# articles

feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150073
title: Judge Tells Movie Company That it Can’t Sue Alleged BitTorrent Pirate
uri: Judge-Tells-Movie-Company-That-it-Can-t-Sue-Alleged-BitTorrent-Pirat
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/QH81MsO8uB8/
content:
<p><a href="media/91d65779.courtorderjustice.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/courtorderjustice.jpg"><img src="media/7bbce88c.courtorderjustice.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/courtorderjustice.jpg" alt="" width="256" height="171" class="alignright size-full wp-image-147326"></a>Despite a considerable migration towards streaming piracy in recent years, copyright trolls are still finding plenty of potential targets around the world. Alleged BitTorrent pirates are target number one since their activities are most easily tracked. However, it isn&#8217;t all plain sailing for the pirate hunters.</p>
<p>Last December <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-company-has-no-right-to-sue-accused-pirate-argues-171208/">we reported</a> on the case of Lingfu Zhang, an Oregan resident accused by the makers of the 2015 drama film Fathers &#038; Daughters (F&#038;D) of downloading and sharing their content without permission. While these kinds of cases often disappear, with targets making confidential settlements to make a legal battle go away, Zhang chose to fight back.</p>
<p>Represented by attorney David Madden, Zhang not only denied downloading the movie in question but argued that the filmmakers had signed away their online distribution rights. He noted that (F&#038;D), via an agent, had sold the online distribution rights to a third party not involved in the case.</p>
<p>So, if F&#038;D no longer held the right to distribute the movie online, suing for an infringement of those rights would be impossible. With this in mind, Zhang&#8217;s attorney moved for a summary judgment in his client&#8217;s favor.</p>
<p>“ZHANG denies downloading the movie but Defendant’s current motion for summary judgment challenges a different portion of F&#038;D’s case,&#8221; Madden wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant argues that F&#038;D has alienated all of the relevant rights necessary to sue for infringement under the Copyright Act.&#8221;</p>
<p>In response, F&#038;D argued that they still held <em>some</em> rights, including the right to exploit the movie on &#8220;airlines and oceangoing vessels&#8221; but since Zhang wasn&#8217;t accused of being on either form of transport when the alleged offense occurred, the defense argued that point was moot. </p>
<p>Judge Michael H. Simon handed down his decision yesterday and it heralds bad news for F&#038;D and celebration time for Zhang and his attorney. In a 17-page ruling first spotted by <a href="https://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/2018/01/17/federal-judge-fathers-and-daughters-nevada-llc-has-no-standing-to-sue-for-bittorent-copyright-infringement/">Fight Copyright Trolls</a>, the Judge agrees that F&#038;D has no standing to sue.</p>
<p>Citing the <a href="https://fairuse.stanford.edu/case/righthaven-llc-v-hoehn/">Righthaven LLC v. Hoehn</a> case from 2013, the Judge notes that under the Copyright Act, only the &#8220;legal or beneficial owner of an exclusive right under a copyright&#8221; has standing to sue for infringement of that right.</p>
<p>Judge Simon notes that while F&#038;D claims it is the &#8216;legal owner&#8217; of the copyright to the Fathers &#038; Daughters movie, the company &#8220;misstates the law&#8221;, adding that F&#038;D also failed to present evidence that it is the &#8216;beneficial owner&#8217; of the relevant exclusive right. On this basis, both claims are rejected.</p>
<p>The Judge noted that the exclusive rights to the movie were granted to a company called Vertical Entertainment which received the exclusive right to “manufacture, reproduce, sell, rent, exhibit, broadcast, transmit, stream, download, license, sub-license, distribute, sub-distribute, advertise, market, promote, publicize and exploit&#8221; the movie in the United States.</p>
<p>An exclusive license means that ownership of a copyright is transferred for the term of the license, meaning that Vertical &#8211; not F&#038;D &#8211; is the legal owner under the Copyright Act. It matters not, the Judge says, that F&#038;D retained the rights to display the movie &#8220;on airlines and ships&#8221; since only the transferee (Vertical) has standing to sue and those locations are irrelevant to the lawsuit.</p>
<p>&#8220;Under the Copyright Act, F&#038;D is not the &#8216;legal owner&#8217; with standing to sue for infringement relating to the rights that were transferred to Vertical through its exclusive license granted in the distribution agreement,&#8221; the Judge writes.</p>
<p>Also at issue was an undated document presented by F&#038;D titled <em>Anti-Piracy and Rights Enforcement Reservation of Rights Addendum</em>. The document, relied upon by F&#038;D, claimed that F&#038;D is authorized to “enforce copyrights against Internet infringers&#8221; including those that use peer-to-peer technologies such as BitTorrent.</p>
<p>However, the Judge found that the peer-to-peer rights apparently reserved to F&#038;D were <em>infringing</em> rights, not the display and distribution (exclusive rights) required to sue under the Copyright Act. Furthermore, the Judge determined that there was no evidence that this document existed before the lawsuit was filed. Zhang and his attorney previously asserted the addendum had been created afterwards and the Judge agrees.</p>
<p>&#8220;F&#038;D did not dispute that the undated anti-piracy addendum was created after this lawsuit was filed, or otherwise respond to Defendant’s standing argument relating to the untimeliness of this document,&#8221; the Judge notes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Accordingly, because the only reasonable inference supported by the evidence is that this document was created after the filing of this lawsuit, it is not appropriate to consider for purposes of standing.&#8221;</p>
<p>So, with Vertical Entertainment the only company with the right to sue, could they be added to the lawsuit, F&#038;D asked? Citing an earlier case, the Judge said &#8216;no&#8217;, noting that &#8220;summary judgment is not a procedural second chance to flesh out inadequate pleadings.&#8221;</p>
<p>With that, Judge Simon granted Lingfu Zhang&#8217;s request for summary judgment and dismissed F&#038;D&#8217;s claims for lack of standing.</p>
<p>As noted by Fight Copyright Trolls, the movie licensing scheme employed by F&#038;D is complex and, given the fact that notorious copyright troll outfit Guardaley is involved (Guardaley filed 24 cases in eight districts on behalf of F&#038;D), it would be interesting if legal professionals could dig deeper, to see how far the rabbit hole goes.</p>
<p>The summary judgment can be found here (<a href="media/082bbd11.FATHERS-and-DAUGHTERS-v-LINGFU-ZHANG-summary-judgment.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/FATHERS-and-DAUGHTERS-v-LINGFU-ZHANG-summary-judgment.pdf">pdf</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=QH81MsO8uB8:Hxwp7mnJ_zU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=QH81MsO8uB8:Hxwp7mnJ_zU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=QH81MsO8uB8:Hxwp7mnJ_zU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/QH81MsO8uB8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150068
title: MPAA Wins $19.8 Million From Pirate Site Pubfilm
uri: MPAA-Wins-19-8-Million-From-Pirate-Site-Pubfilm
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/TkMzy99vJr8/
content:
<p><img src="media/846b9e72.pubfilmlarger.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pubfilmlarger.png" alt="" width="249" height="119" class="alignright size-full wp-image-136412">In recent years the MPAA has pursued legal action against several pirate sites and the streaming service Pubfilm is one of their latest targets. </p>
<p>Hollywood&#8217;s industry group initially kept the lawsuit secret. This was done to prevent Pubfilm’s operator from moving to a new domain preemptively. While this <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/secret-mpaa-lawsuit-targeted-domains-of-pubfilms-piracy-ring-170313/">strategy worked</a>, Pubfilm didn’t throw in the towel.</p>
<p>Soon after the pubfilm.com domain name was suspended, the site moved to pubfilm.ac. And that wasn’t all. Pubfilm also started to actively advertise its new domain <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-streaming-site-loses-domain-advertises-new-one-on-adsense-170305/">through Google Adsense</a> to regain its lost traffic.</p>
<p>Today, close to a year has passed and Pubfilm is still around. The site moved from domain to domain and currently resides at Pubfilm.is and a few other domains that are advertised on the site.</p>
<p>All this time the company failed to responded in court, so the case saw little movement. This week, however, the MPAA made its demands clear and soon after the court issued a default against the site and its unknown operators.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants are Internet pirates who own, operate, and promote a ring of interconnected websites under the name “PubFilm” and variants thereof whose purpose is to profit from the infringement of copyrighted works,&#8221; the group wrote in its request.</p>
<p>Because of this continued infringement, the MPAA demanded the maximum amount of statutory copyright infringement damages. With 132 titles listed in the complaint, this totals nearly $20 million.</p>
<p>&#8220;Given the egregious circumstances of this case, Plaintiffs should be awarded the full amount of statutory damages of $150,000 for each of the 132 Works identified in the Complaint, for a total of $19,800,000,&#8221; the MPAA writes in its memorandum.</p>
<p>In addition, the Hollywood studios requested a permanent injunction that will require domain registries to put associated domain names on hold and sign them over to the MPAA. </p>
<p>Both requests were granted by the court on Thursday. </p>
<p><center><strong>Pubfilm domain hopping</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/81f31b6f.puborder.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/puborder.png" alt="" width="607" height="200" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150133"></center></p>
<p>Previously, several domain names were aready seized through a preliminary injunction that resulted in Pubfilm <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-site-pubfilm-taunts-hollywood-with-domain-name-whac-a-mole-170525/">moving from domain to domain</a> in recent months. While these seizures can be effective, not all domain registries will comply with a US court order.</p>
<p>One of Pubfilm&#8217;s main domain names at the moment uses the Icelandic .is cTLD. In the past, Iceland’s domain registry ISNIC told TorrentFreak that it would only take action when an Icelandic Court tells it to.</p>
<p>This means that the MPAA&#8217;s win might be one without teeth. </p>
<p>Getting millions of dollars from an anonymous site operator, presumably outside the United States, is not easy. And since the site still has several hard-to-shutdown domains, taking it offline isn&#8217;t that straightforward either.</p>
<p>The streaming site operators didn&#8217;t appear to be impressed by the legal battle either. For the time being, they seem more concerned with fighting fake versions, judging from their most recent Facebook update.</p>
<p><center><strong>Pubfilm&#8217;s latest Facebook post</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/604d058b.pubface.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pubface.png" alt="" width="467" height="183" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150082"></center></p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of the MPAA&#8217;s Memorandum in support of the default judgment and permanent injunction is available <a href="media/f0b06861.pubfilmdefaukt.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pubfilmdefaukt.pdf">here (pdf)</a>. A copy of court&#8217;s order can be found <a href="media/78d4e188.pubprop.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pubprop.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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=TkMzy99vJr8:ejSjSLq-Nt0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=TkMzy99vJr8:ejSjSLq-Nt0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=TkMzy99vJr8:ejSjSLq-Nt0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/TkMzy99vJr8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150094
title: Hollywood Asks New UK Culture Secretary To Fight Online Piracy
uri: Hollywood-Asks-New-UK-Culture-Secretary-To-Fight-Online-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/JLuBL_oOgMU/
content:
<p><a href="media/c13c9e2f.mpa-members.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mpa-members.png"><img src="media/34cd00ba.mpa-members.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpa-members.png" alt="" width="229" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150098"></a>Following Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet reshuffle earlier this month, Matt Hancock replaced Karen Bradley as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.</p>
<p>Hancock, the 39-year-old <a href="https://www.matt-hancock.com/">MP for West Suffolk</a>, was promoted from his role as Minister for Digital and Culture, a position he&#8217;d held since July 2016.</p>
<p>&#8220;Thrilled to become DCMS Secretary. Such an exciting agenda, so much to do, and great people. Can’t wait to get stuck in,&#8221; he <a href="https://twitter.com/MattHancock/status/950455155153129472">tweeted</a>.</p>
<p>Of course, the influence held by the Culture Secretary means that the entertainment industries will soon come calling, seeking help and support in a number of vital areas. No surprise then that Stan McCoy, president and managing director at the ‎Motion Picture Association’s EMEA division, has just jumped in with some advice for Hancock.</p>
<p>In an open letter published on <a href="https://www.screendaily.com/comment/mpa-europe-chief-seven-suggestions-for-the-new-uk-culture-secretary/5125680.article">Screen Daily</a>, McCoy begins by reminding Hancock that the movie industry contributes considerable sums to the UK economy.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are one of the country’s most valuable economic and cultural assets – worth almost £92bn, growing at twice the rate of the economy, and making a positive contribution to the UK’s balance of payments,&#8221; McCoy writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Britain’s status as a center of excellence for the audiovisual sector in particular is no accident: It results from the hard work and genius of our creative workforce, complemented by the support of governments that have guided their policies toward enabling continued excellence and growth.&#8221;</p>
<p>McCoy goes on to put anti-piracy initiatives at the very top of his wishlist &#8211; and Hancock&#8217;s to-do list.</p>
<p>&#8220;A joined-up strategy to curb proliferation of illegal, often age-inappropriate and malware-laden content online must include addressing the websites, environments and apps that host and facilitate piracy,&#8221; McCoy says.</p>
<p>&#8220;In addition to hurting one of Britain’s most important industries, they are overwhelmingly likely to harm children and adult consumers through nasty ads, links to adult content with no age verification, scams, fraud and other unpleasantness.&#8221;</p>
<p>That McCoy begins with the &#8220;piracy is dangerous&#8221; approach is definitely not a surprise. This Hollywood and wider video industry strategy <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-narrative-isnt-about-ethics-anymore-its-about-danger-170812/">is now an open secret</a>. However, it feels a little off that the UK is being asked to further tackle pirate sites.</p>
<p>Through earlier actions, facilitated by the UK legal system and largely sympathetic judges, many thousands of URLs and domains linking to pirate sites, mirrors and proxies, are impossible to access directly through the UK&#8217;s major ISPs. Although a few slip through the net, directly accessing the majority of pirate sites in the UK is now impossible. </p>
<p>That&#8217;s already a considerable overseas anti-piracy position for the MPA who, as the &#8220;international voice&#8221; of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), represents American corporations including Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s no comparable blocking system for these companies to use in the United States and rightsholders in the UK can even have extra sites blocked without going back to court for permission. In summary, these US companies arguably get a better anti-piracy deal in the UK than they do at home in the United States.</p>
<p>In his next point, McCoy references last year&#8217;s deal &#8211; which was reached following <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-considers-fines-force-search-engines-tackle-piracy-161027/">considerable pressure</a> from the UK government &#8211; between rightsholders and search engines including Google and Bing to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/search-engines-and-rightsholders-sign-landmark-anti-piracy-deal-170220/">demote &#8216;pirate&#8217; results</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Building on last year’s voluntary deal with search engines, the Government should stay at the cutting edge of ensuring that everyone in the ecosystem – including search engines, platforms and social media companies – takes a fair share of responsibility,&#8221; McCoy says.</p>
<p>While this progress is clearly appreciated by the MPA/MPAA, it&#8217;s difficult to ignore that the voluntary arrangement to demote infringing content is somewhat special if not entirely unique. There is definitely nothing comparable in the United States so keeping up the pressure on the UK Government feels a little like getting the good kid in class to behave, while his rowdy peers nearer the chalkboard get ignored.</p>
<p>The same is true for McCoy&#8217;s call for the UK to &#8220;banish dodgy streaming devices&#8221;.</p>
<p>&#8220;Illegal streaming devices loaded with piracy apps and malware – not to mention the occasional electrical failure – are proliferating across the UK, to the detriment of consumers and industry,&#8221; he writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;The sector is still waiting for the Intellectual Property Office to publish the report on its Call for Views on this subject. This will be one of several opportunities, along with the promised Digital Charter, to make clear that these devices and the apps and content they supply are unacceptable, dangerous to consumers, and harmful to the creative industry.&#8221;</p>
<p>Again, prompting the UK to stay on top of this game doesn&#8217;t feel entirely warranted.</p>
<p>With dozens of actions over the past few years, the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (which Hollywood ironically <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-withdraws-funding-for-uk-anti-piracy-group-fact-160524/">dumped in 2016</a>) have done more to tackle the pirate set-top box problem than any group on the other side of the Atlantic.</p>
<p>Admittedly the MPAA is now trying to catch up, with recent prosecutions of two &#8216;pirate&#8217; box vendors (<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-giants-sue-kodi-powered-tickbox-tv-over-piracy-171014/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-amazon-and-hollywood-sue-kodi-powered-dragon-box-over-piracy-180111/">2</a>), but largely the work by the studios on their home turf has been outpaced by that of their counterparts in the UK.</p>
<p>Maybe Hancock will mention that to Hollywood at some point in the future.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=JLuBL_oOgMU:P52Jd9LR2vA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=JLuBL_oOgMU:P52Jd9LR2vA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=JLuBL_oOgMU:P52Jd9LR2vA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/JLuBL_oOgMU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150135
title: Linking Is Not Copyright Infringement, Boing Boing Tells Court
uri: Linking-Is-Not-Copyright-Infringement-Boing-Boing-Tells-Court
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/1BdRb6D4F8E/
content:
<p><img src="media/df753675.http-link-hyperlink.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/http-link-hyperlink.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="198" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120483">Late last year Playboy sued the popular blog <a href="https://boingboing.net/">Boing Boing</a> for publishing an article that linked to an archive of every playmate centerfold till then.</p>
<p>&#8220;Kind of amazing to see how our standards of hotness, and the art of commercial erotic photography, have changed over time,&#8221; Boing Boing&#8217;s Xena Jardin <a href="https://boingboing.net/2016/02/29/every-playboy-playmate-centerf.html">commented</a>. </p>
<p>Playboy, instead, was amazed that infringing copies of their work were being shared in public. While Boing Boing didn&#8217;t upload or store the images in question, the publisher took the case to court.</p>
<p>The blog&#8217;s parent company Happy Mutants was accused of various counts of copyright infringement, with Playboy claiming that it exploited their playmates&#8217; images for commercial purposes.</p>
<p>Boing Boing sees things differently. With help from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, it has filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that hyperlinking is not copyright infringement.</p>
<p>&#8220;This lawsuit is frankly mystifying.  Playboy’s theory of liability seems to be that it is illegal to link to material posted by others on the web — an act performed daily by hundreds of millions of users of Facebook and Twitter, and by journalists like the ones in Playboy’s crosshairs here,&#8221; they write.</p>
<p><center><strong>The article in question</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/b00a1451.playboynolink.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/playboynolink.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="543" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150172"></center></p>
<p>The defense points out that Playboy&#8217;s complaint fails to state a claim for direct or contributory copyright infringement. In addition, it argues that this type of reporting should be seen as fair use.</p>
<p>“Boing Boing’s reporting and commenting on the Playboy photos is protected by copyright’s fair use doctrine,” EFF Senior Staff Attorney Daniel Nazer says, commenting on the case. </p>
<p>“We’re asking the court to dismiss this deeply flawed lawsuit. Journalists, scientists, researchers, and everyday people on the web have the right to link to material, even copyrighted material, without having to worry about getting sued.”</p>
<p>The lawsuit shares a lot of similarities with the case between Dutch blog GeenStijl and local Playboy publisher Sanoma. That high-profile case went all the way to the European Court of Justice.</p>
<p>The highest European court <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-court-not-for-profit-hyperlinking-usually-not-infringement-160908/">eventually decided</a> that hyperlinks to infringing works are to be considered a &#8216;communication to the public,&#8217; and that a commercial publication can indeed be held liable for copyright infringement.</p>
<p>Boing Boing hopes that US Courts will see things differently, or it might be &#8220;the end of the web as we know it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The world can&#8217;t afford a judgment against us in this case &#8212; it would end the web as we know it, threatening everyone who publishes online, from us five weirdos in our basements to multimillion-dollar, globe-spanning publishing empires like Playboy,&#8221; Boing Boing <a href="https://boingboing.net/2018/01/18/playboy-is-suing-boing-boing.html">writes</a>.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of Boing Boing&#8217;s memorandum in support of the motion to dismiss is available <a href="media/179c3931.playboing.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/playboing.pdf">here (pdf)</a>.  The original Playboy complaint can be found <a href="media/ae0b881d.playboy_v._happy_mutants_eff_mtd.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/playboy_v._happy_mutants_eff_mtd.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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=1BdRb6D4F8E:GpzAmiojV1M:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=1BdRb6D4F8E:GpzAmiojV1M:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=1BdRb6D4F8E:GpzAmiojV1M:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/1BdRb6D4F8E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150109
title: Police Shut Down Pirate Streaming TV Provider, Three Men Arrested
uri: Police-Shut-Down-Pirate-Streaming-TV-Provider-Three-Men-Arrested
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Qo09eH-8ov8/
content:
<p><a href="media/cf654c6a.piratekay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/piratekay.jpg"><img src="media/0fe8e43a.piratekay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratekay.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108106"></a>As prices for official multi-channel cable and satellite packages continue to increase, unauthorized streaming TV providers are providing an interesting alternative for those who demand the greatest variety of channels at a cut-down price.</p>
<p>Of course, none of this is legal and as such, authorities are clamping down. Today brings news of yet another pirate raid, this time in the city of Lublin, Poland.</p>
<p>A statement from the Provincial Police Headquarters reveals that officers from the Cybercrime and Economic Crime units conducted an investigation under the supervision of the District Prosecutor&#8217;s Office in Lublin. Locations in three provinces &#8211; Dolnośląskie, Zachodniopomorskie and Wielkopolskie &#8211; were searched.</p>
<p>According to prosecutors, the operators of the website illegally streamed the majority of all television channels available locally, including digital TV and state television. More than 160 channels were supplied via the site without permission. Users were initially given free access to the currently unnamed service but were then encouraged to subscribe to a premium package.</p>
<p><center><b>Pirate Streaming TV service</b> <em>(Credit: Polish police)</em><a href="media/6020d5ef.68-120182.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/68-120182.jpg"><img src="media/6105aea4.68-120182.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/68-120182.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="360" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150117"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;The funds obtained from this procedure were invested in the further development of criminal activity and in foreign and Polish companies, of which [the suspects] were owners,&#8221; a police statement notes.</p>
<p>Local reports indicate three men, aged 30, 42 and 57, were arrested and brought to the prosecutor&#8217;s office. There they faced allegations of illegally distributing pay television and using the revenue as a permanent source of income. </p>
<p>&#8220;We estimate that the suspects could have benefited to the tune of nearly 3.5 million zlotys [840,663 euros] via their illegal practices,&#8221; police add.</p>
<p><center><b>Pirate Streaming TV service</b> <em>(Credit: Polish police)</em><a href="media/4d6478a4.68-120184.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/68-120184.jpg"><img src="media/5a50a33f.68-120184.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/68-120184.jpg" alt="" width="403" height="640" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150118"></a></center></p>
<p>In addition to the arrests, police also seized equipment including 12 computers, nine servers, tablets, decoders, telephones, more than 60 hard drives and similar devices, plus documentation.</p>
<p>The news of these raids in Poland follows on the heels of a Europol led operation to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/europol-hits-huge-500000-subscriber-pirate-iptv-operation-180111/">close down</a> an IPTV operation said to be one of the largest in the world. The still-unnamed provider allegedly serviced around 500,000 subscribers from a base in Bulgaria, where a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isp-were-cooperating-with-police-following-pirate-iptv-raid-180113/">local ISP</a> has come <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-iptv-mastermind-owns-raided-bulgarian-isp-sources-say-180117/">under the spotlight</a>.</p>
<p>A video of the Polish operation, including a suspect under arrest, is available <a href="http://www.lubelska.policja.gov.pl/lub/aktualnosci/75907,KWP-Cios-w-piracki-serwis-streamingowy.html">here</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Qo09eH-8ov8:-asIrf8rUEg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Qo09eH-8ov8:-asIrf8rUEg:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Qo09eH-8ov8:-asIrf8rUEg:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Qo09eH-8ov8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150148
title: China Seriously Doubts Objectivity of US ‘Pirate Site’ List
uri: China-Seriously-Doubts-Objectivity-of-US-Pirate-Site-List
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/7i-5bhfBXng/
content:
<p><img src="media/7b941d96.ustrb.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ustrb.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="172" class="alignright size-full wp-image-132637">Late last week, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) released an updated version of its “Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets,” identifying some of the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-govt-brands-torrent-streaming-cyberlocker-sites-as-notorious-markets-180115/">worst IP-offenders</a> worldwide.</p>
<p>The overview is largely based on input from major copyright holders and related industry groups. While the US Government admits that it doesn&#8217;t make any judgments, the list carries a lot of weight and can hurt the image of companies that are singled out.   </p>
<p>For some of the &#8216;classic&#8217; pirate sites such as The Pirate Bay, this doesn&#8217;t really matter. On the contrary, they may see it as a badge of honor. However, for billion-dollar businesses such as Alibaba and VK, it&#8217;s a different story.</p>
<p>They are not at risk of being the target of a criminal prosecution, as some classic pirate sites are, but the listing will make them a hot topic on the political agenda.</p>
<p>Interestingly, it seems that not all countries are happy with seeing some of their top companies being singled out. When China&#8217;s commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng was confronted with the fact that Alibaba and its Taobao.com site were listed, he made some noteworthy observations. </p>
<p>“In the report, the U.S. frequently discusses the relevant Chinese businesses with the words like &#8216;reportedly,&#8217; &#8216;according to authoritative sources&#8217; and the like,” Feng <a href="https://www.caixinglobal.com/2018-01-19/beijing-says-us-piracy-list-lacks-objectivity-relies-on-third-parties-101200163.html">told the local press</a>.</p>
<p>In its report, the US Government stressed that Alibaba should do more to combat counterfeiting and piracy on Taobao.com and other platforms, but China&#8217;s officials don&#8217;t seem convinced.   </p>
<p>“It lacked conclusive evidence and had no relevant figures to back up its points. We have no choice but to express our doubts about the objectivity and reliability of the department that issued the report,” Feng added.</p>
<p>China&#8217;s commerce ministry has a point. The USTR report is compiled from comments that are provided by copyright holders. These are not thoroughly vetted, as far as we know, which doesn&#8217;t seem very objective.</p>
<p>Even more concerning, copyright holders often cite the USTR&#8217;s notorious markets list in legal and lobbying efforts, even though they are in essence their own findings in a rewritten form. While that may be very convenient, it can also be misleading.</p>
<p>Alibaba itself went a step further than the commerce ministry and noted that the company is being used as a &#8220;scapegoat&#8221; in a geopolitical game. In a detailed <a href="media/3605d64a.Alibaba-USTR-NMR-Pt-by-Pt-Rebuttal_FINAL.pdf" data-original-source="http://azcms31.alizila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Alibaba-USTR-NMR-Pt-by-Pt-Rebuttal_FINAL.pdf">ten-page rebuttal</a>, the marketplace responded to the allegations point by point.</p>
<p>“As a result of the rise of trade protectionism, Alibaba has been turned into a scapegoat by the USTR to win points in a highly-politicized environment and their actions should be recognized for what they are,” the company commented.</p>
<p>“The USTR’s actions made it clear that the Notorious Markets List, which only targets non-US marketplaces, is not about intellectual property protection, but just another instrument to achieve the US Government’s geopolitical objectives.”</p>
<p>Critique on the USTR&#8217;s Special 301 reports, which the Notorious Markets lists are part of, is not new. Earlier this year Canada&#8217;s Government described the process as <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/canada-rejects-flawed-and-one-sided-piracy-claims-from-us-govt-170310/">flawed</a> as it&#8217;s mainly driven by one-sided copyright industry claims.</p>
<p>“Canada does not recognize the validity of the Special 301 and considers the process and the Report to be flawed,” a Government memo read.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7i-5bhfBXng:zuMdH2Qpm94:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7i-5bhfBXng:zuMdH2Qpm94:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=7i-5bhfBXng:zuMdH2Qpm94:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/7i-5bhfBXng" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150041
title: Copyright Trolls Obtained Details of 200,000 Finnish Internet Users
uri: Copyright-Trolls-Obtained-Details-of-200-000-Finnish-Internet-Users
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/UTNkbjgOUQY/
content:
<p><a href="media/67ffec03.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg"><img src="media/17a592c8.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108977"></a>Fifteen years ago, the RIAA was contacting alleged file-sharers in the United States, demanding cash payments to make supposed lawsuits go away. In the years that followed, dozens of companies followed in their footsteps &#8211; not as a deterrent &#8211; but as a way to turn piracy into profit.</p>
<p>The practice is now widespread, not just in the United States, but also in Europe where few major countries have avoided the clutches of trolls. Germany has been hit particularly hard, with millions of cases. The UK has also seen tens of thousands of individuals targeted since 2006 although more recently the trolls there have been in retreat. The same cannot be said about Finland, however.</p>
<p>From a relatively late start in 2013, trolls have been stepping up their game in leaps and bounds but the true scale of developments in this Scandinavian country will probably come as a surprise to even the most seasoned of troll-watchers.</p>
<p>According to data compiled by NGO activist Ritva Puolakka, the business in Finland has grown to epidemic proportions. In fact, between 2013 and 2017 the Market Court (which deals with Intellectual Property matters, among other things) has ordered local Internet service providers to hand over the details of almost 200,000 Finnish Internet subscribers.</p>
<p>Published on the Ministry of Education and Culture website (via <a href="https://www.mikrobitti.fi/2018/01/tekijanoikeuskirjeiden-lahettajille-luovutettu-jo-lahes-200-000-suomalaisen-internetliittyman-omistajan-yhteystiedot/">mikrobitti.fi</a>) the data <em>(<a href="media/b68ffdf8.LIITE_20180115115946.pdf" data-original-source="https://api.hankeikkuna.fi/asiakirjat/ed3c73a5-9239-4383-96e9-02b038b6cea4/316e82be-2aa5-4136-b5b6-90d9fce5a38a/LIITE_20180115115946.pdf">pdf</a>)</em> reveals hundreds of processes against major Finnish ISPs.</p>
<p>Notably, every single case has been directed at a core group of three providers &#8211; Elisa, TeliaSonera and DNA &#8211; while customers of other ISPs seem to have been completely overlooked. Exactly why isn&#8217;t clear but in other jurisdictions it&#8217;s proven more cost-effective to hone a process with a small number of ISPs, rather than spread out to those with fewer customers.</p>
<p>Only one legal process is listed for 2013 but that demanded the identities of people behind 50 IP addresses. In 2014 there was a 14-fold increase in processes and the number of IP addresses targeted grew to 1,387.</p>
<p>For 2015, a total of 117 processes are listed, demanding the identities of people behind 37,468 IP addresses. In 2016 the trolls really upped their game. A total of 131 processes demanded the details of individuals behind 98,966 IP addresses. For last year, 79 processes are on the books, which in total amounted to 60,681 potential defendants in settlement cases.</p>
<p>In total, between 2013 and 2017 the Market Court ordered the ISPs to hand over the personal details of people behind a staggering 198,552 IP addresses. While it should be noted that each might not lead to a unique individual, the number is huge when one considers the potential returns if everyone pays up hundreds of euros to make supposed court cases go away.</p>
<p>But despite the significant scale, it will probably come as no surprise that very few companies are involved. Troll operations tend to be fairly centralized, often using the same base services to track and collect evidence against alleged pirates.</p>
<p>In the order they entered the settlement business in Finland the companies involved are:  LFP Video Group LLC, International Content Holding B.V., Dallas Buyers Club LLC, Crystalis Entertainment UG, Scanbox Entertainment A/S, Fairway Film Alliance LLC, Copyright Collections Ltd, Mircom International Content Management, Interallip LLP, and Oy Atlantic Film Finland Ab. </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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=UTNkbjgOUQY:G9qWrVxSrJE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=UTNkbjgOUQY:G9qWrVxSrJE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=UTNkbjgOUQY:G9qWrVxSrJE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/UTNkbjgOUQY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150195
title: Kim Dotcom Sues Government for ‘Billions’ Over Erroneous Arrest
uri: Kim-Dotcom-Sues-Government-for-Billions-Over-Erroneous-Arrest
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LS21a9B5Sf8/
content:
<p><img src="media/ee768b84.raid1-300x163.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/raid1-300x163.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="163" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-71930" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/raid1-300x163.jpg 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/raid1.jpg 490w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px">Six years ago, New Zealand police carried out a spectacular military-style <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-shut-down-120119/">raid</a> against individuals accused only of copyright infringement.</p>
<p>Acting on allegations from the United States government and its Hollywood partners, New Zealand’s elite counter-terrorist force raided the mansion of Kim Dotcom, who was detained along with his wife and children.</p>
<p>Megaupload&#8217;s founder has always maintained that his arrest was unlawful under New Zealand law, and he is determined to hold the authorities accountable.</p>
<p>In addition to <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/954836048499978240">getting married</a> and celebrating his birthday this weekend, the German born entrepreneur <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/954417250018107393">announced</a> that he is seeking damages from the New Zealand Government. </p>
<p>&#8220;Today, 6 years ago, the NZ Govt enabled the unlawful destruction of Megaupload and seizure of my global assets,&#8221; Dotcom wrote on Twitter. </p>
<p>&#8220;I was arrested for the alleged online piracy of my users. Not even a crime in NZ. My lawyers have served a multi billion dollar damages claim against the Govt today,&#8221; he added. </p>
<p>Dotcom&#8217;s lawyer Ira Rothken informs TorrentFreak that a damages claim was filed at the New Zealand High Court last December. </p>
<p>&#8220;We confirm that our legal team filed a Statement of Claim in the New Zealand High Court for monetary damages on December 22, 2017 on behalf of Kim Dotcom against the United States and NZ governmental entities alleging that defendants pursued with malice and material non disclosure an erroneous arrest warrant,&#8221; Rothken says. </p>
<p>In the claim, Dotcom&#8217;s legal team argues that the arrest warrant was invalid. They say that there were no reasonable grounds on which the District Court could conclude that Dotcom&#8217;s alleged crimes were an extraditable offense.</p>
<p>The consequences, however, were rather severe. Dotcom lost his freedom and also his company, which was worth billions and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-worked-on-a-multi-billion-dollar-ipo-120417/">preparing for an IPO</a>, according to the legal paperwork. </p>
<p>&#8220;At the time the Restraint Orders were granted, second plaintiff was preparing to list on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong at a conservative valuation of not less than US$2.6 billion,&#8221; the claim reads. </p>
<p>This valuation is based on a valuation of $40 for each of the 66 million users Megaupload had, which generated $45 million in profits per year. If Megaupload had not have been raided, today&#8217;s value could be as high as $10 billion.</p>
<p><center><strong>Mega value</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/a22d134e.megaipo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megaipo.png" alt="" width="600" height="266" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150212"></center></p>
<p>Dotcom has a 68 percent stake in the Megaupload companies and seeks damages that will compensate for lost profits. In addition, he requests compensation for legal costs, lost business opportunities, loss of reputation, and other losses.</p>
<p>The exact scale of the damages isn&#8217;t specified and will have to be determined at a later stage, before trial. </p>
<p>The claim doesn&#8217;t come as a surprise to the New Zealand Government, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a <a href="https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/348555/dotcom-seeks-millions-in-damages">brief response</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;This has obviously been an ongoing matter, so no it doesn&#8217;t surprise me,&#8221; she commented.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of the full claim is available <a href="media/9a497aff.KIMDOTCOMDamages-SOC-as-filed-22.12.17.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/KIMDOTCOMDamages-SOC-as-filed-22.12.17.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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LS21a9B5Sf8:OljJXaqwdnY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LS21a9B5Sf8:OljJXaqwdnY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=LS21a9B5Sf8:OljJXaqwdnY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/LS21a9B5Sf8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150199
title: Thor Ragnarok Furiously Pirated After iTunes Pre-Order Blunder
uri: Thor-Ragnarok-Furiously-Pirated-After-iTunes-Pre-Order-Blunder
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/WADFMCXnmjU/
content:
<p><a href="media/a5b376b4.91l0JSI-WRL._SY445_.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/91l0JSI-WRL._SY445_.jpg"><img src="media/b7540da6.91l0JSI-WRL._SY445_.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/91l0JSI-WRL._SY445_.jpg" alt="" width="219" height="311" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150225"></a>When perfect copies of movies leak out onto the Internet in advance of their official release dates, there&#8217;s usually an element of skullduggery at play.</p>
<p>This can sometimes involve people intercepting, stealing, or borrowing DVD screener discs, for example. However, other problems can unexpectedly raise their heads.</p>
<p>Case in point &#8211; the pre-release leak of Marvel&#8217;s Thor Ragnarok this past weekend.</p>
<p>With a disc release planned for February 26th just four months after the superhero movie&#8217;s theatrical debut, digital distribution on iTunes was set to go ahead on February 19th.</p>
