# articles

feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171592
title: Premier League & Broadcasters Win Judgment in Landmark Pirate TV Box Case
uri: Premier-League-Broadcasters-Win-Judgment-in-Landmark-Pirate-TV-Box-C
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gIzoEa3uEcs/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/fdb4ba62.streamingkey.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/streamingkey.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-125426"/></figure></div>



<p>Piracy-configured set-top boxes are the latest in a long line of problems facing copyright holders and broadcasters.</p>



<p>When pre-loaded with custom software they become easily accessible yet formidable piracy tools, providing access to the latest movies, TV shows, live TV programming and live sports broadcasts.</p>



<p>While successful prosecutions have been possible in some regions under existing copyright law, there are plenty of countries that still require a test case. One of those was Singapore, a country that has reportedly <a href="https://asiavia.org/2018/11/28/newly-released-survey-finds-15pc-of-sg-consumers-use-isds-to-view-pirated-tv-channels-and-vod-content/">become swamped</a> with pirate devices.</p>



<p>In January 2018, it was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rightsholders-launch-landmark-case-against-pirate-android-box-sellers-180112/">reported</a> that telecoms, broadcasting, and sporting giants SingTel, Starhub, Fox Networks Group and the Premier League, had teamed up to launch a pioneering private prosecution against those involved in the supply chain.</p>



<p>The complainant in the suit is Neil Gane, who works as General Manager at the Coalition Against Piracy. However, CAP is not involved in this case.</p>



<p>The legal action targeted set-top box distributor Synnex Trading and its client and wholesale goods retailer, An-Nahl. The rightsholders also named Synnex Trading director Jia Xiaofen and An-Nahl director Abdul Nagib as defendants in their private prosecution.</p>



<p>This week, more than a year after the case was filed, Abdul Nagib pleaded guilty to willfully infringing the rightsholders&#8217; copyrights for commercial gain, with a second charge taken into consideration. He originally intended to fight the case.</p>



<p>According to <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/android-tv-box-seller-fined-in-landmark-copyright-infringement-11473652">CNA</a>, the 58-year-old admitted to selling a single Android TV box and helping the buyer of that device to access unauthorized copies of copyrighted content, which included soccer matches provided by the Premier League. </p>



<p>In mitigation, Abdul Nagib&#8217;s lawyer Mr Srijit said that his client believed that the content offered through the devices, which came with an annual subscription, was licensed by pay TV and IPTV provider Astro Malaysia. He had immediately stopped offering the devices after he received a cease-and-desist notice in 2017.</p>



<p>While Abdul Nagib&#8217;s fine of just S$1,200 (US$883) is relatively small given the scale of punishments handed down in other jurisdictions, Mr Srijit said his client had already paid a heavy price after selling his home to finance his defense.</p>



<p>Despite the small fine, the case is also important since this is the first and only successful prosecution of a &#8216;pirate&#8217; TV box seller in Singapore. However, it is not yet over as the case against Synnex Trading and director Jia Xiaofen is yet to be settled.</p>



<p>Jia allegedly offered to pay Abdul Nagib a small commission for every device sold and an additional fee when customers also purchased a copy of the popular Kodi media player. Abdul Nagib is now reportedly assisting in the prosecution of Jia.</p>



<p>Commenting on the plea and judgment, Louis Boswell, CEO Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA), said that progress against piracy needs to be a team effort.</p>



<p>&#8220;In order to combat the serious and growing problem of content theft, a  holistic solution is required,&#8221; Boswell told TorrentFreak.</p>



<p>&#8220;If all stakeholders, government, content producers, distributors, industry associations and intermediaries work together, we believe serious progress in reducing video piracy can be achieved.&#8221;</p>



<p>While today&#8217;s guilty plea will prove useful to AVIA&#8217;s members and other rightsholders, the action is just one of the avenues available to combat piracy.</p>



<p>Last September, Singnet, Fox Networks Group, NGC Network Asia, Fox International Channels (US) Inc, and the Premier League <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/singapore-high-court-blocks-access-to-pirate-set-top-box-apps-181123/">obtained an injunction</a> from the Singapore High Court which required several local ISPs to block access to popular &#8216;pirate&#8217; apps.</p>



<p>In May 2018, ISPs <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/singapore-isps-block-53-pirate-sites-following-mpaa-legal-action-180521/">blocked</a> dozens of torrent and streaming platforms (including The Pirate Bay plus KickassTorrents and Solarmovie variants) following a successful application from the MPAA.</p>



<p>The Hollywood group later obtained a so-called ‘<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-granted-dynamic-pirate-site-blocking-order-in-singapore-181006/">dynamic</a>‘ blocking order which granted it the ability to block sites more efficiently should they attempt to circumvent the earlier order.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171645
title: Victims of Prenda Law ‘Copyright Trolls’ Can Now Register for Restitution
uri: Victims-of-Prenda-Law-Copyright-Trolls-Can-Now-Register-for-Rest
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/EgvJlO5P87E/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-108977" src="media/efd05bc4.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="167"></p>
<p>In an effort to turn piracy into profit, copyright holders have chased alleged BitTorrent pirates through courts all over the world.</p>
<p>This so-called copyright troll scheme was also used by the firm Prenda Law. However, the lawyers involved started to break the law themselves.</p>
<p>The firm was accused of all sorts of wrongdoing including <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/prenda-spoofs-identity-wants-case-sealed-130815/">identity theft</a>, misrepresentation, and even deception. Most controversial was the shocking revelation that Prenda&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-helps-to-expose-copyright-troll-honeypot-130604/">uploaded their own torrents</a>&nbsp;to The Pirate Bay, creating a honeypot for the people they later sued over pirated downloads.</p>
<p>This eventually caught the attention of the US Justice Department. In 2015 we first reported that two Pirate Bay co-founders had been questioned by Swedish police, acting on behalf of the FBI. The feds were interested in the honeypot evidence, to build a case against Prenda.</p>
<p>A year later the investigation was finished, resulting in a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-pleads-guilty-role-multi-million-dollar-scheme-fraudulently-obtain-copyright">criminal indictment</a> against Prenda attorneys Paul Hansmeier and John Steele. The US Government accused the two of various crimes, including money laundering, perjury, mail, and wire fraud.</p>
<p>Since then both defendants have both signed plea agreements. They now face years in prison. While it is by no means illegal to go after file-sharers, the Prenda attorneys crossed a line by repeatedly lying to or misleading the courts.</p>
<p>The US prosecutor recently <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-wants-copyright-troll-lawyer-in-prison-for-12-5-years-190328/">recommended</a> a 12.5-year prison sentence for Paul Hansmeier, who instructed his brother to upload torrents of videos he produced himself. In doing so he misled the court, as he made it appear as if the videos were from a third-party company.</p>
<p>In total, Prenda Law generated roughly&nbsp;<span class="fontstyle0">$3,000,000 from the fraudulent copyright lawsuits they filed at courts throughout the United States.</span></p>
<p>Thus far very little has been said about the victims of the scheme but with the final sentencing coming up, this has changed. The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Minnesota is now allowing people who were targeted by the scheme to register for restitution.</p>
<p>&#8220;HANSMEIER and STEELE were charged and convicted of orchestrating a multi-million dollar fraud scheme in which they obtained payments from victims to settle sham pornography film copyright infringement lawsuits,&#8221; the Attorney&#8217;s Office writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;At the sentencing hearing, the Court may, but is not required to, order HANSMEIER and STEELE to pay restitution to the victims of their scheme.&#8221;</p>
<p>The list of potential victims includes everyone who paid a settlement to any of the related companies, including Steele Hansmeier Law, Prenda Law, Alpha Law, Anti-Piracy Group, AF Holdings, Ingenuity 13, Guava LLC, Livewire, and LW Systems.</p>
<p>The Attorney’s Office encourages all potential victims to <a href="https://hansmeier.usaocrimevictims.org/">fill out a form</a>, so it can identify whether they were indeed defrauded by the defendants. The information provided will be shared with the court, but it won&#8217;t be available publicly.</p>
<p>The sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for June 4, before Judge Joan N. Ericksen in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Here, it will be decided whether the two defendants must pay restitution, which is not a given.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171607
title: 75-Year-Old Can’t Sleep Following Accusations of Hardcore Porn Piracy
uri: 75-Year-Old-Can-t-Sleep-Following-Accusations-of-Hardcore-Porn-Pirac
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/wMbJNLp19zI/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/efd05bc4.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-108977"/></figure></div>



<p>The practice of copyright-trolling is now well-established in many countries around the world.</p>



<p>The companies involved often gather IP addresses from BitTorrent swarms, then via the courts, obtain identities of users from their ISPs.</p>



<p>What follows are threats to the account holder, warning that if he or she doesn&#8217;t pay a &#8216;fine&#8217;, then court action will follow. This, of course, is boosted with claims that if the process gets this far, things will get much more expensive.</p>



<p>In reality, however, copyright trolls rarely take cases to court and when they do, they tend to head for the hills when people put up a spirited fight. That was demonstrated again earlier this week when a troll targeted an IT specialist, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/malibu-media-wants-to-dismiss-piracy-case-against-it-experts-says-they-can-hide-infringing-activity-190423/">then backed away</a> after claiming his technical knowledge would allow him to cover up any infringement.</p>



<p>Considering the main evidence in most trolling cases is a simple IP address, captured way before the rightsholders even write to a defendant, it raises the question of whether even the trolls have faith that an IP address alone is enough to prosecute a case. <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/courts-want-something-more-than-an-ip-address-to-catch-pirates-181217/">Some courts certainly don&#8217;t</a>.</p>



<p>Yet that evidence alone appears to form the basis of claims detailed in a letter received by a pensioner in Sweden during March 2019.</p>



<p>The 75-year-old man was told that his IP address (allocated by his ISP TeliaSonera) had been used to share the hardcore porn movie &#8220;The Creepers Family Part 7&#8221;, which was produced by Girlfriends Films and licensed to MIRCOM International, a company with a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tag/mircom/">long history</a> of involvement in similar cases.</p>



<p>The company doing the tracking was Media Protector International GmbH, which has been providing data for similar cases for <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hustler-hires-media-protector-to-chase-porn-pirates-090103/">more than a decade</a>.</p>



<p>While there can be no doubt that many IP addresses caught in the dragnets of these companies were indeed used to download and share copyrighted content, innocents are regularly caught in the crossfire. The pensioner from Sweden says that&#8217;s the case with him.</p>



<p>He shared his story with Bahnhof, a Swedish ISP which acts as a competitor to TeliaSonera and one that offers a sympathetic ear to people targeted by copyright trolls.</p>



<p>&#8220;The infringement occurred on Friday February 2, 2018 at 6:43:17, that is, a time that I as a pensioner sleeps,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.bahnhof.se/press/press-releases/2019/04/23/pensionar-anklagas-for-fildelning-och-uppmanas-betala-7000-kr-jag-har-aldrig-laddat-ned-jag-ar-75-ar-och-kan-inte-mycket-om-data">told</a> the ISP.</p>



<p>&#8220;I am 75 years old and I do not know much about technology, and I wonder if there is anything I can do or if I should just pay?&#8221;</p>



<p>This, of course, is exactly the strategy of copyright trolls. Whether their targets are guilty or innocent, they hope their strongly-worded letters will break the resolve of recipients and make them cave in, parting with cash to make the nightmare go away.</p>



<p>&#8220;I sleep poorly and feel great concern because of this, I just want it to stop. My wife wants to pay to get rid of the problem, but if we do will it just make things worse?&#8221; he added.</p>



<p>&#8220;I am afraid that the bills will continue to come from other agencies and companies, it seems to be a business idea that is better than selling movies.&nbsp;This can be my ruin.&#8221;</p>



<p>While the mainstream media has largely given up about worrying about those targeted by copyright trolls, history has shown us that cases against pensioners are rarely well received by the public or those in power.</p>



<p>Two years ago, for example, an 83-year-old grandmother from the UK <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/disgusted-member-of-parliament-intervenes-in-internet-piracy-case-160307/">went to the press</a> after being accused of pirating the Robert Redford film The Company You Keep. That attracted the attention of her local member of parliament, who branded the practice &#8220;disgusting&#8221; and raised the matter with the government.</p>



<p>It is not known whether the woman ever paid up but given the negative publicity and outcry, it seems unlikely. The case certainly never went to court, which is common when those accused by copyright trolls fight back and/or tell their stories in the media and complain to politicians.</p>



<p>For Bahnhof CEO Jon Karlung, not enough is being done to protect those wrongly targeted, with citizens currently left to fight for themselves.</p>



<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a corrupt system promoting copyright trolls and legal firms that thrive on blackmail. Unfortunately, there is not enough political momentum to change the situation. It&#8217;s an ongoing scandal, and I believe that this affects the justice system as a whole,&#8221; Karlung told TorrentFreak.</p>



<p>&#8220;The only solution is to make this problem as visible as possible. People should also start asking their telecom operators why they save data for time spans of 24 months &#8211; Bahnhof only <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bahnhof-the-isp-that-fights-for-privacy-and-a-free-internet-181225/">saves for 24 hours</a>.&#8221;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171649
title: Exodus Forks Show That Open Source Kodi Add-ons Are Hard to Eradicate
uri: Exodus-Forks-Show-That-Open-Source-Kodi-Add-ons-Are-Hard-to-Eradicate
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/CHJOOEnFOMY/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-134675" src="media/84a71927.exodus-movies.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/exodus-movies.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="181">When the pirate streaming box hype reached new heights early 2017, the third-party Kodi add-on &#8220;Exodus&#8221; was at the center of the action.</p>
<p>Exodus was widely praised as one of the most useful add-ons to access streaming video. This included many pirated movies and TV-shows.</p>
<p>The open source software was maintained by “Lambda,” one of the most prolific developers in the community. However, this meant that when rightsholders started to tighten the screws, Exodus became one of the main targets.</p>
<p>It all started when the popular add-on repository TVAddons mysteriously <a href="http://Exodus Forks Show That Open Source Kodi Add-ons Are Hard to Erradicate" data-wplink-url-error="true">disappeared</a>. Since Exodus was distributed through the repository, many people experienced trouble updating it.</p>
<p>Initially, it was unknown what was going on with TVAddons but when the site returned more than a month later, it became clear that it was being sued by Bell Canada, TVA, Videotron, and Rogers. This complaint also listed Exodus, alongside 17 other add-ons.</p>
<p>Not much later, development of the Exodus add-on was discontinued. This meant that from one day to another, millions of users found out that their pirate streaming boxes had become useless. At least, in their more recent configuration.</p>
<p>It didn&#8217;t take long before others stepped up to fill this void. Interestingly, many of the Exodus alternatives were based on the original Exodus code, which was open source. Even today, nearly two years after the add-on was discontinued, its code lives on.</p>
<p>TVAddons recently <a href="https://www.tvaddons.co/exodus-kodi-forks/">published an overview</a> of the various Exodus &#8216;forks&#8217; that are still online today. <img class="alignright size-full wp-image-171692" src="media/0dd7c5ed.exodus-redux-250x250.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/exodus-redux-250x250.png" alt="" width="250" height="250"></p>
<p>The top one appears to be the aptly named &#8220;Exodus Redux,&#8221; which is available through GitHub and maintained by a developer known as I-A-C.</p>
<p>However, there are many more add-ons based on the same code. This includes &#8220;Yoda,&#8221; &#8220;Exodus 8,&#8221; &#8220;Overeasy,&#8221; and &#8220;13Clowns,&#8221; to name a few. All of these allow users to stream video through an easy-to-use interface.</p>
<p>While the open source code is easy to fork, these add-ons can&#8217;t operate with complete impunity, of course. Several other Exodus based add-ons have already been discontinued, often following pressure from groups such as anti-piracy group ACE.</p>
<p>The Covenant add-on, developed by Team Colossus, threw in the towel after one of the main developers received a house visit, for example,. The Placenta add-on was discontinued following a cease and desist letter.</p>
<p>This begs the question: if new forks keep appearing, does it mean that rightsholders&#8217; actions are futile?</p>
<p>According to TVAddons, which has banned these forks from its own platform, takedown efforts may help in the short term. However, when open source software is taken down, many alternate versions usually pop-up.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Rights holders efforts to destroy dual-use technologies seem to be effective in the very short-term. However, those enforcements only result in software and tools being spread out in a way that becomes uncontrollable in the long term, as we&#8217;ve seen with Kodi addons,&#8221; a TVAddons spokesperson told us.</p>
<p>In theory, this is indeed true. TVAddons listed just seven active Exodus forks, but there are many more out there. It&#8217;s a problem that&#8217;s hard to eradicate.&nbsp;</p>
<p>However, the continued efforts from rightsholders to shut down these add-ons may have a more subtle effect. While hardcore pirates will always find a new fork, there&#8217;s also a group of people who will get frustrated by the repeated shutdowns, and give up eventually.&nbsp;</p>
<p>If we take a look at the popularity of the Google search term &#8220;Kodi add-ons&#8221; we see that interest started to drop after the major enforcement efforts started. This may be a coincidence of course, but it could also be a sign of people giving up.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Google searches for &#8220;Kodi add-ons&#8221;</strong></p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/84ed1c70.kodi-add-on.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kodi-add-on.png" alt="" class="wp-image-171736"/></figure></div>


<p>It&#8217;s hard to deny that open source software can&#8217;t be easily eradicated, but the ease of access also play a role.&nbsp;</p>
<p>We&#8217;ve also seen that with other popular open source applications, such as Popcorn Time. When one of the most popular forks was taken out following pressure from Hollywood, others remained available. Still, as time went on, interest began to wane.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Similarly, when Limewire shut down years ago, the Frostwire fork remained available. However, this never reached the same audience as its predecessor.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-size: inherit;">All in all, it&#8217;s safe to conclude that, while Exodus has left the scene a long time ago, its code still thrives. Whether the total audience is still as large as it once was, remains a question.</span></p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171790
title: TVCatchup Goes Down and is Probably Gone For Good
uri: TVCatchup-Goes-Down-and-is-Probably-Gone-For-Good
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Z1ktkO8Ju58/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright is-resized"><img src="media/121ee4ea.tvcatchup.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tvcatchup.png" alt="" class="wp-image-171792" width="252" height="252"/></figure></div>



<p>Back in 2007, a new online service appeared in the UK. Originally touted as a personal DVR service, TVCatchup quickly gained traction. </p>



<p>Later, however, TVCatchup became an almost live (there was a short delay) streaming service, offering many channels to the public, including those offered by the BBC, ITV, and other broadcasters.</p>



<p>But trouble was never far away for the popular service. Following a legal battle with broadcasters that stretched back more than seven years and traversed UK and EU Courts, in 2017 the European Court of Justice delivered a considerable blow.</p>



<p>The ECJ said that the platform, which claimed to operate legally when it streamed TV content broadcasted by ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-court-hands-copyright-defeat-to-streaming-site-tvcatchup-170302/">could not rely</a> on legislation that was designed to assist in the development of cable infrastructure decades ago.</p>



<p>That meant that when TVCatchup streamed copyrighted content without permission, that amounted to an unlicensed communication to the public. However, a year earlier TVCatchup Limited had already been dissolved, as confirmed by an October 2016 <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06866523/filing-history">filing</a> at Companies House.</p>



<p>Many expected the service to immediately shut down but TVCatchup continued via its website and apps downloadable from Google Play and Apple&#8217;s App Store. That changed recently when the service appeared to drastically degrade with no announcement from those in charge.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/TVCatchup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TVCatchup</a> Hey guys, what’s up with the app at the moment, all I’m getting is stream unavailable at the moment, please try later.?</p>&mdash; Jason S Wood (@js_wood) <a href="https://twitter.com/js_wood/status/1120805311990910977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div><figcaption>Gone?</figcaption></figure>



<p>The TVCatchup website currently <a href="http://tvcatchup.com">displays</a> a &#8220;Whoops, looks like something went wrong&#8221; message but it can still be accessed by adding &#8220;<a href="http://tvcatchup.com:8080/">8080</a>&#8221; to its URL. However, anyone clicking any of the links will be disappointed, as no channels are forthcoming. The same goes for both Apple and Android apps.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/TVCatchup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TVCatchup</a> hello, your app is not working on my iPhone/iPad. ‘Stream unavailable please try again later’ google tells me this is a wider problem, not just me? Any ideas when it will be fixed?</p>&mdash; Bettsywoo (@bettsywoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/bettsywoo/status/1120302533937905669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div><figcaption>Another concerned user</figcaption></figure>



<p>The Android app (<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tvcatchup.android.videoplayer&amp;hl=en_GB">here</a>) is published by a company listed as <a href="https://www.appbrain.com/dev/Spaceshifting%2C+LLC./">Spaceshifting LLC.</a> However, that entity was <a href="https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_wy/2016-000734985">dissolved</a> back in February 2018. The App Store variant (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/tvcatchup-watch-free-live-tv/id1030827296?mt=8">here</a>) is published by Toyon Investments Ltd, a UK company formed in January 2017. </p>



<p>In December 2018, Toyon Investments was advised that &#8220;unless cause is shown to the contrary&#8221;, under the Companies Act 2006 it would be struck off the register of companies. On February 26, 2019, Toyon Investments was dissolved.</p>



<p>The last time TVCatchup corresponded with a customer on Twitter was on <a href="https://twitter.com/TVCatchup/status/1102979629994917889">March 5, 2019</a>. Since then it has posted <a href="https://twitter.com/TVCatchup/status/1106131793118482433">one tweet</a>, unrelated to the business.</p>



<p>According to <a href="https://www.similarweb.com/website/tvcatchup.com#overview">traffic stats</a> provided by SimilarWeb, until the end of March 2019 TVCatchup.com was receiving around two million hits a day. Given the current situation, that isn&#8217;t likely to persist for long. However, UK users won&#8217;t be left completely high and dry.</p>



<p>Between BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, <a href="https://tvplayer.com/watch/">TVPlayer</a> and other legal streaming apps and services, TVCatchup can be replaced. That wasn&#8217;t the case when TVCatchup initially gained traction but times have certainly changed over the past decade.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171793
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 04/22/19
uri: 2019-04-29-Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-04-22-19
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bql2WuW4_44/
content:
<p><img class="alignright  wp-image-171803" src="media/3e873293.avengersend.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/avengersend.png" alt="" width="280" height="186">This week we have four newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Avengers: Endgame 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>&nbsp;for the articles of the recent weekly movie download charts.</p>
<h5>This week&#8217;s most downloaded movies are:</h5>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Movie Rank</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>Rank <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-the-week-on-bittorrent-04-22-19/">last week</a></strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie name</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Most downloaded movies via torrents</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/">Avengers: Endgame</a> (HDCam)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/">9.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcMBFSGVi1c">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7634968/">What Men Want</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7634968/">4.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeoLiTirRp4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6823368">Glass</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6823368">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBL6COBGjCA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5886046/">Escape Room</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5886046/">6.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dSKUoV0SNI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5719748/">Cold Pursuit</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5719748/">6.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C2Nad0aMPg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(back)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/">Captain Marvel</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LHxvxdRnYc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2386490/">How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2386490/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLTDtbYmdWM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477834/">Aquaman</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477834/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmqJJqFX_CU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4827558/">The Prodigy</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4827558/">6.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FPuKRJikWs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4827558/">High Life</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4827558/">6.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dSKUoV0SNI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171725
title: U.S. Places 36 Countries on Annual ‘Piracy Watchlist’
uri: U-S-Places-36-Countries-on-Annual-Piracy-Watchlist
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zkHx6keZ12o/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-171748" src="media/bf4e4970.ustr19.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/ustr19.png" alt="" width="262" height="232">Every year the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) publishes its Special 301 Report highlighting countries that aren’t doing enough to protect US intellectual property rights.</p>
<p>The format remains the same as in previous years and lists three dozen countries that, for different reasons, threaten the intellectual property rights of US companies.</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;The identification of the countries and IP-related market access barriers in the Report and of steps necessary to address those barriers are a critical component of the Administration’s aggressive efforts to defend Americans from harmful IP-related trade barriers,&#8221; USTR writes.</span>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The topics reported in the yearly overview are much broader than online piracy. They also cover counterfeiting and other IP related issues, including patents and protection of trade secrets. Our coverage is limited to piracy, however, which remains one of the key issues.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The USTR highlights stream-ripping as a significant problem, as well as pirate IPTV services and &#8220;<span class="fontstyle0">illicit streaming devices&#8221; in general. The latter are sold throughout the world but are often manufactured in China, which is listed on the USTR&#8217;s Priority Watch List.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;Stakeholders continue to report rampant piracy through ISDs, including in </span><span class="fontstyle2">Argentina</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">Brazil</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">Chile</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">China</span><span class="fontstyle0">, the </span><span class="fontstyle2">Dominican Republic</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">Hong Kong</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">India</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">Indonesia</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">Mexico</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">Peru</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">Saudi Arabia</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">Singapore</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">Taiwan</span><span class="fontstyle0">, the </span><span class="fontstyle2">UAE</span><span class="fontstyle0">, and </span><span class="fontstyle2">Vietnam</span><span class="fontstyle0">. China, in particular, is a manufacturing hub for these devices,&#8221; the USTR writes.</span>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Camcording piracy, where people record films at movie theaters, remains a significant problem as well. Russia, India, Mexico, and China are called out as frequent sources, but the problem applies to other countries as well.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The USTR notes that countries including <span class="fontstyle0">Argentina</span><span class="fontstyle1">, </span><span class="fontstyle0">Brazil</span><span class="fontstyle1">, </span><span class="fontstyle0">Ecuador</span><span class="fontstyle1">, </span><span class="fontstyle0">Peru</span><span class="fontstyle1">, and </span><span class="fontstyle0">Taiwan </span><span class="fontstyle1">do not effectively criminalize unauthorized camcording, and hopes that this will soon change.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;The United States urges countries to adopt laws and enforcement practices<br>designed to prevent unauthorized camcording, such as laws that have been adopted in </span><span class="fontstyle2">Canada</span><span class="fontstyle0">, </span><span class="fontstyle2">Japan</span><span class="fontstyle0">, and the </span><span class="fontstyle2">Philippines,&#8221; the USTR writes.</span></p>
<p>Most of these observations and comments are not new. They are made year after year in some cases. Apparently, it&#8217;s a strategy that has some effect. For example, India <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/indian-government-approves-prison-sentences-for-cam-pirates-190207/">recently updated</a> is camcording legislation to allow a three-year prison sentence for those who get caught.</p>
<p>The full list of countries which lack proper IP protection totals 36. Eleven are listed on the most severe Priority Watch List with the rest placed on the regular Watch List.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/cc78f946.2019watchlist.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/2019watchlist.png" alt="" class="wp-image-171752"/><figcaption>The 301 watch lists</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Canada has been downgraded from the Priority to the regular Watch List this year. The most important step forward taken by Canada, according to the US, is signing the <span class="fontstyle0">provisions in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which will extend the local copyright term to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/nafta-replacement-extends-canadas-copyright-term-to-life-70-years-181001/">70-years + life</a>.</span></p>
<p>However, problems remain as well. Among other things, the US sees Canada’s copyright exception for educational purposes as a grave concern.</p>
<p>“<span class="fontstyle0">The United States remains deeply troubled by the ambiguous education-related exception added to the copyright law in 2012, which has significantly damaged the market for educational publishers and authors</span>,” the office writes.</p>
<p>Switzerland also remains on the Watch List. While the country generally has strong intellectual property protection, the U.S. remains concerned about its online copyright<span class="fontstyle0"> protection and enforcement, as we&#8217;ve <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/switzerland-hopes-new-law-will-keep-it-off-us-pirate-watchlist-180228/">highlighted previously</a>. This appears to be the only remaining barrier at this point.</span></p>
<p>If countries fail to address the issues the USTR has highlighted, the U.S. says it will take <span class="fontstyle0">appropriate actions in response. No concrete measures are mentioned, but they can include </span><span class="fontstyle0">enforcement actions under Section 301 of the Trade Act or pursuant to World Trade Organization rules, for example.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><em>&#8212;</em></p>
<p><em>A copy of USTR&#8217;s full <span class="fontstyle0">2019 Special 301 Report</span> is available <a href="media/f558191a.2019_Special_301_Report.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/2019_Special_301_Report.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="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171785
title: China Shuts 361 Movie Piracy Sites, 57 Apps, and Arrests 251 Suspects
uri: China-Shuts-361-Movie-Piracy-Sites-57-Apps-and-Arrests-251-Suspects
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/WfX1w6iPCGA/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/70326b63.piratkeyb-e1476968827887.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/piratkeyb-e1476968827887.png" alt="" class="wp-image-108110"/></figure></div>



<p>China is well known for its piracy problems. The country is awash with counterfeit media but in recent years authorities there have displayed a new enthusiasm to deal with the issue.</p>



<p>That includes tackling online platforms that distribute or facilitate access to infringing movies, including torrent sites, steaming portals, and infringing apps.</p>



<p>During a press conference held on Monday, China&#8217;s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said that during the week-long Spring Festival in February, authorities had conducted a major piracy crackdown targeting those involved in movie piracy.</p>



<p>The figures are impressive, to say the least. The MPS revealed that in the process of investigating 25 cases, police had shuttered 361 movie piracy sites, 57 apps. A total of 251 suspects were arrested.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/b9617300.30114650864.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/30114650864.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-171842"/><figcaption><em>Press conference (credit: NCAC.gov)</em></figcaption></figure></div>



<p>While the United States would like China to do more to protect international content, the press conference heard that following the release of local hit movies including Wandering Earth (<a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/news/china-box-office-wandering-earth-557-million-second-week-1203142117/">$557m box office in two weeks</a>), Flying Life, and Crazy Alien ($292m in 13 days), large-scale piracy of the titles became evident. This alarmed Chinese authorities who took immediate action.</p>



<p>&#8220;Concerned about the problem, the rapid deployment and deployment of local public security organs carried out a series of project investigations against&#8230;film infringement and piracy in the Spring Festival and quickly identified and resolutely destroyed the production source and online communication network of the HD pirated films,&#8221; the conference heard.</p>



<p> In one region alone, 59 suspects were arrested and more than 13,600 pieces of equipment were seized, including playback and encryption hardware and servers.</p>



<p>The &#8216;Twist Film&#8217; app, which was blamed for the greatest illegal transmission of pirated films, was reportedly &#8220;destroyed&#8221;. It&#8217;s claimed the app had more than 100 million users and offered in excess of 150,000 films. Suspects were arrested in China and &#8220;overseas&#8221;.</p>



<p>The Ministry of Public Security said it deployed local authorities to Beijing and several other areas to &#8220;smash a number of pirated websites and apps&#8221; that had outstanding infringement issues, including the popular &#8216;Fantasy&#8217; and &#8216;Film and TV Alliance&#8217; apps.</p>



<p>Also among the site casualties was a 170,000-member platform called &#8216;BTBus&#8217;, a platform known as &#8216;Qiu Xia&#8217;, and &#8216;BT Movie Paradise&#8217;, a site that&#8217;s claimed to have had 3.7 million visitors every day. The full list is lengthy so the above is just a sample.</p>



<p>In comments to China&#8217;s National Copyright Administration, Wandering Earth producer Gong Geer said that after being released on February 5th, an illegal HD version appeared online on the 7th. This was immediately reported to the government and the response during the first week of the Spring Festival was described as &#8220;an anti-piracy war.&#8221;</p>



<p>&#8220;As a creator, we must believe that the relevant departments can support us in law and policy. The only thing we can do is to create works with all sincerity,&#8221; he said.</p>



<p>&#8220;No matter how much we are pirated, we believe that only the best works can attract the audience. As long as we do well, the audience will definitely go to the cinema to watch movies. This is a mutual trust between our filmmakers and the audience. I believe the audience will give us this opportunity.&#8221;  </p>



<p>The next round of trade war negotiations between China and the United States begin today in Beijing. China&#8217;s handling of intellectual property issues are a particularly hot topic.</p>



<p>In March, the National Copyright Administration added US movies Green Room and Captain Marvel to a list of productions that should receive special protection, ordering online content providers not to host them and requiring online storage providers to prevent uploads. The US will want much more.</p>



