</p>
<p>The U.S. Government uses this input to create an overview of threats to various copyright industries. The recommendations usually include well-known piracy sites such as The Pirate Bay, but this year <a href="https://www.cloudflare.com/">Cloudflare</a> was also added to the mix.</p>
<p>For example, both the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-reports-pirate-sites-and-hosting-providers-to-u-s-government-161010/">MPAA</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-cloudflare-shields-pirates-and-frustrates-blocking-efforts-161013/">RIAA</a> mentioned the CDN provider as a key player, claiming that it frustrates enforcement by helping pirate sites to &#8220;hide&#8221;. </p>
<p>Cloudflare was not pleased with this description, to say the least, and has now sent a rebuttal to the USTR. The company highlights that it&#8217;s a legitimate business and scolds the MPAA and RIAA for their misleading descriptions.</p>
<p>&#8220;The submissions by the RIAA and MPAA present distorted descriptions of services that companies like Cloudflare provide. These descriptions fail to provide the USTR with an accurate description of the true intent, purpose, and value of Cloudflare’s services,&#8221; Cloudflare&#8217;s General Counsel Doug Kramer writes.</p>
<p>The company is disappointed in the industry groups, which fail to mention the efforts they have taken so far to address abuse. </p>
<p>&#8220;Potentially even more troubling than the RIAA and MPAA’s descriptions of Cloudflare’s services is their complete omission of Cloudflare’s efforts to address the small minority of users about which they complain.&#8221; </p>
<p>In fact, it&#8217;s not hard at all for the MPAA and RIAA to find out where notorious pirate sites are hosted.</p>
<p>Both RIAA and MPAA are part of the “Trusted Reporter” program Cloudflare has created. This allows rightsholders to obtain the actual IP-addresses of Cloudflare-hosted websites that engage in widespread copyright infringement. </p>
<p>Kramer says that the industry groups are frequent users of the system. In addition, Cloudflare is currently discussing with the MPAA and RIAA how the program can be improved to make it more efficient in the future. </p>
<p>The bottom line, according to Cloudflare, is that the company is following the law. They swiftly process thousands of complaints every week and don&#8217;t make it any harder for rightsholders to enforce their rights.</p>
<p>&#8220;Cloudflare does not make the process of enforcing intellectual property rights online any harder &#8212; or any easier. We follow all applicable laws and regulations,&#8221; Kramer explains. </p>
<p>The CDN provider believes that the submissions of the MPAA and RIAA are tainted. Together they list 48 websites which are supposedly obfuscated by Cloudflare, even though Cloudflare already identified the real IP-addresses of 27 of those sites following complaints. </p>
<p>For the remaining 21 &#8220;notorious&#8221; pirate sites, they apparently didn&#8217;t even bother to use the Trusted Notifier program to get more info. </p>
<p>&#8220;What they fail to mention is that the RIAA and MPAA requested the allegedly &#8216;obfuscated&#8217; information from Cloudflare for 27 of those sites and received the relevant host information in a matter of hours,&#8221; Kramer writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;Even though they were well aware of the system, they never even requested information on the remaining 21 sites mentioned in their letters. Yet they included those sites in their submission to the USTR without attempting to use available resources to get the information.&#8221;</p>
<p>Cloudflare hopes the USTR understands that all accusations of its alleged involvement in illegal activities are unwarranted, and that the company has no place in the USTR’s Notorious Markets inquiry.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><em>Cloudflare&#8217;s full rebuttal is available here (<a href="media/4103f3f1.USTR-2016-2013_Cloudflare.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/USTR-2016-2013_Cloudflare.pdf">pdf</a>).</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130290
title: TED Accused of Using the DMCA to Silence Talk Criticism
uri: TED-Accused-of-Using-the-DMCA-to-Silence-Talk-Criticism
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5kB8ZWDfr0w/
content:
<p><a href="media/758ee827.ted-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/ted-small.jpg"><img src="media/48f409f3.ted-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ted-small.jpg" alt="ted-small" width="250" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130297"></a>TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is known globally for its quality conferences and talks. Operated by the nonprofit Sapling Foundation, notable speakers have included former president Bill Clinton and Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.</p>
<p>Under the slogan of &#8220;Ideas Worth Spreading&#8221;, TED talks cover a broad range of sometimes controversial topics. This week it was the turn of Kelli Jean Drinkwater to provoke discussion with her talk <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/kelli_jean_drinkwater_enough_with_the_fear_of_fat">Enough with the Fear of Fat</a>. Originally recorded in May, Drinkwater&#8217;s talk pushed the notion that &#8220;unapologetic fat bodies can blow people&#8217;s minds.&#8221;</p>
<p>Perhaps unsurprisingly, her talk had its share of critics, among them a YouTuber called Bearing. Hailing from Australia, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwW_vaMPlq8J4weKDsfeJzw">Bearing&#8217;s 253,000 subscriber channel</a> appears to spend considerable time criticising videos made by feminists. However, when he made a video criticizing Drinkwater&#8217;s talk and uploaded it to YouTube, things didn&#8217;t go to plan.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you visit [TED&#8217;s] website&#8217;s &#8216;about&#8217; page, you will learn that TED is a &#8216;nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas&#8217;, their mission is &#8216;to spread ideas&#8217;, and their agenda is to &#8216;make great ideas accessible and spark conversation&#8217;,&#8221; Bearing says.</p>
<p>&#8220;So when I saw Kelli&#8217;s video, I had a few of my own ideas and decided to spark a conversation, you know, in that true TED spirit. Needless to say, I was a little bit baffled when TED sent me a DMCA takedown notice a few hours after my video was uploaded. Yup, apparently some ideas are worth silencing.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><The notice received from YouTube</center><a href="media/83a2c721.bearing-notice.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/bearing-notice.png"><img src="media/ca03af77.bearing-notice.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bearing-notice.png" alt="bearing-notice" width="600" height="197" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130292"></a></center></p>
<p>According to Bearing, TED filed a DMCA notice against the video which resulted in YouTube taking it down. He believes that TED acted incorrectly and he should have been able to publish portions of the video while being protected by fair use.</p>
<p>&#8220;My response video to Kelli was for the purpose of offering criticism and comment. I used three minutes and 54 seconds, around 29% of her total video. It made up around 20% of my video, which ran for 16.5 minutes,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>How much of a video can be taken is one of the tests of fair use. As a general rule, the smaller the part someone copies, the more likely it is that the use will be considered fair. Almost a third could be considered a lot but may also be needed if there&#8217;s a lot of criticism to squeeze in.</p>
<p>&#8220;There are no legal rules permitting the use of a specific number of words, a certain number of musical notes, or percentage of a work,&#8221; says advice from the US Copyright Office. &#8220;Whether a particular use qualifies as fair use depends on all the circumstances.&#8221; </p>
<p>Another test of fair use is whether use of a copyright work is likely to deprive the original copyright holder of income or undermine the work&#8217;s potential market. Bearing thinks he&#8217;s in the clear on this count too.</p>
<p>&#8220;Considering I directly opposed many of her talking points, it&#8217;s extremely unlikely my video would harm Kelli&#8217;s video market, or in other words it&#8217;s extremely unlikely that Kelli&#8217;s video would miss out on any views as a result of my video existing,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The point i&#8217;m making here is that by any reasonable standard, my video qualifies as fair use of copyrighted material. So I&#8217;ve sent TED a DMCA counter-notice. If they come to their senses and withdraw the copyright claim, we&#8217;ll have the video up sooner rather than later. If they decide to pursue the matter and file a legal claim against me, it will be later rather than sooner.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><b>Bearing&#8217;s opinion on TED</b><a href="media/284807bd.bearing-1.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/bearing-1.png"><img src="media/275380d5.bearing-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bearing-1.png" alt="bearing-1" width="600" height="336" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130291"></a></center></p>
<p>To find out the basis for the takedown, TorrentFreak contacted TED for comment. We asked the organization why the video had been taken down and asked them to comment specifically on why they believe Bearing breached their rights.</p>
<p>&#8220;The video you’re referring to was taken down for violating our usage policy,&#8221; TED told TF. That <a href="http://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy">policy</a> reads as follows;</p>
<p><em>At TED, our goal is to spread ideas. We encourage the TED community, non-profit organizations, bloggers, news media and the like to share TED Talks through social media and to embed individual talks in contextually relevant ways on non-commercial websites using embed code on TED.com. Non-commercial usage of TED Talks should follow the terms of our specific Creative Commons license Attribution &#8211; NonCommercial &#8211; NonDerivative (BY-NC-ND).</em></p>
<p>While TED has its own rules, a correctly applied case of fair use can trump them. We asked TED to explain how Bearing&#8217;s use amounted to a breach of copyright.</p>
<p>&#8220;Regardless of content, if a Youtube video fails to follow these guidelines we request that it be removed,&#8221; TED said. A further request to elaborate on the fair use aspect went unanswered.</p>
<p>Bearing says he does his best to stay out of legal disputes but he describes this one as &#8220;just too tempting.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Imagine being the independent content creator that TED tried to sue for spreading ideas and starting a conversation. FUCKING LOL,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>The situation is certainly awkward. A legal battle would not be in either party&#8217;s interests but for now the ball is in TED&#8217;s court. Will it accept Bearing&#8217;s counter-notice and put the matter to bed, or will this continue to a messy conclusion?</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fig3g4MCN6c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130272
title: Movie Companies Want to Hold Search Engines Liable For Piracy
uri: Movie-Companies-Want-to-Hold-Search-Engines-Liable-For-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3HEYD4up76w/
content:
<p><a href="media/ebe343ca.googlepiratebay.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/googlepiratebay.png"><img src="media/3c5b1a66.googlepiratebay.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/googlepiratebay.png" alt="googlepiratebay" width="267" height="257" class="alignright size-full wp-image-128445"></a>While millions of users visit pirate sites directly to get their content fix, others prefer to use the services of search engines.</p>
<p>As a result, companies like Google and Bing are considered major drivers of traffic to torrent and streaming sites, a point not lost on the world&#8217;s entertainment industry groups.</p>
<p>In an effort to stem the flow, both get hit with millions of DMCA-style notices every week. The engines comply by removing millions of links.</p>
<p>Over in Russia the situation is more complex and content groups want a change in the law to tip the balance in their favor. They&#8217;re demanding that search engines remove links to pirate sites from their results entirely, or face being held liable for third-party infringement.</p>
<p>The proposals from the Association of Film and Television Producers (APKIT) have already been sent to the Ministry of Culture, which is currently drafting a new anti-piracy law. They foresee companies like Google, Yandex and Microsoft being forced to deal with infringement, or else.</p>
<p>&#8220;The members of our association believe that search engines are the main problem of piracy,&#8221; APKIT&#8217;s Sergey Semenov told <a href="http://izvestia.ru/news/642448">Izvestia</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Search engines &#8211; this is the best place to stop the infringement. We want direct instructions in the law that search engines themselves become responsible for infringement, if they do not remove the links after they became aware of copyright infringement.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to anti-piracy chief Maxim Ryabyko of AZAPO, there is a difference of opinion among lawyers when it comes to search engine liability and whether they need to remove links. It all comes down to whether they can be defined as information brokers, information intermediaries, or something else.</p>
<p>APKIT&#8217;s Semenov says that since there is no clarity on what defines an information broker, it is necessary to write into law where search engines stand and from there determine liability. Yandex, on the other hand, believes that clarity already exists.</p>
<p>&#8220;Regulation of the activities of search engines in the form offered by the rightsholders &#8211; including holding them liable for copyright infringement &#8211; is inappropriate and legally incorrect, as existing legislation and judicial practice have a clear understanding of the impossibility of holding search engines liable for violating intellectual property rights,&#8221; a Yandex spokesperson said.</p>
<p>&#8220;The courts take the position that the search engines are not information intermediaries due to the nature of their work. This position is confirmed by numerous judicial practice.&#8221;</p>
<p>Back in August, Eksmo, a publisher responsible for around 30% of all Russian books, filed a complaint with Yandex which demanded it removed links to infringing content indexed by leading Russian torrent site, RuTracker.</p>
<p>Yandex was given 48 hours to “cease publishing any information necessary to access the forbidden resource rutracker.org.” Yandex refused to comply and the case went to court, with rightsholders demanding that the search engine should be blocked by ISPs. The Moscow Court rejected the application.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130205
title: Copyright Industries Back Hillary Clinton’s Presidential Campaign
uri: Copyright-Industries-Back-Hillary-Clinton-s-Presidential-Campaign
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/91T5l4CHX5I/
content:
<p><img src="media/b249c2c4.clinton-hillary.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/clinton-hillary.jpg" alt="clinton-hillary" width="250" height="184" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130293">This coming Tuesday the world will find out who is going to be the President of the United States during the years to come. </p>
<p>During the past several months, news coverage have been dominated by mud-slinging from various sides, while surprisingly little has been said about future policy. </p>
<p>That&#8217;s odd considering the fact that the next President has an important say in the direction the country will take going forward.</p>
<p>Today we&#8217;ll take a look at which candidate is favored by various entertainment industries. This includes the major movie studios, record labels, and TV-production companies.</p>
<p>While most of these organizations haven&#8217;t publicly endorsed a candidate for the presidential election, their publicly listed donations paint a clear picture. Pretty much all copyright industries favor Hillary clinton by a landslide.</p>
<p>Counting all donations that were made during the 2016 election cycle, released publicly by the Federal Election Commission, we see a pattern emerging. </p>
<p>Companies and individuals in the copyright-heavy TV, music and movie sector want Hillary for president. Together they donated $6,835,455 to Hillary Clinton compared to only $139,429 for Donald Trump.</p>
<p><center><strong>TV / Movies / Music <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?ind=B02&#038;cycle=2016&#038;recipdetail=P&#038;mem=N&#038;sortorder=U">donations</a></strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/d33bd51f.topdonations.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/topdonations.png" alt="topdonations" width="568" height="194" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130332"></center></p>
<p>Looking in more detail at the various subsections, we see that the Motion Picture Production &#038; Distribution industry, with players such as Dreamworks, Sony Corp, 21st Century Fox and Time Warner, also favor the democratic candidate. Together, they have donated $2,634,014 to Clinton, and $33,548 to Trump. </p>
<p>The gap is even greater in the TV production category where companies such as CBS, ABC and Walt Disney donated $634,757 to Clinton, versus a measly $3,455 to Trump.</p>
<p>In the music business the same trend emerges. Hillary Clinton received a healthy $737,955 in donations from companies such as Vivendi, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, while Trump got $17,850.</p>
<p>Overall it&#8217;s safe to conclude that these copyright industry related companies favor Hillary in the White House. </p>
<p>This, in contrast to copyright industry adversary Kim Dotcom, who&#8217;s one of the main critics of the Democratic candidate. </p>
<p>Over the past weeks Dotcom hasn&#8217;t spared Clinton his critique on Twitter, <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&#038;vertical=default&#038;q=clinton%20from%3Akimdotcom&#038;src=typd">to say the least&#8230;</a></p>
<p><center><img src="media/2b8fdbe4.dotclinton.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dotclinton.png" alt="dotclinton" width="580" height="189" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130334"></center></p>
<p>That said, the copyright industries are not alone in their financial support for Hillary, who has raised more than twice as much money than Trump. Clinton is the favorite in most sectors. </p>
<p>Many <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?ind=B13++">Internet companies</a> which are often positioned against copyright interests, also favor Clinton over Trump.</p>
<p>Is there no-one favoring Donald then? Well&#8230; the building materials &#038; equipment companies in the construction sector favor Trump over Clinton, $270,175 vs. $159,441.</p>
<p>So what does this all mean?</p>
<p>As with pretty much all facts and figures discussed in the election campaigns, it&#8217;s a matter of spin. Clinton will be pleased to see that these companies and related individuals have so much trust in her, while Trump will see it as a sign of a corrupt system where industries can buy favors. And so the mud-throwing continues.</p>
<p>In any case, don&#8217;t shoot the messenger&#8230;</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>The donation data reported in this article was obtained through the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/">Center for Responsive Politics</a>, a Washington D.C. based nonpartisan research group. The industry data includes both donations from the companies directly and related individuals, as <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/methodology.php">explained here</a>.</em> </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130431
title: “DRM is Used to Lock in, Control and Spy on Users”
uri: DRM-is-Used-to-Lock-in-Control-and-Spy-on-Users
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4bXpPfLf_TI/
content:
<p><img src="media/fb4f2332.fsf.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fsf.png" alt="fsf" width="250" height="217" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130437">Late last year the U.S. Copyright office launched a series of public consultations to review critical aspects of the DMCA law. </p>
<p>This includes a review of the  anti-circumvention provisions (<a href="http://www.copyright.gov/1201/">section 1201</a>), which prevent the public from tinkering with DRM protected content and devices. </p>
<p>A lot has been said on the topic over the past months. Most copyright industry groups are in favor of keeping tight restrictions, while digital rights groups argue the opposite. </p>
<p>Most opponents point out that DRM does more harm than good and some see it as plain evil. The Free Software Foundation (<a href="https://www.fsf.org/">FSF</a>), which is a rightsholder of a lot of GNU/Linux software, clearly falls into the latter category.</p>
<p>FSF sees no future for DRM and urges the Copyright Office to repeal the DMCA&#8217;s anti-circumvention provisions.</p>
<p>&#8220;Technological protection measures and Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) play no legitimate role in protecting copyrighted works. Instead, they are a means of controlling users and creating &#8216;lock in&#8217;,&#8221; FSF&#8217;s Donald Robertson writes.</p>
<p>According to FSF, copyright is just an excuse, the true purpose is to lock down and control users. Through DRM, companies try to keep users on board, as it often restricts them from easily switching to other platforms or digital stores. </p>
<p>&#8220;Companies use this control illegitimately with an eye toward extracting maximum revenue from users in ways that have little connection to actual copyright law. In fact, these restrictions are technological impediments to the rights users have under copyright law, such as fair use.&#8221; </p>
<p>Even if copyright was the main concern, DRM would be an overbroad tool to achieve the goal, the foundation notes. </p>
<p>FSF highlights that DRM is not just used to control people but also to spy on them, by sending all kinds of personal data to technology providers. This is done to generate extra income at the expense of users&#8217; rights, they claim.</p>
<p>&#8220;DRM enables companies to spy on their users, and use that data for profit,&#8221; Robertson writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;DRM is frequently used to spy on users by requiring that they maintain a connection to the Internet so that the program can send information back to the DRM provider about the user&#8217;s actions,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>Under current law, there are some exemptions which allow people to circumvent DRM, but FSF says this is by no means sufficient. Abandoning the anti-circumvention provisions entirely is the only right thing to do, they say. </p>
<p>The foundation adds that there are plenty of alternatives to address copyright concerns. FSF itself holds the rights to a lot of GNU/Linux software, for example, and says it has resolved many copyright violations without the need for invasive DRM.</p>
<p>&#8220;All DRM is a violation of the rights of users. The exemptions process as outlined by section 1201 is completely broken beyond repair. No amount of exemptions, except a permanent exemption for all uses, can rectify the situation,&#8221; FSF writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;It is unethical and harmful for the law to treat all users as criminals &#8211; which is exactly what DRM does. The DMCA&#8217;s anti-circumvention provisions do too much harm and should be repealed, so that users may once again enjoy their rights under the law without interference.&#8221;</p>
<p>If the Government is not ready to for a full repeal of the anti-circumvention provisions, it should at minimum broaden the existing permanent exemptions to more uses, FSF argues. </p>
<p>The Copyright Office now faces the unenviable task of reconciling the positions of all parties that submitted comments. Given the wide range of positions, it&#8217;s impossible to reach a compromise that will please everyone involved.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><em>The full comments of the Free Software Foundation have been published by the Copyright Office <a href="media/afd6ba65.Free_Software_Foundation_-_Initial.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/Free_Software_Foundation_-_Initial.pdf">in pdf format</a>. </em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130376
title: KickassTorrents Was a Piracy Flea Market, US Argues
uri: KickassTorrents-Was-a-Piracy-Flea-Market-US-Argues
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/H8ryDh7AErU/
content:
<p><img src="media/2279eece.kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png" alt="kickasstorrents_500x500" width="200" height="200" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-99785" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-150x150.png 150w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px">Last month the legal defense team of alleged KickassTorrents owner Artem Vaulin asked the Illinois District Court to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-defense-torrents-are-not-copyrighted-content-us-has-no-case-161018/">dismiss the criminal indictment</a> against their client. </p>
<p>The fundamental flaw of the case, according to the defense, is that torrent files themselves are not copyrighted content. In addition, it was argued that the secondary copyright infringement claims would fail as these are non-existent under criminal law.</p>
<p>A few days ago United States Attorney Zachary Fardon submitted a response to the request. According to the Government, torrent sites are not merely search engines and are more harmful than the defense makes them seem.</p>
<p>&#8220;First, the defendant downplays the significance of &#8216;torrent&#8217; sites like the defendant’s,&#8221; Fardon notes.</p>
<p>The U.S. Attorney explains that KAT specialized in indexing torrent files that pointed to copyright infringing content including movies and music, likening it to a pirate flea market.</p>
<p>&#8220;These indexed files enabled users to obtain copyrighted content from other users, including from the  defendant’s own servers. KAT therefore functioned like a (lucrative) flea market for infringing movies, television shows, video games, music, and computer software.&#8221; </p>
<p>In their defense, KAT&#8217;s lawyers stressed that the alleged operator never touched any of the infringing content himself. However, the U.S. argues that this doesn&#8217;t matter, as the conspiracy actively helped others to commit crimes. </p>
<p>The U.S. Attorney equates KAT&#8217;s alleged owner to a drug dealer, who can be criminally liable as well, even if he never touched any drugs. </p>
<p>&#8220;For the defendant to claim immunity from prosecution because he earned money by directing users to download infringing content from other users is much like a drug broker claiming immunity because he never touched the drugs,&#8221; Fardon adds. </p>
<p>Similarly, the U.S. argues that KAT was not just a search engine which provided hyperlinks as the defense claimed. Fardon highlights that the site had several features through which copyright infringement was allegedly promoted or encouraged.</p>
<p>&#8220;Instead, as alleged, they sought out infringing material and trumpeted that to their users, targeting the infringement-minded with rewards and honors for posting torrents for copyright infringement material in order to blatantly promote and encourage the availability of entire categories of infringing works.&#8221;</p>
<p>Also, the U.S. Attorney disputes the notion that the defendant isn&#8217;t guilty of criminal copyright infringement because “secondary” copyright infringement doesn&#8217;t exist under criminal law.</p>
<p>This argument is central to the defense in this case as well as the Megaupload prosecution. However, according to U.S. Attorney Fardon it falls flat.</p>
<p>According to the U.S. Government there is no distinction between “direct” and “secondary” copyright infringement, for defendants that are charged with conspiracy to commit copyright infringement. </p>
<p>As long as the defendant conspired to assist users of the site in criminal actions, they can be held liable.</p>
<p>&#8220;In sum, if users criminally infringed copyrighted works through torrent files offered on the defendant’s websites — as the defendant appears to acknowledge in his motion — then the defendant and his co-defendants may be charged with conspiring with and aiding and abetting those users.</p>
<p>&#8220;Nothing about the defendant’s use of BitTorrent technology to carry out his crime makes him categorically above the law,&#8221; Fardon adds. </p>
<p>The U.S. Government asks the federal court to deny the motion to dismiss and let the case run its course. If the defense wants to challenge the sufficiency of the evidence, it should do so in a jury trial. </p>
<p>It is now up the court to decide how to move forward but given the gravity of the case, it&#8217;s not expected to end anytime soon. The U.S. Attorney&#8217;s full response is available here (<a href="media/7374e8b0.reply.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/reply.pdf">pdf</a>). </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130379
title: Hollywood, Studios & Publishers Demand Tough Anti-Piracy Measures
uri: Hollywood-Studios-Publishers-Demand-Tough-Anti-Piracy-Measures
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/vYhPIMNCBf0/
content:
<p><a href="media/db3bd45e.pirate-card.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-card.jpg"><img src="media/c579e316.pirate-card.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-card.jpg" alt="pirate-card" width="250" height="210" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86520"></a>Despite hundreds of arrests, the closure of dozens of pirate sites and numerous successful prosecutions, most entities fighting piracy believe that the tools at their disposal need to be improved.</p>
<p>In daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, a broad coalition of content creators, distributors and anti-piracy bodies from the movie, music, TV show, games and publishing industries, come together to seek more support to defeat piracy.</p>
<p>Representatives from the IFPI, Rights Alliance (which represents Hollywood) and half a dozen powerful distribution, gaming and publishing groups say that the government isn&#8217;t doing anywhere enough to protect creators and clamp down on illegal activity.</p>
<p>Their open letter <em>(<a href="http://www.dn.se/debatt/svenskt-skydd-for-digital-upphovratt-i-bottenklass/">Swedish</a>)</em> welcomes a promise in the September budget to increasing funding for informational campaigns and the possibility of introducing a new offense of &#8220;serious copyright violation&#8221;, but says they represent just &#8220;small steps&#8221; and won&#8217;t be anywhere near enough to stop the problem.</p>
<p>&#8220;When will the government see the potential of the creative industries and ensure a decent protection for creative content online?&#8221; the groups ask.</p>
<p>&#8220;Intellectual and creative content industries are playing an increasingly important role in the digital knowledge society that is emerging. European governments are competing to lay the foundation for growth in the intangible economy. A strong legal protection of copyright in the digital market is a key part of that effort.&#8221;</p>
<p>Noting that Sweden is often considered to be among the digital elite due to its superb broadband system and successful tech startups, the industry groups say that the country is among the very worst when it comes to protecting intellectual property rights. Almost a third of Swedes use illegal sites to access film and television, they say.</p>
<p>&#8220;The winners of today&#8217;s order are often heavily criminal groups abroad who earn millions of dollars running illegal sites distributing pirated movies, TV shows, music, books and games,&#8221; the industry groups write.</p>
<p>&#8220;The creative industries and its creators are losing billions, which affects growth and employment, but also the supply of culture as new investments are canceled due to lack of finances.&#8221;</p>
<p>So what can be done to stop the rot? Unsurprisingly, the huge corporations behind the open letter want a more useful and sympathetic legal system.</p>
<p>&#8220;We need stricter laws. The judiciary still lacks the necessary tools to access the often heavy criminal actors behind the illegal sites. For Sweden to move from the bottom rung to at least a decent level of protection for creative content, single points are not enough,&#8221; they add.</p>
<p>When it comes to their actual demands, the shortlist isn&#8217;t much of a surprise. The industry groups want to be able to do three things &#8211; deal with piracy at its roots, close a perceived loophole in the law, and if all else fails, stop the public from accessing pirate sites.</p>
<p>The first involves introducing new legislation which would frame high levels of copyright infringement in a more serious light. This would enable rightsholders to more effectively target the &#8220;heavy criminals&#8221; behind pirate sites.</p>
<p>The second request involves the continued rise of streaming. As recently reported, the number of citizens involved in P2P file-sharing is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/swedish-file-sharing-in-decline-anti-piracy-chief-says-161030/">on the decline</a> in Sweden, but the same cannot be said about those who stream unauthorized content from web-based services. To that end, the industry groups want legal clarification regarding &#8220;temporary copies of copyrighted works.&#8221;</p>
<p>Finally, they seek &#8220;clarification of the Internet operators&#8217; responsibility to block illegal sites as they do in the other Nordic countries and in numerous European countries.&#8221;</p>
<p>This request stems from frustrations with efforts to have The Pirate Bay and other sites blocked by local ISPs and/or have their domains seized by the state. A case involving the latter is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-domains-clash-set-for-court-of-appeal-151006/">headed to the Supreme Court</a> after a prolonged legal battle and earlier this year, police called website blocks <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/swedish-police-want-to-block-the-pirate-bay-seize-domains-160502/">without legal process</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;The government must recognize the seriousness of the situation and be prepared to go the distance. The government must also dare to look ahead,&#8221; the industry groups write.</p>
<p>&#8220;Creative professions are expected to become increasingly important for employment and growth in the future. So why hesitate? Sweden can not afford to wait. When will the government act to ensure adequate protection of creative content in the digital market?&#8221; they conclude.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130382
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 11/07/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-11-07-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ewg2UzCNLDA/
content:
<p><img src="media/569f6c8a.jbournre.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/jbournre.png" alt="jbournre" width="300" height="179" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130385" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/jbournre.png 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/jbournre-220x130.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px">This week we have five newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Jason Bourne is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-103116/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/jason-bourne-torrent-downloads/">Jason Bourne</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4196776/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4gJsKZvqE4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/miss-peregrines-home-peculiar-children-torrent-downloads/">Miss Peregrine&#8217;s Home for Peculiar Children</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935859/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN1uhnnKscY">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/finding-dory-torrent-downloads/">Finding Dory</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2277860/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKJA-VLpiCo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bfg-torrent-downloads/">The BFG</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3691740/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frGSzFj10p4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ouija-origin-evil-torrent-downloads/">Ouija: Origin of Evil</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4361050/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJIcZGEjjwo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/suicide-squad-torrent-downloads/">Suicide Squad</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386697/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmRih_VtVAs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bridget-joness-baby-torrent-downloads/">Bridget Jones&#8217;s Baby</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1473832/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJsvmscPY9w">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/bad-moms-torrent-downloads/">Bad Moms</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4651520/">6.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0FNjPsANGk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/jack-reacher-never-go-back-torrent-downloads/">Jack Reacher: Never Go Back</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3393786/">6.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOAB_h-cBbs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/secret-life-pets-torrent-downloads/">The Secret Life of Pets</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2709768/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-80SGWfEjM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130475
title: Court Orders Landmark Mass Blocking of 152 Pirate Sites