<p>However, due to what appears to be a significant blunder at Apple, the $180 million movie is now being furiously pirated all over the Internet. A small sample of the latest leak (all releases with an upload date of &#8216;today&#8217;) can be seen in the screenshot below, sourced from The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p><center><b>Plenty of choice for pirates&#8230;.</b><a href="media/e00199c9.thor-ss.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/thor-ss.png"><img src="media/fa726500.thor-ss.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/thor-ss.png" alt="" width="913" height="476" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150227"></a></center></p>
<p>So what went wrong? According to a user on Reddit who has since deleted his post, a legal pre-order purchase was incorrectly made available for download a month early.</p>
<p>&#8220;I pre-ordered Thor Ragnarok on Vudu yesterday and it links it to my iTunes also,&#8221; the user explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;But curiously it showed up in my iTunes library this morning (pre-orders shouldn&#8217;t). And now I can watch the full movie in HD. I obviously downloaded it right away. I know its supposed to come out February 20th.&#8221; </p>
<p>The precise mechanism behind the movie incorrectly appearing on iTunes isn&#8217;t clear but the user reported that he didn&#8217;t buy it on the platform. Instead, he purchased the 4K version on Vudu, which was linked to his MoviesAnywhere account, which was in turn linked to iTunes.</p>
<p>For anyone unaware, <a href="https://moviesanywhere.com/welcome">MoviesAnywhere</a> is a completely free service that allows people to watch their iTunes, Vudu, Google Play and Amazon movies in one place, on Apple, Android, Roku, Amazon and Chromecast devices.</p>
<p>Shortly after, other users noted that after purchasing the movie using the same process, they achieved the same result.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just tried the same way as you and it is now available for viewing on iTunes,&#8221; one reported.</p>
<p>Of course, one can&#8217;t simply share iTunes movies with others online but there are people out there prepared to put in the effort to make that possible. Release group &#8216;EVO&#8217;, which has the most popular torrent of Thor Ragnarok out there at the moment, took the time to explain the headaches it gave them.</p>
<p>&#8220;More than 10 hours working in a way to remove this fucking protection finally come to a end,&#8221; the group said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Casualties: 1 account banned. Lol. But it was worth it. Enjoy fellas. Have a good weekend. No VIP required. No pennies needed. All free.&#8221;</p>
<p>From a piracy perspective, illegal downloads are now metaphorically flying off the shelves. It won&#8217;t be what Marvel wanted so getting to the bottom of who is to blame will now be a top priority.                            </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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=WADFMCXnmjU:lNIP3sN9HQo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=WADFMCXnmjU:lNIP3sN9HQo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=WADFMCXnmjU:lNIP3sN9HQo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/WADFMCXnmjU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150242
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 01/22/18
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-01-22-18
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ySiTJtKQLW4/
content:
<p><img src="media/a146cb86.shapewater1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/shapewater1.png" alt="" width="300" height="192" class="alignright size-full wp-image-149920">This week we have three newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>The Shape of Water is the most downloaded movie again.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<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-pirated-movies-week-bittorrent-011518/">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="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/">The Shape of Water</a> (DVDScr)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lFbcsmrWTg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">Thor Ragnarok</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue80QwXMRHg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2283362/">Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle </a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2283362/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QKg5SZ_35I">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/">Blade Runner 2049 </a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/">8.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCcx85zbxz4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1981128/">Geostorm</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1981128/">5.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuOlYPSEzSc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3348730/">Jigsaw </a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3348730/">6.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcb68kAOvt4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307/">Coco</a> (DVDscr)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307/">8.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga6RYejo6Hk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974015/">Justice League</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974015/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-DM9uBtVI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5013056/">Dunkirk</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5013056/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ01tJ4EWeg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4209788/">Molly&#8217;s Game</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4209788/">7.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu4UPet8Nyc">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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ySiTJtKQLW4:y-yCNANQpog:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ySiTJtKQLW4:y-yCNANQpog:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=ySiTJtKQLW4:y-yCNANQpog:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/ySiTJtKQLW4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150240
title: Planned Piracy Upload Filters are ‘Censorship Machines,’ MEPs Warn
uri: Planned-Piracy-Upload-Filters-are-Censorship-Machines-MEPs-Warn
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/s8D4lfV4L2s/
content:
<p><img src="media/a9d7ff74.stopcensorshipmachines.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stopcensorshipmachines.png" alt="" width="300" height="149" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150256">Through a series of new proposals, the European Commission is working hard to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-proposes-mandatory-piracy-filters-for-online-services-160914/">modernize</a> EU copyright law. Among other things, it will require online services to do more to fight piracy.</p>
<p>These proposals have not been without controversy. Article 13 of the proposed Copyright Directive, for example, has been widely criticized as it would require online services to monitor and filter uploaded content. </p>
<p>This means that online services, which deal with large volumes of user-uploaded content, must use fingerprinting or other detection mechanisms &#8211; similar to YouTube’s Content-ID system &#8211; to block copyright infringing files.</p>
<p>The Commission believes that more stringent control is needed to support copyright holders. However, many <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mandatory-piracy-filters-may-violate-eu-law-scholars-warn-161203/">legal scholars</a>, <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/eu-internet-advocates-launch-campaign-stop-eus-dangerous-copyright-filtering">digital activists</a>, and members of the public worry that they will violate the rights of regular Internet users.</p>
<p>In the European Parliament, there is fierce opposition as well. Today, six Members of Parliament (MEPs) from across the political spectrum released a new campaign video warning their fellow colleagues and the public at large. </p>
<p>The MEPs warn that such upload filters would act as “censorship machines,” something they&#8217;ve made clear to the Council&#8217;s working group on intellectual property, where the controversial proposal was discussed today.</p>
<p>&#8220;Imagine if every time you opened your mouth, computers controlled by big companies would check what you were about to say, and have the power to prevent you from saying it,&#8221; Greens/EFA MEP Julia Reda says.</p>
<p>&#8220;A new legal proposal would make this a reality when it comes to expressing yourself online: Every clip and every photo would have to be pre-screened by some automated &#8216;robocop&#8217; before it could be uploaded and seen online,&#8221; ALDE MEP Marietje Schaake adds.</p>
<p><center><strong>Stop censorship machines!</strong><br></br></center><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r8pi6e5GLaQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Schaake notes that she has dealt with the consequences of upload filters herself. When she uploaded a recording of a political speech to YouTube, the site took it down without explanation. Until this day, the MEP still doesn&#8217;t know on what grounds it was removed. </p>
<p>These broad upload filters are completely disproportionate and a danger for freedom of speech, the MEPs warn. The automated systems make mistakes and can&#8217;t properly detect whether something&#8217;s fair use, for example.</p>
<p>Another problem is that the measures will be relatively costly for smaller companies ,which puts them at a competitive disadvantage. &#8220;Only the biggest platforms can afford them – European competitors and small businesses will struggle,&#8221; ECR MEP Dan Dalton says.</p>
<p>The plans can still be stopped, the MEPs say. They are currently scheduled for a vote in the Legal Affairs Committee at the end of March, and the video encourages members of the public to raise their voices.</p>
<p>&#8220;Speak out …while you can still do so unfiltered!&#8221; S&#038;D MEP Catherine Stihler says.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=s8D4lfV4L2s:L5xkMF5K5GU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=s8D4lfV4L2s:L5xkMF5K5GU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=s8D4lfV4L2s:L5xkMF5K5GU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/s8D4lfV4L2s" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150280
title: Hollywood Says Only Site-Blocking Left to Beat Piracy in New Zealand
uri: Hollywood-Says-Only-Site-Blocking-Left-to-Beat-Piracy-in-New-Zealand
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/wcpCzQ8yops/
content:
<p><a href="media/0702e6e5.blocked-censor.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/blocked-censor.jpg"><img src="media/2759597c.blocked-censor.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/blocked-censor.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="170" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124850"></a>The Motion Picture Distributors’ Association (MPDA) is a non-profit organisation which represents major international film studios in New Zealand.</p>
<p>With companies including Fox, Sony, Paramount, Roadshow, Disney, and Universal on the books, the <a href="https://www.mpda.org.nz/">MPDA</a> sings from the same sheet as the MPAA and MPA. It also hopes to achieve in New Zealand what its counterparts have achieved in Europe and Australia but cannot on home soil &#8211; mass pirate site blocking.</p>
<p>In a release heralding the New Zealand screen industry&#8217;s annual contribution of around NZ$1.05 billion to GDP and NZ$706 million to exports, MPDA Managing Director Matthew Cheetham says that despite the successes, serious challenges lie ahead.</p>
<p>“When we have the illegal file sharing site the Pirate Bay as New Zealand’s 19th most popular site in New Zealand, it is clear that legitimate movie and TV distribution channels face challenges,&#8221; Cheetham says.</p>
<p><center><b>MPDA members in New Zealand</b><a href="media/2489b41f.mpda-nz.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mpda-nz.png"><img src="media/feb39045.mpda-nz.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpda-nz.png" alt="" width="604" height="496" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150284"></a></center></p>
<p>In common with movie bosses in many regions, Cheetham is hoping that the legal system will rise to the challenge and assist distributors to tackle the piracy problem. In New Zealand, that might yet require a change in the law but given recent changes in Australia, that doesn&#8217;t seem like a distant proposition.</p>
<p>Last December, the New Zealand government <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/new-zealand-prepares-consultation-to-modernize-copyright-laws-171218/">announced</a> an overhaul of the country&#8217;s copyright laws. A review of the Copyright Act 1994 was announced by the previous government and is now scheduled to go ahead this year. The government has already indicated a willingness to consider amendments to the Act in order to meet the objectives of New Zealand’s copyright regime.</p>
<p>“In New Zealand, piracy is almost an accepted thing, because no one’s really doing anything about it, because no one actually can do anything about it,” Cheetham said last month.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s quite unusual for Hollywood&#8217;s representatives to say nothing can be done about piracy. However, there was a small ray of hope this morning when Cheetham said that there is actually one option left.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing we can do in New Zealand apart from site blocking,&#8221; Cheetham <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/100813282/Movie-industry-out-of-options-to-tackle-pirates">said</a>.</p>
<p>So, as the MPDA appears to pin its hopes on legislative change, other players in the entertainment industry are testing the legal system as it stands today.</p>
<p>Last September, Sky TV began a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/skys-pirate-site-blocking-move-is-something-for-north-korea-isps-say-171129/">pioneering</a> &#8216;pirate&#8217; site-blocking challenge in the New Zealand High Court, applying for an injunction against several local ISPs to prevent their subscribers from accessing several pirate sites.</p>
<p>The boss of Vocus, one of the ISP groups targeted, responded angrily, describing Sky&#8217;s efforts as &#8220;dinosaur behavior&#8221; and something one would expect in North Korea, not in New Zealand.</p>
<p>&#8220;It isn’t our job to police the Internet and it sure as hell isn’t SKY’s either, all sites should be equal and open,” General Manager Taryn Hamilton said.</p>
<p>The response from ISPs suggests that even when the matter of site-blocking is discussed as part of the Copyright Act review, introducing specific legislation may not be smooth sailing. In that respect, all eyes will turn to the Sky process, to see if some precedent can be set there.  </p>
<p>Finally, another familiar problem continues to raise its head down under. So-called &#8220;Kodi boxes&#8221; &#8211; the now generic phrase often used to describe set-top devices configured for piracy &#8211; are also on the content industries&#8217; radar.</p>
<p>There are a couple of cases still pending against sellers, including one in which a budding entrepreneur sent out marketing letters claiming that his service was better than Sky&#8217;s offering. For seller Krish Reddy, this didn&#8217;t turn out well as the company <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tv-box-seller-emails-sky-tv-bosses-with-pirate-offer-gets-sued-for-1m-170804/">responded with a NZ$1m lawsuit</a>.</p>
<p>Generally, however, both content industries and consumers are having a good time in New Zealand but the MPDA&#8217;s Cheetham says that taking on pirates is never easy.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s been called the golden age of television and a lot of premium movies have been released in the last 12 or 18 months. Content providers and distributors have really upped their game in the last five or 10 years to meet what people want but it&#8217;s very difficult to compete with free,&#8221; Cheetham concludes.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=wcpCzQ8yops:DlN2YanJNZs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=wcpCzQ8yops:DlN2YanJNZs:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=wcpCzQ8yops:DlN2YanJNZs:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/wcpCzQ8yops" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150297
title: Denuvo Has Been Sold to Global Anti-Piracy Outfit Irdeto
uri: Denuvo-Has-Been-Sold-to-Global-Anti-Piracy-Outfit-Irdeto
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3_-UCHt1zUs/
content:
<p><a href="media/05d838b7.denuvo.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/denuvo.jpg"><img src="media/fe5f698e.denuvo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/denuvo.jpg" alt="" width="210" height="109" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116067"></a>It&#8217;s fair to say that of all video games anti-piracy technologies, Denuvo is perhaps the most hated of recent times. That hatred unsurprisingly stems from both its success and complexity.</p>
<p>Those with knowledge of the system say it&#8217;s fiendishly difficult to defeat but in recent times, cracks have been showing. In 2017, various iterations of the anti-tamper system were defeated by <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/?s=denuvo">several cracking groups</a>, much to the delight of the pirate masses.</p>
<p>Now, however, a new development has the potential to herald a new lease of life for the Austria-based anti-piracy company. A few moments ago it was revealed that the company has been bought by Irdeto, a global anti-piracy company with considerable heritage and resources.</p>
<p>&#8220;Irdeto has acquired Denuvo, the world leader in gaming security, to provide anti-piracy and anti-cheat solutions for games on desktop, mobile, console and VR devices,&#8221; Irdeto said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;Denuvo provides technology and services for game publishers and platforms, independent software vendors, e-publishers and video publishers across the globe. Current Denuvo customers include Electronic Arts, UbiSoft, Warner Bros and Lionsgate Entertainment, with protection provided for games such as Star Wars Battlefront II, Football Manager, Injustice 2 and others.&#8221;</p>
<p>Irdeto says that Denuvo will &#8220;continue to operate as usual&#8221; with all of its staff retained &#8211; a total of 45 across Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the US. Denuvo headquarters in Salzburg, Austria, will also remain intact along with its sales operations.</p>
<p>“The success of any game title is dependent upon the ability of the title to operate as the publisher intended,” says Irdeto CEO Doug Lowther.</p>
<p>“As a result, protection of both the game itself and the gaming experience for end users is critical. Our partnership brings together decades of security expertise under one roof to better address new and evolving security threats. We are looking forward to collaborating as a team on a number of initiatives to improve our core technology and services to better serve our customers.”</p>
<p>Denuvo was founded relatively recently in 2013 and employs less than 50 people. In contrast, Irdeto&#8217;s roots go all the way back to 1969 and currently has almost 1,000 staff. It&#8217;s a subsidiary of South Africa-based Internet and media group Naspers, a corporate giant with <a href="https://www.naspers.com/companies">dozens of notable companies</a> under its control.</p>
<p>While Denuvo is perhaps best known for its anti-piracy technology, Irdeto is also placing emphasis on the company&#8217;s ability to hinder cheating in online multi-player gaming environments. This has become a hot topic recently, with several lawsuits filed in the US by companies including <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/blizzard-beats-cheat-maker-wins-85-million-copyright-damages-170403/">Blizzard</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/epic-sues-fortnite-cheaters-for-copyright-infringement-171012/">Epic</a>.</p>
<p><center><b>Denuvo CEO Reinhard Blaukovitsch</b><a href="media/1210101d.Denuvo-CEO-Reinhard-Blaukovitsch.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/Denuvo-CEO-Reinhard-Blaukovitsch.jpg"><img src="media/bf7d741d.Denuvo-CEO-Reinhard-Blaukovitsch.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Denuvo-CEO-Reinhard-Blaukovitsch.jpg" alt="" width="5184" height="3456" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150299"></a></center></p>
<p>“Hackers and cybercriminals in the gaming space are savvy, and always have been. It is critical to implement robust security strategies to combat the latest gaming threats and protect the investment in games. Much like the movie industry, it’s the only way to ensure that great games continue to get made,” says Denuvo CEO Reinhard Blaukovitsch.</p>
<p>“In joining with Irdeto, we are bringing together a unique combination of security expertise, technology and enhanced piracy services to aggressively address security challenges that customers and gamers face from hackers.”</p>
<p>While it seems likely that the companies have been in negotiations for some, the timing of this announcement also coincides with negative news for Denuvo.</p>
<p>Yesterday it was revealed that the latest variant of its anti-tamper technology &#8211; Denuvo v4.8 &#8211; had been defeated by online cracking group CPY (Conspiracy). Version 4.8 had been protecting Sonic Forces since its release early November 2017 but the game was leaked out onto the Internet late Sunday with all protection neutralized.</p>
<p><center><b>Sonic Forces cracked by CPY</b><a href="media/22eb0343.sonic-cpy.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/sonic-cpy.png"><img src="media/a8efcd1e.sonic-cpy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sonic-cpy.png" alt="" width="597" height="613" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150303"></a></center></p>
<p>Irdeto has a long history of acquiring anti-piracy companies and technologies. They include Lockstream (DRM for content on mobile phones), Philips Cryptoworks (DVB conditional access system), Cloakware (various security), Entriq (media protection), BD+ (Blu-ray protection), and BayTSP (anti-piracy monitoring).</p>
<p>It&#8217;s also noteworthy that Irdeto supplied behind-the-scenes support in two of the largest IPTV provider raids of recent times, one <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/large-iptv-piracy-ring-shut-down-by-spanish-police-and-europol-170407/">focused on Spain in 2017</a> and more recently in Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece and the Netherlands (<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/europol-hits-huge-500000-subscriber-pirate-iptv-operation-180111/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isp-were-cooperating-with-police-following-pirate-iptv-raid-180113/">2</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-iptv-mastermind-owns-raided-bulgarian-isp-sources-say-180117/">3</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=3_-UCHt1zUs:o7tr7BM2yQM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=3_-UCHt1zUs:o7tr7BM2yQM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=3_-UCHt1zUs:o7tr7BM2yQM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/3_-UCHt1zUs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150320
title: NAFTA Negotiations Heat Up Copyright “Safe Harbor” Clash
uri: NAFTA-Negotiations-Heat-Up-Copyright-Safe-Harbor-Clash
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/purRrRbNjDg/
content:
<p><img src="media/bd0abf4c.copyright-blood.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-blood.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="151" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120567">The North American Free Trade Agreement (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement">NAFTA</a>) between the United States, Canada, and Mexico was negotiated more than 25 years ago.</p>
<p>Over the past quarter-century trade has changed drastically, especially online, so the United States is now planning to modernize the international deal.</p>
<p>One of the topics that has received a lot of interest from various experts and stakeholders are safe harbors. In the US, Internet services are shielded from copyright infringement liability under the safe harbor provisions of the DMCA, but in Mexico and Canada, that&#8217;s not the case.</p>
<p>The latest round of NAFTA renegotiations are currently taking place in Montreal and this is heating up the debate once again. Several legal scholars and advocacy groups believe that such US-style safe harbor provisions are essential for Internet services to operate freely on the Internet. </p>
<p>A group of more than fifty Internet law experts and organizations <a href="https://www.scu.edu/news-and-events/press-releases/2018/january-2018/scholars-and-advocates-urge-nafta-negotiators-to-protect-free-speech-online-.html">made this clear</a> in a letter sent to the negotiators this week, urging them to make safe harbors part of the new deal.</p>
<p>&#8220;When NAFTA was negotiated, the Internet was an obscure electronic network. Since then, the Internet has become a significant — and essential — part of our societies and our economies,&#8221; <a href="http://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2651&#038;context=historical">the letter</a> reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;To acknowledge this, if a modernized NAFTA contains a digital trade chapter, it should contain protections for online intermediaries from liability for third party online content, similar to the United States’ &#8216;Section 230&#8217;.”</p>
<p>The safe harbors in the Communications Decency Act and the DMCA ensure that services which deal with user-generated content, including Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia, are shielded from liability. </p>
<p>This immunity makes it easier for new user-generated services to launch, without the fear of expensive lawsuits, the argument goes.</p>
<p>However, not everyone sees it this way. In a letter cited by <a href="http://variety.com/2018/politics/news/nafta-safe-harbor-copyright-1202672779/">Variety</a>, a group of 37 industry groups urges U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to negotiate &#8216;strong&#8217; safe harbor protections. Strong, in this case, means that simply responding to takedown notices is not always enough.</p>
<p>“If these anti-IP voices succeed, they will turn long-standing trade policy, with creativity and innovation at its core, on its head by transforming our trade agreements into blueprints for how to evade liability for IP theft,” they write.</p>
<p>The MPAA and RIAA, which also signed the letter, previously stressed that the current US safe harbors are not working. These industry groups believe that services such as YouTube exploit their safe harbor immunity and profit from it.</p>
<p>The RIAA, therefore, wants any negotiated safe harbor provisions in NAFTA to be flexible in the event that the DMCA is tightened up in response to the ongoing <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-govt-reviews-impact-and-efficacy-of-dmca-safe-harbor-160105/">safe harbor rules study</a>.</p>
<p>So, what should a content industry-approved safe harbor look like then? </p>
<p>The music industry group says that these should only be available to passive platforms that are not actively engaged in communicating and do not generate any revenue from pirated content. This would exclude YouTube and many other Internet services.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s clear that the ideas of both camps are hard to unite, there&#8217;s still the question of whether there will be a new and improved NAFTA version at all. President Trump has previously <a href="https://qz.com/1100664/trudeau-the-us-chamber-and-mexican-business-are-looking-less-confident-about-naftas-ability-to-survive-under-trump/">threatened</a> to terminate the agreement.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=purRrRbNjDg:L-IDv24zM4k:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=purRrRbNjDg:L-IDv24zM4k:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=purRrRbNjDg:L-IDv24zM4k:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/purRrRbNjDg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150346
title: The Pirate Bay Suffers Downtime, Tor Domain Is Up
uri: The-Pirate-Bay-Suffers-Downtime-Tor-Domain-Is-Up
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/BpkkzCjjTxU/
content:
<p><img src="media/2a43984f.pirate-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-bay.jpg" alt="pirate bay" width="200" height="207" class="alignright size-full wp-image-53470">The main Pirate Bay domain has been offline for nearly a day now.</p>
<p>For most people, the site currently displays a Cloudflare error message across the entire site, with the CDN provider referring to a &#8220;bad gateway.&#8221;</p>
<p>No further details are available to us and there is no known ETA for the site&#8217;s full return.  Judging from past experience, however, it&#8217;s likely a small technical hiccup that needs fixing. There are no issues with the domain name itself.</p>
<p><center><strong>Pirate Bay downtime, bad gateway</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/7b3322bd.bad-gateway.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bad-gateway.png" alt="" width="600" height="326" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150348"></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to the TPB team but we have yet to hear more about the issue. The Pirate Bay has had quite a few stints of downtime in recent months. The popular torrent site usually returns after several hours.</p>
<p>Amid the downtime, there&#8217;s still some good news for those who desperately need to access the notorious torrent site. TPB is still available via its <a href="http://uj3wazyk5u4hnvtk.onion/recent">.onion</a> address on the Tor network, accessible using the popular Tor Browser, for example. The site&#8217;s Tor traffic goes through a separate server and works just fine.</p>
<p>The same is true for <em>some</em> of The Pirate Bay&#8217;s <a href="https://proxybay.one/">proxy sites</a>, which are still working fine and showing new torrents.</p>
<p>The main .org domain will probably be back in action soon enough, but seasoned TPB users will probably know the drill by now&#8230;</p>
<p>The Pirate Bay is not the only torrent site facing problems at the moment. The popular ExtraTorrent copy ExtraTorrent.ag has been suffering downtime for more than a week, without a word from its operators. </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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=BpkkzCjjTxU:FR8PX_xEIbc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=BpkkzCjjTxU:FR8PX_xEIbc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=BpkkzCjjTxU:FR8PX_xEIbc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/BpkkzCjjTxU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150317
title: The EU is Working On Its Own Piracy Watch-List
uri: The-EU-is-Working-On-Its-Own-Piracy-Watch-List
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/dm_x9PvaRow/
content:
<p><img src="media/19bd259d.eu-copyright.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/eu-copyright.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-136985">Earlier this month,  the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-govt-brands-torrent-streaming-cyberlocker-sites-as-notorious-markets-180115/">released</a> an updated version of its “Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets,” ostensibly identifying some of the worst IP-offenders worldwide.</p>
<p>The annual list overview helps to guide the U.S. Government’s position towards foreign countries when it comes to copyright enforcement.</p>
<p>The most recent version featured traditional pirate sites such as The Pirate Bay, Rapidgator, and Gostream, but also the Russian social network VK and China-based marketplaces Alibaba and  Taobao.com.</p>
<p>Since the list only identifies foreign sites, American services are never included. However, this restriction doesn&#8217;t apply in Europe, where the European Commission announced this week that it&#8217;s working on <a href="http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=1786">its own piracy watch list</a>.  </p>
<p>&#8220;The European Commission &#8211; on the basis of input from the stakeholders – after thorough verification of the received information – intends to publish a so called &#8216;Counterfeit and Piracy Watch-List&#8217; in 2018, which will be updated regularly,&#8221; the EU&#8217;s call for submissions reads. </p>
<p>The EU watch list will operate in a similar fashion to the US equivalent and will be used to encourage site operators and foreign governments to take action.</p>
<p>&#8220;The list will identify and describe the most problematic marketplaces &#8211; with special focus on online marketplaces &#8211; in order to encourage their operators and owners as well as the responsible local authorities and governments to take the necessary actions and measures to reduce the availability of IPR infringing goods or services.&#8221;</p>
<p>In recent years various copyright holder groups have repeatedly complained about a lack of anti-piracy initiatives from companies such as Google and Cloudflare, so it will be interesting to see if these will be mentioned. </p>
<p>The same is true for online marketplaces. Responding to the US list last week, Alibaba also highlighted that several American companies suffer the same piracy and counterfeiting problems as they do, without being reprimanded.</p>
<p>&#8220;What about Amazon, eBay and others? USTR has no basis for comparison, because it does not ask for similar data from U.S. companies,&#8221; Alibaba noted in a rebuttal. </p>
<p>The EU watch list is clearly inspired by the US counterpart. It shows striking similarities with the US version of the watch list and some of the language appears to be copied (or pirated) word for word. </p>
<p>The EU writes, for example, that their list <em>&#8220;will not mean to reflect findings of legal violations, nor will it reflect the European Union&#8217;s analysis of the general intellectual property rights protection and enforcement climate in the country or countries concerned.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Just a few days earlier the USTR noted that its list <em>&#8220;does not make findings of legal violations. Nor does it reflect the U.S. Government’s analysis of the general IP protection and enforcement climate in the countries connected with the listed markets.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>The above means that, despite branding foreign services as notorious offenders, these are mere allegations. No hard proof is to be expected in the report, nor will the EU research the matter on its own. </p>
<p>If the US example is followed, the watch list will be mostly an overview of copyright holder complaints, signed by the authorities. The latter is not without controversy, as <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/china-seriously-doubts-objectivity-of-us-pirate-site-list-180120/">China says</a> it doubts the objectivity of USTR&#8217;s report for this very reason. </p>
<p>Copyright holders and other interested parties are invited to submit their contributions and comments by 31 March 2018, and the final list is expected to be released later in the year.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=dm_x9PvaRow:WiKIewI7gQQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=dm_x9PvaRow:WiKIewI7gQQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=dm_x9PvaRow:WiKIewI7gQQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/dm_x9PvaRow" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150356
title: New Kodi Addon Tool Might Carry Interesting Copyright Liability Implications
uri: New-Kodi-Addon-Tool-Might-Carry-Interesting-Copyright-Liability-Implic
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/wPVC9iK8EVk/
content:
<p><a href="media/81d7c5cd.github.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/github.jpg"><img src="media/3f278289.github.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/github.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-95413" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/github.jpg 180w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/github-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px"></a>Kodi is the now ubiquitous media player taking the world by storm. In itself it&#8217;s a great piece of software but augmented with third-party software it can become a piracy powerhouse.</p>
<p>This software, known collectively as &#8216;add-ons&#8217;, enables Kodi to do things it was never designed for such as watching pirated movies, TV shows, and live sports. As a result, it&#8217;s the go-to media platform for millions around the globe, but for those distributing the add-ons, there can be risks attached.</p>
<p>As one of the most prominent Kodi-related sites around, <a href="https://tvaddons.co">TVAddons</a> helped to distribute huge numbers of add-ons. The platform insists that if any add-on infringed copyright, it was only too willing to remove them under a DMCA-like regime. Last year, however, it became clear that copyright holders would prefer to sue TVAddons (<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dish-network-sues-zemtv-and-tv-addons-for-copyright-infringement-170605/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tvaddons-returns-ugly-war-canadian-telcos-kodi-addons-170801/">2</a>) than ask for takedowns.</p>
<p>With those lawsuits still ongoing, the site was left with a dilemma. Despite add-ons being developed and uploaded by third-parties, rightsholders are still trying to hold TVAddons responsible for what those add-ons can do. It&#8217;s a precarious situation that has led to TVAddons not having its own repository/repo (a place where the addons are stored for users to download) since the site ran into trouble last summer.</p>
<p>Now, however, the site has just launched a new tool which not only provides some benefits for users looking for addons, but also attempts to shift some liability for potential infringement away from the service and onto a company with much broader shoulders.</p>
<p>TVAddons&#8217; <a href="https://www.tvaddons.co/github-browser-kodi">Github Browser</a> was released yesterday and is available via the platform&#8217;s <a href="https://www.tvaddons.co/indigo-kodi-krypton/">Indigo tool</a>. Its premise is simple. </p>
<p>Since many third-party Kodi add-ons are developed and first made available on Github, the world&#8217;s leading software development platform, why don&#8217;t users install them directly from there instead?</p>
<p>The idea is that this might reduce liability for distributors like TVAddons but could also present benefits for users, as they can be assured that they&#8217;re getting add-ons directly from the source.</p>
<p><center><b>Github Browser welcome screen</b><a href="media/006b7900.github-browse1.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/github-browse1.png"><img src="media/f72d4764.github-browse1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/github-browse1.png" alt="" width="1021" height="542" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150361"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;Before the GitHub Browser, when an end user wanted to install a particular addon, they&#8217;d first have to download the necessary repository from either Fusion Installer or an alternative,&#8221; a TV addons spokesperson informs TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;This new feature gives the end user the ability to easily install any Kodi addon, and empowers developers to distribute their addons independently, without having to align themselves with a particular release group or web site.&#8221;</p>
<p>Aside from the benefits to users, it also means that TVAddons can provide its users with access to third-party add-ons without having to curate, store, or distribute them itself. In future, storage and distribution aspects can be carried out by Github, which has actually been the basic behind-the-scenes position for some time.</p>
<p>&#8220;GitHub has always been the leading host of Kodi addons, and also respects the law. The difference is, they are big enough to not be bullied by draconian legal maneuvers used by big corporations to censor the internet. We also felt that developers should be able to develop without having to comply with our rules, or any other Kodi web site&#8217;s rules for that matter,&#8221; TVAddons explain.</p>
<p>The screenshot of the Github Browser below reveals a text-heavy interface that will probably mean little to the low-level user of Kodi who bought his device already setup from a seller. However, those more familiar with the way Kodi functions will recognize that the filenames relate to add-ons which can now be directly installed via the browser.</p>
<p><center><b>The Github Browser</b><a href="media/553a2129.github-browse2.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/github-browse2.png"><img src="media/71689dff.github-browse2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/github-browse2.png" alt="" width="1406" height="949" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150363"></a></center></p>
<p>While the approach may seem basic or even inaccessible at first view, that wrongfully discounts the significant resources available to the sprawling third-party Kodi add-on community.</p>
<p>Dozens of specialist blogs and thousands of YouTube videos report in detail on the most relevant addons, providing all of the details users will need to identify and locate the required software. Developer usernames could be a good starting point, TVAddons suggests.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have already seen many social media posts, blogs and developers advertising their GitHub usernames in order to make it easier for users to find them,&#8221; the site explains.</p>
<p>From our tests, it appears that users really have to do all the work themselves. There doesn&#8217;t appear to be any add-on curation and users must know what they&#8217;re looking for in advance. Indeed, entering the Github usernames of developers who produce software that has nothing to do with Kodi can still present zip file results in the browser. Whether this will prove problematic later on will remain to be seen.</p>
<p>While most keen users won&#8217;t have a problem using the Github Browser, there is the question of whether redirecting the focus to the development platform will cause copyright holders to pay more attention to Github.</p>
<p>This has certainly happened in the past, such as when the Federation Against Copyright Theft <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fact-wipes-pirate-sport-streaming-software-from-github-141026/">targeted the SportsDevil add-on</a> and had it removed from Github. It&#8217;s also worth noting that Github doesn&#8217;t appear to challenge takedown requests, so add-ons could be vulnerable if the heat gets turned up.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, TVAddons believes that the open source nature of most addons coupled with Github&#8217;s relative strength means that they&#8217;ll be able to stand up to most threats.</p>
<p>&#8220;Open source code lives on forever, it&#8217;s impossible to scrub the internet of freely distributed legitimate code. I think that GitHub is in a better position to legitimately assess and enforce the DMCA than us. They won&#8217;t be sued out of nowhere in circumvention of the DMCA in similar fashion to what we have been the victim of,&#8221; TVAddons says.</p>
<p>Several years ago, when The Pirate Bay <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-will-stop-serving-torrents-120112/">got rid of torrents</a> and relied on magnet links instead, the platform became much more compact, thus saving on bandwidth. The lack of a repository at TVAddons has also had benefits for the site. Previously it was consuming around 3PB (3,000,000 gigabytes) of bandwidth a month, with a hosting provider demanding $25,000 per month not to discontinue business. </p>
<p>Finally, the team says it is working on new browser features for the future, including repository distribution over torrents. Only time will tell how this new system will be viewed by copyright holders but even with add-on hosting taken care of externally, any form of curation could be instantly frowned upon, with serious consequences.</p>
<p>Details of the browser can be found <a href="https://www.tvaddons.co/github-browser-kodi">here</a>. </p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ty9YS4REeEA" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=wPVC9iK8EVk:Atzf6m0gIOc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=wPVC9iK8EVk:Atzf6m0gIOc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=wPVC9iK8EVk:Atzf6m0gIOc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/wPVC9iK8EVk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150400