<p>Last week, as first reported here on TF, Avengers: Endgame <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/avengers-endgame-leaks-online-in-china-begins-to-spread-190424/">appeared online</a> after being filmed in a Chinese cinema, two days before its official US release date. The copies that appeared certainly weren&#8217;t in high-quality HD but the illegal appearance of this huge production won&#8217;t have gone unnoticed.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171821
title: Suspected ‘Pirate’ Wins Data Disclosure Battle Against Copyright Troll’s Law Firm
uri: Suspected-Pirate-Wins-Data-Disclosure-Battle-Against-Copyright
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-y_kJHD6Bko/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-25779" src="media/fe566856.finland1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/finland1.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="143">For more than a decade, alleged file-sharers around the world have been pressured to pay significant settlement fees.</p>
<p>These so-called copyright-trolling efforts are fairly straightforward. Copyright holders obtain a list of ‘pirating’ IP-addresses and then request a subpoena from the court, compelling ISPs to hand over the associated customer data.</p>
<p>In recent years, several news reports have appeared on these cases in the US, UK, Canada, Sweden, Denmark and elsewhere. In Finland, they have been a common sight since 2013.</p>
<p>One of the outfits that spearheaded the practice locally is the Helsinki-based law firm Hedman Partners. Representing a variety of movie companies, it went after tens of thousands of alleged pirates, asking them to pay hundreds of euros in damages each.</p>
<p>One of the firm&#8217;s targets was a <a href="http://www.ritvapuolakka.fi/">Ritva Puolakka</a>, While she first appeared to be just another target, Puolakka was not intent on paying the 800 euros in damages the law firm requested. Quite the opposite, she went on the offensive.</p>
<p>Puolakka became an active opponent of the so-called &#8220;copyright trolling&#8221; practice. She denied any wrongdoing. On top of that, she went after the law firm requesting that it hands over any and all data it had on her, stating that it&#8217;s her right to have access to this under local privacy law.</p>
<p>The law film partly complied with this request but also held quite a bit of information back. Handing over all data could cause damage to the business relationship with the rightsholder, the argument was. This undisclosed information was technical evidence of the alleged infringement such as IP-address logs.</p>
<p>The law firm further pointed out that, because the woman had denied distributing films, the information might not apply to her but to someone else.</p>
<p>Puolakka was not satisfied with the limited disclosure and with backing from the data protection officer, she took the matter to the Administrative Court, which sided with her.</p>
<p>The Administrative Court <a href="https://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/art-2000006064731.html?utm_campaign=tf-HS&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_source=tf-other&amp;share=6452f6fca931fd7e4a90581b4d386506">ruled</a> that the law firm didn&#8217;t properly justify the limited right of inspection. The law firm&#8217;s duty of professional secrecy is not a legitimate ground for restriction, and Puolakka&#8217;s right to control her data weighs stronger.</p>
<p>The Court concluded that, under the Personal Data Act, accused file-sharers are allowed to have access to all logging information related to their IP-address, regardless of whether someone else may have used the connection.</p>
<p>While this ruling doesn&#8217;t help any defendant to get rid of any settlement demands, it could lead to an administrative overload for the law firm. If tens of thousands of accused pirates request access to all IP-address logs, there&#8217;s a lot of paperwork to go through.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to Puolakka, who also takes part in the local <a href="https://murobbs.muropaketti.com/threads/hedman-partnersilta-kiristyskirje.1213329/">MuroBBS community</a>, which actively helps accused file-sharers. She told us that she&#8217;s happy with the outcome and hopes that it will help to frustrate the copyright-trolling efforts.</p>
<p>MuroBBS activist Hasturinpoika, meanwhile, encourages other victims to request their data from Hedman Partners. With the recent ruling and the EU&#8217;s new GDPR regulation, the law firm will have to comply.</p>
<p>&#8220;I would encourage to all those who have received letters from copyright trolls to use this decision to check out their information because now that GDPR in effect, there is possible to sanction the trolls more severely if they don&#8217;t obey with the new regulation,&#8221; Hasturinpoika tells us.</p>
<p>The Administrative Court&#8217;s decision can still be appealed at the Supreme Administrative Court. However, considering the recent history, Puolakka is not going to back away from her battle against copyright-trolling.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171894
title: YouTube “Very Concerned” About Article 13, Mulls Copyright Claim Tweaks
uri: YouTube-Very-Concerned-About-Article-13-Mulls-Copyright-Claim-T
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/X4a5nAKECkw/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/72389cbc.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-117196"/></figure></div>



<p><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-parliament-adopts-copyright-directive-including-article-13-190326/">On March 26</a>, the EU Parliament voted to pass the new Copyright Directive, including the controversial Article 13 (Article 17 in the final text).</p>



<p>The final step took place mid-April, when the Council of Ministers <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-ministers-approve-copyright-directive-including-article-17-13-190415/">approved</a> the legislation, despite opposition from Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Finland, and Sweden.</p>



<p>YouTube was and remains one of the primary targets of the legislation. Copyright holders, those from the music industry in particular, want to prevent the platform from utilizing content without paying a fair market rate.</p>



<p>Whether that will be the actual real-world outcome remains unclear but in a new post on its Creator Blog, YouTube says that it still has deep reservations surrounding the legislation.</p>



<p>&#8220;[W]e are also still very concerned about Article 13 (now renamed Article 17) — a part of the Copyright Directive that recently passed in the E.U,&#8221; writes YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.</p>



<p>&#8220;While we support the rights of copyright holders—YouTube has deals with almost all the music companies and TV broadcasters today—we are concerned about the vague, untested requirements of the new directive.&#8221;</p>



<p>While it hardly needs repeating, the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/germany-upload-filters-can-only-be-prevented-as-far-as-possible-190417/">tacit requirement</a> for some Internet platforms to install upload filters to prevent infringement in the absence of content licensing deals remains a big concern for many companies. While YouTube already has such systems in place, strict upload filters are a potential threat, Wojcicki suggests.</p>



<p>&#8220;[Article 17] could create serious limitations for what YouTube creators can upload. This risks lowering the revenue to traditional media and music companies from YouTube and potentially devastating the many European creators who have built their businesses on YouTube,&#8221; the company&#8217;s CEO adds.</p>



<p>Although Article 17 has passed on the EU level, member states will still have to write its provisions into local law, a process that&#8217;s likely to prove both complex and controversial. Wojcicki would like to see YouTube supporters, many of whom are Article 17 opponents, continue the fight, to ensure the best possible outcome.</p>



<p>&#8220;While the Directive has passed, there is still time to affect the final implementation to avoid some of the worst unintended consequences. Each E.U. member state now has two years to introduce national laws that are in line with the new rules, which means that the powerful collective voice of creators can still make a major impact,&#8221; she <a href="https://youtube-creators.googleblog.com/2019/04/addressing-creator-feedback-and-update.html">writes</a>.</p>



<p>&#8220;We must continue to stand up and speak out for open creativity. Your actions have already led to the most popular Change.org petition in history and encouraged people to reach across borders. This is not the end of our movement but only the beginning.&#8221;</p>



<p>Finally, Wojcicki says that the company has been listening to key YouTube content creators who have expressed frustration over what they feel is an abuse of the copyright claims process on the platform.</p>



<p>Some users are receiving copyright claims following the use of small excerpts of copyrighted content lasting ten seconds or shorter, sometimes in an inadvertent context. It appears that the platform may be prepared to tackle this issue in the future.</p>



<p>&#8220;We also heard firsthand that our Manual Claiming system was increasingly being used to claim very short (in some cases one second) content or incidental content like when a creator walks past a store playing a few seconds of music,&#8221; Wojcicki notes.</p>



<p>&#8220;We were already looking into this issue but hearing this directly from creators was vital. We are exploring improvements in striking the right balance between copyright owners and creators.&#8221;</p>



<p>These types of claims, that are often filed without considering fair use implications, are decried by creators as a major irritant when attempting to review and critique third-party content, or film in public places. How YouTube will tackle this problem remains unclear but addressing it effectively could be a real boost to those who use copyrighted content within the confines of the law.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171452
title: MPAA and RIAA’s Megaupload Lawsuits Remain ‘Frozen’
uri: MPAA-and-RIAA-s-Megaupload-Lawsuits-Remain-Frozen
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gv4sfsUgxw4/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-146015" src="media/498b7c06.megauploadsong.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/megauploadsong.jpg" alt="" width="255" height="174">Well over seven years have passed since Megaupload was shut down.</p>
<p>Aside from Andrus Nomm’s&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-programmer-sentenced-to-a-year-in-prison-150213/">plea deal</a>, progress in the criminal proceedings against Megaupload&#8217;s founder and former associates is slow.</p>
<p>The United States wants New Zealand to extradite Kim Dotcom. However, the German-born entrepreneur and his former colleagues are fighting this request vigorously.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Late last year, David Boldt, a lawyer for the United States, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-extradition-battle-may-have-years-to-run-181205/">suggested</a> that the extradition battle “might almost be at half-time”, opening up the potential for more years of legal battling.</p>
<p>This means that the criminal case in the United States remains pending as well. The same goes for the lawsuits the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-studios-demand-millions-megaupload-new-lawsuit-140408/">MPAA</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/now-the-riaa-sues-megaupload-for-massive-copyright-theft-140411/">RIAA</a> filed against Megaupload in 2014.</p>
<p>Since the civil cases may influence the criminal proceedings, Megaupload’s legal team previously managed to put these cases on hold. Since there&#8217;s no progress on the extradition front, this hold continues to be extended.</p>
<p>Previously there were concerns that the long delays could result in the destruction of evidence, as some of Megaupload’s hard drives were starting to fail. However, after the parties agreed on a solution to back-up and restore the files two years ago, this is no longer an issue.</p>
<p>&#8220;With the preservation order in place and there being no other objection,<br>Defendant Megaupload hereby moves the Court to enter the attached proposed order, continuing the stay in this case for an additional six months,&#8221; Megaupload&#8217;s legal team wrote in its most recent request.</p>
<p>Following a renewed request from Megaupload&#8217;s legal team, US District Court Judge Liam O&#8217;Grady recently agreed to stay the case until October 1st, pending any new developments.</p>
<p>If recent history is any indication, we can expect another extension, six months from now.</p>


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<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171917
title: Controversial Wikipedia Edits Wipe Out Denuvo Crack History
uri: Controversial-Wikipedia-Edits-Wipe-Out-Denuvo-Crack-History
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/MHFxsOwfQEA/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/d2c6b9d1.denuvo.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/denuvo.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-116067"/></figure></div>



<p>There can be little doubt that Wikipedia is one of the greatest resources of information available online today.</p>



<p>The platform has plenty of critics but generally there&#8217;s a credible effort to ensure that the data presented to readers is properly researched and sourced. That&#8217;s also true for the Wikipedia page dedicated to the anti-piracy technology known as Denuvo.</p>



<p>The anti-tamper system is the most well-known product of its type and is regularly deployed on various gaming titles, much to the disappointment of many legitimate purchasers and the vast majority of pirates. As a result, Denuvo has become a target for cracking groups, who aim to defeat the technology in the quickest possible time.</p>



<p>Up until recently, people wanting to see a convenient list of Denuvo titles and their &#8216;cracked or not&#8217; status had two obvious choices. They could visit Reddit&#8217;s appropriately-named <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/CrackWatch/comments/avrrh6/crack_watch_games/">/r/crackwatch subreddit</a> or head over to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denuvo">Denuvo&#8217;s Wikipedia page</a>, where an entire column was dedicated to the news.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="media/18f84e46.oldwiki1.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/oldwiki1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-171923" width="600"/><figcaption>A sample of how the page used to look</figcaption></figure>



<p>This week, however, a dispute broke out behind the scenes at Wikipedia, as first publicly highlighted by a poster on Reddit&#8217;s <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/bjfuk7/wikipedia_user_has_edited_out_most_citations/">/r/pcgaming</a> sub.</p>



<p>This resulted in the removal of most of the link sources in the &#8216;cracked&#8217; column, later followed by the deletion of the entire column, as shown in the image below.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="media/563d2264.denuvo-wiki2.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/denuvo-wiki2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-171924" width="600"/><figcaption>A sample of how the page looks now</figcaption></figure>



<p>Without going into the minutiae (which is best handled by those more <em>au fait</em> with the rules, intricacies, and etiquette of Wikipedia editing), one of the key reasons the column was removed (the other is detailed <a href="https://old.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/bjfuk7/wikipedia_user_has_edited_out_most_citations/em8fj20/">here</a>) was that the source of the material relied upon to prove that a crack actually exists isn&#8217;t acceptable.</p>



<p>As clearly illustrated in this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Denuvo&amp;oldid=884282813#cite_note-56">earlier version</a> of the page, many of the links led to sites (such as <a href="https://www.xrel.to/">Xrel.to</a>) which are dedicated to archiving so-called <a href="https://www.xrel.to/game-nfo/1022211/FIFA-15-Ultimate-Team-Edition-CPY.html?lang=en_US">NFO text files</a> that cracking groups distribute with their releases. These files are usually very informative, providing key information about each release, who made it, and when it was distributed etc.</p>



<p>However, according to the people who made the decisions behind the scenes on Denuvo&#8217;s page, sites like Xrel are not <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources#User-generated_content">reliable sources</a> as defined by Wikipedia. They do not carry absolute proof that a game has been cracked, they only carry text files that claim that to be the case, they argue.</p>



<p>&#8220;I do not see how this can be an accurate proof whether a game is cracked or not since this site does not offer any cracks, they just have (easy to fake) nfo files. Notice about not reliable source exist since August 2016 but has been ignored by authors,&#8221; one of the editors <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Denuvo#Poorly_sourced_material">commented</a>.</p>



<p>Those who understand how sites like Xrel and many pre-databases work will probably be disappointed that they&#8217;re not considered legitimate sources. Fake NFO files are simply not tolerated and any sites publishing them would be quickly called out by their users and/or abandoned for a more accurate source. </p>



<p>In this case the Wikipedia rules are being strictly enforced, which creates problems. Clearly, posting a link to a torrent of a cracked game wouldn&#8217;t be acceptable, so an NFO database is usually the next best thing. Sadly, however, we know from experience that NFO files don&#8217;t meet Wikipedia&#8217;s standards.</p>



<p>It has been many years ago now and I no longer have the original emails to quote from. However, I can confirm having a short conversation with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales who was very clear that sites like Xrel (I believe we were actually talking about the now-defunct Nforce NFO database at the time) are not acceptable sources for Wikipedia.</p>



<p>This presents a challenge moving forward. Given that there are so many pirate releases every single day, there is no source for them that meets Wikipedia standards, unless a credible news source reports on each and every one.</p>



<p>Clearly, reporting on everything isn&#8217;t necessary but it&#8217;s a shame that properly curated and maintained resources for release data can&#8217;t be used on the Denuvo page. The fact that games have been cracked can still be reported in the body of the page, but the easy reference column appears to have gone for good. </p>



<p>Given Denuvo&#8217;s controversial nature, there&#8217;s some speculation that the edits were designed to protect the company&#8217;s position. However, as numerous people have pointed out, potential customers in the video game industry won&#8217;t be using Wikipedia as their primary research platform before deciding whether to spend money with Denuvo. </p>



<p></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171927
title: New “Small Claims” Bill Welcomed by Rightsholders, Feared by Copyright Troll Fighters
uri: New-Small-Claims-Bill-Welcomed-by-Rightsholders-Feared-by-Copyr
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/t_MTj5iesa0/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-148048" src="media/bba34cbf.smallclaimsfinepenaltycourt.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/smallclaimsfinepenaltycourt.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="176"></p>
<p>This week, new legislation was tabled in the U.S. House and Senate that introduces the creation of a &#8220;small claims&#8221; process for copyright offenses.</p>
<p>The CASE Act, short for &#8220;Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement,&#8221; proposes to establish a copyright claim board within the United States Copyright Office.</p>
<p>If adopted, the new board will provide an option to resolve copyright disputes outside the federal courts, which significantly reduces the associated costs. The proposal follows years of discussions with various stakeholders and has bipartisan support.</p>
<p>The House version of the bill (HR 2426) was introduced by Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Doug Collins (R-GA) and an identical Senate version of the CASE Act (S. 1273) was tabled by&nbsp; Senators John Kennedy (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).</p>
<p>The idea behind the legislation is to lower the barrier for smaller copyright holders with limited resources, who usually refrain from going to court. Filing a federal case with proper representation is quite costly, while the outcome is rather uncertain.</p>
<p>The newly proposed copyright claims board is a cheaper option. It will have three judges who can hear cases from all over the country. They can award damages awards of up to $15,000 per infringement, or $30,000 per case.</p>
<p>The introduction of the bill this week has received broad support from various copyright holder groups.&nbsp; The <a href="http://copyrightalliance.org/ca_post/bill-new-generation-creators/">Copyright Alliance</a>, for example, says that it will empower creators with smaller budgets to protect their rights.</p>
<p>“The CASE Act is a legislative priority for hundreds of thousands of photographers, illustrators, graphic artists, songwriters, and authors, as well as a new generation of creators including bloggers and YouTubers across the country,&#8221; Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid said yesterday.</p>
<p>&#8220;Today, they have rights but no remedies. The CASE Act will go a long way to restoring their faith in the copyright system.&#8221;</p>
<p>The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) is also pleased with the introduction of the CASE Act. Many photographers have to deal with people and companies who use their work without permission. However, filing a court case can be more expensive than the compensation demanded.</p>
<p>Tom Kennedy, executive director of ASMP, stated that the new bill will correct this &#8220;historic inequity&#8221; in copyright law.</p>
<p>“Under this legislation, these artists will have a viable alternative to the often prohibitively expensive federal court system, and their creative efforts will be appropriately protected so that they are incentivized to continue producing works that change how people see their world,” Kennedy said.</p>
<p>At the same time, there are also concerns. Digital rights groups <a href="https://www.publicknowledge.org/press-release/public-knowledge-opposes-copyright-bill-creating-unaccountable-small-claims-court">Public Knowledge</a> and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (<a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/04/defenders-copyright-troll-victims-urge-congress-reject-small-claims-bill">EFF</a>)&nbsp; warn that the bill could do more harm than good. One of the main concerns is that it may make it easier for copyright trolls to go after alleged file-sharers.</p>
<p>The EFF and various attorneys and other experts shared several of their concerns <a href="https://www.eff.org/document/letter-house-judiciary-committee-opposing-case-act">in a letter</a> sent to lawmakers last week.</p>
<p>One issue highlighted in the letter is that the CASE Act will allow the Copyright Office to issue subpoenas to obtain the identity of an account holder whose connection is believed to have been used to download copyright-infringing material. At the moment, such requests have to be signed off by a federal judge.</p>
<p>The letter further points out that the CASE Act may in fact make it easier for copyright trolls to go after alleged pirates without solid evidence, just when federal courts are starting to limit these types of abuse.</p>
<p>&#8220;The federal courts are reining in these abuses by demanding specific and reliable evidence of infringement—more than boilerplate allegations—before issuing subpoenas for the identity of an alleged infringer,&#8221; the letter reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some federal courts have also undertaken reviews of copyright troll plaintiffs’ communications with their targets with an eye to preventing coercion and intimidation. These reforms have reduced the financial incentive for the abusive business model of copyright trolling.</p>
<p>&#8220;The CASE Act threatens to derail this progress by creating an alternative forum where these carefully crafted protections will not apply,&#8221; the letter adds.</p>
<p>It is worth noting that participation in the small claims board is voluntary and potential defendants can opt-out. However, if they fail to do so, any order against them can still be binding and enforceable through a federal court.</p>
<p>While opting out is an option, less knowledgeable defendants may not be aware of the risks and safeguards of either choice. As such, potential copyright troll targets may see a small claims board as a safer option, while that&#8217;s not necessarily the case.</p>
<p>Both the House and the Senate bill have yet to go through the legislative process where the text can still be refined or rejected. Opponents will likely request changes to protect the public from frivolous claims, while rightsholders want to ensure that their interests are protected.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171959
title: Vader: Large ‘Pirate’ IPTV Provider Shuts Down, Promises to Protect Customers
uri: Vader-Large-Pirate-IPTV-Provider-Shuts-Down-Promises-to-Protec
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/elqZnYKy_tU/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/0dbf5677.vader.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/vader.png" alt="" class="wp-image-171963"/></figure></div>



<p>Over the past several years, third-party Kodi add-ons have given many Internet users a new enthusiasm for streaming live TV.</p>



<p>For many, the next logical step was to upgrade to a premium provider of IPTV services. For a relatively small fee, these platforms grant access to hundreds and often thousands of live channels at a fraction of the official cost.</p>



<p>Needless to say, few &#8211; if any &#8211; of these providers have the necessary licensing in place to conduct their business legally.</p>



<p>While a few prominent names have risen to the top of the pile, without doubt one of the most well-known brands is Vader. Notable for its Darth Vader logo (of which dozens of variants exist online), Vader has long been the go-to choice for IPTV fans. Now, however, the ride appears to be over.</p>



<p>For the past couple of days, online chatter has suggested that Vader might be about to throw in the towel. A few hours ago, that was confirmed on the service&#8217;s Telegram channel with an official announcement that Vader would be shutting down. </p>



<p>&#8220;We have no choice but to close down Vader. We can&#8217;t reveal much publically, but by now some of you should know through the other means what happened,&#8221; the notice begins.</p>



<p>&#8220;We tried everything in our power to avoid this, to avoid any outage, but enough people worked against us.&#8221;</p>



<p>Being a customer of a service like Vader is not like dealing with HBO or Netflix, so those expecting a clear and definitive explanation for why the service has disappeared will be disappointed. The fact that something &#8220;happened&#8221; isn&#8217;t really up for dispute but precisely what that was remains open to speculation.</p>



<p>TorrentFreak has received as-yet unconfirmed reports that Vader is currently the subject of an anti-piracy investigation, complicated by the departure of a member of staff a while back. We&#8217;ll seek comment from the anti-piracy group implicated before elaborating further.</p>



<p>The notion that Vader is on the radar of content companies will come as a surprise to absolutely no one. In addition to its live TV offering, Vader also offered catchup and many movies on demand, which was understandably problematic for the provider from a Hollywood perspective.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s fairly obvious that Vader was under pressure and that they feared negative consequences from continuing. However, the service has taken the time to reassure customers of all kinds that they will do their best to protect them.</p>



<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re going to make sure, no Email, IP, account + reseller name goes to the wrong hands. Everything will be wiped clean and that&#8217;s all,&#8221; the service&#8217;s statement adds, without further detail.</p>



<p>Anyone Googling the name Vader and IPTV will find themselves confronted with a dazzling array of sites that claim to be Vader. However, many of these sites are operated by &#8220;re-sellers&#8221;. These people generally have access to a &#8216;panel&#8217; operated by the official Vader service which provides tools for them to offer the product to the public, while earning a profit.</p>



<p>Several sources indicate that these panels are no longer available. This claim is supported when accessing many of the sites that act as Vader re-sellers, whose pages dedicated to the product now invariably return 404 &#8220;Not Found&#8221; errors or divert to offerings from other providers.</p>



<p>This in itself is a big issue for those re-sellers. First of all, paying up front for Vader services probably means that they will lose money. Quite how much will depend on the scale of the re-seller but Vader is appealing for them not to pursue their losses.</p>



<p>&#8220;I understand a lot of clients will be pissed and will dispute [try to claim the money back from the source from which it was paid]. We would appreciate if everyone would take the financial losses we are all going to take, as resellers and direct sellers. But we will also understand people who will want [their] money back,&#8221; Vader adds.</p>



<p>The fact that Vader has shut down will send decent-sized ripples across much of the IPTV space. Of course, those behind the service and their re-sellers will take a hit, but everyone who subscribed to the platform faces losing their money too.</p>



<p>Former customers could try claiming the money back from their re-seller but there are already signs that some are seeking to shift their clients to alternative providers. Some are making noises about doing this for free but it&#8217;s possible that other re-sellers will head for the hills.</p>



<p>This is the downside of dealing with IPTV providers and/or re-sellers. The product is essentially a bargain but is subject to termination at any moment. It&#8217;s therefore often accepted that anyone who signs up should make peace with losing their money right from the start but be grateful when any service works as planned. </p>



<p>Signing off, the operators of Vader wish their former customers and re-sellers well. &#8220;May you find a new and welcoming home!&#8221; they conclude.</p>



<p>The big question now is how prepared other providers are for the influx of new subscribers. It&#8217;s not clear how close to capacity the current wave of big providers are operating, or have many subscribers Vaders had, so there could be service issues moving forward. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171947
title: Steal This Show S04E15: The $4.6bn Crypto Ponzi
uri: Steal-This-Show-S04E15-The-4-6bn-Crypto-Ponzi
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/eMyDEDMVAvA/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-113928" src="media/d01749d9.stslogo180.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stslogo180.png" alt="" width="180" height="180">This is the first part of a two-part interview in which Tim Tayshun (AKA Tim Curry) of <a href="http://www.ezcoinaccess.com/">EZCoinAccess</a> discusses taking on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onecoin">OneCoin</a>, the massive crypto Ponzi scheme responsible for bilking investors out of $4.6bn dollars.</p>
<p>We discuss how OneCoin was supposed to work vs. the dismal reality, its colourful cast of leaders and the lengths they went to in order to establish OneCoin as a valuable investment, and the risk OneCoin posed to the growth of Bitcoin itself.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><a href="https://stealthisshow.com">Steal This Show</a> aims to release bi-weekly episodes featuring insiders discussing crypto, privacy, copyright and file-sharing developments. It complements our regular reporting by adding more room for opinion, commentary, and analysis.</p>
<p><strong>Host:</strong> Jamie King</p>
<p><strong>Guest: </strong><a href="https://twitter.com/ezcoinaccess?lang=en">Tim Tayshun </a></p>
<p><center><iframe src="//stealthisshow.com/?lpe-frame=1&amp;lpe-season=4&amp;lpe-episode=15" width="100%" height="180px" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<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><strong>Produced </strong> <em>by </em>Jamie King<br>
<strong>Edited &amp; Mixed</strong> <em>by</em> Lucas Marston<br>
<strong>Original Music</strong> <em>by</em> David Triana<br>
<strong>Web Production</strong> <em>by</em> Eric Barch</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171983
title: We Don’t Have to Travel to Russia to Sue Stream-Rippers, Labels Argue
uri: We-Don-t-Have-to-Travel-to-Russia-to-Sue-Stream-Rippers-Labels-Argu
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/o5puHN3-T6Y/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-117196" src="media/72389cbc.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="196">Last year,&nbsp;a group of prominent record labels&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/major-labels-sue-more-youtube-ripper-sites-180806/">filed a piracy lawsuit</a>&nbsp;against the Russian operator of YouTube-ripping sites FLVTO.biz and 2conv.com.</p>
<p>The labels hoped to shut the sites down, but this effort backfired.</p>
<p>In January, US District Court Judge Claude M. Hilton&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-ripper-wins-dismissal-of-record-labels-us-piracy-lawsuit-190123/">dismissed the case</a>&nbsp;due&nbsp;to a lack of jurisdiction. The Court carefully reviewed how the sites operate and found no evidence that they&nbsp;purposefully targeted either Virginia or the United States.</p>
<p>Many copyright cases against foreign operators result in default judgments. However, this lawsuit transformed into a landmark case that will determine when such operators can be sued in the United States.&nbsp; As such, the record labels <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/stream-ripper-verdict-gives-carte-blanche-to-internet-pirates-record-labels-say-190314/">swiftly appealed</a> the District Court&#8217;s dismissal.</p>
<p>Tofig Kurbanov, the Russian operator of the stream-ripping sites, is not backing off though. With help from his US-based legal team, he maintained that US courts <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/stream-ripper-operator-rejects-record-labels-piracy-hysteria-in-court-190412/">have no jurisdiction over the matter</a>. If the record labels want a legal battle, they should come to Russia instead.</p>
<p>In a reply brief filed at the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit this week, the record labels counter the defense&#8217;s arguments. The operator of the stream-ripping sites argued that his contacts with the U.S. were “random, fortuitous, or attenuated,” but the music companies state that the opposite is true.</p>
<p>The labels note that the site operator knows exactly where all users are located. Millions are in the U.S., and together these people ripped close to 100 million streams last year. Many of these ripped streams were of copyrighted content, the music companies argue.</p>
<p>&#8220;Appellee knows down to the person the geographic location of the 32 million U.S. users and more than half-a-million Virginian users who visited the Flvto.biz and 2conv.com websites in 2018. Those users engaged in almost one hundred million stream-ripping sessions,&#8221; the reply brief reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;During a substantial number of those sessions, the websites transmitted illegal copies of appellants’ sound recordings to users’ home computers in the U.S. and Virginia. Indeed, the United States is appellee’s third largest market globally, both by number of users and number of stream-ripping<br>
sessions conducted.&#8221;</p>
<p>The United States is the third largest market for the stream ripping websites, the labels argue. Not just that, but it&#8217;s also a market that&#8217;s specifically targeted with geo-located advertisements.</p>
<p>In his defense, Kurbanov stressed that the advertisements are outsourced to third-party advertising brokers. However, the labels counter that the website owner willingly hired these and that he, therefore, bears responsibility.</p>
<p>&#8220;Moreover, appellee earns huge revenues from the advertisements his U.S. users view while conducting their stream-ripping sessions—advertisements specifically targeted to users’ geographic location in the U.S. because of the geotargeting technology that appellee uses. Appellee knows full well this geo-targeting is occurring,&#8221; the reply brief reads.</p>
<p>The record labels also point out that the site operator cited various contacts with the U.S. to then argue that, in isolation, these are not sufficient to warrant jurisdiction. However, the rightsholders say that a different picture emerges when all elements are taken together.</p>
<p>Looking at the big picture, a US Court should be allowed to take on this case, the record labels conclude.</p>
<p>The alternative would be to sue the site operator in Russia. This is what the defense has suggested, admitting that this would be somewhat burdensome for the U.S. companies. The record labels, however, believe that would be absurd.</p>
<p>&#8220;In short, nothing in the Constitution requires that U.S. copyright holders travel to Rostov-on-Don, Russia to sue for violations of U.S. law that occur in the United States and that generate huge profits for appellee from ads targeted at U.S. users.</p>
<p>&#8220;The decision of the district court should be reversed,&#8221; the labels add.</p>
<p>It is clear that both sides have a completely different take on the matter and with various rightsholder groups and EFF jumping in as well, the gravity of this case is obvious.</p>
<p>It is now up to the Court of Appeals to weigh the arguments from both sides and come to a conclusion.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</em></p>
<p><em>A copy of the record labels&#8217; reply brief is available <a href="media/4dc40223.flvtoreply.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/flvtoreply.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="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171909
title: Russia Says its ISPs Currently Block More Than 9,500 Pirate Sites
uri: Russia-Says-its-ISPs-Currently-Block-More-Than-9-500-Pirate-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/mLRSjzgpJyo/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/e49204f7.deniedblocked.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/deniedblocked.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-143825"/></figure></div>



<p>On August 1, 2013, Russia implemented new legislation which allowed rightsholders to block video content that had been posted online illegally.</p>



<p>Following amendments, a year later the same protections were extended to other kinds of intellectual property, excluding photographic works.</p>



<p>On May 1, 2015, yet more new rules made it possible for sites to be permanently blocked if they are considered to repeat or persistent infringers. Authorities revealed that around <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/russia-has-permanently-blocked-3400-pirate-resources-180722/">3,400 sites</a> were affected.</p>



<p>Last year, telecoms watchdog Roscomnadzor <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/after-five-years-of-blocking-sites-russias-no-closer-to-beating-piracy-180803/">revealed</a> that around 5,000 were being blocked by local ISPs on copyright grounds. This put the country at the forefront of pirate site blocking worldwide. But the blocking efforts were to continue at an accelerated pace.</p>



<p>This week, to mark six years since the introduction of the original law and five since the amendments that allow most rightsholders to request a blocking order, Roscomnadzor told <a href="https://tass.ru/ekonomika/6395414">TASS</a> that the total of blocked sites has rocketed.</p>



<p>&#8220;To date, Roskomnadzor has processed about 6 thousand complaints at the  Moscow City Court on taking interim [blocking] measures,” a spokesperson from the watchdog told the publication.</p>



<p>This means that more than 9,500 &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites are now blocked in Russia, almost double the amount reported last year. For reference, the United States, Russia&#8217;s fiercest critic when it comes to intellectual property issues, currently blocks zero sites on copyright grounds.</p>



<p>Just last week, Roscomnadzor revealed that it had taken drastic measures in order to protect the new series of Game of Thrones from piracy.</p>



<p>&#8220;Based on the claims of the right holders received by Roskomnadzor, response measures are being taken to restrict access to illegal copies of the foreign series Game of Thrones,&#8221; it said in a statement. </p>



<p>The watchdog revealed that the complaints led it to take action against 327 sites providing access to the infringing content.</p>