uri: Court-Orders-Landmark-Mass-Blocking-of-152-Pirate-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/_0aFY76xWuc/
content:
<p><img src="media/03f1f72d.guardia.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/guardia.jpg" width="225" height="150" alt="" class="alignright size-large">The Guardia di Finanza (GdF) is a department under Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance. Tasked with dealing with financial crime, in recent years the department has also been at the forefront of anti-piracy operations.</p>
<p>In order to disrupt the activities of pirate sites, the GdF takes direct action against site operators, with raids of sites deemed to be locally significant. Sites considered to be operated from elsewhere are regularly targeted with legal action, with most major sites now blocked by ISPs.</p>
<p>Now, according to lawyer Fulvia Sarzana, a lawyer with the <a href="http://www.lidis.it/">Sarzana and Partners</a> law firm which specializes in Internet and copyright disputes, the GdF is engaged in the largest action yet against pirate sites.</p>
<p>Describing the move as &#8220;sensational&#8221;, Sarzana says 152 sites involved in the unauthorized streaming of movies and sports have been targeted by police. </p>
<p>Far-reaching injunctions were <a href="http://www.lidis.it/152-siti-inibiti-piu-grande-sequestro-sempre-internet-roma-la-guardia-finanza-decapita-lo-streaming-film-calcio">signed</a> by Judge Alessandro Boffi in Rome today, which according to Sarzana are the most important since Italy began its piracy crackdown eight years ago. </p>
<p>&#8220;It is the most important police operation involving copyright since 2008, when this type of order was introduced in Italy,&#8221; Sarzana told TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;The seizures concern the largest football and movie streaming sites and covers roughly the first four pages of results on Google with regard to the search terms streaming, football and films.&#8221;</p>
<p>Sarzana says that the injunction orders local ISPs to block subscriber access to the sites, something that has happened many times before in the country but never on this scale in a single act.</p>
<p>In January 2015, around 120 sites were targeted following a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/italy-launches-largest-ever-pirate-site-blockade-150126/">complaint</a> from 21st Century Fox&#8217;s Sky TV but this latest action is even bigger. It also challenges the total <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/italys-sopa-ranked-most-important-ip-legislation-of-2013-131230/">blocking efforts</a> of local telecoms watchdog AGCOM.</p>
<p>&#8220;To give you a comparison, just think that in three years of activities on copyright, the Authority for the Communications Authority (AGCOM), with a lot of energy and personnel, carried out more or less the same number of injunctions of what happened today with a single Judicial Authority act,&#8221; Sarzana says.</p>
<p>For now the injunctions concern only blockades and there are no instructions for domain seizures. However, more trouble could lie ahead.</p>
<p>&#8220;The novelty of the measure is that they were also given the IP addresses of the servers, which could mean that more detailed investigations on the origin of the content were undertaken,&#8221; Sarzana says. </p>
<p>&#8220;At the moment it is unknown whether investigations have been made on the advertising activities related to the sites but this is the most recent trend of the Italian Financial Authorities,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130479
title: ExtraTorrent Loses Three Mirror Domain Names
uri: ExtraTorrent-Loses-Three-Mirror-Domain-Names
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/P03nsvhs49o/
content:
<p><img src="media/7d9eb520.extratorrent-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/extratorrent-1.png" alt="extratorrent" width="250" height="76" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130488">With millions of daily visitors ExtraTorrent is the second largest torrent site, trailing only behind The Pirate Bay. </p>
<p>The site&#8217;s popularity puts it in the crosshairs of various entertainment industry groups, who put pressure on hosting companies and domain name services to take action. </p>
<p>As a result, over the past several days ExtraTorrent lost control of three domain names used for its official mirror sites. Following a complaint from rightholders, extratorrent.rocks, etproxy.top and extratorrent.date are no longer available.</p>
<p>Speaking with TorrentFreak, the site&#8217;s operator points out Subreg.cz as the culprit. The Czech domain registrar allegedly locked the torrent site out of its control panel while the domains stopped resolving.</p>
<p>The registrar reportedly said that there&#8217;s nothing it could do to resolve the situation and recommended the torrent site to take the matter to court.</p>
<p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t have access to the three domain names anymore. Subreg recommended us to go to court to resolve this issue, and ignored our requests,&#8221; ExtraTorrent&#8217;s SaM says.</p>
<p>While this sounds like a typical registrar domain suspension, something more might be going on. Strangely, the registrar informed TorrentFreak that they are not responsible for the domain issues.</p>
<p>&#8220;These domain names are not blocked from our side. We got a complaint which we sent to the account holder,&#8221; a Subreg spokesperson says, noting that they operated in compliance with ICANN rules.</p>
<p>This comment suggests that some entity higher up the chain took action. However, the domain WHOIS information doesn&#8217;t show any typical registry or registrar suspension notices. The domains have simply been stripped of their &#8220;a records,&#8221; which means that they&#8217;re not responding.</p>
<p>We have asked the registrar for additional information about the discrepancy, but we were told that they only disclose information to the domain owner.</p>
<p>While ExtraTorrent lost three key mirror domains, the main ExtraTorrent.cc domain is still working as it&#8217;s registered elsewhere. The same is true for several other official mirror domains.  </p>
<p>ExtraTorrent has started pointing all their mirrors to extratorrent.site and extra.to, which are now the official backups. The site&#8217;s operator recommends the latter as it&#8217;s not blocked anywhere, yet.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130490
title: Copyright Troll Backs Down When Faced With Exposure
uri: Copyright-Troll-Backs-Down-When-Faced-With-Exposure
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5-51S0GTpZU/
content:
<p><a href="media/67ffec03.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg"><img src="media/17a592c8.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" alt="trollsign" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108977"></a>After inflicting more than a decade of misery on alleged file-sharers, rightsholders and their online tracking partners are continuing their quest to turn piracy into profit.</p>
<p>Letters continue to land in mailboxes all over the world, informing people they are pirates and that a lawsuit will follow if a cash settlement isn&#8217;t paid. Thousands of people are intimidated by these threats and choose to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars to make the problem disappear. Others fight back and when they do, interesting things can happen.</p>
<p>James Collins is one of the countless individuals targeted by the trolls behind the movie London Has Fallen (LHF Productions). Like in many similar cases, LHF accuse Collins of downloading and sharing their movie illegally using BitTorrent. Collins is adamant that he did neither.</p>
<p>In a letter obtained by the troll watchers over at <a href="https://dietrolldie.com">DieTrollDie</a>, Collins&#8217; lawyer J. Christopher Lynch informs LHF lawyer David A. Lowe of this stance in no uncertain terms.</p>
<p>&#8220;As Mr. Collins told you in his letter dated October 6, 2016, he is innocent. Mr. Collins was asleep on the date at the time the Amended Complaint accuses him of being &#8216;observed infringing&#8217;,&#8221; Lynch writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Likewise, Mr. Collins has no secondary liability because he never aided, directed, facilitated, benefitted from, or shared in the proceeds of any violations of the law by anyone.&#8221;</p>
<p>Of course, defenses similar to this one are extremely commonplace. Defendants often deny all knowledge of the alleged infringement but are left trying to prove a negative. The trolls, on the other hand, point to the supposed &#8220;forensic quality&#8221; evidence that they&#8217;ve compiled, that will be produced at trial, should a settlement not be forthcoming.</p>
<p>However, many trolls are like vampires. Not only do they go straight for the throat, they&#8217;re also terrified that the cold light of day will be shone directly on their operations and their sometimes shadowy overseas partners. This point isn&#8217;t lost on Lynch in his defense of Mr Collins.</p>
<p>In his letter, Lynch calls on LHF&#8217;s lawyer to voluntarily dismiss the case against his client, within five business days. Should that go ahead, Lynch says he will seek no fees or costs, but his confident tone suggests a joker up his sleeve.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are optimistic that your client and its foreign representatives will see the wisdom of dismissing Mr. Collins. We recognize this requires &#8216;taking our word&#8217; that Mr. Collins is wholly innocent, but, believe me, he is, just like he told you he is,&#8221; he writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;We know your client’s foreign representatives do not like taking someone’s word, but this is a good case to trust Mr. Collins, who is wholly innocent, or me, a member of the bar, who is telling you he is wholly innocent. Going forward is tantamount to saying Mr. Collins and I are lying to you, which, of course, we are not, since Mr. Collins is wholly innocent.&#8221;</p>
<p>So who are the &#8220;foreign representatives&#8221; and why are they so important? Well, they&#8217;re the ones doing the IP address tracking, monitoring the infringements and compiling the evidence. Well known in trolling circles, notorious companies such as Guardaley, MaverickEye and Crystal Bay Corporation are all in the mix.</p>
<p>The location of these outfits raises issues. Lynch points out that in an earlier case it was discovered that the foreign companies had no properly licensed investigating U.S. witnesses, even though they were “engaged in the business of detecting, discovering, or revealing . . . evidence to be used before a court.&#8221; In his letter, Lynch says that he doubts that anyone involved in this case is properly licensed either.</p>
<p>&#8220;Your client’s foreign representatives could have complied with Washington law by hiring a licensed investigator to corroborate the foreign investigation in real time, since the purported location of the entrapped IP addresses is known,&#8221; he writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;But your client’s representatives chose not to invest in compliance with Washington law, and are taking a chance that somehow the foreign witness to the &#8216;observed infringing&#8217; can testify, and that somehow the entrapped &#8216;blip&#8217; of the movie in question will be sufficient evidence of U.S. copyright infringement.&#8221; </p>
<p>The &#8216;blip&#8217; referenced by Lynch refers to a momentary transfer of a small part of the movie in question. In an earlier case, the foreign investigators were unable to identify which portion of the copyright work this &#8216;blip&#8217; related to, something which led to a <a href="https://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/2014/07/08/elf-man-v-lamberson-defendant-agrees-to-let-plaintiff-go-for-100000/">judgment</a> in favor of the defendant.</p>
<p>What follows next is an impressive teardown of the foreign investigators, including apparently fictitious witnesses and people operating under dual identities, one of whom (Darren M. Griffen) appears in more than 600 other federal cases against file-sharers. Lynch&#8217;s investigation suggests an organized smoke-and-mirrors operation, one that if necessary he&#8217;ll expose before the court.</p>
<p>&#8220;The bottom line is that Mr. Collins is wholly innocent. My firm would not have taken his case if he were not innocent. Mr. Collins will prevail if your client chooses to go forward, and Mr. Collins will seek defense attorneys’ fees for the litigation expenses that could have been avoided by believing him,&#8221; Lynch writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Or, choose not to believe him (and me) and we will return the favor – adopting the<br>
posture that your client’s representatives are also liars. We will seek the truth about &#8216;Darren M. Griffin&#8217; and his 42 declarations to the [Western District of Washington] and 600 more to federal courts across the country.&#8221;</p>
<p>As noted by <a href="https://dietrolldie.com/2016/11/08/copyright-troll-london-has-fallen-cuts-and-runs-when-confronted-216-cv-01017-wa/">DieTrollDie</a>, that threat proved too much for LHF Productions. The company dismissed the case against Mr Collins in preference to being put under the microscope. There are probably very good reasons for that and ones that other recipients of threatening letters should consider exploring.</p>
<p>The whole letter can be found here <em>(<a href="media/1eaf100f.letter-to-troll-david-lowe-oct2016_01017wa.pdf" data-original-source="https://dietrolldie.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/letter-to-troll-david-lowe-oct2016_01017wa.pdf">pdf</a>)</em>. It&#8217;s a particularly entertaining read and contains valuable lessons on how not to be intimidated by trolls.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130535
title: Cox Files Appeal to Overturn $25 Million Piracy Verdict
uri: Cox-Files-Appeal-to-Overturn-25-Million-Piracy-Verdict
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/GqxM2MIufKw/
content:
<p><img src="media/472c3690.coxcomms.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/coxcomms.jpg" alt="coxcomms" width="222" height="174" class="alignright size-full wp-image-128587">Last December a Virginia federal jury ruled that Internet provider Cox Communications was responsible for the copyright infringements of its subscribers.</p>
<p>The ISP was found guilty of willful contributory copyright infringement and ordered to pay music publisher BMG Rights Management <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/cox-is-liable-for-pirating-subscribers-ordered-to-pay-25-million-151217/">$25 million</a> in damages.</p>
<p>The verdict was a massive victory for the music licensing company and a disaster for Cox.</p>
<p>After the Virginia federal court <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-affirms-25m-piracy-verdict-against-cox-rejects-spying-request-160810/">had denied</a> Cox&#8217;s request for a new trial, the Internet provider elevated the case to the Court of Appeals where it hopes to have the verdict reversed.</p>
<p>In a 93-page filing submitted to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals this week, the company warns that the case has brought a lot of uncertainty to the industry, based on a verdict that&#8217;s rooted in erroneous conclusions. </p>
<p>&#8220;This case involves an unprecedented attempt to impose liability on an Internet service provider (ISP) for its subscribers’ alleged copyright infringement,&#8221; Cox begins, nothing that the district court was well aware of the stakes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yet the court sanctioned a novel expansion of contributory liability to ISPs, based not on evidence that the ISP actually knew of specific infringing acts or took affirmative steps to foster infringement, but on the ISP’s constructive knowledge of the existence of infringing activity on its network.&#8221; </p>
<p>With the appeal, Cox hopes to reverse the judgment or at least have the opportunity to have a new trial.</p>
<p>The company explains that the case started when the ISP refused to forward infringement notices which contained &#8220;extortionate&#8221; settlement requests. They asked BMG&#8217;s anti-piracy partner Rightscorp to remove the settlement demands if they would like the notices to be forwarded, but they refused to do so.</p>
<p>The dispute over the settlement language eventually led to a guilty verdict by the jury, which according to Cox is based on several reversible errors.</p>
<p>First, Cox argues that the district court misread a binding Supreme Court authority, which prevents contributory copyright liability if a technology has substantial non-infringing uses. </p>
<p>&#8220;Cox’s Internet service has endless legal uses, and BMG failed to prove either that Cox actually knew of specific infringing acts by specific subscribers or that it took active steps to promote infringement,&#8221; the ISP writes. </p>
<p>In addition, the court took away the Internet provider&#8217;s safe harbor protection as it failed to terminate repeat infringers. However, Cox doesn&#8217;t believe that subscribers can be seen as such, solely based on one-sided accusations from Rightscorp.</p>
<p>Finally, Cox argued that the jury instructions on the damages aspect were incorrect on several points which led to an inflated $25 million verdict. </p>
<p>With the appeal, the ISP hopes to turn around the negative judgment. If not, the company fears that its subscribers, as well as those of other U.S. Internet providers, risk having their Internet access terminated based on &#8216;flimsy&#8217; evidence.</p>
<p>&#8220;If allowed to stand, that judgment would force ISPs to terminate subscribers’ Internet access—and with it access to critical information, e-commerce, and entertainment—based on the say-so of third parties. This Court should reverse.&#8221;</p>
<p>The case will be crucial in determining what obligations ISPs have when it comes to repeat copyright infringers. Up until now, several Internet providers have argued that only a court could determine if a subscriber is a repeat infringer, but this has now become uncertain.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><em>Cox Communication&#8217;s full filing is available here (<a href="media/caf8b8d7.openingbrief.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/openingbrief.pdf">pdf</a>)</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130513
title: Anti-Piracy Group FACT Expands Reach Beyond Hollywood
uri: Anti-Piracy-Group-FACT-Expands-Reach-Beyond-Hollywood
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/lB0BiYPoh8U/
content:
<p><img src="media/3ca2644c.fact.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/fact.jpg" width="180" height="133" alt="" class="alignright size-large">Outside of law enforcement, it&#8217;s fair to say that the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) is the most feared anti-piracy outfit operating in the UK today.</p>
<p>Over the years, FACT has been central to many high-profile operations targeting torrent and streaming site operators, theater camming incidents, and other Hollywood protection efforts. The group has been responsible for cases which have put several individuals behind bars for a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-movie-pirates-sentenced-to-a-total-of-17-years-151218/">number of years</a>.</p>
<p>However, in just a couple of months&#8217; time, FACT&#8217;s work in this area will come to an end. In May, Hollywood decided <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-withdraws-funding-for-uk-anti-piracy-group-fact-160524/">not to renew</a> their 30-year-old membership with the anti-piracy group.</p>
<p>With an estimated 50% of its budget disappearing as a result, FACT has a big shortfall to make up. However, in an announcement yesterday the anti-piracy outfit said it will do so by branching out into new areas of IP enforcement, outside the audio-visual sector.</p>
<p>&#8220;Established for over 33 years, FACT is recognized as the leader in film, TV and sports intellectual property protection,&#8221; FACT said.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, recent changes have created new opportunities for the organization and now FACT’s expertise and technical knowledge are being extended to brands and businesses requiring support in protecting their content, brand and intellectual property.&#8221;</p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted FACT for more information on where new partnerships were being forged. Details are scarce, but FACT did confirm that the loss of Hollywood&#8217;s membership earlier in the year was the catalyst for change.</p>
<p>&#8220;The withdrawal of funding earlier this year has given us the opportunity to expand our services to the wider industry,&#8221; FACT said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unfortunately it is early days into our working relationship and so we are unable to provide you with any more detail into our new customers.&#8221;</p>
<p>While FACT&#8217;s skills have often been deployed to protect Hollywood&#8217;s film interests, there&#8217;s little doubt that the same expertise will transfer to almost any other content transferred digitally online.</p>
<p>Tracking Ebook or gaming pirates, for example, could easily be achieved with the same systems. Equally, FACT&#8217;s <a href="https://www.fact-uk.org.uk/about-us/our-customers/">work</a> with The Premier League, Sky, and BT Sport could provide a good base for further expansion in the same niche &#8211; <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pipcu-raids-pirate-tv-streaming-operation-three-arrested-160811/">IPTV providers</a> and modded <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-ip-crime-report-2016-reveals-iptvkodi-piracy-as-growing-threat-160929/">Kodi box sellers</a> be warned.</p>
<p>However, the tone seems to suggest that FACT is looking further afield for enforcement opportunities, possibly in the offline counterfeiting sector.</p>
<p>“Over the years FACT has built a reputation as experts in intellectual property protection who you can value and trust, but until now our services have been available only to film, TV and sport,&#8221; says Kieron Sharp, FACT Director General.</p>
<p>&#8220;Now we are able to offer our expertise to brands and businesses looking for that extra support when it comes to protecting their products and content.”</p>
<p>While pirates of all sizes will welcome FACT&#8217;s departure from movie piracy enforcement, a similar role is already being played by the Police Intellectual Property Unit. Equally, for those who get their kicks from recording first-run movies in cinemas, the job of stopping that from happening now falls to the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/new-anti-piracy-unit-takes-over-uk-anti-camming-operations-161012/">newly-formed</a> Film Content Protection Agency.</p>
<p>Only time will tell which direction FACT will take, but it&#8217;s likely the group will seek to quickly stamp its authority on its chosen sectors, if its revised budget allows.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130515
title: Usenet Pirate Hit With €7,500 ‘Fine’ for Sharing 1,500 TV Shows
uri: Usenet-Pirate-Hit-With-7-500-Fine-for-Sharing-1-500-TV-Shows
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ApVb5msRdaY/
content:
<p><img src="media/18851468.usenet.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/usenet.jpg" alt="usenet" width="250" height="168" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119213">Dutch anti-piracy outfit <a href="http://stichtingbrein.nl/english.php">BREIN</a> has been very active over the past months, targeting uploaders on various sharing sites and services.</p>
<p>This week the anti-piracy group announced that it has scored yet another victory against a frequent copyright infringer in the Netherlands.</p>
<p>The dispute in question deals with a large-scale Usenet uploader, who shared over 1,500 TV shows including episodes of popular series such as Arrow, Blacklist, and Person of Interest.</p>
<p>After he was found out the man, who isn&#8217;t named, agreed to pay €7,500 in damages and stop his activities effective immediately. If not, an ex-parte court order requires him to pay an additional penalty of €2,000 per day, up to a maximum of €50,000.</p>
<p>According to court records (<a href="media/1a3ac90e.usenetbrein.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/usenetbrein.pdf">pdf</a>), BREIN used the message-id of the NZB files to link the uploads to the defendant. These files were also traced to various posts on NZB spot-sites where the man advertised his uploads.</p>
<p>As usual, BREIN says that the financial situation of the uploader was taken into account to determine a suitable settlement amount. As such, it says more about the pirate&#8217;s financial position than the value of the 1,500 TV shows.</p>
<p>Over the past months, the Dutch anti-piracy group has focused heavily on catching individual uploaders, whether through Usenet, BitTorrent, Facebook, or other platforms.</p>
<p>Shortly, BREIN is planning to go after uploaders on a much larger scale to increase the catch-rate. To achieve this, they have already started to monitor IP-addresses of frequent BitTorrent users.</p>
<p>As is common in these type of anti-piracy cases, the settlement money doesn&#8217;t go to artists or other rightsholders. Instead, it will be used by BREIN to fund future enforcement campaigns.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130533
title: University Bans BitTorrent to Stop Flood of Infringement Notices
uri: University-Bans-BitTorrent-to-Stop-Flood-of-Infringement-Notices
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/tOgPPFcu5oU/
content:
<p><a href="media/3ef925de.servers-no.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/servers-no.jpg"><img src="media/882257f0.servers-no.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/servers-no.jpg" alt="servers-no" width="275" height="214" class="alignright size-full wp-image-128811"></a>Following <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/canadian-isps-vpns-now-alert-pirating-customers-150102/">changes</a> to Canada’s copyright law in early 2015, ISPs are now required to forward copyright infringement notices to their customers. Copyright owners and anti-piracy outfits have taken full advantage, with tens of thousands of users becoming targets for warnings and even demands for cash.</p>
<p>With opportunities for generating revenue piling up, the volume of notices has continued to increase, causing headaches for users and ISPs alike. The phenomenon has also been felt at the University of Calgary, which acts as a service provider to thousands of students. </p>
<p>Inevitably, some of those students have been using their connections to obtain music and movies for free, which has led to the university receiving large numbers of notices. So, in an effort to reduce the instances of alleged infringement, the university has recently banned BitTorrent usage on several WiFi networks.</p>
<p>Speaking to student newspaper <a href="http://www.thegauntlet.ca/new-university-of-calgary-policy-restricts-bittorrent-access/">The Gauntlet</a>, vice-president finance and services Linda Dalgetty said that the effect was felt immediately. During the first eight days of the ban, the university received 90% fewer notices than usual.</p>
<p>“I think what we’re finding is it has definitely made a difference. But we have to monitor that, because statistically, we have to go through a longer time frame than eight days,” Dalgetty said.</p>
<p>According to Dalgetty, reducing the number of infringement notices wasn&#8217;t the only consideration. The volume of traffic and other threats were also on the agenda.</p>
<p>“The more streaming we have on the campus, the more it impacts network performance and that takes away the user experience for other pursuits,” she said. “The third [reason] is security. The more streaming we have, the [higher chance] of inadvertently downloading something that would create issues.”</p>
<p>Despite the ban, if people at the university simply must use BitTorrent as part of their academic activities they can apply for an exemption. Any use must be permitted under copyright law for the application to be successful.</p>
<p>Moving forward, the university may not stop at only blocking BitTorrent. Speaking with TorrentFreak, The Gauntlet news editor Scott Strasser shared information which indicates that if there are problems with other file-sharing tools, they too could be subjected to a block. </p>
<p>The university&#8217;s BitTorrent ban is the latest fallout from Canada&#8217;s notice-and-notice regime. Earlier this month, Christine McMillan from Ontario made the headlines as the more recent victim of copyright trolls. They <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/86-year-old-grandma-accused-of-pirating-a-zombie-game-161031/">accused</a> the 86-year-old of illegally downloading a zombie game and warned that a $5,000 fine could follow.</p>
<p>McMillan has refused to pay the fine.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130545
title: Pirate Bay Risks “Repeat Offender” Ban From Google
uri: Pirate-Bay-Risks-Repeat-Offender-Ban-From-Google
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/OpJnDpe9aK0/
content:
<p><img src="media/f08f4119.warning5.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/warning5.png" alt="warning5" width="193" height="121" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-130559">Google regularly checks websites for malicious and harmful content to help people avoid running into dangerous situations.</p>
<p>This <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/safebrowsing/">safe browsing</a> service is used by modern browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, which throw up a warning before people attempt to visit risky sites.</p>
<p>Frequent users of The Pirate Bay are familiar with these ominous warning signs. The site has been flagged several times over the past few years and twice in <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/chrome-and-firefox-block-pirate-bay-over-harmful-programs-160915/">recent</a> <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/chrome-and-firefox-brand-the-pirate-bay-as-a-phishing-site-again-161006/">weeks</a>.</p>
<p>This issue is more common on pirate sites as these only have access to lower-tier advertising agencies, some of which have minimal screening procedures for ads.</p>
<p>Thus far the browser roadblocks have always disappeared after the rogue advertisements have gone away, but according to Google, the red flag can become more permanent in the future. </p>
<p>The company has announced that it has implemented a &#8220;repeat offender&#8221; policy to address sites that frequently run into these problems. This is to prevent sites from circumventing the security measures by turning malicious content off and on. </p>
<p>&#8220;Over time, we’ve observed that a small number of websites will cease harming users for long enough to have the warnings removed, and will then revert to harmful activity,&#8221; Google&#8217;s Safe Browsing Team <a href="https://security.googleblog.com/2016/11/protecting-users-from-repeatedly_8.html?utm_source=feedburner&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=Feed:+GoogleOnlineSecurityBlog+(Google+Online+Security+Blog)">writes</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Safe Browsing will begin to classify these types of sites as &#8216;Repeat Offenders&#8217;,&#8221; the announcement adds. </p>
<p><center><strong>Chrome&#8217;s Pirate Bay block</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/94b2ec07.chromeharmtpb.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/chromeharmtpb.png" alt="chromeharmtpb" width="600" height="336" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-127772"></center></p>
<p>The new policy will only affect sites that link to harmful content. So-called &#8216;hacked&#8217; sites, which Google also warns about, are not part of these measures. </p>
<p>Under these new rules, The Pirate Bay is also at risk of being benched for 30 days if it&#8217;s caught more than once in a short period of time. The same applies to all other sites on the Internet of course.  </p>
<p>TorrentFreak asked Google what the timeframe is for sites to get a repeat offender classification, but the company hasn&#8217;t yet replied. </p>
<p>The Pirate Bay team isn&#8217;t really concerned about the new policy. They stress that in their case, the issue lies with third-party advertisers which they have no control over.</p>
<p>&#8220;Tell Google to get an ad blocker?&#8221; TPB&#8217;s Spud17 notes. </p>
<p>&#8220;Seriously though, there aren&#8217;t a lot of ad agencies willing to work with sharing sites. The ones we have access to aren&#8217;t very concerned with what they put up, and don&#8217;t exactly give us a preview of what their clients send them before they air it.&#8221; </p>
<p>The TPB team doesn&#8217;t see their site as a repeat offender. However, for the ad agencies there&#8217;s a lot at stake so perhaps this measure will trigger them to be more vigilant.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s infrequent enough, I don&#8217;t believe TPB will be flagged as a Repeat Offender. Ultimately, that will cost the ad agencies dearly if all their clients were permanently denied visitors. </p>
<p>&#8220;So maybe in the long run those agencies with a tendency to serve malicious ads will better screen their clients,&#8221; Spud17 adds.</p>
<p>Even if The Pirate Bay or other pirate sites get banned for thirty days, it&#8217;s not the end of the world. People can easily disable the malware checking option in their browser to regain direct access. That is, if they are willing to take the risk.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130566
title: Internet Pirates More Likely to Pay Than Law-Abiding Counterparts
uri: Internet-Pirates-More-Likely-to-Pay-Than-Law-Abiding-Counterparts
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/v0nWHyKTAJ4/
content:
<p><img src="media/cbf39f86.piratesaint.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/piratesaint.jpg" width="180" height="135" alt="" class="alignright size-large">Each year, The Internet Foundation In Sweden (IIS) produces a report titled &#8216;Swedes and the Internet.&#8217; As its name suggests, the report aims to shine light on how people behave online.</p>
<p>Covering issues from social media to smartphones, gambling, and of course, content consumption and file-sharing, the survey of 3,000 citizens aged 11-years-old and up has provided interesting insights in previous years. 2016 is no different.</p>
<p>&#8220;We continue to use the Internet to listen to music and watch movies. Eight out of ten listen to music and just over six out of ten watch movies. This is most popular among the young where almost everyone is doing it,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;Youtube is the most popular site for all ages. It begins in the pre-school years and almost all four-year-olds are using Youtube, but also the oldest are frequent users. </p>
<p>&#8220;With the arrival of streaming services more have begun to pay for music and film, but nevertheless file-sharing remains around 20 percent of the population, which it has done for almost ten years.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><a href="media/0a3074e3.iis-1.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/iis-1.png"><img src="media/15ae66ed.iis-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/iis-1.png" alt="iis-1" width="600" height="323" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130573"></a></center></p>
<p>But while the survey indicates that peer-to-peer file-sharing has remained static, other areas of unauthorized content consumption have been on the increase. Notably, web-based streaming services are gaining traction, particularly among lower age groups.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/d3ec5108.iis-2.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/iis-2.png"><img src="media/62f1d4f3.iis-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/iis-2.png" alt="iis-2" width="600" height="337" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130574"></a></center></p>
<p>But of course, people obtaining content for free is only part of the puzzle. People paying for official online services has been on the increase since their inception. In 2011, for example, 15% of the population streamed music. That had increased to 38%, 42% and 44% in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively.</p>
<p>In 2015, after a late start for video, 28% were subscribing to a Netflix-like service and this year that figure reached 38%. Roughly speaking, four-out-of-ten now pay for a music or video streaming service but it is the young (and traditionally the most likely to pirate) who are the most enthusiastic customers.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/76c7028b.iis-3.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/iis-3.png"><img src="media/57744659.iis-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/iis-3.png" alt="iis-3" width="600" height="298" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130580"></a></center></p>
<p>In fact, IIS says that those who engage in illegal file-sharing and unauthorized streaming are also more likely to pay.</p>
<p>&#8220;File-sharers previously bought at least as many CDs as those who do not file-share and today we can see that it is more common for file-sharers to subscribe to streaming services for music and movies than those who do not,&#8221; the organization explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;60 percent of file-sharers pay for music streaming services, compared with 39 percent of those who do not share files and 44 percent of the population.</p>
<p>&#8220;The ratio is similar for those who use the sites where you can download movies for free. 53 percent of those pay for a Netflix-like streaming service, compared with 34 percent of those who are not downloading movies for free,&#8221; IIS notes.</p>
<p>The figures are an improvement on those reported in <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/swedish-pirates-are-more-likely-to-buy-legal-content-151112/">last year&#8217;s survey</a>.</p>
<p>In 2015, 58% of music pirates put their hands in their pockets to pay versus just 39% of non-filesharers. The figures for the movie sector were 46% and 24% respectively.</p>
<p>The full report can be downloaded here <em>(<a href="media/c9f4bb04.Svenskarna_och_internet_2016.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.iis.se/docs/Svenskarna_och_internet_2016.pdf">pdf</a>, Swedish)</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130616
title: Will President Trump Be Tough on Online Piracy?
