# articles

feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146341
title: Artists Highlight YouTube Piracy and Poor Payments in New Ad Campaign
uri: Artists-Highlight-YouTube-Piracy-and-Poor-Payments-in-New-Ad-Campaign
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/okdampBWd8w/
content:
<p><img src="media/34e023fb.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="196" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117196">YouTube is the world’s leading video and music service and has partnerships with thousands of artists and other publishers around the globe. </p>
<p>While many are happy with the revenue they’re generating from the Google-owned platform, there has been a lot of negative commentary as well.</p>
<p>Several major record labels are complaining about the so-called &#8216;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ifpi-sneers-at-youtubes-1-billion-music-industry-revenue-payout-161207/">value gap</a>&#8216; and the low payouts per streaming view, for example. This view is shared by the Content Creators Coalition (<a href="http://www.c3action.org">c3</a>), an artist-run advocacy organization for musicians.</p>
<p>The group has just released two new ads calling on the streaming service to give artists more options to prevent piracy while calling on Congress to update the DMCA.</p>
<p>Rehashing the old <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCL5UgxtoLs">Apple vs. Microsoft</a> ad theme, the first video depicts an artist who is trying to get pirated content removed from the site. In the ad, YouTube is not particularly helpful, suggesting that pirated content is quickly re-uploaded after it&#8217;s removed.</p>
<p>Interestingly, there is no mention of the <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797370?hl=en">Content-ID program</a> which many creators successfully use to prevent pirated content from reappearing. The vast majority (98%) of all copyright complaints are currently handled automatically through the Content-ID system.</p>
<p><center><strong>Takedown Whack-a-Mole?</strong><br></br></center><center><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/239141600" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>The second ad complains about poor payments. In this video, the artist gets paid more from all smaller streaming services, even though these generated only a fraction of the views compared to YouTube.</p>
<p>This complaint is not new either. Over the past several years, YouTube has been called out repeatedly for not paying enough. Not only that, the streaming service has also been accused of running a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-says-youtube-is-running-a-dmca-protection-racket-160412/">DMCA protection racket</a>, profiting from pirated streams while hiding behind the DMCA&#8217;s safe harbor protections. </p>
<p><center><strong>Pennies?</strong><br></br></center><center><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/239136871" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>The Content Creators Coalition says that the advertisements will run on YouTube and other digital platforms as part of a significant new ad buy.</p>
<p>“Google’s YouTube has shortchanged artists while earning billions of dollars of our music. Artists know YouTube can do better,&#8221; c3 President and award-winning bassist Melvin Gibbs says.</p>
<p>&#8220;So, rather than hiding behind outdated laws, YouTube and Google should work to give artists more control over our music and pay music creators fairly when our songs are played on their platform.” </p>
<p>While these complaints are nothing new for YouTube, they are also intended to rally support from the public and lawmakers. </p>
<p>“Our ads send a message to the executives in Mountain View that artists are fighting back and mobilizing fans to push Congress to update the DMCA and end the legal neglect that has given Big Tech too much power over our work and society,” Gibbs adds.</p>
<p>YouTube itself paints an entirely different picture. The company <a href="https://www.blog.google/topics/public-policy/continuing-to-create-value-while/">previously stated</a> that it goes above and beyond what it&#8217;s required to do by law, while paying billions to copyright holders. </p>
<p>&#8220;Content ID goes beyond a simple &#8216;notice-and-takedown&#8217; system to provide a set of automated tools that empowers rightsholders to automatically claim their content and choose whether to track, block or monetize it on YouTube,&#8221; senior policy counsel Katherine Oyama noted.</p>
<p>&#8220;YouTube has paid out over $2 billion to rightsholders who have monetized their content through Content ID since it first launched. In fact, today well over 90% of all Content ID claims across the platform result in monetization.&#8221;</p>
<p>This <em>music industry vs YouTube</em> battle is far from over.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146283
title: Copyright Professor: Don’t Pay Those File-Sharing ‘Fines’
uri: Copyright-Professor-Don-t-Pay-Those-File-Sharing-Fines
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/m5A4x06l1uE/
content:
<p><a href="media/6b0ca4a9.FileSanna_Wolk.jpg" data-original-source="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sanna_Wolk.jpg"><img src="media/3a4fcb69.sannawolk.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sannawolk.jpg" alt="" width="222" height="254" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146334"></a>In recent years, file-sharers around the world have been pressured to pay significant settlement fees, or face legal repercussions.</p>
<p>Sweden is not spared from these practices. A <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-trolls-hit-thousands-of-swedish-pirates-with-550-fines-171023/">recent wave of threatening letters</a>, sent out on behalf of film distributors including those behind the zombie movie Cell, targets thousands of local Internet users.</p>
<p>The campaign is coordinated by Danish law firm Njord Law. The company accuses people of downloading the movie without permission and demands a settlement, as is common with these copyright troll schemes.</p>
<p>The scope of the latest campaign is enormous as 20,000 new IP-addresses were collected. Swedish courts can order ISPs to uncover the identities of thousands of IP addresses, in a single batch. That&#8217;s quite a lot compared to the US, where the same filmmakers can target only a dozen Internet accounts at a time. </p>
<p>While recipients of these letters can be easily scared by the legal language and proposed 4,500 SEK [$550] settlement, not all experts are impressed.</p>
<p><a href="http://katalog.uu.se/empinfo/?id=N12-2168">Sanna Wolk</a>, Intellectual Property Professor at Uppsala University, recommends people to ignore the letters entirely. </p>
<p>&#8220;Do not pay. You do not even have to answer it. In the end, it&#8217;s the court that will decide whether you have to pay or not. We have seen this type of letter in the past, and only very few times those in charge of the claims have taken it to court,&#8221; Wolk <a href="https://www.nyteknik.se/digitalisering/professor-till-misstankta-fildelare-betala-inte-6879197">tells</a> Ny Teknik.</p>
<p>However, if the case does indeed move beyond a threat and goes to court then it&#8217;s important for the accused to contest the claim. </p>
<p>Njord Law <a href="https://www.nyteknik.se/digitalisering/njord-lawfirm-om-kravbreven-kommer-att-ga-till-domstol-6879802">says</a> that it will follow up on their &#8216;promise&#8217; and take people to court if they ignore their settlement requests. </p>
<p>Whether they have the resources to sue thousands of people is questionable though. Similarly, it remains to be seen how good an IP-address is as evidence, since it doesn&#8217;t identify a single person, just a connection.</p>
<p>The law firm also highlights that subscribers can be held liable even if someone else used their connection to download the film. However, professor Wolk stresses that this isn&#8217;t necessarily true.</p>
<p>&#8220;Someone who has an open network cannot be held responsible for copyright violations &#8211; such as downloading movies &#8211; if they provide others with access to their internet connection. This has been decided in a European Court ruling last year,&#8221; she states.</p>
<p>The Copyright Professor refers to the McFadden vs Sony Music <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-court-open-wifi-operator-not-liable-for-pirate-users-160916/">ruling</a> where the EU Court of Justice found that the operator of an open WiFi network can&#8217;t be held liable for infringements carried out by his users.</p>
<p>National courts have some leeway and could order someone to protect his or her WiFi connection, but this doesn&#8217;t mean that they are liable for past infringements. </p>
<p>It&#8217;s doubtful that Njord Law and their clients will change their tune. Not all people will read the professor&#8217;s comments and their scheme generally thrives on the easily threatened and uninformed. Still, most of the accused will probably sleep better after reading 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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146424
title: The Pirate Bay is Hard to Find on Google in Some Countries
uri: The-Pirate-Bay-is-Hard-to-Find-on-Google-in-Some-Countries
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/SHbTex_NcAo/
content:
<p><a href="media/ebe343ca.googlepiratebay.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/googlepiratebay.png"><img src="media/3c5b1a66.googlepiratebay.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/googlepiratebay.png" alt="" width="267" height="257" class="alignright size-full wp-image-128445"></a>Search engine results are something on which any Internet user should be able to rely. After entering a search term, we generally expect the most relevant results to appear at the top, which seems like a fair assumption.</p>
<p>That being said, all searches aren&#8217;t equal, even when the same parameters are entered into the same company&#8217;s product. Case in point: Google Search and The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>We&#8217;ve known for years that due to entertainment industry pressure, Google has been demoting pirate sites in its search results. That&#8217;s perhaps understandable when trying to deter a user from finding specific content via a Google search but should that affect a search about the site itself?</p>
<p>If one types the term <em>The Pirate Bay</em> into Google, there is no reason for the site iin question not to appear at the top of the list. After all, it&#8217;s the most informative result for one of the world&#8217;s most popular sites. However, tests carried out by TF show that some Google search variants coupled with certain countries&#8217; IP addresses produce dramatically different results.</p>
<p>In all tests we began with an incognito Chrome browser window, to ensure no previous behavior affected our results. We then commenced testing searches for <em>The Pirate Bay</em>, with the UK up first. We know that Google has been under pressure to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-anti-piracy-agreement-will-target-domain-hopping-share-search-data-170307/">demote pirate sites</a> in the country, so it wasn&#8217;t a surprise to find a relatively poor result.</p>
<p>Using a UK-based IP address to access Google.co.uk, we had to click through to the fifth page of results to find the entry for thepiratebay.org, the site&#8217;s main domain.</p>
<p><center><b>Google.co.uk, accessed via a UK IP address</b><a href="media/a2fbe935.TPB-UKIP-GoogleUK.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/TPB-UKIP-GoogleUK.png"><img src="media/ecdbf710.TPB-UKIP-GoogleUK.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/TPB-UKIP-GoogleUK.png" alt="" width="976" height="595" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146428"></a></center></p>
<p>However, when we carried out exactly the same test on Google.co.uk but after substituting our UK IP address for one located in the United States, a very different result was achieved. As can be seen in the image below, thepiratebay.org now appears as the very top result, as it should.</p>