<p>While blocking pirate sites is an option in Russia, taking that kind of action against big legal sites such as social networking giant vKontakte isn&#8217;t practical. That&#8217;s why after almost six years of blocking, Eksmo &#8211; one of Russia&#8217;s largest publishers &#8211; <a href="https://www.rbc.ru/technology_and_media/30/04/2019/5cc6ce1a9a794784e0c9e0e3">sued</a> vKontakte last month for the fourth time. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 24.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=170623
title: Hosting Company Suspends Account Over Open Source BitTorrent Software
uri: Hosting-Company-Suspends-Account-Over-Open-Source-BitTorrent-Software
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/R0VWRy5Lz9A/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-79637" src="media/983873e9.bittorrent-crime.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/bittorrent-crime.jpg" alt="" width="222" height="202">Invented by Bram Cohen nearly two decades ago, BitTorrent has established itself as the premier protocol to share large files among a broad audience and minimal cost.</p>
<p>While BitTorrent is used by many pirates, the technology itself is neutral and does a lot of good as well.</p>
<p>In fact, some of the largest tech companies including Facebook, Amazon, and Twitter all embraced it to distribute files within their internal networks.</p>
<p>Still, the pirate stigma is strong. Not without a reason, perhaps, because that remains the primary reason for most people to use it. However, an outright ban on everything torrent related can be a bit much.</p>
<p>A few weeks ago, we were approached by developer &#8220;<a href="https://github.com/maurerr">Maurerr</a>,&#8221; who maintains a repository of Linux packages for an opensource project. The &#8216;<a href="https://github.com/maurerr/Entware-backports">Entware-backports</a>&#8216; project includes over two thousand packages that can be installed on MIPSel routers.</p>
<p>One of the packages is the Open Source <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libtorrent">LibTorrent library</a>, which is widely used by torrent clients including qBittorrent, Deluge, rTorrent, and Tribler. It&#8217;s a basic piece of software that can handle torrent downloads, which isn&#8217;t infringing in any way.</p>
<p>However, when Maurerr uploaded the &#8220;libtorrent.pkg&#8221; to a backup mirror at the free hosting service Profreehost.com, his account was swiftly suspended. Apparently, the hosting service&#8217;s automatic filters flagged it as &#8220;prohibited activity.&#8221;</p>
<p> </p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/06472d21.suspendedhost.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/suspendedhost.png" alt="" class="wp-image-170714"/><figcaption>Suspended</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Apparently, the &#8220;prohibited&#8221; activity was related to the word torrent. The hosting service didn&#8217;t provide much more detail, and when we asked why the LibTorrent package wasn&#8217;t allowed the answer was short but clear.</p>
<p>&#8220;Torrents and <span class="il">torrent</span> related content is strictly prohibited on our service,&#8221; a representative informed us.</p>
<p>Profreehost.com offers a free service and has all the right to ban whatever content they please, of course.&nbsp;Perhaps the company has limited staff or negative experiences with torrent related abuse in the past.</p>
<p>However, in this case, the filter appears a bit broad, to say the least.</p>
<p>This isn&#8217;t the first time the developer ran into an issue with the hosting service. His free account was previously suspended for hosting a binary installer for a &#8216;rutorrent-plugin,&#8217; which isn&#8217;t infringing either.</p>
<p>When Maurerr explained to the hosting company that this software wasn&#8217;t infringing either and that he planned to use it for his open source repository, a representative told him that torrents and warez are not allowed.</p>
<p>Profreehost&#8217;s <a href="https://profreehost.com/terms/">Terms of Service</a> does indeed ban warez, as it should, but we read nothing about a blanket ban on torrent there.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sites must not contain Warez, copyright or other illegal material including links or redirects to copyright material hosted on 3rd party websites / resources.&#8221;</p>
<p>While the hosting company confirmed that anything torrent related is not allowed, we were able to sneak a <em>Torrent</em>Freak logo onto the service. At the time of writing, that <a href="media/fedc65d0.torrentfreak-torrent-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrenttest.unaux.com/torrentfreak-torrent-logo.jpg">remains online</a>.</p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171807
title: At Last, An Anti-Piracy PSA That Doesn’t Use Scare Tactics
uri: At-Last-An-Anti-Piracy-PSA-That-Doesn-t-Use-Scare-Tactics
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/KFb7g5UyS6E/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/5edda7ba.downloadcar.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/downloadcar.png" alt="" class="wp-image-76166"/></figure></div>



<p>Getting the public to stop downloading movies, TV shows, music, software, and other content from the Internet is a huge task.</p>



<p>For at least two decades, the public has been presented with Public Service Announcements (PSA) aimed at doing just that, but nothing seems to do the trick.</p>



<p>Most readers will be familiar with the &#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_vHwfDNGdg">Piracy, It&#8217;s a Crime</a>&#8221; campaign from 2004. It was so over the top it ended up becoming its own meme (before memes had a name) and was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALZZx1xmAzg">eventually lampooned</a> by the IT Crowd.</p>



<p>With this experience in the bank, one would&#8217;ve thought that people producing these PSAs might get the message that scare tactics don&#8217;t work. However, year after year similar ads have appeared, most of which had the same non-effect on the public but perhaps with fewer laughs.</p>



<p>Reaching out to people to prevent them doing what many perceive as a victimless crime is difficult. But even when PSAs focus on this very aspect, that creators and the entertainment industry can suffer due to piracy, few get even close to the mark.</p>



<p>These days much effort seems to be centered around convincing pirates that they&#8217;ll have their devices reduced to virus-infested junk while &#8220;cybercriminals&#8221; pillage their networks and empty their bank accounts. These are classic scare tactics that work no better than most sex infection videos pumped out in the 80s.</p>



<p>The problem is that while in some cases people might indeed experience malware, few pirates know anyone who has experienced such a thing to the degrees stated. That means that once there&#8217;s no evidence to the claims, people simply ignore the entire message and discard it as pure propaganda.</p>



<p>Another issue centers around the over-dramatization of the effects of piracy. Constant claims that films or music won&#8217;t be made anymore is already provably false &#8211; one only has to look around at all the legal services today for evidence of that.</p>



<p>Furthermore, the average pirate really doesn&#8217;t make the connection between piracy and &#8220;real&#8221; crime, a point overlooked by this recent PSA from Film Ireland. It manages to pack in plenty of drama while also threatening the end of the movie industry. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe width="694" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/onIV938Un9w?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>While the above may have some effect on casual pirates, the fact that it currently has less than 400 views on YouTube shows, bluntly, that no one cares about this type of PSA. There are zero comments too, which seems to show that it&#8217;s not even controversial. Cruelly, perhaps, it&#8217;s quite boring.</p>



<p>The problem is that the vast majority of ads and campaigns fail to see the issue of piracy from the user&#8217;s perspective. Hardcore pirates are unlikely to be moved to &#8220;correct&#8221; their ways no matter what they see, but there&#8217;s a huge population of casual and potential pirates that, given a bit of thought, might reconsider.</p>



<p>Given these people make up the bulk of the entire media-consuming public, a new anti-piracy PSA produced by content-awareness group Agorateka in conjunction with the EU Intellectual Property Office caught our attention.</p>



<p>Instead of all the scare tactics, they appear to have sat down and actually considered what the average person (who isn&#8217;t highly proficient in piracy techniques) might encounter when looking for content to watch online. In fact, it doesn&#8217;t mention piracy directly at all and instead focuses on the end goal &#8211; getting people to use legal sites.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe width="694" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fIA0QrqVdZI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>In summary, the PSA seems to suggest that regular Internet users and casual, non-technical pirates have a choice. They can spend a long time looking around trying to sort the wheat from the chaff, or they can go straight to a legal source and enjoy content immediately.</p>



<p>There&#8217;s no malware suggested, no decaying cinemas, no dying actors, and no police raids. Piracy itself doesn&#8217;t even get a mention.</p>



<p>Of course, there will be no shortage of people viewing the video noting that it only takes them a few minutes to find whatever they want on their favorite pirate sites, so this doesn&#8217;t apply. There&#8217;s no arguing with that, but skilled pirates do not make up the bulk of the public.</p>



<p>So what this video attempts to do, it appears, is ask the viewer a simple question &#8211; what do you value more? Is time your most precious commodity or are a few euros, dollars or pounds spent online each month an effective trade? For many, especially those with the cash to spare, time can invariably come out on top.</p>



<p>The message may even ring true with some proficient pirates too.</p>



<p>Many reports show that pirates have access to Netflix or similar services, so it seems unlikely that many will head over to the nearest streaming site or legally questionable platform when the legal variant is so much more simple. Kodi add-ons might be the weapon of choice for some ordinarily, but none guarantee a flawless trip.</p>



<p>In short, the PSA won&#8217;t be for everyone but it&#8217;s definitely not annoying, it&#8217;s non-judgmental, and it doesn&#8217;t come over as propaganda. It merely suggests that an easy and quick alternative to piracy are legal resources and they can be found via the <a href="https://agorateka.eu/ea/">Agorateka portal</a>.</p>



<p>That&#8217;s a great starting point for those who want to prevent people from downloading a car but don&#8217;t want to alienate them. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171511
title: ‘U.S. Hosting Companies Are Most Popular Among Pirate Sites’
uri: U-S-Hosting-Companies-Are-Most-Popular-Among-Pirate-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/V0w9X9kUn1s/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-171871" src="media/6be42d6e.sam.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sam.png" alt="" width="277" height="142">A few days ago the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-govt-identifies-top-pirate-sites-and-other-notorious-markets-190426/">its latest overview</a> of &#8216;notorious markets&#8217;.</p>
<p>The annual publication highlights some of the most problematic &#8216;piracy&#8217; websites, as pointed out by copyright holders. It includes torrent sites, streaming platforms, as well as stream-rippers.</p>
<p>The goal of the list is to motivate foreign governments to take action against these websites. This type of diplomatic pressure is not new. In fact, a similar tactic was used more than a decade ago, when the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/how-the-us-pushed-sweden-to-take-down-the-pirate-bay-171212/">US urged Sweden to take out The Pirate Bay</a>.</p>
<p>The USTR&#8217;s list of &#8216;notorious markets&#8217; also called out hosting providers that do not properly respond to takedown notices. To some, the overall impression may be that pirate sites are mostly hosted by &#8216;shady&#8217; companies operating from &#8216;exotic&#8217; locations. This, however, isn&#8217;t true.</p>
<p>A recent analysis by Volker Rieck and Jörg Weinrich of the German anti-piracy publication <a href="https://webschauder.de/jenseits-von-cloudflare-datacenter-fuer-raubkopien-the-hall-of-shame/">WebSchauder</a> shows that most of the top pirate sites appear to be hosted by US companies</p>
<p>The research looked at the domain names for which Google received most takedown requests, assuming that these are infringing websites. From the top 5,000 domain names, 3,645 were still active, and the authors of the report then looked up where they are hosted.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A massive chunk of these domains, 41.9 percent to be precise, use Cloudflare. While this is a US-based company, it&#8217;s not technically a hosting service, and for outsiders, it&#8217;s hard to identify the true hosting locations of these sites.</p>
<p>That leaves a little over 2,000 domain names. The WebSchauder authors determined the hosting provider for each of these, which resulted in some rather interesting findings.</p>
<p>As it turns out, more than a third of all the remaining &#8216;pirate&#8217; domains were hosted by US companies. This applies to the public facing front of the sites but data may also be hosted elsewhere. Amazon is the most popular US-based host, with 7.1% of the non-Cloudflare domains, followed by Confluence Networks and NameCheap, with 6% and 4% respectively.&nbsp;</p>
<p></p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/e16d0711.hallofshame3-300x300.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/hallofshame3-300x300.png" alt="" class="wp-image-171885"/></figure></div>


<p>And then there&#8217;s Europe. Following in the footsteps of the US, the EU also launched its <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/new-eu-piracy-watchlist-targets-key-pirate-sites-and-cloudflare-181210/">own notorious markets report</a>, again, highlighting pirate websites that are presumably the responsibility of foreign authorities. However, it turns out that many pirate sites are also hosted in the EU.</p>
<p>The most popular host of all &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites is the Dutch hosting provider LeaseWeb, with more than 13% of the sites, 289 to be precise. It&#8217;s no surprise that the Netherlands is in second spot, behind the US, looking at the headquarter location of the hosting companies.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/91276dc6.hallofshameTab2.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/hallofshameTab2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-171884"/></figure></div>


<p>Together, WebSchauder found that hosting providers in the US and the Netherlands are good for 59% of all the non-Cloudflare protected &#8216;pirate&#8217; site domain names.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Of course, hosting companies are not automatically liable for everything their clients do. When they categorically ignore complaints, they may be held liable, but that&#8217;s something a court must decide. As such, it may be perfectly fine to host these sites.</p>
<p>Still, it&#8217;s odd that the US and the EU keep pointing fingers at other countries when the majority of the pirate sites are hosted in their jurisdictions. This is welcome ammunition for rightsholders and sites such as WebSchauder.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;Both the EU and the US should first sweep their own farm before complaining again and again in long reports of notorious disturbers abroad,&#8221; the WebSchauder report reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;The problem of unregulated distribution does not take place exclusively in exotic countries but predominantly in Western Europe and the USA. If you want to solve it, you have to start here and finally assign responsibility to the datacenters.&#8221;</p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172007
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 05/06/19
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-05-06-19
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-S8riqcC4j0/
content:
<p><img class="alignright  wp-image-171803" src="media/3e873293.avengersend.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/avengersend.png" alt="" width="280" height="186">This week we have two newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Avengers: Endgame 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>&nbsp;for the articles of the recent weekly movie download charts.</p>
<h5>This week&#8217;s most downloaded movies are:</h5>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Movie Rank</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>Rank <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-the-week-on-bittorrent-04-29-19/">last week</a></strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie name</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Most downloaded movies via torrents</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/">Avengers: Endgame</a> (HDCam)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/">9.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcMBFSGVi1c">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5719748/">Cold Pursuit</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5719748/">6.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C2Nad0aMPg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6823368">Glass</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6823368">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBL6COBGjCA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477834/">Aquaman</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477834/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmqJJqFX_CU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2481498/">Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile </a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2481498/">6.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdMtnvMJcDA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/">Avengers: Infinity War</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/">8.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZfuNTqbHE8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7634968/">What Men Want</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7634968/">4.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeoLiTirRp4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/">Captain Marvel</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LHxvxdRnYc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5886046/">Escape Room</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5886046/">6.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dSKUoV0SNI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2386490/">How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2386490/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLTDtbYmdWM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=171849
title: Mobdro: Malware Allegations Are False and Misleading
uri: Mobdro-Malware-Allegations-Are-False-and-Misleading
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/mB8ez3mizDs/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/36ed2a80.Mobdro-APK.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/Mobdro-APK.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-171851"/></figure></div>



<p style="text-align:left">Late April the Digital Citizens Alliance, which regularly campaigns against online piracy, published results of a study into &#8216;pirate&#8217; online streaming apps.</p>



<p>Carried out by network security company Dark Wolfe Consulting, the report placed focus on popular Android-based streaming app Mobdro.</p>



<p>The report <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mobdro-pirate-streaming-app-slammed-in-malware-report-190425/">claimed</a> that Mobdro carries out a number of malicious acts, including the stealing of wifi names and passwords. It also allegedly accessed other media content and legitimate apps on the researchers&#8217; network. According to the study, Mobdro acted in other suspicious ways too, ones not authorized by the user.</p>



<p>Over the past several days, TorrentFreak put every single allegation to the developers behind the official Mobdro software who were happy to answer our questions. In short, they either completely dispute or give explanations for every claim made against them.</p>



<p><strong>TF:</strong> Does Mobdro attempt to steal users&#8217; wifi names and passwords?</p>



<p><strong>Mobdro: </strong>It&#8217;s impossible that our app reads wifi passwords because first of all, it is impossible for an Android app to read wifi passwords or any sensitive system data without the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooting_(Android)">device being rooted</a>. So the user would have to root his device first, so that statement is completely ridiculous.</p>



<p>Basically, no Android application can read files outside of its working directory. In the case of wifi passwords, they are stored in the /data directory of the Android device. This folder is not readable unless you have a rooted [device], because it&#8217;s a protected system directory.</p>



<p><strong>TF:</strong>  To be clear, does Mobdro attempt to get a wifi password from a rooted device?</p>



<p><strong>Mobdro:</strong> No, the app does no attempt to get wifi passwords on any device. Rooted or non-rooted, the app does not try to get any wifi password. It can be shown via a simple test. Get a rooted device and if Mobdro tries to read protected data, then the rooted device would prompt you to allow or disallow Mobdro root access. As simple as that.</p>



<p>But the burden of proving something does not rely on us, it relies on [the researchers]. They should prove that the app does what they accuse us of doing.</p>



<p><strong>TF:</strong> The researchers&#8217; next big claim is that Mobdro tried to access media content and other legitimate apps on the researchers&#8217; network. Is that true?</p>



<p><strong>Mobdro:</strong>  The only permission required in the app is to access external storage [TF note: An earlier permission to access location is no longer required]. [The external storage] permission is used to save updates in the external storage of the device because Android only allows installations of APKs when they are located in external storage (for off-store apps like Mobdro).</p>



<p>Also, this permission is used to download/cast streams when the user chooses to do that. Unfortunately, Google gives the read external storage permission a name that leads to confusion, like the app could access your files and modify them etc. But the folder [Mobdro] accesses is a folder located under /sdcard/Mobdro where it downloads APK updates, streams or files necessary for casting.</p>



<p><strong>TF:</strong> The researchers say that Mobdro &#8220;port knocks&#8221; which they explain as a &#8220;process to look for other active malware.&#8221; They also said Mobdro accepted commands but admitted that since they were &#8220;either encrypted or encoded&#8221; it made it &#8220;difficult to analyze for infection.&#8221; What are they talking about?</p>



<p><strong>Mobdro:</strong> To protect against unofficial versions [TF note: Mobdro is often cloned and modified by third-parties] we have some anti-tampering measures. One of them was to detect the presence on the user device of the <a href="https://www.frida.re/">Frida toolkit</a>.</p>



<p>This is a kit used by &#8216;crackers&#8217; to remove the SSL certificate we use to [securely] communicate with the servers that host the API. When they break this protection they then release their unofficial versions.</p>



<p>In past versions (prior to 2.1.34) we tried to detect the presence of the Frida toolkit in the user device and one of the methods to try to detect Frida was to try to connect to the port that Frida uses in the device. If a connection was succesful we enabled <a href="http://www.vantagepoint.sg/blog/90-the-jiu-jitsu-of-detecting-frida">anti-tampering measures</a>.</p>



<p>In newer versions, we no longer have these anti-tampering measures because we found a way to make it very difficult to break the SSL protection within the app.</p>



<p><strong>TF:</strong> The study claims suggests that Mobdro can receive potentially malicious commands &#8220;through movie streams&#8221;. What&#8217;s the official response to that claim?</p>



<p><strong>Mobdro:</strong> We don&#8217;t know what they are talking about here. Some commands from a movie stream….encrypted…Does not make sense to us to be honest. </p>



<p>When Mobdro gets a video stream, it fires a video player that uses the FFmpeg API and that&#8217;s it. The result is the stream being displayed on the phone, tablet or Android TV.</p>



<p><strong>TF:</strong> The study says that it&#8217;s also possible for a “threat actor” to log in to a user’s device via Mobdro and then navigate away from the device to the Internet, effectively posing as the user online.</p>



<p>In our initial report, we noted that this is probably referencing Mobdro&#8217;s use of the Luminati network, as used by the proxy app Hola, something highlighted in Mobdro&#8217;s EULA. Anything to add?</p>



<p><strong>Mobdro:</strong> We have included a mode called NO ADS mode, in which the user accepts to be a peer in the Luminati Network. The default mode is and will be ADS mode.</p>



<p>If the user does not want to see ads, the user has the possibility to not see them in exchange for their network resources under certain circumstances that are explained before accepting to be a peer. The user has to click and accept the Luminati EULA that is prompted when the user clicks on &#8216;remove ads&#8217; before enabling the NO ADS mode. </p>



<p><strong>Mobdro final comment:</strong> We are busy enough trying to keep the app afloat without doing these crazy things that they accuse us of. But again, they should show the proofs that the app is doing these crazy things.</p>



<p>What they describe maybe could be done if we were founded by a government [agency] like the CIA or the Mossad and we were looking to infect and destroy nuclear centrifuges. <em>[END]</em></p>



<p>Whether the researchers will provide more information to back up their claims remains to be seen. If the source material that led them to publish the claims against Mobdro (and indeed other applications) was made publicly available, it would certainly help to clear up the confusion and ambiguity.</p>



<p>It would also allow anti-virus and anti-malware companies to do their own analysis and publish their findings too. Currently, we are not aware that Mobdro triggers malware warnings with leading vendors, which either means it doesn&#8217;t contain malware, or these products are missing something serious.</p>



<p>At this point, it&#8217;s down to simple faith as to who one believes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172017
title: RIAA Obtains Subpoena to Expose ‘Infringing’ Cloudflare Users
uri: RIAA-Obtains-Subpoena-to-Expose-Infringing-Cloudflare-Users
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/XEiFUdJFpq4/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-137767" src="media/c84f558d.cloudflarelogo.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/cloudflarelogo.png" alt="" width="260" height="135">Despite the increased availability of legal options, millions of people still stream, rip, or download MP3s from unofficial sources.</p>
<p>These sites are a thorn in the side of the RIAA, one of the music industry&#8217;s leading anti-piracy outfits.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The RIAA has a long history of going after, what it sees as, pirate sites. The problem, however, is that many owners of such sites operate anonymously. The group, therefore, often has to turn to third-party intermediaries to find out more.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While some services may be willing to voluntarily share information with the music industry group, many don&#8217;t. Cloudflare falls into the latter category. While the CDN service does voluntarily reveal the true hosting locations of some of its users, it doesn&#8217;t share any personal info. At least, not without a subpoena.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Luckily for rightsholders, getting a subpoena isn&#8217;t very hard in the US. <a href="https://www.chillingeffects.org/topics/25">Under the DMCA</a>, copyright holders only have to ask a court clerk for a signature to be able to demand the personal information of alleged copyright infringers. That&#8217;s exactly what the RIAA did last week.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In a letter sent by Mark McDevitt, the RIAA&#8217;s vice president of online anti-piracy, the music group informs Cloudflare that it requests personal details including names, addresses and payment information relating to the operators of six domains, which are all Cloudflare users.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/532f6787.cfriaa.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/cfriaa.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172028"/><figcaption>The domains/URLs</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>The domains in question include those connected to the file-hosting site DBREE,&nbsp; music release site RapGodFathers, file-host AyeFiles, and music download portal Plus Premieres. The sites are accused of sharing copyrighted tracks from artists such as Pink, Drake, and Taylor Swift.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have determined that users of your system or network have infringed our member record companies’ copyrighted sound recordings. Enclosed is a subpoena compliant with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act,&#8221; the RIAA&#8217;s McDevitt writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;As is stated in the attached subpoena, you are required to disclose to the RIAA information sufficient to identify the infringers. This would include the individuals’ names, physical addresses, IP addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, payment information, account updates and account history.&#8221;</p>
<p>The RIAA stresses that the mentioned files are offered without permission and it asks Cloudflare to consider the widespread and repeated infringing nature of the sites and whether these warrant a termination under its repeat infringer policy.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/11acbcb1.riaapaine.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/riaapaine.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172024"/><figcaption>From the letter RIAA sent to Cloudflare</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>At the time of writing the sites are still using Cloudflare&#8217;s services. However, the allegedly infringing files are no longer available. These were presumably removed by the site owners.</p>
<p>There is no obvious connection between all the targeted sites. However, RapGodFathers is a familiar name when it comes to anti-piracy enforcement. Nearly ten years ago, the site was<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-governments-pirate-domain-seizures-failed-miserably-110403/"> targeted by the U.S. Government</a>, but the name is still around today.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>It is unclear what RIAA plans to do with the requested information. It could form the basis of a legal complaint, but the music group may also use it to contact the site operators more directly. The letter only mentions that the information will be used to protect the rights of RIAA member companies.</p>
<p>&#8220;The purpose for which this subpoena is sought is to obtain the identities of the individuals assigned to these websites who have reproduced and have offered for distribution our members’ copyrighted sound recordings without their authorization.</p>
<p>&#8220;This information will only be used for the purposes of protecting the rights granted to our members, the sound recording copyright owner, under Title II of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act,&#8221; the letter adds.</p>
<p>What this &#8220;protection&#8221; entails remains a mystery for now.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While the court clerk signed the DMCA subpoena, Cloudflare still has the option to object, by asking the court to quash it. However, thus far there are no signs that the company plans to do so.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</em></p>
<p><em>A copy of the letter RIAA sent to Cloudflare, obtained by TorrentFreak, is <a href="media/f235103a.riaa-cf.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/riaa-cf.pdf">available here (pdf)</a>.</em></p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172050
title: MPAA “Dramatically Expanding” ACE Global Anti-Piracy Coalition
uri: MPAA-Dramatically-Expanding-ACE-Global-Anti-Piracy-Coalition
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zADOlbkd7kE/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/1a4a8e6c.ace-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/ace-logo.jpg" alt="The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, the anti-piracy coalition which already counts 33 of the world's most powerful media companies among its members, is about to get even bigger. MPAA chief Charles Rivkin confirms that his group is in the process of &quot;dramatically&quot; expanding the global initiative." class="wp-image-140379"/></figure></div>



<p>For more than 15 years and mainly since the rise of BitTorrent-based sharing, sites and platforms offering Hollywood movies or TV shows have been wary of the MPAA.</p>



<p>At any moment, BitTorrent trackers and indexers could find themselves in the group&#8217;s crosshairs, targeted by full-blown lawsuits or threats that the same would follow, if infringing activity continued.</p>



<p>But while the threat was real, litigation has always been expensive, sometimes prohibitively so. Furthermore, video content being shared by pirates wasn&#8217;t always owned by the studios of the MPAA, allowing many sites to slip through the net.</p>



<p>In June 2017, the MPAA began plugging both of these loopholes with the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/global-entertainment-giants-form-massive-anti-piracy-coalition-170613/">launch</a> of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a huge anti-piracy coalition featuring not only MPAA members, but companies like Amazon, Netflix, CBS, HBO, and the BBC. </p>



<p>After adding Discovery Inc. and two Viacom-owned companies back in March, ACE now has <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ace-expands-anti-piracy-coalition-with-discovery-viacom-companies/">33 members.</a> This not only means that it&#8217;s becoming more and more difficult to run a &#8216;pirate&#8217; video platform or service without treading on at least one member&#8217;s toes, but there are almost three dozen large to huge companies now sharing the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/inside-the-mpaa-netflix-amazon-global-anti-piracy-alliance-170918/">financial burden</a> of chasing down pirates.</p>



<p>Now, according to MPAA chief Charles Rivkin, ACE is about to become even more powerful.</p>



<p>In an interview with <a href="https://worldscreen.com/mpaas-charles-rivkin-talks-piracy-protecting-artistic-creative-freedoms/">WorldScreen</a>, Rivkin detailed some of ACE&#8217;s achievements so far, such as <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/123movies-was-shut-down-following-a-criminal-investigation-181005/">shutting down 123Movies</a> and taking on <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ace-scores-legal-victory-and-wins-25m-piracy-damages-from-tickbox-180911/">TickBox</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-studios-agree-to-settle-piracy-lawsuit-with-dragon-box/">Dragon Box</a>, companies operating in the so-called ISD (illicit streaming device) market. A case against Omniverse is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ace-sues-cord-cutting-service-omniverse-for-copyright-infringement/">still ongoing</a>.</p>



<p>&#8220;We were able to win in court against pirate operators called TickBox and Dragon Box, and they represent a new threat: the internet streaming devices, the ISDs, that are basically devices that can be purchased completely legally but when loaded with illegal software, can do enormous damage to content. It’s a never-ending fight, but we’re starting to make a big difference,&#8221; he said.</p>



<p>&#8220;And it’s an existential threat for some of the small and medium businesses that make up the industry. I was speaking to some broadcasters in Paris who said that piracy can be as big as their entire bottom line. And the impact on entertainment companies is huge, so this is a top priority for us.&#8221;</p>



<p>That Rivkin mentions 123Movies (Vietnam), then Tickbox and Dragon Box (United States), followed by France (Canal+ is an ACE member), shows that the fight against piracy is going global. ACE has already targeted several Kodi-related platforms and add-ons in the UK since its inception, yet another sign that no important region is off-limits.</p>



<p>If there is business worth doing there, ACE either has it covered already or will have it in hand fairly soon.</p>



<p>&#8220;Every major market has a participating member. We’re in the process of dramatically expanding [ACE] even more. It is already the premier global effort to reduce piracy,&#8221; Rivkin added.</p>



<p>How this expansion will manifest itself is not yet clear, but it seems likely that ACE will continue with its strategy of &#8216;loud&#8217; public litigation (such as that taken against TickBox and Dragon Box) and selective &#8216;quiet&#8217; action against certain players.</p>



<p>Last month, ACE <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ace-sees-piracy-reduction-efforts-pay-off-but-work-is-not-done-yet-190422/">told</a> TorrentFreak that it had &#8220;sought and obtained voluntary cooperation from a significant number of owners, operators, and developers of sites, add-ons, and services&#8221; that facilitate piracy.</p>



<p>&#8220;We will execute more planned global actions along these lines and look to continue our success protecting creators around the world,” ACE spokesperson Richard VanOrnum added.</p>



<p>These &#8216;quiet&#8217; actions are of course intriguing.</p>



<p>From the limited information available to us, it seems clear that they vastly outnumber the volume of &#8216;loud&#8217; actions seen thus far and mainly target products with a large audience (Kodi add-ons and builds, for example) but without the obvious commercial element of many &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites and services.</p>



<p>However, we have received information which suggests that large platforms may not be immune from being presented with settlement agreements, which form part of the process to cease-and-desist.</p>



<p>This complicates reporting because documentation previously seen by TF requires those targeted <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/why-kodi-addons-pirate-apps-are-disappearing-quietly-180923/">not to tell anyone</a> apart from their lawyers about the approach to shut down. In return, ACE promises not to make their identities known, meaning that details shared are kept to a minimum.</p>



<p>For example, last week huge IPTV service <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vader-large-pirate-iptv-service-shuts-down-promises-to-protect-customers-190503/">Vader shut down</a>, stating that it had been approached by companies seeking its closure. The platform didn&#8217;t mention ACE directly but if anyone would like them to close down, ACE would be the prime candidate.</p>



<p>We asked ACE if the coalition was behind the closure and a spokesperson promised to send over a statement. Thus far, however, we haven&#8217;t received anything back. While a comment may yet be forthcoming, an additional document sent to TF (the veracity of which we haven&#8217;t been able to independently confirm), suggests that Vader has been given the opportunity to settle.</p>



<p>If that&#8217;s indeed the case, the matter could potentially disappear into the ether, as so many other services and tools have also done in recent times. Either way, we can probably expect much more of this type of action in the future, as ACE&#8217;s &#8220;drastic&#8221; expansion brings in more funds and tentacles in every corner of the world.</p>