uri: Will-President-Trump-Be-Tough-on-Online-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Odpn_FxZ0Jw/
content:
<p><img src="media/1f1c3ba1.trump2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trump2.jpg" alt="trump2" width="250" height="202" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130623">At TorrentFreak we have no interest in reporting on politics, except when it&#8217;s relevant to copyright issues. </p>
<p>After the surprising victory of Donald Trump earlier this week, several people asked what this would mean for the country&#8217;s stance on piracy and copyright enforcement in general.</p>
<p>While we would love to dissect the issue in detail, there are no concrete policy proposals yet. Neither Trump nor Clinton have gone into detail over the past few months.</p>
<p>So what do we know?</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not a secret that Donald Trump made some rather dubious remarks during his election campaign. For example, he suggested that it might be worth considering whether to &#8220;<a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/7/9869308/donald-trump-close-up-the-internet-bill-gates">close up</a>&#8221; the Internet over terrorist threats. </p>
<p>Extreme or not, we believe that extrapolating these kinds of one-liners into copyright policy proposals goes a bit far, to say the least. </p>
<p>A concrete promise Trump has made on copyright issues came a few hours after his election victory. The president-elect vowed to end foreign trade abuses with help from the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), which keeps a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-govt-targets-torrent-sites-and-other-piracy-havens-151218/">close eye on pirate sites</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;I will direct the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to identify all foreign trading abuses that unfairly impact American workers and direct them to use every tool under American and international law to end those abuses immediately,&#8221; Trump said.</p>
<p>This is tough language. Still, the promise is hardly any different from the general policy that&#8217;s been in place over the past several years. After all, identifying and addressing foreign trade abuses is one of the key goals of the USTR.</p>
<p>Also, it&#8217;s worth keeping in mind that Trump is not on his own. He needs Congress to steer the country in a new direction, and it may not always be easy to reach consensus.</p>
<p>Trump may very well have a pro-copyright agenda. But would that really change anything? Let&#8217;s review some of the copyright-related developments that took place under President Obama&#8217;s reign.</p>
<p><em>&#8211; The Department of Homeland Security seized dozens of domain names of alleged copyright infringing websites, leading to various <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/5-reasons-why-the-us-domain-seizures-are-unconstitutional-110312/">constitutional complaints</a>.</p>
<p>&#8211; The Government had to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-drop-case-against-torrent-site-return-domain-after-5-years-151204/">give back</a> some of the seized domains and accidentally <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-government-shuts-down-84000-websites-by-mistake-110216/">took down 84,000 websites</a>.</p>
<p>&#8211; President Obama&#8217;s IP-Czar laid the groundwork for the controversial SOPA and PIPA bills, which were close to becoming law.</p>
<p>&#8211; The Obama administration <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-govt-harsh-punishments-needed-to-deter-music-pirates-130212/">urged the Supreme Court </a>to keep high staturory damages for copyright infringement intact to deter pirates.</p>
<p>&#8211; The U.S. Government tried to have UK student Richard O&#8217;Dwyer <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/k-court-121207/">extradited</a> for operating a linking site.</p>
<p>&#8211; The Department of Justice started major criminal prosecutions against the operators of Megaupload and KickassTorrents. </p>
<p>&#8211; Several U.S. site owners and other pirates were <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ninjavideo-founder-sentenced-to-22-months-in-prison-120106/">sent to jail</a>, serving <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/imagine-bittorrent-group-sysop-speaks-prison-141005/">multiple years</a> for copyright infringements.</em></p>
<p>And the list goes on and on. </p>
<p>Of course things can easily get more extreme, but thus far there haven&#8217;t been any concrete signs of that happening.</p>
<p>Ironically, one of Trump&#8217;s main promises is to end the TPP trade agreement, which digital rights activists widely condemned for its <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/leaked-tpp-chapter-proposes-drastic-copyright-changes-151011/">draconian copyright plans</a>. So that&#8217;s definitely not a pro-copyright move.</p>
<p>This article is not an attempt to defend or critisize Trump. However, we do try to break away from all the one-sided and sensationalist analyses by trying to put things in perspective.</p>
<p>Perhaps it&#8217;s a good idea to take a step back and just wait and see. There will be plenty of policy proposals during the coming years, just as we&#8217;ve seen under Obama. If the Trump administration goes after The Pirate Bay, that would not be a change of course&#8230;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=128364
title: “Trolls” Try to Censor TorrentFreak’s Copyright Trolls Coverage…
uri: 2016-11-13-
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5MsxLth3HB0/
content:
<p><img src="media/856b2cf3.trolls.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trolls.jpg" alt="trolls" width="289" height="162" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130306">Week in and week out copyright holders scour the Internet to detect and report millions of alleged infringements.</p>
<p>They report these links to Google and other services, with requests to take them offline. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, not all of these allegations are correct. Over the years, we have written dozens of articles on DMCA takedown abuse and mistakes. While these usually focus on other sites, we are sometimes targeted as well.</p>
<p>For example, a few days ago Estonian Theatrical Distribution tried to have two Torrentfreak.com URLs removed from Google&#8217;s search results. </p>
<p>The outfit in question owns the local distribution rights for the Dreamworks&#8217; movie Trolls and indirectly accused us of spreading pirated copies. </p>
<p>Of course, reality is a bit more nuanced. If we take a look at the <a href="https://lumendatabase.org/notices/13249973">reported URLs</a> it&#8217;s immediately clear that they&#8217;re not infringing at all. In fact, they&#8217;re not even about the movie in question. </p>
<p>As can be seen below, one of the &#8220;infringing&#8221; links points to a news report about the Swedish invasion of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/attention-swedish-pirate-bay-users-copyright-trolls-have-arrived-160902/">copyright trolls</a> that was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-trolls-abandon-sweden-in-blaze-of-bad-publicity-161101/">canceled</a> last week. The other link is harmless as well, referencing our archive of &#8220;<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/tag/copyright-trolls/">copyright trolls</a>&#8221; articles. </p>
<p><center><strong>The takedown notice</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/abdd443e.trolls.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trolls.png" alt="trolls" width="625" height="139" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130317"></center></p>
<p>Apparently mentioning the word &#8220;trolls&#8221; in a news article can put you at risk of being scrapped from Google&#8217;s search results. Needless to say, these type of mistakes are quite worrisome. </p>
<p>And it&#8217;s not the only mistake they&#8217;ve made. The same notice also lists a link to a Boxtrolls torrent. While this may be pointing to infringing content, it&#8217;s an entirely different movie that&#8217;s accidentally targeted for using the word trolls. </p>
<p>Luckily for us, we have Google on our side. </p>
<p>The company wisely decided not to take any action and has kept our content in its search results. However, it&#8217;s easy to see how a mistake like this get missed in the millions of reports that come in every week. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130539
title: Anti-Piracy Movie Competition Entries Are Terrifying
uri: Anti-Piracy-Movie-Competition-Entries-Are-Terrifying
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Pq2PpUIgcoM/
content:
<p><a href="media/415c9069.scary-pirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/scary-pirate.jpg"><img src="media/f5e7e5da.scary-pirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scary-pirate.jpg" alt="scary-pirate" width="250" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130628" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/scary-pirate.jpg 250w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/scary-pirate-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px"></a>When it comes to delivering tough anti-piracy action and rhetoric Down Under, few can match the efforts of movie company Village Roadshow.</p>
<p>In addition to holding ISPs responsible for piracy and having sites blocked at the provider level, the company is also threatening to track down and fine regular Australian file-sharers.</p>
<p>Village Roadshow co-chief Graham Burke is well known for his outspoken views on piracy, and now he&#8217;s encouraging aspiring filmmakers to express theirs via the &#8216;<a href="http://unscenefilms.com.au">Unscene</a>&#8216; short film competition.</p>
<p>First aired during the summer, the competition is now nearing its end-November deadline. Filmmakers of all abilities are invited to participate by expressing their views on how piracy will impact their future in the industry.</p>
<p>The competition is open to anyone over 18 and films are limited to five minutes duration. For the winner, there&#8217;s a cash prize of AUS$10,000 and film equipment up for grabs, plus a chance for their entry to be played before movies in Village Cinemas. </p>
<p>After submissions close on November 30, online voting via Facebook begins on December 1 and continues for the rest of the month. Finalists are announced January 15 and the winner will be revealed during a gala event on January 30.</p>
<p>Entrants are invited to &#8220;impress, inspire or upset&#8221; the judges (who include Graham Burke) but thus far all entries are towing the &#8220;piracy is evil&#8221; line, so the latter category will probably go unfulfilled.</p>
<p>Many of the filmmakers have been uploading their films to Vimeo without protection, so they can already be viewed. As can be seen from the handful embedded below, many follow a horror theme depicting a bleak future.</p>
<p>&#8216;Echoes&#8217; by Alessandro Frosali is particularly creative, but they all have something to offer in their own way. Thus far, no one has dared to put forward an entry that challenges the notion that piracy is not destructive, but there are still three weeks left to go, so anything could happen.</p>
<p>Turn off the lights, close the curtains. Piracy has never been this scary (NSFW).</p>
<p><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/185398905" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/185398905">Echoes | Unscene Short Film Competition Entry</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/afrosali">Alessandro Frosali</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/185280193" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/185280193">You&#039;ve Been Warned</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user57192194">Natalie Carbone</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/184786701" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/184786701">CINEMA.</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user57101791">Zoe Leslie</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/185297167" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/185297167">Blackspot</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user55426136">Troy Blackman</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/184638706" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/184638706">DEMONS OF THE FILM INDUSTRY</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user42110125">jesse wakelin</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/182338249" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/182338249">The Pirates</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user37896577">Andy Burkitt</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130672
title: Donald Trump Parody Results in Clockwork Orange Copyright Suit
uri: Donald-Trump-Parody-Results-in-Clockwork-Orange-Copyright-Suit
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/wISXd8E3T7U/
content:
<p><a href="media/95c4e85c.trumpwork.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/trumpwork.jpg"><img src="media/91184599.trumpwork.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trumpwork.jpg" alt="trumpwork" width="260" height="198" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130673"></a>Three weeks ago, Australian Hugh Atkin received a notification from YouTube, advising that a video he&#8217;d created had received a copyright strike.</p>
<p>At the time, Atkin told TorrentFreak that the video, titled &#8216;A Clockwork Trump vs. A Trumpwork Orange&#8217;, was intended as a parody.</p>
<p>&#8220;The video contains a parody of the trailer for &#8216;A Clockwork Orange&#8217; featuring Donald Trump and compares it, side-by-side, with the original trailer for &#8216;A Clockwork Orange&#8217;,&#8221; he told TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;It was meant to be a satirical take on the alternately funny/violent/scary/profane/authoritarian nature of Donald Trump&#8217;s presidential campaign.&#8221;</p>
<p>The claim against Atkin&#8217;s account was filed by Serendip LLC, the US-based company that represents Wendy Carlos, the composer of the music in The Clockwork Orange and other classics including The Shining. Atkin indicated to TF that he believed there had been some sort of mistake.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have given a DMCA counter-notification through YouTube and am awaiting a response, but, in the interim, I have a copyright strike against my account,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>We asked Atkin what part of the content the YouTube strike targeted &#8211; was it the music, the video, or both? He didn&#8217;t know.</p>
<p>&#8220;The claim doesn&#8217;t actually specify what copyrighted work is alleged to be infringed by my video.  The first and only information I found out about Serendip&#8217;s claim was when I logged into my YouTube account this afternoon and saw the information in the screenshot below saying that a takedown notice had been received,&#8221; he told us in October.</p>
<p><center><b>The strike against Atkin&#8217;s account</b><a href="media/da3e159b.trumpclaim.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/trumpclaim.png"><img src="media/35e0d734.trumpclaim.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trumpclaim.png" alt="trumpclaim" width="650" height="415" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130674"></a></center></p>
<p>However, the video in question (which is still available <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ3vZdUThW4">here</a>) does utilize Wendy Carlos&#8217; rendition of the William Tell Overture as featured in the movie. At this point, things began to feel very familiar.</p>
<p>Back in the summer, Serendip <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtuber-sued-stanley-kubrick-movies-analysis-160606/">sued YouTuber Lweis Bond</a> after he had used some of Carlos&#8217; music in a Stanley Kubrick movie analysis. That case seems to have ended relatively amicably, but not before causing Bond considerable heartache. Now, it appears, Atkins is traveling the same road.</p>
<p>In a lawsuit filed in a New York district court, Serendip LLC is now suing Hugh Atkin for the unlawful use of Carlos&#8217; music in his one minute video.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unbeknownst to, and without permission or license from Serendip, Defendant made derivative use of Wendy Carlos’s music arrangement and master sound recording works of the &#8216;William Tell Overture&#8217;, in the soundtrack of Defendant’s video, entitled &#8216;A Clockwork Trump vs. A Trumpwork Orange&#8217;,&#8221; the lawsuit reads.</p>
<p>It adds that Atkin uploaded the video around October 23, 2016, &#8220;with the apparent purpose of monetizing the video for his own benefit, and with his later stated purpose of &#8216;providing satirical political comment on the 2016 US Presidential Election campaign of Donald Trump&#8217;.”</p>
<p>Serendip states that in order for Atkin to have used the music legally, two individual licenses would need to be obtained: a synchronization license for the music arrangement and a master use license for the sound recording. The company claims that together these licenses cost as much as $60,000, although in some cases there is a minimum fee of $5,000.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, Defendant did not contact Serendip or Wendy Carlos, or anyone, to inquire about obtaining the required copyright licenses for music use in his video,&#8221; the company adds.</p>
<p>Serendip says that it chose to file its lawsuit after Atkin filed his DMCA counter-notice.</p>
<p>&#8220;On or about October 27, 2016, YouTube provided Serendip with a copy of the counter-notification, and notified Serendip and the Defendant that, as a result of the counter-notification, Serendip must file a federal court action within 10 business days or YouTube may reinstate the video to YouTube.com,&#8221; the lawsuit reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants’s acts of infringement have been willful, intentional, and purposeful, in disregard of and indifferent to Serendip’s right,&#8221; it continues.</p>
<p>&#8220;As a direct and proximate result of Defendant’s infringement of exclusive rights under Serendip’s copyrights for the music arrangement and sound recording works of &#8216;William Tell Overture&#8217;, Serendip is entitled to statutory damages for each copyright.&#8221;</p>
<p>The company also demands a permanent injunction prohibiting Atkin from taking any action which further infringes upon Serendip’s copyrights &#8220;including, without limitation, uploading a video containing any such work to YouTube.com or any other website.&#8221;</p>
<p>When contacted by TF last night, Atkins had no idea he&#8217;d been sued.</p>
<p>&#8220;I did not know that Serendip had commenced proceedings against me.  I only found out about the suit via your email, which was a rude shock to wake up to on a Monday morning in Sydney. The complaint has not yet been served on me,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>&#8220;I received an email from lawyers for Serendip on October 29 in relation to the takedown notification which had been given by Serendip to YouTube under the DMCA and my counter-notification.</p>
<p>&#8220;I responded by letter on October 30 requesting further information about the alleged claim of infringement and otherwise denying any infringement. I never received a response to my letter, and my video was restored to YouTube last week.  From their failure to respond, I assumed that Serendip was not pursuing its claim.&#8221;</p>
<p>As mentioned earlier, this case is very similar to the one filed against UK-based Lewis Bond. That case appears to have been settled somewhat amicably, but the details of any arrangement have not been made public.</p>
<p>From comments made by Serendip it appears that while in some situations a review, parody, or critique might be covered under fair use exemptions, neither Bond&#8217;s analysis nor Atkin&#8217;s parody directly reviews, parodies, or critiques Carlos&#8217; music itself, only the movie A Clockwork Orange.</p>
<p>&#8220;At no time, does Defendant’s video comment on Wendy Carlos’s music in any way,&#8221; the lawsuit against Atkin reads.</p>
<p>Only time will tell how this one will end, but it seems very clear that Serendip is determined to defend its rights, even if that means going after relative small fry on YouTube.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130679
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 11/14/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-11-14-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Urj8kvdMcA4/
content:
<p><img src="media/4f74e60a.wardogs1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wardogs1.jpg" alt="wardogs1" width="300" height="163" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130681">This week we have four newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>War Dogs is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-110716/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/war-dogs-torrent-downloads/">War Dogs</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2005151/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwh9c_E3dJk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/jason-bourne-torrent-downloads/">Jason Bourne</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4196776/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4gJsKZvqE4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/doctor-strange-torrent-downloads/">Doctor Strange</a> (Cam/TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1211837">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSzx-zryEgM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/miss-peregrines-home-peculiar-children-torrent-downloads/">Miss Peregrine&#8217;s Home for Peculiar Children</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935859/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN1uhnnKscY">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ouija-origin-evil-torrent-downloads/">Ouija: Origin of Evil</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4361050/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJIcZGEjjwo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bfg-torrent-downloads/">The BFG</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3691740/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frGSzFj10p4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/suicide-squad-torrent-downloads/">Suicide Squad</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386697/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmRih_VtVAs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mechanic-ressurection-torrent-downloads/">Mechanic Ressurection</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3522806/">5.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF903RaKLvs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/finding-dory-torrent-downloads/">Finding Dory</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2277860/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKJA-VLpiCo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sully-torrent-downloads/">Sully</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3263904/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjKEXxO2KNE">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130562
title: U.S. Copyright Office Undecided About Future of DMCA Takedowns
uri: U-S-Copyright-Office-Undecided-About-Future-of-DMCA-Takedowns
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/VBzgP3yXsQc/
content:
<p><img src="media/7893ef12.us-united-america-flag.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/us-united-america-flag.jpg" alt="us-united-america-flag" width="270" height="178" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116015">The past week has been quite a tumulteous one for U.S. politics. However, that doesn&#8217;t mean that the wheels hve stopped turning. </p>
<p>On the day that millions of Americans cast their vote, the Copyright Office posted a new notice in the Federal Register, asking the public for input on future copyright law.</p>
<p>Over the past year, the Government already received a lot of input on a possible reform of the DMCA safe harbor provisions. Various rightsholders weighed in, as expected, and so did technology companies, law scholars and civil rights groups.</p>
<p>The problem for the U.S. Copyright Office is that there&#8217;s little agreement on how to move forward. </p>
<p>The MPAA, RIAA, and other industry groups are calling for extensive revisions and don&#8217;t want services to &#8220;hide&#8221; behind their safe harbor protections. Among other things, they want a &#8216;<a href="http://www.takedownstaydown.org/">notice-and-stay-down</a>&#8216; policy to ensure that, once deleted, content doesn&#8217;t pop up elsewhere.</p>
<p>Many service providers, however, see this an unworkable solution and believe that the current system is capable of dealing with infringing content. </p>
<p>On the other end of the spectrum there are calls to implement penalties for abusive notices, so copyright holders can be punished for submitting takedown requests that are false.</p>
<p>The Copyright Office has reviewed the various positions, but it is still unclear on how to move forward. It has therefore posed a set of questions seeking additional guidance on various key topics.  </p>
<p>For the notice-and-stay-down issue, for example, it wants a clear overview of how that would be organized, as well as the benefits and challenges it brings.</p>
<p>&#8220;Several study participants have proposed some version of a notice-and-stay-down system. Is such a system advisable? Please describe in specific detail how such a system should operate, and include potential legislative language, if appropriate,&#8221; the notice reads. </p>