<p><center><b>Google.co.uk, accessed via a US IP address</b><a href="media/7265a8a6.TPB-USIP-GoogleUK.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/TPB-USIP-GoogleUK.png"><img src="media/ecfad7ab.TPB-USIP-GoogleUK.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/TPB-USIP-GoogleUK.png" alt="" width="982" height="414" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146429" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/TPB-USIP-GoogleUK.png 982w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/TPB-USIP-GoogleUK-500x210.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 982px) 100vw, 982px"></a></center></p>
<p>Given the above, there&#8217;s the suggestion that Google only penalizes users of Google.co.uk searching for <em>The Pirate Bay</em>, if they&#8217;re using a UK-based IP address. So we switched things around a little bit to try and find out.</p>
<p>Testing Google.com with a US-based IP address, thepiratebay.org appeared as the top result, as expected. Then, when accessing Google.com with a UK-based IP address, thepiratebay.org was relegated to the sixth page of Google results, which wasn&#8217;t a surprise.</p>
<p>Thus far, one could be forgiven for thinking that having a UK-based IP address is the poisoned chalice here. So, with that in mind, we switched over to the Netherlands for some testing there.</p>
<p>Using a Netherlands-based IP address on Google.nl, thepiratebay.org appears as the first result. But, to our surprise, deploying a UK IP address on the same service returns exactly the same position, i.e right at the very top. The same was true for searches carried out on Google.ca (Canada). No matter what IP addresses were used, thepiratebay.org appeared at the top of results.</p>
<p>Of course, The Pirate Bay has been blocked in the UK for some time, so people may have switched away from searching directly for The Pirate Bay towards other proxy services, for example. However, that doesn&#8217;t change the indisputable fact that a search for The Pirate Bay should list the site as the first result &#8211; because that&#8217;s what people are looking for.</p>
<p>But if people think that only UK-based searchers are getting a raw deal, then they should reconsider.</p>
<p>Over in India, using an Indian IP address to access Google.co.in, thepiratebay.org doesn&#8217;t appear until page 8. Somewhat unexpectedly, doing a similar search on the same Google variant using a UK IP address actually improved matters, with thepiratebay.org appearing more readily on page 6.</p>
<p><center><b>A lowly page 8 for Indian searchers of The Pirate Bay</b><a href="media/ff6e5269.TPB-INIP-GoogleIN.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/TPB-INIP-GoogleIN.png"><img src="media/50cad8a3.TPB-INIP-GoogleIN.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/TPB-INIP-GoogleIN.png" alt="" width="963" height="790" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146430"></a></center></p>
<p>But in terms of results, there are other countries doing even worse. Tests carried out on Google.fr (France) reveal that thepiratebay.org doesn&#8217;t appear until page 12, a result matched identically by Google.ru (Russia), no matter which source IP addresses were used.</p>
<p>To be clear, it&#8217;s not like Google doesn&#8217;t understand the significance of the site in these low-ranking regions or that searchers aren&#8217;t interested. Although it doesn&#8217;t place the actual site until a dozen pages down the road, Google is very happy to list dozens of proxies in the first sets of results, including some fake &#8216;Pirate Bay&#8217; sites that Google itself flags up as unsafe due to malware.</p>
<p>Overall, it&#8217;s hard to find much consistency but it&#8217;s reasonable to presume that at least to some extent, searches for The Pirate Bay are being manipulated, depending on where you live and which search variant people use. For English speakers, Canada seems a good variant for now. But that could change at any moment.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146326
title: Appeals Court Grills Cox and BMG in Piracy Liability Case
uri: Appeals-Court-Grills-Cox-and-BMG-in-Piracy-Liability-Case
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/v_EBI087sKs/
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 that may ultimately restrict the public&#8217;s access to Internet services. </p>
<p>This week the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit heard oral argument from both sides, which turned out to be an interesting exercise. The panel of judges <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Gribbon_Motz">Motz</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Shedd">Shedd</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Wynn_Jr.">Wynn</a> grilled of both attorneys in an effort to distill the crucial arguments. </p>
<p>Cox attorney Michael Elkin was first up. Among other things, he stressed that Cox didn&#8217;t have actual and sufficient knowledge of the claimed infringements. </p>
<p>While BMG uncovered internal Cox emails discussing how frequent offenders were kept on board, these were not specifically discussing BMG infringed works, he argues. However, Judge Wynn stressed that the emails in question did discuss Cox&#8217;s policy of not disconnecting infringers. </p>
<p>&#8220;But they&#8217;re talking about the general abuse department in terms of, where we get these things, this is what we&#8217;re going to do with them because we don&#8217;t want to lose customers. I mean, it&#8217;s the same thing,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s also clear that BMG sent over a million takedown notices to Cox. However, since these were not the ones referenced in the company&#8217;s internal emails, these are irrelevant when it comes to the company&#8217;s liability for alleged contributory infringement, Cox&#8217;s attorney noted.</p>
<p>The back and forth over various issues became rather lively up to a point where Elkin was asked to stop interrupting. &#8220;When a judge speaks, you have to be quiet,&#8221; Judge Shedd said.</p>
<p>BMG attorney Michael Allan was next in line to present his arguments, which were also carefully dissected by the judges. The attorney stressed that in addition to the takedown notices, BMG provided Cox with a wealth of information on the alleged infringers.</p>
<p>He explained that they sent 1.8 million takedown notices to Cox. When asked what the Internet provider should do with all these notices, Allan mentioned the dashboard they made available, which would help the ISP to check all claims. </p>
<p>&#8220;We also provided them with a dashboard. It&#8217;s a searchable website that they can search by most egregious repeat infringer, they can pull up every single piece of information we&#8217;ve ever provided to them, and they can play the actual songs that were downloaded,&#8221; BMG&#8217;s attorney said. </p>
<p>Judge Wynn, however, questioned whether the ISP&#8217;s abuse department would listen to thousands of infringing songs.</p>
<p>&#8220;An internet service provider is going to receive 20,000 of these things per day, 1.8 million a year, or whatever, I don&#8217;t care. And they&#8217;re going to start playing songs and things like that to see if it&#8217;s going on?</p>
<p>&#8220;You think that&#8217;s where this case is going to go?&#8221; Wynn added.</p>
<p>The judges then moved on to the repeat infringer question. An important question asked, was what a &#8216;repeat infringer&#8217; actually is. BMG&#8217;s attorney described this as &#8220;someone who repeatedly infringes copyright,&#8221; but that wasn&#8217;t enough. </p>
<p>&#8220;How does somebody know a third party is an infringer? &#8216;Cause you say so?&#8221; Judge Shedd asked.</p>
<p>Cox, for example, sees a repeat infringer as someone who has been previously adjudicated, not someone who has received several takedown notices. Eventually, all had to admit that a repeat infringer is not clearly defined in the DMCA.</p>
<p>Judge Wynn then moved on to highlight another peculiarity. While this case deals with Cox&#8217;s failure to implement a repeat infringer policy, this legal requirement by itself is rather meaningless. Even when subscribers are disconnected, they can still join another ISP or come back to Cox after a few months, which makes it pointless.</p>
<p>&#8220;As Judge Motz indicated it&#8217;s not a perfect solution,&#8221; BMG&#8217;s lawyer commented.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not even a good one,&#8221; Judge Wynn added. </p>
<p>Another controversial topic that came up is the fact that Cox refused to pass on BMG&#8217;s demands because the ISP saw the included settlement demands as extortion. While BMG&#8217;s attorney tried to downplay the money issue, Judge Shedd made it very clear what this case is actually about.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The DMCA notice] says: you are infringing, you can go to this website and click and pay us $20 or $30. If not, you&#8217;re looking at a $150,000 fine. It was about collecting money. We don&#8217;t dance around that do we?&#8221; Shedd said.</p>
<p>Both Cox and BMG ultimately wanted money from the allegedly infringing subscribers, who might now face an even bigger threat. </p>
<p>&#8220;You have two corporations fighting over money, which may be justified. But the net effect of this battle is going to be up against another policy, which is, I think it is the policy, that people should have access to the Internet,&#8221; Judge Shedd said.  </p>
<p>While the case can still go either way, the oral hearing suggests that the panel of judges is not putting too much weight on the notices sent by BMG. The internal emails from Cox appear to be the key part. Still, we&#8217;ll have to wait for the full opinion to see if that&#8217;s really true.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146389
title: Anti-Piracy Outfit Behind ‘Pirate’ Site Reincarnations
uri: Anti-Piracy-Outfit-Behind-Pirate-Site-Reincarnations
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/8IaPF3eZIE8/
content:
<p><a href="media/3f92b635.dead-grave.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/dead-grave.jpg"><img src="media/24a0a783.dead-grave.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dead-grave.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="274" class="alignright size-full wp-image-140115"></a>Last November, the cybercrime unit of the French military police <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/police-shut-down-frances-largest-pirate-site161129/">shut down</a> the country&#8217;s largest pirate site, Zone-Telechargement (Download Zone). This was a huge problem for the millions of people who visited the site on a daily basis.</p>
<p>Founded in 2011, Zone-Telechargement’s popularity soared after the closure of Megaupload, which was also hugely popular in France until its shutdown early 2012. It&#8217;s been dead ever since though, despite suggestions it might somehow return to life.</p>
<p>Interestingly, however, a site claiming to be a reincarnation of the original is now trying to scoop up traffic, with promises that the excitement can be found at a new URL.</p>
<p>&#8220;Welcome to the new Zone-Telechargement! <a href="http://www.zone-telechargement.al">This</a> is the new address of the indexing site to find movies and series,&#8221; a notice on the site reads. </p>
<p>&#8220;We make every effort to ensure that you can watch your movies and series in the best conditions and in complete safety. Therefore, we invite you as a Zone-Telechargement user to help us in our big mission! Share our site, talk about it!&#8221;</p>
<p><center><b>This cloned pirate site is not what it seems</b><a href="media/2ac0bb79.zone-fake.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/zone-fake.png"><img src="media/5a6c85ca.zone-fake.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zone-fake.png" alt="" width="1178" height="724" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146391"></a></center></p>
<p>During the past couple of days, people have certainly been talking about it, but not for the usual reasons. As reported by <a href="https://www.nextinpact.com/news/105498-zone-telechargement-al-quand-loffre-legale-pirate-sites-illicites.htm">NextInpact</a>, the site already has 100,000 links on Google after being launched sometime in August.</p>
<p>But this is no ordinary pirate site. In fact, it&#8217;s not a pirate site at all. While it looks exactly like its pirate namesake, the site links only to legal content on platforms such as Amazon, iTunes, and other official sources.</p>