title: Movie Industry Hides Anti-Piracy Messages in ‘Pirate’ Subtitles
uri: Movie-Industry-Hides-Anti-Piracy-Messages-in-Pirate-Subtitles
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/WFjJzdLwmoQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/2db6a4db.FBIpiracydept.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/FBIpiracydept.jpg"><img src="media/0bc1afce.FBIpiracydept-300x136.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/FBIpiracydept-300x136.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="136" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-81799" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/FBIpiracydept-300x136.jpg 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/FBIpiracydept.jpg 490w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"></a>Anti-piracy campaigns come in all shapes and sizes, from oppressive and scary to the optimistically educational. It is rare for any to be labeled &#8216;brilliant&#8217; but a campaign just revealed in Belgium hits really close to the mark.</p>
<p>According to an announcement by the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), Belgian Federation of Cinemas, together with film producers and distributors, cinemas and directors, a brand new campaign has been targeting those who download content from illegal sources. It is particularly innovative and manages to hit pirates in a way they can&#8217;t easily avoid.</p>
<p>Working on the premise that many locals download English language movies and then augment them with local language subtitles, a fiendish plot was hatched. Instead of a generic preaching video on YouTube or elsewhere, the movie companies decided to &#8216;infect&#8217; pirate subtitles with messages of their own.</p>
<p>&#8220;Suddenly the story gets a surprising turn. With a playful wink it suddenly seems as if Samuel L. Jackson in The Hitman&#8217;s Bodyguard directly appeals to the illegal viewer and says that you should not download,&#8221; the group explains.</p>
<p><center><strong>Samuel is watching&#8230;..</strong><br></br></center><center>><a href="media/fdf97bf0.jackson-sub.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/jackson-sub.png"><img src="media/225b6ba4.jackson-sub.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/jackson-sub.png" alt="" width="839" height="588" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150401"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;I do not need any research to see that these are bad subtitles,&#8221; Jackson informs the viewer.</p>
<p>In another scene with Ryan Reynolds, Jackson notes that illegal downloading can have a negative effect on a person.</p>
<p><center><strong>Don’t download…..</strong><br></br></center><center>Don&#8217;t download&#8230;..</b><a href="media/a68e173b.jackson-sub2.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/jackson-sub2.png"><img src="media/3d8f712b.jackson-sub2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/jackson-sub2.png" alt="" width="1527" height="624" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150402"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;And you wanted to become a policeman, until you started downloading,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>The movie groups say that they also planted edited subtitles in The Bridge, with police officers in the show noting they&#8217;re on the trail of illegal downloaders. The movies Logan Lucky and The Foreigner got similar treatment.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not clear on which sites these modified subtitles were distributed but according to the companies involved, they&#8217;ve been downloaded 10,000 times already.</p>
<p>&#8220;The viewer not only feels caught but immediately realizes that you do not necessarily get a real quality product through illegal sources,&#8221; the companies say.</p>
<p>The campaign is the work of advertising agency <a href="http://tbwa.com/">TBWA</a>, which appropriately bills itself as the Disruption Company.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are not a traditional ad agency network — we are a radically open creative collective. We look at what everyone else is doing and strive to do something completely new,&#8221; the company says.</p>
<p>Coincidentally, the company refers to its <a href="http://tbwa.com/pirates">staff as pirates</a> who rewrite rules and have ideas to take on &#8220;conventionally-steered ships.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;As creative director of communication agency TBWA, protecting creative work is very important to us,&#8221; says TBWA Creative Director Gert Pauwels. &#8220;That is precisely why we came up with the subtle prank to work together with the sector to tackle illegal downloading.&#8221;</p>
<p>Although framed as a joke, one which may even raise a wry smile and a nod of respect from some pirates, there&#8217;s an underlying serious message from the companies involved.</p>
<p>&#8220;Maybe many think that everything is possible on the internet and that downloading will remain without consequences,&#8221; says Pieter Swaelens, Managing Director of BEA. &#8220;That is not the case. Here too, many jobs are being challenged in Belgium and we have to tackle this behavior.&#8221; </p>
<p>It&#8217;s also worth noting that while this campaign is both innovative and light-hearted, at least one of the companies involved is also a supporter of much tougher action.</p>
<p>Dutch Filmworks recently <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dutch-film-distributor-wins-right-to-chase-pirates-store-data-for-5-years-171208/">obtained permission</a> from the Dutch Data Authority to begin monitoring pirates. Once it has their IP addresses it will attempt to make contact, offering a cash settlement agreement to make a potential lawsuit disappear.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are pleased with the extra attention to the problem of downloading from illegal sources,&#8221; says René van Turnhout, COO Dutch FilmWorks. &#8220;Too many jobs in our sector have been lost. Moreover, piracy endangers the creativity and quality of the legal offer.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;d better watch legally &#8230; that&#8217;s true&#8221;</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/22f0b16a.jackson-sub3.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/jackson-sub3.png"><img src="media/39f3d25c.jackson-sub3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/jackson-sub3.png" alt="" width="1528" height="630" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150405"></a><center></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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=WFjJzdLwmoQ:IyqJVwaOrpM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=WFjJzdLwmoQ:IyqJVwaOrpM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=WFjJzdLwmoQ:IyqJVwaOrpM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/WFjJzdLwmoQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150417
title: Grumpy Cat Wins $710,000 From Copyright Infringing Coffee Maker
uri: Grumpy-Cat-Wins-710-000-From-Copyright-Infringing-Coffee-Maker
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/IBVjmFPPtz4/
content:
<p><img src="media/9175d5ec.grumpcat1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/grumpcat1.jpg" alt="grumpcat" width="222" height="210" class="alignright size-full wp-image-114992">There are dozens of celebrity cats on the Internet, but <a href="https://www.grumpycats.com/">Grumpy Cat</a> probably tops them all.</p>
<p>The cat’s owners have made millions thanks to their pet’s unique facial expression, which turned her into an overnight Internet star.</p>
<p>Part of this revenue comes from successful merchandise lines, including the Grumpy Cat “Grumppuccino” iced coffee beverage, sold by the California company Grenade Beverage. </p>
<p>The company licensed the copyright and trademarks to sell the iced coffee but is otherwise not affiliated with the cat and its owners. Initially, this partnership went well, but after the coffee maker started to sell other &#8220;Grumpy Cat&#8221; products, things turned bad. </p>
<p>The cat&#8217;s owners, incorporated as Grumpy Cat LLC, took the matter <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/grumpy-cat-sues-coffee-maker-copyright-infringement-151214/">to court</a> with demands for the coffee maker to stop infringing associated copyrights and trademarks.</p>
<p>&#8220;Without authorization, Defendants [&#8230;] have extensively and repeatedly exploited the Grumpy Cat Copyrights and the Grumpy Cat Trademarks,&#8221; the complaint read.</p>
<p><center><strong>Pirate coffee..</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/467aed8b.grumpycoffee.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/grumpycoffee.jpg" alt="grumpycoffee" width="600" height="289" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-114986"></center></p>
<p>After two years the case went before a jury this week where, Courthouse News <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/internets-grumpy-cat-awarded-710001-in-licensing-spat/">reports</a>, the cat itself also made an appearance. </p>
<p>The eight-person jury in Santa Ana, California sided with the cat&#8217;s owner and awarded the company $710,000 in copyright and trademark infringement damages, as well as a symbolic $1 for contract breach.</p>
<p>According to court documents, the majority of the damages have to be paid by Grumpy Beverage, but the company&#8217;s owner Paul Sandford is also held personally liable for $60,000. </p>
<p>The verdict is good news for Grumpy Cat and its owner, and according to their attorney, they are happy with the outcome.</p>
<p>&#8220;Grumpy Cat feels vindicated and feels the jury reached a just verdict,&#8221; Grumpy Cat&#8217;s lawyer David Jonelis said, describing it as &#8220;a complete victory.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of the verdict form is available <a href="media/a91bc81e.grumpyverdict.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/grumpyverdict.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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=IBVjmFPPtz4:5aQedXR1Cng:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=IBVjmFPPtz4:5aQedXR1Cng:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=IBVjmFPPtz4:5aQedXR1Cng:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/IBVjmFPPtz4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150478
title: Pirate Bay Founder’s Domain Service “Mocks” NY Times Legal Threats
uri: Pirate-Bay-Founder-s-Domain-Service-Mocks-NY-Times-Legal-Threa
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/TwMrp8MtuvM/
content:
<p><img src="media/95f22e91.nyt.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/nyt.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="207" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150495">Back in the day, The Pirate Bay was famous for its amusing responses to legal threats. Instead of complying with takedown notices, it sent witty responses to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dont-humiliate-yourself-complaining-to-the-pirate-bay-080625/">embarrass</a> the senders.</p>
<p>Today the notorious torrent site gives copyright holders the silent treatment, but the good-old Pirate Bay spirit still lives on elsewhere.</p>
<p>Earlier today the anonymous domain registration service <a href="https://njal.la/#home">Njalla</a>, which happens to be <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-founder-launches-anonymous-domain-registration-service-170419/">a venture of TPB co-founder Peter Sunde</a>, posted a <a href="https://njal.la/blog/about-those-threats/">series of noteworthy responses</a> it sent to The New York Times&#8217; (NYT) legal department. </p>
<p>The newspaper warned the registration service about one of its customers, paywallnews.com, which offers the news service&#8217;s content without permission. Since this is a violation of The Times&#8217; copyrights, according to the paper, Njalla should take action or face legal consequences.</p>
<blockquote class="pullquote"><p>NYT: Accordingly, we hereby demand that you immediately provide us with contact information &#8212; including email addresses &#8212; for both the actual owner of the paywallnew.com website, and for the hosting provider on which the paywallnew.com website is located.</p>
<p>If we have not heard from you within three (3) business days of receipt of this letter, we will have no choice but to pursue all available legal remedies.</p></blockquote>
<p>Njalla is no stranger to threats of this kind but were somewhat offended by the harsh language, it seems. The company, therefore, decided to inform the NYT that there are more friendly ways to reach out.</p>
<blockquote class="pullquote"><p>Njalla: Thanks for that lovely e-mail. It&#8217;s always good to communicate with people that in their first e-mail use words as &#8220;we demand&#8221;, &#8220;pursue all available legal remedies&#8221; and so forth. I&#8217;d like to start out with some free (as in no cost) advice: please update your boiler threat letters to actually try what most people try first: being nice. It&#8217;s not expensive (actually the opposite) and actually it works much better than your method (source: a few tens of thousands years of human development that would not have been as efficient with threats as it would have been with cooperation).</p></blockquote>
<p>In addition, Njalla also included a request of its own. They kindly asked (no demand) the newspaper&#8217;s legal department for proof that they are who they say they are. You can never be too cautious, after all.</p>
<blockquote class="pullquote"><p>Njalla: Now, back to the questions you sent us. We&#8217;re not sure who you are, so in order to move further we&#8217;d like to see a copy of your ID card, as well as a notarised power of attorney showing that you are actually representing the people you&#8217;re claiming to do.</p></blockquote>
<p>This had the desired effect, for Njalla at least. The NYT replied with an apology for the tough language that was used, noting that they usually deal with companies that employ people who are used to reading legal documents.</p>
<p>The newspaper did, however, submit a notarized letter signed by the company&#8217;s Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, and once again asked for details on the Njalla customer.</p>
<blockquote class="pullquote"><p>NYT: Once again, as I mention above, the referenced website is stealing large amounts of New York Times content.  If you click on this link: http://www.paywallnews.com/sites/nytimes </p>
<p>&#8230;</p>
<p>As this abuse &#8212; aside from being an egregious infringement of The Times&#8217;s copyright &#8212; breaches your own Terms of Service, I hope you will be able to see your way to helping me to put a stop to this practice by providing me with the name and contact information for the owner of paywallnews.com and for the ISP on which it is hosted.
</p></blockquote>
<p>This is when things started to get really interesting. Founded by someone with an extensive background in &#8220;sharing,&#8221; Njalla clearly has a different definition of stealing than the NYT&#8217;s legal department.</p>
<p>The reply, which is <a href="https://njal.la/blog/about-those-threats/">worth reading in full</a> along with the rest of the communication, makes this quite clear.</p>
<blockquote class="pullquote"><p>Njalla: Stealing content seem quite harsh of this website though, didn&#8217;t know that they did that! Is there anyway you can get the stolen items back though? You should either go to the police and request them to help you get the stolen items back. Or maybe talk to your insurance company, they might help to compensate you for the loss. But a helpful idea; if they&#8217;ve stolen something and then put copies of that on a website that you can freely access, I would suggest just copying it, so that both of you have the same things. That&#8217;s a great thing with the digital world, everyone can have copies of things. I am surprised they stole something when they could just have copied it. I&#8217;m guessing it&#8217;s some older individuals that don&#8217;t know the possibilities of modern day technology to make copies.</p></blockquote>
<p>It&#8217;s obvious that the domain registration service makes a clear distinction between copying and stealing. </p>
<p><center></p>
<h5><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-is-not-theft-111104/">Piracy vs. Theft</a></h5>
<p><img src="media/d5e8a93b.piracy-is-not-theft.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piracy-is-not-theft.png" alt="" title="piracy-is-not-theft" width="450" height="190" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-42075" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/piracy-is-not-theft.png 450w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/piracy-is-not-theft-300x126.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px"></center></p>
<p>In addition, Njalla contests that the site is problematic at all, noting that this might be a &#8220;cultural difference.&#8221;</p>
<p>Njalla spotted something even more worrying though. The NYT claims that the site in question violates its terms of service. Specifically, they reference the section that prohibits sites from spreading content that is illegal according to local law. </p>
<p>Is the NYT perhaps spreading illegal content itself, Njalla questions? </p>
<blockquote class="pullquote"><p>Njalla: Deborah, I was quite shocked and appalled that you referred to this part of our ToS. It made me actually not visit the website in question even though you&#8217;ve linked it now a few times. You&#8217;re admitting to spreading illegal content at your newspaper, for profit, is that correct?</p>
<p>We&#8217;re quite big proponents of freedom of speech, let me assure you of that, but we also have limits. If you spread illegal content, and our customers stole that illegal content and are now handing out free copies of that, that&#8217;s a huge issue for us. Since it would be illegal for us to get those copies if they&#8217;re illegal, I&#8217;m asking you what type of content it is?
</p></blockquote>
<p>As an attachment to the reply, Njalla also sent back a &#8220;notarized&#8221; letter of their own, by simply copying the NYT letter and sticking their own logo on it, to show how easily these can be fabricated.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to Sunde who informed us that they never heard from The New York Times after the last reply. As a domain registrant, Njalla is not obliged to comply with takedown requests, he explains. </p>
<p>&#8220;If they need help from us on copyright issues, they’re totally missing what we’re doing, and that they should look somewhere else anyhow. But I think most domain services gets tons of these threat emails, and a lot of them think they’re responsible because they don’t have access to legal help and just shut customers down. </p>
<p>&#8220;That’s what a lot of our customers say at least, since they migrated from a shitty service which doesn’t know their own business,&#8221; Sunde adds.</p>
<p>The NYT is not completely without options though. If they take the case to court in Sweden and win an injunction against paywallnews.com, Njalla will comply. The same is true if a customer <em>really</em> violates the terms of service. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, paywallnews.com remains online.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=TwMrp8MtuvM:n1SQHZzz61E:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=TwMrp8MtuvM:n1SQHZzz61E:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=TwMrp8MtuvM:n1SQHZzz61E:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/TwMrp8MtuvM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150379
title: Court Orders Hosting Provider to Stop Pirate Premier League Streams
uri: Court-Orders-Hosting-Provider-to-Stop-Pirate-Premier-League-Streams
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/EjNqgMqm2Ho/
content:
<p><img src="media/67f652bb.oldball.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/oldball.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="183" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150389">In many parts of the world football, or soccer as some would call it, is the number one spectator sport. </p>
<p>The English Premier League, widely regarded as one the top competitions, draws hundreds of millions of viewers per year. Many of these pay for access to the matches, but there&#8217;s also a massive circuit of unauthorized streams. </p>
<p>The Football Association Premier League (FAPL) has been clamping down on these pirate sources for years. In the UK, for example, it obtained a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/premier-league-obtains-intriguing-injunction-to-tackle-pirate-streams-170309/">unique High Court injunction</a> last year, which requires local Internet providers to block streams as they go live.</p>
<p>In addition, the organization has also filed legal action against a hosting provider through which several live sports streaming sites are operating. The case in question was filed in the Netherlands where Ecatel LTD, a UK company, operated several servers. </p>
<p>According to the complaint, Ecatel hosted sites such as cast247.tv, streamlive.to and iguide.to, which allowed visitors to watch live Premier League streams without paying. </p>
<p>As the streaming platforms themselves were not responsive to takedown requests, the Premier League demanded action from their hosting provider. Specifically, they wanted the company to disconnect live streams on their end, by null-routing the servers of the offending customer. </p>
<p>This week the Court of The Hague <a href="https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/inziendocument?id=ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2018:615">issued its judgment</a>, which is a clear win for the football association. </p>
<p>The Court ruled that, after the hosting company receives a takedown notice from FAPL or one of its agents, Ecatel must disconnect pirate Premier League streams within 30 minutes.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The Court] recommends that, after 24 hours of service of this judgment, Ecatel cease and discontinue any service used by third parties to infringe the copyright to FAPL by promptly but no later than 30 minutes after receipt of a request to that end,&#8221; the verdict reads.</p>
<p>The ban can be lifted after the game has ended, making it a temporary measure similar to the UK Internet provider blockades. If Ecatel fails to comply, it faces a penalty of €5,000 for each illegal stream, to a maximum of € 1,500,000.</p>
<p>While the order is good news for the Premier League, it will be hard to enforce, since Ecatel LTD was dissolved last year. Another hosting company called Novogara was previously linked with Ecatel and is still active, but that is not mentioned in the court order.</p>
<p>This means that the order will mostly be valuable as a precedent. Especially since it goes against an earlier order from 2015, which <a href="https://www.emerce.nl/nieuws/hostingbedrijf-ecatel-moet-illegale-streams-premier-league-staken">Emerce</a> pointed out. This warrants a closer look at how the Court reached its decision.</p>
<p>In its defense, Ecatel had argued that an obligation to disconnect customers based on a takedown notice would be disproportionate and violate its entrepreneurial freedoms. The latter is protected by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.</p>
<p>The Court, however, highlights that there is a clash between the entrepreneurial rights of Ecatel and the copyrights of FAPL in this case. This requires the Court to weigh these rights to see which prevails over the other.</p>
<p>According to the verdict, the measures Ecatel would have to take to comply are not overly costly. The company already null-routed customers who failed to pay, so the technical capabilities are there. </p>
<p>Ecatel also argued that disconnecting a server could affect legal content that&#8217;s provided by its customers. However, according to the Court, Ecatel is partly to blame for this, as it does business with customers who seemingly don&#8217;t have a proper takedown process themselves. This is something the company could have included in their contracts.</p>
<p>As a result, the Court put the copyrights of FAPL above the entrepreneurial freedom rights of the hosting provider.</p>
<p>The second right that has to be weighed is the public&#8217;s right to freedom of expression and information. While the Court rules that this right is limited by the measures, it argues that the rights of copyright holders weigh stronger.</p>
<p>&#8220;Admittedly, this freedom [of expression and information] is restricted, but according to the order, this will only apply for the duration of the offending streams. Furthermore, as said, this will only take place if the stream has not already been blocked in another way,&#8221; the Court writes.</p>
<p>If any legal content is affected by the measures then the offending streaming platform itself will experience more pressure from users to deal with the problem, and offer a suitable takedown procedure to prevent similar problems in the future, the Court notes.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to FAPL and Ecatel&#8217;s lawyers for a comment on the verdict but at the time of writing we haven&#8217;t heard back. </p>
<p>The verdict appears to be a powerful precedent for copyright holders. Kim Kuik, director of local anti-piracy group BREIN, is pleased with the outcome. While BREIN was not involved in this lawsuit, it previously sued Ecatel in <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/brein-is-taking-infamous-piracy-hosting-provider-ecatel-to-court-170815/">another case</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is a good precedent. An intermediary like Ecatel has its accountability and must have an effective notice and take down procedure,&#8221; Kuik tells TorrentFreak. </p>
<p>&#8220;Too bad it wasn’t also against the people behind Ecatel, who now can continue using another vehicle. The judge thinks this verdict serves a warning to them. Time will tell if that is so.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8212;</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=EjNqgMqm2Ho:hKlmDQKfw8w:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=EjNqgMqm2Ho:hKlmDQKfw8w:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=EjNqgMqm2Ho:hKlmDQKfw8w:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/EjNqgMqm2Ho" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150525
title: Playboy Brands Boing Boing a “Clickbait” Site With No Fair Use Defense
uri: Playboy-Brands-Boing-Boing-a-Clickbait-Site-With-No-Fair-Use-Def
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LBiqzNVbYu0/
content:
<p><a href="media/a1a4ef01.http-link-hyperlink.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/http-link-hyperlink.jpg"><img src="media/df753675.http-link-hyperlink.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/http-link-hyperlink.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="198" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120483"></a>Late 2017, Boing Boing co-editor Xena Jardin posted an article in which he linked to an archive containing every Playboy centerfold image to date.</p>
<p>“Kind of amazing to see how our standards of hotness, and the art of commercial erotic photography, have changed over time,” Jardin <a href="https://boingboing.net/2016/02/29/every-playboy-playmate-centerf.html">noted</a>.</p>
<p>While Boing Boing had nothing to do with the compilation, uploading, or storing of the Imgur-based archive, Playboy took exception to the popular blog linking to the album.</p>
<p>Noting that Jardin had referred to the archive uploader as a &#8220;wonderful person&#8221;, the adult publication responded with a lawsuit <em>(<a href="media/b7fa11e7.playboing.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/playboing.pdf">pdf</a>)</em>, claiming that Boing Boing had commercially exploited its copyrighted images.</p>
<p>Last week, with assistance from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Boing Boing parent company Happy Mutants filed a motion to dismiss in which it <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/linking-is-not-copyright-infringement-boing-boing-tells-court-180119/">defended</a> its right to comment on and link to copyrighted content without that constituting infringement.</p>
<p>“This lawsuit is frankly mystifying. Playboy’s theory of liability seems to be that it is illegal to link to material posted by others on the web — an act performed daily by hundreds of millions of users of Facebook and Twitter, and by journalists like the ones in Playboy’s crosshairs here,” the company wrote.</p>
<p>EFF Senior Staff Attorney Daniel Nazer weighed in too, arguing that since Boing Boing&#8217;s reporting and commenting is protected by copyright’s fair use doctrine, the &#8220;deeply flawed&#8221; lawsuit should be dismissed.</p>
<p>Now, just a week later, Playboy has fired back. Opposing Happy Mutants&#8217; request for the Court to dismiss the case, the company cites the now-famous Perfect 10 v. Amazon/Google case from 2007, which tried to prevent Google from facilitating access to infringing images.</p>
<p>Playboy highlights the court&#8217;s finding that Google could have been held contributorily liable &#8211; if it had knowledge that Perfect 10 images were available using its search engine, could have taken simple measures to prevent further damage, but failed to do so.</p>
<p>Turning to Boing Boing&#8217;s conduct, Playboy says that the company knew it was linking to infringing content, could have taken steps to prevent that, but failed to do so. It then launches an attack on the site itself, offering disparaging comments concerning its activities and business model.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is an important case. At issue is whether clickbait sites like Happy Mutants’ Boing Boing weblog — a site designed to attract viewers and encourage them to click on links in order to generate advertising revenue — can knowingly find, promote, and profit from infringing content with impunity,&#8221; Playboy writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Clickbait sites like Boing Boing are not known for creating original content. Rather, their business model is based on &#8216;collecting&#8217; interesting content created by others. As such, they effectively profit off the work of others without actually creating anything original themselves.&#8221;</p>
<p>Playboy notes that while sites like Boing Boing are within their rights to leverage works created by others, courts <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_10,_Inc._v._Amazon.com,_Inc.#Background">in the US</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-court-not-for-profit-hyperlinking-usually-not-infringement-160908/">overseas</a> have ruled that knowingly linking to infringing content is unacceptable.</p>
<p>Even given these conditions, Playboy argues, Happy Mutants and the EFF now want the Court to dismiss the case so that sites are free to &#8220;not only encourage, facilitate, and induce infringement, but to profit from those harmful activities.&#8221;</p>
<p>Claiming that Boing Boing&#8217;s only reason for linking to the infringing album was to &#8220;monetize the web traffic that over fifty years of Playboy photographs would generate&#8221;, Playboy insists that the site and parent company Happy Mutants was properly charged with copyright infringement.</p>
<p>Playboy also dismisses Boing Boing&#8217;s argument that a link to infringing content cannot result in liability due to the link having both infringing and substantial non-infringing uses.</p>
<p>First citing the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Corp._of_America_v._Universal_City_Studios,_Inc.">Betamax case</a>, which found that maker Sony could not be held liable for infringement because its video recorders had substantial non-infringing uses, Playboy counters with the Grokster decision, which held that a distributor of a product could be liable for infringement, if there was an intent to encourage or support infringement.</p>
<p>&#8220;In this case, Happy Mutants’ offending link — which does nothing more than support infringing content — is good for nothing but promoting infringement and there is no legitimate public interest in its unlicensed availability,&#8221; Playboy notes.</p>
<p>In its motion to dismiss, Happy Mutants also argued that unless Playboy could identify users who &#8220;in fact downloaded — rather than simply viewing — the material in question,&#8221; the case should be dismissed. However, Playboy rejects the argument, claiming it is based on an erroneous interpretation of the law.</p>
<p>Citing the Grokster decision once more, the adult publisher notes that the Supreme Court found that someone infringes contributorily when they intentionally induce or encourage direct infringement.</p>
<p>&#8220;The argument that contributory infringement only lies where the defendant’s actions result in further infringement ignores the &#8216;or&#8217; and collapses &#8216;inducing&#8217; and &#8216;encouraging&#8217; into one thing when they are two distinct things,&#8221; Playboy writes.</p>
<p>As for Boing Boing&#8217;s four classic fair use arguments, the publisher describes these as &#8220;extremely weak&#8221; and proceeds to hit them one by one.</p>
<p>In respect of the purpose and character of the use, Playboy discounts Boing Boing&#8217;s position that the aim of its post was to show &#8220;how our standards of hotness, and the art of commercial erotic photography, have changed over time.&#8221; The publisher argues that is the exact same purpose of Playboy magazine, while highliting its publication <em>Playboy: The Compete Centerfolds, 1953-2016</em>.</p>
<p>Moving on to the second factor of fair use &#8211; the nature of the copyrighted work &#8211; Playboy notes that an entire album of artwork is involved, rather than just a single image.</p>
<p>On the third factor, concerning the amount and substantiality of the original work used, Playboy argues that in order to publish an opinion on how &#8220;standards of hotness&#8221; had developed over time, there was no need to link to all of the pictures in the archive.</p>
<p>&#8220;Had only representative images from each decade, or perhaps even each year, been taken, this would be a very different case — but Happy Mutants cannot dispute that it knew it was linking to an illegal library of &#8216;Every Playboy Playmate Centerfold Ever&#8217; since that is what it titled its blog post,&#8221; Playboy notes.</p>
<p>Finally, when considering the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work, Playbody says its archive of images continues to be monetized and Boing Boing&#8217;s use of infringing images jeopardizes that.</p>
<p>&#8220;Given that people are generally not going to pay for what is freely available, it is disingenuous of Happy Mutants to claim that promoting the free availability of infringing archives of Playboy’s work for viewing and downloading is not going to have an adverse effect on the value or market of that work,&#8221; the publisher adds.</p>
<p>While it appears the parties agree on very little, there is agreement on one key aspect of the case &#8211; its wider importance.</p>
<p>On the one hand, Playboy insists that a finding in its favor will ensure that people can&#8217;t commercially exploit infringing content with impunity. On the other, Boing Boing believes that the health of the entire Internet is at stake.</p>
<p>&#8220;The world can’t afford a judgment against us in this case — it would end the web as we know it, threatening everyone who publishes online, from us five weirdos in our basements to multimillion-dollar, globe-spanning publishing empires like Playboy,” the company concludes.</p>
<p>Playboy&#8217;s opposition to Happy Mutants&#8217; motion to dismiss can be found here <a href="media/e8012f9a.playboyreply.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LBiqzNVbYu0/torrentfreak.com/images/playboyreply.pdf"><em>(pdf)</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LBiqzNVbYu0:h4su8PG31vs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LBiqzNVbYu0:h4su8PG31vs:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=LBiqzNVbYu0:h4su8PG31vs:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/LBiqzNVbYu0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150528
title: Torrent Links Disappear From Torrentz2, For Adblock Users
uri: Torrent-Links-Disappear-From-Torrentz2-For-Adblock-Users
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bZupjpgyhnk/
content:
<p><img src="media/f5f90955.tz2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tz2.png" alt="" width="220" height="132" class="alignright size-full wp-image-149837">With millions of visits per day, Torrentz2 is without a doubt the most popular torrent meta-search engine on the Internet.</p>
<p>The site took this spot from the original Torrentz site, which surprisingly closed its doors during the summer of 2016.</p>
<p>Up until a month ago everything was running smoothly, but that changed when links to other torrent sites <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrent-links-disappear-from-torrentz2-171223/">disappeared</a> late December. Instead of a metasearch engine, <a href="https://torrentz2.eu/">Torrentz2</a> turned into a database of torrent metadata, and traffic started to drop off.</p>
<p>Torrentz2 remained without links for roughly three weeks, after which the site, just as surprisingly, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrent-links-return-torrentz2-mystery-disappearance-180112/">returned to its former glory</a>. However, that didn&#8217;t last very long.</p>
<p>Starting yesterday, all links have mysteriously disappeared again, without any official explanation. However, this time it only affects users who run an ad-blocker.</p>
<p>Initially we assumed that the issues were affecting all users, but upon closer inspection this is not the case. This means that the current issue is in no way related to the earlier disappearance.</p>
<p>The issues are the result of the <a href="https://easylist.to/easylist/easylist.txt">EasyList</a> Adblock filter which appears to block all nofollow links on Torrentz2. Since most adblockers use this list, many people are affected.</p>
<p>The good news for affected users is that they can solve the issue by simply disable the adblocker on the site. Alternatively, they can also disable the EasyList filter in their ad-blocker settings.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Shortly after publication we learned that the disappearing links are the result of EasyList and adblockers. We updated the article accordingly.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=bZupjpgyhnk:jrsn1hwNbIo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=bZupjpgyhnk:jrsn1hwNbIo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=bZupjpgyhnk:jrsn1hwNbIo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/bZupjpgyhnk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150447
title: Thor:Ragnarok Director Says He “Illegally Torrented” Clips for the Showreel
uri: Thor-Ragnarok-Director-Says-He-Illegally-Torrented-Clips-for-the
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Xs3ZkuE-jGI/
content:
<p><a href="media/f2b00341.waititi.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/waititi.png"><img src="media/e7d1276a.waititi.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/waititi.png" alt="" width="275" height="370" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150450"></a>It&#8217;s not often that movies escape being pirated online but last weekend was a pretty miserable one for the people behind Thor:Ragnarok.</p>
<p>Just four months after the superhero movie’s theatrical debut, the Marvel hit was due to be released on disc February 26th, with digital distribution on iTunes planned for February 19th.</p>
<p>However, due to what appeared to be some kind of pre-order blunder, the $180 million movie was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/thor-ragnarok-furiously-pirated-after-itunes-pre-order-blunder-180122/">leaked online</a>, resulting in a pirate frenzy that&#8217;s still ongoing.</p>
<p>But with the accidental early release of Thor:Ragnarok making waves within the torrent system and beyond, it seems ironic that its talented director actually has another relationship with piracy that most people aren&#8217;t aware of.</p>
<p>In an interview for &#8216;Q&#8217;, a show broadcast on Canada&#8217;s CBC radio, Taika Waititi noted that Thor: Ragnarok might be a &#8220;career ender&#8221; for him, something that was previously <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/wednesday-nov-1-2017-taika-waititi-julien-baker-and-more-1.4375011/taika-waititi-thought-thor-ragnarok-would-be-a-career-ender-turns-out-it-s-the-opposite-1.4378145">highlighted</a> in the media.</p>
<p>However, the softly-spoken New Zealander also said some other things that flew completely under the radar but given recent developments, now have new significance.  </p>
<p>Speaking with broadcaster Tom Power, Waititi revealed that when putting together his promotional showreel for Thor: Ragnarok, he obtained its source material from illegal sources.</p>
<p>Explaining the process used to acquire clips to create his ‘sizzle reel’ (a short video highlighting a director’s vision and tone for a proposed movie), Waititi revealed his less-than-official approach.</p>
<p>&#8220;I cut together little clips and shots &#8211; I basically illegally torrented and, erm, you know, ripped clips from the Internet,&#8221; Waititi said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of a bunch of different things?&#8221; Power asked.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t mind saying that&#8230;erm&#8230;on the radio,&#8221; Waititi added, unconvincingly.</p>
<p>With Power quickly assuring the director that admitting doing something illegal was OK on air, Waititi perhaps realized it probably wasn&#8217;t.</p>
<p>&#8220;You can cut that out,” he suggested.</p>
<p>That Waititi took the &#8216;pirate&#8217; approach to obtaining source material for his &#8216;sizzle reel&#8217; isn&#8217;t really a surprise. Content is freely accessible online, crucially in easier to consume and edit formats than even Waititi has access to on short notice. And, since every film in memory is just a few clicks away, it&#8217;d be counter-intuitive not to use the resource in the name of creativity.</p>
<p>Overall then, it&#8217;s extremely unlikely that Waititi&#8217;s pirate confession will come to much. Two of his previous feature films, &#8216;Boy&#8217; and &#8216;Hunt For The Wilderpeople&#8217;, held titles for the highest-grossing New Zealand film, the latter achieving the accolade in 2017.</p>
<p>Also in 2017, Waititi was named <a href="http://nzawards.org.nz/awards/new-zealander-year/">New Zealander of the Year</a> in recognition of his &#8220;outstanding contribution to the well being of the nation.&#8221; Praise doesn&#8217;t come much higher than that.</p>
<p>How many torrent swarms he helped to keep healthy is destined remain a secret forever though, but as an emerging movie hero in his own right, people will forgive him that.</p>
<p><em>H/T Trioval</em></p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AejGW2Rgslc" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Xs3ZkuE-jGI:wiX6cbY9XgQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Xs3ZkuE-jGI:wiX6cbY9XgQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Xs3ZkuE-jGI:wiX6cbY9XgQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Xs3ZkuE-jGI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150238
title: Tor Exit Node Operator Denies Piracy Allegations and Hits Back
uri: Tor-Exit-Node-Operator-Denies-Piracy-Allegations-and-Hits-Back
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/g5leitQgh3g/
content:
<p><img src="media/2381f8ad.dallas1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dallas1.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-96710">The copyright holders of Dallas Buyers Club have sued thousands of BitTorrent users over the past few years.</p>
<p>The film company first obtains the identity of the Internet account holder believed to have pirated the movie, after which most cases are settled behind closed doors.</p>
<p>It doesn&#8217;t always go this easily though. A lawsuit in an Oregon federal court has been ongoing for nearly three years but in this case the defendant was running a Tor exit node, which complicates matters. </p>
<p>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. When pirates use Tor, it will then appear as if the traffic comes from this connection.</p>
<p>The defendant in this lawsuit, John Huszar, has repeatedly denied that he personally downloaded a pirated copy of the film. However, he is now facing substantial damages because he failed to respond to a request for admissions, which stated that he distributed the film.</p>
<p>Not responding to such an admission means that the court can assume the statement is true. </p>
<p>&#8220;An admission, even an admission deemed admitted because of a failure to respond, is binding on the party at trial,&#8221; Dallas Buyers Club noted in a recent filing, demanding a summary judgment.  </p>