<p>&#8220;If it is not advisable, what particular problems would such a system impose? Are there ways to mitigate or avoid those problems? What implications, if any, would such as system have for future online innovation and content creation?&#8221;</p>
<p>Another question deals with the difference in opinions about the effectiveness of the DMCA safe harbor system. </p>
<p>&#8220;How should the divergence in views be considered by policy makers? Is there a neutral way to measure how effective the DMCA safe harbor regime has been in achieving Congress&#8217; twin goals of supporting the growth of the Internet while addressing the problem of online piracy?&#8221;</p>
<p>In total, the Copyright Office has listed sixteen questions. These also cover the &#8220;repeat infringer&#8221; issue for ISPs, which Cox took to the appeal court earlier this week.</p>
<p>While the previous consultations and hearings have already resulted in a lot of input, the new questions force stakeholders to offer something more concrete. No general overviews but pointed answers. </p>
<p>To help to determine the effectiveness of the current system, the Copyright Office also welcomes additional data and studies. Several parties are reportedly conducting empirical research which may help to make an informed decision.</p>
<p>The deadline for the submissions is March 8, after which the Copyright Office will try to reach its conclusions. The Copyright Office&#8217;s full Federal Register notice is available here (<a href="media/a82f7a2b.fedregnotice.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/fedregnotice.pdf">pdf</a>).</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130725
title: Torrent Icon ExtraTorrent Turns Ten Years old Today
uri: Torrent-Icon-ExtraTorrent-Turns-Ten-Years-old-Today
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ZLXrOxjyFwk/
content:
<p><img src="media/52a7593e.extra10.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/extra10.png" alt="extra10" width="296" height="94" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130735">On November 15, 2006, a new torrent site was unveiled to the public. </p>
<p>At a time when sites such as TorrentSpy and Mininova were dominating the landscape, <a href="http://extratorrent.cc/">ExtraTorrent</a> was determined to grow an audience of its own.</p>
<p>Today, exactly ten years later, most of the former <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrentz-gone-kat-down-are-torrent-giants-doomed-to-fall-160806/">torrent giants have fallen</a>. However, ExtraTorrent is still around and with millions of pageviews per day it&#8217;s one of the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">largest torrent sites</a> around. </p>
<p>The rise of ExtraTorrent is in part the result of a very active community. This includes the many users who casually chat in the forums, as well as a dedicated team of moderators and staff who keep the site clean of fake files and spam. </p>
<p>What&#8217;s truly unique, however, is that ExtraTorrent is much more than just an index of torrent sites. The site is also the home of several distribution groups that carry the site&#8217;s name. </p>
<p>ETRG, ETTV, and ETHD are familiar names for many passionate torrent users. The groups release the latest movies and TV-shows on various torrent sites, and are among the largest of its kind.</p>
<p>The TV-group ETTV alone has uploaded over 35,000 torrents to the site already, adding dozens more every day.</p>
<p><center><strong>Some of ETTV&#8217;s recent torrents</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/979d36b3.ettvrecent.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ettvrecent.png" alt="ettvrecent" width="534" height="185" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130739"></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak had the chance to speak with SaM, one of the operators of the site. SaM says that the site now has a million unique visitors per day who generate 12 million pageviews. </p>
<p>To serve this kind of traffic, the torrent site uses 20 servers scattered all over the world. As a comparison, five years ago it was using just nine servers to handle its userbase.</p>
<p>Looking back, SaM is proud that ET has become a home, not just to torrent users, but also to many prominent uploader and encoder groups.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of my best memories is that we became the home site of many known torrenting teams and encoders such as FXG, FXM, 3Li, DDR, and many other talents,&#8221; SaM says.</p>
<p>&#8220;And we still are the place to look for quality content, such as the releases of ETRG, ETTV, ETHD among many others,&#8221; the ExtraTorrent operator adds. </p>
<p>One of the site&#8217;s strengths, he believes, is having dedicated and experienced staff to verify torrents as well as a loyal user base. To keep the latter happy, ET continues to improve the site.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have just added a new chat platform to ET and continue to add user-friendly features for faster and better searching and browsing, to make it easier to use the site,&#8221; SaM says.</p>
<p>In addition, they just announced a <a href="http://extratorrent.cc/article/5328/happy+birthday+extratorrent+10+years+together+join+the+contest+win+macbook+pro.html">new contest</a> where people can win a MacBook Pro, iPhone 7 or VPN accounts if they guess the most downloaded movies on the site correctly.</p>
<p>While ExtraTorrent has something to celebrate today, it has thus far been quite a grim year for torrent sites, with both KickassTorrent and Torrentz.eu disappearing a few months ago. </p>
<p>ExtraTorrent has thus far been spared on any serious legal trouble and believes that, while there might be some change along the way, there&#8217;s certainly a future for torrents.</p>
<p>&#8220;The online torrent world will change, but torrents will always be there,&#8221; SaM concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130731
title: U.S. Navy Returns Fire in $600m Piracy Lawsuit
uri: U-S-Navy-Returns-Fire-in-600m-Piracy-Lawsuit
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/AcVqkTyx1SI/
content:
<p><img src="media/cd2185f3.usnavy.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/usnavy.jpg" width="250" height="169" alt="" class="alignright size-large">In 2011 and 2012, the US Navy began using BS Contact Geo, a 3D virtual reality application developed by German company Bitmanagement. The Navy reportedly agreed to purchase licenses for use on 38 computers but things began to escalate.</p>
<p>Amid negotiations to sell additional licenses to the Navy, the software vendor said that it discovered that the Navy had already installed the software on more than 100,000 computers.</p>
<p>According to a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-government-sued-for-software-piracy-maker-claims-600m-160720/">federal claims court complaint</a> filed by Bitmanagement in July, that figure later increased to 558,466 computers. As a result, Bitmanagement demanded compensation totaling a cool $600 million.</p>
<p>Now the US Navy has returned fire, denying Bitmanagement&#8217;s allegations. In a response filed yesterday, the Navy admitted purchasing 38 licenses for BS Contact Geo but denies that the licenses were &#8220;limited&#8221; to installations on 38 Navy computers. &#8220;Concurrent-use network-installation licenses&#8221; of the software were obtained, it says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant admits that the Navy installed BS Contact Geo onto hundreds of thousands of computers within its network starting on or about August 2013. Defendant denies that BS Contact Geo was installed on the Navy’s networked computers without Bitmanagement’s knowledge or authorization,&#8221; the filing reads. </p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant further avers that Bitmanagement modified BS Contact Geo for the purpose of allowing such installation, and that Bitmanagement received multiple updates regarding the status of this installation. Defendant denies that Bitmanagement did not license or consent to such installation and use of its software.&#8221;</p>
<p>In the original complaint, it was stated that Bitmanagement executives were &#8220;surprised&#8221; to discover that amid licensing negotiations the Navy had already installed almost 105,000 copies of the software on an equal number of machines. In its response, the Navy said that since Bitmanagement had already modified the software for this use, the installations should have been expected.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant admits that emails were provided to Bitmanagement in the summer and fall of 2013 advising Bitmanagement regarding the deployment of BS Contact Geo on the Navy’s network. Defendant admits that one such email indicated a successful deployment to 104,922 Navy computers,&#8221; the response reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant denies that the installations should have been surprising to Bitmanagement’s executives, and Defendant further avers that Bitmanagement modified BS Contact Geo for the purpose of allowing the deployment.&#8221;</p>
<p>Via the government, the Navy further denies that it accepted it had installed the software on more machines that it had licenses for, denies it knew that a license was required for each machine, denies that it knew that each unlicensed installation was an instance of willful infringement, and denies that Bitmanagement has suffered any loss.</p>
<p>In conclusion, the Navy insists that no copyrights have been infringed since Bitmanagement authorized reproduction and distribution of the software both &#8220;expressly and impliedly.&#8221;</p>
<p>The government also adds that as a German corporation, Bitmanagement&#8217;s claim &#8220;may be jurisdictionally&#8221; barred by <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/2502">28 U.S.C. § 2502(a)</a>, but it doesn&#8217;t stop there.</p>
<p>&#8220;To the extent that Plaintiff’s claims are premised on &#8216;willful infringement&#8217; or any other basis beyond the scope of <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/1498">28 U.S.C. § 1498(b)</a>&#8230;Plaintiff’s claims are barred by sovereign immunity,&#8221; it adds.</p>
<p>Finally, the government adds that Bitmanagement&#8217;s claim could be rendered null due to its failure to act when it knew any alleged infringement was taking place.</p>
<p>&#8220;To the extent that Plaintiff seeks recovery for any alleged infringement that resulted from Plaintiff’s failing or refusing to take such actions as is reasonably necessary to minimize any loss which it may have sustained, Plaintiff is precluded from any such recovery due to its failure to mitigate damages,&#8221; the response reads.</p>
<p>In closing, the government demands that the complaint against the Navy should be dismissed, with the government awarded all expenses including costs and attorney&#8217;s fees. With the sides so far apart, this one looks set to run and run.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130761
title: Widespread Protest Against Dangerous “Repeat Infringer” Piracy Verdict
uri: Widespread-Protest-Against-Dangerous-Repeat-Infringer-Piracy-Ver
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-9qzNSDRNDE/
content:
<p><img src="media/f2bfe741.pirate-running.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-running.jpg" alt="pirate-running" width="222" height="204" class="alignright size-full wp-image-78717">Last December a Virginia federal jury ruled that Internet provider Cox Communications was responsible for the copyright infringements of its subscribers.</p>
<p>The ISP was found guilty of willful contributory copyright infringement and ordered to pay music publisher BMG Rights Management <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/cox-is-liable-for-pirating-subscribers-ordered-to-pay-25-million-151217/">$25 million in damages</a>.</p>
<p>Last week Cox <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-files-appeal-to-overturn-25-million-piracy-verdict-161110/">filed its appeal</a> arguing that the district court made several errors that may ultimately restrict the public&#8217;s access to Internet services. </p>
<p>This week it became apparent that the Internet provider is not alone in this assessment. Today, several industry associations, academic institutions, libraries and digital rights groups submitted amicus briefs to the court of appeals, voicing their concerns. </p>
<p>The submissions total roughly 200 pages, and the overall theme is that if the current verdict stands, many Internet providers and services will unjustly face similar liability claims based on an incorrect interpretation of the law.</p>
<p>The CCIA, which represents global tech firms including Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, submitted a brief together with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). According to both groups, the district court ignored Supreme Court rulings which limit contributory infringement for service providers.</p>
<p>&#8220;An Internet service provider does not infringe copyrights merely by providing households access to the Internet,&#8221; the CCIA and CTA write (<a href="media/e7b4b623.amicusctaccia.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/amicusctaccia.pdf">pdf</a>). </p>
<p>&#8220;Yet the district court allowed such a case to go to the jury, and asked the jury only whether Cox &#8216;materially contributed&#8217; to infringement in any of the millions of households to which Cox offered Internet access,&#8221; they add.</p>
<p>As expected, several stakeholders from the telco industries have also chimed in to support Cox&#8217;s appeal. </p>
<p>The U.S. Telecom Association, for example, urges the appeals court to reverse the verdict as it would require other ISPs to disconnect subscribers based on one-sided piracy accusations.</p>
<p>&#8220;The decision [&#8230;] forces ISPs like Cox and USTelecom’s member companies to restrict consumers’ access to the internet based on nothing more than unproven allegations of copyright infringement in the form of invalid DMCA notices.  </p>
<p>&#8220;It upsets the careful balance of the interests of copyright holders, internet users, and ISPs that Congress struck in the DMCA,&#8221; the Telco association adds (<a href="media/4d535379.amicustelecomassoc.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/amicustelecomassoc.pdf">pdf</a>). </p>
<p>Similar arguments were submitted in separate briefs by the American Cable Association and the Internet Commerce Coalition, with the latter highlighting the dubious nature of the millions of standardized copyright infringement claims some copyright holders send.</p>
<p>&#8220;If the decision [&#8230;] is not reversed, conduit ISPs, when they receive unverified, machine-generated infringement claims from profit-seeking agents of copyright holders, will be strongly incentivized to cut off vital Internet service to users, rather than face costly damages suits. </p>
<p>&#8220;This is not the system Congress intended when it enacted the DMCA, and it should not be one imposed through a misinterpretation of Congress&#8217;s plain words,&#8221; the Internet Commerce Coalition adds (<a href="media/fb7e3a50.amicusinternetcommerce.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/amicusinternetcommerce.pdf">pdf</a>).</p>
<p><center><strong>The Amicus Briefs submitted today</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/85f962e8.coxsupp-e1479222062457.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/coxsupp-e1479222062457.png" alt="coxsupp" width="600" height="305" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130788"></center></p>
<p>In their submissions, digital rights groups the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Public Knowledge highlight the risk the verdict poses for Internet users at large.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just as a tenant’s water should not ordinarily be cut off when a landlord alleges nonpayment of rent, a subscriber’s connection to the Internet should not be terminated in response to alleged copyright infringement except in the most extenuating circumstances,&#8221; the groups note (<a href="media/23dbb7df.amicuseffpn.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/amicuseffpn.pdf">pdf</a>). </p>
<p>The district court&#8217;s interpretation of ISP obligations under the DMCA was too strict, they argue, and should be reversed. Not doing so could ultimately violate the fundamental right of people to have Internet access.</p>
<p>&#8220;Termination impedes the subscriber’s ability to exercise one of our most cherished liberties, the right of free expression. And termination potentially imposes those far-reaching effects on an entire household sharing the subscriber’s Internet connection.&#8221; </p>
<p>Finally, there is a detailed brief from several academic groups and institutions, including several library organizations. The American Council on Education and the American Library Association, among others, fear that educational access to the Internet may become restricted if the verdict stands.</p>
<p>&#8220;It could force educational institutions to restrict student access to the Internet unreasonably. Similarly, it could require libraries to limit broadband availability to people who have no other way of accessing information they need,&#8221; they write (<a href="media/b1668eb7.amicuscounseleduc.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/amicuscounseleduc.pdf">pdf</a>).</p>
<p>&#8220;The DMCA does not mandate a uniform repeat infringer policy, and such uniformity would conflict with the flexibility afforded under the Higher Education Opportunity Act,&#8221; the groups add. </p>
<p>The barrage of submissions clearly shows the importance of this case, and it&#8217;s likely that many more will follow. It is now up to the appeals court to decide if and how these opinions should be factored in.</p>
<p>With the stakes being this high, it would be no surprise if this case went all the way up to the Supreme Court, to clearly define ISPs&#8217; obligations when it comes to processing DMCA notices and dealing with repeat infringers.</p>
<p>Interestingly, no amicus briefs have been submitted in support of copyright holder BMG thus far.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130804
title: Police Raid Pirate Site & Seize 60 Servers Following MPAA Complaint
uri: Police-Raid-Pirate-Site-Seize-60-Servers-Following-MPAA-Complaint
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/dzvgMvHeUdg/
content:
<p><a href="media/fd7f56e1.mpaa-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-1.jpg"><img src="media/1f9a16ec.mpaa-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-1.jpg" alt="mpaa" width="222" height="163" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119098"></a>When it comes to shutting down pirate sites, few groups have a longer history than the Motion Picture Association of America. The Hollywood organization has dozens of pirate scalps under its belt and today is able to claim another.</p>
<p>Serving more than a million users every day, FS.to was one of Ukraine&#8217;s largest pirate sites. Ranked the country&#8217;s 21st most popular site overall, the movie-focused platform attracted the attention of the MPAA and local rights holders alike. That has resulted in one of the biggest raids ever seen in the country.</p>
<p>According to the cyber crime division of Ukraine&#8217;s national police, an operation shut down the platform Monday following a complaint from Hollywood. The authorities say that 19 people suspected of running the site via a network of local and offshore companies were arrested.</p>
<p>The operation to shut the site appears to have been significant. Raids took place at the offices and homes of the suspects, plus datacenters where equipment running the site was installed. Thus far around 60 servers have been seized from a range of local ISPs but the operation is still ongoing so the tally could increase.</p>
<p><center><b>Servers at FS.to, according to police at least</b><a href="media/fa6a49b3.fs-to-servers.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/fs-to-servers.jpg"><img src="media/5d518c14.fs-to-servers.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fs-to-servers.jpg" alt="fs-to-servers" width="567" height="390" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-130805"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;The site had an audience of millions of users. Criminal proceedings were launched following the violation of copyright and related rights,&#8221; police said in a statement.</p>
<p>Local sources indicate that the authorities have linked local Internet company Ferazko Holding Inc. with FS since it owns several of the <a href="https://w3bin.com/hoster/130188">site&#8217;s domains</a> including FS.to, BRB.to and FS.ua.</p>
<p>Whether this action will be the end of FS.to remains to be seen. Authorities seem to believe that not only are some of the site&#8217;s operators on the run, but mirrors of the site have been set up in Vladivostok, Russia, and could reappear at any time.</p>
<p>If the site did come back online, it wouldn&#8217;t be the first time. FS.to was taken down in October 2013 following a complaint from the Ukrainian Anti-Piracy Association (UAA) but later reappeared.</p>
<p>However, there appears to be a new determination in Ukraine to deal with the piracy issue. According to local sources, file-hosting giant Ex.ua is also on the radar of law enforcement and could be the next target.</p>
<p>Finally (and somewhat bizarrely), police released a video purporting to be FS.to&#8217;s server setup and control center. However, people are pointing out that this footage was actually ripped from a video published by the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcOTcJUh8gA">Home Data Center Project</a> on YouTube back in 2012. The police later re-edited their press release video to excluded the suspect footage and the original is no longer available. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130811
title: “Anti-Piracy Outfit Impersonates Competitor, Steals its Clients”
uri: Anti-Piracy-Outfit-Impersonates-Competitor-Steals-its-Clients
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/J5UOSXqw8BA/
content:
<p><img src="media/03c27bd3.handcuffed-e1479309229595.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/handcuffed-e1479309229595.jpg" alt="handcuffed" width="275" height="181" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130856">Anti-piracy groups are often quick to label file-sharing sites as criminal organizations, but these outfits also have some rotten apples among their own.</p>
<p>There is a lot of money to be made protecting copyright holders, and it appears that people are willing to break the law to increase their profits.</p>
<p>This week, Indian police arrested two engineers of the Indian anti-piracy company <a href="http://www.markscan.co.in/">MarkScan</a>. The two allegedly impersonated local competitor Aiplex to hijack their clients. </p>
<p>According to local <a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/content/581324/rival-fakes-website-amp-e.html">reports</a>, MarkScan CEO Abhishek Dhoreliya is the brains behind the scam. He allegedly hired the two engineers, one of whom worked at Aiplex until very recently. </p>
<p>The pair, Ami Vivek and Sushant Mohindru, stand accused of operating a fake Aiplex website at aiplex.us, complete with a fake email address of the company&#8217;s owner. They used this to inform clients that Aiplex was shutting down, encouraging them to switch to Markscan.</p>
<p>This strategy paid off as several rightsholders including MTV, Colors, Fox Star, Eros International, and Bollywoodlife fell for the trick. </p>
<p>Perplexed by the sudden exodus, Aiplex&#8217;s founder reached out to his former clients to find out what had happened. After he learned that someone had impersonated his company, he filed a complaint with the police, who traced the site back to the MarkScan employees.</p>
<p>“Markscan, which saw Aiplex as a bigger rival, decided to hijack its clients,” a senior police officer said, commenting on the investigation. </p>
<p>&#8220;During the investigation, we were able to get the IP address and traced it to Delhi. We caught Vivek and Sushant who said they were acting at the behest of Dhoreliya,” the officer noted. </p>
<p>Thus far police have only apprehended the two engineers. However, the investigation is ongoing and more arrest may follow in the near future.</p>
<p>Regular TorrentFreak readers may recognize MarkScan from its dubious takedown notices. The company has sent <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sony-pictures-sends-preemptive-takedown-notices-torrent-sites-160513/">preemptive</a> takedown warnings to torrent sites, tried to have BBC iPlayer <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-holders-try-to-remove-bbc-iplayer-from-google-160515/">removed from Google</a>, and regularly targeted sites over <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fail-anti-piracy-outfits-send-takedown-request-for-non-existent-torrents-160821/">non-existing</a> torrent files.</p>
<p>MarkScan CEO Abhishek Dhoreliya previously denied that they&#8217;ve sent some or these erreneous notices. Interestingly, he accused others of running an imposter website of his company, sending bogus takedown noitices on their behalf.</p>
<p>&#8220;We got to know from OVH that they have been receiving several fake notices where the sender has created a replica website of MarkScan with the name of markscan.co,&#8221; Dhoreliya told us earlier this year.</p>
<p>At the time of writing, MarkScan appears to be operating as usual. The website is <a href="http://www.markscan.co.in/Work-with-us.php">still online</a>, listing several prominent rightsholders including HBO, Nokia, and the BBC as recent clients, and MPAA India as one of its partners.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130858
title: Steal This Show S02E06: Kodi Addons, The New Pirate Superpower?