<p>NextInpact reports that the site is hosted in France and uses film posters and metadata hosted by the National Film Center, which grants official vendors access to a database of supporting content to help them sell their products online.</p>
<p>So, could this be an innovative and unconventional service set up by elements of the film industry to suck in pirates, perhaps?</p>
<p>TF decided to look into the possibility by pulling information from WHOIS, DNS and MX records, hoping to find a trace of who&#8217;s behind the operation. None of the searches yielded much information of direct value but they did turn up something else.</p>
<p>Zone-Telechargement.al, it seems, is not on its own. Hosted on the same server at OVH in France is Voirfilms.al which clones VoirFilms.org, a pirate site that was <a href="https://www.nextinpact.com/news/105103-la-justice-ordonne-blocage-et-dereferencement-libertyland-streamcomplet-et-voirfilms.htm">ordered to be blocked</a> by the Paris District Court earlier this year.</p>
<p><center><b>Two peas in a pod on the same server</b><a href="media/e60812e7.ovh-host.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/ovh-host.png"><img src="media/6bc7591a.ovh-host.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ovh-host.png" alt="" width="924" height="230" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146392"></a></center></p>
<p>Just like Zone-Telechargement.al, Voirfilms.al only links to legal content. However, when one searches for movies, at least the <a href="http://www.voirfilms.al/films-gratuit/films-vf/13515-outsider.html">first two sets of links</a> to content contain affiliate codes for Amazon and a local service, meaning the site&#8217;s operators get a kickback from any sale.</p>
<p>Given they use the same host server, mail server, and referral codes (tag=blue0d7-21 for Amazon), we considered it likely that the same people are behind both domains, passing them off as pirate sites in an effort to generate revenue.</p>
<p>Then, on Friday afternoon, NextInpact editor Marc Rees contacted us with a really interesting update. After further research, Rees had concluded that anti-piracy outfit <a href="http://www.blue-efficience.com/en/">Blue Efficience</a> was probably behind the scheme. Sure enough, after contacting founder and CEO Thierry Chevillard, the company confirmed the project.</p>
<p>&#8220;We always had the idea to promote the legal offer. Anti-piracy protection is good, but it is insufficient without this component,&#8221; Chevillard <a href="https://www.nextinpact.com/news/105474-zone-telechargement-al-ambitions-clone-legal-cree-par-blue-effi">told</a> Rees.</p>
<p>Chevillard said that since video-on-demand platforms have difficulties in getting themselves noticed over pirate sites, his company took the decision to mimic the pirate strategy.  </p>
<p>&#8220;[T]he pirate sites are extremely talented at putting themselves ahead in search engines where they beat the legal offers,&#8221; he said, adding that using similar weapons was the solution.</p>
<p>Chevillard told NextInpact that his company initially published links to content without the affiliate kickback but later took the for-profit route in order to &#8220;partially offset the costs, even if we are far from covering the costs of developing and operating the site.&#8221;</p>
<p>Of course, there&#8217;s a certain irony in an anti-piracy outfit actively pirating a pair of pirate sites, particularly since it clearly pirated the pirate sites&#8217; logos and graphics, in order to pass the clones off as the real thing. However, Chevillard sees them as fair game and says his company will take action in the unlikely event the pirates take legal action.</p>
<p>The big question, of course, is whether the clone sites are having the desired effect of encouraging legal purchases. According to early data from Zone-Telechargement.al, around five purchases are made out of every 1000 clicks on content listed by the site.</p>
<p>While Blue Efficience&#8217;s cover has been well and truly blown, the company is undeterred and says it will expand its pirate site cloning business. If the strategy reaches any scale, that could be a whole new level of spam for would-be pirates to wade through. Nevertheless, there is a comedy ending to this story.</p>
<p>It appears that since the fake sites are so convincing, rival anti-piracy outfits have been asking Google to take down pages (<a href="https://lumendatabase.org/notices/14997448">1</a>,<a href="https://lumendatabase.org/notices/14920354">2</a>) from its indexes. Most &#8216;impressive&#8217; are the efforts from takedown outfit Rivendel, which has filed <a href="https://transparencyreport.google.com/copyright/domains/voirfilms.al">dozens of complaints</a> against these &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites. Ouch.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=145996
title: ‘Pirating’ Mainstream Media Outlets Haunted by Photographers in Court
uri: Pirating-Mainstream-Media-Outlets-Haunted-by-Photographers-in-Co
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/pbO5z1LYw4M/
content:
<p><img src="media/703004d7.photo-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/photo-1.jpg" alt="" width="299" height="199" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124919">When piracy hits the mainstream news, it&#8217;s often in relation to books, games, music, TV-shows and movies. </p>
<p>These industries grab headlines because of the major players that are involved, but they are not the only ones dealing with piracy.</p>
<p>In fact, photos are arguably the most commonly infringed works online. Not just by random users on Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, but also by major mainstream media outlets.</p>
<p>While most photographers spend little time battling piracy, more and more are willing to take the matter to federal court. This trend started <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/photographers-take-pirating-news-outlets-court-160716/">two years ago</a> by the <a href="http://liebowitzlawfirm.com/">Liebowitz Law Firm</a> is paying off. </p>
<p>The lawsuits in question, filed on behalf of several independent photographers, are fairly straightforward. </p>
<p>A news site or other media outlet uses a photo to spice up an article but fails to pay the photographer. This is fairly common, even for major publications. The photographer then files a lawsuit demanding compensation. </p>
<p>However, before the case goes to trial both parties usually resolve their issues in a private settlement. Just this year alone, the Liebowitz Law Firm closed over 200 cases for its clients.</p>
<p>ABC, AOL, CBS Broadcasting, NBCUniversal, NPR, Time, Viacom, Warner Bros, Yahoo and Ziff Davis are just a few of the companies that have signed settlements recently.</p>
<p><center><strong>One of the many settlements</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/6b331a44.gutmansettle.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gutmansettle.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="484" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146031"></center></p>
<p>While the court records don&#8217;t point out any winners, it&#8217;s safe to assume that many of these cases end favorably for the firm&#8217;s clients. Otherwise, they wouldn&#8217;t continue to file new ones.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to Richard Liebowitz, lead counsel in many of these cases. Unfortunately, he can&#8217;t share exact details as the settlements themselves are confidential.</p>
<p>The photographers don&#8217;t make millions through this scheme, but it appears to be an effective way to get paid a few thousand dollars. If one repeats that often enough, it should provide a decent income. And indeed, several have already filed over a dozen cases.</p>
<p>The practice is reminiscent of copyright trolling cases, with the exception that the accused are major companies instead of random citizens. And unlike the lawsuits movie companies file against BitTorrent users in the US, the evidence the photographers have is rock solid.</p>
<p><center><strong>The evidence..</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/0185eec4.gutmanarticle.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gutmanarticle.png" alt="" width="600" height="564" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146032"></center></p>
<p>When a random copyright troll sues BitTorrent users, hoping to extract a settlement, they rely on indirect IP-addresses and geo-location evidence. The photographers, however, can show an actual screenshot of the infringing work in the mainstream news outlet.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s hard to ignore, to say the least, and based on the number of settlements it&#8217;s safe to argue that the media outlets prefer to settle instead of litigating the issue. It&#8217;s probably cheaper and avoids bad PR. </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>For the record, all photos used for this article are properly licensed or part of court documents, which are public domain.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146242
title: YouTube MP3 Converters Block UK Traffic to Avoid Trouble
uri: YouTube-MP3-Converters-Block-UK-Traffic-to-Avoid-Trouble
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/UZQ0b7_YMj8/
content:
<p><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">The music industry sees stream ripping as one of the largest piracy threats, worse than torrent sites or direct download portals.</p>
<p>Last year the RIAA, IFPI and BPI filed legal action against YouTube-MP3, the largest stream ripping site at the time. This case eventually resulted in a settlement where the site <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-mp3-settles-with-riaa-site-will-shut-down-170904/">agreed to shut down voluntarily</a>. </p>
<p>This was a clear victory for the music groups which swiftly identified their <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-identifies-top-youtube-mp3-rippers-and-other-pirate-sites-171006/">next targets</a>. These include Convert2mp3.net, Savefrom.net, MP3juices.cc and YtMp3.cc, which were highlighted by the RIAA in a letter to the US Government.</p>
<p>The legal action against YouTube-MP3 and the RIAA&#8217;s notorious markets report appears to have made an impact, as MP3Juices.cc and YtMp3.cc have shut their doors. Interestingly, this only applies to the UK.</p>
<p><center><strong>..not available in the UK</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/2f7d9f7b.juiceblock.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/juiceblock.png" alt="" width="579" height="347" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146248"></center></p>
<p>It&#8217;s unclear why both sites are &#8220;shutting down&#8221; in the UK and not elsewhere, as the operators haven&#8217;t commented on the issue. However, in other parts of the world, the site is readily available. </p>
<p><center><strong>MP3juices</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/93df5a1e.juiceorig.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/juiceorig.png" alt="" width="579" height="347" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-146247"></center></p>
<p>Last year, music industry group BPI signed an agreement with YouTube-MP3 to block UK visitors, which sounds very familiar. While the BPI is not directly responsible for the recent geo-blocks, the group sees it as a positive trend.</p>
<p>“We are seeing that the closure of the largest stream ripping site, YouTube-mp3, following coordinated global legal action from record companies, is having an impact on the operations of other ripping sites,&#8221; BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>“However, stream ripping remains a major issue for the industry. These sites are making large sums of money from music without paying a penny to those that invest in and create it.  We will continue to take legal action against other illegal ripping sites where necessary.” </p>
<p>Stream rippers or converters are not by definition illegal, as <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mp3-stream-rippers-are-not-illegal-sites-eff-tells-us-government-171021/">pointed out by the CCIA</a> last week.  However, music industry groups will continue to crack down on the ones they view as copyright infringing. </p>