<p><center><strong>The unanswered admissions</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/8362a6e7.admissions.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/admissions.png" alt="" width="600" height="284" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150275"></center></p>
<p>Huszar was represented by various attorneys over the course of the lawsuit, but when the admissions were &#8220;deemed admitted&#8221; he was unrepresented and in poor health. </p>
<p>According to his lawyer, Ballas Buyers Club is using this to obtain a ruling in its favor. The film company argues that the Tor exit node operator admitted willful infringement, which could cost him up to $150,000 in damages.</p>
<p>The admissions present a serious problem. However, even if they&#8217;re taken as truth, they are not solid proof, according to the defense. For example, the portion of the film could have just been a trailer.</p>
<p>In addition, the defense responds with several damaging accusations of its own. </p>
<p>According to Huszar&#8217;s lawyer, it is unclear whether Dallas Buyers Club LLC has the proper copyrights to sue his client. In previous court cases in Australia and Texas, this ownership was put in doubt.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the case at bar, because of facts established in other courts, there is a genuine issue as to whether or not DBC owns the right to sue for copyright infringement,&#8221; the defense writes.</p>
<p>As licensing constructions can be quite complex, this isn&#8217;t unthinkable. Just last week another U.S. District Court judge told the self-proclaimed owners of the movie Fathers &#038; Daughters that they didn&#8217;t have the proper rights to take an alleged pirate to trial.</p>
<p>Another issue highlighted by the defense is the reliability of witnesses Daniel Macek and Ben Perino. Both men are connected to the BitTorrent tracking outfit MaverickEye, and are not without controversy, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/judge-issues-devastating-order-bittorrent-copyright-troll-180110/">as reported previously</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;[B]oth parties have previously been found to lack the qualifications, experience, education, and licenses to offer such forensic or expert testimony,&#8221; the defense writes, citing a recent case.</p>
<p>Finally, the defense also highlights that given the fact that Huszar operated a Tor exit-node, anyone could have downloaded the film.</p>
<p>The defense, therefore, asks the court to deny Dallas Buyers Club&#8217;s motion for summary judgment, or at least allow the defendant to conduct additional discovery to get to the bottom of the copyright ownership issue.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=g5leitQgh3g:4fJDt9iD6VE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=g5leitQgh3g:4fJDt9iD6VE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=g5leitQgh3g:4fJDt9iD6VE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/g5leitQgh3g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150391
title: Arrr: Top Tips to Spot The Differences Between Pirate and Legal Sites
uri: Arrr-Top-Tips-to-Spot-The-Differences-Between-Pirate-and-Legal-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/xq59_OXLV_Y/
content:
<p><a href="media/71374742.spongepirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/spongepirate.jpg"><img src="media/9231f6fe.spongepirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spongepirate.jpg" alt="" width="170" height="208" class="alignright size-full wp-image-102272"></a>There&#8217;s a persistent theory that people exist who are using pirate sites but don&#8217;t realize that they&#8217;re unauthorized and/or illegal. While that seems likely, it&#8217;s hard to believe the volumes are particularly significant.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, numerous campaigns have attempted to enlighten consumers as to what is and isn&#8217;t legal and this week the Federation Against Copyright Theft raised the issue once again.</p>
<p>Tagging onto UK anti-fraud awareness campaign <a href="https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/about/take-five/">Take Five</a>, the anti-piracy outfit asked people to take five minutes to consider the legality of the site or service they&#8217;re currently consuming.</p>
<p><center><Take Five....</b><a href="media/72f23a16.take5-1.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/take5-1.png"><img src="media/51c405d7.take5-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/take5-1.png" alt="" width="711" height="799" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150392"></a></center></p>
<p>FACT&#8217;s advice above is basically sound. They ask people to do their research on the sites <a href="https://www.findanyfilm.com/">FindAnyFilm</a> and <a href="https://www.getitrightfromagenuinesite.org/">GetItRight</a>, both of which should give consumers an idea of where content can be obtained legally. Trouble is, neither resource is comprehensive, so five minutes of research could turn into ten or fifteen, by which time people could get bored of trying to do the right thing.</p>
<p>So, with this in mind, here are a few light-hearted tips to help people spot whether the site they&#8217;re using is authorized by the movie industry or a product of a swashbuckling mind.</p>
<p><strong>Does the site want your name, address and life history?</strong></p>
<p><a href="media/ac63424b.visa-mastercard.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/visa-mastercard.png"><img src="media/42bd00b6.visa-mastercard.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/visa-mastercard.png" alt="" width="183" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-73168"></a>If the site you&#8217;re accessing looks really polished, has a positive Wikipedia page, but won&#8217;t give you anything more than a trailer without handing over your full identity and credit card details, this is probably a legal platform.</p>
<p>Since they have to license movies from Hollywood and other filmmakers, sites like these cost a lot of money to run. As a result, they want your money to pay the bills and they like to make sure you can pay up front.</p>
<p>When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. No money, no access &#8211; capiche?</p>
<p><strong>Does the site look polished but doesn&#8217;t ask for a dime?</strong></p>
<p>If the site you&#8217;re looking at seems like the one mentioned above but doesn&#8217;t seem to care who you are, this is starting to look like a pirate site. If it then offers up thousands of movies and TV shows without accessing your wallet or dental records, you&#8217;re definitely on the high seas.</p>
<p>While this position is pleasurable for people with a penchant for piracy, there are plenty of points to ponder.</p>
<p><strong>Is the site already starting to get on your nerves a bit?</strong></p>
<p>You&#8217;re browsing a site, looking at all the beautiful movies and TV shows on offer, then one takes your fancy. You click it with both anticipation and excitement but instead of the video appearing, a new tab or popup appears in your browser.</p>
<p><a href="media/9b1368fa.hot-girls.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/hot-girls.jpg"><img src="media/722314fd.hot-girls.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hot-girls.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="219" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150573"></a>If this unexpected visitor offers a penis extension, a night out with a girl in your area, or a get-rich-quick scheme you feel you need but don&#8217;t understand, this is probably a pirate site. </p>
<p>These stupid offers are the price you pay for <em>not</em> paying. This is how it works.</p>
<p>While movies and TV shows cost money to create and require financial support from the consumer, pirate sites use various techniques to obtain that content for free. Then, with a wave of a magic wand, they cover the costs of delivering it to pirates using advertising.</p>
<p>However, due to pressures put on them by the content industries, pirate sites generally have to serve up poor quality ads. Crappy ads everywhere = almost definitely a pirate site.</p>
<p><strong>The movie site i&#8217;m using is really confusing, is it legal?</strong></p>
<p>After obtaining your banking details, mother&#8217;s maiden name, and blood type, legal sites are generally very straightforward. Pleasurably content and feature-rich, services like Netflix and Spotify are simplicity itself to use. Their interfaces are clean, tidy, and don&#8217;t do anything unexpected. These are just some of the key features you get in return for handing over your money to a legal service.</p>
<p><img src="media/c4b14b58.scam-1.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/scam-1.png" width="232" height="171" class="alignright size-large">On the other hand, however, if you&#8217;re on a site that has six different download buttons and none of them seem to actually download anything, this is probably a pirate site, and a low grade one at that.</p>
<p>Back away quickly, regroup, and never go back &#8211; unless you have an ad-blocker turned all the way up to 11, of course.</p>
<p><strong>Wow! This site has all the latest movies! Is it legal?</strong></p>
<p><a href="media/23be6eda.cinema.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cinema.jpg"><img src="media/72ea8c10.cinema.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cinema.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="143" class="alignright size-full wp-image-40568"></a>Some of Hollywood&#8217;s greatest assets are its just-released movies. It holds these tightly, like a protective mother, restricting viewing only to those who pay large amounts of money for the privilege.</p>
<p>As a general rule, if you&#8217;re watching them for free on the Internet, chances are it&#8217;s not only unauthorized but probably illegal too. That being said, most people don&#8217;t give a damn due to all the excitement, free content, and tiny chances of being caught.</p>
<p><em>Note: If a movie came out today, last week, or even last month, and you&#8217;ve spent a large sum of money to watch it alongside hundreds of noisy others in a big room while eating over-priced taste-free snacks, CONGRATULATIONS! You&#8217;ve found the only way to watch the latest movies legally.</em></p>
<p><strong>I really love this site, it has everything I want in one place. Is that legal?</strong></p>
<p><a href="media/6d84baf2.stopstop.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/stopstop.jpg"><img src="media/a48beb7d.stopstop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stopstop.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="120" class="alignright size-full wp-image-81719"></a>STOP. This is definitely an illegal site. While it is the movie and TV industries&#8217; job to entertain the masses, it also has a side mission to ensure that you will never &#8211; EVER &#8211; find all the content you want in one place. </p>
<p>Remember: to stay legal and have access to the broadest range of video content, you need to subscribe to several official services while handing over handfuls of cash every month.</p>
<p>If you find that after parting with large sums of cash you still can&#8217;t find all the content you want, then you can be sure you&#8217;re doing this by the book and entirely legally. Only people using pirate services find all the stuff they need in one or two places.</p>
<p><strong>A service is offering me every TV channel for £10/$10/€10 per month. Legal?</strong></p>
<p><a href="media/63ecee09.laughing-ray.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/laughing-ray.jpg"><img src="media/1265a397.laughing-ray.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/laughing-ray.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="165" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-150578" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/laughing-ray.jpg 220w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/laughing-ray-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px"></a>If your local TV cable or satellite provider demands a pile of cash an inch thick to access every channel they have for a month, please be informed they have worked very hard to achieve that monopoly position.</p>
<p>There is no way on planet earth that another legal supplier will be able to undercut them by 90%. Yes, that includes fully-loaded Fire TV Sticks bought off Pete down the pub.</p>
<p>As a rule of thumb, if you&#8217;re delighted with the &#8216;special&#8217; TV service you bought off Facebook yet still have enough money to take the family out for a meal at a half decent restaurant, alarm bells should be ringing.</p>
<p>Legal buyers can generally afford to gorge on either TV or food. If you&#8217;re full to bursting due to excessive consumption of both, you&#8217;re either using a pirate service or have enough money not to need one.</p>
<p><em>These tips are not exhaustive &#8211; feel free to add your own in the comments</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xq59_OXLV_Y:h7yZ0fP1iCQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xq59_OXLV_Y:h7yZ0fP1iCQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=xq59_OXLV_Y:h7yZ0fP1iCQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/xq59_OXLV_Y" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=149911
title: Piracy Can Help Music Sales of Many Artists, Research Shows
uri: Piracy-Can-Help-Music-Sales-of-Many-Artists-Research-Shows
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/pmI6tDQ9ZWY/
content:
<p><img src="media/a585da8e.piratemusiccasset.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratemusiccasset.png" alt="" width="234" height="152" class="alignright size-full wp-image-135510">The debate over whether online piracy helps or hurts music sales has been dragging on for several decades now. </p>
<p>The issue has been researched extensively with both positive and negative effects being reported, often varying based on the type of artist, music genre and media, among other variables.</p>
<p>One of the more extensive studies was published this month in the peer-reviewed Information Economics and Policy journal, by Queen’s University economics researcher <a href="http://www.econ.queensu.ca/students/leejf">Jonathan Lee</a>. </p>
<p>In a <a href="media/8fa8b870.qed_wp_1354.pdf" data-original-source="http://qed.econ.queensu.ca/working_papers/papers/qed_wp_1354.pdf">paper titled</a> &#8216;Purchase, pirate, publicize: Private-network music sharing and market album sales&#8217; he examined the effect of BitTorrent-based piracy on both digital and physical music sales.</p>
<p>We covered an earlier version of the study two years ago when it was still a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-can-boost-digital-music-sales-research-shows-160121/">work in progress</a>. With updates to the research methods and a data sample, the results are now more clear. </p>
<p>The file-sharing data was obtained from an unnamed private BitTorrent tracker and covers a data set of 250,000 albums and more than five million downloads. These were matched to US sales data for thousands of albums provided by Nielsen SoundScan. </p>
<p>By refining the estimation approach and updating the matching technique, the final version of the paper shows some interesting results. </p>
<p>Based on the torrent tracker data, Lee finds that piracy can boost sales of mid-tier artists, both for physical CDs and digital downloads. For the most popular artists, this effect is reversed. In both cases, the impact is the largest for digital sales.</p>
<p>&#8220;I now find that top artists are harmed and mid-tier artists may be helped in both markets, but that these effects are larger for digital sales,&#8221; Lee tells TorrentFreak. &#8220;This is consistent with the idea that people are more willing to switch between digital piracy and digital sales than between digital piracy and physical CDs.&#8221; </p>
<p>The findings lead to the conclusion that there is no ideal &#8216;one-size-fits-all&#8217; response to piracy. In fact, some unauthorized sharing may be a good thing. </p>
<p>This is in line with observations from musicians themselves over the past years. Several top artists have admitted the positive effects of piracy, including Ed Sheeran, who recently said that he owes his career to it. </p>
<p>“I know that’s a bad thing to say, because I’m part of a music industry that doesn’t like illegal file sharing,” Sheeran said in an <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ed-sheeran-reinventing-pop-music/">interview with CBS</a>. &#8220;Illegal file sharing was what made me. It was students in England going to university, sharing my songs with each other.”</p>
<p><center><strong>Sheeran sharing on TPB</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/05b981cf.sheerantpb.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sheerantpb.png" alt="" width="600" height="279" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150146"></center></p>
<p>Today, Sheeran is in a totally different position of course. As one of the top artists, he would now be hurt by piracy. However, the new stars of tomorrow may still reap the benefits.</p>
<p>According to the researcher, the music industry should realize that shutting down pirate sites may not always be the best option. On the contrary, file-sharing sites may be useful as promotional platforms in some cases.  </p>
<p>&#8220;Following above, a policy of total shutdown of private file sharing networks seems excessively costly (compared with their relatively small impact on sales) and unwise (as a one-size-fits-all policy). It would be better to make legal consumption more convenient, reducing the demand for piracy as an alternative to purchasing,&#8221; Lee tells us. </p>
<p>&#8220;It would also be smart to experiment with releasing music onto piracy networks themselves, especially for up-and-coming artists, similar to the free promotion afforded by commercial radio.&#8221; </p>
<p>The researcher makes another interesting extrapolation from the findings. In recent years, some labels and artists have signed exclusive deals with some streaming platforms. This means that content is not available everywhere, and this fragmentation may make piracy look more appealing.</p>
<p>&#8220;Here you can view piracy as a non-fragmented alternative platform to Spotify et al. Thus consumers will have a strong incentive to use a single non-fragmented platform (piracy) over having multiple subscriptions to fragmented platforms,&#8221; Lee says. </p>
<p>It would be better for the labels to publish their music on all platforms, and to make these more appealing and convenient than the pirate alternative. </p>
<p>The data used for the research was collected several years ago before the big streaming boom, so it might be that the results are different today. However, it is clear that the effect of piracy on sales is not as uniform as the music industry often portrays it. </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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=pmI6tDQ9ZWY:mpJrMxuJsK8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=pmI6tDQ9ZWY:mpJrMxuJsK8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=pmI6tDQ9ZWY:mpJrMxuJsK8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/pmI6tDQ9ZWY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150621
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 01/29/18
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-01-29-18
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/9xiT0elPn5E/
content:
<p><img src="media/cc49cb00.thorrag.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/thorrag.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="178" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150623" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/thorrag.jpg 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/thorrag-220x130.jpg 220w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px">This week we have three newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Thor Ragnarok is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<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-pirated-movies-week-bittorrent-012218/">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>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">Thor Ragnarok</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue80QwXMRHg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/">The Shape of Water</a> (DVDScr)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lFbcsmrWTg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2283362/">Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle </a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2283362/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QKg5SZ_35I">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5519340/">Bright</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5519340/">6.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EZCBSsBxko">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/">Blade Runner 2049 </a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/">8.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCcx85zbxz4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402236/">Murder on the Orient Express</a> (Subbed HDrip) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402236/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq4m3yAoW8E">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1389072/">Downsizing</a> (Subbed HDrip) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1389072/">5.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCrBICYM0yM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1981128/">Geostorm</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1981128/">5.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuOlYPSEzSc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974015/">Justice League</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974015/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-DM9uBtVI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307/">Coco</a> (DVDscr)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307/">8.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga6RYejo6Hk">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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=9xiT0elPn5E:Uk7_6KUdYCY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=9xiT0elPn5E:Uk7_6KUdYCY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=9xiT0elPn5E:Uk7_6KUdYCY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/9xiT0elPn5E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150474
title: Researchers Use a Blockchain to Boost Anonymous Torrent Sharing
uri: Researchers-Use-a-Blockchain-to-Boost-Anonymous-Torrent-Sharing
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/BNAInHpIvUk/
content:
<p><img src="media/008a5f66.tribler18.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tribler18.png" alt="" width="350" height="139" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150544">The Tribler client has been around for over a decade. We first covered it <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tribler-a-socialbased-bittorrent-powered-p2p-network/">in 2006</a> and since then it’s developed into a truly decentralized BitTorrent client.</p>
<p>Even if all torrent sites were shut down today, <a href="https://www.tribler.org/">Tribler</a> users would still be able to find and add new content.</p>
<p>The project is not run by regular software developers but by a team of quality researchers at Delft University of Technology. There are currently more than <a href="https://github.com/Tribler/tribler/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3A%22MSc+course+work%22">45 masters students</a>, <a href="https://github.com/Tribler/tribler/wiki#current-items-under-active-development">various</a> thesis students, five dedicated scientific developers, and several professors involved.</p>
<p>Simply put, Triber aims to make the torrent ecosystem truly <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-anonymous-and-impossible-to-shut-down-141218/">decentralized and anonymous</a>. A social network of peers that can survive even if all torrent sites ceased to exist.</p>
<p>&#8220;Search and download torrents with less worries or censorship,&#8221; Triber&#8217;s tagline reads.</p>
<p>Like many other BitTorrent clients, Tribler has a search box at the top of the application. However, the search results that appear when users type in a keyword don’t come from a central index. Instead, they come directly from other peers.</p>
<p><center><strong>Thriber&#8217;s search results</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/1034b055.tribtpbafk-e1516970274970.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tribtpbafk-e1516970274970.png" alt="" width="600" height="304" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150583"></center></p>
<p>With the latest release, Tribler 7.0, the project adds another element to the mix, it&#8217;s very own blockchain. This blockchain keeps track of how much people are sharing and rewards them accordingly. </p>
<p>&#8220;Tribler is a torrent client for social people, who help each other. You can now earn tokens by helping others. It is specifically designed to prevent freeriding and detect hit-and-run peers.&#8221; Tribler leader Dr. Johan Pouwelse tells TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;You help other Tribler users by seeding and by enhancing their privacy. In return, you get faster downloads, as your tokens show you contribute to the community.&#8221;</p>
<p>Pouwelse, who aims to transform BitTorrent into an ethical Darknet, just presented the latest release at <a href="https://cyber.stanford.edu/bpase18">Stanford University</a>. In addition, the Internet Engineering Task Force is also considering the blockchain implementation as an <a href="https://tools.ietf.org/id/draft-pouwelse-trustchain-00.html">official Internet standard</a>. </p>
<p>This recognition from academics and technology experts is welcome, of course, but Triber&#8217;s true power comes from the users. The client has gathered a decent userbase of the years but there sure is plenty room for improvement on this front. </p>
<p>The anonymity aspect is perhaps one of the biggest selling points and Pouwelse believes that this will greatly benefit from the blockchain implementation. </p>
<p>Triber provides users with pseudo anonymity by routing the transfers through other users. However, this means that the amount of bandwith used by the application inceases as well. Thus far, this hasn&#8217;t worked very well, which resulted in slow anonymous downloads.</p>
<p>&#8220;With the integrated blockchain release today we think we can start fixing the problem of both underseeded swarms and fast proxies,&#8221; Dr. Pouwelse says. </p>
<p>&#8220;Our solution is basically very simple, only social people get decent performance on Tribler. This means in a few years we will end up with only users that act nice. Others leave.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>Tribler&#8217;s trust stats</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/a27ee679.triblertrust.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/triblertrust.png" alt="" width="600" height="460" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150581"></center></p>
<p>Tribler provides users with quite a bit of flexibility on the anonymity site. The feature can be turned off completely, or people can choose a protection layer ranging from one to four hops. </p>
<p>What&#8217;s also important to note is that users don&#8217;t operate as exit nodes by default. The IP-addresses of the exit nodes are public ouitside the network and can be monitored, so that would only increase liability.</p>
<p>So who are the exit-nodes in this process then? According to Pouwelse&#8217;s rather colorful description, these appear to be volunteers that run their code through a VPN a or a VPS server.</p>
<p>&#8220;The past years we have created an army of bots we call &#8216;Self-replicating Autonomous Entities&#8217;. These are Terminator-style self-replicating pieces of code which have their own Bitcoin wallet to go out there and buy servers to run more copies of themselves,&#8221; he explains. </p>
<p>&#8220;They utilize very primitive genetic evolution to improve survival, buy a VPN for protection, earn credits using our <a href="https://github.com/Tribler/tribler/releases/tag/v7.1.0-mining-preview">experimental credit mining preview release</a>, and sell our bandwidth tokens on our integrated decentral market for cold hard Bitcoin cash to renew the cycle of life for the next month billing cycle of their VPS provider.&#8221;</p>
<p>Some might question why there&#8217;s such a massive research project dedicated to building an anonymous BitTorrent network. What are the benefits to society? </p>
<p>The answer is clear, according to Pouwelse. The ethical darknet they envision will be a unique micro-economy where sharing is rewarded, without having to expose one&#8217;s identity.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are building the Internet of Trust. The Internet can do amazing things, it even created honesty among drugs dealers,&#8221; he says, referring to the infamous Silk Road.</p>
<p>&#8220;Reliability rating of drugs lords gets you life imprisonment. That&#8217;s not something we want. We are creating our own trustworthy micro-economy for bandwidth tokens and real Bitcoins,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>People who are interested in taking Tribler for a spin can download the latest version <a href="https://www.tribler.org/">from the official website</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=BNAInHpIvUk:_-1JPreApK4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=BNAInHpIvUk:_-1JPreApK4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=BNAInHpIvUk:_-1JPreApK4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/BNAInHpIvUk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150634
title: Udemy Targets ‘Pirate’ Site Giving Away its Paid Courses For Free
uri: Udemy-Targets-Pirate-Site-Giving-Away-its-Paid-Courses-For-Free
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/PnRfaORtbR8/
content:
<p><a href="media/b6b7458f.udemy-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/udemy-logo.jpg"><img src="media/44b354fd.udemy-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/udemy-logo.jpg" alt="" width="284" height="132" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150635"></a>While there&#8217;s no shortage of people who advocate free sharing of movies and music, passions are often raised when it comes to the availability of educational information.</p>
<p>Significant numbers of people believe that learning should be open to all and that texts and associated materials shouldn&#8217;t be locked away by copyright holders trying to monetize knowledge. Of course, people who make a living creating learning materials see the position rather differently.</p>
<p>A clash of these ideals is brewing in the United States where online learning platform <a href="https://www.udemy.com">Udemy</a> has been trying to have some of its courses taken down from <a href="https://www.freetutorials.us/">FreeTutorials.us</a>, a site that makes available premium tutorials and other learning materials for free.</p>
<p>Early December 2017, counsel acting for Udemy and a number of its individual and corporate instructors (<a href="https://www.udemy.com/user/maximilian-schwarzmuller/">Maximilian Schwarzmüller</a>, <a href="https://www.udemy.com/user/academind/">Academind GmbH</a>, <a href="https://www.udemy.com/user/peterdalmaris/">Peter Dalmaris</a>, Futureshock Enterprises, <a href="https://www.udemy.com/user/joseporitlla/">Jose Marcial Portilla</a>, and <a href="https://www.udemy.com/user/pierian-data-international/">Pierian Data</a>) wrote to FreeTutorials.us with DMCA takedown notice.</p>
<p>&#8220;Pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3)(A) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (&#8216;DMCA&#8217;), this communication serves as a notice of infringement and request for removal of certain web content available on freetutorials.us,&#8221; the letter reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;I hereby request that you remove or disable access to the material listed in Exhibit A in as expedient a fashion as possible. This communication does not constitute a waiver of any right to recover damages incurred by virtue of any such unauthorized activities, and such rights as well as claims for other relief are expressly retained.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>A small sample of Exhibit A</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/0650f1f6.udemy-exhibitA.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/udemy-exhibitA.png"><img src="media/a0f9b74c.udemy-exhibitA.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/udemy-exhibitA.png" alt="" width="600" height="677" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150636"></a></center></p>
<p>On January 10, 2018, the same law firm wrote to Cloudflare, which provides services to FreeTutorials. The DMCA notice asked Cloudflare to disable access to the same set of infringing content listed above.</p>
<p>It seems likely that whatever happened next wasn&#8217;t to Udemy&#8217;s satisfaction. On January 16, an attorney from the same law firm filed a DMCA subpoena at a district court in California. A DMCA subpoena can enable a copyright holder to obtain the identity of an alleged infringer without having to file a lawsuit and without needing a signature from a judge.</p>
<p>The subpoena was directed at Cloudflare, which provides services to FreeTutorials. The company was ordered to hand over <em>&#8220;all identifying information identifying the owner, operator and/or contact person(s) associated with the domain www.freetutorials.us, including but not limited to name(s), address(es), telephone number(s), email address(es), Internet protocol connection records, administrative records and billing records from the time the account was established to the present.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>On January 26, the date by which Cloudflare was ordered to hand over the information, Cloudflare wrote to FreeTutorials with a somewhat late-in-the-day notification.</p>
<p>&#8220;We received the attached subpoena regarding freetutorials.us, a domain managed through your Cloudflare account. The subpoena requires us to provide information in our systems related to this website,&#8221; the company wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have determined that this is a valid subpoena, and we are required to provide the requested information. In accordance with our Privacy Policy, we are informing you before we provide any of the requested subscriber information. We plan to turn over documents in response to the subpoena on January 26th, 2018, unless you intervene in the case.&#8221;</p>
<p>With that deadline passing last Friday, it&#8217;s safe to say that Cloudflare has complied with the subpoena as the law requires. However, TorrentFreak spoke with FreeTutorials who told us that the company doesn&#8217;t hold anything useful on them.</p>
<p>&#8220;No, they have nothing,&#8221; the team explained.</p>
<p>Noting that they&#8217;ll soon dispense with the services of Cloudflare, the team confirmed that they had received emails from Udemy and its instructors but hadn&#8217;t done a lot in response.</p>
<p>&#8220;How about a &#8216;NO&#8217;? was our answer to all the DMCA takedown requests from Udemy and its Instructors,&#8221; they added.</p>
<p>FreeTutorials (FTU) are affiliated with <a href="https://www.freecoursesonline.us/">FreeCoursesOnline</a> (FCO) and seem passionate about what they do. In common with others who distribute learning materials online, they express a belief in free education for all, irrespective of financial resources.</p>
<p>&#8220;We, FTU and FCO, are a group of seven members assorted as a team from different countries and cities. We are JN, SRZ aka SunRiseZone, Letap, Lihua Google Drive, Kaya, Zinnia, Faiz MeemBazooka,&#8221; a spokesperson revealed.</p>
<p>&#8220;We’re all members and colleagues and we also have our own daily work and business stuff to do. We have been through that phase of life when we didn’t have enough money to buy books and get tuition or even apply for a good course that we always wanted to have, so FTU &#038; FCO are just our vision to provide Free Education For Everyone.</p>
<p>&#8220;We would love to change our priorities towards our current and future projects, only if we manage to get some faithful FTU’ers to join in and help us to grow together and make FTU a place it should be.&#8221;</p>
<p>TorrentFreak requested comment from Udemy but at the time of publication, we were yet to hear back. However, we did manage to get in touch with Jonathan Levi, an Udemy instructor who sent this takedown notice to the site in October 2017:</p>
<p>&#8220;I’m writing to you on behalf of SuperHuman Enterprises, LLC. You are in violation of our copyright, using our images, and linking to pirated copies of our courses. Remove them IMMEDIATELY or face severe legal action&#8230;.You have 48 hours to comply,&#8221; he wrote, adding:</p>
<p>&#8220;And in case you’re going to say I don’t have evidence that I own the files, it’s my fucking face in the videos.&#8221;</p>
<p>Levi says that the site had been non-responsive so now things are being taken to the next level.</p>
<p>&#8220;They don’t reply to takedowns, so we’ve joined a class action lawsuit against FTU lead by Udemy and a law firm specializing in this type of thing,&#8221; Levi concludes.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=PnRfaORtbR8:PQtwYiw4vWY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=PnRfaORtbR8:PQtwYiw4vWY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=PnRfaORtbR8:PQtwYiw4vWY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/PnRfaORtbR8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150651
title: New Anti-Piracy Coalition Calls For Canadian Website Blocking
uri: New-Anti-Piracy-Coalition-Calls-For-Canadian-Website-Blocking
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/8y-mx1fxnMA/
content:
<p><img src="media/af081baa.canada-pirate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/canada-pirate.png" alt="" width="225" height="113" class="alignright size-full wp-image-83641">In recent years pirate sites have been blocked around the world, from Europe, through Asia, and even Down Under.</p>
<p>While many of the large corporations backing these blockades have their roots in North America, blocking efforts have been noticeably absent there. This should change, according to a new anti-piracy coalition that was launched in Canada this week.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.fairplaycanada.com/">Fairplay Canada</a>, which consists of a broad range of organizations with ties to the entertainment industry, calls on the local telecom regulator CRTC to institute a national website blocking program. </p>
<p>The coalition&#8217;s <a href="https://www.fairplaycanada.com/about-us/">members</a> include Bell, Cineplex, Directors Guild of Canada, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Movie Theatre Association of Canada, and Rogers Media, which all share the goal of addressing the country&#8217;s rampant piracy problem.</p>
<p>The Canadian blocklist should be maintained by a yet to be established non-profit organization called “Independent Piracy Review Agency” (IPRA) and both IPRA and the CRTC would be overseen by the Federal Court of Appeal, the organizations propose.</p>
<p>“What we are proposing has been effective in countries like the UK, France, and Australia,” says Dr. Shan Chandrasekar, President and CEO of Asian Television Network International Limited (ATN), who is filing Fairplay Canada&#8217;s application.</p>
<p>“We are ardent supporters of this incredible coalition that has been formed to propose a new tool to empower the CRTC to address online piracy in Canada. We have great faith in Canadian regulators to modernize the tools available to help creators protect the content they make for Canadians’ enjoyment.”</p>
<p>The proposal is unique in the sense that it&#8217;s the first of its kind in North America and also has support from major players in the Telco industry. Since most large ISPs also have ties to media companies of their own, the latter is less surprising as it may seem at first glance.</p>
<p>Bell, for example, is not only the largest Internet provider in Canada but also owns the television broadcasting and production company Bell Media, which applauds the new plan. </p>
<p>&#8220;Bell is pleased to work with our partners across the industry and the CRTC on this important step in ensuring the long-term viability of the Canadian creative sector,” says Randy Lennox, President of Bell Media.</p>
<p>&#8220;Digital rights holders need up-to-date tools to combat piracy where it’s happening, on the Internet, and the process proposed by the coalition will provide just that, fairly, openly and effectively,&#8221; he adds. </p>
<p>Thus far the Government&#8217;s response to the plan has been rather reserved. When an early version of the plans leaked last month, Canadaland quoted a spokesperson who said that the Government is committed to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isps-and-movie-industry-prepare-canadian-pirate-site-blocking-deal-171205/">opening doors instead of building walls</a>. </p>
<p>Digital rights group <a href="https://openmedia.org/">OpenMedia </a> goes a step further and brands the proposal a censorship plan which will violate net neutrality and limit people&#8217;s right to freedom of expression.</p>
<p>“Everybody agrees that content creators deserved to be paid for their work. But the proposal from this censorship coalition goes too far,” Executive Director Laura Tribe says. </p>
<p>“FairPlay Canada’s proposal is like using a machine gun to kill a mosquito. It will undoubtedly lead to legitimate content and speech being censored online violating our right to free expression and the principles of net neutrality, which the federal government has consistently pledged support for.”</p>
<p>While CTRC is reviewing FairPlay Canada’s plans, OpenMedia has launched <a href="https://act.openmedia.org/stopbellcensorship">a petition</a> to stop the effort in its tracks, which has been signed by more than 45,000 Canadians to date. </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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=8y-mx1fxnMA:sLUzYZI3JW4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=8y-mx1fxnMA:sLUzYZI3JW4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=8y-mx1fxnMA:sLUzYZI3JW4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/8y-mx1fxnMA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150688
title: T-Mobile Blocks Pirate Sites Then Reports Itself For Possible Net Neutrality Violation
uri: T-Mobile-Blocks-Pirate-Sites-Then-Reports-Itself-For-Possible-Net-Neut
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/j2eOk7vj_Q4/
content:
<p><a href="media/9e7ca7a1.netneutrality.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/netneutrality.png"><img src="media/ff71e480.netneutrality.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netneutrality.png" alt="" width="250" height="151" class="alignright size-full wp-image-126933"></a>For the past eight years, Austria has been struggling with the thorny issue of pirate site blocking. Local ISPs have put up quite a fight but site blocking is now a reality, albeit with a certain amount of confusion.</p>
<p>After a dizzying route through the legal system, last November the Supreme Court <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-1337x-must-be-blocked-austrian-supreme-court-rules-171014/">finally ruled</a> that The Pirate Bay and other “structurally-infringing” sites including 1337x.to and isohunt.to can be blocked, if rightsholders have exhausted all other options.</p>
<p>The Court based its decision on the now-familiar <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/selling-piracy-configured-media-players-is-illegal-eu-court-rules-170426/">BREIN v Filmspeler</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/block-the-pirate-bay-within-10-days-dutch-court-tells-isps-170922/">BREIN v Ziggo and XS4All</a> cases that received European Court of Justice rulings last year. However, there is now an additional complication, this time on the net neutrality front.</p>
<p>After being passed in October 2015 and coming into force in April 2016, the Telecom Single Market (<a href="http://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2015/2120/oj">TSM</a>) Regulation established the principle of non-discriminatory traffic management in the EU. The regulation still allows for the blocking of copyright-infringing websites but only where supported by a clear administrative or judicial decision. This is where T-Mobile sees a problem.</p>
<p>In addition to blocking sites named specifically by the court, copyright holders also expect the ISP to block related platforms, such as clones and mirrors, that aren&#8217;t specified in the same manner.</p>
<p>So, last week, after blocking several obscure Pirate Bay clones such as proxydl.cf, the ISP reported itself to the Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (RTR) for a potential net neutrality breach.</p>