<p> </p>



<p> </p>



<p> </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172045
title: NBA and UFC Urge U.S. Lawmakers to Criminalize Streaming Piracy
uri: NBA-and-UFC-Urge-U-S-Lawmakers-to-Criminalize-Streaming-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Rm4gE2gsNkU/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-80208" src="media/07f04ed3.piracy-crime.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/piracy-crime.jpg" alt="" width="222" height="140">Under U.S. law, streaming and downloading piracy are seen as two different offenses. Not just from a technical point of view, but also in the way they are punished.</p>
<p>Unauthorized streaming is categorized as a public performance instead of distribution, which is punishable as a misdemeanor, not a felony.</p>
<p>Lawmakers tried to change this with the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_S.978">Commercial Felony Streaming Act</a> in 2011, and later with the SOPA and PIPA bills. These bills were met with public outrage and didn&#8217;t pass.</p>
<p>As a result, the gap between streaming and traditional file-sharing still remains today. However, calls to change this continue to resurface, especially now that streaming piracy is much more prevalent than file-sharing and downloading.</p>
<p>During a hearing at the Senate Committee on the Judiciary last week, two major US sports organizations renewed their calls to criminalize streaming.</p>
<p>Among the speakers were <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-potenza-bb55821/">Michael Potenza</a>, vice president and intellectual property counsel for the NBA, as well as <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/riche-mcknight-9b0a0735/">Riché McKnight</a>, who&#8217;s the Global Head Of Litigation at the UFC&#8217;s parent company Endeavor. Both sounded the alarm bell about streaming piracy, live streaming in particular.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Potenza informed the <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/subcommittees/subcommittee-on-intellectual-property">subcommittee on Intellectual Property</a> that his organization relies on streaming and that it has benefited from the technological advancements that were made in recent years. However, these same technologies are abused by pirates.</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">To fight streaming piracy, the NBA has implemented a multi-pronged approach, of which takedown notices are an important part. The sports league uses a combination of human reviewers and technology to spot illegal broadcasts and tries to shut these down as soon as possible. Unfortunately, many of these reappear soon after.</span></p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;Even when the NBA is successful in shutting down an illegal streaming website or social media accounts, continued vigilance during all live</span> <span class="fontstyle0">games is important, as the illegal streams often reappear at a new domain extension or social media account,&#8221; Potenza said.&nbsp;</span></p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/c42d3a27.potenzaw.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/potenzaw.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-172063"/><figcaption> <br>NBA&#8217;s Mr. Michael Potenza</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>In some cases, illegal streams are operated or promoted by criminal enterprises. These sell dedicated pirate streaming boxes, unauthorized subscriptions, or offer web-based streaming portals. These dedicated streams can be virtually impossible to shut down, as they are hosted by companies that ignore takedown notices.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some of these bad actors actively promote non-compliance with DMCA notices as a reason to sign-up for their &#8216;DMCA Ignored Hosting&#8217; services. Platforms that utilize these services and fail to respond to take down notices in a timely manner do so intentionally,&#8221; Potenza noted.&nbsp;</p>
<p>McKnight shared many of the same concerns. He pointed out that UFC events are severely impacted by piracy and hinted that social media and other digital platforms should step up their game. This includes terminating accounts of known infringers, but these companies could do more.</p>
<p>&#8220;In addition, digital platforms should consider sending out piracy notices to their users before live <span class="fontstyle0">events — or if that is not feasible, then at least periodically — reminding them that piracy is illegal. Much like the copyright notices at the start of a movie, these warnings can remind law-abiding viewers that unauthorized streaming is illegal,&#8221; McKnight said.</span></p>
<p>Another common theme was a renewed call to criminalize online streaming. Both witnesses said that this could help to deter people from getting involved in the pirate streaming business.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;Without a real fear of criminal prosecution, pirates are emboldened to continue engaging in illegal activity to distribute sports content &#8211; whether it is manufacturing and selling ISDs or operating an illegal streaming service,&#8221; NBA&#8217;s Potenza said.</span></p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;It is important to revise the criminal law to recognize illegal streaming of copyrighted content as a felony, which would provide a more effective way to deter illegal streaming,&#8221; he added.</span></p>
<p>This call was backed by Endeavor&#8217;s Global Head Of Litigation, who added that criminalizing streaming could motivate other countries to follow suit.</p>
<p>&#8220;Strengthening the penalties will deter illegal streaming and increase the likelihood of prosecutors bringing these cases to court. In addition, it will send a message to the rest of the world that the United States takes this issue seriously, and will provide other countries an incentive to take similar actions,&#8221; McKnight noted.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/0f646c3c.knightqw.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/knightqw.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-172062"/><figcaption> <br>Endeavor&#8217;s (UFC) Mr. Riché McKnight</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>While the NBA and the UFC&#8217;s parent company agree that penalties for streaming should be similar to those of other forms of piracy, both witnesses stressed that this criminalization should target organized operations, not casual users.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;I would clarify that, in terms of proportionality, we&#8217;re not seeking these types of penalties for people who simply log onto a pirated stream. Or even just for people who upload a pirated stream or two onto a social media platform,&#8221; McKnight said.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think the casual viewer who&#8217;s streaming a game in his or her own home shouldn&#8217;t be subject to felony liability, or even misdemeanor liability,&#8221; Potenza added.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>
<p>Interestingly, the subcommittee Chairman, Senator Thom Tillis, jumped in at this point noting that he believes some penalties are warranted. Just the other day, he was tempted to look for a pirated copy of Game of Thrones, and potential penalties could motivate people to turn to legal sources more often.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m a Game of Thrones fan and I missed the Sunday night episode. Fortunately, I have HBO on demand, so I caught up last night, but there was a temptation for me to go out on the internet and see if I can find some way to get it. I didn&#8217;t do it, but if I had, I think it would have been fair if I had some minor penalty,&#8221; Tillis said.</p>
<p>&#8220;That may at least make the general public a little bit more mindful that if you get caught you&#8217;re going to pay for it. You need to be aware of that and make sure that you&#8217;re going to sites that are legally disseminating the information. I don&#8217;t want to completely let the consuming public off the hook,&#8221; the Senator added.</p>
<p>Based on this response, it seems that there is at least some support in Congress to criminalize unauthorized streaming. However, for now, there are no concrete proposals on the table yet.</p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172095
title: Ukraine Cyberpolice Raid Pirate Sites, Detain Government Employee
uri: Ukraine-Cyberpolice-Raid-Pirate-Sites-Detain-Government-Employee
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/U9Gr6yGuC3k/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright is-resized"><img src="media/f9b2d3b6.national.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/national.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172113" width="250" height="250"/></figure></div>



<p>During April the Ukrainian government announced the launch of “<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ukrainian-cyberpolice-unit-announces-launch-of-operation-pirates-1904116/">Operation Pirates</a>”, an anti-piracy initiative aimed at tackling the rising threat of online piracy.</p>



<p>“We must learn how to respect intellectual works, because at first glance, watching a videotape on a pirate resource does not pose any threat to the security of society,” said Ukrainian cyberpolice chief Sergey Demedyuk.</p>



<p>A memorandum accompanying the initiative was signed by Starlight Media (Ukraine’s largest broadcasting group), Media Group Ukraine (one of the largest media holding companies), TV channel Studio 1 + 1, Discovery Networks, IFPI-member Music Industry Association of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Anti-Piracy Association.</p>



<p>Since the launch of the campaign, no pirate sites have been reported as fallen. This week, however, police announced that they had successfully taken down four video streaming platforms.</p>



<p>The main casualty was kinogo.co.ua, a site specializing in movies and TV shows. It was one of the most popular sites of its kind in Ukraine. According to <a href="https://www.similarweb.com/website/kinogo.co.ua">SimilarWeb</a> data, the site was good for around 500,000 daily visits in the month before its demise.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="media/57c7daba.kinogo.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kinogo.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172122" width="600"/></figure></div>



<p>Close to 84% of the site&#8217;s traffic came from Ukraine, with many of those visitors also going on to visit UAFilm.top, a pirate site operating in the same niche receiving around 100,000 daily visits.</p>



<p>These sites, along with the recently-launched kino-hd.top (200,000 daily visits) and the relatively small kino-hd.top, were all shuttered in the latest operation. Police targeted the location from where the sites were administered and the home addresses of the suspects.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="media/5213a111.kinohd.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kinohd.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-172123" width="600"/><figcaption><em>Image: Ukraine Cyberpolice</em></figcaption></figure></div>



<p>According to Ukraine&#8217;s cyberpolice unit, the operators of all four platforms were two brothers, aged 38 and 32, from the Dnipropetrovsk region in eastern Ukraine.</p>



<p>Interestingly, one of the men is reported as working for the government&#8217;s State Fiscal Service, which handles taxes, customs, and the fight against tax and customs fraud. As a result, officers also reportedly carried out a search at the suspect&#8217;s place of employment, seizing equipment.</p>



<p>As is common with the majority of similar platforms worldwide, the four now-defunct streaming sites are said to have generated revenue via advertising. No exact figures have been released but the authorities suggest income of several thousand dollars per month.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="media/36a1bf3d.ukraine-police-1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/ukraine-police-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-172126" width="600"/><figcaption><em>Image: Ukraine Cyberpolice</em></figcaption></figure></div>



<p>Police say that a pre-trial investigation under Part 3 of <a href="http://www.intellect.ua/eng/copyright/law/code/criminalcode/176">Article 176</a> of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which deals with copyright and other intellectual property rights violations, is underway. If found guilty, the brothers face fines or imprisonment of up to six years.</p>



<p>In earlier operations carried out this year, Ukrainian authorities shut down more than <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ukraine-cyberpolice-shut-down-dozens-of-pirate-sites-190204/">60 pirate sites</a>, most operating in the streaming sector.</p>



<p>Meanwhile, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has opted to keep Ukraine on its latest <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-places-36-countries-on-annual-piracy-watchlist-190429/">Priority Watch List</a> published last month.</p>



<p>&#8220;Online piracy remains a significant problem in Ukraine and fuels piracy in other markets,&#8221; the report reads. </p>



<p>&#8220;Pirated films generated from illegal camcording and made available online cause particular damage to the market for first-run movies. In addition, inadequate enforcement continues to raise concerns among IP stakeholders in Ukraine.&#8221; </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172075
title: Cox Will Share Names of ‘Pirating’ Business Subscribers With Record Labels
uri: Cox-Will-Share-Names-of-Pirating-Business-Subscribers-With-Recor
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/QLcGDeo6h14/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-172081" src="media/181e573b.coxb.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/coxb.png" alt="" width="267" height="193">Last summer, Cox ended its piracy liability lawsuit with music company BMG, agreeing to a “<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-pays-substantial-settlement-to-end-repeat-infringer-piracy-lawsuit-180827/">substantial settlement</a>.”</p>
<p>That didn&#8217;t mean an end to the ISP&#8217;s legal trouble though. Cox remains caught up in <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/record-labels-file-billion-dollar-piracy-lawsuit-against-isp-cox-180802/">another lawsuit</a>&nbsp;filed by a group of major music labels, all members of the RIAA.</p>
<p>The labels argue that Cox categorically failed to terminate repeat copyright infringers and that it substantially profited from this ongoing ‘piracy’ activity. All at the expense of the record labels and other rightsholders.</p>
<p>Most of these alleged copyright-infringers are situated in regular households. However, Cox also offers Internet connections to business clients and many of these &#8211; <span class="fontstyle0">2,793 to be precise &#8211;</span>&nbsp;were also flagged as pirates.</p>
<p>This essentially means that the ISP received copyright infringement notices for activity that took place on the IP-addresses that were assigned to these companies. This is a group of customers the RIAA labels are particularly interested in.&nbsp;</p>
<p>During discovery, the labels have asked Cox to identify these business subscribers. The ISP initially only shared some billing and payment data, but that was not enough for the music companies, which want names and addresses as well.&nbsp;</p>
<p>This is a rather broad request that we haven&#8217;t seen before, one that puts the Internet provider in a tough spot. Not least because handing over personal data of customers without a court order goes against its privacy policy.</p>
<p>This week Cox and the labels submitted a proposed stipulated order in which the ISP agrees to hand over the information. There doesn&#8217;t appear to have been any opposition from the ISP, but both parties request a signed court order to address the privacy policy restrictions.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The order, swiftly signed by U.S. District Court Judge Liam O&#8217;Grady, requires the ISP to identify the 2,793 business subscribers for which it received copyright infringement notices between February 1, 2013 and November 26, 2014.</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;It is hereby stipulated and agreed by and between Plaintiffs and Cox that Cox shall make reasonable efforts to notify the Business Subscribers, within five days of entry of this Stipulated Order, of Cox’s intent to disclose their name and contact information to Plaintiffs pursuant to this Order,&#8221; it reads.</span></p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/51421114.coxorder-1.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/coxorder-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172105"/><figcaption>From the order</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>The order also requires Cox to alert the affected business subscribers, who will then have the option to protest the decision. If that doesn&#8217;t happen, the personal information will be handed over to the labels.</p>
<p>The names and addresses of the business subscribers won&#8217;t be made public, as they fall under an earlier signed <a href="media/6fd4dd84.gov.uscourts.vaed.393187.58.0_3.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.393187/gov.uscourts.vaed.393187.58.0_3.pdf">protective order</a>. This states that any personal information of subscribers is classified as &#8220;highly confidential&#8221; data which means that it&#8217;s for attorneys&#8217; eyes only.</p>
<p>While the paperwork is in order, one burning question remains. Why are the RIAA labels interested in knowing which businesses were flagged for copyright infringement?</p>
<p>There are no signs that any of these companies will be pursued individually.&nbsp; What is clear, however, is that the music companies see the information as substantial evidence that will help to argue their case. Time will tell what the exact purpose is.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</em></p>
<p><em>A copy of the stipulated order to product identifying information concerning certain Cox business subscribers is available <a href="media/bcc3a7e4.coxorder-1.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/coxorder-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="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172161
title: Judge: IP-Address Doesn’t Locate or Identify a BitTorrent Pirate
uri: Judge-IP-Address-Doesn-t-Locate-or-Identify-a-BitTorrent-Pirate
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Gyg1Bq2q31U/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-128649" src="media/3ccff08c.ipaddress-ip-address.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/ipaddress-ip-address.png" alt="" width="250" height="158">Since the start of this decade, hundreds of thousands of alleged BitTorrent pirates have been sued by so-called ‘copyright trolls’ in the United States.</p>
<p>The select group of rightsholders that file these cases generally rely on an IP address as evidence. They then ask the courts to grant a subpoena, ordering Internet providers to hand over the personal details of the associated account holder.</p>
<p>While some judges have refused to do so in the past, many District Courts still issue these subpoenas. However, over the years judges have grown more skeptical about the provided evidence. This includes Florida District Court Judge Ursula Ungaro.</p>
<p>In February, Judge Ungaro was assigned a case filed by the adult entertainment company &#8220;Strike 3 Holdings,&#8221; which has <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-online-piracy-lawsuits-hit-a-record-high-last-year-190104/">filed hundreds of lawsuits</a> over the past several months.</p>
<p>The company accused IP-address “72.28.136.217” of sharing its content through BitTorrent without permission. The Judge, however, was reluctant to issue a subpoena. She asked the company how the use of geolocation and other technologies could reasonably pinpoint the identity and location of the alleged infringer.</p>
<p>Responding to this order to show cause, Strike 3 explained that it used <span class="fontstyle0">Maxmind&#8217;s database to link the IP-address to Internet provider Cogeco and a location in Southern Florida.&nbsp; According to Maxmind, its IP address tracing service is roughly 95% accurate in the US, so the rightsholder is confident that it filed the case in the right court.<br>
</span></p>
<p>Strike 3 further admitted that, at this point, it doesn&#8217;t know whether the account holder is the actual copyright infringer. However, the company believes that this is the most plausible target and says it will try to find out more once the identity of the person in question is revealed.</p>
<p>That was not good enough for Judge Ungaro. In an order released this week she writes that, other than stating that it&#8217;s &#8220;plausible&#8221; that the infringer can be identified through the IP-address, Strike 3 failed to explain how the geolocation software can properly identify or locate the actual infringer.</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;There is nothing that links the IP address location to the identity of the person actually downloading and viewing Plaintiff’s videos, and establishing whether that person lives in this district,&#8221; Judge Ungaro writes.</span></p>
<p>The order points out that an IP-address alone can&#8217;t identify someone. As such, it can&#8217;t accurately pinpoint the person who allegedly downloaded the copyright infringing content.</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;For example, it is entirely possible that the IP address belongs to a coffee shop or open Wi-Fi network, which the alleged infringer briefly used on a visit to Miami,&#8221; Judge Ungaro notes.</span></p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;Even if the IP address were located within a residence in this district, the geolocation software cannot identify who has access to that residence’s computer and who actually used it to infringe Plaintiff’s copyright,&#8221; she adds.</span></p>
<p>Strike 3 stressed that many courts have issued subpoenas based on the exact same evidence. While that is true, the Judge counters that other courts, which also doubted the strength of an IP-address as evidence, have refused to do so.</p>
<p>In this instance, the Court finds that Strike 3 hasn&#8217;t provided sufficient evidence to argue that it can reasonably rely on the usage of geolocation to establish the identity of the accused downloader. Nor does it prove that the person lives in the Court&#8217;s jurisdiction.</p>
<p>As a result, the Court refused to issue a subpoena and dismissed the case against IP-address 72.28.136.217 for improper venue. <span class="fontstyle0">The case is closed and Strike 3 won&#8217;t get the opportunity to refile.</span></p>
<p>While not all judges may come to the same conclusion, the order is a setback for Strike 3 and other rightsholders. They clearly have to come up with other arguments or evidence if their case is handled by this Judge.</p>
<p>But that shouldn&#8217;t really come as a complete surprise, as Judge Ungaro has issued <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ip-address-not-person-140324/">similar orders</a> in the past.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</em></p>
<p><em>A copy of Judge Ursula Ungaro&#8217;s order, pointed out to us by SJD, is available <a href="media/dfdf660e.ip-address1.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/ip-address1.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="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172072
title: Fancy a Job in Covert Anti-Piracy? Only Experts Need Apply
uri: Fancy-a-Job-in-Covert-Anti-Piracy-Only-Experts-Need-Apply
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/G2uHzqPwA6k/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/81cbcd19.bpi.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/bpi.png" alt="" class="wp-image-94190" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/bpi.png 222w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/bpi-220x106.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px"></figure></div>



<p>With a huge emphasis placed on the unlicensed distribution of music through platforms like YouTube, one might think that enforcement against other sources has taken a bit of a back seat.</p>



<p>However, traditional anti-piracy investigations are alive and well, carried out mostly in the shadows by teams of professionals. It&#8217;s relatively rare to hear about these roles in public but a new listing posted by the British Phonographic Industry gives a flavor of the kinds of skills one would need to hold such a job.</p>



<p>Titled &#8216;Evidence, Intelligence &amp; Investigations Executive (Digital)&#8217;, the position currently waiting to be filled at the company is an important one. The BPI represents the interests of Sony, Universal and Warner in the UK, along with more than 400 independent labels.</p>



<p>&#8220;Collectively, all those members account for approximately 99 per cent of recorded music consumed legally within the UK each year,&#8221; the BPI notes.</p>



<p>The new addition to the BPI&#8217;s Content Protection team will have several key responsibilities, such as ensuring the industry group is in compliance with laws and regulations when evidence is collected in the pursuit of pirates.</p>



<p>He or she will also be responsible for investigating online infringement, and as such, will have previous experience of digital investigations and be fluent in the use of case management and forensic tools. </p>



<p>Given the nature of the work, candidates also require a good understanding of piracy and the tools used to carry it out. The same goes for web-hosting, Internet registries (domains etc), content delivery networks (Cloudflare etc) and advertising intermediaries, all of which can be leveraged to disrupt infringement.</p>



<p>Since it&#8217;s a primary tool to reduce infringement, enforcing content removal &#8220;across a variety of online platforms&#8221; will also be a key task. As detailed in our report last year, the BPI is a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-3-copyright-owners-sent-google-a-billion-takedown-requests-181225/">prolific DMCA notice sender</a> but unlike many outfits operating with huge volumes, also appears to be one of the most accurate. This certainly fits the requirement for the lucky applicant to be &#8220;meticulous in work output.&#8221;</p>



<p>Another novel aspect is that the successful candidate will be required to manage test purchases, which could conceivably range from subscribing to an online pirate service through to buying a bunch of pirate karaoke DVDs from eBay. Interestingly, this will also entail managing &#8220;covert credit cards&#8221; and &#8220;covert drop addresses&#8221;.</p>



<p>But the undercover action doesn&#8217;t stop there. Also in the job description is the managing of &#8220;covert social media accounts&#8221;, which suggests a level of penetration into piracy circles that many believed existed but hadn&#8217;t yet seen written down in black and white.</p>



<p>At this point, there are probably quite a few readers thinking that not only does the job sound quite interesting, but they&#8217;re also qualified for the position. That might indeed be the case if one can also show expert use of Excel and PowerPoint and &#8220;good working knowledge&#8221; of IBM i2 and SQL databases. But from there the requirements go on and on.</p>



<p>Preferred candidates will have a background in law enforcement, criminal law, or cyber investigations. They will also be experienced in computer forensics and writing witness statements, utilizing their knowledge of copyright law, of course.</p>



<p>The reasons for this are made fairly clear in the listing. In addition to preparing intelligence and evidence that might be used in the prosecution of pirates, the lucky applicant will also spend one day a week working at PIPCU, the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit.</p>



<p>There&#8217;s little doubt that the BPI will find the right person for the job, but ticking all of the boxes <a href="https://www.bpi.co.uk/news-analysis/job-vacancy-evidence-intelligence-investigations-executive-digital-bpi/">in the listing</a> will be a big ask. Especially when assisting the BPI with its lobbying activities with ISPs and other service providers is also one of the job&#8217;s requirements.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=165903
title: Lumen Database Restricts Access to DMCA Notices But Plans to Expand
uri: Lumen-Database-Restricts-Access-to-DMCA-Notices-But-Plans-to-Expand
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/nf8dn7BI5dI/
content:
<p><a href="media/2a9ad3e2.lumen-logo-e1545305120580.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/lumen-logo-e1545305120580.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-165918" src="media/2a9ad3e2.lumen-logo-e1545305120580.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/lumen-logo-e1545305120580.png" alt="" width="250" height="110"></a>With millions of takedown notices hitting Internet platforms and hosts every single week, content can often go inexplicably missing from sites and search engine indexes.</p>
<p>Thanks to projects like Google&#8217;s Transparency report, however, much-needed light can be shone on this murky area.</p>
<p>Users of Google&#8217;s service can see almost every detail of a copyright claim but when it comes to accurate research, it&#8217;s necessary to visit the <a href="https://lumendatabase.org/">Lumen Database</a>, a research project that hosts millions of notices submitted by some of the biggest Internet companies.</p>
<p>The resource has become an essential tool for researchers and reporters interested in the cease-and-desist landscape. However, new changes at the resource will mean that the majority of users will now have less initial access to data.</p>
<p>In a nutshell, takedown notices presented in Lumen&#8217;s database will no longer list the precise URLs targeted by copyright holders. Instead, as the image below illustrates, the notices only list how many URLs were targeted at specific domains.</p>
<p><center><strong>Lighter on detail</strong></p>
<p></center><center><a href="media/d2cd2014.lumen-redacted.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/lumen-redacted.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-165912" src="media/33154ffb.lumen-redacted.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/lumen-redacted.png" alt="" width="599" height="628"></a></center></p>
<p>As is clear from the above, Lumen has removed the specific URL details, which are absolutely crucial if one is to even begin researching the effects of a particular takedown notice. However, on every redacted notice is a hyperlink which presents a system through which it is possible to get an unredacted copy.</p>
<p>Regular users wanting to properly research a notice now have to enter their email address to receive a single-use link to view it in full.</p>
<p><center></center>TorrentFreak learned that changes would be made to the system a few months ago after we discovered a development version of the platform. On a personal level, we were initially concerned at the restrictions since it is not uncommon for us to view dozens of takedown notices in preparation for a single article.</p>
<p>However, it now transpires that researchers and journalists will be able to obtain a special login to the Lumen Database that its operators hope will provide an experience that&#8217;s largely unchanged. That means we&#8217;ll continue to bring news on interesting takedowns and report on various trends.</p>
<p>That being said, the bigger question is why Lumen has taken this decision. Lumen project manager Adam Holland informs TorrentFreak that it&#8217;s all about expanding and improving the service.</p>
<p>&#8220;Lumen wants to remain a vibrant and valuable feature of the landscape with respect to research, journalism, and public awareness around takedown requests. We believe that we have been successful at doing this over the years and that some great work has come out of, or been predicated on, our data,&#8221; Holland says.</p>
<p>&#8220;But we also feel that it’s both possible and necessary for Lumen to continue to grow and improve. One obvious way in which to do so is to expand the number and type of notices we receive, as well as the range of institutions from which we receive them. We’ve heard from some companies that although they’d like to share notices with us, for a variety of idiosyncratic reasons, they don’t feel that they can do so under the current Lumen schema.&#8221;</p>
<p>Sensitivity over the amount of information made available by Lumen under default settings will also play an important role as the platform expands. Holland says that DMCA complaints will form just part of the project moving forward, with other forms of takedown notices from all over the world augmenting the database.</p>
<p>&#8220;We wish to be conscious of the concerns of those sending this broader variety of notices,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>As readers will probably recall, the Lumen project has previously been subjected to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/chillingeffects-dmca-archive-is-repugnant-copyright-group-says-140316/">criticism</a> by copyright holders. We asked Holland if this had played a part in the decision to redact notices for more casual users of the resource, who some allege may have used it to obtain links to infringing content.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our traffic metrics simply don’t bear out any suggestion that the database is a viable tool for those seeking access to infringing or unauthorized content. But, we have always endeavored to strike a balance,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;We think that the new framework allows the research community to stay informed while in no way compromising research done with the database. It also — importantly — reduces the significant workload associated with database maintenance, which will free up Lumen staff to do more productive things.&#8221;</p>
<p>We put it to Holland that there will probably be some members of the public who won&#8217;t enjoy jumping through additional hoops to gain full access to notices. However, he says that Lumen doesn&#8217;t really have a good sense from its traffic volumes how many people use the resource for specific reasons.</p>
<p>But while reduced access will probably be disappointing to some, there are those who see this development as a double-edged sword.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke with a representative from an anti-piracy company who told us that less visibility for URLs will be welcomed by his clients.</p>
<p>&#8220;As a DMCA agent for copyright owners, I can say that Lumen and its predecessor Chilling Effects have long been seen as making a mockery of Google&#8217;s takedown procedure &#8211; why delist search results if those same results are all still listed in a notice linked at the bottom of the page?&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>&#8220;But I appreciate that the DMCA process can be and has been easily abused, so it&#8217;s important to have some kind of ability to check on potential censorship and/or erroneous takedowns.</p>
<p>&#8220;So while my clients will surely welcome a change that makes it trickier to access infringing material, I share the concerns of those who may feel that this places obstacles in the way of legitimate research and accountability.&#8221;</p>
<p>Finally, it&#8217;s worth noting the large effort expended by the Lumen team to keep the project going. The platform is currently receiving up to 70,000 notices per day (mostly filed under the DMCA) with many requiring redactions to preserve privacy.</p>
<p>These can be handled automatically but Holland explains that manual redactions take place frequently, with a single notice potentially taking 20 minutes or more to process.</p>
<p><em>Lumen kindly provided a list of companies and institutions that contribute (or have contributed) to the database. Any parties interesting in joining this group are invited to contact the project.</em></p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><em>Automattic/Wordpress</em></p>
<p><em>Counterfeit Technology</em></p>
<p><em>Google</em></p>
<p><em>The Internet Archive</em></p>
<p><em>Kickstarter</em></p>
<p><em>Medium</em></p>
<p><em>Periscope</em></p>
<p><em>PGPSMedia [not currently sending]</em></p>
<p><em>Proxy.sh</em></p>
<p><em>Reddit [not currently sending]</em></p>
<p><em>Stack Exchange</em></p>
<p><em>Stripe [not currently sending]</em></p>
<p><em>Tucows</em></p>
<p><em>Tuebl [not currently sending]</em></p>
<p><em>Twitter</em></p>
<p><em>UC Berkeley &#8211; Infosec and policy</em></p>
<p><em>UC Berkeley &#8211; California Digital Library</em></p>
<p><em>UC Berkeley -Open Computing Facility</em></p>
<p><em>Vimeo</em></p>
<p><em>Wikia</em></p>
<p><em>Wikipedia/Wikimedia</em></p>
<p><em>YouTube</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172041
title: ‘YouTube Content-ID Abusers Could Face Millions of Dollars in Damages’
uri: YouTube-Content-ID-Abusers-Could-Face-Millions-of-Dollars-in-Damage
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/tugMUNFvk68/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-117196" src="media/72389cbc.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="196">With over 20 million subscribers of its main channel and over 30 million over its entire network, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaWd5_7JhbQBe4dknZhsHJg">WatchMojo</a> is one of the largest players on YouTube.</p>
<p>The Montreal-based<a href="https://watchmojo.com/"> video production company</a> has been around for well over a decade and continues to expand its viewership, despite fierce competition.</p>
<p>While WatchMojo owes a lot of its success to YouTube, the company is also growing increasingly frustrated with rampant copyright abuse on the platform. We&#8217;re not talking about people who steal their content, but about companies that unlawfully claim their videos.</p>
<p>These complaints are far from new and we have highlighted these issues repeatedly over the years. However, when a channel the size of WatchMojo sounds the alarm bell, people should pay attention. This includes abusive rightsholders, which could be liable for millions of dollars in damages.</p>
<p>But let&#8217;s start with the basis for the recent uproar. Last weekend WatchMojo&#8217;s CEO Ashkan Karbasfrooshan <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbs9UVelEfg">published a video</a> in which he exposed some of the worst Content-ID abusers. The video provides several examples of companies that claimed WatchMojo content which, according to the channel, is protected under fair use.</p>
<p>For example, when WatchMojo published a video commenting on an Avengers movie trailer, an outfit called Hexacorp (which does business as <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/7hqn83/a_company_called_hexacorporfium_is_taking_down/">Orfium</a>) claimed it, arguing that the trailer&#8217;s music was used without permission. Hexacorp represented Ramen Music, which licensed the track to Marvel, but apparently, WatchMojo wasn&#8217;t allowed to show it.</p>
<p>WatchMojo disagreed and protested the claim citing fair use. After all, the trailer and music were clearly used for commentary purposes. This worked and Hexacorp eventually let the claim go, but many other channels with less legal knowledge simply accepted the claim, allowing Hexacorp to monetize their videos.</p>
<p>What plays a major role here is that protesting Content-ID claims may eventually lead to copyright notices. These notices can result in &#8220;strikes&#8221; which can then cause people to lose all content in their YouTube channels. That&#8217;s not a risk many channels want to take.</p>
<p>
<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }</style>
</p>
<div class="embed-container"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gbs9UVelEfg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to WatchMojo&#8217;s CEO who informed us that this is just one of the many examples. Every month they receive hundreds of Content-ID claims across their channels. However, WatchMojo vigorously fights back and prevails on nearly every occasion.</p>
<p>Karbasfrooshan notes that Content-ID abusers come in all shapes and sizes. Some stand out in terms of volume but are quick to let go of claims once a channel protests. Others send only a few complaints but protest when channels push back.</p>
<p>While there&#8217;s no doubt that rightsholders should be able to pursue legitimate claims, WatchMojo believes that many see the system as a revenue-generating opportunity. They simply issue thousands of frivolous claims, knowing that many won&#8217;t be protested, even though there are clear arguments for fair use.</p>
<p>This means that the rightsholders will scoop up extra revenue with very little expense. After all, most Content-ID claims are automated.</p>
<p>In addition, WatchMojo also signals a possible anti-competitive angle. The channel receives a lot of strikes for content from the music company BMG.&nbsp; These, again, often target fair use videos and are sometimes issued globally, even though the rights can only be enforced in certain countries.</p>
<p>The full expose is explained in detail in WatchMojo&#8217;s video, where Karbasfrooshan highlights that BMG&#8217;s parent company, Bertelsmann, also has a stake in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZergNet">ZergNet</a>, which happens to be a direct competitor of WatchMojo on YouTube.</p>
<p>&#8220;Bertelsmann, through their investment arm BMDI, has invested in our direct competitor ZergNet, whose assets Looper, Nicky Swift and a bunch of others compete with us for the same audience, fighting for the same ad dollars, competing for the same eyeballs,&#8221; WatchMojo&#8217;s CEO notes.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/0c587db8.ash1.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/ash1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172293"/><figcaption> <br> WatchMojo&#8217;s CEO Ash Karbasfrooshan </figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Whether the behavior is anti-competitive or not, the overarching problem is that many rightsholders &#8216;abuse&#8217; the Content-ID system, willingly or not. According to US case law, they are required to consider fair use when issuing takedown requests, something that doesn&#8217;t happen very often it seems.</p>
<p>Content-ID is a voluntary system that&#8217;s not rooted in law. However, WatchMojo believes that abusive rightsholders are opening themselves up to millions of dollars in potential damages from YouTube channels. One way this could happen is through a class action lawsuit.</p>
<p>Karbasfrooshan floated this idea in his initial video which triggered a lot of response from fellow channel operators. The basic idea is that a group of affected channels files a class action suit against an abusive rightsholder, with the goal of obtaining a settlement for unlawfully claimed and monetized videos.</p>
<p>In a follow-up video, WatchMojo explains <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w1f3olwqcg&amp;feature=youtu.be">in detail</a> how this would work. What is clear, is that the potential damages are massive. According to a calculation made by the channel, rightsholders earned over $2 billion through unlawfully claimed videos over the past several years.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/1bf986ca.claimyt.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/claimyt.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172267"/><figcaption>YouTube revenue and potential damages (red) (credit: WatchMojo)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Whether the calculations hold up or not, it is clear that companies that send out a lot of claims against fair use content could theoretically face substantial damages. This, of course, has to be backed up in court, but according to WatchMojo&#8217;s CEO, who has plenty of legal experience, it&#8217;s a viable option.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are now actively exploring taking legal action against a couple of targets where we have built up a lot of evidence of wrongdoing, abuse, and received additional evidence from other channels too,&#8221; Karbasfrooshan tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>For now, WatchMojo is not ready to serve as a representative plaintiff in a class action suit. It hopes that by highlighting the potential risks for copyright holders, the associated companies will do the right thing and properly consider fair use.</p>
<p>WatchMojo has complained about Content-ID abuse for <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/its-time-fight-back-against-those-who-abuse-youtubes-karbasfrooshan/">quite a while</a> and it believes that some type of legal action against an abuser is inevitable. Whether that&#8217;s through a class action suit or not.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a matter of time, if not us, someone will come along and sue and win big,&#8221; Karbasfrooshan tells us.</p>
<p>WatchMojo&#8217;s CEO has spoken to lawyers who, once they were informed about what was going on, were also convinced that some type of legal action is inevitable.</p>
<p>&#8220;I assure you that once I explained how Content-ID worked vs. copyright law, and then how rightsholders abused it, the general consensus was: ok, these rightsholders are going to get sued,&#8221; Karbasfrooshan says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Now, whether that&#8217;s done via a class action suit or a direct lawsuit is a different matter. I think the former is interesting but the latter is practically more likely,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>Still, Karbasfrooshan hopes that lawsuits are not needed to address this. Ideally, copyright holders should change the way they operate and respect fair use, he says.</p>
<p>And there&#8217;s also a major role for YouTube here. They can make a simple change and whitelist channels that have good standing, so these are not harmed by frivolous claims.</p>
<p>&#8220;The answer is simple: it&#8217;s time for a separate class of channels for those who use the platform in a professional manner,&#8221; Karbasfrooshan notes.</p>
<p>The latter angle will be discussed in the third episode of WatchMojo&#8217;s four-part series on Content-ID abuse. In addition, the channel will also launch &#8220;The FU Show&#8221;, where it will break down and discuss fair use (FU) issues in regards to content claims.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Needless to say, these videos are very informative, and there&#8217;s something in there for channel operators as well as copyright holders.&nbsp;</p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172140
title: “Confidential” HDMI Specifications Docs Hit With DMCA Takedown
uri: Confidential-HDMI-Specifications-Docs-Hit-With-DMCA-Takedown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/RkqvlH59DxM/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright is-resized"><img src="media/052a1478.hdmi.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/hdmi.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-172144" width="255" height="123"/><figcaption>Credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/hdmi-connector-cable-plug-2202226/">Pixabay</a></figcaption></figure></div>