<p>MP3Juices.cc and YtMp3.cc are likely hoping to take the pressure off with their voluntary geo-blocking. Time will tell whether that&#8217;s a good strategy. In any event, it didn&#8217;t prevent YouTube-MP3 from caving in completely, in the end.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146289
title: Despite Massive Site-Blocking, Russian Pirate Video Market Doubles
uri: Despite-Massive-Site-Blocking-Russian-Pirate-Video-Market-Doubles
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Quol7ISlPGk/
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>On many occasions, outgoing MPAA chief Chris Dodd has praised countries that have implemented legislation that allows for widespread site-blocking.</p>
<p>In 2014, when the UK had blocked just a few dozen sites, Dodd described the practice as both &#8220;balanced and proportionate&#8221; while noting that it had made &#8220;tremendous progress in tackling infringing websites.&#8221; This, the former senator said, made it &#8220;one of the most effective anti-piracy measures in the world.&#8221;</p>
<p>With many thousands of &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites blocked across the country, perhaps Dodd should ask the Russians how they&#8217;re getting on. Spoiler: Not that great.</p>
<p>According to new research published by <a href="https://www.group-ib.com/antipiracy.html">Group-IB</a> and reported by <a href="https://iz.ru/662633/vladimir-zykov/pod-vebom-zolotym">Izvestia</a>, Internet pirates have been adapting to their new reality, finding new and stable ways of doing business while growing their turnover.</p>
<p>In fact, according to the &#8216;Economics of Pirate Sites Report 2016&#8217;, they&#8217;ve been so successful that the market for Internet pirate video more than doubled in value during 2016, reaching a peak of 3.3 billion rubles ($57.2m) versus just 1.5 billion rubles ($26m) in 2015. Overall Internet piracy in 2016 was valued at a billion rubles more ($74.5m), Group-IB notes.</p>
<p>According to the report, Russian pirates operated with impunity until 2012, at which point the government &#8211; under pressure from rightsholders &#8211; began introducing tough anti-piracy legislation, which included the blocking of pirate domains. Since then there have been a number of amendments which further tightened the law but pirates have adapted each time, protecting their revenue with new business plans.</p>
<p>Group-IB says that the most successful pirate site in 2016 was Seasonvar.ru, which pulled in a million visitors every day generating just over $3.3m in revenue. Second place was taken by My-hit.org, with almost 400,000 daily visitors generating an annual income of $1.2m. HDrezka.me served more than 315,000 people daily and made roughly the same to take third. Fourth and fifth spots were taken by Kinokrad.co and Baskino.Club.</p>
<p>Overall, it&#8217;s estimated that the average pirate video site makes around $156,000 per year via advertising, subscriptions, or via voluntary donations. They&#8217;re creative with their money channels too.</p>
<p>According to Maxim Ryabyko, Director General of Association for the Protection of Copyright on the Internet (AZAPO), sites use middle-men for dealing with both advertisers and payment processors, which enables operators to remain anonymous.</p>
<p>Like in the United States, UK and elsewhere in Europe, lists of pirate sites have been drawn up to give advertisers and networks guidance on where not to place their ads. However, plenty of companies aren&#8217;t involved in the initiative. When challenged over their ads appearing on pirate sites, some protest that it hasn&#8217;t been proven that the sites are acting illegally, so the business will continue.</p>
<p>&#8220;There is no negative attitude towards piracy by intermediaries. Their money is not objectionable. Sometimes they say: &#8216;Go and sue. There will be a court hearing, there will be a decision, and we will draw conclusions then&#8217;,&#8221; Ryabyko told Izvestia.</p>
<p>Dealing with pirates in the criminal arena isn&#8217;t easy either, with key players admitting that the police have other things to concentrate on.</p>
<p>&#8220;Law enforcers do not know how to search for pirates, they have other priorities,&#8221; says Sergei Semenov of the Film and TV Producers Association.</p>
<p>&#8220;Criminal prosecutions in this area are a great strain &#8211; single cases require a lot of time for investigation and going to court does not achieve the desired effect. We therefore need to diversify the grounds for bringing people to justice. We need to see how this can be applied.&#8221;</p>
<p>One idea is to prosecute pirates for non-payment of taxes. Well, it worked for Al Capone&#8230;.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146477
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 10/30/17
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-10-30-17
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/8TrJd_mfI28/
content:
<p><img src="media/e325e6d3.cars3.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cars3.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="156" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146480">This week we have three newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Cars 3 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-102317/">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>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3606752/">Cars 3</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3606752/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LeOH9AGJQM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3450958/">War for the Planet of the Apes</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3450958/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxjPjPzQ1iU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5140878/">Annabelle Creation</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5140878/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KisPhy7T__Q">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2250912/">Spider-Man: Homecoming</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2250912/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0D3AOldjMU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406566/">Atomic Blonde</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406566/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIUube1pSC0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3532216/">American Made</a> (Subbed HDrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3532216/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBIJRAkujM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1648190/">The Dark Tower</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1648190/">5.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjwfqXTebIY">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3758172/">Jungle</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3758172/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJYJmYQ0AGw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3890160/">Baby Driver</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3890160/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9YZw_X5UzQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935194/">Overdrive</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935194/">5.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWqAJE-Yshs">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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146475
title: Assassins Creed Origin DRM Hammers Gamers’ CPUs
uri: Assassins-Creed-Origin-DRM-Hammers-Gamers-CPUs
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/g4X8P3LU36E/
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>There&#8217;s a war taking place on the Internet. On one side: gaming companies, publishers, and anti-piracy outfits. On the other: people who varying reasons want to play and/or test games for free.</p>
<p>While these groups are free to battle it out in a manner of their choosing, innocent victims are getting caught up in the crossfire. People who pay for their games without question should be considered part of the solution, not the problem, but whether they like it or not, they&#8217;re becoming collateral damage in an increasingly desperate conflict.</p>
<p>For the past several days, some players of the recently-released <a href="https://assassinscreed.ubisoft.com/game/en-gb/home/">Assassin&#8217;s Creed Origins</a> have emerged as what appear to be examples of this phenomenon.</p>
<p>&#8220;What is the normal CPU usage for this game?&#8221; a user <a href="https://steamcommunity.com/app/582160/discussions/0/1480982338949702630/">asked</a> on Steam forums. &#8220;I randomly get between 60% to 90% and I&#8217;m wondering if this is too high or not.&#8221;</p>
<p>The individual reported running an i7 processor, which is no slouch. However, for those running a CPU with less oomph, matters are even worse. Another gamer, running an i5, <a href="https://steamcommunity.com/app/582160/discussions/0/1480982338948182751/">reported</a> a 100% load on all four cores of his processor, even when lower graphics settings were selected in an effort to free up resources.</p>
<p>&#8220;It really doesn&#8217;t seem to matter what kind of GPU you are using,&#8221; another <a href="https://steamcommunity.com/app/582160/discussions/0/1480982338949884139/">complained</a>. &#8220;The performance issues most people here are complaining about are tied to CPU getting maxed out 100 percent at all times. This results in FPS [frames per second] drops and stutter. As far as I know there is no workaround.&#8221; </p>
<p>So what could be causing these problems? Badly configured machines? Terrible coding on the part of the game maker?</p>
<p>According to Voksi, whose &#8216;Revolt&#8217; team cracked Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus before its commercial release last week, it&#8217;s none of these. The entire problem is directly connected to desperate anti-piracy measures.</p>
<p>As widely reported (<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/denuvo-crisis-after-total-warhammer-2-gets-pirated-in-hours-170929/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-evil-within-2-used-denuvo-then-dumped-it-before-launch-171013/">2</a>), the infamous Denuvo anti-piracy technology has been taking a beating lately. Cracking groups are dismantling it in a matter of days, sometimes just hours, making the protection almost pointless. For Assassin&#8217;s Creed Origins, however, Ubisoft decided to double up, Voksi says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Basically, Ubisoft have implemented VMProtect on top of Denuvo, tanking the game&#8217;s performance by 30-40%, demanding that people have a more expensive CPU to play the game properly, only because of the DRM. It&#8217;s anti-consumer and a disgusting move,&#8221; he told TorrentFreak.</p>
<p><a href="media/8e25a73e.vmprotect.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/vmprotect.jpg"><img src="media/4b979c17.vmprotect.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/vmprotect.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146500" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/vmprotect.jpg 250w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/vmprotect-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px"></a>Voksi says he knows all of this because he got an opportunity to review the code after obtaining the binaries for the game. Here&#8217;s how it works.</p>
<p>While Denuvo sits underneath doing its thing, it&#8217;s clearly vulnerable to piracy, given recent advances in anti-anti-piracy technology. So, in a belt-and-braces approach, Ubisoft opted to deploy another technology &#8211; VMProtect &#8211; on top.</p>
<p>VMProtect is software that protects other software against reverse engineering and cracking. Although the technicalities are different, its aims appear to be somewhat similar to Denuvo, in that both seek to protect underlying systems from being subverted.</p>
<p>&#8220;VMProtect protects code by executing it on a virtual machine with non-standard architecture that makes it extremely difficult to analyze and crack the software. Besides that, VMProtect generates and verifies serial numbers, limits free upgrades and much more,&#8221; the company&#8217;s marketing reads.</p>