<p>&#8220;It sounds paradoxical, but this should finally bring legal certainty in a long-standing dispute over pirate sites. T-Mobile Austria has filed with regulatory authority RTR a kind of self-report, after blocking several sites on the basis of a warning by rights holders,&#8221; T-Mobile said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;The background to the communication to the RTR, through which T-Mobile intends to obtain an assessment by the regulator, is a very unsatisfactory legal situation in which operators have no opportunity to behave in conformity with the law.</p>
<p>&#8220;The service provider is forced upon notification by the copyright owner to even judge about possible copyright infringements. At the same time, the provider is violating the principle of net neutrality by setting up a ban.&#8221;</p>
<p>T-Mobile says the problem is complicated by rightsholders who, after obtaining a blocking order forcing named ISPs to block named pirate sites (as required under EU law), send similar demands to other ISPs that were not party to court proceedings. The rightsholders also send blocking demands when blocked sites disappear and reappear under a new name, despite those new names not being part of the original order.</p>
<p>According to industry body Internet Service Providers Austria (ISPA), there is a real need for clarification. It&#8217;s hoped that T-Mobile reporting itself for a potential net neutrality breach will have the desired effect.</p>
<p>&#8220;For more than two years, we have been trying to find a solution with the involved interest groups and the responsible ministry, which on the one hand protects the rights of the artists and on the other hand does not force the providers into the role of a judge,&#8221; complains Maximilian Schubert, Secretary General of the ISPA.</p>
<p>&#8220;The willingness of the rights holders to compromise had remained within manageable limits. Now they are massively increasing the pressure and demanding costly measures, which the service providers see as punishment for them providing legal security for their customers for many years.&#8221;</p>
<p>ISPA hopes that the telecoms regulator will now help to clear up this uncertainty.</p>
<p>&#8220;We now hope that the regulator will give a clear answer here. Because from our point of view, the assessment of legality cannot and should not be outsourced to companies,&#8221; Schubert concludes.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=j2eOk7vj_Q4:uNdBdO_8crg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=j2eOk7vj_Q4:uNdBdO_8crg:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=j2eOk7vj_Q4:uNdBdO_8crg:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/j2eOk7vj_Q4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150706
title: Huge Rightsholder Coalition Calls on New EU Presidency to Remove Safe Harbors
uri: Huge-Rightsholder-Coalition-Calls-on-New-EU-Presidency-to-Remove-Safe
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/1IRJ0SySpnQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/6542fb40.eu-copyright.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/eu-copyright.jpg"><img src="media/19bd259d.eu-copyright.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/eu-copyright.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-136985"></a>While piracy of all kinds is often viewed as a threat to the creative industries, a new type of unauthorized content distribution has been gaining prominence over the past few years.</p>
<p>Sites like YouTube, that allow their users to upload all kinds of material &#8211; some of it infringing &#8211; are now seen as undermining a broad range of industries that rely on both video and audio to generate revenue.</p>
<p>The cries against such User Uploaded Content (UUC) sites are often led by the music industry, which complains that the safe harbor provisions of copyright law are being abused while UUC sites generate review from infringing content. In tandem, while that free content is made available, UUC sites have little or no incentive to pay for official content licenses, and certainly not at a rate considered fair by the industry.</p>
<p>This mismatch, between the price that content industries would like to achieve for licenses and what they actually achieve, is now known as the &#8216;Value Gap&#8217;.</p>
<p>Today, in advance of an EU meeting on the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-proposes-mandatory-piracy-filters-for-online-services-160914/">draft Copyright Directive</a>, a huge coalition of rightsholder groups is calling on the new EU Presidency not to pass up an &#8220;unmissable opportunity&#8221; to find a solution to their problems.</p>
<p>In a letter addressed to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which Bulgaria officially took over January 1, 2018, an army of rightsholders lay out their demands.</p>
<p>&#8220;We represent musical, audio-visual, literary, visual authors; performers; book, press, musical, scientific, technical and medical publishers; recorded music, film and TV producers; football leagues; broadcasters; distributors and photo agencies. These are at the very heart of Europe’s creative sector,&#8221; the groups write.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have formed an alliance to campaign for a solution to a major problem which is holding back our sector and jeopardizing future sustainability &#8211; the Transfer of Value, otherwise known as the Value Gap.</p>
<p>&#8220;User uploaded content services have become vast distributors of our creative works e.g. film, music, photos, broadcasts, text and sport content &#8211; all while refusing to negotiate fair or any copyright licences with us as right holders.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>Value Gap Coalition</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/7cbd6f9b.value-gap-coalition.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/value-gap-coalition.png"><img src="media/65295eb4.value-gap-coalition.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/value-gap-coalition.png" alt="" width="612" height="773" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150714"></a></center></p>
<p>Featuring groups representing many thousands of rightsholders, the coalition is the broadest yet to call for action against the &#8216;Value Gap&#8217;. Or, to put it another way, to demand a change in the law to prevent sites like YouTube, Facebook and other hosting platforms from &#8220;hiding&#8221; behind provisions designed to protect them from the infringing activities of others.</p>
<p>&#8220;This problem is caused by a lack of clarity surrounding the application of copyright to certain online services and the abuse of European copyright ‘safe harbor’ rules in the e-Commerce Directive (2000/31/EC) by those services,&#8221; the coalition writes.</p>
<p>Referencing the EU Copyright Directive proposal tabled by the European Commission in September 2016, the coalition says that UUC services communicating content to the public should be compelled to obtain licenses for that content. If they play an &#8220;active role&#8221; through promotion or optimization of content, UUC platforms should be denied &#8216;safe harbors&#8217; under copyright law, they argue.</p>
<p>Noting that there is &#8220;no solution&#8221; to the problem without the above fixes, the coalition cites last year&#8217;s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-facilitates-piracy-and-can-be-blocked-top-eu-court-rules-170614/">ruling</a> by the Court of Justice of the European Union which found that The Pirate Bay knowingly provide users with a platform to share copyright-infringing links.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is important to recall that the underlying policy objective of this legislation is to address the current unfairness in the online market due to the misapplication of copyright liability rules by UUC services. We would therefore like to stress that the focus should remain on finding effective solutions to tackle this issue.</p>
<p>&#8220;As an alliance, we look forward to working with your Presidency to achieve an effective solution to the Value Gap problem for the benefit of Europe,&#8221; the coalition concludes.</p>
<p>The letter, addressed to Prime Minister Borissov, Minister Pavlova and Minister Banov, arrives in the wake of an alert sounded by several Members of the European Parliament.</p>
<p>Earlier this month they warned that the EU&#8217;s proposed <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-proposes-mandatory-piracy-filters-for-online-services-160914/">mandatory upload filters</a> &#8211; which could see UUC sites pre-screen user-uploaded content for infringement &#8211; amount to &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/planned-piracy-upload-filters-are-censorship-machines-meps-warn-180122/">censorship machines</a>&#8221; that will do more harm than good.</p>
<p>The full letter can be found here <em>(<a href="media/a4f380a7.Calls-Value-Gap-January-2018.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Calls-Value-Gap-January-2018.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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=1IRJ0SySpnQ:quCYhkz3jtA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=1IRJ0SySpnQ:quCYhkz3jtA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=1IRJ0SySpnQ:quCYhkz3jtA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/1IRJ0SySpnQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150702
title: Court Orders Tickbox to Keep Pirate Streaming Addons Out
uri: Court-Orders-Tickbox-to-Keep-Pirate-Streaming-Addons-Out
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qBh67T9C6Cs/
content:
<p><img src="media/d10d8b10.tickbox.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tickbox.png" alt="" width="250" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-145879">Kodi-powered set-top boxes are a great way to to stream video content to a TV, but sellers who ship these devices with unauthorized add-ons give them a bad reputation.</p>
<p>According to the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (<a href="http://alliance4creativity.com/">ACE</a>), an anti-piracy partnership comprised of Hollywood studios, Netflix, Amazon, and more than two dozen other companies, <a href="https://www.tickboxtv.com/">Tickbox TV</a> is one of these bad actors.</p>
<p>Last year, ACE <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-giants-sue-kodi-powered-tickbox-tv-over-piracy-171014/">filed a lawsuit</a> against the Georgia-based company, which sells Kodi-powered set-top boxes that stream a variety of popular media. </p>
<p>According to ACE, these devices are nothing more than pirate tools, allowing buyers to stream copyright-infringing content and being advertised as such. The coalition, therefore, asked the court for <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-and-netflix-ask-court-to-seize-tickbox-streaming-devices-171209/">an injunction</a> to prevent Tickbox from facilitating copyright infringement by removing all pirate add-ons from previously sold devices.</p>
<p>This week US District Court Judge Michael Fitzgerald issued a preliminary injunction, which largely sides with the movie companies. According to the Judge, there is sufficient reason to believe that Tickbox can be held liable for inducing copyright infringement. </p>
<p>One of the claims is that Tickbox promoted its service for piracy purposes, and according to the Judge the movie companies provided enough evidence to make this likely. This includes various advertising messages the box seller used.</p>
<p>&#8220;There is ample evidence that, at least prior to Plaintiffs’commencement of this action, TickBox explicitly advertised the Device as a means to accessing unauthorized versions of copyrighted audiovisual content,&#8221; Judge Fitzgerald writes.</p>
<p>In its defense, Tickbox argued that it merely offered a computer which users can then configure to their liking. However, the Judge points out that the company went further, as it actively directed its users to install certain themes (builds) to watch movies, TV and sports.</p>
<p>&#8220;Thus, the fact that the Device is just a &#8216;computer&#8217; that can be used for infringing and noninfringing purposes does not insulate TickBox from liability if [..] the Device is actually used for infringing purposes and TickBox encourages such use.&#8221;</p>
<p>Taking these and several other factors into account, the Court ruled that a preliminary injunction is warranted at this stage. After the lawsuit was filed, Tickbox already voluntarily removed much of the inducing advertisements and addons, and this will remain so.</p>
<p>The preliminary injunction compels TickBox to the current version of the user interface, without easy access to pirate add-ons. The devices should no longer contain links to any of the themes and addons that the movie companies have flagged as copyright infringing.</p>
<p>Tickbox had argued that a broad injunction could shut down its business, but the court counters this. Customers will still be able to use the box for legitimate purposes. If they are no longer interested it suggests that piracy was the main draw.</p>
<p>&#8220;[A]n injunction of this scope will not &#8216;shut down Defendant’s business&#8217; as TickBox contends. In the event that such an injunction does shut TickBox down, that will be indicative not of an unjustifiably burdensome injunction, but of a nonviable business model,&#8221; Judge Fitzgerald writes.</p>
<p>The preliminary injunction is not final yet as there are several questions still unanswered. </p>
<p>It&#8217;s unclear, for example, if and how Tickbox should remove addons from previously sold devices. The Court, therefore, instructs both parties to attempt to reach agreement on these outstanding issues, to include them in an updated injunction.</p>
<p>The above findings are preliminary and apply specifically to the injunction request and the case itself will continue. However, the Court&#8217;s early opinion suggests that Tickbox has plenty of work ahead to prove its innocence.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of the preliminary injunction is available <a href="media/7c1f0dce.tickboxinjunction.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/tickboxinjunction.pdf">here (pdf)</a>, and Judge Fitzgerald&#8217;s findings can be found <a href="media/f5aa7fa8.tickboxinjunctionfull.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/tickboxinjunctionfull.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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=qBh67T9C6Cs:7ShDRKY7eTM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=qBh67T9C6Cs:7ShDRKY7eTM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=qBh67T9C6Cs:7ShDRKY7eTM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/qBh67T9C6Cs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150674
title: Despite Protests, ISP Ordered To Hand Over Pirates’ Details to Police
uri: Despite-Protests-ISP-Ordered-To-Hand-Over-Pirates-Details-to-Polic
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/rYWOZ0x_6sY/
content:
<p><a href="media/1043c1fd.bahnhof.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/bahnhof.png"><img src="media/0439e552.bahnhof.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bahnhof.png" alt="" width="222" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-128056"></a>As large ISPs become more closely aligned with the entertainment industries, the days of providers strongly standing up to blocking and disclosure requests appear to be on the decline. For Swedish ISP Bahnhof, however, customer privacy has become a business model.</p>
<p>In recent years the company has been a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/swedish-isps-obstruct-new-anti-piracy-legislation-090427/">major opponent</a> of data retention requirement, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/isp-provides-free-vpn-to-protect-customer-privacy-141117/">launched</a> a free VPN to protect its users&#8217; privacy, and put on a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/isp-vows-to-prevent-users-from-a-piracy-witch-hunt-160422/">determined front</a> against the threat of copyright trolls.</p>
<p>Back in May 2016, Bahnhof <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bahnhof-police-requests-160521/">reiterated</a> its stance that it doesn&#8217;t hand over the personal details of alleged pirates to anyone, not even the police. This, despite the fact that the greatest number of disclosure requests from the authorities relate to copyright infringement.</p>
<p>Bahnhof insisted that European privacy regulations mean that it only has to hand over information to the police if the complaint relates to a serious crime. But that went against a <a href="https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/2016/05/first-time-isp-reveals-police-demand-subscriber-data-turns-ordinary-file-sharing-investigated-crime/">recommendation</a> from the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS).</p>
<p>Now, however, the battle to protect customer privacy has received a significant setback after the Administrative Court in Stockholm found that Swedish provisions on disclosure of subscription data to law enforcement agencies do not contravene EU law.</p>
<p>&#8220;PTS asked Bahnhof to provide information on subscribers to law enforcement agencies. Bahnhof appealed against the order, claiming that the Swedish rules on disclosure of subscription information are incompatible with EU law,&#8221; the Court said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;In support of its view, Bahnhof referred to two rulings of the European Court of Justice. The Administrative Court has held that it is not possible to state that the Swedish rules on law enforcement agencies&#8217; access to subscription data are incompatible with EU law.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Court also looked at whether Swedish rules on disclosure of subscriber data meet the requirement of proportionality under EU law. In common with many other copyright-related cases, the Court found that law enforcement&#8217;s need to access subscriber data was more important than the individual&#8217;s right to privacy.</p>
<p>&#8220;In light of this, the Administrative Court has made the assessment that PTS&#8217;s decision to impose on Bahnhof a requirement to provide information about subscribers to law enforcement authorities is correct,&#8221; the Court adds.</p>
<p>PTS will now be able to instruct Bahnhof to disclose subscriber information in accordance with the provisions of the <a href="http://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/lag-2003389-om-elektronisk-kommunikation_sfs-2003-389">Electronic Communications Act</a> and the ISP will be required to comply.</p>
<p>But as far as Bahnhof is concerned, the show isn&#8217;t over yet.</p>
<p>&#8220;We believe the sentence is incorrect, but it is also difficult to take PTS seriously when they can not even interpret the laws behind the decision in a consistent manner. We are of course going to appeal,&#8221; the company said in a statement.</p>
<p>To illustrate its point, Bahnhof says that PTS has changed its opinion on the importance of IP addresses in a matter of months. In October 2017, PTS lawyer Staffan Lindmark said he believed that IP addresses are to be regarded as privacy-sensitive data. In January 2018, however, PTS is said to have spoken of the same data in more trivial terms.</p>
<p>&#8220;That a supervisory authority pivots so much in its opinions is remarkable,&#8221; says Jon Karlung, President of the Bahnhof.</p>
<p>&#8220;Bahnhof is not in any way against law enforcement agencies, but we believe that sensitive data should only be released after judicial review and suspected crime.&#8221;</p>
<p>Bahnhof says it will save as little data on its customers as it can and IP addresses will be deleted within 24 hours, a practice that has been in place for <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isp-bombarded-with-82000-demands-to-reveal-alleged-pirates-170513/">some time</a>.</p>
<p>In 2016, 27.5% of all disclosure requests sent to Bahnhof were related to online file-sharing, more than any other crime including grooming minors, harassment, sex crimes, forgery, and fraud.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=rYWOZ0x_6sY:fVXqhuP6ld4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=rYWOZ0x_6sY:fVXqhuP6ld4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=rYWOZ0x_6sY:fVXqhuP6ld4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/rYWOZ0x_6sY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150741
title: Cloudflare is Liable For Pirate Sites & Has No Safe Harbor, Publisher Says
uri: Cloudflare-is-Liable-For-Pirate-Sites-Has-No-Safe-Harbor-Publisher
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/XxOfOBmrfe0/
content:
<p><img src="media/c0cbdaf3.cloudflare-logo-e1497134379554.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cloudflare-logo-e1497134379554.png" alt="" width="250" height="126" class="alignright size-full wp-image-140211">As one of the leading CDN and DDoS protection services, Cloudflare is used by millions of websites across the globe.</p>
<p>This includes thousands of “pirate” sites, including the likes of The Pirate Bay, which rely on the U.S.-based company to keep server loads down.</p>
<p>Many rightsholders have complained about Cloudflare&#8217;s involvement with these sites and last year adult entertainment publisher ALS Scan took it a step further by <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cloudflare-faces-lawsuit-for-assisting-pirate-sites-160823/">dragging the company to court</a>.</p>
<p>ALS accused the CDN service of various types of copyright and trademark infringement, noting that several customers used the Cloudflare&#8217;s servers to distribute pirated content. While Cloudflare managed to have several counts dismissed, the accusation of contributory copyright infringement remains.</p>
<p>An upcoming trial could determine whether Cloudflare is liable or not, but ALS believes that this isn&#8217;t needed. This week, the publisher filed a request for partial summary judgment, asking the court to rule over the matter in advance of a trial.</p>
<p>&#8220;The evidence is undisputed,&#8221; ALS writes. &#8220;Cloudflare materially assists website operators in reproduction, distribution and display of copyrighted works, including infringing copies of ALS works. Cloudflare also masks information about pirate sites and their hosts.&#8221;</p>
<p>ALS anticipates that Cloudflare may argue that the company or its clients are protected by the DMCA&#8217;s safe harbor provision, but contests this claim. The publisher notes that none of the customers registered the required paperwork at the US Copyright Office.</p>
<p>&#8220;Cloudflare may say that the Cloudflare Customer Sites are themselves service providers entitled to DMCA protections, however, none have qualified for safe harbors by submitting the required notices to the US Copyright Office.&#8221;</p>
<p>Cloudflare itself has no safe harbor protection either, they argue, because it operates differently than a service provider as defined in the DMCA. It&#8217;s a &#8220;smart system&#8221; which also modifies content, instead of a &#8220;dumb pipe,&#8221; they claim. </p>
<p>In addition, the CDN provider is accused of failing to implement a reasonable policy that will terminate repeat offenders. </p>
<p>&#8220;Cloudflare has no available safe harbors. Even if any safe harbors apply, Cloudflare has lost such safe harbors for failure to adopt and reasonably implement a policy including termination of repeat infringers,&#8221; ALS writes.</p>
<p>Previously, the court clarified that under U.S. law the company can be held liable for caching content of copyright infringing websites. Cloudflare&#8217;s “infrastructure-level caching” cannot be seen as fair use, it ruled.</p>
<p>ALS now asks the court to issue a partial summary judgment ruling that Cloudflare is liable for contributory copyright infringement. If this motion is granted, a trial would only be needed to establish the damages amount.</p>
<p>The lawsuit is a crucial matter for Cloudflare, and not only because of the potential damages it faces in this case. If Cloudflare loses, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cloudflare-were-not-aiding-and-abetting-piracy-100530/">other rightsholders</a> are likely to make similar demands, forcing the company to actively police potential pirate sites.</p>
<p>Cloudflare will undoubtedly counter ALS&#8217; claims in a future filing, so this case is far from over.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of ALS Scan&#8217;s memorandum in support of the motion for partial summary judgment can be found <a href="media/5db65b7c.cloudsummamotiona.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cloudsummamotiona.pdf">here (pdf)</a>.</em></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=XxOfOBmrfe0:zJKHwgOfCp4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=XxOfOBmrfe0:zJKHwgOfCp4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=XxOfOBmrfe0:zJKHwgOfCp4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/XxOfOBmrfe0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150832
title: Appeals Court Throws Out $25 Million Piracy Verdict Against Cox, Doesn’t Reinstate “Safe Harbor”
uri: Appeals-Court-Throws-Out-25-Million-Piracy-Verdict-Against-Cox-Doesn
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/tRulgs4pv-4/
content:
<p><img src="media/a585da8e.piratemusiccasset.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratemusiccasset.png" alt="" width="234" height="152" class="alignright size-full wp-image-135510">December 2015, a Virginia federal jury ruled that Internet provider Cox Communications was responsible for the copyright infringements of its subscribers.</p>
<p>The ISP was found guilty of willful contributory copyright infringement and ordered to pay music publisher BMG Rights Management <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/cox-is-liable-for-pirating-subscribers-ordered-to-pay-25-million-151217/">$25 million in damages</a>.</p>
<p>Cox swiftly <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-files-appeal-to-overturn-25-million-piracy-verdict-161110/">filed its appeal</a> arguing that the District Court made several errors in the jury instructions. In addition, it asked for a clarification of the term &#8220;repeat infringer&#8221; in its favor. </p>
<p>Today the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled on the matter in a mixed decision which could have great consequences. </p>
<p>The Court ruled that the District Court indeed made a mistake in its jury instruction. Specifically, it said that the ISP could be found liable for contributory infringement if it &#8220;knew or should have known of such infringing activity.&#8221; The  Court of Appeals agrees that based on the law, the “should have known” standard is too low. </p>
<p>When this is the case the appeals court can call for a new trial, and that is exactly what it did. This means that the $25 million verdict is off the table, and the same is true for the millions in attorney’s fees and costs BMG was previously granted.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not all good news for Cox though. The most crucial matter in the case is whether Cox has safe harbor protection under the DMCA. In order to qualify, the company is required to terminate accounts of repeat infringers, when appropriate. </p>
<p>Cox argued that subscribers can only be seen as repeat infringers if they&#8217;ve been previously adjudicated in court, not if they merely received several takedown notices. This was still an open question, as the term repeat infringer is not clearly defined in the DMCA.</p>
<p>Today, however, the appeals court is pretty clear on the matter. According to Judge Motz&#8217;s opinion, shared <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/appeals-court-rules-isps-copyright-trouble-not-enforcing-meaningful-repeat-infringer-policy-1080852">by HWR</a>, the language of the DMCA suggests that the term “infringer” is not limited to adjudicated infringers.</p>
<p>This is supported by legislative history as the House Commerce and Senate Judiciary Committee Reports both explained that &#8220;those who repeatedly or flagrantly abuse their access to the Internet through disrespect for the intellectual property rights of others should know that there is a realistic threat of losing that access.”</p>
<p>&#8220;The passage does not suggest that they should risk losing Internet access only once they have been sued in court and found liable for multiple instances of infringement,&#8221; Judge Motz writes in her opinion.</p>
<p>Losing Internet access would hardly be a &#8220;realistic threat&#8221; that would stop someone from pirating if he or she has already been punished several times in court, the argument goes.</p>
<p>This leads the Court of Appeals to conclude that the District Court was right: Cox is not entitled to safe harbor protection because it failed to implement a meaningful repeat infringer policy. </p>
<p>&#8220;Cox failed to qualify for the DMCA safe harbor because it failed to implement its policy in any consistent or meaningful way — leaving it essentially with no policy,&#8221; Judge Motz writes.</p>
<p>This means that, while Cox gets a new trial, it is still at a severe disadvantage. Not only that, the Court of Appeals interpretation of the repeat infringer question is also a clear signal to other Internet service providers to disconnect pirates based on repeated copyright holder complaints. </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>Judge Motz&#8217;s full opinion is <a href="media/6029b1fe.Coxappeal.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/Coxappeal.pdf">available here (pdf)</a>.</em></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=tRulgs4pv-4:fd0sy7xQVj4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=tRulgs4pv-4:fd0sy7xQVj4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=tRulgs4pv-4:fd0sy7xQVj4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/tRulgs4pv-4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150853
title: Judge Pushes Pirate Set-Top Box Cases Back, Demands Quality Evidence
uri: Judge-Pushes-Pirate-Set-Top-Box-Cases-Back-Demands-Quality-Evidence
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/hmKgpHwUuGs/
content:
<p><img src="media/a7c0897c.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg" width="234" height="155" class="alignright size-large">After cutting their teeth on blocking injunctions against torrent and regular streaming sites, last November it was revealed that Australian movie outfit Village Roadshow and a coalition of movie studios (Disney, Universal, Warner Bros, Twentieth Century Fox, and Paramount) had switched to a new threat.</p>
<p>Their action targeted HDSubs+, a fairly well-known IPTV service that provides hundreds of otherwise premium live channels, movies, and sports for a relatively small monthly fee.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-pirate-blocking-efforts-switch-to-premium-iptv-171106/">application</a> for injunction was filed October 2017 and in common with earlier requests, it targets Australia’s largest ISPs. Telstra, Optus, TPG, and Vocus, plus their subsidiaries, were asked to prevent the &#8216;pirate&#8217; service being accessed by their customers.</p>
<p>In December, a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-tv-companies-tackle-pirate-iptv-in-australia-federal-court-171207/">parallel action</a> was revealed, this time by Hong Kong-based broadcaster Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB). The company is also demanding that local ISPs block Android-based &#8216;pirate&#8217; IPTV services, named in court as the A1, BlueTV, EVPAD, FunTV, MoonBox, Unblock, and hTV5.</p>
<p>During a case management hearing in Federal Court today, Justice Nicholas told Roadshow Films that its application would be pushed back from March to mid-April so that it can be hard alongside the application made by TVB. The relative complexity of the cases appears to have played a role.</p>
<p>While blocking demands for these kinds of services may seem similar to those targeted at torrent sites, the situation is more complex, and the Judge clearly wants to have a good grip on the matter.</p>
<p>&#8220;I will need to be satisfied by evidence so that I have a good understanding of how it works, I know what the precise relationship is between this box, the apps, and the site from which [content is] downloaded,&#8221; the Judge <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/article/judge-warns-roadshow-against-providing-scant-alleged-piracy-evidence/">told</a> lawyers appearing for Roadshow and TVB.</p>
<p>One of the issues revolves around the structure of these IPTV services. A number of URLs are required to maintain them, each with a specific role.</p>
<p>A total of 21 URLs were listed in the TVB case and at least another ten for the single service listed in the Roadshow application. The URLs are used for various aspects of the service including the provision of an EPG (electronic program guide), the software itself (such as an Android app), subsequent updates, and sundry other services.</p>
<p>The Judge warned the companies that he will need to be able to understand them all and if he does not, then blocking injunctions may not even be granted.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want the evidence in any respect to be scant on those issues; otherwise, you might find the orders won&#8217;t be made,&#8221; he told them.</p>
<p>Only complicating matters is that the HDSubs+ service isn&#8217;t static. In what appeared to be a response to being named in legal action, last year the service appeared to be undergoing some kind of transformation, directing subscribers to update to a new software version (PressPlayPlus) that works in a more evasive manner.</p>
<p>As reported by ZDNet, counsel for Roadshow and TVB argued that &#8220;the changing nature of this system&#8221; means that HDSubs+ has diverted users to various different apps over the past several months.</p>
<p>&#8220;[In late December] the HDSubs+ app updated to send users to a different app &#8230; in early January we noticed that the system reverted back to the HDSubs+ app,&#8221; counsel explained.</p>
<p>Roadshow added that since its filing for an injunction, HDSubs+ operators had also removed access to films and TV shows listed in Roadshow’s application. This was grounds for the application to be heard more quickly, the company said.</p>
<p>In order to obtain an injunction, the companies will have to convince the Judge that each URL (or &#8220;online location&#8221;) either infringes or facilitates the infringement of their copyrighted content. They will also have to show that the primary purpose of such &#8220;online locations&#8221; is to infringe or facilitate the infringement of their copyrights.</p>
<p>While apps and direct streams shouldn&#8217;t pose the court with too many difficulties, EPGs &#8211; which simply provide metadata &#8211; may be more difficult to classify.</p>
<p>The hearings for both the Roadshow and the TVB applications will now go ahead on April 13, 2018.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=hmKgpHwUuGs:fyY1YrixRdM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=hmKgpHwUuGs:fyY1YrixRdM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=hmKgpHwUuGs:fyY1YrixRdM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/hmKgpHwUuGs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150859
title: Playboy’s Copyright Lawsuit Threatens Online Expression, Boing Boing Argues
uri: Playboy-s-Copyright-Lawsuit-Threatens-Online-Expression-Boing-Boing
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/VqVYSgr6o4A/
content:
<p><img src="media/df753675.http-link-hyperlink.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/http-link-hyperlink.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="198" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120483">Early 2016, <a href="https://boingboing.net/">Boing Boing</a> co-editor Xeni Jardin published an article in which she linked to an archive of every Playboy centerfold image till then.</p>
<p>&#8220;Kind of amazing to see how our standards of hotness, and the art of commercial erotic photography, have changed over time,&#8221; Jardin <a href="https://boingboing.net/2016/02/29/every-playboy-playmate-centerf.html">commented</a>. </p>
<p>While the linked material undoubtedly appealed to many readers, Playboy itself took offense to the fact that infringing copies of their work were being shared in public. While Boing Boing didn&#8217;t upload or store the images in question, the publisher filed a complaint.</p>
<p>Playboy accused the blog&#8217;s parent company Happy Mutants of various counts of copyright infringement, claiming that it exploited their playmates&#8217; images for commercial purposes.</p>
<p>Last month Boing Boing responded to the allegations <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/linking-is-not-copyright-infringement-boing-boing-tells-court-180119/">with a motion to dismiss</a>. The case should be thrown out, it argued, noting that linking to infringing material for the purpose of reporting and commentary, is not against the law.</p>
<p>This prompted Playboy to fire back, branding Boing Boing a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/playboy-brands-boing-boing-a-clickbait-site-with-no-fair-use-defense-180126/">&#8220;clickbait&#8221; site</a>. Playboy informed the court that the popular blog profits off the work of others and has no fair use defense.</p>
<p>Before the California District Court decides on the matter, Boing Boing took the opportunity to reply to Playboy&#8217;s latest response. According to the defense, Playboy&#8217;s case is an attack on people&#8217;s freedom of expression. </p>
<p>&#8220;Playboy claims this is an important case. It is partially correct: if the Court allows this case to go forward, it will send a dangerous message to everyone engaged in ordinary online commentary,&#8221; Boing Boing&#8217;s reply reads.</p>
<p>Referencing a previous Supreme Court decision, the blog says that the Internet democratizes access to speech, with websites as a form of modern-day pamphlets. </p>
<p>Links to source materials posted by third parties give these “pamphlets” more weight as they allow readers to form their own opinion on the matter, Boing Boing argues. If the court upholds Playboy&#8217;s arguments, however, this will become a risky endeavor.</p>
<p>&#8220;Playboy, however, would apparently prefer a world in which the &#8216;pamphleteer&#8217; must ask for permission before linking to primary sources, on pain of expensive litigation,&#8221; the defense writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;This case merely has to survive a motion to dismiss to launch a thousand more expensive lawsuits, chilling a broad variety of lawful expression and reporting that merely adopts the common practice of linking to the material that is the subject of the report.&#8221;</p>
<p>The defense says that there are several problems with Playboy&#8217;s arguments. Among other things, Boing Boing argues that did nothing to cause the unauthorized posting of Playboy’s work on Imgur and YouTube. </p>
<p>Another key argument is that linking to copyright-infringing material should be considered fair use, since it was for purposes of criticism, commentary, and news reporting.</p>
<p>&#8220;Settled precedent requires dismissal, both because Boing Boing did not induce or materially contribute to any copyright infringement and, in the alternative, because Boing Boing engaged in fair use,&#8221; the defense writes.</p>
<p>Instead of going after Boing Boing for contributory infringement, Playboy could actually try to uncover the people who shared the infringing material, they argue. There is nothing that prevents them from doing so. </p>
<p>After hearing the arguments from both sides it is now up to the court to decide how to proceed. Given what&#8217;s at stake, the eventual outcome in this case is bound to set a crucial precedent. </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of Boing Boing&#8217;s reply is available <a href="media/046e353c.boingboingreply.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/boingboingreply.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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=VqVYSgr6o4A:ddXH8VNxppk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=VqVYSgr6o4A:ddXH8VNxppk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=VqVYSgr6o4A:ddXH8VNxppk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/VqVYSgr6o4A" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150809
title: China to Start Blocking Unauthorized VPN Providers This April
uri: China-to-Start-Blocking-Unauthorized-VPN-Providers-This-April
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/55EvBXxTN5w/
content:
<p><img src="media/b13e6c72.blocked-censor.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/blocked-censor.jpg" width="250" height="170" class="alignright size-large">Back in January 2017, China&#8217;s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/china-ban-unauthorized-vpn-services-in-internet-crackdown-170123/">announced</a> a 14-month campaign to crack down on &#8216;unauthorized&#8217; Internet platforms.</p>
<p>China said that Internet technologies and services had been expanding in a  “disorderly” fashion, so regulation was required. No surprise then that the campaign targeted censorship-busting VPN services, which are used by citizens and corporations to traverse the country&#8217;s Great Firewall. </p>
<p>Heralding a “nationwide Internet network access services clean-up”, China warned that anyone operating such a service would require a government telecommunications business license. It&#8217;s now been more than a year since that announcement and much has happened in the interim.</p>
<p>In July 2017, Apple <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/apple-bans-vpns-from-app-store-in-china-170729/">removed 674 VPN apps</a> from its App Store and in September, a local man was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/chinese-man-jailed-for-nine-months-for-selling-vpn-software-170904/">jailed</a> for nine months for selling VPN software. In December, another man was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-jailed-for-five-years-after-helping-thousands-breach-chinas-firewall-171222/">jailed</a> for five-and-a-half years for selling a VPN service without an appropriate license from the government.</p>
<p>This week the government provided an update on the crackdown, telling the media that it will begin forcing local and foreign companies and individuals to use only government-approved systems to access the wider Internet.</p>
<p>Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) chief engineer Zhang Feng reiterated earlier comments that VPN operators must be <a href="https://www.secretchina.com/news/b5/2018/01/31/848694.html">properly licensed</a> by the government, adding that unlicensed VPNs will be subjected to new rules which come into force on March 31. The government plans to block unauthorized VPN providers, official media reported.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want to regulate VPNs which unlawfully conduct cross-border operational activities,” Zhang told reporters.</p>
<p>“Any foreign companies that want to set up a cross-border operation for private use will need to set up a dedicated line for that purpose,” he <a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-to-block-overseas-vpn-services-from-end-of-march-01312018102313.html">said</a>.</p>
<p>“They will be able to lease such a line or network legally from the telecommunications import and export bureau. This shouldn’t affect their normal operations much at all.&#8221;</p>
<p>Radio Free Asia reports that state-run telecoms companies including China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom, which are approved providers, have all been ordered to prevent their 1.3 billion subscribers from accessing blocked content with VPNs.</p>
<p>“The campaign aims to regulate the market environment and keep it fair and healthy,” Zhang <a href="https://www.shine.cn/news/nation/1801319727/">added</a>. “[As for] VPNs which unlawfully conduct cross-border operational activities, we want to regulate this.”</p>
<p>So, it appears that VPN providers are still allowed in China, so long as they&#8217;re officially licensed and approved by the government. However, in order to get that licensing they need to comply with government regulations, which means that people cannot use them to access content restricted by the Great Firewall.</p>
<p>All that being said, Zhang is reported as saying that people shouldn&#8217;t be concerned that their data is insecure as a result &#8211; neither providers nor the government are able to access content sent over a state-approved VPN service, he claimed.</p>
<p>“The rights for using normal intentional telecommunications services is strictly protected,” said Zhang, adding that regulation means that communications are &#8220;secure&#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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=55EvBXxTN5w:bKCFA4aVYQk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=55EvBXxTN5w:bKCFA4aVYQk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=55EvBXxTN5w:bKCFA4aVYQk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/55EvBXxTN5w" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150644