<p>HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is today&#8217;s standard for transferring digital video and audio between compatible devices.</p>



<p>The standard variant comes as a male connector (plug) or female connector (socket). Chances are that most people will have many of these scattered around their homes, with TVs, monitors, set-top boxes, video games consoles, and dozens of other video-capable devices utilizing the interface.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s no surprise then that the <a href="https://www.hdmi.org/learningcenter/adopters_founders.aspx">list of companies</a> that have adopted the HDMI standard for their products is huge, with founders including Maxell, Panasonic, Sanyo, Philips, and Sony leading the way.</p>



<p>Since its inception back in 2002, many versions of HDMI have been developed, each utilizing the same basic connector but with added features. While new functions aren&#8217;t available to users of pre-update hardware, the entire system is backward compatible.</p>



<p>These updates (which are given version numbers such as HDMI 1.0 (2002) right up to the latest HDMI 2.1 (2017)) are described in technical specifications documents. However, according to the HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc., the licensing agent for the HDMI product, these documents are not only copyrighted but also contain secret information.</p>



<p>Github user &#8216;Glenwing&#8217; has been archiving these documents for the last few years in his personal &#8220;<a href="https://glenwing.github.io/docs/">Display Industry Standards Archive</a>&#8221; but was recently hit with a DMCA takedown notice after HDMI Licensing Administrator filed a complaint against him.</p>



<p>GitHub itself published details of the DMCA complaint which claims copyright over the documents and further states that they aren&#8217;t for public consumption.</p>



<p>&#8220;HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. is the licensing Agent to the founders of the HDMI® Digital Interface. It has been brought to our attention that user Glenwing is publicly making confidential copyrighted content available on your hub without authorization,&#8221; the <a href="https://github.com/github/dmca/commit/521c5be2b3f5bb247e97580855c233adaedd24fb">notice</a> reads.</p>



<p>Since we&#8217;ve seen these documents available freely online before, we contacted Glenwing to find out what the problem was.</p>



<p>He told us that HDMI specification version 1.3a is available for public download from the HDMI website but considering copies of the other specifications can be found online elsewhere, he didn&#8217;t think there would be an issue putting them in one place.</p>



<p>&#8220;I just assumed it was something considered unimportant to them, considering there have been other hosted copies of &#8216;confidential&#8217; HDMI versions that were widely linked, easily locatable by simply Googling &#8216;HDMI 1.4 pdf&#8217; etc,&#8221; he explains.</p>



<p>&#8220;These documents have even been linked as a source on the HDMI Wikipedia page. You can&#8217;t get any more visible than that, and those copies remained online for years. But now that I&#8217;ve been revisiting my original sources I downloaded from, they&#8217;re mostly dead links. It seems HDMI Licensing may have started to clean house all over the web, not just targeting my page specifically.&#8221;</p>



<p>Glenwing confirmed that all copies of the specifications he uploaded to Github were just obtained from various sources on the Internet, such as Wikipedia citations or simple Google searches.</p>



<p>He&#8217;s clearly just a tech enthusiast with a great interest in the topic, who would like to share his knowledge with others. There&#8217;s certainly no malicious intent.</p>



<p>&#8220;I never really intended these documents for distribution anyway, and if I could hide the Github page from Google results with a robots.txt file or something, I would,&#8221; he says.</p>



<p>&#8220;I upload them primarily for my own reference, to have every version in one place, so that when I write guides trying to educate people about the capabilities of HDMI, DisplayPort, how to correctly calculate video bandwidth, how these standards have changed over time, etc., I can link these documents as sources.&#8221;</p>



<p>Interestingly, this takedown wasn&#8217;t the first received by Glenwing. He initially received a notice just a few days earlier from the <a href="https://www.cta.tech/">Consumer Technology Association</a> (of which HDMI Licensing Administrator is a member) which targeted half a dozen CTA standards documents.</p>



<p>&#8220;Six copyrighted CTA standards are posted in their entirety here:<br> https://glenwing.github.io/docs/,&#8221; the <a href="media/c84f2171.CTA20DMCA20Notice.pdf" data-original-source="https://glenwing.github.io/docs/CTA%20DMCA%20Notice.pdf">notice</a> from CTA reads. &#8220;[T]he works are not licensed under an open source license&#8230;the best solution is removal,&#8221; it adds.</p>



<p>So are these documents sensitive too? Glenwing believes not.</p>



<p>&#8220;This notice I actually received first, and it was a bit puzzling at the time; I had six CTA documents, which are all different revisions of the same (public) standard, CTA-861 [A DTV Profile for Uncompressed High Speed Digital Interfaces]. The three latest revisions (G, F, and E) are available for free download from the CTA website, the older revisions are not, likely because they are simply outdated, not because anyone considers them secret information,&#8221; he says.</p>



<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s fairly common for standards organizations to only host the latest versions, and whenever a new revision is released, older versions often become difficult to find. That was sort of the point of my page, to preserve every version I could find for historical purposes.&#8221;</p>



<p>In the absence of his own archive on Github, Glenwing then began to link directly to pages on the Consumer Technology Association site that host the documents and offer them for download. Functionally, access to the documents should have been the same. Or at least that was the plan.</p>



<p>As this piece was being put together, CTA removed the copies of its own standards from its own website, leaving dead links in their place. It now appears that they can only be accessed via the <a href="https://members.cta.tech/cta-store/ctaStoreProducts">CTA Store</a>, albeit for the knockdown price of $0.00, following a registration process.</p>



<p>Bizarrely, there are other sources for the documents, such as <a href="https://www.techstreet.com/standards/cta-861-g?product_id=1934129">this site</a> which offers to sell one of the publicly available documents for a mere $278. People shouldn&#8217;t have to pay a penny of course, as per a <a href="https://www.cta.tech/News/Press-Releases/2018/May/CTA-s-Entire-Library-of-Industry-Standards-Now-Fre.aspx">May 2018 press release</a> from the CTA which declared free document access to all&#8230;.</p>



<p>  </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172238
title: Tor Exit Node Operator Dodges Bullet in Piracy Lawsuit
uri: Tor-Exit-Node-Operator-Dodges-Bullet-in-Piracy-Lawsuit
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kc8DeT9nVEc/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-96710" src="media/d64cb47a.dallas1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dallas1.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="155">Tor is an anonymity tool and operating a relay or exit point basically means that the traffic of hundreds or thousands of users hit the Internet from your IP-address.</p>
<p>When pirates use Tor, it will then appear as if the traffic comes from this connection. This can lead to liability issues as Oregon resident John Huszar found out the hard way.</p>
<p>Back in 2015, the company behind the movie Dallas Buyers Club, which is known for its vigorous pursuit of online pirates, filed a federal lawsuit <a href="media/684e7fe7.gov.uscourts.ord.122025.1.0.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ord.122025.1.0.pdf">against the IP-address 173.11.1.241</a>.</p>
<p>A few months later, this complaint <a href="media/34187904.gov.uscourts.ord.122025.10.0.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ord.122025.10.0.pdf">was amended</a> to list &#8220;Integrity Computer Services&#8221; as the defendant. As part of the proceedings, the filmmakers served a request for admissions, asking the defendant to respond to several statements.</p>
<p>This request <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tor-exit-node-operator-denies-piracy-allegations-and-hits-back-180127/">remained unanswered</a>, which turned out to be a crucial mistake. Not responding typically means that the court can assume the statements are true. In this case, it included an admission that Huszar unlawfully distributed a copy of Dallas Buyers Club, which seemingly opened the door to a substantial financial claim.</p>
<p>That John Huszar later repeatedly denied that he personally downloaded a pirated copy of the film in follow-up proceedings was irrelevant, according to the filmmakers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<center><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150275" src="media/8362a6e7.admissions.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/admissions.png" alt="" width="600" height="284"></center>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Backed by the admission, Dallas Buyers Club proceeded to file a motion for summary judgment, asking the court to confirm that Huszar did indeed willfully commit copyright infringement.</p>
<p>This issue went to U.S. Magistrate Judge John Acosta earlier this year who, in his <a href="media/393307cf.gov.uscourts.ord.122025.156.0.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ord.122025/gov.uscourts.ord.122025.156.0.pdf">report and recommendation</a>, sided with the movie company.</p>
<p>&#8220;The court finds the admissions resulting from Huszar’s failure to deny allegations in the operative complaint or respond to requests for admissions clearly establish Huszar willfully infringed on Dallas’s copyrighted material in violation of the Act,&#8221; Acosta wrote.</p>
<p>In most cases, these recommendations are accepted by the district court judge. That was bad news for Huszar, as it would make him liable for thousands of dollars in potential damages.</p>
<p>However, the order that came out this week shows that a previously overlooked issue turned the tables in favor of Huszar.</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">United States District Judge</span> Michael Simon reviewed the objections that were pointed out by the defense, which highlight a crucial issue. When the request for admissions was served back in 2016, Huszar was not named as a defendant. </p>
<p>At the time the complaint listed his company Integrity Computer Services as the defendant. This was replaced by Huszar in an amended complaint a few months later. However, that meant that the request for admission (RFA) wasn&#8217;t directed at Huszar personally.</p>
<p>&#8220;The only defendant in the case at that time was simply “Integrity Computer Services,” (no &#8216;a/k/a&#8217;) and that is the only defendant named in the First Amended Complaint,&#8221; Judge Simon writes in his order.</p>
<p>&#8220;Huszar, therefore, was not the party served with the April 12, 2016 RFAs. The facts sought in those requests thus cannot be deemed admitted by Huszar for failure to respond, and the Court’s order finding such admission is withdrawn.&#8221;</p>
<p>As such, the court decided not to adopt the report and recommendation. </p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/17d61145.huszarorder.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/huszarorder.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172246"/><figcaption>The order</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>The procedural issue was missed by the defense initially, likely because Huszar was defending himself at the time, but the oversight has saved him for now.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is a technical issue that no &#8216;pro-se&#8217; would likely catch. But RFA&#8217;s can affect a case significantly as was clear from the Magistrate&#8217;s decision.&nbsp; This is the error we brought up to the District Court&#8217;s attention that led to the ruling in our favor,&#8221; Huszar&#8217;s attorney J. Curtis Edmondson informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>While Huszar escapes a ruling of willful copyright infringement based on the admissions, the case is not over yet. The motion for summary judgment is now reverted back to <span class="fontstyle0">Judge Acosta for consideration</span> on the merits.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Huszar&#8217;s cross-motion of non-infringement is still on the table. Among other things, Huszar has argued that the evidence gathering software used in this case is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrent-tracking-evidence-is-flawed-and-unreliable-alleged-pirate-argues-180307/">flawed and unreliable</a>.</p>
<p>Both sides are now allowed to submit supplement pleadings. Huszar ultimately hopes to prove that he is not guilty and have his legal bills paid. The filmmakers, on the other hand, plan to prove that the Tor exit node operator is guilty and demand damages.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</em></p>
<p><em>A copy of <span class="fontstyle0">United States District Judge</span> Michael Simon&#8217;s order is available <a href="media/9f58b49a.huszar1.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/huszar1.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="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172239
title: Vader & the Truth About Pirate IPTV Services
uri: Vader-the-Truth-About-Pirate-IPTV-Services
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/fMKn-Lg6AMQ/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/c6d79219.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-135034"/></figure></div>



<p>Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, CBS All Access, fuboTV, DAZN, NowTV, the forthcoming Disney+, cable TV, terrestrial TV, satellite, cinema.</p>



<p>How long is this list? Nowhere near long enough if you want to come close to matching what&#8217;s currently being offered by premium pirate IPTV services.</p>



<p>If any of the important &#8216;pirate&#8217; IPTV providers flicked a magic switch and suddenly became legal overnight, all of the above would struggle to keep their heads above water. Add another dozen legal services to the list, and the statement would still stand. </p>



<p>The range of content offered by &#8216;pirate&#8217; IPTV services demolishes that offered by all of the world’s key providers combined. And many do it for between $5 and $25 per month &#8211; because they don&#8217;t have to worry about the costs of making it.</p>



<p>It usually takes a couple of minutes to sign up and that content is available on a wide range of devices, from phones through to smart TVs. Almost any device, wherever people like. How it should be.</p>



<p>The public wants what the public gets, at least when they sail the IPTV high seas. Until it all goes to shit in an instant, of course.</p>



<p>This week, Vader – one of the most recognized ‘pirate’ IPTV services – suddenly disappeared, taking not only the subscriptions of users with them but also money handed over by resellers of the service. Communication with what are effectively creditors was scrappy at best, quite incredible at worst.</p>



<p>After declaring that there had been “no choice but to close down Vader”, supposed facts about the closure were widely circulated by various parties, sometimes accompanied by documents and quotes to back up often-conflicting claims. </p>



<p>Depending on which version one believes, if any, Vader was raided, sued, told to enter into a settlement agreement with ACE (the huge anti-piracy coalition founded by the MPAA, Netflix and Amazon), or had simply taken everyone’s money and headed for the hills. Or perhaps a combination of the above. Or none.</p>



<p>The ‘running’ theory gained traction following a statement from Vader which asked people to “take the financial losses we are all going to take, as resellers and direct sellers”, i.e please don’t ask for your money back. That was further compounded by another statement in which the service asked for donations to fund its legal defense and to help pay back people who doggedly asked for a refund.</p>



<p>Now, if Vader was “raided” as some pretty detailed missives have claimed this week, would it still have control over its customer list and bank accounts, in order to make these refunds happen? That doesn’t seem likely, but stranger things have happened. If it was being sued it probably would, but there’s no evidence of that either.</p>



<p>While there appears to be no public record of Vader getting served, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t the subject of legal action, won’t be in the future, or doesn’t need a big cash injection. For example, if ACE has really offered the service the opportunity to settle, Vader will be given a set of demands. If they do not comply, then legal action <em>might</em> follow.</p>



<p>We have proof that ACE, among other things, demanded cooperation as part of previous settlement agreements with other entities. That meant promising to hand over information on others in the ecosystem. But would ACE really offer such a giant service the opportunity to take the easy route when it has chosen to sue the likes of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ace-scores-legal-victory-and-wins-25m-piracy-damages-from-tickbox-180911/">TickBox</a>, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dragon-box-has-to-pay-ace-14-5-million-in-piracy-damages-190129/">Dragon Box</a>, and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-amazon-and-hollywood-sue-set-tv-over-iptv-piracy-180422/">SETTV</a>?</p>



<p>To find out, within hours of Vader’s shutdown TorrentFreak contacted ACE directly and asked them to confirm or deny that the MPAA (which now conducts its anti-piracy activities through ACE) was involved in the shutdown of Vader. We were told that the ACE coalition was working on a statement. Perfect.</p>



<p>Four days later we had received nothing, so we prompted the anti-piracy group for a response. We were told that our request hadn’t been forgotten and that it was hoped it could get a statement to us this week. </p>



<p>Perhaps needless to say, we haven’t received anything.</p>



<p>This is, of course, interesting in itself. If ACE wasn’t involved in the closure of Vader, then a simple response to clarify that fact would have been simple and could have been done in two letters – NO. However, if ACE was involved, that would make any statement much more complex.</p>



<p>If some kind of deal is indeed being thrashed out, we know that previous agreements sent out by ACE contained clauses that recipients can’t talk about the settlement to anyone but their lawyers. Vader clearly doesn’t want to talk about much in public and, at least for now, neither does ACE. Draw your own conclusions.</p>



<p>However, the fact that ACE hasn’t made a statement to confirm or deny might also be advantageous, intentional or otherwise, from an anti-piracy perspective.</p>



<p>Whether ACE is involved in this debacle or not, the complete lack of clarity surrounding this entire situation only serves to undermine trust in pirate IPTV providers. Granted, a public lawsuit would achieve similar goals, but right now the lack of information looks bad on Vader, not on ACE. In fact, if they aren’t involved, this is a free lunch for ACE and a big minus for Vader and by extension, pirate IPTV.</p>



<p>And this brings us to the point. Pirate IPTV services do not operate like legitimate companies such as Netflix. When people give Netflix their hard earned cash they can be pretty sure that they&#8217;ll get what they pay for but should the company be unable to fulfill its obligations, a very clear public statement will be made.</p>



<p>It certainly won’t shut down with zero notice, with no proper explanation, and begin asking for donations to dig it out of a hole. But come on, does anyone really expect an entity in this niche to operate any differently?</p>



<p>The main reason why anyone chooses to do business with a pirate IPTV provider (whether that’s Vader or any other) is <em>because</em> they don’t play by “the rules”. It’s <em>because</em>&nbsp;they thumb their noses at authority. It’s&nbsp;<em>because</em>&nbsp;they solve the problems of having dozens of subscription packages. It’s&nbsp;<em>because</em>&nbsp;they offer great value for money. </p>



<p>People want all this with no drawbacks? Think again.</p>



<p>Fulfilling all of these demands flat-out <em>requires</em> them to be unorthodox. It <em>requires</em> them to be ambiguous. It <em>requires</em> them to act illegally and it <em>requires</em> them to save their own asses when the sheriff comes to town. </p>



<p>Anyone who thinks it should play out differently should stick to buying bridges.</p>



<p>The truth about ‘pirate’ TV services is simple. You pay your money, you take a chance. People should approach IPTV subscriptions <em>expecting</em>&nbsp;to lose their money – that’s why month-to-month packages are often recommended to those with an aversion to losing cash.</p>



<p>People should not be surprised when such services go down temporarily or indeed permanently without notice. And they should presume that they’ll buffer at times but be happy when they don’t. Expectations should be set low by default to avoid disappointment.</p>



<p>‘Pirate’ IPTV services are a gamble, pure and simple. The odds are usually stacked in the user’s favor so their popularity is unlikely to wane in the near future. That says a lot about the service they mostly deliver. But make no mistake, there are no guarantees in this game.</p>



<p>There’s a whole new generation of pirates entering this market on both sides, supply and demand, whose motivations – one way or another – is to either make or save money. In the end, it is that balancing act that will tip the scales of success for providers and users alike.</p>



<p>Vader may be gone for now but there are still plenty of options around. As soon as its demise was announced, many suppliers went into overdrive to pick up the slack. How many customers will now choose to stay away is anyone’s guess but with bargains on offer, there probably won’t be any shortage of money changing hands.</p>



<p>Just don’t expect anyone to be particularly upfront about what’s really going on, whether that’s the providers, resellers, or anti-piracy groups. There’s way too much at stake to unmuddy the waters just because some people want answers.</p>



<p>The truth is always the first casualty of any war and this one is no different.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172085
title: Former “Copyright Alert System” Portal Now Links to Mattress Review Site
uri: Former-Copyright-Alert-System-Portal-Now-Links-to-Mattress-Revie
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Ed5B37bjcCw/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-172130" src="media/23df79ce.matress.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/matress.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="180">In 2011, the MPAA and RIAA&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-riaa-team-up-with-isps-to-curb-piracy-110707/">teamed up</a>&nbsp;with several major U.S. Internet providers, announcing their plan to&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-anti-piracy-warnings-double-year-140830/">shift the norms and behavior</a>&nbsp;of BitTorrent pirates.</p>
<p>The parties launched the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.copyrightinformation.org/">Center for Copyright Information</a> and agreed on a system through which Internet account holders would be warned if their connections were used to download pirated content.</p>
<p>The program allowed ISPs to take a variety of&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-starts-130225/">repressive measures</a>, including bandwidth throttling and temporary Internet disconnections. The “voluntary” agreement was praised by the US Government and seen as a prime example for other countries.</p>
<p>However, it didn&#8217;t last.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Early 2017 the MPAA, RIAA, and several major US ISPs pulled the plug. The parties never explained in detail why the effort was halted but it was clearly not the ideal solution for all involved.&nbsp;</p>
<p>This was good news for the people who were on the brink of being &#8216;punished&#8217; by their ISPs after repeated notices. They could finally sleep easy again. That&#8217;s actually something the now-defunct Copyright Alert System website can help them with today.&nbsp;</p>
<p>After the scheme was stopped, the &#8216;copyrightinformation.org&#8217; website remained online for months, offering the public information on how to avoid copyright infringement notices and where to obtain legal content.</p>
<p>That stopped eventually, and it now seems that the official domain has been taken over by a mattress review site.</p>
<p>People who try to access the former Copyright Alert System website are now redirected to buymattress.net. Apparently, none of the parties involved was interested in renewing the domain registration.</p>
<p></p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/1d3c8615.buym.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/buym.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-172129" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/buym.jpg 600w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/buym-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"><figcaption>Mattress anyone?</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>The mattress site gladly picked up this valuable domain which has thousands of backlinks all over the web, including some from reputable news sites. That&#8217;s generally good for search engine optimization purposes.</p>
<p>Of course, a mattress site is not much of a problem for the RIAA and MPAA, but it seems like the anti-piracy groups dodged a bullet here.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Imagine if the domain was picked up the likes of The Pirate Bay, a prominent pirate streaming site, or even a stream-ripping service? That would have been quite an embarrassment, to say the least.</p>
<p>The MPAA is not completely unaware of this risk. After all, it still owns the TorrentSpy.com domain name, even though the website was shut down over a decade ago. Similarly, Isohunt.com and Hotfile.com are still under control of the Hollywood group, redirecting to MPAA.org.</p>
<p>That said, it&#8217;s not completely unprecedented for piracy or anti-piracy related domain names to fall into the hands of third parties. The Department of Justice, for example, let go of several Megaupload related domains a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcoms-seized-mega-domains-are-now-for-sale-150613/">few years ago</a>.</p>
<p>Most famously, back in 2007 The Pirate Bay <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ifpi-now-owned-by-the-piratebay-071012/">took over IFPI.com</a>, a domain name that was previously owned by the prominent music industry organization IFPI. The torrent site kept the acronym, but changed the meaning to “International Federation of Pirate Interests.”</p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172310
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 05/13/19
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-05-13-19
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ieT1ySG_-wA/
content:
<p><img class="alignright  wp-image-171803" src="media/3e873293.avengersend.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/avengersend.png" alt="" width="280" height="186">This week we have three newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Avengers: Endgame 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>&nbsp;for the articles of the recent weekly movie download charts.</p>
<h5>This week&#8217;s most downloaded movies are:</h5>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Movie Rank</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>Rank <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-the-week-on-bittorrent-05-06-19/">last week</a></strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie name</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Most downloaded movies via torrents</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/">Avengers: Endgame</a> (HDCam)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/">9.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcMBFSGVi1c">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5719748/">Cold Pursuit</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5719748/">6.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C2Nad0aMPg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448115/">Shazam!</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448115/">7.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oD7B7oiBtw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6823368">Glass</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6823368">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBL6COBGjCA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477834/">Aquaman</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477834/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmqJJqFX_CU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0837563/">Pet Sematary</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0837563/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK0LNzU2TQI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/">Avengers: Infinity War</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/">8.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZfuNTqbHE8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/">Captain Marvel</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LHxvxdRnYc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3038708/">Iron Sky: The Coming Race</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3038708/">5.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC8Z6i59s7o">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(10)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2386490/">How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2386490/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLTDtbYmdWM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172299
title: Google “De-Indexes 832 Pirate Sites” From Australia Search Results
uri: Google-De-Indexes-832-Pirate-Sites-From-Australia-Search-Results
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/AlbPtIH90JA/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/c5e87d4f.aus.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-96798"/></figure></div>



<p>Section 115a of Australia’s Copyright Act allows copyright holders to apply for court injunctions that compel local ISPs to block subscribers from accessing ‘pirate’ sites.</p>



<p>Since it became active in 2015, the legislation has been used a number of times to block large numbers of mainly torrent and streaming platforms. However, such sites are often quick to adapt, deploying alternative domains, mirrors and proxies to undermine the blockades.</p>



<p>While Google has nothing to do with these actions, it has been regularly criticized for allowing users to carry out searches which enable them to find these workarounds. That has provoked harsh criticism from rightsholders, in particular Village Roadshow chief Graham Burke.</p>



<p>To tackle this and other loopholes, in November 2018 Australia passed <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/australian-parliament-passes-tough-new-anti-piracy-law-181128/">new legislation</a> that allows rightsholders to expand blocks without having to go to court. It also compels search providers to remove links to sites detailed in court orders from their search results.</p>



<p>While this framework is easily understood, this morning a report appeared in <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/from-enemies-to-allies-google-removes-piracy-websites-from-search-results-20190510-p51m55.html">SMH</a> declaring that peace has effectively broken out between rightsholders and Google.</p>



<p>The latter has reportedly entered into a &#8220;voluntary agreement&#8221; to remove 832 &#8220;sites&#8221; currently blocked by ISPs from its search results, despite the court orders covering these locations not necessarily applying to Google.</p>



<p>&#8220;This means we, as content owners, will be able to avoid the expense, effort, time and uncertainty of going to court,&#8221; Roadshow&#8217;s Burke said.</p>



<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve gone from being enemies to being allies &#8230; because I believe Google is doing the right thing by Australians,&#8221; he added.</p>



<p>&#8220;[The] pirates&#8217; business model is robbing and scamming people, they have sophisticated ways to take your information. Google has come down on the side that is right.&#8221;</p>



<p>Burke&#8217;s praise for Google is somewhat of a surprise and the turnaround in his tone quite remarkable. Equally, Google entering into a voluntary agreement over a process it <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-criticizes-aussie-site-blocking-plan-village-roadshow-attacks-google-181121/">slammed</a> last year also raises eyebrows.</p>



<p>In particular, Google opposed any process that didn&#8217;t have the &#8220;direct oversight of the Federal Court&#8221; while noting that &#8220;there is no utility in extending site blocking schemes beyond ISPs to other online service providers.&#8221; </p>



<p>TorrentFreak contacted Google for additional detail last evening and it provided the following statement.</p>



<p>&#8220;Google supports effective industry led measures to fight piracy, and we invest significantly in the technology, tools and resources that prevent copyright infringement on our platforms,&#8221; a spokesperson said.</p>



<p>Google is clearly reluctant to put any additional meat on the bones of this &#8220;voluntary agreement&#8221; but TorrentFreak has learned that this scheme only affects Australia and is directly linked to the new legislation passed last year. </p>



<p>It seems possible then that this mass de-indexing of pirate resources represents a game of catch-up.</p>



<p>A large proportion of existing pirate sites are already blocked under existing court orders that were granted under earlier legislation that didn&#8217;t require search engine de-indexing. It therefore seems likely that in order to have Google remove the sites from its results, copyright holders would have to return to court.</p>



<p>For 832 sites (832 domains seems more realistic) this would be a time-consuming exercise and one with a guaranteed outcome. It therefore seems reasonable to conclude that the parties agreed to save time and money by cutting out the middle man and conceding to the inevitable.</p>



<p>Burke suggests the de-indexing has already taken place so TF carried out some tests using various sites, including the most obvious blocking and de-indexing target (ThePirateBay.org) to see the effects.</p>



<p>First, we used two Australian IP addresses (one in Melbourne, the other in Sydney) to access Google.com. We then searched for The Pirate Bay, which appeared as the top result each time.</p>



<p>We then switched to Google.com.au and tested again with same IP addresses but ThePirateBay.org appeared as the top result again.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="media/b19e7f8a.thepiratebay-aus.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/thepiratebay-aus.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172317" width="600"/><figcaption>TPB search on Google.com.au, with Australian IP addresses</figcaption></figure>



<p>We presented Google with these results and asked if it could explain the precise parameters of its de-indexing so we could report more accurately.</p>



<p>The company declined to comment but it&#8217;s possible that not all de-indexing operations have been carried out yet. It&#8217;s also possible that only users of the ISPs specifically listed in the original court orders are affected, such as those using Telstra, Optus, Vocus, TPG, and Vodafone, plus subsidiaries.   </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172322
title: Judge: Number of ‘Unprovable’ Piracy Cases is Alarmingly High
uri: Judge-Number-of-Unprovable-Piracy-Cases-is-Alarmingly-High
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/1eqYtbDm_eE/
content:
<p><span class="fontstyle0"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-108977" src="media/efd05bc4.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="167"></span></p>
<p>By filing <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-online-piracy-lawsuits-hit-a-record-high-last-year-190104/">thousands of lawsuits</a> over the past two years, Strike 3 Holdings swiftly became one of the most active copyright litigants in the U.S.</p>
<p>These cases target people whose Internet connections were allegedly used to download and share copyright infringing content via BitTorrent. In the case of Strike 3, that&#8217;s adult content.&nbsp;</p>
<p>As is common in these lawsuits, Strike 3 only knows the defendant by an IP-address. It then asks the courts to grant a subpoena, allowing it to ask Internet providers for the personal details of the alleged offenders so it can send a settlement request.</p>
<p>There has been some pushback against these requests in certain courts. In the Eastern District of New York, for example, U.S. Magistrate Judge <span class="fontstyle0">James Orenstein slammed on the brakes recently&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>Judge <span class="fontstyle0">Orenstein denied motions for expedited discovery in thirteen cases. This means that the adult video company can&#8217;t get a subpoena to identify the alleged pirates. While we have incidentally seen similar decisions, the motivation, in this case, is worth highlighting.</span></p>


<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="media/d3e0b925.thirteen4.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/thirteen4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172340"/><figcaption>The thirteen cases</figcaption></figure>