uri: Steal-This-Show-S02E06-Kodi-Addons-The-New-Pirate-Superpower
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ZqQaBSpzvQw/
content:
<p><strong><sup><em>If you enjoy this episode, consider becoming a patron and getting involved with the show. <a href="https://patreon.com/user?u=4275705">Check out Steal This Show&#8217;s Patreon campaign</a>: support us and get all kinds of&nbsp;fantastic benefits!</em></sup></strong></p>
<p>With up to 22m users of <a href="http://tvaddons.ag">Kodi Addons</a>, it&#8217;s certainly becoming a force in pirate distribution of content &#8211; some would say a new superpower. <img src="media/d01749d9.stslogo180.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stslogo180.png" alt="stslogo180" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-113928">The latest episode of STEAL THIS SHOW brings us an anonymous interview with &#8216;Eleazar,&#8217; one of the people behind the fantastically popular platform.</p>
<p>After a news roundup (notes on the Trump Election | TED using DMCA to censor critics | KickassTorrents trial) the episode explores how Kodi and Kodi Addons works. </p>
<p>We discuss why the pirate community hates Kodi Addons and their struggle to eliminate commercial piracy on the platform, what the most popular plugins for Kodi are, and why it&#8217;s not (at all) like Popcorn Time. </p>
<p>We also hear about how British pirates are selling their satellite and cable TV streams online and the similarities with the Cable Wallahs of India. Eleazar also has some hot tips for the best Kodi hardware out there!</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><a href="https://stealthisshow.com">Steal This Show</a> aims to release bi-weekly episodes featuring insiders discussing copyright and file-sharing news. It complements our regular reporting by adding more room for opinion, commentary, and analysis. </p>
<p>The guests for our news discussions will vary, and we&#8217;ll aim to introduce voices from different backgrounds and persuasions. In addition to news, STS will also produce features interviewing some of the great innovators and minds. </p>
<p><strong>Host:</strong> Jamie King</p>
<p><strong>Guest:</strong> Eleazar</p>
<p><center><iframe width="100%" height="180px" src="//stealthisshow.com/?lpe-frame=1&#038;lpe-season=2&#038;lpe-episode=06" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<p><strong>Produced </strong> <em>by </em>Jamie King<br>
<strong>Edited &#038; Mixed</strong> <em>by</em> Riley Byrne<br>
<strong>Original Music</strong> <em>by</em> David Triana<br>
<strong>Web Production</strong> <em>by</em> Siraje Amarniss</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130728
title: BREIN’s New Torrent Piracy Crackdown Results in First Settlement
uri: BREIN-s-New-Torrent-Piracy-Crackdown-Results-in-First-Settlement
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gAcK5vZLGlU/
content:
<p><img src="media/62cd6b40.breinlogo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/breinlogo.png" alt="breinlogo" width="204" height="72" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130823" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/breinlogo.png 204w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/breinlogo-200x72.png 200w" sizes="(max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px">Compared to many other countries around the world, pirating movies and TV-shows is hugely popular in the Netherlands.</p>
<p>Up to a third of the population is estimated to download or stream copyrighted content without paying for it.</p>
<p>This high percentage is not surprising as the Netherlands has traditionally been a relative safe haven for pirates. Downloading movies without permission was not punishable by law until two years ago and individual uploaders were not targeted legally either.</p>
<p>This has now changed, with local anti-piracy group <a href="http://stichtingbrein.nl/english.php">BREIN</a> announcing the first settlement in a new torrent piracy crackdown. </p>
<p>Over the past months the group has used elaborate tracking software to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/brein-threatens-pirates-with-high-fines-warns-vpn-users-160314/">monitor the IP-addresses of torrenting pirates</a>. With help from ISPs, they can then obtain the identity of the account holder tied to these infringements. </p>
<p>This week the elaborate tracking effort resulted in the first settlement. The person in question was accused of sharing 12 episodes via BitTorrent and agreed to pay 400 euros for each, for a settlement of 4,800 euros in total. </p>
<p>According to BREIN director Tim Kuik, this is just the start of a broad crackdown, noting that hundreds of thousands of other uploaders are at risk.</p>
<p>&#8220;We intend to work our way up to larger numbers. We will not shirk from addressing hundreds or thousands or even more,&#8221; Kuik informs TorrentFreak. </p>
<p>The anti-piracy group remains vague on how the personal details of the uploader were obtained in this case. Previously, various residential ISPs refused to hand over information without a valid court order.</p>
<p>In this &#8216;trial&#8217; case no court order was issued, so BREIN likely targeted a hosting provider or other intermediary which cooperated voluntarily.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most hosting providers disclose identity details voluntarily, it is only most of the access providers that say they require a court order,&#8221; Kuik tells us. </p>
<p>&#8220;In the clear and serious matter at hand, BREIN used a combination of information obtained from an intermediary voluntarily and further investigative work,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>The anti-piracy group is not willing to share the name of the intermediary which shared the personal details, but several hosting providers have proven to be rather cooperative in copyright infringement cases. </p>
<p>According to Dutch case law, Internet providers must cooperate when there are serious copyright infringement allegations. However, thus far this has been untested on a larger scale where thousands of IP-addresses of multi-person households are harvested. </p>
<p>If BREIN goes ahead with its large-scale crackdown, this issue will likely be fought out in court. Ultimately, that will determine how easy and effective the campaign will be. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130954
title: What.cd Shuts Down Following Reported Raids in France
uri: What-cd-Shuts-Down-Following-Reported-Raids-in-France
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-QETUPrO7M4/
content:
<p><img src="media/68ff8de5.what.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/what.jpg" alt="what" width="220" height="78" class="alignright size-full wp-image-27967">Earlier today the popular music tracker What.cd became inaccessible. </p>
<p>While the reason for the sudden outage remained a mystery for a while, a message that was <a href="https://what.cd/index.php">just posted</a> on the site and official <a href="https://twitter.com/whatcd">Twitter account</a> shows that the downtime is likely to be permanent. </p>
<p>What.cd appears to have shut down effective immediately, and the site&#8217;s operators say they&#8217;ve destroyed all data in the process. </p>
<p>&#8220;Due to some recent events, What.CD is shutting down. We are not likely to return any time soon in our current form. All site and user data has been destroyed. So long, and thanks for all the fish,&#8221; the announcement reads.</p>
<p><center><strong>What.cd farewell message</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/5499a9bf.whatcddown.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/whatcddown.png" alt="whatcddown" width="445" height="180" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130960"></center></p>
<p>According to the French news site <a href="http://www.zataz.com/operation-what-cd-12-serveurs-saisis-chez-ovh-free/#axzz4QHlt08UT">Zataz</a>, the cybercrime unit of the Gendarmerie (C3N) raided twelve servers operated by the tracker at hosting provider OVH, and one server that was stored at Free. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to Damien Bancal, the author of the article, who noted that the information came from credible and trusted sources. Also, C3N confirmed that there was a police operation this morning, but didn&#8217;t specifically mention What.cd. </p>
<p>The French music industry group SACEM was reportedly involved in the investigation, which has been ongoing for two years. No arrests have been reported, and it&#8217;s unclear if any of the seized data is readable. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to SACEM, What.cd&#8217;s hosting provider, and one of the site&#8217;s operators, and we will update this article if a response is forthcoming.</p>
<p>With the apparent demise of What.cd, the torrent world will lose one of its biggest icons.</p>
<p>What.cd first appeared online in the fall of 2007, just a handful of days after the demise of the largest music tracker at the time, OiNK. </p>
<p>What.cd’s founders wanted to give nearly 200,000 homeless music fans somewhere to go, a place they could call home – a torrent site to fill the void left by the closure of the Pink Palace.</p>
<p>In the years that followed, What.cd grew beyond all expectations, outgrowing OiNK and establishing itself as the greatest music-sharing torrent site the world has ever known.</p>
<p>Today, this journey appears to have come to an end.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130926
title: Mega Compromised by Hackers
uri: Mega-Compromised-by-Hackers
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Kr_JqG2cJDM/
content:
<p><img src="media/e79506ba.mega-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mega-logo.png" alt="mega-logo" width="275" height="123" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130928">When the cloud-storage service <a href="https://mega.nz/">Mega</a> was launched in January 2013, it branded itself &#8220;the privacy company.&#8221;</p>
<p>The company&#8217;s main focus is to keep the files and other information of its users secure. However, this couldn&#8217;t prevent its own systems from being compromised. </p>
<p>This week Mega was compromised by outsiders who gained access to part of the company&#8217;s infrastructure. According to the hackers, they have access to roughly two gigabytes of data, some of which they released in public. </p>
<p>&#8220;We have been digging into some Mega developers account and started to escalate into their systems. We plan to release all the proprietary source code for public analysis,&#8221; the hackers informed TorrentFreak. </p>
<p>&#8220;This is around 2 GB of source code, including the Mega Chat source code and other services.&#8221;</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to Mega Chairman Stephen Hall, who confirmed the breach. </p>
<p>However, the company denies that any critical data has been compromised. Hall says that the affected systems were quickly patched and notes that the hackers did not gain access to user data.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of our contractors working on independent systems to maintain the public material on our blog and the help center has been compromised,&#8221; Hall told TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;This person did not have access to user data, neither does the person have access to critical source code and so the impact is very low.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mega&#8217;s chairman is confident that the user data is safe and notes that all files that are uploaded to the site are encrypted before they reach their servers.</p>
<p>The hackers, however, suggest that they do have some user data in hand. They might release partial user data in the future, they say, but don&#8217;t plan to release any on short notice.</p>
<p>The hackers will make some source code available and have already <a href="https://m.reddit.com/r/MEGA/comments/5dd6wk/a_mega_leak_is_coming_soon_stay_tuned/">released</a> some data. In addition, they published admin login details in a <a href="http://pastebin.com/kvvGs7XS">Pastebin</a> post. According to Mega, this is related to an older system that delivers blog posts, help center content, and translations.</p>
<p>Time will reveal the true scope and severity of the hack, and if it will affect Mega&#8217;s system or users. </p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Mega released a seperate press statement <a href="media/31425d56.Mega_Limited_Statement_18Nov2016.pdf" data-original-source="https://mega.nz/Mega_Limited_Statement_18Nov2016.pdf">here</a>. </p>
<p>The service says it wasn&#8217;t &#8220;hacked&#8221; but in a follow-up Stephen Hall confirms that some of their data was compromised by the hackers. &#8220;Mega’s separate blog/help centre system was accessed illegally.&#8221;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130944
title: Major Cyberlocker EX.UA to Shut Down Amid Police Crackdown
uri: Major-Cyberlocker-EX-UA-to-Shut-Down-Amid-Police-Crackdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/YxVPKewBCIY/
content:
<p><img src="media/c2756cd6.exua.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/exua.jpg" width="240" height="81" alt="" class="alignright size-large">For many years Ukraine has been considered somewhat of a safe haven for Internet pirates. The Pirate Bay, ExtraTorrent, Demonoid and others have all been hosted in the country at various times, but now times are changing.</p>
<p>Earlier this week, news broke that following a complaint from the MPAA, local piracy giant FS.to was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/police-raid-pirate-site-seize-60-servers-following-mpaa-complaint-161115/">raided by police</a>, with more than 60 servers seized and 19 people arrested. That investigation is still ongoing but now an even bigger target has folded in its wake.</p>
<p>Founded in 2009, EX.UA is Ukraine&#8217;s largest cyberlocker and one of the largest sites in the country, period. With millions of visitors each day the site is a much-loved resource but very shortly the platform will close its doors for good.</p>
<p>In an announcement to users, EX.UA&#8217;s owners said that it was time to throw in the towel after 12 months of trouble for the site and potential legal trouble ahead. </p>
<p>&#8220;Over the past year EX.UA has had a chance to feel the direct threats, blackmail (including at the international level), and DDOS attacks. These actions jeopardize the personal information and personal files stored by users on the service,&#8221; the site announced.</p>
<p>EX.UA&#8217;s operators say they have always tried to operate with respect for the laws of Ukraine, including dealing with takedowns quickly. However, the site does not approve of the system of distribution and rights management in place in the country and says it was one of the site&#8217;s goals to raise this issue in Ukrainian society.</p>
<p>Just recently, Ukraine <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ukraine-copyright-amendments-aim-to-please-united-states-151024/">passed a law</a> which will allow copyright holders to block allegedly infringing sites without obtaining a court order. This, EX.UA says, is a sign of &#8220;uncivilized lobbying&#8221; and will only result in less respect for copyright.</p>
<p>&#8220;Only foreign companies will benefit from this. Ukrainian rights holders will not receive more money. The Ukrainian budget will not receive any money at all. For the Ukrainian consumer, there will be less freedom of choice.&#8221;</p>
<p>Faced with a change in the law and a desire to respect it, EX.UA&#8217;s operators say that they will shut down the site. Users have just under two weeks to save their files.</p>
<p>&#8220;We ask all users to delete files from the archives on EX.UA by 30/11/2016. Users of the EX.UA email service should also be advised that this service will soon be moved to a new domain,&#8221; the site said.</p>
<p>In closing, the site&#8217;s operators say that while EX.UA is shutting down, the landscape in Ukraine could be subjected to more change.</p>
<p>&#8220;The darkest night comes just before dawn,&#8221; the site said. &#8220;Perhaps our market should again return to uncontrolled torrent piracy to make rightsholders realize that without giving viewers the opportunity to legally acquire content, piracy can not be stopped.&#8221;</p>
<p>The closure of the site will be welcomed not only by the RIAA and MPAA but also the USTR, who previously placed the file-hosting platform on the notorious markets list. EX.UA was first <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/authorities-shut-down-ukraines-largest-file-sharing-site-120131/">shut down</a> in 2012 but days later made a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ex-ua-makes-a-miraculous-comeback-120203/">miraculous comeback</a>. It seems unlikely there will be a repeat performance this time around.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131007
title: Music Group Confirms What.CD Raid, Claims Millions in Losses
uri: Music-Group-Confirms-What-CD-Raid-Claims-Millions-in-Losses
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/YiIcUrGjAp4/
content:
<p><img src="media/68ff8de5.what.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/what.jpg" alt="what" width="220" height="78" class="alignright size-full wp-image-27967">Yesterday the hugely popular private music torrent tracker <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/what-cd-shuts-down-following-reported-raids-in-france-161117/">What.CD shut down</a>. </p>
<p>The site&#8217;s staff cited &#8220;recent events&#8221; as the reason for the shutdown, but didn&#8217;t confirm that some of its servers were seized by French police, as was reported. </p>
<p>Today the French Society of Authors, Composers, and Publishers of Music (<a href="https://www.sacem.fr/">SACEM</a>) officially confirmed the raid. The music group informs TorrentFreak that 12 servers were targeted by the police.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is a follow up to the investigative work carried out by SACEM for more than two years, as part of its anti-piracy activities. It puts an ends to an estimated damage of €41 million to music creators,&#8221; a spokesperson said.</p>
<p>As previously reported, the raid was carried out by the Cybercrime Unit of the Gendarmerie, with assistance from SACEM.</p>
<p>&#8220;SACEM is satisfied with having contributed to end this mass online piracy phenomenon committed by an organized group, unprecedented in its scope and international dimension. </p>
<p>&#8220;SACEM will keep fighting relentlessly and tirelessly to combat online piracy and defend the interests of music creators and publishers,&#8221; the spokesperson added.</p>
<p>While the above may worry the site&#8217;s former members, a What.CD representative informs TorrentFreak that all user data is safe. This likely means that the site&#8217;s database was stored elsewhere, not on the servers that were seized.</p>
<p>The raids and shutdown have caused quite a stir in the private tracker community over the past 24 hours. And adding to the confusion, What.CD is not the only site to go offline. </p>
<p>Shortly after What.CD shut down, popular gaming tracker Gazelle Games also pulled the plug. While What.CD&#8217;s troubles are not mentioned, the timing suggests that the events could be somehow related.</p>
<p>&#8220;All GGn servers will be preemptively shutting down until further notice. We hope for this to be only temporary. Stay tuned for updates,&#8221; the site&#8217;s staff <a href="https://twitter.com/GazelleGames/status/799375843600531456">posted</a> on Twitter a few hours ago.</p>
<p><center>GGn&#8217;s tweet<br></br></center><center><img src="media/25f11b44.ggnstaff.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ggnstaff.png" alt="ggnstaff" width="500" height="154" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-131015"></center></p>
<p>Similarly, the private tracker Del.ish also vanished. At first, the page showed an error message, but at the time of writing it is redirecting to a Google search. Thus far the site&#8217;s staff haven&#8217;t commented on the reason for the downtime.</p>
<p>Finally, Feral Hosting, where many private tracker users rent a seedbox, also <a href="https://status.feral.io/">ran into trouble</a>. The company&#8217;s front-end server was taken down by hosting company OVH, where What.CD&#8217;s servers were also located. It&#8217;s unknown at this point whether these two events are related.</p>
<p>It will probably take a few days or even weeks before the dust properly settles. </p>
<p>One thing that does seem certain is that What.CD will not return online anytime soon. For now, the end of the road has come for the site that once started as a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/what-waffles-hydra-071030/">replacement for OiNK</a>, and grew out to become one of the largest digital music libraries that ever existed. </p>
<p>The question is, will history repeat itself once more?</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130881
title: Tech Companies Urge Trump To Protect DMCA Safe Harbors
uri: Tech-Companies-Urge-Trump-To-Protect-DMCA-Safe-Harbors
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Mj5fb-nTBA0/
content:
<p><a href="media/c4085613.trump.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/trump.png"><img src="media/d9c38786.trump.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trump.png" alt="trump" width="225" height="158" class="alignright size-full wp-image-127309"></a>The <a href="http://internetassociation.org/">Internet Association</a> is a US-based organization comprised of the country&#8217;s leading Internet-based businesses. Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Reddit and Yahoo are all members.</p>
<p>In an open letter published this week, Internet Association president and CEO Michael Beckerman urges President-elect Donald Trump to consider the importance of the connected industries and their contribution to the economy.</p>
<p>&#8220;Congratulations on your recent election. The Internet Association and its 40 member companies are writing to you today because innovation emerging from America’s internet industry drives significant economic growth throughout our economy,&#8221; Beckerman writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Businesses of all sizes are able to connect with new customers at the touch of a button and compete on a global scale in ways impossible just a decade ago.&#8221; </p>
<p>Noting that the internet sector accounted for nearly $1 trillion of GDP in 2014, Beckerman says that the Internet was built on an open architecture that lowers barriers to entry, fosters innovation, and empowers choice. He urges Trump to consider the importance of the connected industries alongside a &#8220;roadmap of key policy areas,&#8221; compiled by the Internet Association (IA), that will allow the Internet to thrive.</p>
<p>Considering that Association members including Google, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all generate revenue from content posted by users, it&#8217;s no surprise that they want Trump to uphold intermediary liability, should that content be infringing. This freedom to operate, they explain, is central to growth and development.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is not by accident or chance that the U.S. is the global leader in online innovation. Twenty years ago, internet platforms began to flourish because new laws protected platforms from being held liable for information posted and shared by users,&#8221; Beckerman says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Intermediary liability laws and policies protect free speech and creativity on the internet. This, in turn, generates substantial value for our economy and society through increased scale, greater diversity, and lowered barriers to entry for creators and entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>&#8220;Threats of excessive liability can transform internet service providers and companies, which often lack the knowledge necessary to make legal decisions about the nature of content, into enforcement agents that block user content and make the web less free, innovative, and collaborative.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Internet Association says that weakening liability laws would chill innovation and free expression, warning that if its members were held liable for user-uploaded content, 80% of investors would be &#8220;less likely&#8221; to fund startups. A similar percentage would be wary of investing in companies where legal action might be more likely.</p>
<p>Specifically, the Internet Association asks Trump to uphold <a href="https://www.eff.org/issues/cda230">Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA)</a> but of course there is another piece of key legislation that affords Internet Association safe harbors from user-uploaded content &#8211; the DMCA.</p>
<p>&#8220;The safe harbors included in Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) provide flexible yet robust parameters from which responsible internet companies can operate in good faith in order to grow and adapt across time and technical evolution,&#8221; Beckerman writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Under Section 512, internet platforms receive liability protection only if they meet certain requirements, including the expeditious removal of specific identified content flagged by rights-holders. Safe harbors provide flexibility that creates a future-proof framework in which private parties are incentivized to efficiently comply with the law and work collaboratively on private sector efforts tailored to the unique needs of platforms and creators.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Internet Association chief goes on to describe the legal certainty provided by the DMCA&#8217;s safe harbors as the &#8220;gold standard worldwide&#8221; for fostering innovation, adding that its takedown mechanisms assist both copyright holders and service providers to provide platforms for lawful consumption.</p>
<p>&#8220;Under the shared responsibilities of the notice and takedown system, both rights holders and digital platforms have flourished as consumers increasingly rely on the internet for access to legal content. Efforts to weaken the safe harbors would create legal uncertainty, force internet companies to police the web, chill innovation and free expression online, and undermine the collaborative framework of the law,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;Copyright policies must prioritize the public interest by protecting innovation and freedom of expression online, encouraging new forms of follow-on creative works, and ensuring users have access to legal content. Threats to the flexible framework, such as weakening limitations or exceptions to safe harbors, would create barriers to entry for internet startups and creators, which would deny users the ability to access content online.&#8221; </p>
<p>The open letter, which covers a broad range of advice for President-elect Trump, can be found here <em>(<a href="media/6511bc34.111416transitionletter.pdf" data-original-source="http://internetassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/111416transitionletter.pdf">pdf</a>)</em>, but only time will tell if it will have any effect on <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-copyright-office-undecided-about-future-of-dmca-takedowns-161114/">current consultations</a> over the future of the DMCA.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Mj5fb-nTBA0:pUlZnBNGwbU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Mj5fb-nTBA0:pUlZnBNGwbU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Mj5fb-nTBA0:pUlZnBNGwbU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130813
title: Rightscorp Only Has Enough Cash to Last Until December
uri: Rightscorp-Only-Has-Enough-Cash-to-Last-Until-December
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5T9inRaw9WI/
content:
<p><a href="media/c9f95d44.rightscorp.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/rightscorp.png"><img src="media/ef1215bb.rightscorp.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rightscorp.png" alt="rightscorp" width="222" height="54" class="alignright size-full wp-image-78740"></a>It&#8217;s probably fair to say that outside its extremely limited customer base, Rightscorp is not a popular company.</p>
<p>For years the anti-piracy outfit has been bombarding ISPs all over the United States with copyright infringement notices. Rightscorp expects these to be forwarded to the ISPs&#8217; customers so that an attached &#8216;pay-up-or-else&#8217; warning results in a cash payment.</p>
<p>Sadly for Rightscorp, this is a business model that simply isn&#8217;t paying off. The company has just published its latest quarterly report, and it makes for grim reading.</p>
<p>During the three months ended September 30, Rightscorp generated just $139,834. That&#8217;s down from $215,196 during the same period in 2015, a drop of 35%. Losing a third of revenue year-on-year is clearly a huge problem, but once again the company insists this is due to circumstances beyond its control.</p>
<p>Just as the company reported for the three months <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rightscorp-revenues-collapse-pirates-too-hard-to-track-160517/">ending March 2016</a>, Rightscorp&#8217;s woes are down to three elements. </p>
<p>The first, it says, are &#8220;changes in the filesharing software intended to defeat detection of copyrights being illegally distributed.&#8221; The statement is almost certainly deliberately vague, but it seems likely that this is a reference to more users <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-anonymous-review-160220/">turning to VPNs</a> and similar technology to avoid detection.</p>
<p>The second is down to ISPs, who are refusing to forward Rightscorp&#8217;s settlement demands to their subscribers. This is particularly interesting. Rightscorp customer BMG won a case against Cox Communications which at its core centered on Cox not terminating users that Rightscorp claimed were repeat infringers. It appears that not even a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-files-appeal-to-overturn-25-million-piracy-verdict-161110/">$25m verdict</a> in BMG&#8217;s favor has the power to push Rightscorp&#8217;s settlement demands in front of more subscribers.</p>
<p>The final element is Rightscorp&#8217;s claims that &#8220;the shutting down of some filesharing network infrastructure&#8221; is affecting their ability to get subscribers to settle. Again, the statement is deliberately vague, but with millions of torrent users operating without VPNs in the United States, finding pirates should still be like shooting fish in a barrel.</p>
<p>With these three elements at play, Rightscorp is under-serving its clients. For the three months ended September 30, 2015, the company returned $107,598 to copyright holders. In the same period this year, that had dropped 35% to just $69,143.</p>
<p>What Rightscorp desperately needs is a larger pool of copyrighted titles to monitor, but the company isn&#8217;t doing enough to get itself noticed. For the three months ended September 30, 2015, the company spent a measly $5,396 on advertising and marketing. During the same period in 2016 it invested just £337.</p>
<p>The company has tightened its belt in other areas too, including in general and administrative expenses, salaries and other professional fees. However, unlike the apparent neglect of sales and marketing, this isn&#8217;t necessarily a bad thing.</p>
<p>Total wage and related expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2016 were $294,262. Legal fees were &#8216;just&#8217; $68,161, down from $318,211 in the same period last year. In total the company spent $386,865 on expenses, down from $729,724 in the same period last year. </p>
<p>But with revenues drastically down, the expense-cutting measures still aren&#8217;t enough. As a result, for the three months that ended September 30, 2016, Rightscorp recorded a net loss of $385,433, a modest improvement over the $424,168 loss it managed in the same period last year.</p>
<p>So, from January to September 30, 2016, this is how things are looking for the anti-piracy group versus the same period in 2015.</p>
<p>Revenues: $354,160, down 53% from $756,916</p>
<p>Payments to copyright holders: $174,878, down 53% from $378,458</p>
<p>Operating expenses: $1,939,982 versus $2,027,545</p>
<p>Bottom line: Net loss of $1,380,698 versus net loss of $3,120,197 in same period 2015</p>
<p>To date, Rightscorp has never turned a profit and the way things are looking it doesn&#8217;t seem likely to anytime soon. However, time is running out. The company has less than $7,000 in the bank and needs a cash injection real soon to have any hope of continuing as a going concern.</p>