title: Blizzard Targets Fan-Created ‘World of Warcraft’ Legacy Server
uri: Blizzard-Targets-Fan-Created-World-of-Warcraft-Legacy-Server
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/pvjs5vx_3kM/
content:
<p><img src="media/50295694.blizz.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/blizz.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="147" class="alignright size-full wp-image-113379" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/blizz.jpg 250w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/blizz-220x130.jpg 220w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px">Over the years video game developer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blizzard_Entertainment">Blizzard Entertainment</a> has published many popular game titles, including World of Warcraft (WoW). </p>
<p>First released in 2004, the multiplayer online role-playing game has been a massive success. It holds the record for the most popular  MMORPG in history, with over 100 million subscribers.</p>
<p>While the current game looks entirely different from its first release, there are many nostalgic gamers who still enjoy the earlier editions. Unfortunately, however, they can&#8217;t play them. At least not legally.</p>
<p>The only option WoW fans have is to go to unauthorized fan projects which recreate the early gaming experience, such as <a href="https://lightshope.org/">Light&#8217;s Hope</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are what’s known as a &#8216;Legacy Server&#8217; project for World of Warcraft, which seeks to emulate the experience of playing the game in its earliest iterations, including advancing through early expansions,&#8221; the project explains. </p>
<p>&#8220;If you’ve ever wanted to see what World of Warcraft was like back in 2004 then this is the place to be. Our goal is to maintain the same feel and structure as the realms back then while maintaining an open platform for development and operation.&#8221;</p>
<p>In recent years the project has captured the hearts of tens of thousands of die-hard WoW fans. At the time of writing, the most popular realm has more than 6,000 people playing from all over the world. Blizzard, however, is less excited.</p>
<p>The company has asked the developer platform GitHub to remove <a href="https://github.com/LightsHope/server">the code repository</a> published by Light&#8217;s Hope. Blizzard&#8217;s notice targets several SQL databases stating that the layout and structure is nearly identical to the early WoW databases.</p>
<p>&#8220;The LightsHope spell table has identical layout and typically identical field names as the table from early WoW. We use database tables to represent game data, like spells, in WoW,&#8221; Blizzard <a href="https://github.com/github/dmca/commit/d4137e11e59790e3f03448f610da9afc2cc9c6e2">writes</a>. </p>
<p>&#8220;In our code, we use .sql files to represent the data layout of each table [&#8230;]. MaNGOS, the platform off of which Light’s Hope appears to be built, uses a similar structure. The LightsHope spell_template table matches almost exactly the layout and field names of early WoW client database tables.&#8221; </p>
<p>This takedown notice had some effect, as people now see a &#8220;repository unavailable due to DMCA takedown&#8221; message when they access it in their browser. </p>
<p>While this may slow down development temporarily, it appears that the server itself is still running just fine. There were some downtime reports earlier this week, but it&#8217;s unknown whether that was related. </p>
<p>In addition to the GitHub repository, the official Twitter account was <a href="https://twitter.com/account/suspended">also suspended</a> recently.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted both Blizzard and Light&#8217;s Hope earlier this week for a comment on the situation. At the time of publication, we haven&#8217;t heard back. </p>
<p>Blizzard&#8217;s takedown notice comes just weeks after several organizations and gaming fans <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/gamers-want-dmca-exemption-for-abandoned-online-games-171221/">asked the US Copyright Office</a> to make a DMCA circumvention exemption for &#8220;abandoned&#8221; games, including older versions of popular MMORPGs.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s possible that such an exemption is granted in the future, it&#8217;s unlikely to apply to the public at large. The more likely scenario is that it would permit libraries, researchers, and museums to operate servers for these abandoned games. </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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=pvjs5vx_3kM:HYVhzlukrWk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=pvjs5vx_3kM:HYVhzlukrWk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=pvjs5vx_3kM:HYVhzlukrWk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/pvjs5vx_3kM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150740
title: EU Anti-Piracy Agreement Has Little Effect on Advertising, Research Finds
uri: EU-Anti-Piracy-Agreement-Has-Little-Effect-on-Advertising-Research-Fi
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ZK6c75-d30o/
content:
<p><img src="media/67cd8f67.piratefish.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratefish.jpg" alt="" width="222" height="136" class="alignright size-full wp-image-106368">In recent years various copyright holder groups have adopted a “follow-the-money” approach in the hope of cutting off funding to so-called pirate sites.</p>
<p>Thus far this has resulted in some notable developments. In the UK, hundreds of advertising agencies began banning pirate sites <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/city-of-london-police-launches-pirate-site-blacklist-for-advertisers-140331/">in 2014</a> and similar initiatives have popped up elsewhere too.</p>
<p>One of the more prominent plans was orchestrated by the European Commission. In <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/growth/content/commission-one-step-closer-restricting-revenues-websites-breach-intellectual-property-1_en">October 2016</a>, this resulted in a voluntary self-regulation agreement signed by leading EU advertising organizations, which promised to reduce ad placement on pirate sites. The question is, how effective is this agreement?</p>
<p>To find out, researchers from European universities in Munich, Copenhagen, and Lisbon, conducted an extensive study. They collected data on the prevalence of ads from various advertisers on hundreds of pirate sites. The data were collected on several occasions, both before and after the agreement.</p>
<p>The findings are published in the article &#8220;Follow The Money: Online Piracy and Self-Regulation in the Advertising Industry.&#8221; Christian Peukert, one of the authors, informs TF that the <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3110562">latest version</a> of the working paper was published last month and is currently under review at an academic journal.</p>
<p>The results show that the effects of the anti-piracy agreement are fairly minimal. On a whole, there is no significant change in the volume of piracy sites that ad agencies serve. Only when looking at the larger ad-networks in isolation, a downward trend is visible.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our results suggests that the presence of advertising services on piracy websites does not change significantly, at least not on average,&#8221; the researchers write in their paper. </p>
<p>&#8220;Once we allow for heterogeneity in terms of size, we show that more popular advertising services, i.e. those that are overall more diffused on the Internet, reduce their presence on piracy websites significantly more.&#8221;</p>
<p>When larger advertising companies are given more weight in the analysis, the average effect equates to a 17% drop in pirate site connections.</p>
<p>That larger companies are more likely to comply with the agreement can be explained by a variety of reasons. They could simply be more aware of the agreement, or they feel more pressure to take appropriate steps in response. </p>
<p>Interestingly, there are also advertising companies that began advertising on pirate sites after the agreement was signed. </p>
<p>&#8220;We further provide some evidence that ad services that were not active in the piracy market before the self-regulation agreement increase their presence on piracy websites afterwards,&#8221; the researchers write.</p>
<p>This may have been partly triggered by site owners looking for alternatives, or advertising companies looking for new opportunities. However, the effect is not statistically significant, which means that people shouldn&#8217;t read into it too much.</p>
<p>Overall, however, the researchers conclude that the voluntary agreement only had a relatively small impact on the EU advertising as a whole, and that there&#8217;s room for improvement.</p>
<p>&#8220;These results raise concerns about the overall effectiveness of the self-regulation effort with respect to reducing incentives for publishers to supply unlicensed content,&#8221; they write.  </p>
<p>The EU agreement coincided with a series of similar agreements which, according to this data, had little effect on EU advertisers either over the researched timespan. And by looking at the average pirate site today, it becomes instantly clear that there are still plenty advertisers who are willing to work with these sites.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ZK6c75-d30o:cIvLyJ_oqgc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ZK6c75-d30o:cIvLyJ_oqgc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=ZK6c75-d30o:cIvLyJ_oqgc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/ZK6c75-d30o" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150672
title: Russia Blocks 500 ‘Pirate’ Sites in Four Months, Without a Single Court Order
uri: Russia-Blocks-500-Pirate-Sites-in-Four-Months-Without-a-Single
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/K5SopiY2VX8/
content:
<p><img src="media/b13e6c72.blocked-censor.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/blocked-censor.jpg" width="250" height="170" class="alignright size-large">Once the legal process for blocking pirate sites has been accepted in a region, it usually follows that dozens if not hundreds of other sites are given the same treatment. Rightsholders simply point to earlier decisions and apply for new blockades under established law.</p>
<p>Very quickly, however, it became clear that when a domain is blocked it&#8217;s relatively easy to produce a clone or &#8216;mirror&#8217; of a site to achieve the same purpose, thus circumventing a court order. This mirror site whac-a-mole was addressed in Russia last year with new legislation.</p>
<p>Starting October 1, 2017, Russian authorities allowed rightsholders to add mirror sites to the country&#8217;s national blocklist without having to return to court. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the relative convenience and cost-efficiency, they have been doing that en masse.</p>
<p>According to Alexei Volin, Russia&#8217;s Deputy Minister of Communications and Mass Media, hundreds of mirrors of pirate sites have been blocked since the introduction of the legislation in October, affecting an audience of millions of people.</p>
<p>&#8220;For the past few months, we have been able to block mirrors of pirate sites. As of today, we can already note that about 500 sites are blocked as mirrors,&#8221; said Volin at the <a href="https://en.cstb.ru/">CSTB 2018</a> television and telecommunications expo in Moscow.</p>
<p>While rightsholders were expected to quickly take advantage of the change in the law, the speed at which they have done so is unprecedented. According to Volin, more pirate platforms have been blocked in the four months since October 1, 2017, than in the previous two years&#8217; worth of judicial decisions.</p>
<p>&#8220;Colleagues from the industry recently found a general audience of blocked sites, it&#8217;s about 200 million people,&#8221; Volin <a href="http://www.interfax.ru/russia/597710">said</a>, while describing the results as &#8220;encouraging.&#8221;</p>
<p>The process is indeed quite straightforward. Following a request from a rightsholder, the Ministry of Communications decides whether the site being reported is actually a copy of a previously blocked pirate site. If it is, the owner of the site and telecoms regulator Rozcomnadzor are informed about the situation, while local ISPs are ordered to begin blocking the site.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=K5SopiY2VX8:5QEenOfrJdI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=K5SopiY2VX8:5QEenOfrJdI:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=K5SopiY2VX8:5QEenOfrJdI:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/K5SopiY2VX8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150891
title: Virgin Media Store Caught Running Movie & TV Show Piracy Software
uri: Virgin-Media-Store-Caught-Running-Movie-TV-Show-Piracy-Software
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/a-d0GdDXwd8/
content:
<p><a href="media/a12e9381.virgin-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/virgin-logo.jpg"><img src="media/aeb04e3b.virgin-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/virgin-logo.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="158" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150921"></a>While other providers in the UK and Ireland aim to compete, those requiring the absolute fastest fibre optic broadband coupled with a comprehensive TV package will probably find themselves considering Virgin Media.</p>
<p>Despite sporting Richard Branson&#8217;s Virgin brand, the company has been owned by US-based Liberty Global since 2013. It previously earned the title of first quad-play media company in the United Kingdom, offering broadband, TV, fixed-line and mobile telecoms packages.</p>
<p>Today, however, the company has a small piracy-related embarrassment to address.</p>
<p>Like several of the large telecoms companies in the region, Virgin Media operates a number of bricks-and-mortar stores which are used to drum up sales for Internet, TV and phone packages while offering support to new and existing customers. They typically look like the one in the image below.</p>
<p><center><strong>Virgin Media store <em>(credit: Virgin)</em></strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/7a3745c3.mobiles-intro-store.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mobiles-intro-store.jpg"><img src="media/de34f604.mobiles-intro-store.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mobiles-intro-store.jpg" alt="" width="506" height="275" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150903"></a></center></p>
<p>The outside windows of Virgin stores are usually covered with advertising for the company&#8217;s products and regularly carry digital displays which present the latest deals. However, one such display spotted by a passer-by carried a little extra.</p>
<p>In a now-deleted post on Reddit, a user explained that when out and about he&#8217;d passed a Virgin Media store which sported a digital display advertising the company&#8217;s impressive &#8220;Full House&#8221; package. However, intruding at the top of the screen was a notification from one of the most impressive piracy apps available, Terrarium TV.</p>
<p><center><strong>Busted: Terrarium TV notification top and center</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/abb51a15.GIqiP0V-e1517819700316.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/GIqiP0V-e1517819700316.jpg"><img src="media/abb51a15.GIqiP0V-e1517819700316.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/GIqiP0V-e1517819700316.jpg" alt="" width="595" height="793" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150907"></a></center></p>
<p>For those out of the loop, Terrarium TV is one of the most feature-rich Android-based applications available today. For reasons that aren&#8217;t exactly clear, it hasn&#8217;t received the attention of &#8216;rivals&#8217; such as Popcorn Time and Showbox but its abilities are <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/terrarium-tv-the-best-android-movie-streaming-app-faces-uncertain-future-171210/">extremely impressive</a>.</p>
<p>As the image shows, the notification is letting the user know that two new movies &#8211; The Star and The Stray &#8211; have been added to Terrarium&#8217;s repertoire. In other words, they&#8217;ve just been listed in the Terrarium app for streaming directly to the user&#8217;s installation (in this case one of Virgin&#8217;s own displays) for free, without permission from copyright holders.</p>
<p>Of course, Virgin Media definitely won&#8217;t have authorized the installation of Terrarium TV on any of its units, so it&#8217;s most likely down to someone in the store with access to the display, perhaps a staff member but possibly a mischievous customer. Whoever it was should probably uninstall it now though, if they&#8217;re able to. Virgin will not be happy about this.</p>
<p>The person who took the photo didn&#8217;t respond to TorrentFreak&#8217;s request for comment on where it was taken but from the information available in the image, it seems likely that it&#8217;s in Ireland. Virgin Media ads elsewhere in the region are priced in pounds &#8211; not in euros &#8211; so a retail outlet in the country is the most likely location. The same 99 euro &#8220;Full House&#8221; deal is also advertised on Virgin&#8217;s .ie website.</p>
<p><center><strong>Terrarium TV</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/b7c4b467.terra3-e1517821154246.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/terra3-e1517821154246.png" alt="Terrarium TV"></center></p>
<p>While a display running a piracy application over the top of an advert trying to sell premium access to movies and TV shows is embarrassing enough, Virgin and other ISPs including Eircom, Sky Ireland, and Vodafone Ireland are currently subject to a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-wins-isp-blockade-against-popular-pirate-sites-in-ireland-180116/">court order</a> which compels them to block several pirate sites in Ireland.</p>
<p>The sources used by Terrarium to supply illicit copies of movies are not part of that order but since ISPs in the region don&#8217;t contest blocking orders when rightsholders apply for them, it&#8217;s reasonable to presume they&#8217;re broadly in favor of blocking pirate sites.</p>
<p>Of course, that makes perfect sense if you&#8217;re a company trying to make money from selling premium access to content. </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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=a-d0GdDXwd8:6CEdqY8WBKM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=a-d0GdDXwd8:6CEdqY8WBKM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=a-d0GdDXwd8:6CEdqY8WBKM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/a-d0GdDXwd8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150895
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 02/05/18
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-02-05-18
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/HF0VM5fS0_I/
content:
<p><img src="media/cc49cb00.thorrag.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/thorrag.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="178" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150623" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/thorrag.jpg 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/thorrag-220x130.jpg 220w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px">This week we have three newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Thor Ragnarok is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<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-pirated-movies-week-bittorrent-012918/">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>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">Thor Ragnarok</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue80QwXMRHg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2283362/">Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle </a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2283362/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QKg5SZ_35I">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/">The Shape of Water</a> (DVDScr)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lFbcsmrWTg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5442456/">24 Hours to Live</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5442456/">5.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfeQX80tjdQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/">Blade Runner 2049 </a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/">8.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCcx85zbxz4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(10)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307/">Coco</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307/">8.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga6RYejo6Hk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5001754/">Braven</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5001754/">5.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOwIQNA9A8I">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5519340/">Bright</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5519340/">6.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EZCBSsBxko">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974015/">Justice League</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974015/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-DM9uBtVI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491175/">Suburbicon</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491175/">5.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBezc1S1BAQ">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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=HF0VM5fS0_I:uRSV40MeMxQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=HF0VM5fS0_I:uRSV40MeMxQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=HF0VM5fS0_I:uRSV40MeMxQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/HF0VM5fS0_I" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150901
title: Cloudflare Terminates Service to Sci-Hub Domain Names
uri: Cloudflare-Terminates-Service-to-Sci-Hub-Domain-Names
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/lpr86eRdddg/
content:
<p><img src="media/398ad51b.scilogo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scilogo.jpg" alt="" width="222" height="222" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118526">While Sci-Hub is praised by thousands of researchers and academics around the world, copyright holders are doing everything in their power to wipe the site from the web.</p>
<p>Following a $15 million defeat <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-ordered-to-pay-15-million-in-piracy-damages-170623/">against Elsevier</a> last June, the American Chemical Society (ACS) won a default judgment of $4.8 million in copyright damages <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-court-grants-isps-and-search-engine-blockade-of-sci-hub-171106/">a few months later</a>.</p>
<p>The publisher was further granted a broad injunction, requiring various third-party services to stop providing access to the site. This includes domain registries, hosting companies and search engines.</p>
<p>Soon after the order was signed, several of Sci-Hub&#8217;s domain names became unreachable as domain registries complied with the court order. This resulted in a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-battles-pirate-bay-esque-domain-name-whack-a-mole-171216/">domain name whack-a-mole</a>, but all this time Sci-Hub remained available.</p>
<p>Last weekend another problem appeared for Sci-Hub. This time ACS went after CDN provider Cloudflare, which informed the site that a court order requires the company to disconnect several domain names.</p>
<p>&#8220;Cloudflare has received the attached court order, Case 1:17-cv-OO726-LMB-JFA,&#8221; the company writes. &#8220;Cloudflare will terminate your service for the following domains sci-hub.la, sci-hub.tv, and sci-hub.tw by disabling our authoritative DNS in 24 hours.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to Sci-Hub&#8217;s operator, losing access to Cloudflare is not &#8220;critical,&#8221; but it may &#8220;cause a short pause in website operation.&#8221; </p>
<p><center><strong>Sci-Hub&#8217;s Cloudflare <a href="https://twitter.com/Sci_Hub/status/959702088543539200">tweet</a></strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/d0151b46.scitweet.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scitweet.png" alt="" width="597" height="379" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150912"></center></p>
<p>Cloudflare&#8217;s actions are significant because the company previously protested a similar order. When the RIAA used the permanent injunction in the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cloudflare-asks-court-to-vacate-moot-pirate-site-blocking-order-170724/">MP3Skull case </a>to compel Cloudflare to disconnect the site, the CDN provider <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cloudflare-were-not-aiding-and-abetting-piracy-100530/">refused</a>. </p>
<p>The RIAA argued that Cloudflare was operating “in active concert or participation” with the pirates. The CDN provider objected, but the court eventually ordered Cloudflare to take action, although it did not rule on the &#8220;active concert or participation&#8221; part. </p>
<p>In the Sci-Hub case &#8220;active concert or participation&#8221; is also a requirement for the injunction to apply. While it specifically mentions ISPs and search engines, ACS Director Glenn Ruskin previously stressed that companies won’t be targeted for simply linking users to Sci-Hub. </p>
<p>“The court’s affirmative ruling does not apply to search engines writ large, but only to those entities who have been in active concert or participation with Sci-Hub, such as websites that host ACS content stolen by Sci-Hub,” Ruskin told us at the time.</p>
<p>Cloudflare does more than linking of course, but the company doesn&#8217;t see itself as a web hosting service either. While it still may not agree with the &#8220;active concert&#8221; classification, there&#8217;s no evidence that Cloudflare objected in court this time. </p>
<p>As for Sci-Hub, they have to look elsewhere if they want another CDN provider. For now, however, the site remains widely available.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=lpr86eRdddg:k8jSMEn09mQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=lpr86eRdddg:k8jSMEn09mQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=lpr86eRdddg:k8jSMEn09mQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/lpr86eRdddg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150685
title: Anti-Piracy Video Scares Kids With ‘Fake’ Malware Info
uri: Anti-Piracy-Video-Scares-Kids-With-Fake-Malware-Info
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/MwlAfz5KPo0/
content:
<p><img src="media/aa559623.malwaremeet.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/malwaremeet.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="195" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150970">Today is <a href="https://www.saferinternetday.org/">Safer Internet Day</a>, a global awareness campaign to educate the public on all sorts of threats that people face online.</p>
<p>It is a laudable initiative supported by the British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE) which, together with the children’s charity Into Film, has released an informative video.</p>
<p>The organizations have created a British version of an animation previously released as part of the Australian &#8220;<a href="https://thepriceofpiracy.org.au/">Price of Piracy</a>&#8221; campaign. While the video includes an informative description of the various types of malware, there appears to be a secondary agenda.  </p>
<p>Strangely enough, the video itself contains no advice on how to avoid malware at all, other than to avoid pirate sites. In that sense, it looks more like an indirect anti-piracy ad.</p>
<p>While there&#8217;s no denying that kids might run into malware if they randomly click on pirate site ads, this problem is certainly not exclusive to these sites. Email and social media are frequently used to link to malware too, and YouTube comments can <a href="https://lifehacker.com/5265895/youtube-comments-full-of-links-to-malware">pose the same risk</a>. The problem is everywhere.</p>
<p>What really caught our eye, however, is the statement that pirate sites are the most used propagation method for malware. &#8220;<em>Did you know, the number one way we infect your device is via illegal pirate sites</em>,&#8221; an animated piece of malware claims in the video. </p>
<p>Forget about email attachments, spam links, compromised servers, or even network attacks. Pirate sites are the number one spot through which malware spreads. According to the video at least. But where do they get this knowledge?</p>
<p><center><strong>Meet the malwares</strong><br></br></center><center><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/250091868?title=0&#038;byline=0&#038;portrait=0" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>When we asked BASE for further details, the organization checked with their Australian colleagues, who pointed us to a working paper (<a href="media/0adafabe.illegal-streaming-malware-epoch-times-full-14-0923.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/illegal-streaming-malware-epoch-times-full-14-0923.pdf">pdf</a>) from 2014. This paper includes the following line: <em>&#8220;Illegal streaming websites are now the number one propagation mechanism for malicious software as 97% of them contain malware.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Unfortunately, there&#8217;s a lot wrong with this claim. </p>
<p>Through another citation, the 97% figure points to this unpublished study of which only the <a href="http://www.industrytrust.co.uk/press-releases/the-bogus-features-lurking-behind-pirate-film-and-tv-sites/">highlights were shared</a>. This &#8220;malware&#8221; research looked at the prevalence of malware and other unwanted software linked to pirate sites. Not just streaming sites as the other paper said, but let&#8217;s ignore that last bit. </p>
<p>What the study actually found is that of the 30 researched pirate sites, &#8220;90% contained malware or other ‘Potentially Unwanted Programmes’.&#8221; Note that this is not the earlier mentioned 97%, and that this broad category not only includes malware but also popup ads, which were most popular. This means that the percentage of actual malware on these sites can be anywhere from 0.1% to 90%.</p>
<p>Importantly, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-sites-rife-malware-credit-card-fraud-report-claims-140430/">none of the malware</a> found in this research was installed without an action performed by the user, such as clicking on a flashy download button or installing a mysterious .exe file. </p>
<p>Aside from clearly erroneous references, the more worrying issue is that even the original incorrect statement that &#8220;97% of all pirate sites contain malware&#8221; provides no evidence for the claim in the video that pirate sites are &#8220;the number one way&#8221; through which malware spreads. </p>
<p>Even if 100% of all pirate sites link to malware, that&#8217;s no proof that it&#8217;s the most used propagation method.</p>
<p>The malware issue has been a popular talking point for a while, but after searching for answers for days, we couldn&#8217;t find a grain of evidence. There are a lot of malware propagation methods, including email, which traditionally is a very popular choice.</p>
<p>Even more confusingly, the same paper that was cited as a source for the pirate site malware claim notes that 80% of all web-based malware is hosted on &#8220;innocent&#8221; but compromised websites.</p>
<p>As the provided evidence gave no answers, we asked the experts to chime in. Luckily, security company <a href="https://www.malwarebytes.com/">Malwarebytes</a> was willing to share its assessment. As leaders in the anti-malware industry, they should know better than researchers who have their numbers and terminology mixed up.</p>
<p>&#8220;These days, most common infections come from malicious spam campaigns and drive-by exploit attacks,&#8221; Adam Kujawa, Director of Malware Intelligence at Malwarebytes informs us.</p>
<p>&#8220;Torrent sites are still frequently used by criminals to host malware disguised as something the user wants, like an application, movie, etc. However they are really only a threat to people who use torrent sites regularly and those people have likely learned how to avoid malicious torrents,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>In other words, most people who regularly visit pirate sites know how to avoid these dangers. That doesn&#8217;t mean that they are not a threat to unsuspecting kids who visit them for the first time of course.</p>
<p>&#8220;Now, if users who were not familiar with torrent and pirate sites started using these services, there is a high probability that they could encounter some kind of malware. However, many of these sites have user review processes to let other users know if a particular torrent or download is likely malicious.</p>
<p>&#8220;So, unless a user is completely new to this process and ignores all the warning signs, they could walk away from a pirate site without getting infected,&#8221; Kujawa says.</p>
<p>Overall, the experts at Malwarebytes see no evidence for the claim that pirate sites are the number one propagation method for malware.</p>
<p>&#8220;So in summary, I don’t think the claim that &#8216;pirate sites&#8217; are the number one way to infect users is accurate at all,&#8221; Kujawa concludes.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s always a good idea to avoid places that can have a high prevalence of malware, including pirate sites, the claims in the video are not backed up by real evidence. There are tens of thousands of non-pirate sites that pose similar or worse risks, so it&#8217;s always a good idea to have anti-malware and virus software installed. </p>
<p>The organizations and people involved in the British &#8220;Meet the Malwares&#8221; video might not have been aware of the doubtful claims, but it&#8217;s unfortunate that they didn&#8217;t opt for a broader campaign instead of the focused anti-piracy message.</p>
<p>Finally, since it&#8217;s still Safer Internet Day, we encourage kids to take a close look at the various <a href="https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/blog/fake-news-and-critical-thinking">guides</a> on how to avoid &#8220;fake news&#8221; while engaging in critical thinking.</p>
<p>Be safe!  </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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=MwlAfz5KPo0:vw_YcaWZdoY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=MwlAfz5KPo0:vw_YcaWZdoY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=MwlAfz5KPo0:vw_YcaWZdoY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/MwlAfz5KPo0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150990
title: Google Won’t Take Down ‘Pirate’ VLC With Five Million Downloads
uri: Google-Won-t-Take-Down-Pirate-VLC-With-Five-Million-Downloads
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/r3SO6jB0_A8/
content:
<p><a href="media/2dd53e0e.vlcpirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/vlcpirate.jpg"><img src="media/b73db0f4.vlcpirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/vlcpirate.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-30281"></a>VLC is the media player of choice for Internet users around the globe. Downloaded for desktop at least 2,493,000,000 times <a href="https://www.videolan.org/vlc/stats/downloads.html">since February 2005</a>, VLC is an absolute giant. And those figures don&#8217;t even include GNU/Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome OS or Windows Phone downloads either.</p>
<p>Aside from its incredible functionality, VLC (operated by the VideoLAN non-profit) has won the hearts of Internet users for other key reasons, not least its commitment to being free and open source software. While it&#8217;s true to say that VLC doesn&#8217;t cost a penny, the term &#8216;free&#8217; actually relates to the General Public License (<a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html">GPL</a>) under which it&#8217;s distributed.</p>
<p>The GPL aims to guarantee that software under it remains &#8216;free&#8217; for all current and future users. To benefit from these protections, the GPL requires people who modify and redistribute software to afford others the same freedoms by informing them of the requirement to make source code available.</p>
<p>Since VLC is extremely popular and just about as &#8216;free&#8217; as software can get, people get extremely defensive when they perceive that a third-party is benefiting from the software without adhering to the terms of the generous GPL license. That was the case beginning a few hours ago when veteran Reddit user MartinVanBallin pointed out a piece of software on the Google Play Store.</p>
<p>&#8220;They took VLC, put in ads, didn&#8217;t attribute VLC or follow the open source license, and they&#8217;re using Media Player Classics icon,&#8221; MartinVanBallin <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/7vkgr9/they_took_vlc_put_in_ads_didnt_attribute_vlc_or/">wrote</a>.</p>
<p>The software, found <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=my.bhul.video.player">here</a>, is called 321 Media Player and has an impressive 4.5 score from more than 101,000 reviews. Despite not mentioning VLC or the GPL, it is based completely on VLC, as the image below (and <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/7vkgr9/they_took_vlc_put_in_ads_didnt_attribute_vlc_or/dtt3jk0/">other proof</a>) shows.</p>
<p><center><strong><strike>VLC Media Player</strike> 321 Media Player</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/f54ef1a9.321media.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/321media.jpg"><img src="media/a0a3351b.321media.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/321media.jpg" alt="" width="379" height="678" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-150996"></a></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke with VideoLAN President Jean-Baptiste Kempf who confirmed that the clone is in breach of the GPL.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Android version of VLC is under the license GPLv3, which requires everything inside the application to be open source and sharing the source,&#8221; Kempf says.</p>
<p>&#8220;This clone seems to use a closed-source advertisement component (are there any that are open source?), which is a clear violation of our copyleft. Moreover, they don&#8217;t seem to share the source at all, which is also a violation.&#8221;</p>
<p>Perhaps the most amazing thing is the popularity of the software. According to stats provided by Google, 321 Media Player has amassed between five and ten million downloads. That&#8217;s not an insignificant amount when one considers that unlike VLC, 321 Media Player contains revenue-generating ads.</p>
<p>Using GPL-licensed software for commercial purposes is allowed providing the license terms are strictly adhered to. Kempf informs TF that VideoLAN doesn&#8217;t mind if this happens but in this case, the GPL is not being respected.</p>
<p>&#8220;A fork application which changes some things is an interesting thing, because they maybe have something to give back to our community. The application here, is just a parasite, and I think they are useless and dangerous,&#8221; Kempf says.</p>
<p>All that being said, turning VLC itself into adware is something the VideoLAN team is opposed to. In fact, according to questions <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/bestof/comments/73dafr/vlc_creator_refused_several_tens_of_millions_of/">answered</a> by Kempf last September, the team turned down &#8220;several tens of millions of euros&#8221; to turn their media player into an ad-supported platform.</p>
<p>&#8220;Integrating crap, adware and spyware with VLC is not OK,&#8221; Kempf informs TF.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted the developer of 321 Media Player for comment but at the time of publication, we were yet to receive a response. We also asked for a copy of the source code for 321 Media Player as the GPL requires, but that wasn&#8217;t forthcoming either.</p>
<p>In the meantime, it appears that a small army of Reddit users are trying to get something done about the &#8216;rogue&#8217; app by reporting it as an &#8220;inappropriate copycat&#8221; to Google. Whether this will have any effect remains to be seen but according to Kempf, tackling these clone versions has proven extremely difficult in the past.</p>
<p>&#8220;We reported this application already more than three times and Google refuses to take it down,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our experience is that it is very difficult to take these kinds of apps down, even if they embed spyware or malware. Maybe it is because it makes money for Google.&#8221;</p>
<p>Finally, Kempf also points to the obviously named &#8220;<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tpva.indianvlcplayer">Indian VLC Player</a>&#8221; on Google Play. Another VLC clone with up to 500,000 downloads, this one appears to breach both copyright and trademark law.</p>
<p>&#8220;We remove applications that violate our policies, such as apps that are illegal,&#8221; a Google spokesperson informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;We don’t comment on individual applications; you can check out <a href="https://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy/#!?modal_active=none">our policies</a> for more information.&#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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=r3SO6jB0_A8:qjjaORPmuE0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=r3SO6jB0_A8:qjjaORPmuE0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=r3SO6jB0_A8:qjjaORPmuE0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/r3SO6jB0_A8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151013
title: Jailed Streaming Site Operator Hit With Fresh $3m Damages Lawsuit
uri: Jailed-Streaming-Site-Operator-Hit-With-Fresh-3m-Damages-Lawsuit
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/C2_ZqysqJr4/
content:
<p><img src="media/d707f101.swefilmlogo.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/swefilmlogo.png" width="180" height="111" class="alignright size-large">After being founded more than half a decade ago, Swefilmer grew to become Sweden’s most popular movie and TV show streaming site. It was only a question of time before authorities stepped in to bring the show to an end.</p>
<p>In 2015, a Swedish operator of the site in his early twenties was raided by local police. A second man, Turkish and in his late twenties, was later arrested in Germany.</p>
<p>The pair, who hadn&#8217;t met in person, appeared before the Varberg District Court in January 2017, accused of making more than $1.5m from their activities between November 2013 and June 2015.</p>
<p>The prosecutor described Swefilmer as &#8220;organized crime&#8221;, painting the then 26-year-old as the main brains behind the site and the 23-year-old as playing a much smaller role. The former was said to have led a luxury lifestyle after benefiting from $1.5m in advertising revenue.</p>
<p>The sentences eventually handed down matched the defendants&#8217; alleged level of participation. While the younger man received probation and community service, the Turk was sentenced to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/streaming-site-operator-jailed-for-three-years-after-landmark-trial-170516/">serve three years in prison</a> and ordered to forfeit $1.59m.</p>
<p>Very quickly it became clear there would be an appeal, with plaintiffs represented by anti-piracy outfit RightsAlliance complaining that their 10m krona ($1.25m) claim for damages over the unlawful distribution of local movie Johan Falk: Kodnamn: Lisa had been ruled out by the Court.</p>
<p>With the appeal hearing now just a couple of weeks away, Swedish outlet <a href="https://www.breakit.se/artikel/11457/svenska-mediejatten-till-attack-stammer-swefilmer-grundaren-pa-24-miljoner">Breakit</a> is reporting that media giant <a href="http://bonnierbroadcasting.com/">Bonnier Broadcasting</a> has launched an action of its own against the now 27-year-old former operator of Swefilmer.</p>
<p>According to the publication, Bonnier&#8217;s pay-TV company <a href="https://www.cmore.se/artiklar/foretaget">C More</a>, which distributes for Fox, MGM, Paramount, Universal, Sony and Warner, is set to demand around 24m krona ($3.01m) via anti-piracy outfit RightsAlliance.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is about organized crime and grossly criminal individuals who earned huge sums on our and others&#8217; content. We want to take every opportunity to take advantage of our rights,&#8221; says Johan Gustafsson, Head of Corporate Communications at Bonnier Broadcasting.</p>