<p>In his order, the Judge writes that allowing Strike 3 to obtain the identities of the account holders creates a risk.</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">Specifically, it will put Strike 3 &#8220;in a position </span><span class="fontstyle0">to effectively coerce the identified subscribers into paying thousands of dollars to settle claims that may or may not have merit, so as to avoid either the cost of litigation or the embarrassment of being sued for using unlawful means to view adult material.&#8221;</span></p>
<p>Strike 3 was willing to give the Court assurances by accepting procedural<span class="fontstyle0"> safeguards on how the subpoenaed information can be used. However, considering the company&#8217;s history of avoiding judicial oversight, Judge Orenstein prefers not to issue any subpoenas at all.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>And there are more factors at play here. The order mentions that, if subpoenas are issued, it&#8217;s likely that Strike 3 will not use the account holders&#8217; details to litigate these cases in court. That&#8217;s also backed up by the information the rightsholder shared with the Court.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Since 2017, Strike 3 has filed 276 cases in the district, but zero have gone to trial.</p>
<p>Of the 143 cases that were resolved in the district, 49 resulted in a settlement and 94 were voluntarily dismissed. The latter number includes 50 cases where Strike 3 wasn&#8217;t confident that the defendant is the infringer. In other words, people who are likely wrongfully accused.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/a03a03fb.wrong-1.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/wrong-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172338"/><figcaption>From the order</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>This means that in one-third of the resolved cases, Strike 3 has likely targeted the wrong person. This number is &#8220;alarmingly high,&#8221; according to the Magistrate Judge.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;Strike 3 acknowledges that in many cases, the &#8216;Doe&#8217; it has sued – that is, the subscriber – will prove to be someone other than the person who engaged in the allegedly unlawful conduct the Complaint describes,&#8221; the order reads.</span></p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;And as it has now revealed in response to my inquiry, the proportion of such unprovable cases is alarmingly high,&#8221; Judge Orenstein adds.</span></p>
<p>This means that Strike 3 is listing many people as Doe defendants, while it knows that quite a few of these are not the actual infringers.</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;It is thus apparent that Strike 3 is deliberately asserting claims in a scattershot fashion against a broad array of individuals simply because it is confident that many of them will be liable – even if almost as many of them are not,&#8221; the order reads.</span></p>
<p>This seems to contradict the requirement that copyright holders should have good faith belief in the merit of their claim. While that&#8217;s not a violation of the federal rules per se, the Judge sees it as a reason not to issue the subpoenas.&nbsp;</p>
<p>After all, it is clear that these type of lawsuits are also targeting innocent subscribers.</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;While I do not suggest that suing three people because two of them probably committed a provable copyright violation is a technical violation of Rule 11, the certainty that such an approach will impose needless burdens on innocent individuals counsels against a finding of good cause to permit expedited discovery,&#8221; the order reads.</span></p>
<p>Strike 3 also argued that these type of lawsuits are needed to deter others from engaging in copyright infringement. However, the court waved away this argument as well.</p>
<p>Similarly, Judge Orenstein disagrees with Strike 3&#8217;s argument that it will be unable to enforce its copyrights if a subpoena is not granted. While this concern is valid, the Judge believes that these types of cases are not the answer, as they are plainly inefficient.</p>
<p>With the latter comment, the order references the work of Idaho Law Professor <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnemarieBridy/status/1126542352087076864">Annemarie Bridy</a>, who previously published <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1739970">a paper</a> explaining that litigation is not a scalable mechanism to deal with this type of copyright infringement.</p>
<p>In summary, the order delivers a devastating blow to Strike 3 and adds to the recent criticism of these types of lawsuits. If all judges ruled the same way, so-called copyright trolling practice would be finished. However, that&#8217;s not the case just yet.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</em></p>
<p><em>A copy of the order, which dates back a few weeks and has mostly been flying under the radar, is <a href="media/45e96e3b.orderstroke.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/orderstroke.pdf">available here (pdf)</a>.&nbsp;</em></p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172305
title: US Govt. Seizes Millions in Cash & Crypto in Movie Piracy Case
uri: US-Govt-Seizes-Millions-in-Cash-Crypto-in-Movie-Piracy-Case
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/1E-m5n1OGjo/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright is-resized"><img src="media/60b98a18.us-treasury.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/us-treasury.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172331" width="253" height="253"/></figure></div>



<p>Significant legal action against alleged operators of pirate sites have traditionally been carried out with great fanfare.</p>



<p>However, a case underway in federal court in Oregon is a very different beast, particularly given its scale and form.</p>



<p>The case filed in the district court May 6, 2019, reveals the United States government seeking forfeiture of around $4 million dollars worth of cash and cryptocurrency seized on the basis that the owner of the property was involved in a conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and money laundering.</p>



<p>The investigation reportedly began in October 2013 when Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents received information from PayPal concerning two websites, Noobroom.com and Noobroom7.com, that allowed subscribers to stream movies and TV shows.</p>



<p>HSI reported these sites to the MPAA which conducted an investigation, concluding that the sites and associated domains Noobroom and Noobroom9 distributed works in breach of its members&#8217; copyrights. Revenue was reportedly generated by subscriptions processed through Stripe and via adverts placed by a company called Lanista Concepts.</p>



<p>In July 2014, the MPAA sent a cease-and-desist notice to Noobroom. Five days later a covert Noobroom user account operated by the Hollywood group received a message advising users that their accounts had been moved to a new website at SuperChillin.com.</p>



<p>After downloading movies from SuperChillin, the MPAA was able to link an IP address to an individual identified as Talon White. The suspect was subsequently linked to two additional sites &#8211; movietv.co and Sit2Play.com &#8211; which were deemed to be near identical copies of each other. The registrant of Sit2Play was listed as Talon White and an associated email address was determined as belonging to him.</p>



<p>HSI&#8217;s investigation continued from 2016 to November 2018 when search and seizure warrants were executed. A declaration by Keith Druffel, a Special Agent of the Internal Revenue Service &#8211; Criminal Investigations, reads as follows;</p>



<p>&#8220;Based on financial records obtained during the investigation, I determined that White received substantial revenue from the above-listed websites,&#8221; Druffel writes.</p>



<p>&#8220;In 2018, he was averaging revenue over $500,000 per month. In 2017, White received over $2.2 million. In 2016, White received over $1 million in revenue, and in 2014 and 2015, White received on average about $400,000 a year in revenue.&#8221;</p>



<p>According to Druffel, subscribers of the sites paid via PayPal or Stripe, payments that were deposited into bank accounts controlled by White. Information provided by Stripe matched White&#8217;s personal information and the account was labeled as &#8220;Selling stock tip subscriptions via email.&#8221; The IRS claims there is no evidence of any such sales.</p>



<p>78,985 payments of $9.99 were received into the Stripe account between October 2015 and December 2016, amounting to $789,060. A further 7,611 payments of $25.49 ($194,004.39) and 5,348 payments of $44.99 ($240,606.52) made a grand total of $1,223,671.24.</p>



<p>&#8220;The above-listed amounts correspond to the listed subscription costs on Sit2Play and Movietv. Therefore, I believe the payments received by Stripe are the subscription fees for the websites,&#8221; Druffel adds.</p>



<p>Further analysis of transactions on White&#8217;s Stripe account dated between October 2017 and September 2018 revealed a further 396,843 payments of between $9.99 and $44.99 to a value of $6,373,816.57.</p>



<p>&#8220;The above listed amounts correspond to the cost of subscriptions to the websites and represent proceeds from the violation of 18 USC § 2319, Criminal Copyright Infringement,&#8221; the statement reads.</p>



<p>The investigation found that through August 2018, more than $3m was transferred from the Stripe account to a Wells Fargo account in White&#8217;s name and a JP Morgan Chase account held in the name of Viral Sensations, Inc. (VSI), a Nevada entity.</p>



<p>White is alleged to have opened three checking accounts in the name of VSI, over which he had sole signature authority. Through August 31, 2019, one VSI account received payments of more than $5.9 million. The accounts were linked to White and subscriptions from the pirate sites. Funds from one of the Chase accounts were used to buy $1m in cryptocurrency through virtual currency exchange Coinbase. </p>



<p>On November 13, 2018, Mustafa Kasubhai, United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Oregon, approved a search and seizure warrant authorizing a search of White&#8217;s residence and seizure of various assets. The warrant was executed two days later, yielding the following;</p>



<ul><li>$2,457,790.72 seized from JPMorgan Chase Bank account #1</li><li>$1,266,650.00 seized from JPMorgan Chase Bank account #2</li><li>$1,383.68 seized from JPMorgan Chase Bank account #3</li><li>$200,653.71 seized from JPMorgan Chase Bank account #4</li><li>$32,921.00 seized in US currency (cash)</li><li>$1,940.77 seized in US currency (Stripe account)</li><li>31.53810677 in BTC (Coinbase account)</li><li>1,022.39066800 in ETH (Coinbase account)</li><li>5.74017141 in BCH (Coinbase account)</li></ul>



<p>&#8220;[I] have probable cause to believe, and I do believe, that White and others known and unknown were involved in a conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1957 and 2319 from at least 2013 through November 2018,&#8221; Druffel&#8217;s statement adds. </p>



<p>On May 7, 2019, District Judge Anna J. Brown issued an order to the IRS to hold the assets until further notice.</p>



<p>&#8220;You are hereby commanded to arrest and take into your possession until further order of the Court, defendants, <em>in rem</em>, Assorted Funds,&#8221; the Judge wrote. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="media/fc5a3343.image-31.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/image-31.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172344"/></figure>



<p>From a copyright infringement perspective, this case is pretty unusual. </p>



<p>Most civil and criminal cases against pirate sites and their operators involve detailed descriptions of their workings along with finely-tuned claims of various types of infringement. But the focus here appears to be a financial one, for now at least.</p>



<p>A <a href="https://www.koin.com/news/local/oregon-coast/feds-want-millions-from-oregon-poker-player/1987054483">report</a> from Koin.com suggests that the man hasn&#8217;t been charged with a crime yet. In an effort to find ou more, TF approached White&#8217;s lawyer Rain Minns. At the time of publication we were yet to receive a response.</p>



<p><em>Related court documents obtained by TF can be found here (</em><a href="media/fd3bafe2.6593698-0-25761.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/6593698-0-25761.pdf"><em>1</em></a><em>,</em><a href="media/9b169a2c.6593698-1-26021.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/6593698-1-26021.pdf"><em>2</em></a><em>,</em><a href="media/ad1d1422.6594897-0-28035.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com//images/6594897-0-28035.pdf"><em>3</em></a><em>)</em></p>



<p></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172347
title: Namecheap Must Identify Nofile.io Registrant Following Piracy Complaint
uri: Namecheap-Must-Identify-Nofile-io-Registrant-Following-Piracy-Complai
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Hs4XRxDAxm0/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-172374" src="media/98a0d93e.nofileio.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nofileio.png" alt="" width="277" height="156">There are hundreds of file-hosting services on the Internet, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Nofile is generally known as a no-nonsense service that&#8217;s free to everyone. The site launched two years ago and has been building a steady userbase ever since.</p>
<p>Recently, however, the site suddenly stopped working (it came back just hours ago). Checking the domain records revealed that the NS records had been removed, which made it impossible to access the site. The question was, why?</p>
<p>A search through U.S. court records provided some possibly relevant context. It revealed that the music industry group RIAA targeted the site through a DMCA subpoena, directed at Nofile’s domain name registrar Namecheap.</p>
<p>The RIAA requested the subpoena at a federal court in Columbia, which was swiftly signed off by a clerk. The paperwork includes a letter addressed to Namecheap, in which the music group demands detailed information on the customer associated with the file-hosting service&#8217;s domain.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have determined that a user of your system or network has infringed our member record companies’ copyrighted sound recordings,&#8221; the RIAA&#8217;s letter reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;The website associated with this domain name offers files containing sound recordings which are owned by one or more of our member companies and have not been authorized for this kind of use, including without limitation those referenced at the URL below.&#8221;</p>
<p>The URL in question is not just some random piece of music. It points to the upload of a leaked track by rapper &#8216;Tyler, the Creator,&#8217; titled &#8216;Earfquake.&#8217;</p>
<p>The track has been circulating online for roughly a week. It was uploaded to hosting services such as Nofile.io and shared online through Leakth.is, 4Chan, Reddit, and other platforms. Whether Nofile.io played a significant role in the distribution is unknown, but it could be the site where it first appeared.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/de854944.leakthis.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/leakthis.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172380"/></figure></div>


<p>In any case, the RIAA would like to find out who&#8217;s running the site. The music group requests all electronic information that may help to identify the account holder, including IP-addresses, email, and payment information.</p>
<p>&#8220;As is stated in the attached subpoena, you are required to disclose to the RIAA information sufficient to identify the infringer. This would include the individual’s name, physical address, IP address, telephone number, e-mail address, payment information, account updates and account history,&#8221; the RIAA writes.</p>
<p></p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/785a9131.riaanem-1.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/riaanem-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172376"/><figcaption>The DMCA subpoena</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Shortly after the subpoena was granted Nofile.io became unreachable. When we started writing this article it was still offline but just before publication, it returned. The leaked file the RIAA referenced is still hosted there as well.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/0f50a416.eatfr.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/eatfr.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172424"/><figcaption> Earfquake </figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Interestingly, this is the second DMCA subpoena the RIAA has obtained in a short period of time. Little over a week ago we <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-obtains-subpoena-to-expose-infringing-cloudflare-users-180506/">reported</a> that the group is also going after several &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites that use Cloudflare.</p>
<p>Both requests use boilerplate language and only require a clerk&#8217;s signature to become enforceable. This makes it a rather cheap and effective option to find out more about site owners so it would be no surprise if we see these more often going forward.</p>
<p>Whether it&#8217;s the RIAA&#8217;s main goal to shut down the site is questionable though. In this case, the music group will likely be more interested in finding out who uploaded the leaked file, if that&#8217;s the source.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</em></p>
<p><em>A copy of the RIAA&#8217;s letter to Namecheap is available <a href="media/34987130.nofile.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/nofile.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="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172361
title: Supreme Court Refuses Eminem Publisher’s Case Over Copyright Damages
uri: Supreme-Court-Refuses-Eminem-Publisher-s-Case-Over-Copyright-Damages
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/jpt766nGnEY/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-146294" src="media/a97ba7c9.lose-yourself.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/lose-yourself.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="175"></p>
<p>While Kim Dotcom remains embroiled in the largest copyright battle New Zealand has ever seen, the country’s National Party has been facing ‘infringement’ problems of its own.</p>
<p>In 2014 Eminem’s publisher took the National Party&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kiwi-prime-ministers-party-sued-for-pirating-eminem-track-140916/">to court</a> over alleged copyright infringement of the rapper’s track &#8216;Lose Yourself&#8217; in an election campaign video.</p>
<p>At the time, the party was led by then Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key, who’s seen as Dotcom’s nemesis. In common with the Megaupload case, the dispute between the National Party and Eminem’s publisher continued to drag on.</p>
<p>The National Party didn’t simply use the track without paying for it. They actually sought professional advice before starting the campaign and licensed a track called <em>Eminem Esque</em>, which is the one they used in the ad.</p>
<p>The party hoped to avoid more expensive licensing fees by using the knock-off song, but the High Court previously ruled that the similarities between Lose Yourself and Eminem Esque are so significant that it breached copyright.</p>
<p>In 2017 the Court ordered the National Party to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/lose-yourself-national-party-guilty-of-eminem-copyright-infringement-171025/">pay $600,000</a> for the copyright infringement, an amount neither side was satisfied with. In a subsequent ruling a year later, the Court of Appeal sided with the National Party, reducing the damages to $225,000.</p>
<p>Eminem&#8217;s publisher, Eight Mile Style, wasn&#8217;t pleased with the outcome and asked the Supreme Court to take it on.</p>
<p>During a hearing two weeks ago the publisher&#8217;s lawyer, Gary Williams, told the Court that the damages amount was too low. The rightsholders would have demanded a premium for the song, especially since it was used for political advertising, <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/388323/eminem-lawyers-seek-another-shot-at-national-party">he argued</a> before the court.</p>
<p>This week the New Zealand Supreme Court decided that it will not allow the appeal, Stuff <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/112684387/no-new-appeal-for-increased-damages-for-eminem-song-ripoff">reports</a>. There is no doubt that the National Party&#8217;s use of the track was not permitted, but the Court doesn&#8217;t believe an extended legal fight over the damages amount is warranted.</p>
<p>&#8220;Given the concurrent findings of fact in the courts below rejecting the contention that the National Party turned a blind eye to the risk of infringement or was reckless, we do not see sufficient prospect of success in an argument that additional damages should have been awarded in this case to justify the grant of leave for a further appeal,&#8221; the Court wrote.</p>
<p>This effectively ends the legal battle after five years. The National Party will be happy to move on from this copyright infringement row. For Kim Dotcom, however, the battle continues.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><em>For those wondering if the music used in the National Party&#8217;s ad campaign is indeed similar to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFYQQPAOz7Y">original Eminem track</a>, a copy is available below.</em></p>
<p><center></p>
<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }</style>
<div class="embed-container"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/470bdH73TUY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
<p></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172393
title: RIAA Obtains Subpoena to Unmask YouTube-Ripping Site Operator
uri: RIAA-Obtains-Subpoena-to-Unmask-YouTube-Ripping-Site-Operator
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/vCuyGm8G1rA/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/412867c7.riaa.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/riaa.png" alt="" class="wp-image-108672"/></figure></div>



<p>Stream-ripping tools have become a big deal for the music industry over the past several years.</p>



<p>Instead of having to revisit platforms like YouTube, Spotify or Deezer, users of ripping tools or sites are able to download content to their own machines. The labels argue this deprives artists and indeed platforms of revenue while breaching music licensing conditions.</p>



<p>Perhaps the biggest problem is presented by sites that allow people to rip content from YouTube, whether that&#8217;s video or audio, or audio alone. While this can be for legitimate purposes, millions use stream-ripping platforms to obtain copyrighted content for free.</p>



<p>One such site is YouTube-ripping service <a href="https://www.youtubnow.com">YouTubNow.com</a>. According to SimilarWeb stats, the site currently receives around 15 million visits per month, with the highest share of its visitors hailing from the U.S.</p>



<p>&#8220;YouTubNow is a powerful service that allows you to find and download your favorite YouTube videos as well as music tracks quickly, easily and absolutely for free,&#8221; the site&#8217;s promo material reads.</p>



<p>&#8220;It’s an excellent YouTube to MP3 downloader as it makes any soundtrack a separate audio file tailored especially for you!&#8221;</p>



<p>This clearly isn&#8217;t something the RIAA appreciates. The music industry group targeted YouTubNow last week via a DMCA subpoena directed at the site&#8217;s domain name registrar, NameCheap.</p>



<p>In common with a similar process aimed at file-hosting platform NoFile and first reported <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/namecheap-must-identify-nofile-io-registrant-following-piracy-complaint-190514/">here on TF</a>, the RIAA filed its request at a federal court in Columbia, demanding that NameCheap hands over the personal details of its client. The Court was happy to oblige.</p>



<p>&#8220;We believe your service is hosting [YouTubNow.com] on its network,&#8221; a subsequent RIAA letter to NameCheap reads.</p>



<p>&#8220;The website associated with this domain name offers files containing sound recordings which are owned by one or more of our member companies and have not been authorized for this kind of use, including without limitation those referenced at the URL below.&#8221;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="media/261a6303.image-32.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/image-32.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172418"/><figcaption><em>The allegedly-infringing URLS</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>It isn&#8217;t clear whether the RIAA has already filed any DMCA takedown notices with YouTubNow via the email address published on the site. Nevertheless, from the &#8216;copyright notice&#8217; published on the site itself, YouTubNow claims no responsibility for what users do with the service.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/a2b0382c.youtubnow.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubnow.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172412"/><figcaption>At users&#8217; own risk&#8230;.</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>From the wording of the letter sent to NameCheap and the subpoena itself, the RIAA appears more concerned about the entire YouTubNow service, rather than just a few seemingly random URLs.</p>



<p>&#8220;The purpose for which this subpoena is sought is to obtain the identity of the individual assigned to this website who has induced the infringement of, and has directly engaged in the infringement of, our members&#8217; copyrighted sound recordings without their authorization,&#8221; the RIAA writes. </p>



<p>In addition to demanding the operator&#8217;s name, physical address, IP address, telephone number, email address, payment information, account updates and account history, the RIAA suggests a termination of the service&#8217;s domain might also be in order.</p>



<p>&#8220;We also ask that you consider the widespread and repeated infringing nature of the site operator(s)&#8217; conduct, and whether the site(s)&#8217; activities violate your terms of service and/or your company&#8217;s repeat infringer policy,&#8221; the RIAA writes. </p>



<p>This is at least the third DMCA subpoena the RIAA has obtained against allegedly-infringing sites in recent weeks. TF previously <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-obtains-subpoena-to-expose-infringing-cloudflare-users-180506/">reported</a> that the group is targeting several ‘pirate’ sites that use Cloudflare and file-hosting platform <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/namecheap-must-identify-nofile-io-registrant-following-piracy-complaint-190514/">NoFile</a>.</p>



<p><em>A copy of the RIAA’s letter, obtained by TF, is available here (<a href="media/94d15b73.riaa-youtubnow.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/riaa-youtubnow.pdf">pdf</a>)</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172509
title: Aussie Music Industry Wins First Ever Stream-Ripping Site Blocks
uri: Aussie-Music-Industry-Wins-First-Ever-Stream-Ripping-Site-Blocks
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kE7BiZsffy8/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/72389cbc.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-117196"/></figure></div>



<p>The worldwide music industry is making no secret of its disdain for so-called stream-ripping sites.</p>



<p>Utilizing content culled mainly from YouTube but also other streaming platforms, these services convert streams into downloads, allowing users to permanently store content &#8211; usually music &#8211; on a local machine.</p>



<p>Earlier this year the fight to curtail the growth of such platforms <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/new-aussie-blocking-applications-targets-79-pirate-sites-plus-4-stream-ripping-platforms-190110/">landed in Australia</a>. Music labels Sony, Universal, and Warner, with assistance from Music Rights Australia and the Australasian Performing Right Association, eventually appeared in Federal Court <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-music-industry-in-court-to-demand-stream-ripping-site-blocks-190403/">during April</a>, asking for action against four key players.</p>



<p>2conv, Flv2mp3, FLVto, and Convert2mp3 <em>(full list of domains below)</em> are considered some of the most significant stream-ripping sites. The music industry asked the Court to prevent users of local ISPs from accessing them. None are located in Australia but that&#8217;s convenient from a blocking perspective &#8211; Australian law requires them to be based overseas.</p>



<p>Lawyers for the music entities argued that the services are all unlicensed and that while some of the platforms indicate that users themselves should obtain licensing to rip content, that was a &#8220;meaningless warranty.&#8221;</p>



<p>This morning, <a href="https://www.computerworld.com.au/article/661708/telcos-block-stream-ripping-sites/">ComputerWorld</a> reported what observers believed to be the inevitable outcome. Justice Perram of the Federal Court has sided with the record companies and ordered local ISPs to block access to the sites. The order covers Telstra, Foxtel, Optus, TPG and Vodafone, plus subsidiaries, the publication reports.</p>



<p>Before last year&#8217;s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/australian-parliament-passes-tough-new-anti-piracy-law-181128/">amendments</a> to Australia&#8217;s Copyright Act, obtaining an order to have these sites blocked would have been more difficult.</p>



<p>Previously, in order for a platform to be rendered inaccessible by ISPs, it would need to have a &#8220;primary purpose of infringing&#8221;. Last November&#8217;s changes lowered the bar so that sites &#8220;with the primary effect&#8221; of infringing or facilitating infringement can also be blocked.</p>



<p>Another element that would&#8217;ve helped the Court side with the music companies is the fact that all of the targeted platforms have been involved in legal action in other countries.</p>



<p>Convert2mp3 is Germany-based and was previously declared illegal and blocked in a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/in-world-first-danish-court-rules-stream-ripping-site-illegal-180710/">first-of-its-kind case</a> in Denmark. The other three services are all based in Russia, with FLVTO.biz and 2conv.com embroiled in <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/major-labels-sue-more-youtube-ripper-sites-180806/">legal action</a> with labels in the United States.</p>



<p>In that action, the platforms have thus far <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-ripper-wins-dismissal-of-record-labels-us-piracy-lawsuit-190123/">come out on top</a> but from the labels&#8217; perspective (<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/stream-ripper-verdict-gives-carte-blanche-to-internet-pirates-record-labels-say-190314/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-fears-that-stream-ripper-verdict-will-serve-as-roadmap-for-foreign-pirates-190322/">2</a>) this is unacceptable. Tofig Kurbanov, the Russian operator of the stream-ripping sites, says that if the record labels want a legal battle, they should have that fight in Russia.</p>



<p>In a reply brief filed at the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit earlier this month, Universal, Warner Bros, and Sony <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/we-dont-have-to-travel-to-russia-to-sue-stream-rippers-labels-argue-190503/">argued</a> that the confrontation should take place in the United States. Previously, US District Court Judge Claude M. Hilton <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-ripper-wins-dismissal-of-record-labels-us-piracy-lawsuit-190123/">dismissed the case</a> due to a lack of jurisdiction.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s clear that the labels in the US and elsewhere are determined to stamp out the stream-ripping threat, wherever it may appear.</p>



<p>As <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-obtains-subpoena-to-unmask-youtube-ripping-site-operator-190515/">reported</a> here on TF yesterday, the RIAA recently obtained a DMCA subpoena to unmask the operator of stream-ripping site YouTubNow, a platform with an estimated 15 million monthly visits.</p>



<p><em>The domains to be blocked by ISPs in Australia are as follows:</em></p>



<p><em>2conv.com<br>Flv2mp3.by<br>Flv2mp3.com<br>Flv2mp3.org<br>Convert2mp3.net<br>Flvto.biz<br>Flvto.com</em></p>



<p><br></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172505
title: Canadian Parliamentary Report Proposes Tough Copyright Measures
uri: Canadian-Parliamentary-Report-Proposes-Tough-Copyright-Measures
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/C7DUFs5xHP0/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-83641" src="media/6e26cf2e.canada-pirate.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/canada-pirate.png" alt="" width="225" height="113">The Canadian Government is currently exploring if and how the current Copyright Act should be amended to better fit the present landscape.</p>
<p>To this end,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/CHPC">Canada&#8217;s Heritage Committee</a>&nbsp;organized several hearings on remuneration models for artists, where it received input from various stakeholders.</p>
<p>The outcome provides input for the Committee on Industry, Science and Technology’s&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/canadian-government-triggers-major-copyright-review-171214/">broader review</a>, which will determine the future course for Canada’s copyright policy.&nbsp; The Heritage Committee hopes that its findings will be included.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The report, titled &#8220;Shifting Paradigms,&#8221; leads to a set of 22 recommendations. These cover a variety of issues ranging from addressing the value gap and holding ISPs accountable, through limiting fair dealing, to extending the copyright term.</p>
<p>These themes are in large part meant to further support creators and copyright holders. Much like the EU&#8217;s copyright reform, there is a lot of emphasis on the so-called value gap, i.e the notion that artists don&#8217;t currently receive fair compensation for their work.</p>
<p>This is also reflected in the report. For example, the payouts at streaming services such as Spotify are often seen as too low. Similarly, services such as YouTube can distribute music and profit from it, while only paying a small fee to copyright holders.</p>
<p>&#8220;The inability of policy to evolve with technology has prevented artists from receiving fair market value for their work. According to witnesses, these outdated rules have diverted wealth from creators to large digital intermediaries on which artistic content is consumed,&#8221; the committee writes.&nbsp;</p>
<p>There are also rightsholders who have highlighted the possible aspects of technology on their industries. Content creators have many new distribution platforms, for example, which can bring in extra revenue. However, it&#8217;s clear that creators can use some guidance, which results in the first recommendation.</p>
<p><em> <span class="fontstyle0">Recommendation 1: That the Government of Canada increase its support for creators and creative industries in adapting to new digital markets.</span></em></p>
<p>Online piracy in general is another major theme. Torrent sites and streaming sites remain a significant problem which is hard to address, for example. In addition, ISPs currently have little incentive to help combat piracy.&nbsp;</p>
<p>One issue that the Government will look into is whether safe harbor exceptions for ISPs should change, to make these companies accountable for pirating users under certain circumstances.&nbsp;</p>
<p><em> <span class="fontstyle0">Recommendation 5: That the Government of Canada review the safe harbor exceptions and laws to ensure that Internet service providers are accountable for their role in the distribution of content.</span> </em></p>
<p>More generally, the report also suggests that Canada should do more to tackle online piracy overall. One of the options, as suggested during the consultation, is to criminalize online streaming.</p>
<p><em>Recommendation 6: That the Government of Canada increase its efforts to combat piracy and enforce copyright.</em></p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/14ff68da.dumbpipes.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dumbpipes.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172522"/><figcaption>Not dumb pipes</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>The recommendations are mostly meant to strengthen the position of rightsholders. This also includes an extension of the copyright term from 50 to 70 years after the creator&#8217;s death. This follows requests from several copyright groups and is in line with the new trade agreement with the US and Mexico.</p>
<p>According to the committee, no witnesses expressed outright opposition to extending of the copyright term, which leads to the following recommendation.</p>
<p><em>Recommendation 7: That the Government of Canada pursue its commitment to implement the extension of copyright from 50 to 70 years after the author’s death.</em></p>
<p>Large copyright intermediaries are also presented with a setback, which appears to have been largely initiated by Canadian singer Bryan Adams. During a hearing last year, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bryan-adams-longer-copyright-term-enriches-intermediaries-not-creators-181227/">Adams suggested</a> changing the text of the Copyright Act to made it easier for artists to regain their copyrights.</p>
<p>At the moment, Canadian copyright reverts to a creator’s heirs 25 years after “death.” By changing the word “death” to “assignment”, creators will be able to terminate a copyright assignment while they’re still alive.&nbsp;</p>
<p>This is helpful to artists who sign away their rights to labels early in their career, which they may regret later. The Heritage Committee sides with Adams and includes the following recommendation.</p>
<p><em>Recommendation 14: That the Government of Canada amend subsection 14(1) of the Copyright Act so that it reads “from 25 years after assignment.</em></p>
<p>Following more music- and movie-related recommendations, many of which deal with licensing and remuneration, the committee shifts its focus to the publishing industry.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Specifically, it addresses a commonly heard complaint from publishers that Canada&#8217;s fair dealing exemptions are too broad. Currently, schools are allowed to copy texts for educational use, but this should change, the committee argues.</p>
<p><em> <span class="fontstyle0">Recommendation 18: That Government of Canada amend the Act to clarify that fair dealing should not apply to educational institutions when the work is commercially available.</span> </em></p>
<p>All in all its clear that the recommendations made in the report are favorable to copyright holders, who will welcome it with open arms. However, not everyone is positive.</p>
<p>University of Ottawa professor&nbsp;<a href="http://www.michaelgeist.ca/">Michael Geist</a>, who has followed the developments closely, describes the report as the most one-sided Canadian copyright report issued in the past 15 years.</p>
<p>&#8220;Representing little more than stenography of lobbying positions from Canadian cultural groups, the report simply adopts as recommendations a wide range of contentious proposals: copyright term extension, restricted fair dealing, increased damages, as well as several new rights and payments,&#8221; Geist writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;There is no attempt to engage with a broad range of stakeholders, much less grapple with contrary evidence or positions.&#8221;</p>
<p>While the Heritage committee did hear several witnesses from people with contrasting views, such as Professor Jeremy de Beer, lawyer Howard Knopf, and author Cory Doctorow, these positions were not reflected in the final report.</p>
<p>The Heritage Committee&#8217;s recommendations will now be reviewed by the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, which is tasked the broader copyright review. That report is expected to come out later this year.</p>
<p>As such, there&#8217;s still a long way to go before any of these proposals are acted upon, if that&#8217;s the case at all.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</em></p>
<p><em>A copy of the <span class="fontstyle0">House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage</span> &#8216;s &#8220;Shifting Paradigms&#8221; report is available <a href="media/9d6c7c3b.chpcrp19-e.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/chpcrp19-e.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="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172547
title: MPAA / ACE Shut Down ‘Pirate’ IPTV Service, Seize Domain
uri: MPAA-ACE-Shut-Down-Pirate-IPTV-Service-Seize-Domain
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3Xn-q362LV4/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright is-resized"><img src="media/b447d2ef.ace-logo.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/ace-logo.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-140379" width="259" height="116"/></figure></div>



<p>In 2015, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a new initiative designed to target existing and developing piracy operations on a global scale, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/global-entertainment-giants-form-massive-anti-piracy-coalition-170613/">announced</a> its launch.</p>



<p><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/inside-the-mpaa-netflix-amazon-global-anti-piracy-alliance-170918/">Headed up</a> by the studios of the MPAA plus Netflix and Amazon, more than 30 international media now complete its ranks, including the likes of BBC Worldwide, Bell Canada, MGM, and Village Roadshow, to name just a few.</p>



<p>In addition to targeting Kodi add-ons and their developers, ACE has made unlicensed IPTV services one of its priorities. This morning we can report that the anti-piracy giant has claimed another scalp.</p>



<p>In the grand scheme, OneStepTV.com appears to have been a relative newcomer. Archives suggest that the service launched in 2018 and grew to offer around 600 TV channels and 20,000 pieces of VOD content (such as movies), for $25 per month or less.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="media/41836b92.onesteptv-banner.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/onesteptv-banner.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172551"/><figcaption>No credit checks&#8230;</figcaption></figure>