<p>&#8220;Management believes that our existing cash on hand and ongoing revenues will be sufficient to fund our operations through December 2016. Management believes that the Company will need at least another $500,000 to $1,000,000 in 2017 to fund operations based on our current operating plans,&#8221; Rightscorp&#8217;s filing concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=5T9inRaw9WI:_A053b3rhOo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=5T9inRaw9WI:_A053b3rhOo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=5T9inRaw9WI:_A053b3rhOo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130952
title: Pirate App Store Operator Convicted for Criminal Copyright Infringement
uri: Pirate-App-Store-Operator-Convicted-for-Criminal-Copyright-Infringemen
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/e7SFsidZ8fQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/21abd508.snappz.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/snappz.jpg" alt="snappz" width="180" height="158" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86897">Assisted by police in France and the Netherlands, the FBI <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fbi-seizes-pirate-android-app-domains-120822/">took down</a> the “pirate” Android stores Appbucket, Applanet, and SnappzMarket during the summer of 2012.</p>
<p>The domain seizures were the first ever against “rogue” mobile app marketplaces and followed similar actions against BitTorrent and streaming sites.</p>
<p>During the years that followed several people connected to the Android app sites were arrested and indicted. Most cases are still pending, but this week one of the operators of SnappzMarket was convicted. </p>
<p>The now 26-year-old Joshua Taylor, a resident of Kentwood, Michigan, was convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement during a bench trial this week.</p>
<p>Taylor&#8217;s attorney had filed a motion to dismiss the case, claiming that the indictment was inadequate and unclear, but U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten Sr. denied this request. </p>
<p>Taylor was found guilty instead and now awaits his sentencing, which is scheduled to take place February next year.</p>
<p><center><strong>Taylor found guilty</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/16fbaeda.taylotguilty.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/taylotguilty.jpg" alt="taylotguilty" width="600" height="321" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130980"></center> </p>
<p>The Department of Justice (DoJ) is pleased with the guilty verdict. They note that Taylor and his co-conspirators distributed more than a million apps without permission from the copyright holders, causing significant losses.</p>
<p>&#8220;The total retail value of the more than one million pirated apps distributed by the SnappzMarket Group was estimated to have been more than $1.7 million, according to evidence presented at previous court proceedings,&#8221; DoF notes. </p>
<p>Two other co-conspirators, Jon Peterson Gary Edwin Sharp II, previously <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/android-piracy-group-leaders-plead-guilty-to-criminal-copyright-infringement-160503/">pleaded guilty</a> and will be sentenced at a later date as well. The three all face up to several years in prison. </p>
<p>This summer, SnappzMarket&#8217;s &#8216;PR manager&#8217; Scott Walton was the first of the group to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-android-app-store-member-jailed-for-46-months-160831/">receive his sentence</a>. He was convicted to 46 months in prison for conspiracy to commit copyright infringement.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130854
title: UK Piracy Blocklist Silently Expands With Hundreds of Domains
uri: UK-Piracy-Blocklist-Silently-Expands-With-Hundreds-of-Domains
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/wwlk790BJFI/
content:
<p><img src="media/4d28e669.uk-flag.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/uk-flag.jpg" alt="uk-flag" width="200" height="179" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86005">Over the past several years hundreds of websites have been blocked in the UK for facilitating copyright infringement, and this list is getting longer and longer.</p>
<p>Just a few weeks ago, 123movies and several other streaming portals were targeted by <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-piracy-blocklist-expands-with-123movies-and-other-streaming-sites-161028/">yet another High Court order</a>.</p>
<p>These blocks have some effect, at least in preventing subscribers from accessing the domains directly. However, there are plenty of alternative routes people can use instead.</p>
<p>Blocked sites and people who support them often create so called reverse proxies. These allow users to access blocked pages through a new domain name, bypassing the restrictions put in place by the court. At least, for as long as it lasts.</p>
<p>Copyright holders are well-aware of the proxy sites and frequently send ISPs lists of new domains to add to the blocklist. Over the past weeks, we have seen one of the largest blocklist expansions to date, targeting hundreds of new domains.</p>
<p>The expansions often happen silently but are covered under the existing court orders. One UK ISP was kind enough to share an overview of the new additions, published in full below. </p>
<p>The new targets include a wide variety of proxies for popular pirate sites such as The Pirate Bay, 123Movies, ExtraTorrent, RARBG, Tubeplus, EZTV, CouchTuner and Putlocker.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to a torrent site owner who had several of his proxy sites blocked by the recent update. As a result, traffic dropped significantly last week, and it may drop even further once it&#8217;s implemented by all ISPs.</p>
<p><center><strong>Proxy traffic</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/224a6fa7.uk-block-drop.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/uk-block-drop.png" alt="uk-block-drop" width="600" height="211" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-130909"></center></p>
<p>The question remains whether this new round of updates will have much of an effect. The proxy sites are setup with the intention to bypass blockades, so many will simply move to a new domain.</p>
<p>The popular proxy link site &#8220;Unblocked,&#8221; which offers an up-to-date overview of working proxies, is a good example. The site&#8217;s unblocked.ist domain was added to the blocklist, but it already moved to a new home at <a href="https://unblocked.uno/">unblocked.uno</a>.</p>
<p>Unblocked&#8217;s owner told us that he has no intention of backing down, labeling the blocking efforts as futile.</p>
<p>&#8220;Anytime we receive multiple reports of the site being blocked, we redirect to a new domain that same day. It&#8217;s become quite a simple routine now and we don&#8217;t expect to give up anytime soon,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Considering the popularity of Unblocked in the UK, I don&#8217;t think their strategy is an effective way to deal with piracy. Our traffic data doesn&#8217;t show any major changes after our many domain changes.&#8221; </p>
<p>And so, after yet another update, the whack-a-mole continues. Copyright holders will keep adding new domains to the blocklists, while site owners continue to hop from domain to domain.</p>
<p>&#8212;<br>
<em><br>
Below is an overview of all the domain names that were added over the past three weeks in two batches, 480 in total. Some have a duplicate entry, listing both the www and non-www version.</p>
<p><strong>Batch 1</strong></p>
<p>123movies.party<br>
123movies.ru<br>
123movies.to<br>
365movies.net<br>
7torrents.unblockall.xyz<br>
7torrents.unblockmyproxy.site<br>
7torrents.win<br>
axxomovies.bypassed.cc<br>
axxomovies.immunicity.cc<br>
axxomovies.immunicity.rocks<br>
axxomovies.proxydots.com<br>
axxomovies.proxysafe.eu<br>
axxomovies.ukbypass.host<br>
axxomovies.ukbypass.loan<br>
axxomovies.ukbypass.us<br>
axxomovies.ukbypass.win<br>
axxomovies.unblocked.ist<br>
axxomovies.unblocked.party<br>
axxomovies.unblockedall.cc<br>
axxomovies.unblockerproxy.xyz<br>
axxomovies.usbypass.host<br>
axxomovies.usbypass.loan<br>
axxomovies.usbypass.us<br>
axxomovies.usbypass.win<br>
chilet.xyz<br>
coolfunnys.xyz<br>
couch-tuner.proxydots.com<br>
couch-tuner.proxysafe.eu<br>
couchtuner.bypassed.cc<br>
couchtuner.bypassed.rocks<br>
couchtuner.immunicity.cc<br>
couchtuner.immunicity.faith<br>
couchtuner.immunicity.rocks<br>
couchtuner.immunicity.stream<br>
couchtuner.streaminghub.xyz<br>
couchtuner.ukbypass.loan<br>
couchtuner.ukbypass.us<br>
couchtuner.ukbypass.win<br>
couchtuner.unblocked.ist<br>
couchtuner.unblocked.party<br>
couchtuner.usbypass.us<br>
couchtuner.usbypass.win<br>
cucirca.us<br>
demonoid.tormirror.bid<br>
demonoid.tormirror.online<br>
demonoid.tormirror.space<br>
demonoid.tormirror.tech<br>
demonoid.ukbypass.host<br>
demonoid.ukbypass.loan<br>
demonoid.ukbypass.us<br>
demonoid.ukbypass.win<br>
demonoid.unblocked.ist<br>
demonoid.unblockproxy.bid<br>
demonoid.unblockproxy.download<br>
demonoid.unblockproxy.space<br>
demonoid.usbypass.host<br>
demonoid.usbypass.loan<br>
demonoid.usbypass.us<br>
demonoid.usbypass.win<br>
dl4all.streaminghub.xyz<br>
dl4all.ukbypass.us<br>
dl4all.ukbypass.win<br>
dl4all.usbypass.us<br>
dl4all.usbypass.win<br>
dnoid.me<br>
eztv.bypassed.cc<br>
eztv.bypassed.rocks<br>
eztv.immunicity.cc<br>
eztv.immunicity.rocks<br>
eztv.proxydots.com<br>
eztv.streaminghub.xyz<br>
eztv.tormirror.bid<br>
eztv.tormirror.online<br>
eztv.tormirror.space<br>
eztv.tormirror.tech<br>
eztv.ukbypass.host<br>
eztv.ukbypass.loan<br>
eztv.ukbypass.us<br>
eztv.ukbypass.win<br>
eztv.unblocked.ist<br>
eztv.unblocked.party<br>
eztv.unblockedall.cc<br>
eztv.unblockerproxy.xyz<br>
eztv.unblockproxy.bid<br>
eztv.unblockproxy.download<br>
eztv.unblockproxy.space<br>
eztv.usbypass.host<br>
eztv.usbypass.loan<br>
eztv.usbypass.us<br>
eztv.usbypass.win<br>
f9movies.com<br>
geektv.ma<br>
genvideos.org<br>
gowatchseries.biz<br>
gowatchseries.to<br>
hdmovie14.net<br>
hdmovie14.net.prx.proxyunblocker.org<br>
hdmovieswatch.net<br>
icefilms.bypassed.cc<br>
icefilms.bypassed.faith<br>
icefilms.bypassed.party<br>
icefilms.bypassed.rocks<br>
icefilms.immunicity.cc<br>
icefilms.immunicity.faith<br>
icefilms.immunicity.party<br>
icefilms.immunicity.rocks<br>
icefilms.immunicity.stream<br>
icefilms.streaminghub.xyz<br>
icefilms.unblocked.ist<br>
icefilms.unblocked.party<br>
icefilms.unblocked.stream<br>
icefilms.unblocktall.com<br>
isohunt.bypassed.cc<br>
isohunt.bypassed.club<br>
isohunt.bypassed.date<br>
isohunt.bypassed.download<br>
isohunt.bypassed.faith<br>
isohunt.bypassed.party<br>
isohunt.bypassed.pw<br>
isohunt.bypassed.rocks<br>
isohunt.immunicity.cc<br>
isohunt.immunicity.faith<br>
isohunt.immunicity.party<br>
isohunt.immunicity.rocks<br>
isohunt.immunicity.stream<br>
isohunt.streaminghub.xyz<br>
isohunt.tormirror.bid<br>
isohunt.tormirror.online<br>
isohunt.tormirror.space<br>
isohunt.tormirror.tech<br>
isohunt.ukbypass.host<br>
isohunt.ukbypass.loan<br>
isohunt.ukbypass.us<br>
isohunt.ukbypass.win<br>
isohunt.unblocked.ist<br>
isohunt.unblocked.party<br>
isohunt.unblocked.stream<br>
isohunt.unblockerproxy.xyz<br>
isohunt.unblockproxy.bid<br>
isohunt.unblockproxy.download<br>
isohunt.unblockproxy.space<br>
isohunt.usbypass.host<br>
isohunt.usbypass.loan<br>
isohunt.usbypass.us<br>
isohunt.usbypass.win<br>
iwatchonline.unblocked.ist<br>
mail.gowatchseries.biz<br>
mail.gowatchseries.to<br>
movie25.unblocked.ist<br>
movie4k.bypassed.cc<br>
movie4k.bypassed.rocks<br>
movie4k.immunicity.cc<br>
movie4k.immunicity.faith<br>
movie4k.immunicity.party<br>
movie4k.immunicity.rocks<br>
movie4k.immunicity.stream<br>
movie4k.ukbypass.host<br>
movie4k.ukbypass.loan<br>
movie4k.ukbypass.us<br>
movie4k.ukbypass.win<br>
movie4k.unblocked.ist<br>
movie4k.unblocked.party<br>
movie4k.unblockedall.cc<br>
movie4k.unblocktall.com<br>
movie4k.usbypass.host<br>
movie4k.usbypass.loan<br>
movie4k.usbypass.us<br>
movie4k.usbypass.win<br>
moviesub.net<br>
moviesub.org<br>
moviesub.org.prx.proxyunblocker.org<br>
moviesub.tv<br>
movietubenow.biz<br>
movietubenow.biz.prx.proxyunblocker.org<br>
movietubenow.ws<br>
ns.gowatchseries.to<br>
ns1.gowatchseries.biz<br>
ns1.gowatchseries.to<br>
ns2.gowatchseries.biz<br>
ns2.gowatchseries.to<br>
primewire.bypassed.cc<br>
primewire.bypassed.rocks<br>
primewire.immunicity.cc<br>
primewire.immunicity.rocks<br>
primewire.streaminghub.xyz<br>
primewire.unblocked.ist<br>
primewire.unblocked.party<br>
primewire.unblockedall.cc<br>
primewire.unblocktall.com<br>
putlocker.com<br>
rapidmoviez.unblocked.ist<br>
rarbg.bypassed.cc<br>
rarbg.bypassed.rocks<br>
rarbg.immunicity.cc<br>
rarbg.immunicity.rocks<br>
rarbg.proxydots.com<br>
rarbg.unblocked.ist<br>
rarbg.unblocked.party<br>
rarbgunblock.com<br>
rmz.cr.prx.webanonymizer.org<br>
rmz.proxydots.com<br>
s-s.www.iwatchonline.cr.prx.proxyunblocker.org<br>
s-s.www.iwatchonline.cr.prx.proxywebsite.co.uk<br>
s-s.www.iwatchonline.cr.prx.torrentunblock.com<br>
scenesource.bypassed.cc<br>
scenesource.bypassed.download<br>
scenesource.bypassed.faith<br>
scenesource.bypassed.party<br>
scenesource.bypassed.pw<br>
scenesource.bypassed.rocks<br>
scenesource.immunicity.cc<br>
scenesource.immunicity.faith<br>
scenesource.immunicity.party<br>
scenesource.immunicity.rocks<br>
scenesource.immunicity.stream<br>
scenesource.unblocked.party<br>
scenesource.unblocked.stream<br>
scnsrc.proxydots.com<br>
scnsrc.unblocked.ist<br>
series-cravings.me<br>
series-cravings.tv<br>
seventorrents.bypassed.cc<br>
seventorrents.bypassed.rocks<br>
seventorrents.immunicity.cc<br>
seventorrents.immunicity.faith<br>
seventorrents.immunicity.rocks<br>
seventorrents.immunicity.stream<br>
seventorrents.proxydots.com<br>
seventorrents.streaminghub.xyz<br>
seventorrents.unblocked.ist<br>
seventorrents.unblocked.party<br>
seventorrents.unblocktall.com<br>
spacemov.com<br>
spacemov.net<br>
spacemov.net.prx.derproxy.com<br>
spacemov.net.prx.proxyunblocker.org<br>
streamallthis.is<br>
sumotorrent.streaminghub.xyz<br>
sumotorrent.ukbypass.loan<br>
sumotorrent.ukbypass.us<br>
sumotorrent.ukbypass.win<br>
sumotorrent.usbypass.loan<br>
sumotorrent.usbypass.us<br>
sumotorrent.usbypass.win<br>
themovie4u.live<br>
themovie4u.ms<br>
tinklepad.bypassed.cc<br>
tinklepad.immunicity.cc<br>
tinklepad.immunicity.rocks<br>
tinklepad.streaminghub.xyz<br>
tinklepad.ukbypass.loan<br>
tinklepad.ukbypass.us<br>
tinklepad.ukbypass.win<br>
tinklepad.unblocked.party<br>
tinklepad.usbypass.us<br>
tinklepad.usbypass.win<br>
torrentbutler.bypassed.cc<br>
torrentbutler.bypassed.faith<br>
torrentbutler.bypassed.rocks<br>
torrentbutler.immunicity.cc<br>
torrentbutler.immunicity.rocks<br>
torrentbutler.immunicity.stream<br>
torrentbutler.proxydots.com<br>
torrentbutler.streaminghub.xyz<br>
torrentbutler.tormirror.bid<br>
torrentbutler.tormirror.online<br>
torrentbutler.tormirror.space<br>
torrentbutler.tormirror.tech<br>
torrentbutler.ukbypass.host<br>
torrentbutler.ukbypass.loan<br>
torrentbutler.ukbypass.us<br>
torrentbutler.ukbypass.win<br>
torrentbutler.unblocked.ist<br>
torrentbutler.unblocked.party<br>
torrentbutler.unblocked.stream<br>
torrentbutler.unblockproxy.bid<br>
torrentbutler.unblockproxy.download<br>
torrentbutler.unblockproxy.space<br>
torrentbutler.usbypass.host<br>
torrentbutler.usbypass.loan<br>
torrentbutler.usbypass.us<br>
torrentbutler.usbypass.win<br>
torrentcd.webypass.xyz<br>
torrentcd2.com<br>
torrentcd2.com.prx.proxywebsite.co.uk<br>
torrentcd2.com.prx.torrentunblock.com<br>
torrentday.unblocktall.com<br>
torrentzpro.streaminghub.xyz<br>
tubeplus.ag.prx.torrentunblock.com<br>
tubeplus.bypassed.cc<br>
tubeplus.bypassed.rocks<br>
tubeplus.immunicity.cc<br>
tubeplus.immunicity.rocks<br>
tubeplus.proxydots.com<br>
tubeplus.streaminghub.xyz<br>
tubeplus.ukbypass.host<br>
tubeplus.ukbypass.us<br>
tubeplus.ukbypass.win<br>
tubeplus.unblocked.ist<br>
tubeplus.unblockedall.cc<br>
tubeplus.unblocktall.com<br>
tubeplus.usbypass.us<br>
tubeplus.usbypass.win<br>
vidics.streaminghub.xyz<br>
vidics.ukbypass.us<br>
vidics.ukbypass.win<br>
vidics.unblocked.ist<br>
vidics.unlockproject.us<br>
vidics.usbypass.us<br>
vidics.usbypass.win<br>
vodly.streaminghub.xyz<br>
vodly.unblockerproxy.xyz<br>
watchfree.bypassed.cc<br>
watchfree.bypassed.club<br>
watchfree.bypassed.date<br>
watchfree.bypassed.download<br>
watchfree.bypassed.faith<br>
watchfree.bypassed.me<br>
watchfree.bypassed.party<br>
watchfree.bypassed.pw<br>
watchfree.bypassed.rocks<br>
watchfree.immunicity.cc<br>
watchfree.immunicity.faith<br>
watchfree.immunicity.party<br>
watchfree.immunicity.rocks<br>
watchfree.streaminghub.xyz<br>
watchfree.ukbypass.host<br>
watchfree.ukbypass.loan<br>
watchfree.ukbypass.us<br>
watchfree.ukbypass.win<br>
watchfree.unblocked.ist<br>
watchfree.unblocked.party<br>
watchfree.unblocked.stream<br>
watchfree.unblockedall.cc<br>
watchfree.unblockerproxy.xyz<br>
watchfree.unblocktall.com<br>
watchfree.usbypass.host<br>
watchfree.usbypass.loan<br>
watchfree.usbypass.us<br>
watchfree.usbypass.win<br>
watchfree.webypass.xyz<br>
watchfreemovies.streaminghub.xyz<br>
watchfreemovies.unblocked.ist<br>
watchfreemovies.unblockedall.cc<br>
watchfreemovies.unblockerproxy.xyz<br>
watchfreemovies.unblocktall.com<br>
watchmovie.cd<br>
watchmovie.cz<br>
watchmovie.is<br>
watchmovie.si<br>
watchmovie.so<br>
watchmovie.watch<br>
watchseries.bypassed.cc<br>
watchseries.immunicity.cc<br>
watchtvseries.unblocked.ist<br>
watchtvseries.unblockerproxy.xyz<br>
www.123movies.cz<br>
www.123movies.party<br>
www.123movies.ru<br>
www.123movies.to<br>
www.365movies.net<br>
www.7torrents.win<br>
www.cucirca.us<br>
www.dnoid.me<br>
www.dnoid.me.prx.proxyunblocker.org<br>
www.dnoid.me.prx.proxywebsite.co.uk<br>
www.dnoid.me.prx.torrentunblock.com<br>
www.dnoid.me.prx2.unblocksites.co<br>
www.f9movies.com<br>
www.geektv.ma<br>
www.genvideos.org<br>
www.gowatchseries.biz<br>
www.gowatchseries.to<br>
www.hdmovieswatch.net<br>
www.moviesub.net<br>
www.moviesub.org<br>
www.moviesub.org.prx.proxyunblocker.org<br>
www.moviesub.tv<br>
www.movietubenow.biz<br>
www.movietubenow.biz.prx.proxyunblocker.org<br>
www.movietubenow.ws<br>
www.primewire-tv.com<br>
www.putlocker.com<br>
www.series-cravings.me<br>
www.series-cravings.tv<br>
www.spacemov.com<br>
www.spacemov.net<br>
www.spacemov.net.prx.derproxy.com<br>
www.spacemov.net.prx.proxyunblocker.org<br>
www.themovie4u.live<br>
www.themovie4u.ms<br>
www.torrentcd2.com<br>
www.torrentcd2.com.prx.proxywebsite.co.uk<br>
www.torrentcd2.com.prx.torrentunblock.com<br>
www.tubeplus.ag.prx.torrentunblock.com<br>
www.watchmovie.cd<br>
www.watchmovie.cz<br>
www.watchmovie.is<br>
www.watchmovie.si<br>
www.watchmovie.so<br>
www.watchmovie.watch<br>
www.xmovies8.ru<br>
www.zmovie.co<br>
www.zmovie.se<br>
www_dnoid_me.unblocked.lol<br>
xmovies8.ru<br>
yourbittorrent.unlockproject.online<br>
yts.bypassed.cc<br>
yts.immunicity.cc<br>
yts.immunicity.rocks<br>
yts.proxydots.com<br>
yts.streaminghub.xyz<br>
yts.tormirror.bid<br>
yts.tormirror.online<br>
yts.tormirror.space<br>
yts.tormirror.tech<br>
yts.ukbypass.host<br>
yts.ukbypass.loan<br>
yts.ukbypass.us<br>
yts.ukbypass.win<br>
yts.unblocked.ist<br>
yts.unblocked.party<br>
yts.unblockedall.cc<br>
yts.unblockproxy.bid<br>
yts.unblockproxy.download<br>
yts.unblockproxy.space<br>
yts.usbypass.host<br>
yts.usbypass.loan<br>
yts.usbypass.us<br>
yts.usbypass.win<br>
zmovie.co<br>
zmovie.se</p>
<p><strong>Batch 2</strong></p>
<p>avxhome.unblocked.ist<br>
avxhome_se.unblocked.lol<br>
ebookee.unblocked.ist<br>
ebookee.unblockedall.cc<br>
ebookee.usbypass.download<br>
firstrowi.eu<br>
firstrowsportes.com<br>
firstrowsportes.tv<br>
firstsrowsports.eu<br>
freebookspot.bypassed.club<br>
freebookspot.bypassed.date<br>
freebookspot.bypassed.download<br>
freebookspot.bypassed.faith<br>
freebookspot.bypassed.party<br>
freebookspot.bypassed.pw<br>
freebookspot.immunicity.faith<br>
freebookspot.immunicity.party<br>
freebookspot.immunicity.rocks<br>
freebookspot.immunicity.stream<br>
freebookspot.unblocked.ist<br>
freebookspot.unblocked.stream<br>
freebookspot.unblockedall.cc<br>
justfirstrowsports.com<br>
libgen.bypassed.club<br>
libgen.bypassed.date<br>
libgen.bypassed.download<br>
libgen.bypassed.faith<br>
libgen.bypassed.me<br>
libgen.bypassed.party<br>
libgen.bypassed.pw<br>
libgen.bypassed.rocks<br>
libgen.immunicity.faith<br>
libgen.immunicity.party<br>
libgen.immunicity.stream<br>
libgen.unblocked.ist<br>
libgen.unblocked.stream<br>
lsh.drakulastream.eu<br>
tarjetaroja.eu<br>
tarjetarojaonline.es<br>
www.Firstrowsports.ge<br>
www.livetv111.net<br>
www.lshunter.net<br>
www.Robinwidget.com<br>
www.tarjetaroja-tv.net<br>
www.tarjetarojaonline.me<br>
www.tarjetarojatv.net<br>
www.xn--frstrow-oza.eu</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130640
title: Pirate Sites Blocked For Showing Gambling Advertising
uri: Pirate-Sites-Blocked-For-Showing-Gambling-Advertising
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/jXvhswMRau4/
content:
<p><a href="media/1c7edcb8.dice.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/dice.jpg"><img src="media/9e41ae86.dice.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dice.jpg" alt="dice" width="240" height="187" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124795"></a>Regular visitors to the world&#8217;s largest pirate sites will be acutely aware of how they generate their revenue. Advertising is commonplace, ranging from simple unintrusive images to horribly aggressive popups and similar plagues.</p>
<p>What is also glaringly obvious is the kind of companies that advertise on such portals. From those who offer a date after a couple of clicks to those offering gentlemanly extensions, &#8216;pirate&#8217; advertisers tend to reside towards the bottom of the barrel.</p>
<p>This is largely due to the pressure being applied to well-known brands to keep their ads off pirate sites but for some reason, gambling companies still make regular appearances. While they provide a valuable source of revenue, their presence on pirate sites is providing a new leverage point for anti-piracy outfits.</p>
<p>While gambling faces restrictions in most territories, over in Russia the practice has been <a href="https://www.gamblingsites.com/online-gambling-jurisdictions/russia/">completely outlawed</a> online since 2006. However, gambling companies are still advertising on Russian pirate sites, something which has not gone unnoticed by anti-piracy groups.</p>
<p>As a result, some rightsholders have been reporting the rogue advertisers and the sites they appear on to Internet watchdog Roskomnadzor. If the complaint is upheld, Russia&#8217;s Federal Tax Service, the body responsible for carrying out state registration of legal entities, gets informed. It carries out its own checks and if illegal advertising is discovered, the pirate site displaying it is earmarked for blocking. </p>
<p>According to news outlet <a href="http://izvestia.ru/news/644120">Izvestia</a>, several video-related rightsholder groups have already reported a batch of pirate sites in this manner. As a result, three sites (lostfilmonline.ru, zerx.co and hdrezka.me) have already been blocked.</p>
<p>&#8220;After receiving the complaint, Roskomnadzor notifies the site that online casinos cannot be advertisers,&#8221; a spokesperson explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;If a site responds and removes the casino advertising, it is not blocked. If they do not remove it, Roskomnadzor will have it blocked. If there is no response, then the site is stored in the blacklist and is blocked in Russia.&#8221;</p>
<p>Under current legislation the site will be removed from the blocklist after it removes the illegal advertising. However, for many that also means a hit in revenue.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you keep in mind how many pirate sites carry such advertising, it can dramatically affect their income and contribute to two positive things: firstly, Russian citizens will not be involved in gambling and dubious financial schemes. Secondly, pirate Internet businesses cease to be attractive and thereby decrease,&#8221; a spokesperson told Izvestia.</p>
<p>According to Maxim Ryabyko from anti-piracy outfit AZAPO, such illegal advertising is widespread.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have made an assessment of the inventory. It is safe to say that more than half of such advertising is located on the most prominent and expensive placement positions, for example, in the header,&#8221; Ryabyko says.</p>
<p>&#8220;If pirate sites with similar advertising are reported to the Federal Tax Service through Roskomnadzor, the [pirate site operators] will have to look for an alternative, for example, by increasing the volume of other, lower-cost advertising on their sites. Ideally, this would lead to discussions with them about the creation of partnerships with legitimate sites.&#8221;</p>
<p>What is interesting about this process is the reported ease of having a block put in place. Ryabyko says that a regular copyright blocking case has costs attached and can take six to eight months to complete. On the other hand, reporting and having a site blocked for illegal advertising is not only much quicker, but also essentially free.</p>
<p>Only time will tell how effective the practice will prove, but it&#8217;s a good example of how anti-piracy outfits are prepared to innovate in order to achieve their goals.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131092
title: Dreamhack Organizer Arrested in Torrent Site Crackdown
uri: Dreamhack-Organizer-Arrested-in-Torrent-Site-Crackdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gAx_isf-00U/
content:
<p><img src="media/a6826855.rarat.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rarat.png" alt="rarat" width="250" height="90" class="alignright size-full wp-image-131096">While Rarat.org is relatively unknown in most countries, it gained local fame in Sweden as one of the top private trackers. </p>
<p>This ended abruptly a few weeks ago when the site&#8217;s <a href="https://rarat.org/">homepage</a> was replaced with a worrying message, indicating the site&#8217;s operators were in trouble.</p>
<p>&#8220;The week Rarat was subject to a search, seizure, and arrest. This follows a 2013 complaint from a film company that tracked down our PayPal payments. Damages in the millions of krona are feared. The site will now be closed.&#8221;</p>
<p>This weekend, Rights Alliance lawyer Henrik Pontén, who represents several copyright holders, informed <a href="http://www.dn.se/ekonomi/illegal-fildelningssajt-kravs-pa-tio-miljoner/">DN</a> that Nordisk Film, SF, and Disney filed a criminal complaint back in 2013. </p>
<p>Initially, there wasn&#8217;t much progress in the case. However, a breakthrough came when PayPal, with help from Rights Alliance, identified the person who received Rarat&#8217;s donations.</p>
<p>With this information in hand a special unit of Sweden&#8217;s Department of National Police Operations, NOA, managed track down one of the alleged operators of the torrent site.</p>
<p>Interestingly, this prime suspect is also one of the organizers of the winter edition of <a href="http://dreamhack.se/splash/">Dreamhack</a>, the largest computer festival in the world. The upcoming Dreamhack event, which takes place in Jönköping, is expected to draw 50,000 computer and gaming fanatics. </p>
<p>Earlier this month the Dreamhack organizer was arrested and taken in for questioning on suspicion of copyright infringement. In addition, several computers were seized as evidence during a house search.</p>
<p>&#8220;The investigation is still at an early stage, and there could be more people involved. We will now carry out a cyber forensic investigation. The suspect has been released pending a possible prosecution,&#8221; a representative of Stockholm&#8217;s Public Prosecution Office <a href="http://www.dn.se/ekonomi/illegal-fildelningssajt-kravs-pa-tio-miljoner/">told</a> DN.</p>
<p>The alleged torrent site operator denies his involvement with the site but has been put on leave from work by Dreamhack, pending the investigation.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not worried. The police have the wrong person,&#8221; the man commented, noting that the Rarat site shut down while the police were interrogating him.</p>
<p>Rights Alliance lawyer Henrik Pontén says that the complaint lists five films. As a result, the total scale of the damages could reach 10 million Swedish krona, which is well over a million dollars.</p>
<p>&#8212;-</p>
<p><sup>Header photo <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dreamhack/27657068503/in/album-72157670003593136/">via Dreamhack</a>.</sup></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130868
title: KickassTorrents Defense: U.S. Indictment Remains Fatally Flawed
uri: KickassTorrents-Defense-U-S-Indictment-Remains-Fatally-Flawed
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/TNkcSLMEDZg/
content:
<p><img src="media/75141223.kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png" alt="kickasstorrents_500x500" width="222" height="222" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-96995" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-150x150.png 150w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px">Last month the legal defense team of alleged KickassTorrents (KAT) owner Artem Vaulin asked the Illinois District Court to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-defense-torrents-are-not-copyrighted-content-us-has-no-case-161018/">dismiss the criminal indictment</a>, citing various flaws.</p>
<p>The U.S. <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-was-a-lucrative-piracy-flea-market-us-argues-161107/">responded</a> not much later, arguing that the torrent site and its alleged operators are not as harmless as the defense portrayed them to be.</p>
<p>According to United States Attorney Zachary Fardon, KAT&#8217;s defense is downplaying the significance of “torrent” sites, which are more akin to flea markets for infringing movies, TV shows, games, music, and software.</p>
<p>In addition, the U.S. pointed out that Vaulin and his co-conspirators were also involved in separate direct-download and streaming sites including rolly.com, solarmovie.com,<br>
and iwatchfilm.com.</p>
<p>In a new reply brief submitted late last week (<a href="media/10257350.VaulinReplyRothkenLawFirm.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/VaulinReplyRothkenLawFirm.pdf">pdf</a>), the KAT defense team notes that the Government&#8217;s reply fails to address the fatal flaws they&#8217;ve pointed out in the indictment. </p>
<p>&#8220;The failure of the Response to address defendant’s showing of an improper indictment tacitly admits the impropriety,&#8221; they write, highlighting that many of the accusations are not criminal in nature or lacking vital details.</p>
<p>For example, KAT&#8217;s legal team notes that the Government fails to list any copyrighted works that were supposedly downloaded from &#8220;direct download&#8221; sites that were listed in the indictment. </p>
<p>In addition, the defense highlights that streaming is not a felony in the United States, and sharing a non-copyrighted torrent file is not a crime either. By suggesting otherwise, the Government is violating its own criminal guidelines.</p>
<p>&#8220;The general video streaming alleged in the indictment cannot be prosecuted as a felony. There is no crime of making available a torrent file. This prosecution violates guidelines set forth in a &#8216;Prosecuting IP Crimes Manual&#8217; publically posted by the Department of Justice.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;More fatal to the indictment &#8211; there are no facts alleged that such works were uploaded, stored, or downloaded from “direct download sites,” the defense teams adds. </p>
<p>The Government had countered KAT&#8217;s defense that secondary copyright infringement doesn&#8217;t exist under criminal law. However, according to the defense, many of the citations used are dated. </p>
<p>Instead, they point out that &#8220;aiding and abetting&#8221; was removed from criminal copyright law forty years ago. As such, torrent site operators should not be held liable for the potentially infringing actions of their users.</p>
<p>&#8220;In another attempt to criminalize torrent sites, the Response asserts a theory of &#8216;aiding and abetting,&#8217; presenting various historical citations. But aiding and abetting was removed from the Copyright Act by Congress in 1976 thereby eliminating the crime.&#8221; </p>
<p>These and other errors should warrant a dismissal, KAT&#8217;s defense argues. In its current form, the indictment is bound to misinform the grand jury, and they hope that the court will see it the same way. </p>
<p>&#8220;In sum, the attempt to hold KAT’s overseas torrent sites as accessories to unspecified copyright crimes committed in unknown ways in the United States by unknown former KAT users is unprecedented and violates multiple constitutional prohibitions. </p>
<p>&#8220;The indictment is so permeated with improper legal theories and insufficient predicate facts to support the elements of felony criminal claims &#8211; from improperly conflating dot torrent files into direct criminal infringement to improperly alleging video streaming as a crime that it cannot be trusted that the grand jury was properly instructed with the correct law and legal principles to render a competent decision.&#8221;</p>