<p>C More reportedly filed its lawsuit at the Stockholm District Court on January 30, 2018. At its core are four local movies said to have been uploaded and made available via Swefilmer.</p>
<p>&#8220;C More would probably never even have granted a license to [the operator] to make or allow others to make the films available to the public in a similar way as [the operator] did, but if that had happened, the fee would not be less than 5,000,000 krona ($628,350) per film or a total of 20,000,000 krona ($2,513,400),&#8221; C More&#8217;s claim reads.</p>
<p>Speaking with Breakit, lawyer Ansgar Firsching said he couldn&#8217;t say much about C More&#8217;s claims against his client.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am very surprised that two weeks before the main hearing [C More] comes in with this requirement. If you open another front, we have two trials that are partly about the same thing,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Firsching said he couldn&#8217;t elaborate at this stage but expects his client to deny the claim for damages. C More sees things differently.</p>
<p>&#8220;Many people live under the illusion that sites like Swefilmer are driven by idealistic teens in their parents&#8217; basements, which is completely wrong. This is about organized crime where our content is used to generate millions and millions in revenue,&#8221; the company notes.</p>
<p>The appeal in the main case is set to go ahead February 20th.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=C2_ZqysqJr4:lRfeGtXThPs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=C2_ZqysqJr4:lRfeGtXThPs:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=C2_ZqysqJr4:lRfeGtXThPs:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/C2_ZqysqJr4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151040
title: RIAA: Cox Ruling Shows that Grande Can Be Liable for Piracy Too
uri: RIAA-Cox-Ruling-Shows-that-Grande-Can-Be-Liable-for-Piracy-Too
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/xM3Q9urf4Z0/
content:
<p><img src="media/ec1448ed.grandecomm.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/grandecomm.png" alt="" width="234" height="116" class="alignright size-full wp-image-140705">Regular Internet providers are being put under increasing pressure for not doing enough to curb copyright infringement.</p>
<p>Last year several major record labels, represented by the RIAA, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-sues-isp-grande-communications-for-failing-to-disconnect-pirates-170422/">filed a lawsuit</a> in a Texas District Court, accusing ISP Grande Communications of turning a blind eye on its pirating subscribers.</p>
<p>“Despite their knowledge of repeat infringements, Defendants have permitted repeat infringers to use the Grande service to continue to infringe Plaintiffs’ copyrights without consequence,” the RIAA’s complaint read.</p>
<p>Grande disagreed with this assertion and filed a motion to dismiss the case. The ISP argued that it doesn’t encourage any of its customers to download copyrighted works, and that it has no control over the content subscribers access.</p>
<p>The Internet provider didn’t deny that it received millions of takedown notices through the piracy tracking company Rightscorp. However, it believed that these notices are flawed and not worthy of acting upon.</p>
<p>The case shows a lot of similarities with the legal battle between BMG and Cox Communications, in which the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/appeals-court-throws-out-25-million-piracy-verdict-against-cox-doesnt-reinstate-safe-harbor-180201/">issued an important verdict last week</a>. </p>
<p>The appeals court overturned the $25 million piracy damages verdict against Cox due to an erroneous jury instruction but held that the ISP lost its safe harbor protection because it failed to implement a meaningful repeat infringer policy.</p>
<p>This week, the RIAA used the Fourth Circuit ruling as further evidence that Grande&#8217;s motion to dismiss should be denied. </p>
<p>The RIAA points out that both Cox and Grande used similar arguments in their defense, some of which were denied by the appeals court. The Fourth Circuit held, for example, that an ISP&#8217;s substantial non-infringing uses does not immunize it from liability for contributory copyright infringement.</p>
<p>In addition, the appeals court also clarified that if an ISP wilfully blinds itself to copyright infringements, that is sufficient to satisfy the knowledge requirement for contributory copyright infringement.</p>
<p>According to the RIAA&#8217;s filing at a Texas District Court this week, Grande has already admitted that it willingly &#8216;ignored&#8217; takedown notices that were submitted on behalf of third-party copyright holders.</p>
<p>&#8220;Grande has already admitted that it received notices from Rightscorp and, to use Grande’s own phrase, did not &#8216;meaningfully investigate&#8217; them,&#8221; the RIAA writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;Thus, even if this Court were to apply the Fourth Circuit’s &#8216;willful blindness&#8217; standard, the level of knowledge that Grande has effectively admitted exceeds the level of knowledge that the Fourth Circuit held was &#8216;powerful evidence&#8217; sufficient to establish liability for contributory infringement.&#8221;</p>
<p>As such, the motion to dismiss the case should be denied, the RIAA argues. </p>
<p>What&#8217;s not mentioned in the RIAA&#8217;s filing, however, is why Grande chose not to act upon these takedown notices. In its defense, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaas-piracy-claims-are-misleading-and-inaccurate-isp-says-170807/">the ISP previously explained</a> that Rightcorp&#8217;s notices lacked specificity and were incapable of detecting actual infringements.</p>
<p>Grande argued that if they acted on these notices without additional proof, its subscribers could lose their Internet access even though they are using it for legal purposes. The ISP may, therefore, counter that it wasn&#8217;t willfully blind, as it saw no solid proof for the alleged infringements to begin with. </p>
<p>“To merely treat these allegations as true without investigation would be a disservice to Grande’s subscribers, who would run the risk of having their Internet service permanently terminated despite using Grande’s services for completely legitimate purposes,” Grande previously wrote.</p>
<p>This brings up a tricky issue. The Fourth Circuit made it clear last week that ISPs require a meaningful policy against repeat infringers in respond to takedown notices from copyright holders. But what are the requirements for a proper takedown notice? Do any and all notices count?</p>
<p>Grande clearly has no faith in the accuracy of Rightscorp&#8217;s technology but if their case goes in the same direction as Cox&#8217;s, that might not make much of a difference.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of the RIAA&#8217;s summary of supplemental authority is available <a href="media/a912b459.riaa-grande.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/riaa-grande.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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xM3Q9urf4Z0:JuwM0TRhdkQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xM3Q9urf4Z0:JuwM0TRhdkQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=xM3Q9urf4Z0:JuwM0TRhdkQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/xM3Q9urf4Z0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151089
title: Man Handed Conditional Prison Sentence for Spreading Popcorn Time Information
uri: Man-Handed-Conditional-Prison-Sentence-for-Spreading-Popcorn-Time-Info
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zlZrJQ1o3Bs/
content:
<p><img src="media/ac12bf8c.popcornt.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/popcornt.png" width="237" height="106" class="alignright size-large">In August 2015, police in Denmark <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/police-arrest-men-for-spreading-popcorn-time-information-150819/">announced</a> they had arrested a man in his thirties said to be the operator of a Popcorn Time-focused website. Popcorntime.dk was subsequently shut down and its domain placed under the control of the state prosecutor.</p>
<p>“The Danish State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime is presently conducting a criminal investigation that involves this domain name,” a seizure notice on the site reads.</p>
<p>“As part of the investigation the state prosecutor has requested a Danish District Court to transfer the rights of the domain name to the state prosecutor. The District Court has complied with the request.”</p>
<p>In a circumstance like this, it&#8217;s common to conclude that the site was offering copyright-infringing content or software. That wasn&#8217;t the case though, not even close.</p>
<p>PopcornTime.dk was an information resource, offering news on Popcorn Time-related developments, guides, plus tips on how to use the software while staying anonymous.</p>
<p><center><strong>PopcornTime.dk as it appeared in 2015</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/b55ae501.popcorndk.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorndk.png" width="600" height="315" class="aligncenter size-large"></center></p>
<p>Importantly, PopcornTime.dk hosted no software, preferring to link to other sites where the application could be downloaded instead. That didn&#8217;t prevent an aggressive prosecution though and now, two-and-half years later, the verdict&#8217;s in and it&#8217;s bound to raise more than a few eyebrows.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, a court in Odense, Denmark, handed the now 39-year-old man behind PopcornTime.dk a six-month conditional prison sentence for spreading information about the controversial movie streaming service.</p>
<p>Senior prosecutor Dorte Køhler Frandsen from SØIK (State Attorney for Special Economic and International Crime), who was behind the criminal proceedings, described the successful prosecution as a first-of-its-kind moment for the entire region.</p>
<p>&#8220;Never before has a person been convicted of helping to spread streaming services. The judgment is therefore an important step in combating illegal streaming on the Internet and will reverberate throughout Europe,&#8221; Frandsen said.</p>
<p>According to a statement from the prosecutor, the 39-year-old earned 506,003 Danish Krone ($83,363) in advertising revenue from his website in 2015. In addition to forfeiting this amount and having his domain confiscated, the man will also be required to complete 120 hours of community service.</p>
<p>&#8220;The verdict is a clear signal to those who spread illegal pirate services. The film industry and others lose billions in revenue each year because criminals illegally offer films for free. It&#8217;s a loss for everyone. Also the consumer,&#8221; Frandsen added.</p>
<p>The convicted man now has two weeks to decide whether he will take his appeal to the Østre Landsret, one of Denmark&#8217;s two High Courts.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=zlZrJQ1o3Bs:B7B0eOAJFwY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=zlZrJQ1o3Bs:B7B0eOAJFwY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=zlZrJQ1o3Bs:B7B0eOAJFwY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/zlZrJQ1o3Bs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151064
title: Rightscorp Has a Massive Database of ‘Repeat Infringers’ to Pursue
uri: Rightscorp-Has-a-Massive-Database-of-Repeat-Infringers-to-Pursue
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/S_9gXYGRx_k/
content:
<p><img src="media/a585da8e.piratemusiccasset.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratemusiccasset.png" alt="" width="234" height="152" class="alignright size-full wp-image-135510">Last week the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that ISPs are required to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/appeals-court-throws-out-25-million-piracy-verdict-against-cox-doesnt-reinstate-safe-harbor-180201/">terminate &#8216;repeat infringers&#8217;</a> based on allegations from copyright holders alone, a topic that has been contested for years.</p>
<p>This means that copyright holders now have a bigger incentive to send takedown notices, as ISPs can&#8217;t easily ignore them. That&#8217;s music to the ears of the various piracy tracking companies, <a href="https://www.rightscorp.com/">Rightscorp</a> included.</p>
<p>The piracy monetization company always maintained that multiple complaints from copyright holders are enough to classify someone as a repeat infringer, without a court order, and the Fourth Circuit has now reached the same conclusion.</p>
<p>&#8220;After years of uncertainty on these issues, it is gratifying for the US Court of Appeals to proclaim the law on ISP liability for subscriber infringements to be essentially what Rightscorp has always said it is,” Rightscorp President Christopher Sabec says.</p>
<p>Rightscorp is pleased to see that the court shares its opinion since the verdict also provides new business opportunities. The company informs TorrentFreak that it&#8217;s ready to help copyright holders to hold ISPs responsible. </p>
<p>&#8220;Rightscorp has always stood with content holders who wish to protect their rights against ISPs that are not taking action against repeat infringers,&#8221; Sabec tells us. </p>
<p>&#8220;Now, with the law addressing ISP liability for subscriber infringements finally sharpened and clarified at the appellate level, we are ready to support all efforts by rights holders to compel ISPs to abide by their responsibilities under the DMCA.&#8221; </p>
<p>The piracy tracking company has a treasure trove of piracy data at its disposal to issue takedown requests or back lawsuits. Over the past five years, it amassed nearly a billion &#8220;records&#8221; of copyright infringements.</p>
<p>&#8220;Rightscorp’s data records include no less the 969,653,557 infringements over the last five years,&#8221; Sabec says. </p>
<p>This number includes a lot of repeat infringers, obviously. It&#8217;s made up of IP-addresses downloading the same file on several occasions and/or multiple files over time. </p>
<p>While it&#8217;s unlikely that account holders will be disconnected based on infringements that happened years ago, this type of historical data can be used in court cases. Rightscorp&#8217;s infringement notices are the basis of the legal action against Cox, and are being used as evidence in a separate <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-cox-ruling-shows-that-grande-can-be-liable-for-piracy-too-180207/">RIAA case</a> against ISP Grande communications as well. </p>
<p>Grande previously said that it refused to act on Rightcorp&#8217;s notices because it <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaas-piracy-claims-are-misleading-and-inaccurate-isp-says-170807/">doubts their accuracy</a>, but the tracking company contests this. That case is still ongoing and a final decision has yet to be reached. </p>
<p>For now, however, Rightcorp is marketing its hundreds of thousands of recorded copyright infringements as an opportunity for rightsholders. And for a company that can <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rightscorp-bleeds-another-million-borrows-200k-from-customer-bmg-170819/">use some extra cash</a> in hand, that&#8217;s good news.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=S_9gXYGRx_k:p4iAjvc44OQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=S_9gXYGRx_k:p4iAjvc44OQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=S_9gXYGRx_k:p4iAjvc44OQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/S_9gXYGRx_k" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151150
title: Pirate ‘Kodi’ Boxes & Infringing Streams Cost eBay Sellers Dearly
uri: Pirate-Kodi-Boxes-Infringing-Streams-Cost-eBay-Sellers-Dearly
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/nIMW1wbLpZk/
content:
<p><a href="media/43cda600.premierleague.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/premierleague.jpg"><img src="media/7be95e09.premierleague.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/premierleague.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="199" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116272"></a>Those on the look out for ready-configured pirate set-top boxes can drift around the web looking at hundreds of options or head off to the places most people know best &#8211; eBay and Facebook.</p>
<p>Known for its ease of use and broad range of content, eBay is often the go-to place for sellers looking to offload less than legitimate stock. Along with Facebook, it&#8217;s become one of the easiest places online to find so-called Kodi boxes.</p>
<p>While the Kodi software itself is entirely legal, millions of people have their boxes configured for piracy purposes and eBay and Facebook provide a buying platform for those who don&#8217;t want to do the work themselves.</p>
<p>Sellers generally operate with impunity but according to news from the Premier League and anti-piracy partners Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), that&#8217;s not always the case.</p>
<p>FACT reports that a supplier of ISDs (Illicit Streaming Devices) that came pre-loaded for viewing top-tier football without permission has agreed to pay the Premier League thousands of pounds.</p>
<p>Nayanesh Patel from Harrow, Middlesex, is said to have sold Kodi-type boxes on eBay and Facebook but got caught in the act. As a result he&#8217;s agreed to cough up £18,000, disable his website, remove all advertising, and cease future sales.</p>
<p>A second individual, who isn&#8217;t named, allegedly sold subscriptions to illegal streams of Premier League football via eBay. He too was tracked down and eventually agreed to pay £8,000 and cease all future streams sales.</p>
<p>“This case shows there are serious consequences for sellers of pre-loaded boxes and is a warning for anyone who thinks they might get away with this type of activity,&#8221; says Premier League Director of Legal Services, Kevin Plumb.</p>
<p>“The Premier League is currently engaged in a comprehensive copyright protection programme that includes targeting and taking action against sellers of pre-loaded devices, and any ISPs or hosts that facilitate the broadcast of pirated Premier League content.”</p>
<p>The number of individuals selling pirate set-top devices and IPTV-style subscription packages on eBay and social media has grown to epidemic proportions, so perhaps the biggest surprise is that there aren&#8217;t more cases like these. Importantly, however, these apparent settlement agreements are a step back from the criminal prosecutions we&#8217;ve seen in the past.</p>
<p>Previously, individuals under FACT&#8217;s spotlight have tended to be targeted by the police, with all the drawn-out misery that entails. While these cash settlements are fairly hefty, they appear to be in lieu of law enforcement involvement, not inconsiderable solicitors bills, and potential jail sentences. For a few unlucky sellers, this could prove the more attractive option.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=nIMW1wbLpZk:cw8rEEq1kgQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=nIMW1wbLpZk:cw8rEEq1kgQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=nIMW1wbLpZk:cw8rEEq1kgQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/nIMW1wbLpZk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151153
title: Chrome and Firefox Block 123movies Over “Harmful Programs”
uri: Chrome-and-Firefox-Block-123movies-Over-Harmful-Programs
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Pp3pZovHIyY/
content:
<p><img src="media/aaec4e10.123movieshub.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/123movieshub.png" alt="" width="275" height="130" class="alignright size-full wp-image-151159">With millions of visitors per day, 123movies(hub), also known as <a href="https://twitter.com/gomovieshd">Gomovies</a>, is one of the largest pirate streaming sites on the web. </p>
<p>Today, however, many visitors were welcomed by a dangerous-looking red banner instead of the usual homepage.</p>
<p>&#8220;The site ahead contains harmful programs,&#8221; Chrome warns its users. &#8220;Attackers on 123movieshub.to might attempt to trick you into installing programs that harm your browsing experience.&#8221; </p>
<p>It is not clear what the problem is in this particular case, but these type of notifications are often triggered by malicious or deceptive third-party advertising that has appeared on a site.</p>
<p><center><strong>Warning</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/f945550b.123movies-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/123movies-1.png" alt="" width="600" height="369" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-151160"></center></p>
<p>These warning messages <a href="https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search?url=https:%2F%2F123movieshub.to%2F&#038;hl=en-US">are triggered by</a> Google’s Safebrowsing algorithm which flags websites that pose a potential danger to visitors. Chrome, Firefox, and others use this service to prevent users from running into unwanted software.</p>
<p>In addition to the browser block, Google generally informs the site&#8217;s owners that their domain will be demoted in search results until the issue is resolved.</p>
<p>Google previously informed us that these kinds of warnings automatically disappear when the flagged sites no longer violate Google’s policy. This can take one or two days, but also longer.</p>
<p>This isn&#8217;t the first time that Google has flagged such a large website. Many pirate sites, including The Pirate Bay, have been affected by this issue in the past. </p>
<p>Chrome and Firefox users should be familiar with these intermittent warning notices be now. If users believe that an affected site is harmless they can always take steps (<a href="https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/99020?hl=en">Chrome</a>, <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-does-phishing-and-malware-protection-work#w_how-do-i-use-the-phishing-and-malware-protection-features">FF</a>) to bypass the blocks, but that&#8217;s completely at their own risk. </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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Pp3pZovHIyY:fIIyk8QaIsA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Pp3pZovHIyY:fIIyk8QaIsA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Pp3pZovHIyY:fIIyk8QaIsA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Pp3pZovHIyY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151109
title: MPA Met With Russian Site-Blocking Body to Discuss Piracy
uri: MPA-Met-With-Russian-Site-Blocking-Body-to-Discuss-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4dH5FmJU4uo/
content:
<p><a href="media/38f7671b.mpa.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mpa.jpg"><img src="media/32cbee81.mpa.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpa.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="117" class="alignright size-full wp-image-77324"></a>Given Russia&#8217;s historical reputation for having a weak approach to online piracy, the last few years stand in stark contrast to those that went before.</p>
<p>Overseen by telecoms watchdog Rozcomnadzor, Russia now has one of the toughest site-blocking regimes in the whole world. It&#8217;s possible to have entire sites blocked in a matter of days, potentially over a single piece of infringing content. For persistent offenders, permanent blocking is now a reality.</p>
<p>While that process requires the involvement of the courts, the subsequent blocking of mirror sites does not, with Russia <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/russia-blocks-500-pirate-sites-in-four-months-without-a-single-court-order-180204/">blocking more than 500</a> since a new law was passed in October 2017.</p>
<p>With anti-piracy measures now a force to be reckoned with in Russia, it&#8217;s emerged that last week Stan McCoy, president of the Motion Picture Association&#8217;s EMEA division, met with telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor in Moscow.</p>
<p>McCoy met with Rozcomnadzor chief Alexander Zharov last Friday, in a meeting that was also attended by Ekaterina Mironova, head of the anti-piracy committee of the Media Communication Union (ISS).</p>
<p>According to Rozcomnadzor, issues discussed included copyright-related legislation and regulation. Also on the agenda was the strengthening of international cooperation, including between public organizations representing the interests of rightholders.</p>
<p>&#8220;In particular, an agreement was reached to expand contacts between the MPAA and the ISS,&#8221; Rozcomnadzor notes.</p>
<p>The ISS (known locally as Media-Communication Union <a href="http://np-mks.com">MKC</a>) was founded by the largest Russian media companies and telecom operators in February 2014. It differentiates itself from other organizations with the claim that its the first group of its type to represent the interests of communications companies, rights holders, broadcasters and large distributors.</p>
<p>During the meeting, McCoy was given an update on Russia&#8217;s implementation of the various anti-piracy laws introduced and developed since May 2015.</p>
<p>&#8220;Since the introduction of the anti-piracy laws, Roskomnadzor has received more than 2,800 rulings from the Moscow City Court on the adoption of preliminary provisional [blocking] measures to protect copyright on the Internet, including 1,630 for movies,&#8221; the watchdog reveals.</p>
<p>&#8220;In connection with the deletion of pirated content, access to the territory of Russia was restricted for 1,547 Internet resources. Based on the decisions of the Moscow City Court, 752 pirated sites are now permanently blocked, and according to the decisions of the Ministry of Communications, more than 600 &#8216;mirrors&#8217; of these resources are blocked too.&#8221;</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s normally the position of the US to criticize Russia for not doing enough to tackle piracy, it must&#8217;ve been interesting to participate in a meeting where for once the Russians had the upper hand. Even though the MPAA previously campaigned for one, there is no site-blocking mechanism in the United States.</p>
<p>&#8220;The fight against piracy stimulates the growth of the legal online video market in Russia. Attendance of legal online sites is constantly growing. Users are attracted to high-quality content for an affordable fee,&#8221; Rozcomnadzor concludes.</p>
<p>The meeting&#8217;s participants will join up again during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum scheduled to take place May 24-26.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=4dH5FmJU4uo:goarnGGA7iY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=4dH5FmJU4uo:goarnGGA7iY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=4dH5FmJU4uo:goarnGGA7iY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/4dH5FmJU4uo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151126
title: Voksi Releases Detailed Denuvo-Cracking Video Tutorial
uri: Voksi-Releases-Detailed-Denuvo-Cracking-Video-Tutorial
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/cXkOeB3hrhw/
content:
<p><a href="media/05d838b7.denuvo.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/denuvo.jpg"><img src="media/fe5f698e.denuvo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/denuvo.jpg" alt="" width="210" height="109" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116067"></a>Earlier this week, version 4.9 of the Denuvo anti-tamper system, which had <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/assassins-creed-origin-drm-hammers-gamers-cpus-171030/">protected</a> Assassins Creed Origin for the past several months, was defeated by Italian cracking group CPY.</p>
<p>While Denuvo would probably paint four months of protection as a success, the company would certainly have preferred for things to have gone on a bit longer, not least following publisher Ubisoft&#8217;s decision to use VMProtect technology on top.</p>
<p>But while CPY do their thing in Italy there&#8217;s another rival whittling away at whatever the giants at Denuvo (and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/denuvo-has-been-sold-to-global-anti-piracy-outfit-irdeto-180123/">new owner Irdeto</a>) can come up with. The cracker &#8211; known only as Voksi &#8211; hails from Bulgaria and this week he took the unusual step of releasing a 90-minute video (embedded below) in which he details how to defeat Denuvo&#8217;s V4 anti-tamper technology.</p>
<p>The video is not for the faint-hearted so those with an aversion to issues of a highly technical nature might feel the urge to look away. However, it may surprise readers to learn that not so long ago, Voksi knew absolutely nothing about coding.</p>
<p>&#8220;You will find this very funny and unbelievable,&#8221; Voksi says, recalling the events of 2012.</p>
<p>&#8220;There was one game called <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/91600/Sanctum/">Sanctum</a> and on one free [play] weekend [on Steam], I and my best friend played through it and saw how great the cooperative action was. When the free weekend was over, we wanted to keep playing, but we didn&#8217;t have any money to buy the game.</p>
<p>&#8220;So, I started to look for alternative ways, LAN emulators, anything! Then I decided I need to crack it. That&#8217;s how I got into reverse engineering. I started watching some shitty YouTube videos with bad quality and doing some tutorials. Then I found about Steam exploits and that&#8217;s how I got into making <a href="https://partner.steamgames.com/">Steamworks</a> fixes, allowing cracked multiplayer between players.&#8221;</p>
<p>Voksi says his entire cracking career began with this one indie game and his desire to play it with his best friend. Prior to that, he had absolutely no experience at all. He says he&#8217;s taken no university courses or any course at all for that matter. Everything he knows has come from material he&#8217;s found online. But the intrigue doesn&#8217;t stop there.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t even know how to code properly in high-level language like C#, C++, etc. But I understand <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_language">assembly</a> [language] perfectly fine,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>For those who code, that&#8217;s generally a little bit back to front, with low-level languages usually posing the most difficulties. But Voksi says that with assembly, everything &#8220;just clicked.&#8221;</p>
<p>Of course, it&#8217;s been six years since the 21-year-old was first motivated to crack a game due to lack of funds. In the more than half decade since, have his motivations changed at all? Is it the thrill of solving the puzzle or are there other factors at play?</p>
<p>&#8220;I just developed an urge to provide paid stuff for free for people who can&#8217;t afford it and specifically, co-op and multiplayer cracks. Of course, i&#8217;m not saying don&#8217;t support the developers if you have the money and like the game. You should do that,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The challenge of cracking also motivates me, especially with an abomination like Denuvo. It is pure cancer for the gaming industry, it doesn&#8217;t help and it only causes issues for the paying customers.&#8221;</p>
<p>Those who follow Voksi online will know that as well as being known in his own right, he&#8217;s part of the REVOLT group, a collective that has Voksi&#8217;s core interests and goals as their own.</p>
<p>&#8220;REVOLT started as a group with one and only goal &#8211; to provide multiplayer support for cracked games. No other group was doing it until that day. It was founded by several members, from which I&#8217;m currently the only one active, still releasing cracks.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our great achievements are in first place, of course, cracking Denuvo V4, making us one of the four groups/people who were able to break the protection. In second place are our online fixes for several AAA games, allowing you to play on legit servers with legit players. In third place, our ordinary Steamworks fixes allowing you to play multiplayer between cracked users.&#8221;</p>
<p>In communities like /r/crackwatch on Reddit and those less accessible, Voksi and others doing similar work are often held up as Internet heroes, cracking games in order to give the masses access to something that might&#8217;ve been otherwise inaccessible. But how does this fame sit with him?</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, I don&#8217;t see myself as a hero, just another ordinary person doing what he loves. I love seeing people happy because of my work, that&#8217;s also a big motivation, but nothing more than that,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>Finally, what&#8217;s up next for Voksi and what are his hopes for the rest of the year?</p>
<p>&#8220;In an ideal world, Denuvo would die. As for me, I don&#8217;t know, time will tell,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ka_PudOvWpI" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cXkOeB3hrhw:knQMUDzYNxA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cXkOeB3hrhw:knQMUDzYNxA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=cXkOeB3hrhw:knQMUDzYNxA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/cXkOeB3hrhw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150899
title: Cloudflare Hit With Piracy Lawsuit After Abuse Form ‘Fails’
uri: Cloudflare-Hit-With-Piracy-Lawsuit-After-Abuse-Form-Fails
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/AjsIRZdreTA/
content:
<p><img src="media/15e52c12.deletemini.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/deletemini.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="168" class="alignright size-full wp-image-150938">Seattle-based artist <a href="http://www.bigappetites.net/">Christopher Boffoli</a> is no stranger when it comes to suing tech companies for aiding copyright infringement of his work.</p>
<p>Boffoli has filed lawsuits against Imgur, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, and others, which were dismissed and/or settled out of court under undisclosed terms. </p>
<p>This month he filed a new case against another intermediary, Cloudflare, which has had its fair share of piracy allegations in recent years.</p>
<p>In common with other companies, Cloudflare is accused of contributing to copyright infringements of Boffoli&#8217;s &#8220;Big Appetites&#8221; miniatures series. In this case, several Cloudflare customers allegedly posted these photos on their sites which were then reproduced on the servers of the CDN provider.</p>
<p>The lawsuit mentions that the infringing copies were posted on unique-landscape.com and baklol.com. This was also pointed out to Cloudflare by Boffoli, who sent the company DMCA takedown notices in October and November of last year.</p>
<p>While the photographer received an automated response, the photos in question remained online. Through the lawsuit, Boffoli hopes this will change. </p>
<p>&#8220;CloudFlare induced, caused, or materially contributed to the Infringing Websites’ publication,&#8221; the complaint reads. &#8220;CloudFlare had actual knowledge of the Infringing Content. Boffoli provided notice to CloudFlare in compliance with the DMCA, and CloudFlare failed to disable access to or remove the Infringing Websites.&#8221;</p>
<p>The photographer is asking the court to order an injunction preventing Cloudflare from making his work available. In addition, the complaint asks for actual and statutory damages for willful copyright infringement. With at least four photos in the lawsuit, the potential damages are more than half a million dollars.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s not mentioned in the complaint, the email communication between Boffoli and Cloudflare goes further than just an automated response. Court records show that the photographer initially didn&#8217;t ask Cloudflare to remove the infringing photos. Instead, he asked the CDN provider to forward them to the ISP or site owner.</p>
<p>&#8220;I would be grateful if you would forward this DMCA takedown request to the website owner and ISP so these infringing links can immediately be removed,&#8221; it read. </p>
<p><center><strong>Part of the email communication</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/96a368c2.cloudmailbof-1-e1517834575284.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cloudmailbof-1-e1517834575284.png" alt="" width="600" height="614" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150946"></center> </p>
<p>From then on things escalated a bit. The emails reveal that Boffoli had trouble reporting the infringing photos through the required form.</p>
<p>When the photographer pointed this out in a direct email, Cloudflare urged him to try the form again as that was the only way to send the DMCA request to the designated copyright agent. </p>
<p>&#8220;The DMCA doesn&#8217;t require us to process reports not sent to our registered agent as per our registration with the US Copyright Office. Our registered copyright agent is the form located at cloudflare.com/abuse/form and you may proceed via that avenue,&#8221; Cloudflare wrote.</p>
<p>If the case moves forward, Cloudflare may use this to argue that it never received a proper DMCA takedown notice. However, Boffoli wasn&#8217;t planning on trying again and instead threatened a lawsuit, unless Cloudflare took immediate action.</p>
<p>&#8220;As I have said, your form did not work for me despite repeated attempts to use it. And it is insulting for you to suggest that it&#8217;s working fine when it is not. So again, this is absolutely my last attempt to get you to respond to this infringement for which you are impeding the removal,&#8221; Boffoli wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you take no action now I will forward this to my legal team this week. It is more than enough of a burden to have to waste countless hours policing my own copyrights without organizations like Cloudflare running interference for copyright infringers. I am not averse to asking a federal judge to compel you to deal with these copyright infringements. And I will seek statutory damages for contributory infringement at that time.&#8221;</p>
<p>As it turns out, that was not an idle threat. </p>
<p><em>&#8212;-</p>
<p>A copy of the complaint is available <a href="media/2f6a031e.boffolicloud.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/boffolicloud.pdf">here (pdf)</a> and the email exhibits can be found <a href="media/d4a92994.emailsbogclo.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/emailsbogclo.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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AjsIRZdreTA:L1D-hTm96aU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AjsIRZdreTA:L1D-hTm96aU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=AjsIRZdreTA:L1D-hTm96aU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/AjsIRZdreTA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151102
title: Comcast Explains How It Deals With Persistent Pirates
uri: Comcast-Explains-How-It-Deals-With-Persistent-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/N8Ud1YYRAoA/
content:
<p><img src="media/e278f072.comcast-new.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/comcast-new.png" alt="" width="200" height="110" class="alignright size-full wp-image-105673">Dating back to the turn of the last century, copyright holders have alerted Internet providers about alleged copyright infringers on their network.</p>
<p>While many ISPs forwarded these notices to their subscribers, most were not very forthcoming about what would happen after multiple accusations. </p>
<p>This vagueness was in part shaped by law. While it’s clear that the DMCA requires Internet providers to implement a meaningful “repeat infringer” policy, the DMCA doesn&#8217;t set any clear boundaries on what constitutes a repeat infringer and when one should be punished.</p>
<p>With the recent Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/appeals-court-throws-out-25-million-piracy-verdict-against-cox-doesnt-reinstate-safe-harbor-180201/">ruling against Cox</a>, it is now clear that &#8220;infringers&#8221; doesn&#8217;t imply people who are adjudicated, valid accusations from copyright holders are enough. However, an ISP still has some flexibility when it comes to the rest of its &#8220;repeat infringer&#8221; policy. </p>
<p>In this light, it&#8217;s interesting to see that Comcast recently published details of its repeat infringer policy online. While the ISP has previously confirmed that persistent pirates could be terminated, it has never publicly spelled out its policy in such detail. </p>
<p>First up, Comcast clarifies that subscribers to its Xfinity service can be flagged based on reports from rightsholders alone, which is in line with the Fourth Circuit ruling.</p>
<p>&#8220;Any infringement of third party copyright rights violates the law. We reserve the right to treat any customer account for whom we receive multiple DMCA notifications from content owners as a repeat infringer,&#8221; the company notes.</p>
<p>If Comcast receives multiple notices in a calendar month, the associated subscriber moves from one policy step to the next one. This means that the ISP will issue warnings with increased visibility.</p>
<p>These alerts can come in the form of emails, letters to a home address, text messages, phone calls, and also alerts sent to the subscriber&#8217;s web browser. The alerts then have to be acknowledged by the user, so it clear that he or she understands what&#8217;s at stake.</p>
<p><center><strong>From Comcast&#8217;s repeat infringer policy</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/5aacc045.comcastrepeat.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/comcastrepeat.png" alt="" width="600" height="271" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-151112"></center></p>
<p>Comcast doesn&#8217;t state specifically how many alerts will trigger tougher action, but it stresses that repeat infringers risk having their accounts suspended. As a result, all devices that rely on Internet access will be interrupted or stop working.</p>
<p>&#8220;If your XFINITY Internet account is suspended, you will have no Internet access or service during suspension. This means any services and devices that use the Internet will not properly work or will not work at all,&#8221; Comcast states.</p>
<p>The suspension is applied as a last warning before the lights go out completely. Subscribers who reach this stage can still reinstate their Internet connectivity by calling Comcast. It&#8217;s unclear whether they have to take any additional action, but it could be that these subscribers have to &#8216;promise&#8217; to behave.</p>
<p>After this last warning, the subscriber risks the most severe penalty, account termination. This is not limited to regular access to the web, but also affects XFINITY TV, XFINITY Voice, and XFINITY Home, including smart thermostats and home security equipment.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you reach the point of service termination, we will terminate your XFINITY Internet service and related add-ons. Unreturned equipment charges will still apply. If you also have XFINITY TV and/or XFINITY Voice services, they will also be terminated,&#8221; Comcast warns.</p>
<p>Comcast doesn&#8217;t specify how long the Internet termination lasts but the company states that it&#8217;s typically no less than 180 days. This means that terminated subscribers will need to find an Internet subscription elsewhere if one&#8217;s available.</p>
<p>The good news is that other XFINITY services can be restored after termination, without Internet access. Subscribers will have to contact Comcast to request a quote for an Internet-less package.</p>
<p>While this policy may sound harsh to some, Comcast has few other options if it wants to avoid liability. The good news is that the company requires users to acknowledge the warnings, which means that any measures shouldn&#8217;t come as a surprise. </p>
<p>There is no mention of any option to contest any copyright holder notices, which may become an issue in the future. After all, when copyright holders have the power to have people&#8217;s Internet connections terminated, their accusations have to be spot on.</p>
<p>&#8212;<br>
<em><br>
Comcast&#8217;s <a href="https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/comcast-dmca-compliance-policy">repeat infringer policy is available here</a> and was, according to the information we have available, quietly published around December last year.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=N8Ud1YYRAoA:wmyksN31AnM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=N8Ud1YYRAoA:wmyksN31AnM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=N8Ud1YYRAoA:wmyksN31AnM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/N8Ud1YYRAoA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151059
title: The Early Days of Mass Internet Piracy Were Awesome Yet Awful
uri: The-Early-Days-of-Mass-Internet-Piracy-Were-Awesome-Yet-Awful