<p>VMProtect and Denuvo <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/denuvo-accused-of-using-unlicensed-software-to-protect-it-anti-piracy-tool-170605/">didn&#8217;t appear</a> to be getting on all that well earlier this year but they later settled their differences. Now their systems are working together, to try and solve the anti-piracy puzzle.</p>
<p>&#8220;It seems that Ubisoft decided that Denuvo is not enough to stop pirates in the crucial first days [after release] anymore, so they have implemented an iteration of VMProtect over it,&#8221; Voksi explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is great if you are looking to save your game from those pirates, because this layer of VMProtect will make Denuvo a lot more harder to trace and keygen than without it. But if you are a legit customer, well, it&#8217;s not that great for you since this combo could tank your performance by a lot, especially if you are using a low-mid range CPU. That&#8217;s why we are seeing 100% CPU usage on 4 core CPUs right now for example.&#8221; </p>
<p>The situation is reportedly so bad that some users are getting the dreaded BSOD (blue screen of death) due to their machines overheating after just an hour or two&#8217;s play. It remains unclear whether these crashes are indeed due to the VMProtect/Denuvo combination but the perception is that these anti-piracy measures are at the root of users&#8217; CPU utilization problems.</p>
<p>While gaming companies can&#8217;t be blamed for wanting to protect their products, there&#8217;s no sense in punishing legitimate consumers with an inferior experience. The great irony, of course, is that when Assassin&#8217;s Creed gets cracked (if that indeed happens anytime soon), pirates will be the only ones playing it without the hindrance of two lots of anti-piracy tech battling over resources.</p>
<p>The big question now, however, is whether the anti-piracy wall will stand firm. If it does, it raises the bizarre proposition that future gamers might need to buy better hardware in order to accommodate anti-piracy technology.</p>
<p>And people worry about <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/epic-games-sues-man-over-bitcoin-mining-fortnite-cheat-171019/">bitcoin mining</a>&#8230;&#8230;?</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146483
title: CBS Sues Man for Posting Image of a 59-Year TV-Show on Social Media
uri: CBS-Sues-Man-for-Posting-Image-of-a-59-Year-TV-Show-on-Social-Media
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/jdPaDjPW9GY/
content:
<p><img src="media/82d79bdb.targetmiss.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/targetmiss.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="187" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116761">Just a few days ago we <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirating-mainstream-media-outlets-haunted-by-photographers-in-court-171028/">posted an article</a> about the dozens of cases independent photographers file against mainstream media outlets. </p>
<p>These lawsuits accuse companies such as CBS, NBC, and Warner Bros of using copyrighted photos without the owners&#8217; permission and have resulted in hundreds of settlements this year alone. </p>
<p>While the evidence in these cases is often strong, going up against such powerful companies is not without risk. They have the money and resources to fight back, by any means necessary. This is what New York photographer <a href="https://www.jontannen.com/">Jon Tannen</a> has witnessed as well. </p>
<p>In February, Tannen sued CBS Interactive because it used one of his copyrighted photos on the website 247sports.com without being paid. While he hoped this would result in a decent settlement, CBS found a smoking gun and decided to fire back.</p>
<p>A few days ago the photographer was hit with a rather unusual lawsuit. In a four-page complaint, CBS Broadcasting accuses him of posting a copyright-infringing image of the classic TV-show Gunsmoke on social media.</p>
<p>Gunsmoke is one of the longest-running drama TV-shows in US history and aired on CBS from 1955 through 1975. In the complaint, the media giant brands Tannen a hypocrite for posting the infringing CBS screenshots online. </p>
<p>&#8220;This copyright infringement action arises out of Defendant’s unauthorized use of Plaintiff’s valuable intellectual property. Tannen hypocritically engaged in this act of infringement while simultaneously bringing suit against Plaintiff’s sister company, CBS Interactive Inc., claiming it had violated his own copyright.&#8221; </p>
<p><center><strong>The complaint</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/4a516221.tannensuit.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tannensuit.png" alt="" width="600" height="421" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146510"></center></p>
<p>The screenshot(s), which we were unable to locate at the time of writing, is taken from the “Dooley Surrenders” episode first aired in 1958. While many would classify a screenshot from a full episode as fair use, CBS is having none of it.</p>
<p>&#8220;Without any license or authorization from Plaintiff, Defendant has copied and published via social media platforms images copied from the &#8216;Dooley Surrenders&#8217; episode of GUNSMOKE,&#8221; CBS writes, adding that the &#8220;infringement of Plaintiff’s copyright is willful within the meaning of the Copyright Act.&#8221;</p>
<p>CBS says that it&#8217;s been harmed by the infringing action but it can&#8217;t determine any actual damages. Instead, it requests statutory damages for willful copyright infringement which can reach $150,000 per work. </p>
<p>Of course, it&#8217;s unlikely that Tannen will have to pay that. CBS&#8217;s lawsuit is a clear retaliatory move through which the company hopes to lessen the potential damages for their own alleged infringement. </p>
<p>Posting a screenshot of a TV-episode is on a completely different level than using a full photo in a publication, of course. Still, CBS has shown that it&#8217;s willing to put up a fight, and with a powerful team of lawyers they are a tricky adversary.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;-</p>
<p>The full CBS complaint is available <a href="media/99b578c5.tannengunsmoke.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/tannengunsmoke.pdf">here (pdf)</a>. A copy of Tannen&#8217;s original suit against CBS Interactive can be found <a href="media/16df3482.tannen1.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/tannen1.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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146548
title: ‘Pirate’ IPTV Provider Loses Case, Despite Not Offering Content Itself
uri: Pirate-IPTV-Provider-Loses-Case-Despite-Not-Offering-Content-It
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/uU7uIJTfBag/
content:
<p><a href="media/c6d79219.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg"><img src="media/8a86db31.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg" alt="" width="234" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-135034"></a>In 2017, there can be little doubt that streaming is the big piracy engine of the moment. Dubbed <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-sees-illegal-streaming-devices-as-piracy-3-0-170502/">Piracy 3.0</a> by the MPAA, the movement is causing tremendous headaches for rightsholders on a global scale.</p>
<p>One of the interesting things about this phenomenon is the distributed nature of the content on offer. Sourced from thousands of online locations, from traditional file-hosters to Google Drive, the big challenge is to aggregate it all into one place, to make it easy to find. This is often achieved via third-party addons for the legal Kodi software.</p>
<p>One company offering such a service was MovieStreamer.nl in the Netherlands. Via its website <a href="http://www.moviestreamer.nl/nl/">MovieStreamer</a> the company offered its Easy Use Interface 2.0, a piece of software that made Kodi easy to use and other streams easy to find for 79 euros. It also sold &#8216;VIP&#8217; access to thousands of otherwise premium channels for around 20 euros per month.</p>
<p><center><b>MovieStreamer Easy Interface 2.0</b><a href="media/4836e4fc.moviestreamer-easy.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/moviestreamer-easy.png"><img src="media/84474835.moviestreamer-easy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/moviestreamer-easy.png" alt="" width="755" height="434" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146550"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;Thanks to the unique Easy Use Interface, we have the unique 3-step process,&#8221; the company&#8217;s marketing read.</p>
<p>&#8220;Click tile of choice, activate subtitles, and play! Fully automated and instantly the most optimal settings. Our youngest user is 4 years old and the &#8216;oldest&#8217; 86 years. Ideal for young and old, beginner and expert.&#8221;</p>
<p>Of course, being based in the Netherlands it wasn&#8217;t long before MovieStreamer caught the attention of BREIN. The anti-piracy outfit says it tried to get the company to stop offering the illegal product but after getting no joy, took the case to court.</p>
<p>From BREIN&#8217;s perspective, the case was cut and dried. MovieStreamer had no right to provide access to the infringing content so it was in breach of copyright law (unauthorized communication to the public) and should stop its activities immediately. MovieStreamer, however, saw things somewhat differently.</p>
<p>At the core of its defense was the claim that did it not provide content itself and was merely a kind of middleman. MovieStreamer said it provided only a referral service in the form of a hyperlink formatted as a shortened URL, which in turn brought together supply and demand. </p>
<p>In effect, MovieStreamer claimed that it was several steps away from any infringement and that only the users themselves could activate the shortener hyperlink and subsequent process (including a corresponding M3U playlist file, which linked to other hyperlinks) to access any pirated content. Due to this disconnect, MovieStreamer said that there was no infringement, for-profit or otherwise.</p>
<p>A judge at the District Court in Utrecht disagreed, ruling that by providing a unique hyperlink to customers which in turn lead to protected works was indeed a &#8220;communication to the public&#8221; based on the earlier <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/selling-piracy-configured-media-players-is-illegal-eu-court-rules-170426/">Filmspeler</a> case.</p>
<p>The Court also noted that MovieStreamer knew or indeed ought to have known the illegal nature of the content being linked to, not least since BREIN had already informed them of that fact. Since the company was aware, the for-profit element of the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-court-not-for-profit-hyperlinking-usually-not-infringement-160908/">GS Media</a> decision handed down by the European Court of Justice came into play.</p>
<p>In an <a href="http://www.ie-forum.nl/artikelen/het-aanbieden-van-verkorte-hyperlinks-naar-illegale-streams-is-een-ongeoorloofde-openbaarmaking">order</a> handed down October 27, the Court ordered MovieStreamer to stop its IPTV hyperlinking activities immediately, whether via its Kodi Easy Use Interface or other means. Failure to do so will result in a 5,000 euro per day fine, payable to BREIN, up to a maximum of 500,000 euros. MovieStreamer was also ordered to pay legal costs of 17,527 euros.</p>
<p>&#8220;Moviestreamer sold a link to illegal content. Then you are required to check if that content is legally on the internet,&#8221; BREIN Director Tim Kuik said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;You can not claim that you have nothing to do with the content if you sell a link to that content.&#8221;</p>
<p>Speaking with <a href="https://tweakers.net/nieuws/131307/brein-dwingt-dienst-voor-afsluiten-abonnementen-iptv-pakketten-te-stoppen.html">Tweakers</a>, MovieStreamer owner Bernhard Ohler said that the packages in question were removed from his website on Saturday night. He also warned that other similar companies could experience the same issues with BREIN.</p>