<p>While many of One Step TV&#8217;s customers appeared to have enjoyed the service, a few weeks ago problems appear to have become evident to subscribers looking to renew their package.</p>



<p>A post on Facebook dated April 25, 2019, signaled payment processing issues, one of the most common signs that a platform might be in trouble.</p>



<p>&#8220;We have been subscribers for awhile now and like your service very much. We are a little confused and concerned as recently we were told that customers cannot renew their subscriptions anymore,&#8221; the post reads.</p>



<p>&#8220;Is your business going away, or do you anticipate fixing the payment issue in the near future? We really would like to continue doing business with you.&#8221;</p>



<p>A few days later, more serious issues hit the streaming service. With its payment processing suspended, the platform itself disappeared.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="media/bc7b7e20.onestepdownfb.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/onestepdownfb.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172552"/><figcaption>One Step TV &#8211; gone</figcaption></figure>



<p>One Step TV&#8217;s public social media posts don&#8217;t give any explanation for the outage but yesterday an ominous change to the service&#8217;s homepage gave the clearest indication yet of what may have transpired.</p>



<p>Instead of One Step TV&#8217;s sales pitch, visitors to <a href="http://onesteptv.com">OneStepTV.com</a> are now presented with a message from the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment. Five seconds later the page redirects to the Alliance&#8217;s homepage.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="media/009a8e28.ace-shutdown.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/ace-shutdown.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172554"/><figcaption>Five seconds before redirect</figcaption></figure>



<p>While a page and redirect like this are very easy to fake (pirate sites frequently display similar pages as April Fool pranks), this one is very different. Not only does the domain redirect to the Alliance&#8217;s website as promised, changes to One Step TV&#8217;s domain records confirm that the domain has been taken over.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="media/2ea5d532.image-36.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/image-36.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172555" width="600"/><figcaption>Seized by the MPAA</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>As the image above shows, the domain is now in the hands of the MPAA and has probably been that way since yesterday morning. The site itself is hosted by Amazon, a founding member of ACE.</p>



<p>All the pieces of the puzzle together strongly suggest that in this format at least, One Step TV is done. It&#8217;s not clear if a lawsuit is involved but as far as we can see, none have been filed recently by ACE&#8217;s lead members.</p>



<p>While it&#8217;s difficult to say for sure, this closure bears the hallmarks of a cease-and-desist and subsequent settlement agreement. Given ACE&#8217;s reluctance to talk about such agreements, it seems unlikely there will be a detailed public statement.</p>


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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172438
title: YouTuber Sends Lawyer After UFC to Stop ‘Unfair’ Takedown Notices
uri: YouTuber-Sends-Lawyer-After-UFC-to-Stop-Unfair-Takedown-Notices
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/VlfgXsWbO-I/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-117196" src="media/72389cbc.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="196">Copyright enforcement on YouTube is a growing source of frustration,&nbsp; particularly the overbroad takedown efforts.</p>
<p>Many channel operators and users have complained about apparent abuse, but most don&#8217;t go any further than that.&nbsp;</p>
<p>John MacKay, owner of the popular channel &nbsp;“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbe_N5SULIdKlO_e-g7RBhQ">Boxing Now</a>” is an exception. On his channel, MacKay releases videos with post-fight commentary of popular fights. With hundreds of thousands of subscribers, he&#8217;s amassed a sizeable audience over the years.</p>
<p>The channel also comments on matches from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Fighting_Championship">UFC</a>). Since MacKay hasn&#8217;t cleared the rights to these broadcasts, he doesn&#8217;t use video footage from these fights. Instead, he shows a few still images, commenting on these.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Nonetheless, the UFC is not happy with his coverage, as the organization has sent five takedown notices targeting Boxing Now&#8217;s videos. These are not automated Content-ID flags, but actual takedown notices, which resulted in the videos being removed from YouTube.&nbsp;</p>
<p>MacKay believes that his work is a clear case of fair use so in response sent counternotices for each takedown. The UFC hasn&#8217;t responded to any of these, which meant that YouTube restored the videos. However, at that point, most harm was already done.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“My videos are most often viewed in the days immediately after a fight, and when UFC has them taken down for a few days with these unfair copyright claims, I lose a lot of viewers and a significant amount of money,” MacKay says, commenting on the issue.</p>
<p>Frustrated by the continued takedowns, MacKay decided to take a stand. He reached out to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (<a href="https://www.eff.org/">EFF</a>) to help him address the matter. The EFF was happy to oblige and this week attorney <a href="https://www.eff.org/about/staff/alex-h-moss">Alex Moss</a> sent a letter to the UFC, demanding that it stops sending unwarranted notices.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/e427dfd5.boxnow.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/boxnow.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-172461" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/boxnow.jpg 600w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/boxnow-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"><figcaption>Boxing Now</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>In the letter, Moss goes over the <a href="https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/four-factors/">four factors</a> of fair use, concluding that all weigh in the channel operator&#8217;s favor.&nbsp; For example, the videos are transformative, only use a few frames of the copyrighted content, and do not compete with the original broadcast.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mr. MacKay’s post-fight commentary could not and did not affect the market for a live broadcast or recording of the entire fight. If anything, Mr. MacKay’s use of still images for commentary purposes would likely increase demand for the original,&#8221; Moss writes.</p>
<p>The EFF&#8217;s attorney points out that the UFC has an obligation to consider fair use before sending a takedown request, as was determined in the <a href="https://www.eff.org/cases/lenz-v-universal">Lenz vs. Universal</a> case. The repeated notices targeting Boxing Now&#8217;s videos indicate that the UFC has failed to meet this obligation, which harms the channel&#8217;s business.&nbsp;</p>
<p>When the videos are taken down shortly after being posted, MacKay is missing a lot of views and therefore ad revenue. Added to that, the takedown notices also put his channel at risk, as YouTube may terminate accounts after repeat infringements.&nbsp;</p>
<p>What the UFC&#8217;s precise motivation is for the requests is unknown. The EFF&#8217;s attorney points out, however, that the UFC also has its own post commentary videos on YouTube and that it&#8217;s reducing the competition with its takedown notices.</p>
<p>&#8220;We note that UFC also produces YouTube videos containing post-fight commentary, and that Mr. McKay’s videos and UFC’s videos may compete for viewership and advertising revenue. This further suggests that UFC’s takedowns of Mr. McKay’s videos were done in bad faith,&#8221; Moss writes.</p>
<p>The channel operator, therefore, demands that the UFC stops issuing unwarranted takedown requests. The EFF requests that the organization confirms this intention before the end of the month.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;Accordingly, we demand that you cease sending takedown notices for Mr. McKay’s videos that make fair use of still images from UFC fights. Please confirm your agreement to do so by May 28, 2019, &#8221; Moss concludes.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not clear whether the EFF and MacKay plan any legal action should the UFC fail to meet their demand. However, as highlighted <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-content-id-abusers-could-face-millions-of-dollars-in-damages-190509/">a few days ago</a>, the likelihood of a lawsuit over unwarranted takedown notices becomes ever more likely, whether that happens in this case or not.</p>
<p>Speaking with TorrentFreak, Moss says she can&#8217;t go into detail about any potential follow-up steps. The EFF&#8217;s attorney hopes that the letter has some effect and that the UFC stops sending wrongful takedown notices.&nbsp;</p>
<div>&#8220;It’s not too much to expect copyright owners to consider whether something actually infringes before cutting off people’s access,&#8221; Moss tells us.</div>
<p><em>&#8212;</em></p>
<p><em>A copy of EFF&#8217;s letter, sent to UFC on behalf of Boxing Now&#8217;s John MacKay, is <a href="media/b6b76602.letter_to_ufc_2019.05.14.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/letter_to_ufc_2019.05.14.pdf">available here (pdf)</a>.</em></p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172443
title: Movie Piracy Giant Egy.best Shuts Down
uri: Movie-Piracy-Giant-Egy-best-Shuts-Down
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/g0FnqdsPglw/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-172475" src="media/8201b9ad.egybest.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/egybest.png" alt="" width="206" height="144">To most people in the West, Egy.best may not ring a bell, but in Arabic speaking countries, it&#8217;s been a piracy beacon for years.</p>
<p>The site, which proudly boasted a &#8220;Made in Egypt&#8221; tagline, offered access to pirated copies of movies and TV-shows. These could be downloaded and streamed for free, often with subtitles.</p>
<p>Egy.best was most popular in Egypt where it was among the ten most visited sites in the country. In addition, it was also the number one pirate site in many neighboring countries, including Algeria, Kuwait, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.</p>
<p>This week, however, the site&#8217;s operators decided to throw in the towel, without prior warning. Those who access Egy.best today only see the site&#8217;s logo, with <em>النهاية</em>. underneath it, which means &#8220;the end.&#8221;</p>
<p>It&#8217;s unclear why the site, dubbed by some as the Netflix for the poor, took this drastic decision.</p>
<p>In a message on the site&#8217;s official Facebook account, which has since <a href="https://identity-mag.com/egybest-got-shut-mean-piracy-egypt/">been removed</a>, the site mentioned that several Egyptian ISPs has started to block the site. Shortly after, the site shut down, but whether there&#8217;s a connection remains uncertain.</p>
<p>ISP blockades were indeed put in place recently. They didn&#8217;t just target Egy.best, but <a href="https://www.egyptindependent.com/egybest-shuts-down-amidst-purge-of-piracy-websites/">also other sites</a> including Arab Lions, Akoam, Movies land, Arab Seed, Mazzika Today, Shahid4u, and Cima4up. Some of these switched to new domain names subsequently, but Egy didn&#8217;t.</p>
<p></p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/302ea5c8.egybest4.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/egybest4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172594" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/egybest4.png 854w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/egybest4-200x150.png 200w" sizes="(max-width: 854px) 100vw, 854px"><figcaption>Egy.best</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Some people assumed that the blockades triggered the shutdown, but that would be a rather unusual response. This is also what a follow-up message in the Facebook comment section suggests. There, a site operator noted that it&#8217;s bigger than just the blocking efforts in Egypt.</p>
<p>Without an official statement on the reason for the shutdown, people can only speculate. The most likely explanation, perhaps, is some kind of legal pressure, but until the operators share more details, that remains a guess.</p>
<p>Whatever the real reason might be, for millions of people the site&#8217;s closure is a big blow. Twitter is littered with messages from people mourning the site&#8217;s demise. Not just from Egypt, but from many other Arabic speaking countries as well.</p>
<p>&#8220;Whoever did it &amp; was reason of closing it [sic], you take some good prayers from many of us in this Ramadan..,&#8221; one <a href="https://twitter.com/grussline/status/1129182973251735554">commenter</a> noted, with someone else <a href="https://twitter.com/ll1fa/status/1129117571096223750">adding</a> that &#8220;Summer without <s>#</s>egybest will be a sad summer.&#8221;</p>
<p>Others expressed their state of mind through memes.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/4ad2ff3f.egycry.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/egycry.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-172592"/><figcaption>Egy.best&#8217;s gone</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Considering the massive size of the site, there&#8217;s a huge void to be filled and several &#8216;copycats&#8217; and competitors are eager to jump in. We&#8217;ve already seen several people hijacking the #egybest hashtag on Twitter to promote alternative streaming sites and piracy portals.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s little doubt that many of Egy.best&#8217;s users will ultimately find a new home, but considering the massive response on social media, the original will be missed.</p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172494
title: Rightscorp Done Anti-Pirating? Stock Worthless, Website Gone
uri: Rightscorp-Done-Anti-Pirating-Stock-Worthless-Website-Gone
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/uKbaufcT7go/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/f3dc02d2.rightscorplogo.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/rightscorplogo.png" alt="" class="wp-image-158414" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/rightscorplogo.png 250w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/rightscorplogo-220x130.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px"></figure></div>



<p>For many years, anti-piracy outfit Rightscorp has been on a mission to turn piracy into profit.</p>



<p>The company monitors BitTorrent networks, captures IP addresses, then asks ISPs to forward cash settlement demands to its subscribers.</p>



<p>While some companies in the same niche have &#8220;gone big&#8221; by demanding hundreds or even thousands of dollars for each alleged infringement, Rightscorp deployed a &#8220;speeding fine&#8221; model. To make Rightscorp go away, the company regularly demanded settlements of between $20 and $30, shared with rightsholders 50/50.</p>



<p>These, of course, mounted up. According to a set of financial results covering the three months ended September 30, 2017, Rightscorp had closed more than 230,000 alleged cases of infringement.</p>



<p>What happened after that is unclear, as the company opted not to report any further financial details in public. If it had, they probably wouldn&#8217;t have made pretty reading. </p>



<p>During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, Rightscorp recorded a net loss of $1,448,899. During the same period a year earlier, it lost $1,380,698. As a result, the company had just $3,147 left in cash at the end of September 2017. </p>



<p>Against the odds, however, Rightscorp appears to have kept going, although what that means on an operational level is anyone&#8217;s guess. Now, however, the writing appears to be on the wall.</p>



<p>A cursory visit to <a href="http://ir.rightscorp.com/">Rightscorp&#8217;s website</a> today doesn&#8217;t yield any detailed information. Or, indeed, any information at all.</p>



<p>Most pages are completely blank apart from a solitary line of text on its investor page. An ironic one too given how Rightscorp frequently demanded that ISPs should suspend the accounts of subscribers who refuse to pay up.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="media/42a58b6e.image-34.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/image-34.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172496"/><figcaption><em>Those who called for those to be suspended, have been suspended</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>We&#8217;re not aware of any public explanations being made by Rightscorp but things don&#8217;t look bright and sunny on the investor front either.</p>



<p>In January 2012, Rightscorp shares (RIHT) reached the dizzy heights of $0.80 each. At the beginning of 2015, they were worth $0.074, falling to $0.017 in January 2017.</p>



<p>From there, things only got worse. At the time of writing <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/riht/charts">Rightscorp stock</a> is currently worth just $0.0025. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="media/ee2fd2eb.image-35.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/image-35.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172497" width="600"/></figure>



<p>So what next for Rightscorp? It seems unlikely the company is still sending out settlement demands, without a working website it can&#8217;t handle any payments. But even if it could, the amounts probably wouldn&#8217;t amount to much.</p>



<p>During its last reporting period covering the three months to September 2017, it collected just $45,848 from BitTorrent users but paid out $22,924 of that amount to copyright holders.</p>



<p>Finally (and whatever happens to the company next), it&#8217;s important to note that Rightscorp data is still being utilized in various copyright infringement lawsuits filed by music companies against ISPs in the United States, including against <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/record-labels-file-billion-dollar-piracy-lawsuit-against-isp-cox-180802/">Cox Communications</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isp-grande-loses-safe-harbor-over-utter-failure-to-terminate-pirating-customers-190318/">Grande Communications</a>.</p>



<p>Indeed, the data collated for use against Grande customers <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-paid-handsomely-for-bittorrent-piracy-evidence-180817/">cost the RIAA $700,000</a>. That was considerably better value for Rightscorp than scraping $20 from each infringer and then having to pay $10 straight back out. That last big deal might&#8217;ve been the last throw of the dice but only time will tell.</p>



<p>Meanwhile, Rightscorp founder and former CEO Christopher Sabec is currently advising &#8220;cannabis cultivators, manufacturers and other licensees&#8221; over at Fox Rothschild LLP, an appointment that was <a href="https://www.foxrothschild.com/news/entertainment-and-cannabis-law-attorney-christopher-sabec-joins-fox-in-san-francisco/">announced</a> this March. <br></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=170470
title: The Pirate Bay’s Oldest Torrents Survived 15 Years of Turmoil
uri: The-Pirate-Bay-s-Oldest-Torrents-Survived-15-Years-of-Turmoil
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/K1sWffB86fA/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-116122" src="media/d4dd039c.thepirate-e1470829181981.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/thepirate-e1470829181981.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="206">When The Pirate Bay launched in the second half of 2003, the World Wide Web looked nothing like it does today.</p>
<p>Mark Zuckerberg was still preoccupied with &#8220;Facemash,&#8221; the &#8220;hot or not&#8221; site he launched before Facebook was invented. YouTube wasn&#8217;t around yet either, nor were Twitter and Instagram, which launched years later.</p>
<p>At the time nearly everyone used regular computers to access the web. Smartphones and tablets didn&#8217;t exist, and high-quality online video streaming was unthinkable on most residential Internet connections. If there was anything to stream at all.</p>
<p>People interested in watching a movie could use the Internet to buy a DVD at one of the early webshops or sign up with Netflix, which shipped DVDs through the mail. There were no download stores yet.</p>
<p>Given this context, imagine the appeal of a website that offered a high-quality archive of digital movies and tv-series to download, for free.</p>
<p>That site was The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p></p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/9dd0b94c.tpb04.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb04.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172390"/><figcaption>TPB in 2014</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Remarkably, many of the videos that were posted on the site during the early days remain available today. In fact, quite a few torrents on The Pirate Bay have been around longer than some of the site&#8217;s users.</p>
<p>This is quite an achievement, as torrents require at least one person with a full copy of the file to keep it alive. This prompted us to take a look at the oldest Pirate Bay torrents that are still being shared today.</p>
<p>During the early months of the site, it appears that some torrents were purged or otherwise lost. The oldest ones we can find data back to March 2004, which means that they are well over 15 years old today.&nbsp;</p>
<p>An episode of “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_High_Chaparral">The High Chaparral</a>” has the honor of being the oldest torrent. The file was originally uploaded on March 25, 2004, and although it lists zero seeders in search results, there are still several people actively sharing the torrent.</p>
<p></p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/6695a8e0.tpbold.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tpbold.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172605"/></figure></div>


<p>Many of the other torrents in the list above need some help. However, the Top Secret Recipes E-Books and a copy of the documentary Revolution OS, which covers the history of Linux, GNU, and the free software movement, are doing very well.</p>
<p>While these torrents have survived one-and-a-half decades of turmoil, including two raids, they&#8217;re still going strong. In part, perhaps, because some people want to keep history alive.</p>
<p>&#8220;To maintain history, I will gladly put this on my seedbox forever,&#8221; one commenter writes below the High Chaparral torrent, with another one adding &#8220;I will save this torrent for history!!!&#8221;</p>
<p>History indeed, as it is clear that things have changed over the past 15 years. In the early days, The Pirate Bay wasn&#8217;t just popular because people didn&#8217;t have to pay. It was often the only option to get a digital copy of a movie, TV-show, or even a music album. It was a revolution in a way.</p>
<p>This is still the case to a certain degree in some countries, but to many, the magical appeal has gone now that there are so many legal alternatives online.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s worth keeping in mind, though, that these legal alternatives were in part a direct answer to sites such as The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>In fact, if piracy hadn&#8217;t existed the world might have looked entirely different today. Piracy showed the entertainment industries that people wanted instant online access to media, a demand that was later fulfilled by iTunes, Netflix streaming, Spotify, and many others.</p>
<p>Today The Pirate Bay remains online. Despite several raids, criminal prosecutions, dozens of website blockades, and other anti-piracy measures, the site continues to thrive. And so do its torrents.</p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172471
title: Can a New Anti-Piracy System Really Defeat Cinema “Camming”?
uri: Can-a-New-Anti-Piracy-System-Really-Defeat-Cinema-Camming
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/jxKykzib5JI/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright is-resized"><img src="media/a13d45bb.cammer1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/cammer1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-65828" width="263" height="153"/></figure></div>



<p>During February, China&#8217;s National Copyright Administration (NCAC) <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/china-to-crack-down-on-cam-piracy-online-distribution-platforms-190220/">announced</a> that it would be upping efforts to deal with copyright infringement.</p>



<p>On top of a promise to &#8220;dig deep&#8221; into the sources of piracy and “sternly investigate” online platforms that help to distribute pirated content, the NCAC said it would also target unauthorized &#8220;camming&#8221;.</p>



<p>Camming, the act of recording movies in theaters with video cameras, has been a major headache for the entertainment industries for decades. Illegal copies often hit the Internet within hours of a movie&#8217;s premiere, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/avengers-endgame-leaks-online-in-china-begins-to-spread-190424/">as was the case last month</a> with Avengers: Endgame.</p>



<p>While the NCAC clearly couldn&#8217;t do anything about that serious event, the question remains whether physical deterrents (such as bag searches and action against complicit theater owners) can also be augmented by technical measures.</p>



<p>Before Endgame dramatically hit the web, the China-based partnership of <a href="http://www.ogilvy.com.cn">Ogilvy</a> and Focus Film Media, part of Focus Media Group, announced that they had developed a new system to prevent camming taking in place in cinemas.</p>



<p>&#8220;Originality is the soul of the film industry and the foundation from which it thrives upon; it is our job to protect this originality,” said Jason Jiang, Founder and Chairman of Focus Media Group.</p>



<p>“We are delighted to have gone beyond a conventional approach and develop the ‘Piracy Blockr,’ which allows us to address the problem in a discrete but effective way, ensuring that the film industry is protected for years to come.&#8221;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="media/ca95c53f.Piracy-Blockr.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/Piracy-Blockr.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-172477"/><figcaption>Piracy Blockr in action? (Credit: Ogilvy/Focus Film Media)</figcaption></figure>



<p>The image above, although clearly mocked up, provides an idea of how the system is supposed to work. A watermark, invisible to the viewer, is captured by camcorders when an attempt is made to record the screen.</p>



<p>So how does it work? TorrentFreak spoke with Ogilvy to find out.</p>



<p>&#8220;There is a lot more to light than what mere human eyes can detect, but a device in your pocket can help you see beyond your biological limits. Our eyes can only detect colors of light that we see as a rainbow, primarily shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet,&#8221; says Silvia Zhang, Ogilvy Marketing &amp; Communications Manager.</p>



<p>&#8220;So while our naked eyes can&#8217;t pick up on the wavelength of infrared light, the sensors in your phones and cameras can &#8211; essentially making the invisible visible.&#8221;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="media/ecb0a742.image-33.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/image-33.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172478" width="600"/><figcaption>Image: Supplied by Ogilvy</figcaption></figure>



<p>Anyone with a smartphone can easily see what the system is about. Simply press a button on an infrared remote control and point it at the camera lens and the image on the screen will display the infrared light emitted by the device. The camera can &#8216;see&#8217; the infrared light, we can&#8217;t.</p>



<p>&#8220;We used this to our advantage to combat the multi-billion dollar illegal cam recording industry by embedding panels of infrared light powered watermarks, which we call the &#8216;Piracy Blockr’, behind cinema screens in China,&#8221; Zhang adds.</p>



<p>The idea of using infrared light to foil pirates isn&#8217;t new. A <a href="https://fareastgizmos.com/other_stuff/ir_light_from_behind_the_cinema_screen_prevents_pirates_from_recording_films_at_movie_theaters.php">report</a> dating back almost 10 years reveals that Japan&#8217;s National Institute of Informatics had teamed up with Sharp to pulse infrared light through cinema screens to disturb digital recording devices.</p>



<p>Since we haven&#8217;t heard of any such devices actually being deployed in cinemas, we asked Ogilvy how many screens its system currently &#8216;protects&#8217; in China. The company didn&#8217;t respond to our question, despite repeated attempts.</p>



<p>We also asked how the Piracy Blockr system is able to defeat determined cammers who attach infrared filters to their devices. The company didn&#8217;t respond to that question either. A request for a real-life image or video clip of Piracy Blockr in action received the same response.</p>



<p>Some research appears to have been carried out in India <em>(</em><a href="media/e51ea1bc.57_A20Survey.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.ijircce.com/upload/2017/november/57_A%20Survey.pdf"><em>pdf</em></a><em>) </em>which considered the challenges presented by pirates who deploy infrared filtering but the problem clearly isn&#8217;t straightforward. If it was, someone would be making millions by now while resigning &#8216;camming&#8217; to history.</p>



<p>As for Piracy Blockr, we won&#8217;t be holding our breath while waiting for a live demo. </p>



<p></p>



<p></p>



<p> </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172646
title: Torrent Site MagnetDL Shuts Down
uri: Torrent-Site-MagnetDL-Shuts-Down
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/19RWHNp-Y6Y/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-172648" src="media/7637f84a.magnetdl1.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/magnetdl1.png" alt="" width="267" height="149">Founded in 2012, <a href="https://www.magnetdl.com/">MagnetDL</a> offered a clean and easy-to-use torrent search portal, which gained a substantial userbase over the years.</p>
<p>The site relied on magnet links instead of regular torrent files, as the name suggests, and was most popular in the UK where it was one of the few popular torrent sites not blocked by ISPs.&nbsp;</p>
<p>MagnetDL flew mostly under the radar but hundreds of thousands of people have it marked as their favorite search engine. Many of these were taken by surprise yesterday when the site suddenly announced that it had closed shop.</p>
<p>&#8220;MagnetDL has closed. It has been a great seven years and it&#8217;s sad to have it come to an end. Thanks to everyone who has visited over the years especially our regular visitors,&#8221; a message on the site reads.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to the operator to get more details on the reason for this decision, but at the time of writing, we have yet to hear back. This means that we can only guess about the exact reason for the shutdown.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/2a84786d.magnetdldown.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/magnetdldown.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172650"/><figcaption>MagnetDL</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>We are not aware of any legal issues being faced by the site. It could be that the operator simply lost the motivation to keep the site going. Perhaps in combination with a loss in revenue, which other torrent sites have previously cited as a reason to throw in the towel.</p>
<p>The torrent site hadn&#8217;t changed much since it was first launched seven years ago. The informative &#8216;help&#8217; section, which was one of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190423134614/https://www.magnetdl.com/site/help/">the most elaborate</a> we&#8217;d ever seen at a public torrent site, expanded a bit, but the homepage still looked exactly the same a few days ago. </p>
<p>The magnet search engine never made it into the top 10 of most popular torrent sites, but it came very close. In some regions, such as the UK, it definitely had a solid spot among the most-visited &#8216;pirate&#8217; portals.</p>
<p>MagnetDL didn&#8217;t allow users to upload files and grabbed links from other torrent sites, which means that no content has been lost. However, based on comments posts on various social media sites, the site itself will be dearly missed. </p>
<p> </p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/3fe07ea5.magnetdtl.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/magnetdtl.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172659" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/magnetdtl.png 585w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/magnetdtl-200x150.png 200w" sizes="(max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px"><figcaption>MagnetDL</figcaption></figure></div>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172662
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 05/20/19
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-05-20-19
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/IAuwbgkaLIg/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-172670" src="media/892672cd.shazam.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/shazam.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="210">This week we have three newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Shazam! 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 articles of the recent weekly movie download charts.</p>
<h5>This week&#8217;s most downloaded movies are:</h5>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Movie Rank</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>Rank <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-the-week-on-bittorrent-05-13-19/">last week</a></strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie name</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Most downloaded movies via torrents</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448115/">Shazam!</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448115/">7.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oD7B7oiBtw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/">Avengers: Endgame</a> (HDCam)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/">9.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcMBFSGVi1c">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/">Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9775360/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLZXFHIjZEY">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5719748/">Cold Pursuit</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5719748/">6.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C2Nad0aMPg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6865690/">The Professor</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6865690/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IThXCpk3Oc4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6146586/">John Wick 3</a> (HDCam)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6146586/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSXc5z9F7Do">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477834/">Aquaman</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477834/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmqJJqFX_CU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6823368">Glass</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6823368">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBL6COBGjCA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/">Captain Marvel</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LHxvxdRnYc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0837563/">Pet Sematary</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0837563/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK0LNzU2TQI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172663
title: Italian Version of Article 17 Requires LEGAL Content to Be Filtered Out
uri: Italian-Version-of-Article-17-Requires-LEGAL-Content-to-Be-Filtered-Ou
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/QfoFFpZ0q5E/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/0333c7dc.copyright-blood.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-blood.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-120567"/></figure></div>



<p>After years of work, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-parliament-adopts-copyright-directive-including-article-13-190326/">on March 26, 2019</a> the new EU Copyright Directive was adopted, with 348 Members of Parliament in favor, 274 against, and 36 abstentions.</p>



<p>A little under a month later, the EU Council of Ministers <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-ministers-approve-copyright-directive-including-article-17-13-190415/">waved</a> the legislation through, despite opposition from Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Finland, and Sweden. Belgium, Estonia, and Slovenia abstained.</p>



<p>EU member states were then granted two years to implement the law, which includes the controversial Article 17 (formerly 13). That requires platforms like YouTube to sign licensing agreements with creators. If that proves impossible, they will have to ensure that infringing content uploaded by users is taken down and not re-uploaded to their services.</p>



<p>Or, if one takes on face value a recently published official translation of the Directive, something much more outrageous.</p>



<p>As revealed by Eleonara Rosati over at <a href="http://ipkitten.blogspot.com/2019/05/dsm-directive-is-now-directive-2017790.html">IPKitten</a>, someone has made a small but monumental mistake when transposing the Directive into Italian.</p>



<p>First, the relevant section <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32019L0790&amp;from=EN">in English</a>;</p>



<p><em>7. The cooperation between online content-sharing service providers and rightholders shall not result in the prevention of the availability of works or other subject matter uploaded by users, which do not infringe copyright and related rights, including where such works or other subject matter are covered by an exception or limitation. </em></p>



<p>Now, the same section in the <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019L0790">Italian version</a> (translated back to English);</p>



<p><em>7. Cooperation between online content sharing service providers and rights holders must prevent the availability of works or other materials uploaded by users that do not infringe copyright or related rights, even in cases where such works or other materials are subject to an exception or limitation.</em> </p>



<p>So, according to this translation, sites like YouTube must work with rightsholders to ensure that <em>non-infringing</em> works are never made available on their platforms, even when the use of such works is allowed under relevant exceptions, presumably including&#8230;..erm&#8230;.fair use. Or is that unfair use? Difficult to say.</p>



<p>Rosati <a href="https://twitter.com/eLAWnora/status/1130133474961219586">suggests</a> on Twitter that people might like to run through the now <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32019L0790&amp;from=EN">fully-published Directive</a> on the Official Journal of the EU to see if there are any other errors in other <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019L0790">countries&#8217; translations</a>. </p>