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zdna-dOreQA/
content:
<p><a href="media/a035d672.piratkeyb-e1476968827887.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/piratkeyb-e1476968827887.png"><img src="media/0a6858fb.piratkeyb-e1476968827887.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratkeyb-e1476968827887.png" alt="" width="222" height="157" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108110"></a>While Napster certainly put the digital cats among the pigeons in 1999, the organized chaos of mass Internet file-sharing couldn&#8217;t be truly appreciated until the advent of decentralized P2P networks a year or so later.</p>
<p>In the blink of an eye, everyone with a &#8220;shared folder&#8221; client became both a consumer and publisher, sucking in files from strangers and sharing them with like-minded individuals all around the planet. While today&#8217;s piracy narrative is all about theft and danger, in the early 2000s the sharing community felt more like distant friends who hadn&#8217;t met, quietly trading cards together.</p>
<p>Satisfying to millions, those who really engaged found shared folder sharing a real adrenaline buzz, as English comedian Seann Walsh noted on Conan this week.</p>
<p>&#8220;Click. 20th Century Fox comes up. No pixels. No shaky cam. No silhouettes of heads at the bottom of the screen, people coming in five minutes late. None of that,&#8221; Walsh said, recalling his experience of downloading X-Men 2 (X2) from LimeWire.</p>
<p>&#8220;We thought: &#8216;We&#8217;ve done it!!&#8217; This was incredible! We were going to have to go to the cinema. We weren&#8217;t going to have to wait for the film to come out on video. We weren&#8217;t going to have to WALK to blockbuster!&#8221;</p>
<p>But while the nostalgia has an air of magic about it, Walsh&#8217;s take on the piracy experience is bittersweet. While obtaining X2 without having to trudge to a video store was a revelation, there were plenty of drawbacks too.</p>
<p>Downloading the pirate copy took a week, which pre-BitTorrent wasn&#8217;t a completely bad result but still a considerable commitment. There were also serious problems with quality control.</p>
<p>&#8220;20th Century fades, X Men 2 comes up. We&#8217;ve done it! We&#8217;re not taking it for granted &#8211; we&#8217;re actually hugging. Yes! Yes! We&#8217;ve done it! This is the future! We look at the screen, Wolverine turns round&#8230;,&#8221; &#8230;..and Walsh launches into a broadside of pseudo-German babble, mimicking the unexpectedly-dubbed superhero.</p>
<p>After a week of downloading and getting a quality picture on launch, that is a punch in the gut, to say the least. Arguably no less than a pirate deserves, some will argue, but a fat lip nonetheless, and one many a pirate has suffered over the years. Nevertheless, as Walsh notes, it&#8217;s a pain that kids in 2018 simply cannot comprehend.</p>
<p>&#8220;Children today are living the childhood I dreamed of. If they want to hear a song &#8211; touch &#8211; they stream it. They&#8217;ve got it now. Bang. Instantly. They don&#8217;t know the pain of LimeWire. </p>
<p>&#8220;Start downloading a song, go to school, come back. HOPE that it&#8217;d finished! That download bar messing with you. Four minutes left&#8230;..nine HOURS and 28 minutes left? Thirty seconds left&#8230;..52 hours and 38 minutes left? JUST TELL ME THE TRUTH!!!!!&#8221; Walsh pleaded.</p>
<p>While this might sound comical now, this was the reality of people downloading from clients such as LimeWire and Kazaa. While X2 in German would&#8217;ve been torture for a non-German speaker, the misery of watching an English language copy of 28 Days Later somehow crammed into a 30Mb file is right up there too.</p>
<p>Mislabeled music with microscopic bitrates? That was pretty much standard.</p>
<p>But against the odds, these frankly second-rate experiences still managed to capture the hearts and minds of the digitally minded. People were prepared to put up with nonsense and regular disappointment in order to consume content in a way fit for the 21st century. Yet somehow the combined might of the entertainment industries couldn’t come up with anything substantially better for a number of years.</p>
<p>Of course, broadband availability and penetration played its part but looking back, something could have been done. Not only didn&#8217;t the Internet&#8217;s popularity come as a surprise, people’s expectations were dramatically lower than they are today too. In any event, beating the pirates should have been child’s play. After all, it was just regular people sharing files in a Windows folder.</p>
<p>Any fool could do it – and millions did. Surprisingly, they have proven unstoppable.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OYA2IXb3Leo" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=zdna-dOreQA:GLlh66v8olI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=zdna-dOreQA:GLlh66v8olI:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=zdna-dOreQA:GLlh66v8olI:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/zdna-dOreQA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=150045
title: US Online Piracy Lawsuits Skyrocket in the New Year
uri: US-Online-Piracy-Lawsuits-Skyrocket-in-the-New-Year
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qg10TIUCcNI/
content:
<p><img src="media/17a592c8.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108977">Since the turn of the last decade, numerous people have been sued for illegal file-sharing in US courts. </p>
<p>Initially, these lawsuits targeted hundreds or thousands of BitTorrent users per case, but this practice has been rooted out since. Now, most file-sharing cases target a single person, up to a dozen or two at most. </p>
<p>While there may be fewer defendants, there are still plenty of lawsuits filed every month. These generally come from a small group of companies, regularly referred to as &#8220;copyright trolls,&#8221; who are looking to settle with the alleged pirates. </p>
<p>According to <a href="https://lexmachina.com/lex-machina-q4-litigation-update/">Lex Machina</a>, there were 1,019 file-sharing cases filed in the United States last year, which is an average of 85 per month. More than half of these came from adult entertainment outfit Malibu Media (X-Art), which alone was good for 550 lawsuits.</p>
<p>While those are decent numbers, they could easily be shattered this year. Data collected by TorrentFreak shows that during the first month of 2018, three copyright holders filed a total of 286 lawsuits against alleged pirates. That&#8217;s three times more than the monthly average for 2017.</p>
<p><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/adult-movie-outfit-is-most-litigious-copyright-plaintiff-in-u-s-150812/">As expected</a>, Malibu Media takes the crown with 138 lawsuits, but not by a large margin. Strike 3 Holdings, which distributes its adult videos via the Blacked, Tushy, and Vixen websites, comes in second place with 133 cases. </p>
<p><center><strong>Some Malibu Media cases</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/caedd133.malibucases.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/malibucases.png" alt="" width="600" height="433" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-150820"></center></p>
<p>While Strike 3 Holdings is a relative newcomer, their cases follow a similar pattern. There are also clear links to Malibu Media, as one of the company&#8217;s <a href="https://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/tag/emilie-kennedy/">former lawyers</a>, Emilie Kennedy, now works as in-house counsel at Strike 3.</p>
<p>The only non-adult copyright holder that filed cases against alleged BitTorrent pirates was Bodyguard Productions. The company filed 15 cases against downloaders of The Hitman&#8217;s Bodyguard, totaling a few dozen defendants.</p>
<p>While these numbers are significant, it&#8217;s hard to predict whether the increase will persist. Lawsuits targeted at BitTorrent users often come in waves, and the same companies that flooded the courts with cases last month could easily take a break the next.</p>
<p>While copyright holders have every right to go after people who share their work without permission, these type of cases are not without controversy.</p>
<p>Several judges have referred used strong terms including &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/judge-slams-copyright-trolls-harassment-tactics-in-piracy-case-150915/">harassment</a>,&#8221; to describe some of the tactics that are used, and the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/judge-issues-devastating-order-bittorrent-copyright-troll-180110/">IP-address evidence</a> is not always trusted either. </p>
<p>That said, there&#8217;s no evidence that Malibu Media and others are done 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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=qg10TIUCcNI:RIuNZmaTfQ8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=qg10TIUCcNI:RIuNZmaTfQ8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=qg10TIUCcNI:RIuNZmaTfQ8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/qg10TIUCcNI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151194
title: Kim Dotcom Begins New Fight to Avoid Extradition to United States
uri: Kim-Dotcom-Begins-New-Fight-to-Avoid-Extradition-to-United-States
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/UTD6e824fYI/
content:
<p><img src="media/66633aca.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg" width="233" height="170" class="alignright size-large">More than six years ago in January 2012, file-hosting site Megaupload was shut down by the United States government and founder Kim Dotcom and his associates were arrested in New Zealand.</p>
<p>What followed was an epic legal battle to extradite Dotcom, Mathias Ortmann, Finn Batato, and Bram van der Kolk to the United States to face several counts including copyright infringement, racketeering, and money laundering. Dotcom has battled the US government every inch of the way.</p>
<p>The most significant matters include the validity of the search warrants used to raid Dotcom&#8217;s Coatesville home on January 20, 2012. Despite a prolonged trip through the legal system, in 2014 the Supreme Court dismissed Dotcom’s appeals that the search warrants weren’t valid.</p>
<p>In 2015, the District Court later <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-can-be-extradited-to-the-united-states-judge-rules-151223/">ruled</a> that Dotcom and his associates are eligible for extradition. A subsequent appeal to the High Court <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-extradition-to-go-ahead-but-not-on-copyright-grounds-170220/">failed</a> when in February 2017 &#8211; and despite a finding that communicating copyright-protected works to the public is not a criminal offense in New Zealand &#8211; a judge also ruled in favor.</p>
<p>Of course, Dotcom and his associates immediately filed appeals and today in the Court of Appeal in Wellington, their hearing got underway.</p>
<p>Lawyer Grant Illingworth, representing Van der Kolk and Ortmann, told the Court that the case had &#8220;gone off the rails&#8221; during the initial 10-week extradition hearing in 2015, arguing that the case had merited &#8220;meaningful&#8221; consideration by a judge, something which failed to happen.</p>
<p>&#8220;It all went wrong. It went absolutely, totally wrong,&#8221; Mr. Illingworth <a href="http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/5221966/kim-dotcoms-extradition-appeal-begins/?cs=5">said</a>. &#8220;We were not heard.&#8221;</p>
<p>As expected, Illingworth underlined the belief that under New Zealand law, a person may only be extradited for an offense that could be tried in a criminal court locally. His clients&#8217; cases do not meet that standard, the lawyer argued.</p>
<p>Turning back the clocks more than six years, Illingworth again raised the thorny issue of the warrants used to authorize the raids on the Megaupload defendants.</p>
<p>It had previously been established that New Zealand&#8217;s GCSB intelligence service had illegally spied on Dotcom and his associates in the lead up to their arrests. However, that fact was not disclosed to the District Court judge who authorized the raids.</p>
<p>&#8220;We say that there was misleading conduct at this stage because there was no reference to the fact that information had been gathered illegally by the GCSB,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.rappler.com/technology/news/195832-kim-dotcom-megaupload-judge-misled-arrest-warrant">said</a>.</p>
<p>But according to Justice Forrest Miller, even if this defense argument holds up the High Court had already found there was a prima facie case to answer &#8220;with bells on&#8221;.</p>
<p>&#8220;The difficulty that you face here ultimately is whether the judicial process that has been followed in both of the courts below was meaningful, to use the Canadian standard,&#8221; Justice Miller <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&#038;objectid=11992806">said</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re going to have to persuade us that what Justice Gilbert [in the High Court] ended up with, even assuming your interpretation of the legislation is correct, was wrong.&#8221;</p>
<p>Although the US seeks to extradite Dotcom and his associates on 13 charges, including racketeering, copyright infringement, money laundering and wire fraud, the Court of Appeal previously confirmed that extradition could be granted based on just some of the charges.</p>
<p>The stakes couldn&#8217;t be much higher. The FBI says that the &#8220;Megaupload Conspiracy&#8221; earned the quartet $175m and if extradited to the US, they could face decades in jail.</p>
<p>While Dotcom was not in court today, he has been active on Twitter.</p>
<p>&#8220;The court process went ‘off the rails’ when the only copyright expert Judge in NZ was >removed< from my case and replaced by a non-tech Judge who asked if Mega was ‘cow storage’. He then simply copy/pasted 85% of the US submissions into his judgment," Dotcom <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/962851291666853888">wrote</a>.</p>
<p>Dotcom also appeared to question the suitability of judges at both the High Court and Court of Appeal for the task in hand.</p>
<p>&#8220;Justice Miller and Justice Gilbert (he wrote that High Court judgment) were business partners at the law firm Chapman Tripp which represents the Hollywood Studios in my case. Both Judges are now at the Court of Appeal. Gilbert was promoted shortly after ruling against me,&#8221; Dotcom added.</p>
<p>Dotcom is currently <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-sues-government-for-billions-over-erroneous-arrest-180121/">suing the New Zealand government</a> for billions of dollars in damages over the warrant which triggered his arrest and the demise of Megaupload.</p>
<p>The hearing is expected to last up to two-and-a-half weeks.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=UTD6e824fYI:AZVFHrhFsOI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=UTD6e824fYI:AZVFHrhFsOI:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=UTD6e824fYI:AZVFHrhFsOI:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/UTD6e824fYI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151199
title: Hosting Provider Steadfast Maintains DMCA Safe Harbor Defense For Trial
uri: Hosting-Provider-Steadfast-Maintains-DMCA-Safe-Harbor-Defense-For-Tria
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ZthE2LrAclw/
content:
<p><img src="media/b048ffdf.steadfast.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/steadfast.png" alt="" width="250" height="115" class="alignright size-full wp-image-134700">Two years ago, adult entertainment publisher ALS Scan dragged several third-party Internet services to court. </p>
<p>The company <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cloudflare-faces-lawsuit-for-assisting-pirate-sites-160823/">targeted</a> several companies including CDN provider CloudFlare and the Chicago-based hosting company <a href="https://www.steadfast.net/">Steadfast</a>, accusing them of copyright infringement because they offered services to pirate sites.</p>
<p>The case against Steadfast is getting close to trial and to start with an advantage, ALS Scan recently asked the court for partial summary judgment, determining that the hosting company contributed to copyright infringement and that it has no safe harbor protection. </p>
<p>ALS argued that Steadfast refused to shut down the servers of the image sharing platform Imagebam.com, which was operated by its client Flixya. ALS Scan described the site as a repeat offender, as it had been targeted with dozens of DMCA notices, and accused Steadfast of turning a blind eye to the situation.</p>
<p>Steadfast, for its part, fiercely denied the allegations. The hosting provider admitted that it leased servers to Flixya for ten years but said that it forwarded all notices to its client. The hosting company could not address individual infringements, other than shutting down the entire site, which would have been disproportionate in their view.</p>
<p>A few days ago California District Court Judge George Wu ruled on the matter, denying ALS&#8217;s motion for summary judgment. </p>
<p>Both sides made sensible arguments on the contributory infringement issue, but it is by no means undisputed that the hosting provider &#8216;contributed&#8217; to the infringing activities. The court, therefore, left this question open for the jury to determine at trial.</p>
<p>&#8220;Ultimately, both sides have raised triable issues of fact with respect to material contribution. As a result, the Court would deny Plaintiff’s Motion,&#8221; Judge Wu writes.</p>
<p>ALS also sought summary judgment on the DMCA safe harbor protection issue, but the court denied this request as well. While it’s clear that the hosting company never terminated a customer for repeat infringements, it’s not clear whether it was ever in a situation where it needed to.</p>
<p>The DMCA requires Internet services to implement a meaningful repeat infringer policy, but in this case, Steadfast&#8217;s client Imagebam reportedly had a takedown policy of its own, which complicates the issue.</p>
<p>&#8220;While the fact Steadfast has never terminated one of its own customers for infringement is potentially damaging to its ability to fit the safe harbor, Plaintiff has not established that Steadfast faced a situation requiring it to terminate one of its users,&#8221; Judge Wu writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;Even in the present case it is unclear that Steadfast needed to terminate Flixya’s account given Flixya itself had a policy that was arguably successful at removing infringing images from imagebam.com.&#8221;</p>
<p>Judge Wu adds that safe harbor defenses are generally left to the jury, and this is what he decided as well. </p>
<p>As a result, ALS&#8217;s entire motion for summary judgment is denied. This is good news for Steadfast, who will have their safe harbor defense available at the upcoming trial. However, they will likely celebrate this win with caution, as the jury makes its ultimate decision.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of the court&#8217;s order is available <a href="media/de66f285.alsstead.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/alsstead.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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ZthE2LrAclw:rkCgGwZZlro:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ZthE2LrAclw:rkCgGwZZlro:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=ZthE2LrAclw:rkCgGwZZlro:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/ZthE2LrAclw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151206
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 02/12/18
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-02-12-18
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/uGqbxmvnEhQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/819338de.coco.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/coco.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-151208" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/coco.jpg 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/coco-220x130.jpg 220w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px">This week we have three newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Coco is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<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-pirated-movies-week-bittorrent-020518/">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>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307/">Coco</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307/">8.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga6RYejo6Hk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">Thor Ragnarok</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue80QwXMRHg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5657846/">Daddy&#8217;s Home 2</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5657846/">6.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyW_EX7iRW0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/">The Shape of Water</a> (DVDScr)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lFbcsmrWTg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402236/">Murder on The Orient Express</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402236/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z68frP9Q7XA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2283362/">Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle </a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2283362/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QKg5SZ_35I">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974015/">Justice League</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974015/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-DM9uBtVI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/">Blade Runner 2049 </a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/">8.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCcx85zbxz4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5001754/">Braven</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5001754/">5.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOwIQNA9A8I">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2548396/">The Cloverfield Paradox</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2548396/">5.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8brYvhEg5Aw">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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=uGqbxmvnEhQ:EaJ5Fw9gpYg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=uGqbxmvnEhQ:EaJ5Fw9gpYg:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=uGqbxmvnEhQ:EaJ5Fw9gpYg:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/uGqbxmvnEhQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151260
title: Pirate Site Blockades Enter Germany With Kinox.to as First Target
uri: Pirate-Site-Blockades-Enter-Germany-With-Kinox-to-as-First-Target
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/guMcDaPg6Cw/
content:
<p><img src="media/eef2e773.kinoxto.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kinoxto.png" alt="" width="287" height="85" class="alignright size-full wp-image-151275">Website blocking has become one of the leading anti-piracy mechanisms of recent years. </p>
<p>It is particularly prevalent across Europe, where thousands of sites are blocked by ISPs following court orders.</p>
<p>This week, these blocking efforts also reached Germany. Following a provisional injunction issued by the federal court in Munich, Internet provider Vodafone must block access to the popular streaming portal <a href="https://kinox.to/">Kinox.to</a>.</p>
<p>The injunction was issued on behalf of the German film production and distribution company Constantin Film. The company complained that Kinox facilitates copyright infringement and cited a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/what-now-for-pirate-boxes-streaming-following-the-ecj-ruling-170429/">recent order</a> from the European Court of Justice in its defense, <a href="https://www.golem.de/news/europaeischer-gerichtshof-streaming-aus-illegalen-quellen-ist-rechtswidrig-1704-127504.html">Golem</a> reports.</p>
<p>While these types of blockades are common in Europe, they&#8217;re a new sight in Germany. Vodafone users who attempt to access the Kinox site will now be welcomed with a <a href="https://www.vodafone.de/webblock.html">blocking notification</a> instead.</p>
<p>&#8220;This portal is temporarily unavailable due to a copyright claim,&#8221; it reads, translated from German.</p>
<p><center><strong>Blocked</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/b2750d3b.vodablock.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/vodablock.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="223" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-151265"></center></p>
<p>The Kinox streaming site has been a thorn in the side of German authorities and copyright holders for a long time. Last year, one of the site&#8217;s admins was detained in Kosovo after a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kinox-movie4k-admin-detained-in-kosovo-after-three-year-manhunt-170912/">three-year manhunt</a>, but despite these and other actions, the site remains online.</p>
<p>With the blocking efforts, Constantin Film hopes to make it harder for people to access the site, although this measure is also limited. </p>
<p>For now, it seems to be a simple DNS blockade, which means that people can bypass it relatively easily by switching to a free alternative DNS provider such as <a href="https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/">Google DNS</a> or <a href="https://www.oisndns.com/">OpenDNS</a>.</p>
<p>And there are other workarounds as well, as operators of Kinox point out in a message on their homepage.</p>
<p>&#8220;Vodafone User: Use the public Google DNS server: 8.8.8.8, that goes the .TO domain again! Otherwise, a VPN or the free Tor Browser can be used!&#8221; they write. </p>
<p>While the measure may not be foolproof, the current order is certainly significant. Previously, all German courts have denied similar blocking orders based on different arguments. This means that <a href="https://tarnkappe.info/kinox-fuer-vodafone-kabelkunden-gesperrt/">more blocking efforts</a> may be on the horizon.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=guMcDaPg6Cw:hWFJE2zqGI8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=guMcDaPg6Cw:hWFJE2zqGI8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=guMcDaPg6Cw:hWFJE2zqGI8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/guMcDaPg6Cw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151250
title: Pirate Streaming Search Engine Exploits Crunchyroll Vulnerability
uri: Pirate-Streaming-Search-Engine-Exploits-Crunchyroll-Vulnerability
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/apQyVewi4dI/
content:
<p><img src="media/456bc849.crunchyroll.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/crunchyroll.png" alt="" width="300" height="129" class="alignright size-full wp-image-151254">With 20 million members around the world, <a href="https://www.crunchyroll.com">Crunchyroll</a> is one of the largest on-demand streaming platforms for anime and manga content.</p>
<p>Much like Hollywood, the site has competition from pirate streaming sites which offer their content without permission. These usually stream pirated videos which are hosted on external sites.</p>
<p>However, this week Crunchyroll is facing a more direct attack. The people behind the new streaming meta-search engine <a href="https://search.stream.cr/">StreamCR</a> say they&#8217;ve found a way to stream the site&#8217;s content from its own servers, without paying.</p>
<p>&#8220;This works due to a vulnerability in the Crunchyroll system,&#8221; StreamCR&#8217;s operators tell TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>Simply put, StreamCR uses an active Crunchyroll account to locate the video streams and embeds this on its own website. This allows people to access Crunchyroll videos in the best quality without paying. </p>
<p>&#8220;This gives access to the full library in the region of our server, retrieving it as long as we&#8217;re not bound by the regular regional restriction. For this, we pick a US server as American Crunchyroll has the most library of content.</p>
<p><center><strong>Stream in various qualities</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/3497702c.dragonstreamcrunch.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dragonstreamcrunch.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="334" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-151285"></center></p>
<p>The exploit was developed in-house, the StreamCR team informs us. While it works fine at the moment the team realizes that this may not last forever, as Crunchyroll might eventually patch the vulnerability. </p>
<p>However, the meta-search engine will have made its point by then. </p>
<p>&#8220;We expect them to fix this, Why wouldn&#8217;t they? In the meantime, this can demonstrate how vulnerable Crunchyroll is at the moment,&#8221; they tell us.</p>
<p>The site&#8217;s ultimate plan is to become the go-to search engine for people looking to stream all kinds of pirated videos. In addition to Crunchyroll, StreamCR also indexes various pirate sites, including YesMovies, Gomovies, and 9anime.</p>
<p>&#8220;StreamCR&#8217;s goal is to let people access streams with ease from a universal site, we&#8217;re trying to have a Google-like experience for finding online streams,&#8221; they say. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to Crunchyroll asking for a comment on the issue, but at the time of publication, we have yet to hear back.</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=apQyVewi4dI:xqmwNJkc7N0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=apQyVewi4dI:xqmwNJkc7N0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=apQyVewi4dI:xqmwNJkc7N0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/apQyVewi4dI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151262
title: EFF Urges US Copyright Office To Reject Proactive ‘Piracy’ Filters
uri: EFF-Urges-US-Copyright-Office-To-Reject-Proactive-Piracy-Filters
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/uuINkJ3IsRI/
content:
<p><a href="media/de92d5cd.eff.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/eff.jpg"><img src="media/2aa8451f.eff.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/eff.jpg" alt="" width="190" height="129" class="alignright size-full wp-image-31200"></a>Faced with millions of individuals consuming unlicensed audiovisual content from a variety of sources, entertainment industry groups have been seeking solutions closer to the roots of the problem.</p>
<p>As widespread site-blocking attempts to tackle &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites in the background, greater attention has turned to legal platforms that host both licensed and unlicensed content. </p>
<p>Under current legislation, these sites and services can do business relatively comfortably due to the so-called safe harbor provisions of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the European Union Copyright Directive (EUCD).</p>
<p>Both sets of legislation ensure that Internet platforms can avoid being held liable for the actions of others provided they themselves address infringement when they are made aware of specific problems. If a video hosting site has a copy of an unlicensed movie uploaded by a user, for example, it must be removed within a reasonable timeframe upon request from the copyright holder.</p>
<p>However, in both the US and EU there is mounting pressure to make it more difficult for online services to achieve &#8216;safe harbor&#8217; protections.</p>
<p>Entertainment industry groups believe that platforms use the law to turn a blind eye to infringing content uploaded by users, content that is often monetized before being taken down. With this in mind, copyright holders on both sides of the Atlantic are pressing for more proactive regimes, ones that will see Internet platforms install filtering mechanisms to spot and discard infringing content before it can reach the public.</p>
<p>While such a system would be welcomed by rightsholders, Internet companies are fearful of a future in which they could be held more liable for the infringements of others. They&#8217;re supported by the EFF, who yesterday presented a petition to the US Copyright Office urging caution over potential changes to the DMCA.</p>
<p>&#8220;As Internet users, website owners, and online entrepreneurs, we urge you to preserve and strengthen the Digital Millennium Copyright Act safe harbors for Internet service providers,&#8221; the EFF writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;The DMCA safe harbors are key to keeping the Internet open to all. They allow anyone to launch a website, app, or other service without fear of crippling liability for copyright infringement by users.&#8221;</p>
<p>It is clear that pressure to introduce mandatory filtering is a concern to the EFF. Filters are blunt instruments that cannot fathom the intricacies of fair use and are liable to stifle free speech and stymie innovation, they argue.</p>
<p>&#8220;Major media and entertainment companies and their surrogates want Congress to replace today’s DMCA with a new law that would require websites and Internet services to use automated filtering to enforce copyrights.</p>
<p>&#8220;Systems like these, no matter how sophisticated, cannot accurately determine the copyright status of a work, nor whether a use is licensed, a fair use, or otherwise non-infringing. Simply put, automated filters censor lawful and important speech,&#8221; the EFF <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/internet-users-spoke-keep-safe-harbors-safe">warns</a>.</p>
<p>While its introduction was voluntary and doesn&#8217;t affect the company&#8217;s safe harbor protections, YouTube already has its own content filtering system in place.</p>
<p>ContentID is able to detect the nature of some content uploaded by users and give copyright holders a chance to remove or monetize it. The company says that the majority of copyright disputes are now handled by ContentID but the system is not perfect and mistakes are regularly flagged by users and mentioned <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-flags-cat-purring-as-copyright-infringing-music-150211/">in the media</a>.</p>
<p>However, ContentID was also very expensive to implement so expecting smaller companies to deploy something similar on much more limited budgets could be a burden too far, the EFF warns.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s more, even deeply flawed filters are prohibitively expensive for all but the largest Internet services. Requiring all websites to implement filtering would reinforce the market power wielded by today’s large Internet services and allow them to stifle competition. We urge you to preserve effective, usable DMCA safe harbors, and encourage Congress to do the same,&#8221; the EFF notes.</p>
<p>The same arguments, for and against, are currently raging in Europe where the EU Commission <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-proposes-mandatory-piracy-filters-for-online-services-160914/">proposed</a> mandatory upload filtering in 2016. Since then, opposition to the proposals has been fierce, with warnings of potential <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mandatory-piracy-filters-could-breach-human-rights-eu-members-170906/">human rights breaches</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/abandon-proactive-copyright-filters-huge-coalition-tells-eu-heavyweights-171017/">conflicts</a> with existing copyright law.</p>
<p>Back in the US, there are additional requirements for a provider to qualify for safe harbor, including having a named designated agent tasked with receiving copyright infringement notifications. This person&#8217;s name must be listed on a platform&#8217;s website and submitted to the US Copyright Office, which maintains a centralized <a href="https://www.copyright.gov/dmca-directory/">online directory</a> of designated agents&#8217; contact information.</p>
<p>Under new rules, agents must be re-registered with the Copyright Office every three years, despite that not being a requirement under the DMCA. The EFF is concerned that by simply failing to re-register an agent, an otherwise responsible website could lose its safe harbor protections, even if the agent&#8217;s details have remained the same.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re concerned that the new requirement will particularly disadvantage small and nonprofit websites. We ask you to reconsider this rule,&#8221; the EFF concludes.</p>
<p><em>The EFF&#8217;s letter to the Copyright Office can be found <a href="https://www.eff.org/document/petition-us-copyright-office-dmca-512-safe-harbors">here</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=uuINkJ3IsRI:8BLRDMttse0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=uuINkJ3IsRI:8BLRDMttse0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=uuINkJ3IsRI:8BLRDMttse0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/uuINkJ3IsRI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=151325
title: Australian Government Launches Pirate Site-Blocking Review
uri: Australian-Government-Launches-Pirate-Site-Blocking-Review
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2VH423_0UNI/
content:
<p><a href="media/c5e87d4f.aus.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg"><img src="media/dbb74c88.aus.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="159" class="alignright size-full wp-image-96798"></a>Following intense pressure from entertainment industry groups, in 2014 Australia began developing legislation which would allow ‘pirate’ sites to be blocked at the ISP level.</p>
<p>In March 2015 the Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2015 <em>(<a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/bills/r5446_third-reps/toc_pdf/15056b01.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf">pdf</a>)</em> was introduced to parliament and after just three months of consideration, the Australian Senate <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/australia-passes-pirate-site-blocking-law-150622/">passed</a> the legislation into law.</p>
<p>Soon after, copyright holders began preparing their first cases and in December 2016, the Australian Federal Court <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-and-other-pirate-sites-will-be-blocked-in-australia-161215/">ordered</a> dozens of local Internet service providers to block The Pirate Bay, Torrentz, TorrentHound, IsoHunt, SolarMovie, plus many proxy and mirror services.</p>
<p>Since then, more processes have been launched establishing site-blocking as a permanent fixture on the Aussie anti-piracy agenda. But with yet more applications for injunction looming on the horizon, how is the mechanism performing and does anything else need to be done to improve or amend it?</p>
<p>Those are the questions now being asked by the responsible department of the Australian Government via a consultation titled <em>Review of Copyright Online Infringement Amendment</em>. The review should&#8217;ve been carried out 18 months after the law&#8217;s introduction in 2015 but the department says that it delayed the consultation to let more evidence emerge.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Department of Communications and the Arts is seeking views from stakeholders on the questions put forward in this paper. The Department welcomes single, consolidated submissions from organizations or parties, capturing all views on the Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Act 2015 (Online Infringement Amendment),&#8221; the consultation paper begins.</p>
<p>The three key questions for response are as follows:</p>
<p>&#8211; How effective and efficient is the mechanism introduced by the Online Infringement Amendment?</p>
<p>&#8211; Is the application process working well for parties and are injunctions operating well, once granted?</p>
<p>&#8211; Are any amendments required to improve the operation of the Online Infringement Amendment?</p>
<p>Given the tendency for copyright holders to continuously demand more bang for their buck, it will perhaps come as a surprise that at least for now there is a level of consensus that the system is working as planned. </p>
<p>&#8220;Case law and survey data suggests the Online Infringement Amendment has enabled copyright owners to work with [Internet service providers] to reduce large-scale online copyright infringement. So far, it appears that copyright owners and [ISPs] find the current arrangement acceptable, clear and effective,&#8221; the paper reads.</p>
<p>Thus far under the legislation there have been four applications for injunctions through the Federal Court, notably against <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-and-other-pirate-sites-will-be-blocked-in-australia-161215/">leading torrent indexes</a> and browser-based <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-aussie-isps-to-block-dozens-of-pirate-sites-170818/">streaming sites</a>, which were both granted.</p>
<p>The other two processes, which began separately but will be heard together, at least in part, involve the recent trend of set-top box based streaming.</p>
<p>Village Roadshow, Disney, Universal, Warner Bros, Twentieth Century Fox, and Paramount are currently presenting <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-tv-companies-tackle-pirate-iptv-in-australia-federal-court-171207/">their case</a> to the Federal Court. Along with Hong Kong-based broadcaster Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), which has a separate application, the companies have been told to put together <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/judge-pushes-pirate-set-top-box-cases-back-demands-quality-evidence-180202/">quality evidence</a> for an April 2018 hearing.</p>
<p>With these applications already in the pipeline, yet more are on the horizon. The paper notes that more applications are expected to reach the Federal Court shortly, with the Department of Communications monitoring to assess whether current arrangements are refined as additional applications are filed.</p>
<p>Thus far, however, steady progress appears to have been made. The paper cites various precedents established as a result of the blocking process including the use of landing pages to inform Internet users why sites are blocked and who is paying.</p>
<p>&#8220;Either a copyright owner or [ISP] can establish a landing page. If an [ISP] wishes to avoid the cost of its own landing page, it can redirect customers to one that the copyright owner would provide. Another precedent allocates responsibility for compliance costs. Cases to date have required copyright owners to pay all or a significant proportion of compliance costs,&#8221; the paper notes.</p>
<p>But perhaps the issue of most importance is whether site-blocking as a whole has had any effect on the levels of copyright infringement in Australia.</p>
<p>The Government says that research carried out by Kantar shows that downloading &#8220;fell slightly from 2015 to 2017&#8221; with a 5-10% decrease in individuals consuming unlicensed content across movies, music and television. It&#8217;s worth noting, however, that Netflix didn&#8217;t arrive on Australian shores until May 2015, just a month before the new legislation was passed.</p>
<p>Research commissioned by the Department of Communications and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/surprise-aussie-internet-pirates-are-the-best-customers-161121/">published a year later</a> in 2016 <em>(<a href="media/0c18ba43.online-copyright-infringement-2016-final_report-accessible.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.communications.gov.au/sites/g/files/net301/f/online-copyright-infringement-2016-final_report-accessible.pdf">pdf</a>)</em> found that improved availability of legal streaming alternatives was the main contributor to falling infringement rates. In a juicy twist, the report also revealed that Aussie pirates were the entertainment industries&#8217; best customers.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Department is aware that other factors — such as the increasing availability of television, music and film streaming services and of subscription gaming services — may also contribute to falling levels of copyright infringement,&#8221; the paper notes.</p>
<p>Submissions to the consultation <em>(<a href="file:///C:/Users/ZONLINE/Downloads/consultation_paper_-_review_of_copyright_online_infringement_amendment.pdf">pdf</a>)</em> are invited by 5.00 pm AEST on Friday 16 March 2018 via the <a href="http://Website www.communications.gov.au/have-your-say">government&#8217;s website</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-discount-coupon-offer-torguard-nordvpn-expressvpn-pia/">VPN discounts, offers and coupons</a></p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=2VH423_0UNI:pgFfn6cSgcU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=2VH423_0UNI:pgFfn6cSgcU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=2VH423_0UNI:pgFfn6cSgcU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/2VH423_0UNI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