<p>&#8220;With this judgment in hand, BREIN has, of course, a powerful weapon to force them offline,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Ohler said that the margins on hardware were so small that the IPTV subscriptions were the heart of his company. Contacted by TorrentFreak on what this means for his business, he had just two words.</p>
<p>&#8220;The end,&#8221; he said.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146518
title: ExtraTorrent Uploader Groups Launch Their Own Torrent Site
uri: ExtraTorrent-Uploader-Groups-Launch-Their-Own-Torrent-Site
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bQtihF3MPNM/
content:
<p><img src="media/0dcdaf9e.ettvlogo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ettvlogo.png" alt="" width="195" height="113" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146522">Earlier this year the torrent community entered a state of shock when another major torrent site suddenly <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/extratorrent-shuts-down-for-good-170517/">closed its doors</a>.</p>
<p>Having served torrents to the masses for over a decade, ExtraTorrent decided to throw in the towel, without providing any detail or an apparent motive.</p>
<p>“It’s time we say goodbye,” was all that ExtraTorrent operator SaM was willing to say in a brief response. </p>
<p>Although ExtraTorrent is no more, the site&#8217;s name lives on thanks to several uploader groups that were tied to the site. The TV and movie torrent uploaders ETTV and ETHD <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/extratorrents-distribution-groups-ettv-and-ethd-keep-going-170519/">continued their work</a> on sites such as The Pirate Bay and 1337x.</p>
<p>While this worked fine, not all former &#8220;followers&#8221; knew where to go. ETTV and ETHD torrents were still downloaded millions of times a week, but this activity was scattered around sites that didn&#8217;t really feel like their old home. </p>
<p>To fill this hole, ETTV, ETHD and DTOne have now joined forces and launched a torrent site of their own, simply named <a href="http://ettv.tv/">ETTV.tv</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have launched a new site to cater to our fans,&#8221; the ETTV.tv teams inform TorrentFreak. </p>
<p>&#8220;Since the shutdown of ExtraTorrent we were homeless and our fans and followers didn&#8217;t know where to find us. We decided, along with DTOne (formerly DDR/ICTV/DUS), to come together and make a site that can bring our fans back.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>ETTV.tv</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/6a8708db.ettvsite.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ettvsite.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="469" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146525"></center></p>
<p>While the groups in question had ExtraTorrent as their home, this is not a reincarnation of the defunct torrent site. ETTV.tv is operated by different people and only offers a curated selection of movie and TV uploads. </p>
<p>The site may expand to other categories in the future, but for now, there are no concrete plans to do so. It&#8217;s also a closed ecosystem, meaning that only a select group of trusted uploaders is allowed to add new content.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want to have a site for best quality torrents thus we are not taking every uploader that comes knocking our doors,&#8221; the ETTV.tv team explains. There are over 50,000 torrents on the site already but the uploaders are working on bringing their entire archive back online. </p>
<p>Since the site is new there are several bugs and other issues too, which is something the site&#8217;s operators are keeping a close eye on as well. They informed TorrentFreak that ETTV.tv users are encouraged to report problems and come with suggestions. </p>
<p>The groups currently promote ETTV.tv in their upload notes on other sites and, even though the site has only been around for a few days, many close followers have found their way to it already. </p>
<p>During the months and years to come the groups hope to keep these people on board, add some more, and stay clear from any legal problems. </p>
<p>&#8220;We hope we can live up to the trust we had in the past and continue to serve our fans and followers,&#8221; ETTV.tv 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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146569
title: Trolls Want to Seize Alleged Movie Pirates’ Computers
uri: Trolls-Want-to-Seize-Alleged-Movie-Pirates-Computers
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gWAkfXqwtmE/
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>Five years ago, a massive controversy swept Finland. Local anti-piracy group CIAPC (known locally as TTVK) sent a letter to a man they accused of illegal file-sharing.</p>
<p>The documents advised the man to pay a settlement of 600 euros and sign a non-disclosure document, to make a threatened file-sharing lawsuit disappear. He made the decision not to cave in.</p>
<p>Then, in November 2012, there was an 8am call at the man&#8217;s door. Police, armed with a search warrant, said they were there to find evidence of illicit file-sharing. Eventually the culprit was found. It was the man&#8217;s 9-year-old daughter who had downloaded an album by local multi-platinum-selling songstress Chisu from The Pirate Bay, a whole year earlier.</p>
<p><img src="media/91e81061.pooh.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pooh.jpg" width="180" height="120" class="alignright size-large">Police went on to seize the child&#8217;s Winnie the Pooh-branded laptop and Chisu was horrified, posting <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/police-raid-9-year-old-pirate-bay-girl-confiscate-winnie-the-pooh-laptop-121122/">public apologies</a> on the Internet to her young fans. Five years on, it seems that pro-copyright forces in Finland are treading the same path.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.turre.com">Turre Legal</a>, a law firm involved in defending file-sharing matters, has issued a warning that copyright trolls have filed eight new cases at the Market Court, the venue for previous copyright battles in the country. </p>
<p>&#8220;According to information provided by the Market Court, Crystalis Entertainment, previously active in such cases, filed three new copyright cases and initiated five pre-trial applications in October 2017,&#8221; says lawyer Herkko Hietanen.</p>
<p>The involvement of Crystalis Entertainment adds further controversy into the mix. The company isn&#8217;t an official movie distributor but obtained the rights to distribute content on BitTorrent networks instead. It doesn&#8217;t do so officially, instead preferring to bring prosecutions against file-sharers&#8217; instead. </p>
<p>Like the earlier &#8216;Chisu&#8217; case, the trolls&#8217; law firms have moved extremely slowly. Hietanen reports that some of the new cases reference alleged file-sharing that took place two years ago in 2015.</p>
<p>&#8220;It would seem that right-holders want to show that even old cases may have to face justice,&#8221; says Hietanen.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, applications for enforceability may be a pre-requisite for computer confiscation by a bailiff for independent investigations. It is possible that seizures of the teddy bears of the past years will make a comeback,&#8221; he added, referencing the &#8216;Chisu&#8217; case.</p>
<p>Part of the reason behind the seizure requests is that some people defending against copyright trolls have been obtaining reports from technical experts who have <a href="http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/piraattikirjeiden-lahettajat-ottivat-kayttoon-kovat-keinot-vaativat-laitteita-takavarikkoon-6684983">verified</a> that no file-sharing software is present on their machines. The trolls say that this is a somewhat futile exercise since any &#8216;clean&#8217; machine can be presented for inspection. On this basis, seizure on site is a better option.</p>
<p>While the moves for seizure are somewhat aggressive, things haven&#8217;t been getting easier for copyright trolls in Finland recently.</p>
<p>In February 2017, an alleged file-sharer <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/accused-file-sharer-beats-copyright-trolls-in-finnish-court-170207/">won his case</a> when a court ruled that copyright holders lacked sufficient evidence to show that the person in question downloaded the files, in part because his Wi-Fi network was open to the public</p>
<p>Then, in the summer of 2017, the Market Court tightened the parameters under which Internet service providers are compelled to hand over the identities of suspected file-sharers to copyright owners.</p>
<p>The Court determined that this could only happen in serious cases of unlawful distribution. This, Hietanen believes, is partially the reason that the groups behind the latest cases are digging up old infringements.</p>
<p>&#8220;After the verdict of the summer, I assumed that rightsholders would have to operate with old information, at least for a while,&#8221; he says. &#8220;Rightsholders want to show that litigation is still possible.&#8221;</p>
<p>The big question, of course, is what people should do if they receive a settlement letter. In some jurisdictions, the advice is to ignore, until proper legal documentation arrives. </p>
<p>Hietanen says the matter in Finland is serious and should be treated as such. There&#8217;s always a possibility that after failing to receive a response, a copyright holder could go to court to obtain a default judgment, meaning the alleged file-sharer is immediately found guilty.</p>
<p>In the current cases, the Market Court will now have to decide whether unannounced seizures are required to preserve evidence. For cases already dating back two years, there will be plenty of discussions to be had, for and against. But in the meantime, Hedman Partners, the company representing the copyright trolls, warn that more cases are on the way.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have put in place new requests for information after the summer. We have a large number of complaints in preparation. More are coming,&#8221; lawyer Joni Hatanmaa <a href="https://www.is.fi/digitoday/art-2000005430208.html">says</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146559
title: IPTV Piracy Generates More Internet Traffic Than Torrents
uri: IPTV-Piracy-Generates-More-Internet-Traffic-Than-Torrents
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/BINYBAivSBY/
content:
<p><img src="media/8a86db31.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg" alt="" width="234" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-135034">Increasingly, people are trading in their expensive cable subscriptions, opting to use cheaper or free Internet TV instead.</p>
<p>This is made easy and convenient with help from a variety of easy-to-use set-top boxes, many of which are specifically configured to receive pirated content.</p>
<p>Following this trend, there has also been an uptick in the availability of unlicensed TV subscriptions, with <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/IPTV/comments/560nyo/collaboration_list_of_iptv_providers_their/">dozens of vendors</a> offering virtually any channel imaginable. Either for free or in exchange for a small fee. </p>
<p>Until now the true scope of this piracy ecosystem was largely unknown, but a new report published by Canadian broadband management company Sandvine reveals that it&#8217;s massive.</p>
<p>The company monitored traffic across multiple fixed access tier-1 networks in North America and found that 6.5% of households are communicating with known TV piracy services. This translates to seven million subscribers and many more potential viewers. </p>
<p>One of the interesting aspects of IPTV piracy is that most services charge money, around $10 per month. This means that there&#8217;s a lot of money involved. If the seven million figure is indeed accurate, these IPTV vendors would generate roughly $800 million in North America alone.</p>
<p>&#8220;TV piracy could quickly become almost a billion dollar a year industry for pirates,&#8221; Sandvine writes in its <a href="https://www.sandvine.com/trends/fraud.html">report</a>, noting that the real rightsholders are being substantially harmed. </p>