<p>Considering Italy didn&#8217;t want this law to pass, it&#8217;s lucky this error got spotted early or the much-heralded &#8220;meme ban&#8221; might&#8217;ve been just the tip of the iceberg.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172641
title: How Game of Thrones Made Piracy History
uri: How-Game-of-Thrones-Made-Piracy-History
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/9ZUdasIf4iw/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-171208" src="media/0a58794a.thrones-1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/thrones-1.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="193">Traditionally, the Game of Thrones season finale is among the most viewed episodes, also on pirate sites.</p>
<p>When the entire series comes to an end, interest is only heightened.</p>
<p>This is what happened indeed. While many people have been rather critical about the story-line of the final season, millions of people &#8216;tuned&#8217; in, both through authorized and unofficial channels.</p>
<p>The official ratings shot through the roof, with 13.6 million US viewers during the official airing, which is also a new all-time record for an HBO show. On pirate sites, there was plenty of interest as well.</p>
<p>Millions of people pirated a copy. At the height, yesterday afternoon, more than 200,000 people were actively sharing the three most popular torrents, with the most popular one being good for 130,000 sharers alone.</p>
<p>While this is a massive number, it&#8217;s nowhere near the all-time record. That&nbsp;dates back to 2015, when&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/game-of-thrones-season-finale-breaks-piracy-record-150615/">over a quarter million </a>people were simultaneously sharing a single file. This drop is in part because the piracy ecosystem has evolved.</p>
<p>Torrent sites used to be the main distribution platforms for pirated TV shows, but unauthorized streaming sites are much more popular today. These sites don’t make any viewing numbers public but are good for millions of ‘pirate’ views as well.</p>
<p>With this in mind, it is likely that the record of the largest BitTorrent swarm in history will never be broken.</p>
<p>The end of Game of Thrones wraps up one of the biggest continuing stories in file-sharing history. The HBO show was as crowned the &#8220;most pirated&#8221; TV-series for several years, and is likely to scoop up this title again in 2019, to secure its place in history.</p>
<p>Aside from the impressive numbers, Game of Thrones was also at the center of other piracy-related news and discussions, much of which we have discussed in detail here.</p>
<p>One key theme that reappeared year after year were the numerous leaks. The most prominent one dates back to 2015 when the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/first-episodes-of-game-of-thrones-season-5-leak-online-150412/">first four episodes</a> leaked from a promotional screener.</p>
<p>In 2017 a Game of Thrones episode&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/next-game-of-thrones-episode-leaks-online-170804/">leaked</a>&nbsp;with a “Star India” watermark. This eventually led to the&nbsp;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/game-of-thrones-pirates-arrested-for-leaking-episode-early-170814/">arrests</a> of four people. Keeping up with this trend, several episodes came out early this year as well, and even before the final, the plot was already out.</p>
<p>The fact that pirates were often able to see GoT episodes before regular viewers only increased the piracy figures. This was also confirmed by academic research which found that these leaks <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pre-release-game-of-thrones-leaks-bred-pirates-research-shows-180427/">bred pirates</a> while hurting official viewing numbers.</p>
<p>Other major factors that played a role in the high piracy rates are &#8216;availability&#8217; and pricing.</p>
<p>During the early seasons, Game of Thrones wasn&#8217;t as widely available as it is today. And even if it was, there were often significant release delays, up to several weeks. That drove many people, especially the bigger fans, to pirate sites.</p>
<p>Over the years the availability problem was addressed in many countries, but for many a pricing hurdle remained. Watching Game of Thrones legally, could in many cases cost <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/why-people-pirate-game-of-thrones-a-global-cost-breakdown-140413/">hundreds of dollars</a> per season, while the pirate alternative was free.</p>
<p>Ironically, even those who had eventually signed up for a legal subscription would sometimes continue to pirate, just out of habit. In Australia,&nbsp; for example, 20% of the Foxtel subscribers who had already paid for Game of Thrones still chose to pirate the show instead.</p>
<p>In Australia, Game of Thrones piracy has been a hot topic for years. Due to early release delays and relatively high pricing, many chose the piracy route. This frustrated rightsholders and even the U.S. Ambassador, with the latter stating that there is no excuse for &#8216;stealing.&#8217;</p>
<p>Amidst all the controversy, HBO remained fairly calm. Yes, the company issued thousands of takedown notices and even warned some individual file-sharers, but that was about it. Some people did receive settlement demands in 2016, but that was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/scam-targets-game-thrones-pirates-160708/">the work of scammers</a>.</p>
<p>Some people connected more directly to Game of Thrones also recognized the upside of piracy.&nbsp; Director David Petrarca, for example, previously admitted that piracy generated <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-doesnt-hurt-game-of-thrones-director-says-130227/">much-needed “cultural buzz”</a> around the series.</p>
<p>Similarly, Jeff Bewkes, in 2013 the CEO of HBO’s parent company Time Warner, noted that piracy resulted in more subscriptions for his company and that receiving the title of “most-pirated” TV-show was actually “<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/game-of-thrones-piracy-better-than-an-emmy-time-warner-ceo-says-130808/">better than an Emmy.</a>”</p>
<p>That&#8217;s a worthy statement to end with.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172775
title: Game of Thrones Piracy in Russia: 180,000 Takedowns, Mirror Wars & Capitulation
uri: Game-of-Thrones-Piracy-in-Russia-180-000-Takedowns-Mirror-Wars-Cap
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2fTF6cwz2gs/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright is-resized"><img src="media/d10f9315.Game_of_Thrones_Season_8.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/Game_of_Thrones_Season_8.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172718" width="215" height="311"/></figure></div>



<p>There have been many stories published about Game of Thrones, mostly due to its massive viewing figures.</p>



<p>However, the now-concluded show wasn&#8217;t always viewed on legitimate platforms, something which made it the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/how-game-of-thrones-made-piracy-history-190521/">most-pirated show in TV history</a>.</p>



<p>While breaking records on all platforms is something that many shows will settle for, behind the scenes there&#8217;s a constant battle against piracy. Over in Russia, that task has fallen to anti-piracy company <a href="https://www.group-ib.com/">Group-IB</a>.</p>



<p>After working on behalf of streaming service <a href="https://www.amediateka.ru/">Amediateka</a>, which has held the exclusive distribution rights to Game of Thrones in Russia since April 2015, Group-IB has today revealed some of the facts and stats from its four-year campaign.</p>



<p>The headline figure is that since the launch of Season Five, Group-IB has carried out successful takedowns against 180,000 links to illicit copies of the show on websites, forums, and social media.</p>



<p>As the infographic below shows, enforcement was something of a crescendo, growing rapidly as the seasons progressed (bars represent takedowns during the seasons&#8217; airings).</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="media/315818af.GOT-groupib.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/GOT-groupib.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172777" width="600" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/GOT-groupib.png 2000w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/GOT-groupib-200x150.png 200w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px"></figure></div>



<p>During Season 8, Group-IB&#8217;s team took down more than 43,700 links to pirated versions of the show in Russian.</p>



<p>While that&#8217;s a large number of takedowns in itself, those were spread far and wide, spanning 1,098 different websites. More than 90 of those sites were designed specifically to spread pirated copies of the show.</p>



<p>Like all takedown campaigns, Group-IB also placed an emphasis on removing links to pirated copies of the show from search engines. Yandex is Russia&#8217;s most popular portal so it&#8217;s no surprise it chose to focus there.</p>



<p>The company reports that more than 30,000 links were removed from the search engine. Group-IB informs TF that they were all links to streaming websites but also of interest was the pirates&#8217; response to those takedowns.</p>



<p>According to the anti-piracy company, the operators of the sites were unprepared for their links to be removed from Yandex, so began taking counter-measures by duplicating their platforms to ensure a new search engine listing.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="media/59a4898d.image-46.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/image-46.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172779" width="600"/><figcaption><em>Amediateka, home of HBO in Russia</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>&#8220;In response to the blocking, online pirates struck back by creating mirrors on a daily basis &#8211; copies of their websites with new but very similar domain names. For instance, one of the pirates created more than 20 mirrors on their subdomains,&#8221; Group-IB reports.</p>



<p>&#8220;However, according to the pirates’ forum posts, the owners of pirate websites were not ready for the &#8216;attack&#8217; on them: &#8216;Looks like somebody just wiped the links out. Some of the pages disappeared… some of them do not appear in search results&#8217;,&#8221; Group-IB reports, citing the operators&#8217; comments.</p>



<p>The anti-piracy campaign also targeted social media and by default VK.com, Russia&#8217;s largest social networking site. Interestingly, after filing numerous complaints with VK, some of the groups on the platform reportedly decided to go straight, converting from places to host pirated videos to become Game of Thrones fan pages.</p>



<p>&#8220;Group-IB Anti-Piracy team filed many takedowns through VK moderators who forced the groups’ owners to remove infringing content,&#8221; the company informs TF.</p>



<p>&#8220;The groups which kept publishing pirated content despite the warnings from VK were banned. Others, which removed the infringing content, turned into fan pages so as not to lose traffic that can be converted to advertising revenues.&#8221; </p>



<p>Finally, some thoughts from Andrey Busargin, Director of Anti-Piracy and Brand Protection at Group-IB. </p>



<p>&#8220;For us the battle against online pirates, trying to profit off the illegal distribution of the Game of Thrones in Russian, was as fierce as for George R.R. Martin’s characters,” Busargin says.</p>



<p>&#8220;I would also like to highlight Amediateka’s commitment to counter online piracy in Russia: they brought in Group-IB Anti-Piracy team ahead of time and have been making continuous efforts to popularize legal viewership of the Game of Thrones making it available on its website, in movie theaters all over the country and even on the stadium.&#8221;</p>



<p>While there will always be historic GoT links to clean up, Group-IB also protects other titles, including True Detective, Billions, The Good Wife, and Westworld. Game of Thrones may be over, but the takedown work will persist for years to come.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172808
title: Popular Streaming Site Pelispedia Shuts Down, Operators Arrested
uri: Popular-Streaming-Site-Pelispedia-Shuts-Down-Operators-Arrested
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/b3bXo7axu3E/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-172810" src="media/b2594a02.pelispedia.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pelispedia.png" alt="" width="180" height="180"></p>
<p>With over a million visitors per day, Pelispedia.tv was one of the most popular streaming sites in Latin America.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Just a few weeks ago, it was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-govt-identifies-top-pirate-sites-and-other-notorious-markets-190426/">highlighted by</a> the US Trade Representative as a notorious pirate site, following a referral from Hollywood&#8217;s MPAA.&nbsp;</p>
<p>By then, rightsholders and enforcement authorities already had their eyes focused on the site&#8217;s alleged operators, a couple from Uruguay. Following collaborative efforts from Interpol, rightsholders, and Uruguayan authorities, this culminated in two arrests last week.</p>
<p>According to Uruguayan prosecutor Mónica Ferrero, the alleged operators are charged with &#8220;a continuing offense of making available a digital broadcast for profit without the written authorization of their respective holders or successors, and a crime of money laundering.&#8221;</p>
<p>The two, who are referred to in <a href="https://www.urgente24.com/mundo/latinoamerica/pelispedia-duenos-prision-preventiva-y-cierre-de-la-pagina">local media</a> by their initials JAGR and MJHG, will remain in custody for &nbsp;30 days. Their case is being handled by a court specialized in organized crime, which will take a closer look at the allegations.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Initially, Pelispedia.tv remained online following the arrests, but since yesterday it is no longer available. The sister site Pelisplus is still accessible but is also expected to shut down.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/78e02d0e.pelis.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pelis.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172811"/><figcaption>Pelispedia</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>The pair reportedly have no other employment and made roughly $5,000 per month from the business. In addition to the arrests, several assets were seized including hardware, a 2008 Peugeot, a 2014 Volkswagon, $1,257 in cash, and two Payoneer cards.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment collaborated with the authorities and is pleased with the outcome thus far.</p>
<p>“We thank Interpol, the Uruguayan police, and prosecutors for their leadership in this important action against a major illegal streaming service operator,” ACE spokesperson Richard VanOrnum said, commenting on the news.</p>
<p>MPAA Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin agrees and sees the shutdown of <span class="il">Pelispedia</span>.tv as another example of ACE’s successful and ongoing global effort to reduce piracy.</p>
<p>“Each time we collaborate with law enforcement authorities to disrupt major piracy operations like <span class="il">Pelispedia</span>.tv, we support the millions of people around the world working in the film and television industry and the dynamic legal marketplace for creative content,” Rivkin notes.</p><p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172786
title: SET TV IPTV Reseller A-Box TV Ordered to Pay Dish $2 Million in Damages
uri: SET-TV-IPTV-Reseller-A-Box-TV-Ordered-to-Pay-Dish-2-Million-in-Damage
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/1qn1AwgsdAg/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/62b29e54.dishc.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dishc.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-160937"/></figure></div>



<p>Last June, popular &#8216;pirate&#8217; IPTV service <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/set-tv-suddenly-goes-offline-but-is-the-ace-lawsuit-to-blame-180611/">SET TV went offline</a> after being sued by DISH Network and encryption partner NagraStar.</p>



<p>In a Florida court, the defendants were accused of creating and selling subscriptions to the SET TV service which, among other things, offered numerous television channels that were unlawfully obtained from DISH&#8217;s satellite service and retransmitted to customers.</p>



<p>The $20-per-month platform had offered its subscribers a package of 500 live channels, including on-demand content and PPV broadcasts, sometimes via pre-configured hardware devices.</p>



<p>Last November that <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/settv-iptv-service-ordered-to-pay-dish-90000000-in-piracy-damages-181113/">case ended</a> in DISH and NagraStar&#8217;s favor, with the former awarded statutory damages of $90,199,000 ($500 for each of the 180,398 subscribers SET TV had) following an agreement with SET TV. </p>



<p>&#8220;The judgment and injunction against the SetTV service marks a significant victory in the ongoing fight against pay-TV piracy, and a win for consumers who subscribe to legitimate pay-TV services,” DISH said in a statement.</p>



<p>But while the case against SET TV was being wrapped up, another case lay pending. In a second complaint, filed in Florida May 1, 2018, DISH and NagraStar targeted Julie Bishop and her company A-Box TV, which they accused of acting as a reseller for the SET TV service.</p>



<p>&#8220;Defendants sell subscriptions and devices for a pirate streaming television service called &#8216;SET TV&#8217;, which includes numerous television channels that were received without authorization from DISH&#8217;s satellite service and subsequently retransmitted without authorization on the SET TV pirate streaming service,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>



<p>The filing goes on to list several now-defunct A-Box URLs (including a-boxtv.com, shop.a-boxtv.com, and store.a.boxtv.com) from where the service and associated devices were sold to customers.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/303aafb8.image-47.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/image-47.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172790"/><figcaption><em>A-Box &#8211; A SET TV reseller (Website from 2017)</em></figcaption></figure></div>



<p>In common with SET TV, A-Box was accused of offering packages costing $20 per month and selling set-top devices pre-loaded with the SET TV service. Among the illegal broadcasts offered to customers was the record-setting Mayweather v. McGregor boxing match, grabbed from the DISH service and unlawfully distributed.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="media/bc20bcd5.image-48.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/image-48.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172796"/><figcaption><em>Screengrab from A-Box&#8217;s Facebook page (via complaint)</em></figcaption></figure></div>



<p>Following the judgment in the SET TV case last year, it seemed unlikely that the case against A-Box would end well for the defendants. That was confirmed Tuesday with District Judge Mary S. Scriven signing off on an agreed judgment and injunction.</p>



<p>The order states that Julie Bishop and A-Box TV LLC are, among other things, permanently enjoined from &#8220;redistributing or retransmitting any DISH satellite signal or over-the-top (&#8216;OTT&#8217;) signal&#8221; and/or &#8220;distributing, copying, reproducing, performing, hosting, streaming, or displaying any video programming&#8221; owned by DISH or its affiliates.</p>



<p>There are damages too, which are significant.</p>



<p>The defendants are ordered to pay DISH $2,000,000 which represents $10,000 for each violation cited in the complaint. Whether or not that amount will ever be paid is likely to remain unknown but the parties will cover their own attorney&#8217;s fees and costs.</p>



<p><em>The original complaint can be found </em><a href="media/b1380e4f.A-Boxtvcom-complaint.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/A-Boxtvcom-complaint.pdf"><em>here</em></a><em> and the consent judgment </em><a href="media/87d3a1cc.dish-a-box-judgment-and-injunction.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dish-a-box-judgment-and-injunction.pdf"><em>here</em></a></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172672
title: There Were 140 Piracy ‘Incidents’ in UK Cinemas Last Year
uri: There-Were-140-Piracy-Incidents-in-UK-Cinemas-Last-Year
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/o6RnAbnssMs/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-142135" src="media/6e823f49.theater-movie-cinema.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/theater-movie-cinema.png" alt="" width="275" height="164" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/theater-movie-cinema.png 275w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/theater-movie-cinema-220x130.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px">The earlier a film ends up on pirate sites, the more filmmakers, cinemas, and other players in the movie industry stand to lose.</p>
<p>This is the main reason why movie theaters keep a very close eye on their visitors.</p>
<p>Employees are specifically trained and instructed to recognize potentially suspicious behavior so they take action in response. Those who help to catch a pirate, are eligible for hard cash bounties.</p>
<p>In the UK, t<span class="fontstyle0">he Film Content Protection Agency (FCPA) is in charge of these rewards as well as educating cinema personnel.&nbsp; This is much needed, it appears, as there are piracy &#8216;incidents&#8217; in UK movie theaters on a weekly basis.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>According to the latest annual report from the <a href="https://www.cinemauk.org.uk/">UK Cinema Association</a>, 2018 saw a record number of &#8216;film theft&#8217; related incidents, wrapped in a positive sauce.</p>
<p>&#8220;Despite ongoing attempts by individuals to record films in cinema theaters there were 140 separate incidents in UK cinemas in 2018, a new record – much of the year saw the continuation of a period of unprecedented success in this regard,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p>While people are frequently caught trying to record movies, leaks from UK cinemas are rare, the association notes. In fact, no leaked films could be tracked to the UK for a period of three consecutive years. However, that also changed in 2018.</p>
<p>In October, a pirated copy of a newly-released film was traced back to a Birmingham cinema and this was followed by two more, but unrelated, leaks from Cornwall.</p>
<p>This is obviously a setback, but the Cinema Association notes that the FCPA is investigating the cases with the authorities, hoping to bring the perpetrators to justice, as it did with a 21-year old man from Sunderland <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-man-convicted-after-sharing-cam-copies-of-movies-180601/">last summer</a>.</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;As the year closed, the FCPA was collaborating on investigating these three<br>
cases with the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), based at the City of London Police,&#8221; the annual report notes.</span></p>
<p>As for the increase in reported incidents, it is not clear whether this reflects an actual uptick in piracy attempts. Last year, more than <span class="fontstyle0">2,200 cinema staff from 68 UK cinemas attended the FCPA&#8217;s anti-piracy briefings, so it&#8217;s possible that elevated awareness is playing a role too.</span></p>
<p>Increased vigilance is also a reason to keep the bounty program in place. Theater employees are eligible for a reward of up to £1,000 for spotting pirates.</p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;Encouraging and incentivising such vigilance and awareness is vital – so the FCPA has continued to acknowledge cinema staff for their efforts in tackling film piracy through its reward programme,&#8221; the report reads.</span></p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">&#8220;Across the year, a record 52 cinema staff were formally recognised for successfully disrupting attempts to illegally record films and presented with cash rewards at presentations in March and September,&#8221; the Cinema Association adds.</span></p>
<p><span class="fontstyle0">On its website, the FCPA provides further guidance on how to spot pirates. Among other things, it recommends using night-vision goggles. </span></p>
<p>&#8220;Modern, lightweight, silent night vision devices may be available at your cinema. Their use during screen checks is warmly encouraged, especially for new releases most vulnerable to theft,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.launchingfilms.com/filmcontentprotectionagency/fcpa-whattodo">advice reads</a>.</p>
<p>With these and other measures, the UK movie industry hopes to keep piracy incidents under control. Sharper surveillance may initially lead to more reported incidents, but if it pays off, the number of actual leaks should drop to zero again.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172854
title: Award-Winning John Lennon Photographer Sues Universal Music For $150,000
uri: Award-Winning-John-Lennon-Photographer-Sues-Universal-Music-For-150-0
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/us2y55LhLuY/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/bc6ccefb.universal-small.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/universal-small.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-126337"/></figure></div>



<p>As part of the RIAA, Universal Music is known for being the aggressor in dozens of copyright infringement complaints concerning the unlicensed use of its music.</p>



<p>Now, however, it now finds itself on the other side of the fence, following a copyright infringement complaint filed against it in the United States.</p>



<p>The man behind the action is Allan Tannenbaum, an award-winning photographer known for his works depicting the New York art, music and nightlife scene in the 70s and early 80s.</p>



<p>Tannenbaum&#8217;s <a href="http://www.fotomundo.net/Galleries/John_Lennon_Yoko_Ono/">portfolio</a> contains many iconic photographs of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, including a very well known one that depicts the couple in bed laughing. <em>(shown below)</em></p>



<p>&#8220;John Lennon cracks a joke while he and Yoko are nude in bed filming a video for &#8216;Just Like Starting Over&#8217; in a SoHo studio, November 26, 1980,&#8221; says a description of <a href="http://www.sohobluesgallery.com/SBG/product/JLYOBL.html">the image</a> on Tannenbaum&#8217;s site.</p>



<p>&#8220;Tannenbaum is the author of the Photograph and has at all times been the sole owner of all right, title and interest in and to the Photograph, including the copyright thereto,&#8221; Tannenbaum&#8217;s complaint reads.</p>



<p>According to the complaint, filed under Section 501 of the Copyright Act, Universal Music is the operator of <a href="https://www.udiscovermusic.com">uDiscoverMusic</a>, a website that takes an in-depth look at &#8220;some of the most influential music in the world – and the artists that created it.&#8221;</p>



<p>At issue is an <a href="https://www.udiscovermusic.com/behind-the-albums/john-lennon-milk-and-honey/">article</a> published on the site titled &#8220;John Lennon – Milk and Honey&#8221; which ran Tannenbaum&#8217;s image alongside to the right, as shown in the screenshot below.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="media/83081227.image-51.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/image-51.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172859"/><figcaption>Screenshot from uDiscoverMusic/complaint</figcaption></figure>



<p>According to the Universal-owned site, the article was first published during July 2015, but Tannenbaum says that he only discovered the unlicensed use of his work in May 2019. The article is still live at the time of writing.</p>



<p>&#8220;Universal Music infringed Plaintiff’s copyright in the Photograph by reproducing and publicly displaying the Photograph on the Website,&#8221; the complaint notes.</p>



<p>&#8220;Universal Music is not, and has never been, licensed or otherwise authorized to reproduce, publically display, distribute and/or use the Photograph.&#8221;</p>



<p>It further alleges that Universal&#8217;s actions were willful, intentional, and purposeful, in &#8220;disregard of and indifference to Plaintiff&#8217;s rights.&#8221;</p>



<p>Demanding a trial by jury, Tannenbaum says he is entitled to damages and profits generated as a result of Universal&#8217;s &#8220;unlawful conduct&#8221;. Alternatively, he demands statutory damages of up to $150,000 for the infringed work.</p>



<p>The complaint, obtained by TorrentFreak, was filed just yesterday so Universal Music has not yet responded. It can be viewed <a href="media/7930d489.119-cv-04750-tannenbaum-v-UMG-complaint.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/119-cv-04750-tannenbaum-v-UMG-complaint.pdf">here</a> <em>(pdf)</em></p>



<p> </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172899
title: Reddit KOs Piracy-Focused MMA Community, Ex-UFC Fighter Gets The Blame
uri: Reddit-KOs-Piracy-Focused-MMA-Community-Ex-UFC-Fighter-Gets-The-Blame
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/NQFe4qeph8s/
content:
<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="media/981b03c0.redditp.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/redditp.png" alt="" class="wp-image-125451" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/redditp.png 250w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/redditp-200x150.png 200w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px"></figure></div>



<p>Diligently following top-tier Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events has never been an inexpensive pastime.</p>



<p>From its modern roots in the early 1990s on a strictly PPV basis, MMA has become a huge draw around the globe. Dominated by the UFC, those PPVs today cost upwards of $60 in the US, albeit less in other countries where providers like BT Sport offer the events as part of much cheaper packages.</p>



<p>Nevertheless, there is no shortage of fans who&#8217;d prefer not to pay anything at all. That, of course, is entirely possible using various types of pirate streaming outlets, from dedicated sites to streaming torrents, from Kodi add-ons to &#8216;pirate&#8217; IPTV services.</p>



<p>While these streams are in abundance most Saturdays, finding them isn&#8217;t always easy for the novice. However, acting as a human-powered link aggregator, that&#8217;s where Reddit&#8217;s /r/MMAStreams sub-Reddit came in handy. Visitors to the sub around event time were able to find free streams of most if not all events. Until this week, that is.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="media/6d175470.image-55.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/image-55.png" alt="" class="wp-image-172902"/><figcaption><em>/r/mmastreams &#8211; banned by Reddit</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>The nuking of the 165,000 member community shouldn&#8217;t have come as a surprise. Around a month ago, moderators of the sub posted a warning indicating that everyone was on borrowed time.</p>



<p>&#8220;Today, we were notified that <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MMAStreams">r/MMAStreams</a> is at high risk of being banned for copyright violation,&#8221; the announcement read.</p>



<p>&#8220;We are seeking clarity on the issue, but we must begin to take steps to move.&#8221;</p>



<p>The community began switching to /r/MMAStreamz but this week that too <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MMASTREAMZ">was banned</a> for exactly the same reasons as its predecessor.</p>



<p>It isn&#8217;t clear who had been filing complaints against these subs but one can be pretty confident that the UFC had a fairly big part to play. While links to live events don&#8217;t hang around for long, Reddit doesn&#8217;t contest notices on behalf of users, particular when a sub is obviously centered around infringement.</p>



<p>Of course, many in the link-sharing community are looking for a scapegoat. From a strictly legal perspective, the obvious choice would be the people posting the streams (no pirate links, no notices &#8211; in theory) but to MMA fans, they certainly aren&#8217;t part of the problem.</p>



<p>There is another candidate, however. One with a very high profile and, many streaming fans believe, a mouth that should&#8217;ve stayed closed.</p>



<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Schaub">Brendan Schaub</a> is a former UFC heavyweight contender but since his departure from the promotion, he hasn&#8217;t always been polite about the way it operates. He may have also stepped somewhat dramatically over the line in advance of UFC 236, the very first UFC PPV under its brand new and exclusive ESPN+ streaming deal.</p>



<p>In a nutshell, Schaub &#8211; who has more than 750,000 Twitter followers and a very successful podcast &#8211; hit the platform in a sweat last month because he couldn&#8217;t get the PPV on his TV. With the clock counting down, he then made a veiled threat to stream the event illegally. He was subsequently inundated with a couple of thousand messages from fans containing links to do just that.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If I don’t get this ESPN + to work in the next 5 mins I’m gonna be forced to turn to the dark side. I’ll buy a <a href="https://twitter.com/stylebender?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stylebender</a> Reebok kit so I don’t feel bad. <a href="https://twitter.com/bryancallen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bryancallen</a> what site do you use ?????? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFC236?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFC236</a></p>&mdash; Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrendanSchaub/status/1117248463823982594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div><figcaption>The &#8216;dark side&#8217; calls</figcaption></figure>



<p>In a post-event podcast, Schaub revealed that what he saw in the illegal streaming world should be a serious matter for the UFC.</p>



<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think they [the UFC] realize the level of pure professionalism these dark web dudes have to these links. I&#8217;m not gonna say I did watch it illegally, i&#8217;m not gonna say I didn&#8217;t. When I clicked on that link, that thing was better quality than I had [expletive]&#8230;ever seen.</p>



<p>&#8220;Here&#8217;s the thing that&#8217;s scary about it,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I must have got 2,000 DMs with different links to illegally stream this thing.&#8221;</p>



<p>And then, the cardinal sin. He mentioned Reddit by name.</p>



<p>&#8220;Just for database and research I went through 10 to 15 [of the links]. How big is Reddit? Reddit has their MMA thread where [events get posted], and you&#8217;re talking clear as day. I saw the fight. I&#8217;m anti-illegal streaming, i&#8217;m against that,&#8221; he added, to balance things up a bit.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That was the best UFC title fight I’ve ever seen. 50k bonus ain’t enough for those two warriors. Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/stylebender?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stylebender</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/KelvinGastelum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KelvinGastelum</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFC236?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFC236</a> ? ? ?</p>&mdash; Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrendanSchaub/status/1117283230300774400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div><figcaption>Great fights, not all of them paid for</figcaption></figure>



<p>Whether Schaub did pirate the whole event isn&#8217;t known but in the days that followed he continued to mention the illegal streams available via Reddit and elsewhere to his considerable audience. That, some believe, is why MMAStreams suddenly felt even more heat than usual.</p>



<p>The reality is that we&#8217;ll probably never know for sure. It&#8217;s also likely that even without Schaub&#8217;s promotional &#8216;help&#8217;, MMAStreams would still find itself choked-out eventually. Previously, similar sports-focused sub-Reddit&#8217;s have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/reddit-soccerstreams-effectively-shuts-down-following-piracy-complaints-190121/">closed down</a> following complaints from other organizations.</p>



<p>Considering its size, there is zero chance that the UFC didn&#8217;t know about MMAStreams already and with ESPN on board, they almost certainly want to show what they&#8217;re capable of on the eyeballs front. Platforms like MMAStreams don&#8217;t help that effort and that&#8217;s probably part of the reason why they&#8217;re no longer around.</p>



<p>Not on Reddit, at least&#8230;.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=172541
title: Movie Company Uses DMCA Subpoena Shortcut to Identify Pirates
uri: Movie-Company-Uses-DMCA-Subpoena-Shortcut-to-Identify-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ktJQJ2ya2tc/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-172633" src="media/dc539018.ipaddresses.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/ipaddresses.png" alt="" width="275" height="129">In the early 2000s, the RIAA started going after against tens of thousands of alleged music pirates.</p>
<p>The music industry had just defeated Napster, but P2P file-sharing remained a massive problem. Applications such as KaZaA, Morpheus, Grokster, and eDonkey, had millions of users each.</p>
<p>Since filing federal lawsuits is relatively expensive, the RIAA attempted to take a shortcut by applying for so-called DMCA subpoenas. These are not reviewed by a judge, as regular subpoenas are, and only require a signature from the court clerk.</p>
<p>While this worked initially, Internet providers soon started to object. They argued that DMCA subpoenas are only valid when an Internet service stores or links to the infringing content, not when they merely pass on traffic.</p>
<p>Several courts, including the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, agreed with the ISPs and effectively banned the practice. If copyright holders want to go after individual downloaders, they have to file a complaint and request a regular subpoena.</p>
<p>While these rulings were established at the start of the last decade, Hawaii attorney Kerry Culpepper sees things differently. Representing the rightsholders of the movie &#8220;<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1846589/">Hunter Killer</a>,&#8221; he recently requested a DMCA subpoena against Verizon.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ppc-ip.com/our-team/">Culpepper</a> and his client are not new to copyright litigation. Far from it. They have been involved in several lawsuits against alleged pirates, obtaining regular subpoenas. However, in this case, they are taking the shortcut.</p>
<p>Instead of filing a complaint, Culpepper applied for a DMCA subpoena to compel Verizon to identify the account holders behind 20 IP-addresses which allegedly shared a copy of the movie &#8220;Hunter Killer&#8221; via BitTorrent.</p>
<p>The court clerk signed off on this request, without oversight from a judge. This is pretty significant, as it means that the movie company can obtain the identities of the alleged pirates with limited expense, without having to file a lawsuit.</p>
<p>If this becomes common practice, it will become a goldmine for so-called copyright trolls. Now that more and more federal courts are pushing back against these cases, refusing to issue regular subpoenas, they could simply request DMCA subpoenas and avoid filing a lawsuit altogether.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s a big IF of course, as we noted that appeals courts outlawed similar practices over a decade ago. So how is this different now?</p>
<p>Looking at the filing, we see that Hunter Killer&#8217;s attorney is well aware of the precedents. They are mentioned in the subpoena application, but Culpepper argues that these earlier cases don&#8217;t necessarily apply here.</p>
<p>The rulings in the DC Circuit and Eighth Circuit appeals courts both concluded that DMCA subpoenas can&#8217;t be issued against ISPs that are mere conduits. This is because the &#8220;notifications&#8221; described in the DMCA could not be applied to ISPs that don&#8217;t store infringing material. As such, DMCA subpoenas were not an option.</p>
<p>Culpepper counters that the Ninth Circuit Appeals Court, which Hawaii and other states such as California fall under, never ruled on the mere conduit issue in a case like this. Hence, it&#8217;s an open question. In fact, Hunter Killer&#8217;s attorney notes that more recent decisions suggest that the DMCA notifications are valid in this case.</p>
<p>In the more recent repeat infringer cases against ISPs such as Cox and Grande, courts have concluded that these providers have no right to a DMCA safe harbor because they failed to act on DMCA notifications. This suggests that these notices are valid and apply to conduit providers.</p>
<p>Commenting in a personal capacity, not on behalf of his client, Culpepper informs TorrentFreak that these decisions suggest that DMCA subpoenas are valid too.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Fourth Circuit in BMG v. Cox, determined that Cox had no safe harbor preventing them from liability for infringement because of Cox’s failure to terminate the accounts of repeat infringers based upon the notifications received from Rightscorp among other reasons,&#8221; Culpepper says.</p>
<p>&#8220;These are the same types of notifications the DC Circuit and Eighth Circuit said were not valid for a 512(h) subpoena, yet here they were deemed sufficiently valid for triggering loss of safe harbor.&#8221;</p>
<p>Culpepper has many other counterpoints as well, but in this instance, these were not needed. The clerk issued the subpoena, which is what he and Hunter Killer were after.</p>
<p>The question remains, of course, is what they will do with the personal details of the alleged infringers. In theory, the information could be used to demand settlements, however, they could also serve as evidence for a bigger case.</p>
<p>In the past, Culpepper has approached file-sharers, not to sue or settle with them, but to build a case against the pirate apps there were using. This is what happened in a Showbox-related lawsuit, for example, and could happen here as well.</p>
<p>That said, the revival of the DMCA subpoena is definitely a major event that will be watched closely by rightsholders and ISPs. In this case, we see no evidence that Verizon objected, but if the practice becomes more common, the matter may end up in court.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</em></p>
<p><em>A copy of Culpepper&#8217;s application and the signed DMCA Subpoena, spotted <a href="https://www.torrentlawyer.com/kerry-culpepper-hunter-killer-hawaii/">by Cashman</a>, is available <a href="media/dbcea283.-Culpepper-Gets-Hawaii-to-Allow-Subpoena-to-Verizon-Wireless.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/410241625-051519-Kerry-Culpepper-Gets-Hawaii-to-Allow-Subpoena-to-Verizon-Wireless.pdf">here (pdf)</a>.&nbsp;</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2018-180107/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-keep-anonymous-2018/">VPN reviews, </a><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">discounts, offers and coupons</a>.</p>
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