<p>It is now up to the Illinois District Court to decide how to move forward. The defense is hoping for an outright dismissal, while the U.S. wants to move forward. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, over in Poland alleged KAT operator Artem Vaulin has just had his detention extended. The court declined to release the Ukrainian on bail and ruled that he should remain in custody until mid-February.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131038
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 11/21/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-11-21-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/_Sc7rreSeLg/
content:
<p><img src="media/bd5952ae.petesdragon.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/petesdragon.jpg" alt="petesdragon" width="300" height="175" class="alignright size-full wp-image-131039">This week we have two newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>War Dogs is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-111416/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/petes-dragon-torrent-downloads/">Pete&#8217;s Dragon</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2788732/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPOamb6d_20">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/jason-bourne-torrent-downloads/">Jason Bourne</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4196776/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4gJsKZvqE4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/snowden-torrent-downloads/">Snowden</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3774114/">7.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KyltHXrxVk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/suicide-squad-torrent-downloads/">Suicide Squad</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386697/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmRih_VtVAs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/war-dogs-torrent-downloads/">War Dogs</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2005151/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwh9c_E3dJk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bfg-torrent-downloads/">The BFG</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3691740/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frGSzFj10p4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/doctor-strange-torrent-downloads/">Doctor Strange</a> (Cam/TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1211837">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSzx-zryEgM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/miss-peregrines-home-peculiar-children-torrent-downloads/">Miss Peregrine&#8217;s Home for Peculiar Children</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935859/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN1uhnnKscY">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ouija-origin-evil-torrent-downloads/">Ouija: Origin of Evil</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4361050/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJIcZGEjjwo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mechanic-ressurection-torrent-downloads/">Mechanic Ressurection</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3522806/">5.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF903RaKLvs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131043
title: Surprise! Aussie Internet Pirates Are The Best Customers
uri: Surprise-Aussie-Internet-Pirates-Are-The-Best-Customers
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2VOx5Pdc6LA/
content:
<p><a href="media/a035d672.piratkeyb-e1476968827887.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/piratkeyb-e1476968827887.png"><img src="media/0a6858fb.piratkeyb-e1476968827887.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratkeyb-e1476968827887.png" alt="piratkeyb" width="222" height="157" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108110"></a>For years, Australian citizens have been subjected to intense criticism over their eager consumption of unauthorized content. Anti-piracy groups have insisted that Aussies simply don&#8217;t want to pay, but anecdotal evidence suggested otherwise.</p>
<p>Many of those frequenting torrent, streaming, and similar portals have often stated their motivations in different terms. Content providers treat Aussies as second class citizens, they argue, debuting material later, less conveniently, and at increased cost.</p>
<p>More recently, however, the situation has been improving and new research from the government suggests that when people are presented with sensible legal alternatives, they are prepared to give up, or at least reduce, their pirating ways.</p>
<p>Conducted on behalf of the Department of Communications and the Arts between January and March 2016, the survey sampled 2,400 people aged 12 and up. It aimed to understand consumption of four types of online content &#8211; music, movies, TV shows, and video games. It also sought to understand attitudes to piracy, including the role pricing plays in media consumption.</p>
<p>As a starting point, the survey found that 6 out of 10 Internet users (62%) consumed at least one item of digital content during the period, up from 60% in the same period 2015.</p>
<p>While those volumes are relatively static, there was a difference in how that content was consumed. In 2015, 43% obtained content by downloading but in 2016 that had reduced to 39%. Despite it being the most popular download category overall, the largest drops were witnessed in the music sector, from 29% last year to 26% in 2016.</p>
<p>Streaming, on the other hand, increased from 54% to 57% year on year, with TV shows and movies making the biggest gains.</p>
<p>&#8220;The proportion of internet users who streamed TV programs increased from 34% to 38% (making TV the most commonly accessed content type via online streaming) and the proportion of internet users who streamed movies increased from 25% to 29%,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p>This year the most-consumed content were TV shows (41%, up from 38% in 2015), music (39%, down from 42% in 2015) and movies (33%) and video games (15%).</p>
<p>When all four content types were considered, the survey found that consumers streaming content on a weekly basis increased significantly, with 71% doing so for music and videos games, 55% for TV programs and 51% for movies.</p>
<p>YouTube remained the most popular services, followed by iTunes/Apple platforms. Unsurprisingly, Netflix is doing particularly well in third place.</p>
<p>&#8220;In 2016, 27% of consumers or sharers had used Netflix, up from 9% in 2015, and making it the third most popular service overall. The proportion using Netflix for movies increased from 16% in 2015 to 41% in 2016, and the percentage using Netflix for TV programs rose from 12% in 2015 to 31% in 2016, meaning it was the most popular service for both movies and TV programs,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p><strong>Infringement</strong></p>
<p>Of course, even while authorized content consumption continues to increase, there are still those who choose to frequent unauthorized sources. There has been another decrease this year and drilling down into the figures shows that the situation is far from the catastrophy painted by the entertainment industries.</p>
<p>&#8220;We estimate that, over the first 3 months of 2016, 23% of Australian internet users aged 12+ consumed at least one item of online content unlawfully, which equates to approximately 4.6 million people. This was a significant drop from the 26% who had consumed unlawful content in 2015,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p>However, in yet another blow to those who believe that genuine consumers and pirates are completely different and separate animals, the survey also reveals that millions of pirates are also consumers of legitimate content. In 2016, just 6% of Internet users exclusively obtained content from pirate sources.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/044b7e85.aus-pirates.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/aus-pirates.png"><img src="media/d7295e4e.aus-pirates.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/aus-pirates.png" alt="aus-pirates" width="650" height="247" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-131066"></a></center></p>
<p>And there was improvement in other areas too. When the survey presents figures from Internet users who consumed content in the period (instead of just &#8216;all Internet users 12+&#8217;), 37% consumed at least one unlawful file, down from 43% in the same period in 2015. Using the same parameters, 9% consumed all of their files unlawfully, down from 12% in 2015.</p>
<p>Movies continued to be the most popular content on pirate networks, but there was a decrease this year over 2015.</p>
<p>&#8220;Although movies continued to have the highest rate of unlawful consumption amongst consumers in 2016 (39%), this had declined significantly from 48% in 2015, driven by a significant decline in the proportion consuming ‘100% unlawful’ content from 32% in 2015 down to 23% in 2016,&#8221; the survey reports.</p>
<p>&#8220;There were similar declines for music (in any unlawful consumption from 37% to 32%; in 100% unlawful consumption from 20% to 15%) and for TV programs (in any unlawful consumption from 33% to 26%; in 100% unlawful consumption from 21% to 15%). The rate of unlawful consumption for video games remained the same as in 2015, but was the lowest of the four content types.&#8221;</p>
<p>But while there have been improvements in a number of areas, the volume of content being consumed illegally is not coming down across the board. According to the report, an estimated 279m music tracks, 56m TV shows, 34m movies, and 5m video games were consumed in the three month period.</p>
<p>&#8220;This represented a drop in volumes for video games and TV programs but an increase for music and movies,&#8221; the report notes. </p>
<p>&#8220;Across all consumers of unlawful content, the median number of files downloaded or streamed unlawfully in the first three months of 2016 was 16, which matched the result from 2015. The median number of files downloaded or streamed without permission was highest for music (20 tracks – equivalent to two albums), followed by TV programs (7), movies (5) and video games (3), which were all broadly consistent with findings from 2015.&#8221;</p>
<p>However, despite their reputation for being terrible consumers, the majority of Internet pirates are again shown to be the industry&#8217;s best customers. In line with <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/internet-pirates-more-likely-to-pay-than-law-abiding-counterparts-161112/">similar findings</a> in Sweden recently, people who pirate some content are also more likely to pay.</p>
<p>&#8220;For each content type, those who consumed a mix of lawful and unlawful content spent more money over a 3 month period than those who consumed 100% of their content lawfully,&#8221; the survey found.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is comparable to the figures from 2015, and suggests that those who consume 100% of their content lawfully tend to consume less content (and hence spend less money) than those who consume a mix of lawful and unlawful content.&#8221;</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, those who pirated everything spent the least money, but even they have something to offer. </p>
<p>&#8220;Since the majority of spend on music and movies was not from content purchases but from concerts and gigs and the cinema, those who consumed 100% of their content unlawfully still spent a substantial amount of money on music and movies. In contrast, they did not spend very much money on either video games or TV programmes.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Motivations for using paid or illicit services</strong></p>
<p>Half of the consumers cited convenience as the main reason to use paid services, with 39% citing speed. Wanting to support creators and not wanting to use pirate sites tied at 37% each but the former was down from 43% in 2015.</p>
<p>In line with 2015, pirates said their prime motivations for using infringing sites was due to the content being free (52%), convenient (44%) and quick (41%). However, convenience was down from 51% in 2015, with &#8220;try-before-you-buy&#8221; collapsing from 35% in 2015 to 24% in 2016. </p>
<p><strong>How to make pirates stop</strong></p>
<p>In line with 2015, 43% of infringers said that better pricing would be the factor that would be most likely to reduce their consumption of illicit content. Availability came second, with 35% complaining about content not being available in Australia at the same time as elsewhere, and 31% complaining about availability, period.</p>
<p>&#8220;Only 1 in 20 infringers (6%) said that nothing would make them stop, rising to 1 in 10 (10%) of those consuming 100% of their content unlawfully,&#8221; the report concludes.</p>
<p>The full report is available here <em>(<a href="media/0c18ba43.online-copyright-infringement-2016-final_report-accessible.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.communications.gov.au/sites/g/files/net301/f/online-copyright-infringement-2016-final_report-accessible.pdf">pdf</a>)</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=130923
title: Fan-Funded Star Trek Film Claims Fair Use as Defense
uri: Fan-Funded-Star-Trek-Film-Claims-Fair-Use-as-Defense
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/dkqjpuYb-9o/
content:
<p><img src="media/b89b241e.axanar.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/axanar.jpg" alt="axanar" width="250" height="148" class="alignright size-full wp-image-121946" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/axanar.jpg 250w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/axanar-220x130.jpg 220w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px">Earlier this year Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/movie-studios-sue-fan-funded-star-trek-spin-off-151231/">filed a lawsuit</a> against the makers of a Star Trek inspired fan film, accusing them of copyright infringement.</p>
<p>The dispute centers around the well-received short film Star Trek: Prelude to Axanar and the planned follow-up feature film Axanar.</p>
<p>Among other things, the Star Trek rightsholders claim ownership over various Star Trek related settings, characters, species, clothing, colors, shapes, words, short phrases and even the Klingon language.</p>
<p>After some confusion about a possible early settlement, based on comments <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/j-j-abrams-cant-stop-copyright-lawsuit-star-trek-fan-film-160930/">made by J. J. Abrams</a>, the case is far from over. A trial is scheduled for early next year which means that the ultimate decision may lay in the hands of a jury.</p>
<p>Hoping to have a decision on some of the crucial matters, before the trial starts, both parties submitted a motion for summary judgment to the court. </p>
<p>The Axanar team argues that their films are not infringing Star Trek copyrights. One of the main reasons, according to the makers, is that it clearly fall under fair use. </p>
<p>The fan-films are not in direct competition with other Star Trek works, they note. Instead, Paramount Pictures&#8217; and CBS Studios&#8217; own Star Trek films may benefit from the hype.</p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiffs have not and will not suffer any market harm as a result of the creation and distribution of Defendants’ Works. Instead, these works offer free promotional value to Plaintiffs,&#8221; Axanar writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;The works are not intended to be commercialized, and will not be competing against Plaintiffs’ Works in movie theaters or otherwise sold for profit,&#8221; they add.</p>
<p>The Axanar team notes that their films are transformative and non-commercial in nature, and therefore not infringing. In addition, they stress that they do not use substantial portions of other copyrighted Star Trek films.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most notably, the entire plotline and characters in the unfinished Potential Fan Film scripts are original, except for the limited number of characters that come from  the obscure edges of the Star Trek Universe.&#8221;</p>
<p>As an example of originality the Axanar team highlights that the forthcoming film, which is still unfinished, uses 50 original characters of a total 57 characters. </p>
<p>In determining whether fair use applies, original works that are still unpublished tend to get broader protection. However, according to the Axanar team that is clearly not the case here. </p>
<p>&#8220;The allegedly infringed works have been publicized over the course of the last fifty years, thus weighing this factor in favor of Defendants,&#8221; they write.</p>
<p>Overall, the Axanar team states that the totality of circumstances supports fair use and they hope the court will agree. </p>
<p>Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios clearly disagree. In their motion for summary judgment they ask the court to rule that the Axanar works are infringing, arguing that fair use doesn&#8217;t apply.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is beyond dispute that Defendants’ works were not created for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, or teaching. Similarly, the Axanar Works do not constitute either parody or satire, and (prior to this lawsuit) Defendants never claimed they were. </p>
<p>&#8220;Indeed, Defendants expressly set out to create an authentic and &#8216;independent Star Trek film&#8217; that stayed true to Star Trek canon down to excruciating details,&#8221; the studios add. </p>
<p>The court will now have to review both summary motions and is likely to issue its final rulings in the weeks to come. </p>
<p>&#8212;<br>
<em><br>
Axanar&#8217;s motion for default judgment is available <a href="media/1de2f8bc.summarymotion.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/summarymotion.pdf"> here (pdf)</a>, and a copy of the Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios can be found <a href="media/0dd92c3a.summarymotionpara-1.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/summarymotionpara-1.pdf">here (pdf)</a>.</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131172
title: Police Arrest Man Trying to Sell Brotherhood on the Dark Web
uri: Police-Arrest-Man-Trying-to-Sell-Brotherhood-on-the-Dark-Web
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Xva5PvG0qSo/
content:
<p><a href="media/bc6e239e.cityoflondonpolice.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cityoflondonpolice.jpg"><img src="media/31176dbb.cityoflondonpolice.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cityoflondonpolice.jpg" alt="cityoflondonpolice" width="200" height="82" class="alignright size-full wp-image-71397"></a>The Police Intellectual Proprty Crime Unit is well known in the UK for its action against torrent and streaming sites and other larger players in the piracy scene. Today, however, they bring news of a more focused action.</p>
<p>In a statement this afternoon, PIPCU announced the arrest of a man from Maidenhead who allegedly offered a movie for sale on the dark web.</p>
<p>The 35-year-old is said to have offered <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brotherhood_(2016_film)">Brotherhood</a>, the Lionsgate-distributed crime-drama sequel to Kidulthood and Adulthood. It&#8217;s still showing in cinemas in the UK following its late August release.</p>
<p>According to police, the copy was spotted by UK anti-piracy outfit <a href="http://www.entura.co.uk/">Entura International</a>, which focuses on cyberlocker, streaming, and BitTorrent piracy. Entura passed its information to the police who arrested the man last Thursday on suspicion of copyright offenses.</p>
<p>At this stage, several questions remain unanswered, not least why the UK&#8217;s most elite anti-piracy unit sprang into action for a single movie. The movie isn&#8217;t available for retail release until December 26th, so that may have played a part, but PIPCU are usually involved in much bigger operations.</p>
<p>What&#8217;s also unclear is the type of copy being made available. TorrentFreak asked Entura if the copy had CAM, DVDSCR or retail origins, but at the time of publication we had received no response. However, according to police, counterfeit goods were seized from the suspect&#8217;s address during the raid, which might indicate a bigger operation.</p>
<p>“Protecting the creative industries is of paramount importance to the UK and the Government estimates that it contributes £84.1 billion to the economy,&#8221; said Detective Inspector Michael Dodge of PIPCU.</p>
<p>“Intellectual property crime is not a victimless crime as not only do hundreds of thousands of jobs rely on it but the money made funds organized crime groups that can also be involved in people and drug trafficking.” </p>
<p>Jason Maza, who plays Daley in the movie, also welcomed the arrest, thanking Entura and the police for protecting his film from piracy.</p>
<p>“The importance of protecting film from theft is something I have always felt strongly about as without it the industry has no future. </p>
<p>“I’m so happy that the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) and Entura were able to act so quickly to stop this thief in their tracks and hope that this arrest acts as a warning to those out there considering such behavior in the future.” </p>
<p>PIPCU say the 35-year-old has been released on police bail until January 2017.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VlbcqU0Qgr8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131147
title: Viacom 18 Obtains Court Order to Block 1,250 ‘Pirate’ Sites
uri: Viacom-18-Obtains-Court-Order-to-Block-1-250-Pirate-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/tSupiv0RzvE/
content:
<p><a href="media/e6e292c0.force2.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/force2.jpg"><img src="media/40574756.force2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/force2.jpg" alt="force2" width="250" height="321" class="alignright size-full wp-image-131204"></a>Blocking websites is becoming one of the most popular anti-piracy tools among rightsholders. The theory is that if Internet users can&#8217;t access pirate sites, they&#8217;ll head off to legitimate outlets and part with their cash.</p>
<p>Thus far, whole site blockades have been ordered against sites which courts determine are the worst infringers. Sites like The Pirate Bay, for example, which carries a significant percentage of links to infringing content and refuses to respond to DMCA notices.</p>
<p>Over in India, the approach is somewhat more aggressive, especially given the goals in mind. Rather than looking at the problem as a whole, rightsholders tend to head off to court to obtain a so-called John Doe order on a case-by-case basis, often with extreme results.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.viacom18.com/">Viacom18</a>, a joint venture between Viacom and the Network 18 Group, released the action movie <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_2">Force 2</a> November 18. Unfortunately for them, a DVD screener copy of the title leaked online four days ago.</p>
<p>Wanting to protect its investment, the company headed off to court to try and do something about the rampant online piracy already underway. It&#8217;s unlikely it will succeed in stemming the flow, but the court has certainly taken the company seriously.</p>
<p>The Madras High Court has just granted Viacom18 an injunction which orders 40 major Internet service providers to block 1,250 websites which might be offering the movie, or links to the movie, to the public.</p>
<p>While that&#8217;s an extremely broad instruction, the order goes further. In addition to the 40, all other non-specified ISPs must also comply with the order. Furthermore, the order also covers any other site beyond the 1,250 already named.</p>
<p>Aside from its sheer scale, the order is particularly aggressive in that it orders whole websites to be blocked, not just the allegedly infringing URLs. That means that if someone uploads a copy to YouTube or Vimeo, for example, those platforms could face blocking in a nation where 462m people have Internet access.</p>
<p>Viacom18 is pleased with the court&#8217;s response to its calls for help.</p>
<p>“I welcome this order from the Hon’ble Madras High Court,&#8221; <a href="http://www.indiantelevision.com/movies/hindi/viacom18-blocks-force-2-across-1250-websites-gets-interim-order-from-madras-hc-161122">says</a> Viacom18 group general counsel Sujeet Jain. </p>
<p>&#8220;It is estimated that India loses $2.5 billion to online movie piracy every year. With increased penetration of technology and internet in India, piracy through online distribution is expected to continue to be a major source of revenue leakage for the movie industry. This order is a significant development for the film industry in its fight against online piracy.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jain also announced that the company has launched an investigation into the source of the leak but how successful that will prove remains to be seen. DVD screener copies of Bollywood movies are extremely common, and it appears that the industry won&#8217;t be able to do much to stop the next inevitable leak.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131119
title: Opera Browser Asked to Blacklist Pirate Sites in “Turbo Mode”
uri: Opera-Browser-Asked-to-Blacklist-Pirate-Sites-in-Turbo-Mode
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/G9_xIXbspYs/
content:
<p><a href="media/0702e6e5.blocked-censor.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/blocked-censor.jpg"><img src="media/2759597c.blocked-censor.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/blocked-censor.jpg" alt="blocked-censor" width="250" height="170" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124850"></a>With website blockades gaining in popularity around the world, web users are finding tools and techniques which enable them to access blocked sites.</p>
<p>One of the easiest, consistent, and privacy conscious methods is to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-anonymous-review-160220/">use a VPN</a>, but other alternatives are available.</p>
<p>Holding a couple of percent of the desktop market and ten percent of mobile, Opera is a reasonably significant player in the browser market. It also has a unique trick up its sleeve. <a href="http://www.opera.com/turbo">Turbo Mode</a> is designed to speed up website browsing but is also able to unblock sites that have been hit by ISP court orders.</p>
<p>As a result, Opera has a cult following in places where pirate sites are blocked, such as the UK, mainland Europe, and Russia. However, this hasn&#8217;t gone unnoticed by certain authorities who now want Opera to take action.</p>
<p>It transpires that earlier this year, Opera&#8217;s owners were approached by Russian telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor who aired concerns about the browser&#8217;s ability to unblock banned sites. It was suggested that Opera should introduce some kind of filtering/blacklist mechanism to disallow blocked sites from accessing &#8216;Turbo Mode.&#8217; </p>
<p>Russian publication <a href="http://kommersant.ru/doc/3148874">Kommersant</a> says that it was able to confirm the nature of the discussions with sources within Opera. And according to Roskomnadzor&#8217;s Vadim Ampelonsky, a meeting took place between the parties early in the fall.</p>
<p>Ampelonsky says that discussion surrounded the technical issues of keeping blocked sites inaccessible when &#8216;Turbo Mode&#8217; is activated. Representatives from Opera reportedly confirmed that this kind of filtering is possible.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are ready to periodically send a list of sites to enter into such a filter at the conclusion of a bilateral agreement [with Opera],&#8221; Ampelonsky says, adding that discussions continue.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s understood that no formal agreement has yet been reached due to the <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/18/opera-renegotiates-its-1-2b-sale-down-to-600m-for-browser-privacy-apps-chinese-jv/">sale</a> of part of Opera&#8217;s business earlier this year to Chinese company Qihoo. According to Kommersant, negotiations over the &#8216;Turbo Mode&#8217; issue were complicated when Opera closed down its Russian office.</p>
<p>A source within Opera confirmed that no final deal has been done to implement a blacklist &#8220;because there is no deal with the new shareholders.&#8221; However, should one be reached, it&#8217;s conceivable that Opera&#8217;s reputation could be on the line.</p>
<p>The addition of a blacklist would not only worry information advocates, but copyright holders from all over the world could also seek to add their own lists of sites, which could easily and quickly run to thousands of domains.  </p>
<p>Earlier this year, Opera <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/opera-browser-adds-free-and-unlimited-vpn-160421/">integrated a free VPN</a> into its software. It too can bypass site blockades, but it is not currently under discussion for similar tampering.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131136
title: 4shared: Copyright Holders Abuse Google’s DMCA Takedown System
uri: 4shared-Copyright-Holders-Abuse-Google-s-DMCA-Takedown-System
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/NEOQfVMZGdQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/6466fd63.4shared-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/4shared-1.jpg" alt="4shared" width="277" height="91" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118093">As one of the largest online file-sharing services, <a href="http://www.4shared.com/">4shared</a> is closely watched by copyright holders whose work is made available on the site.</p>
<p>The site itself has a <a href="http://www.4shared.com/dmca.jsp">DMCA takedown procedure</a> in place so rightsholders can remove files directly, but interestingly, most complaints about the site are directed at Google&#8217;s search index. </p>
<p>Over the past several years the search engine has received a mind-boggling <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-asked-to-remove-50-million-4shared-links-161104/">50 million takedown requests</a> for 4shared URLs, more than any other website out there. </p>
<p>An unusually high amount, especially considering that 4shared only has about 2 million pages indexed. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak had a chance to speak with 4shared, which isn&#8217;t proud of this record. However, the company believes that the numbers are massively inflated due to various dubious takedown practices. </p>
<p>One of the issues that was brought up first, is the question why rightsholders would target Google at all if they can remove infringing files directly from the site itself. </p>
<p>According to 4shared, the top reporting agencies know very well that 4shared has a strict removal policy. In fact, some even have direct delete access, allowing them to remove files from the site straight away.  </p>
<p>&#8220;Complaining to Google is not effective if your goal is to remove a file asap,&#8221; 4shared&#8217;s Mike tells us. &#8220;It only removes the link from search results in Google, while sending a complaint directly means a quick block of the link itself.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to 4shared, the high number of takedown requests is in part driven by bogus reports. The company used the <a href="https://lumendatabase.org/">Lumen Database</a> to review several takedown notices and quickly realized that many reported links are pointing to the same files, or none at all.</p>
<p>&#8220;What we can see is that numerous complaints provide a redundant volume of links that look like some machine-built template as well as a large amount of non-informative links to various parts of the 4shared website,&#8221; Mike says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The organization APDIF do Brasil, which is the top reporter, submits absolutely meaningless complaints where obviously a bot cycles some keyword through all possible variations of search requests without leading to any specific file which may be copyright-protected.&#8221; </p>
<p>One of the examples 4shared mentions (among many) is <a href="http://search.4shared.com/q/z-a/CKACAw/1/video/NAO%20-%20FACA%20-%20JAMAIS%20-%20COMO%20-%20EU%20-%20FIZ%20-%20AMADO%20-%20BATISTA?locale=BR">this link</a>, which simply points to a 4shared search for the keyword &#8220;video.&#8221;</p>
<p>APDIF do Brasil alone is responsible for 35 million of the reported 4shared links Google received, so their submissions weigh heavily on the total number.</p>