<p><center><strong>Pirate subscription TV ecosystem</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/2afb989b.iptvecosystem.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/iptvecosystem.png" alt="" width="600" height="239" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146576"></center></p>
<p>According to Sandvine, roughly 95% of the IPTV subscriptions run off custom set-top boxes. Kodi-powered devices and Roku boxes follow at a respectable distance with 3% and 2% of the market, respectively. </p>
<p>With millions of viewers, there&#8217;s undoubtedly a large audience of pirate subscription TV viewers. This is also reflected in the bandwidth these services consume. During peak hours, 6.5% of all downstream traffic on fixed networks is generated by TV piracy services.</p>
<p>To put this into perspective; this is more than all BitTorrent traffic during the peak hours, which was &#8220;only&#8221; 1.73% last year, and dropping.</p>
<p>The pirate IPTV numbers are quite impressive, also when compared to Netflix and YouTube. While the two video giants still have a larger share of overall Internet traffic on fixed networks, pirate TV subscriptions are not that far behind. </p>
<p><center><strong>Internet traffic share throughout the day</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/40d94ce2.trafficsharethroughouttheday.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trafficsharethroughouttheday.png" alt="" width="600" height="277" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146573"></center></p>
<p>The graph above points out another issue. It highlights that many IPTV services continue to stream data even when they&#8217;re not actively used (tuned into a channel with the TV off). As a result, they have a larger share of the overall traffic during the night when most people don&#8217;t use Netflix or YouTube.</p>
<p>This wasted traffic is referred to as &#8220;phantom bandwidth&#8221; and can be as high as one terabyte per month for a single connection. Physically powering off the box is often the only way to prevent this. </p>
<p>Needless to say, &#8220;phantom bandwidth&#8221; increases IPTV traffic numbers, so it doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean that all this traffic is actively consumed.</p>
<p>Finally, Sandvine looked at the different types of content people are streaming with these pirate subscriptions. Live sporting events are popular, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mayweather-vs-mcgregor-caused-massive-surge-in-streaming-piracy-170828/">as we&#8217;ve seen</a> with the megafight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. The same is true for news channels and premium TV such as HBO and international broadcasts. </p>
<p>The most viewed of all in North America, with 4.6% of all pirated TV traffic, is the Indian Star Plus HD. </p>
<p>All and all it is safe to conclude that IPTV piracy is making up a large part of the pirate ecosystem. This hasn&#8217;t gone unnoticed to copyright holders of course. In recent months we have seen <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/spanish-police-shut-down-isps-iptv-piracy-business-170210/">enforcement actions</a> against several providers and if this trend continues, more are likely to follow.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, it would be interesting to see some numbers of the &#8220;on demand&#8221; piracy streaming websites and devices as well. IPTV subscriptions are substantial, but it would be no surprise if pirate streaming boxes and sites <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/online-piracy-moves-away-from-the-desktop-170414/">generate even more traffic</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146636
title: Kim Dotcom Asks Court For $829K to Fund Family Expenses
uri: Kim-Dotcom-Asks-Court-For-829K-to-Fund-Family-Expenses
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qnQv40Stq6Y/
content:
<p><a href="media/57d13949.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg"><img src="media/5b2669f1.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg" alt="" width="233" height="170" class="alignright size-full wp-image-76556"></a>When Megaupload was shut down in January 2012, US authorities did everything within their power to financially ruin Kim Dotcom and his associates.</p>
<p>Aside from taking much of his personal property, tens of millions of dollars of assets were seized around the world.</p>
<p>Under instruction from the U.S. government, US$42.57m in assets were seized in Hong Kong and since then Dotcom has been trying to claw it back, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/broke-again-dotcom-asks-hong-kong-court-for-millions-151201/">bit by bit</a>.</p>
<p>Back in July, Dotcom revealed that the Hong Kong High Court had released more of his funds, plus four containers of seized property. Noting that he missed the country, he gave thanks for the lifeline.</p>
<p>&#8220;Thanks to a Hong Kong Judge my family can move to Queenstown and my kids will be surrounded by beautiful mountains &#038; lakes instead of spies,&#8221; Dotcom said.</p>
<p>That move eventually went ahead, with Dotcom regularly tweeting beautiful waterside views from his new home over the past few months. But of course, nice things tend to cost quite a bit of money, so Dotcom&#8217;s legal team have been working hard in Hong Kong to have more funds released.</p>
<p>According to a report from <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&#038;objectid=11939853">NZHerald</a>, his latest request is fairly sizeable, reaching NZ$1.2m (US$829,400), everything considered.</p>
<p>First up, Dotcom is seeking around NZ$1m (US$691,200) for costs relating to his relocation from Auckland to Queenstown. That&#8217;s comprised of two years worth of rent at NZ$40,000 (US$27,648) per month (no typo), plus NZ$150,000 (US$103,680) to cover the actual cost of the move.</p>
<p>On top, Dotcom is looking for NZ$73,000 (US$50,457) per month for living expenses, an amount that&#8217;s roughly US$2,000 per month up on the amount he currently receives.</p>
<p>According to the report, Dotcom&#8217;s team are also proposing a further amount of NZ$200,000 (US$138,240) to cover emergency items including &#8220;medical expenses of the family, car maintenance, household repairs and two holidays of the family&#8221;.</p>
<p>It seems unlikely that this will be the final request from Dotcom. According to Gerard McCoy, Dotcom&#8217;s lawyer in Hong Kong, the extradition process in New Zealand is nowhere near complete. In fact, McCoy told the court that proceedings won&#8217;t be completed during the next two years.</p>
<p>That takes us to 2020, at least, meaning that Dotcom will still be in New Zealand a full eight years after the raid. Given the massive number of court battles and subsequent appeals into every detail of several resulting cases, that&#8217;s probably not a surprise, however.</p>
<p>The progress in the extradition process itself is also somewhat glacial, with the next hearing set for the first quarter of 2018 in the Court of Appeal. If past experience is anything to go by, neither side will be happy with the outcome. This means that an appeal to the Supreme Court is almost inevitable.</p>
<p>Over in the United States, progress has also been slow. Recently, a petition from Dotcom and his former Megaupload colleagues over millions of dollars in seized assets <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/supreme-court-denies-kim-dotcoms-petition-over-seized-millions-171002/">was denied by the US Supreme Court</a>.</p>
<p>While this decision means that the battle over a further US$67 million in assets has been exhausted, the question of whether Dotcom and former colleagues Mathias Ortmann, Bram van der Kolk and Finn Batato will ever stand trial in the US remains unanswered.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146648
title: Hollywood Keeps Screener Piracy ‘Alive’ by Mailing 70,000 Discs a Year
uri: Hollywood-Keeps-Screener-Piracy-Alive-by-Mailing-70-000-Discs-a
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/xwCsmQ32kqI/
content:
<p><img src="media/6ab00d3b.scr.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scr.png" alt="" width="232" height="178" class="alignright size-full wp-image-132129">At the end of the year movie industry insiders traditionally receive their screener copies, which they use to vote on the Oscars and other awards.</p>
<p>As is tradition, quite a few of these advance screeners will leak on various pirate sites. Last year the action <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/screener-season-is-here-but-where-are-the-piracy-leaks-161218/">started late</a>, but eventually <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/all-oscar-nominees-are-available-on-pirate-sites-170225/">more than a dozen copies</a> found their way to pirate sites. </p>
<p>The problem is not minor. Over the past fifteen years, screener copies of more than half of all the Oscar-nominated films have leaked online. Many of them appeared while the movies were still playing in theaters, or even before.</p>
<p>Hollywood has been working hard to contain the problem with watermarks and other security protocols but it seems hard to contain. This isn&#8217;t really a surprise when you look at the numbers. According to reports, studios send out 70,000 physical discs every year. </p>
<p>“No matter how much you try to secure your product, if you’re sending out a movie, it will leak online,” an anonymous source at a top awards screeners distributor told <a href="http://variety.com/2017/artisans/production/dvd-screeners-switch-1202603605/">Variety</a>, which reported on the issue.</p>
<p>In recent years several new online screening options have been developed. These are much cheaper, less than $4 compared to up to $35 for a watermarked physical disc. On top of that, they&#8217;re also much more secure and less likely to be stolen or copied in the distribution process.</p>
<p>Interestingly, however, many studios are reluctant to make this change. Not because they are worried about the technology itself, which works just fine, but because they fear that older voters are not tech savvy enough to handle an online screener. </p>
<p>This is corroborated by Matt Suggs, the executive VP of the online screening platform <a href="https://www.mediafly.com/news/anatomy-of-a-movie-leak">Mediafly</a>. “The No. 1 concern is the older awards-voter demographic. This is brought up by every one of our customers,” he says. </p>
<p>Apparently, awards votes are more important than security in this instance. This is good news for pirates who have a better chance of seeing advance screener copies leak because of it. The question is, how long will this last? </p>
<p>Technology advances at a rapid pace. Just ten years ago it was pretty much impossible to stream a Hollywood movie online, something that everyone takes for granted today. So, eventually, screeners will all move to the Internet as well.</p>
<p>Suggs compares it to the shift from VHS to DVDs. At first, many older voters were not happy with the change, but eventually, everyone caved in. </p>
<p>“The same concerns existed when the studios moved to DVDs. For several years, they still had older members asking for VHS tapes. It’s just inevitable that they’re going to migrate to eScreeners in the same way. The real solution to this problem is time,” he says.</p>
<p>That said, even when all screeners move to a well-protected online platforms, leaks will still be possible. After all, pirates and hackers tend to be very familiar with the online playground.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146684
title: Kim Dotcom Wins Settlement Over Military-Style Police Raid
uri: Kim-Dotcom-Wins-Settlement-Over-Military-Style-Police-Raid
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bdv1suYSQVQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/82cba9c2.raid1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/raid1.jpg"><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"></a>It&#8217;s been spoken about thousands of times in the past half-decade but the 2012 raid on Kim Dotcom&#8217;s home in New Zealand was extraordinary by any standard.</p>
<p>At the behest of the US Government, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/elite-anti-terror-police-went-after-megauploads-kim-dotcom-120207/">72 police officers</a> &#8211; including some from the elite heavily armed Special Tactics Group (STG) &#8211; descended on Dotcom&#8217;s Coatesville mansion. Two helicopters were used during the raid, footage from which was later released to the public as the scale and nature of the operation became clear.</p>