<p>&#8220;In other words, 70% of delisting requests were sent by this organization and apparently numerous requests, if not all, contain meaningless links artificially increasing the volume of complaints in terms of links included,&#8221; Mike notes. </p>
<p>These automated claims are not new of course. At TorrentFreak we also repeatedly report on <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fail-anti-piracy-outfits-send-takedown-request-for-non-existent-torrents-160821/">similar examples</a>, where non-existent files or dead sites are targeted by copyright claims.</p>
<p>4shared says that broad or inflated request are rather common, highlighting several other reporting agencies such as Digimarc and Muso. The latter repeatedly targets links that ultimately point to the same file, such as in this <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/12116183">notice</a>.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/48d8c255.musorequest.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/musorequest.png" alt="musorequest" width="596" height="425" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-131185"></center></p>
<p>&#8220;It includes numerous links to exactly the same 4shared&#8217;s page in one claim (#8). These are the same page because each page (file) has its unique ID. And in this example it is H8HJ_FJXce. Yes, links look different but this is the same page with parameter variations,&#8221; Mike says. </p>
<p>4shared believes that this is the result of automated takedown templates. Not least because files can only be in one category, not in multiple ones, as is the case here.</p>
<p>Perhaps just as strange, Muso has access to a direct removal account on 4shared, so in theory there shouldn&#8217;t be any reason to target Google. After all, they can easily remove the source file directly.</p>
<p>However, Muso informs TorrentFreak that they prefer to do both. The 4shared files that are reported to Google are also removed directly. According to the company, they do this to prevent people from finding other infringing content on the site. </p>
<p>Whether that&#8217;s what the DMCA reporting system is intended for is doubtful.</p>
<p>All in all, 4shared believes that some copyright holders abuse Google&#8217;s system. The 50 million record should, therefore, be taken with a grain of salt, or a spoonful.</p>
<p>&#8220;Taking into account that duplicates for our examples were found relatively easy makes us think that copyright owners substantially abuse Google&#8217;s DMCA reporting system,&#8221; Mike says.</p>
<p>Instead of bombarding Google with dubious requests, 4shared encourages rightsholders to reach out to them directly. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131225
title: Court Orders Rojadirecta to Stop Offering Pirated Football Streams
uri: Court-Orders-Rojadirecta-to-Stop-Offering-Pirated-Football-Streams
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/VvtNJapB3NQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/3e3fd62f.redcard.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/redcard.jpg" alt="redcard" width="250" height="156" class="alignright size-full wp-image-131227">As one of oldest and most prominent live streaming sites, <a href="http://www.rojadirecta.me/">Rojadirecta</a> is a thorn in the side of many international sports organizations.</p>
<p>The website is operated by the Spanish company Puerto 80, which previously won <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/streaming-and-bittorrent-sports-links-site-declared-legal-090724/">two</a> <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/sports-streaming-torrent-links-site-victorious-in-court-100510/">lawsuits</a> in Spain, declaring the site as operating legally under local law.</p>
<p>Even the U.S. Government couldn&#8217;t bring the site down. In 2011 the Department of Homeland Security seized the site&#8217;s domain name, but facing a legal battle the authorities chose to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/u-s-returns-seized-domains-to-streaming-links-site-after-18-months-120830/">hand it back</a> to the rightful owners.</p>
<p>Now, several years later, the tide has turned. Last year, the site received its first setback in court when it was ordered to stop linking to certain football streams in Spain. </p>
<p>This week the site faced another major setback. Following a complaint from Mediapro and GolT, the Commercial Court of A Coruña <a href="http://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/20161123/412107539627/sentencia-juzgado-rojadirecta-mediapro.html">ruled</a> that Rojadirecta must cease linking to unauthorized streams of football events to which these two companies hold the rights.</p>
<p>&#8220;I declare that the defendants have violated related intellectual property rights belonging to the plaintiff,&#8221; the court declared.</p>
<p>The decision applies to both live and delayed streams of football matches and the current Rojadirecta.me domain name as well as any other websites it is, or will become, involved in. </p>
<p>&#8220;I order the defendants to cease immediately in the provision of links or Internet links, of any kind, giving access to live or slightly deferred viewing of football matches produced or issued by any of the applicants, whether in the current season or in future seasons,&#8221; the court ruled.</p>
<p>The court also concluded that the streaming site financially hurts the football broadcasters. The rightsholders claim hundreds of million in losses, but the exact damages amount will be decided in a future proceeding.</p>
<p>Rojadirecta still has the option to appeal the verdict, and at the time of writing, there are still plenty of football matches listed on the site.</p>
<p>The site&#8217;s owner and operator was identified by local press as Igor Seoane. He appeared in court hiding behind a wig and fake beard.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to the operator for a comment on his future plans, but we have yet to receive a response. After last year&#8217;s disappointing verdict he was still confident of a positive outcome in the long run. </p>
<p>&#8220;Rojadirecta is advised in Europe by a number of legal teams with the best experience regarding Internet operators liabilities. We are very aware of the legality of Rojadirecta; our operations now and in the future are not reckless,&#8221; he said at the time. </p>
<p>&#8220;At the end, we will win, but we will have to fight quite a bit. This new challenge will end up putting us in a better position,&#8221; the operator added. </p>
<p>A year later, however, the problems keep stacking up. </p>
<p>In addition to the civil case, Rojadirecta&#8217;s owner was <a href="http://www.elconfidencial.com/tecnologia/2016-11-22/rojadirecta-mediapro-futbol-internet_1293748/">also arrested</a> in a separate criminal investigation last month. According to the authorities, his bank accounts totaled over 11 million euros. This case is still ongoing. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131214
title: Jailed Copyright Troll Partner Claims to Be Fundraiser For PIPCU
uri: Jailed-Copyright-Troll-Partner-Claims-to-Be-Fundraiser-For-PIPCU
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ngHTqoQx8ow/
content:
<p><img src="media/8a43c662.croucher.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/croucher.jpg" width="250" height="250" alt="" class="alignright size-large">In 2015, German-based monitoring company Maverick Eye said that it had teamed up with Robert Croucher of London-based Hatton &#038; Berkeley to target file-sharers with <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/sky-will-hand-over-customer-data-in-movie-piracy-case-150310/">cash settlement demands</a>.</p>
<p>Hatton and Berkeley’s letters to ISP subscribers contained threats that non-payers would end up losing a copyright infringement lawsuit. While that has still yet to happen, Robert Croucher has had legal trouble of his own.</p>
<p>Following a September trial, Croucher <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-troll-partner-kicked-uber-driver-in-the-head-160923/">was jailed</a> for five months after pleading guilty to attacking an Uber driver in London.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mr Croucher was immediately placed in custody and taken to Wormwood Scrubs where he was placed on the high risk ‘D Wing’, a section of the prison infamous for housing a mixture of extremely violent criminals and mental health cases,&#8221; a new Hatton &#038; Berkeley (H&#038;B) statement to TorrentFreak reads. </p>
<p>&#8220;His cell was a white room with bars open to the elements. And as he entered he was faced with walls smeared with the feces of the previous occupant, a single inch-thick stained mattress and a filthy toilet. The conditions were appalling.&#8221;</p>
<p>However, Croucher wasn&#8217;t in there for long. After 16 days in custody, he says he was granted a quick appeal. According to H&#038;B, CCTV footage taken outside the club now apparently showed Croucher &#8220;walking away from an argument and being chased by the Uber driver, Mr Hussain.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;In court, Mr Hussain had previously demanded compensation for his inability to work due to the severity of his injuries. Later, with no evidence to support such claim, his story along with that of the witnesses — two doormen of the nightclub Raffles — changed drastically to the claims of a sustained attack as above,&#8221; H&#038;B claim.</p>
<p>Indeed, during a now-deleted Twitter exchange at the weekend with anti-troll activists, Robert Croucher described the Raffles workers as criminals.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/1de1f2a0.doormen.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/doormen.png"><img src="media/4a2a5009.doormen.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/doormen.png" alt="doormen" width="496" height="450" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-131215"></a></center></p>
<p>In the statement obtained by TF, H&#038;B claim that Croucher was &#8220;given medical attention for severe chest pain&#8221; after being attacked by the doormen.</p>
<p>&#8220;It later transpired that the two witnesses, the doormen of Raffles nightclub, had broken two of Mr Croucher’s ribs and sprained his wrist earlier in the evening,&#8221; the company said.</p>
<p>While neither doorman was arrested or charged, Croucher&#8217;s company says that his life was turned upside down by the events of that night, despite the court taking the decision at his appeal to release him 16 days into his sentence.</p>
<p>&#8220;Business partners and clients turned away from him due to concerns over his reputation. Meanwhile, years of his work on copyright protection and law enforcement financing was significantly undermined,&#8221; the company said.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak asked Hatton &#038; Berkeley how its work was undermined. We were also intrigued to hear of Mr Croucher&#8217;s apparent financing of law enforcement. According to Croucher, he is now working &#8220;on a private funding initiative for the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit.&#8221;</p>
<p>This unusual statement raises questions on a number of fronts. After being convicted of assault after a guilty plea, Croucher has a criminal record, even after a shortened sentence. Certainly, H&#038;B&#8217;s statement gives no indication he was cleared of the assault. We asked them directly but received no response.</p>
<p><em>Update: H&#038;B say that Croucher&#8217;s conviction was overturned.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mr Croucher&#8217;s conviction was overturned. He did plead guilty to slapping Mr Hussain, who is currently being investigated for the assault raised in Court on the 7th of October. It may be of benefit at this point to reference that Mr Croucher is seeking guidance on prosecution of both the Uber Driver and the Doormen. He has no criminal convictions and as the court had stated ‘a man of good character’.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>TorrentFreak shared the full H&#038;B statement with the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit and asked for details of their relationship with Mr Croucher. Are they working with him on anti-piracy enforcement in the UK? At the time of writing, PIPCU have provided no response.</p>
<p>While Croucher implies that he&#8217;s cozying up with the UK&#8217;s most elite anti-piracy unit, he has no kind words for a certain lawmaker. During a Lords Grand Committee hearing in June, Lord Lucas referred to Croucher&#8217;s anti-piracy activities in rather <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-trolls-slammed-in-uk-house-of-lords-160616/">negative terms</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;The current scammers aren’t pursuing anyone [in court] they’re just after threats, and extortion, and shaking people down,” Lucas said.</p>
<p>Dramatically, Croucher says that Lucas&#8217; comments are partly to blame for his treatment in court during the assault trial.</p>
<p>&#8220;Under parliamentary privilege, [Lord Lucas] is able to [make comments] without threat of civil recourse. In Mr Croucher’s opinion, it is these remarks that contributed to his treatment in court on the 22nd of September,&#8221; H&#038;B state.</p>
<p>According to his company, Croucher&#8217;s enemies can&#8217;t only be found in Parliament. H&#038;B says that for the past year, Croucher&#8217;s life &#8220;had been akin to a witch hunt&#8221;, launched against him by &#8220;bloggers, the BBC and Lord Lucas.&#8221;</p>
<p>Nevertheless, he seems undeterred and will continue his quest to end Internet piracy.</p>
<p>“I’d like to continue concentrating on building a better future for those in the creative industries I support. My goal is to see digital piracy stamped out worldwide, piece by piece,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>This statement by Croucher raises more questions than it answers. When both the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit and Croucher respond, we&#8217;ll be certain to update this article detailing the nature of their relationship.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> &#8220;Press will receive further information this week regarding private funding of law enforcement agencies,&#8221; H&#038;B told TF.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131281
title: $1bn Getty Images Public Domain Photograph Dispute is Over
uri: 1bn-Getty-Images-Public-Domain-Photograph-Dispute-is-Over
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/YA2TgAw58JI/
content:
<p><img src="media/f612e6ad.getty.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/getty.jpg" width="240" height="132" alt="" class="alignright size-large">Seattle-based Getty Images is an agency<br>
with control over an archive of millions of stock images. It also has a reputation for strongly protecting its copyrights and chasing down companies and individuals who use Getty images without paying an appropriate fee.</p>
<p>Late December 2015, established US-based photographer Carol Highsmith was a recipient of a Getty threat via License Compliance Services (LCS) on behalf of Alamy, another Getty-affiliated company.</p>
<p>“We have seen that an image or image(s) represented by Alamy has been used for online use by your company. According to Alamy’s records your company doesn’t have a valid license for use of the image(s),” the letter began.</p>
<p>“Although this infringement might have been unintentional, use of an image without a valid license is considered copyright infringement in violation of the Copyright Act, Title 17, United States Code. This copyright law entitles Alamy to seek compensation for any license infringement.”</p>
<p>Targeting Highsmith with this particular threat was problematic. The <a href="media/f9c68a42.shuttle.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/shuttle.png">image in question</a> was one of her own. It was among thousands of other images she previously donated to the Library of Congress and made available to the public to reproduce and display for free. Highsmith subsequently discovered that Getty and its affiliates were making available more than 18,000 of her other photographs too.</p>
<p>The photographer responded with a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/photographer-files-1bn-copyright-claim-against-getty-images-160728/">$1bn lawsuit</a> but the stock image company didn&#8217;t back down. <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/getty-images-bite-back-in-1-billion-copyright-dispute-160801/">Fighting back</a>, Getty said it would vigorously defend its position based on the fact that Highsmith had placed her work in the public domain.</p>
<p>Considering the David and Goliath nature of the case (not to mention Getty&#8217;s reputation for picking on the little guy), observers hoped that during the lawsuit Getty would at least get a bloody nose. That has not come to pass.</p>
<p>To begin, on October 28, US District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff dismissed each of Carol Highsmith’s federal copyright claims.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants Getty Images (US), Inc., License Compliance Services, Inc., Alamy, including  thatInc., and Alamy Ltd. collectively moved to dismiss all claims of plaintiffs Carol Highsmith and This is America!, Inc. under the Digital  Millenium Copyright Act,&#8230;the Lanham Act,&#8230; New York General Business Law,&#8230; and New York common law of unfair competition,&#8221; the Judge wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;Upon consideration, the Court grants defendants&#8217; motions,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>With the federal claims gone, three state law claims werincluding that Getty charged licensing fees for images when it shouldn&#8217;t have and collected settlements from alleged infringers when it had no right. However, these claims have now also been dismissed, along with the rest of the case.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is hereby stipulated and agreed, by and among the parties, that this action shall be dismissed with prejudice pursuant to Rule 41(a)(l)(A)(ii) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, each party to bear its own costs and fees,&#8221; the Judge wrote in his dismissal.</p>
<p>Since the case was dismissed with prejudice, it is done and cannot be brought back to court.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/9100bfaf.getty-highsmith-dismiss.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/getty-highsmith-dismiss.png"><img src="media/9b1756a3.getty-highsmith-dismiss.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/getty-highsmith-dismiss.png" alt="getty-highsmith-dismiss" width="650" height="581" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-131288"></a></center></p>
<p>The Judge added that a memorandum explaining the reasoning behind the rulings will be issued in due course, but it seems fairly clear that since Highsmith had passed her images into the public domain in 1988, that seriously undermined her case.</p>
<p>The terms of the settlement have not been released, and a lengthy protective order issued early November forbids all parties from discussing any information obtained during the pre-trial discovery phase.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131274
title: Court Freezes Megaupload’s MPAA and RIAA Lawsuits
uri: Court-Freezes-Megaupload-s-MPAA-and-RIAA-Lawsuits
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/piswCLfM4gI/
content:
<p><img src="media/9a9629f5.megaupload-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megaupload-logo.jpg" alt="megaupload-logo" width="250" height="208" class="alignright size-full wp-image-95191">Megaupload was shutdown nearly half a decade ago, but all this time there has been little progress on the legal front.</p>
<p>Last December a New Zealand District Court judge ruled that Kim Dotcom and his colleagues can be extradited to the United States to face criminal charges, a decision that was appealed earlier this year.</p>
<p>While all parties await the outcome of this appeal, the criminal case in the United States remains pending. The same goes for the civil cases launched by the MPAA and RIAA in 2014. </p>
<p>Fearing that these might influence the criminal proceedings, Megaupload’s legal team previously managed to put these civil actions on hold, and this week another extension was granted. </p>
<p>U.S. District Court Judge Liam O&#8217;Grady granted Megaupload&#8217;s request to stay both lawsuits until April next year. The music and movie companies didn&#8217;t oppose the motion.</p>
<p>The downside of yet another delay is that the evidence remains at risk of being destroyed. Much of the Megaupload data is stored on hard drives, which according to hosting provider Cogent, are not in the best shape. </p>
<p>A few months ago Cogent <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-hard-drives-are-unreadable-hosting-company-warns-160518/">warned</a> that sixteen of them have actually become unreadable, which is a grave concern since they contain crucial information. Thus far this situation hasn&#8217;t been addressed, but some progress has been made.</p>
<p>&#8220;Counsel have met and conferred and are negotiating a preservation order regarding the Cogent Data, and they anticipate reaching an agreement and presenting a consent motion and stipulated preservation order to the Court for entry,&#8221; Megaupload informed the court. </p>
<p>&#8220;However, until such a preservation order is entered, the parties each reserve their rights to file motions seeking preservation of the Cogent Data on appropriate terms and conditions.&#8221;</p>
<p>Judge Liam O&#8217;Grady agreed with this request. In his order this week he notes that if the negotiations fail, any party may seek relief to ensure that the evidence remains intact. </p>
<p>For now, however, the waiting continues. </p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><em>The order of U.S. District Court Judge Liam O&#8217;Grady is available <a href="media/ba4b1560.megastay.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/megastay.pdf">here (pdf)</a>. A copy of Megaupload&#8217;s request can be found <a href="media/7b3b6c8c.megastayreq.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/megastayreq.pdf">here (pdf)</a>. </em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131264
title: Streaming Cyberlockers ‘Hate’ Pirate Kodi Add-Ons
uri: Streaming-Cyberlockers-Hate-Pirate-Kodi-Add-Ons
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/1fpW3K0-SSo/
content:
<p><img src="media/dd424df6.tvaddons.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tvaddons.png" alt="tvaddons" width="232" height="95" class="alignright size-full wp-image-128846">Streaming piracy is on the rise with popular media player Kodi at the center of attention. </p>
<p>While Kodi itself is a neutral platform, millions of people use third-party add- ons to turn it into the ultimate pirate machine. </p>
<p><a href="http://tvaddons.ag/">TVAddons</a> is a leading player in this field. Over the past year alone, the add-on repository has seen the number of unique users double. However, not everyone is happy with the service. </p>
<p>In a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/steal-this-show-s02e06-kodi-addons-the-new-pirate-superpower-161115/">recent interview</a> with TorrentFreak&#8217;s Steal This Show, Eleazar, one of the people behind TVAddons, explained that several cyberlockers would rather see them go.</p>
<p>While there are a wide variety of add-ons, quite a few allow users to stream pirated movies and TV-shows, which are hosted by streaming cyberlockers. </p>
<p>These cyberlockers generate revenue through advertising. However, many Kodi add-ons strip these ads, which means that they only cost these sites valuable resources. In response, several cyberlockers are now trying to ban these add-ons from &#8216;stealing&#8217; <em>their</em> content.</p>
<p>&#8220;They change the coding to break the Kodi Add-on, and that&#8217;s specifically being done because Kodi add-ons are causing a spike in server load and that costs them money and bandwidth,&#8221; Eleazar explained.</p>
<p>This week TorrentFreak spoke to an operator of one of the largest streaming cyberlockers, who preferred not have his site named. He confirmed that Kodi add-ons are indeed a thorn in their side. </p>
<p>&#8220;Kodi plugins are harming cyberlockers due to their massive bandwidth usage, which is not compensated in any way,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/8a718429.tvaddonsexo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tvaddonsexo.jpg" alt="tvaddonsexo" width="600" height="364" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-131316"></center></p>
<p>According to the cyberlocker operator, several of his competitors have already shut down due to this problem. With so many people leeching bandwidth, the sites are no longer as profitable as they were.</p>
<p>&#8220;I would also say that some hosts, which are already gone, were heavily affected from draining bandwidth from third party applications.&#8221;</p>
<p>Other sites, including the one we&#8217;ve spoken to, are trying very hard to block Kodi add-ons from their service. This is somewhat successful, but often the add-on developers find their way around it.</p>
<p>&#8220;To fight this, we keep our streaming links obfuscated, changing them multiple times a week,&#8221; the cyberlocker operator says. </p>
<p>Ironically, the above means that the Kodi add-ons might be destroying their own sources, making it harder to find pirated content in the long run.</p>
<p>There is a way out though, according to the operator. With one add-on developer they have struck an agreement to use their service with permission. However, this is relatively rare.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unfortunately most of the Kodi plugin developers seems not to be interested in finding a solution like this, so it&#8217;s a continued cat and mouse game like we also have with adblockers,&#8221; the operator notes.</p>
<p> And so the blocking wars continue, on several fronts.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=131323
title: Hosting Companies Dragged into Piracy Lawsuit Alongside Cloudflare
uri: Hosting-Companies-Dragged-into-Piracy-Lawsuit-Alongside-Cloudflare
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gBTIsjBH7CY/
content:
<p><a href="media/8d8a26ad.cloudflare.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cloudflare.png"><img src="media/4a535cc9.cloudflare.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cloudflare.png" alt="cloudflare" width="275" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-96401"></a>Faced with non-cooperative &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites, copyright holders have begun targeting web services with demands for them to stop serving errant platforms.</p>
<p>A lot of attention has focused on search engines, domain name registrars, and advertisers, who are frequently asked to do more to counter online piracy.</p>
<p>This summer, adult entertainment publisher ALS Scan took it up a notch, taking legal steps to hold several third-party services accountable for the actions of several pirate sites &#8220;with no apparent function other than to display infringing [ALS] adult content.&#8221;</p>
<p>In a complaint filed at a California federal court, ALS Scan <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cloudflare-faces-lawsuit-for-assisting-pirate-sites-160823/">targeted CloudFlare</a> and the advertising network JuicyAds over image copyright infringement carried out by the users of pirate sites (full list below) they service.</p>
<p>&#8220;The pirate sites would not be able to thrive were it not for third party service providers who provide valuable services to these sites,&#8221; ALS wrote.</p>
<p>Last month, JuicyAds was cleared of any wrongdoing and the case against it was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-judge-advertiser-is-not-liable-for-pirate-sites-161005/">dismissed</a>. However, Cloudflare is still a defendant and in an amended complaint filed earlier this month, other companies have now been dragged into the dispute.</p>
<p>First up is well-known hosting provider OVH, which made the headlines earlier this month when it was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/what-cd-shuts-down-following-reported-raids-in-france-161117/">targeted</a> by police seeking to shut down private tracker What.cd. ALS Scan says that OVH (based in France and Canada) is responsible for providing hosting and related services to pirate sites.</p>
<p>Also under fire is United States hosting provider Steadfast Networks. According to ALS, like OVH this Chicago-based company also hosts illegal sites, including &#8220;pirate&#8221; image hosting platform Imagebam.com. This is a very popular site indeed, <a href="https://www.similarweb.com/website/imagebam.com">currently ranked #680</a> in the world by SimilarWeb with more than 40m visits per month.</p>
<p>According to ALS, Dolphin Media Ltd is the Hong Kong-based company behind an image hosting site operating from Imgchilli.net. Again, ALS characterizes this as a pirate platform but instead of Dolphin merely being the host, it&#8217;s claimed the company also owns and operates the service.</p>
<p>Finally, ALS names Hivelocity Ventures as a new defendant. According to the adult outfit, Hivelocity hosts &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites including namethatpornstar.com.</p>
<p>&#8220;The pirate sites would not be able to thrive were it not for third party service providers who provide valuable services to these sites. These third party providers include hosts and content delivery networks,&#8221; the amended complaint reads.</p>
<p>According to ALS, when Cloudflare learned of this lawsuit its lawyers contacted ALS offering to hand over the information it holds on the pirate sites in question, but only in exchange for a release of liability. While that doesn&#8217;t appear to have been granted, Cloudflare did begin to play ball.</p>
<p>&#8220;Eventually Cloudflare identified the OVH Companies as the primary host of some of the sites in question,&#8221; the company adds, noting that despite &#8220;numerous notifications of infringement&#8221;, OVH has continued to provide hosting services to pirate sites.</p>
<p>&#8220;On information and belief, the OVH Companies have failed to implement and enforce a repeat infringer policy,&#8221; ALS adds.</p>
<p>US-based host Steadfast Networks is subjected to the same criticism. The company allegedly received numerous infringement notifications on which it failed to act, and has failed to &#8220;implement or enforce a repeat infringer policy by removing Imagebam.com from its servers.&#8221;</p>
<p>In respect of ImgChilli and owner Dolphin, ALS has nothing good to say either.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is no site like dropbox.com, however, which caters to consumers who want to share family pictures or personal oversize files. Instead, Dolphin offers to pay imgchili.net members $4.50 per thousand views of images uploaded to imgchili.net,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;Dolphin is not offering to pay members money for page views of uploaded materials to encourage consumers to share pictures of their vacations. On information and belief, Dolphin provides monetary incentives to induce members to steal and upload massive galleries of infringing adult content.&#8221;</p>
<p>In summary, ALS says that while some of the defendants may claim safe harbor under the DMCA, they do not qualify for its protections.</p>
<p>&#8220;ALS denies that any would apply, but if they do, such safe harbors have been lost through ignoring red flags of infringement, ignoring actual notifications of infringement, failure to adopt and reasonably implement a repeat infringer policy and failure to accommodate, and interference with, standard technical measures,&#8221; the amended complaint reads.</p>
<p>If successful, ALS is demanding actual damages of no less than $10m, statutory damages, disgorgement of defendants&#8217; profits, trebling of damages, costs and attorneys&#8217; fees, plus preliminary and permanent injunctive relief.</p>
<p><em>The full list of the pirate sites in the complaint:</p>
<p>a. imgchili.net (Dolphin, Cloudflare, OVH)<br>
b. namethatpornstar.com (Hivelocity)<br>
c. slimpics.com (Cloudflare)<br>
d. cumonmy.com (Cloudflare)<br>
e. bestofsexpics.com (Cloudflare)<br>
f. stooorage.com (Cloudflare, OVH)<br>
g. greenpiccs.com (Cloudflare)<br>
h. imagebam.com (Steadfast)<br>
i. imgsen.se (Cloudflare)<br>
j. imgspice.com (Cloudflare)<br>
k. imgspot.org (Cloudflare)<br>
l. img.yt (Cloudflare)<br>
m. vipergirls.to (Cloudflare)<br>
n. pornwire.net (Cloudflare)<br>
o. fboom.me (Cloudflare)<br>
p. imgflash.net (Cloudflare)<br>
q. imgtrex.com (Cloudflare)</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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