<p>To be clear, no one in the Dotcom residence had any history of violence. Nevertheless, considerable force was used to attack rooms in the building, all of it aimed at detaining the founder of what was then the world&#8217;s most famous file-hosting site. The FBI, it seems, would stop at nothing in pursuit of the man they claimed was the planet&#8217;s most notorious copyright infringer.</p>
<p>As the dust settled, it became clear that the overwhelming use of force was not only unprecedented but also completely unnecessary, a point Dotcom himself became intent on pressing home.</p>
<p>The entrepreneur was particularly angry at the treatment received by former wife Mona, who was seven months pregnant with twins at the time. So, in response, the Megaupload founder and his wife sued the police, hoping to hold the authorities to account for their actions.</p>
<p>The case has dragged on for years but this morning came news of a breakthrough. According to information released by Kim Dotcom, the lawsuit has been resolved after a settlement was reached with the police.</p>
<p>“Today, Mona and I are glad to reach a confidential settlement of our case against the New Zealand Police. We have respect for the Police in this country. They work hard and have, with this one exception, treated me and my family with courtesy and respect,&#8221; Dotcom said.</p>
<p>&#8220;We were shocked at the uncharacteristic handling of my arrest for a non-violent Internet copyright infringement charge brought by the United States, which is not even a crime in New Zealand.&#8221;</p>
<p>Dotcom said police could have simply asked to be let in, at which point he could have been arrested. Instead, under pressure from US authorities and &#8220;special interests in Hollywood&#8221;, they turned the whole event into a massive publicity stunt aimed at pleasing the US.</p>
<p>&#8220;The New Zealand Police we know do not carry guns. They try to resolve matters in a non-violent manner, unlike what we see from the United States. We are sad that our officers, good people simply doing their job, were tainted by US priorities and arrogance,” Dotcom said.</p>
<p>“We sued the Police because we believed their military-style raid on a family with children in a non-violent case went far beyond what a civilised community should expect from its police force. New Zealanders deserve and should expect better.”</p>
<p>Kim Dotcom has developed a reputation for fighting back across all aspects of his long-running case, and this particular action was no different. He&#8217;d planned to take the case all the way to the High Court but in the end decided that doing so wouldn&#8217;t be in the best interests of his family.</p>
<p>Noting that New Zealand has a new government &#8220;for the better&#8221;, Dotcom said that raking up the past would only serve to further disrupt his family.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our children are now settled and integrated safely here into their community and they love it. We do not want to relive past events. We do not want to disrupt our children’s new lives. We do not want to revictimise them. We want them to grow up happy,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>&#8220;That is why we chose New Zealand to be our family home in the first place. We are fortunate to live here. Under the totality of the circumstances, we thought settlement was best for our children.”</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&#038;objectid=11940279">NZ Herald</a>, the Dotcoms aren&#8217;t the only ones to have made peace with the police. Other people arrested in 2012, including Dotcom associates Bram van der Kolk and Mathias Ortmann, were paid six-figure sums to settle. The publication speculates that as the main target of the raid, Dotcom&#8217;s settlment amount would&#8217;ve been more.</p>
<p>But while this matter is now closed, others remain. It was previously determined that Kiwi spy agency the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) unlawfully spied on the Dotcoms over an extended period. Ron Mansfield, New Zealand counsel for the Dotcoms, says that case will continue.</p>
<p>&#8220;The GCSB refuses to disclose what it did or the actual private communications it stole. The Dotcoms understandably believe that they are entitled to know this. That action is pending appeal in the Court of Appeal,” he says.</p>
<p>Also before the Court of Appeal is the case to extradite Dotcom and his associates to the United States. That hearing is set for February 2018 but whatever the outcome, a further appeal to the Supreme Court is likely, meaning that Dotcom will remain in New Zealand until 2020, at least.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pMas0tWc0sg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146676
title: Osama Bin Laden Compound Was a Piracy Hotbed, CIA Reveals
uri: Osama-Bin-Laden-Compound-Was-a-Piracy-Hotbed-CIA-Reveals
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5dhRXW1bozs/
content:
<p><img src="media/be507200.compound.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/compound.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="202" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146741">The times when pirates were stereotyped as young men in a college dorm are long past us. </p>
<p>Nowadays you can find copyright infringers throughout many cultures and all layers of society. </p>
<p>In the past we&#8217;ve discovered &#8216;pirates&#8217; in the most unusual places, from the <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/fbi-employees-download-pirated-movies-and-tv-shows-130209/">FBI</a>, through <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/exposed-bittorrent-pirates-at-the-doj-parliaments-record-labels-and-more-121226/">major record labels</a> and the <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/cispa-anyone-exposing-pirates-a-the-u-s-government-130422/">U.S. Government</a> to the <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/priests-watch-dvd-screeners-while-pirates-download-filth-in-the-vatican-130407/">Vatican</a>.</p>
<p>This week we can add another location to the list, Osama Bin Laden&#8217;s former Abbottabad compound, where he was captured and killed on 2 May 2011.</p>
<p>The CIA has regularly released documents and information found on the premises. This week it added a massive treasure trove of <a href="https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/2017-press-releases-statements/cia-releases-additional-files-recovered-in-ubl-compound-raid.html">470,000 files</a>, providing insight into the interests of one of the most notorious characters in recent history. </p>
<p>&#8220;Today’s release of recovered al-Qa‘ida letters, videos, audio files and other materials provides the opportunity for the American people to gain further insights into the plans and workings of this terrorist organization,&#8221; CIA Director Pompeo commented. </p>
<p>What caught our eye, however, is the material that the CIA chose not to release. This includes a host of pirated files, some more relevant than others. </p>
<p>For example, the computers contained pirated copies of the movies Antz, Batman Gotham Knight, Cars, Chicken Little, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Home on the Range and The Three Musketeers. Since these are children-oriented titles, it&#8217;s likely they served as entertainment for the kids living in the compound. </p>
<p>There was also other entertainment stored on the hard drives, including the games Final Fantasy VII and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, a Game Boy Advance emulator, porn, and anime. </p>
<p>Gizmodo has an overview of some of the <a href="https://gizmodo.com/the-42-weirdest-movies-on-osama-bin-ladens-computer-1820046327">weirdest movies</a>, for those who are interested.  </p>
<p>Not all content is irrelevant, though. The archive also contains files including the documentary &#8220;Where in the World is Osama bin Laden,&#8221; &#8220;CNN Presents: World’s Most Wanted,&#8221; &#8220;In the Footsteps of Bin Laden,&#8221; and &#8220;National Geographic: World’s Worst Venom.&#8221;</p>
<p>Or what about &#8220;National Geographic: Kung Fu Killers,&#8221; which reveals the ten deadliest Kung Fu weapons of all time, including miniature swords disguised as tobacco pipes.</p>
<p>There is, of course, no evidence that Osama Bin Laden watched any of these titles. Just as there&#8217;s no proof that he played any games. There were a lot of people in the compound and, while it makes for a good headline, the files are not directly tied to him. </p>
<p>That said, the claim that <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-study-links-film-piracy-to-gangs-and-terrorists-090304/">piracy supports terrorism</a> suddenly gets a whole new meaning&#8230; </p>
<p><center><strong></strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/05f981bc.seeder.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/seeder.png" alt="" width="554" height="161" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146747"></center></p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><em>Credit: Original compound image <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pkjournalist/5708716953/in/photostream">Sajjad Ali Qureshi</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146686
title: US Court Disarms Canada’s Global Site Blocking Order Against Google
uri: US-Court-Disarms-Canada-s-Global-Site-Blocking-Order-Against-Google
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kxxdGG_lsj0/
content:
<p><img src="media/e92721d2.searchman.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/searchman.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="156" class="alignright size-full wp-image-135409">Google regularly removes infringing websites from its search results, but the company is also wary of abuse. </p>
<p>When the Canadian company Equustek Solutions requested the company to remove websites that offered unlawful and competing products, it refused to do so globally.</p>
<p>This resulted in a legal battle that came to a climax in June, when the Supreme Court of Canada <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/canadas-supreme-court-orders-google-remove-search-results-worldwide-170629/">ordered Google</a> to remove a company&#8217;s websites from its search results. Not just in Canada, but all over the world.</p>
<p>With options to appeal exhausted in Canada, Google <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-challenges-canadas-global-blocking-injunction-in-the-us-170726/">took the case</a> to a federal court in the US. The search engine requested an injunction to disarm the Canadian order, arguing that a worldwide blocking order violates the First Amendment.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, Equustek decided not to defend itself and without opposition, a California District Court sided with Google yesterday.</p>
<p>During a hearing, Google attorney Margaret Caruso stressed that it should not be possible for foreign countries to implement measures that run contrary to core values of the United States.</p>
<p>The search engine argued that the Canadian order violated Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which immunizes Internet services from liability for content created by third parties. With this law, Congress specifically chose not to deter harmful online speech by imposing liability on Internet services. </p>
<p>In an order, signed shortly after the hearing, District Judge Edward Davila concludes that Google qualifies for Section 230 immunity in this case. As such, he rules that the Canadian Supreme Court&#8217;s global blocking order goes too far.</p>
<p>&#8220;Google is harmed because the Canadian order restricts activity that Section 230 protects. In addition, the balance of equities favors Google because the injunction would deprive it of the benefits of U.S. federal law,&#8221; Davila writes.</p>
<p>Rendering the order unenforceable is not just in the interest of Google, the District Court writes. It&#8217;s also best for the general public as free speech is clearly at stake here.</p>
<p>&#8220;Congress recognized that free speech on the internet would be severely restricted if websites were to face tort liability for hosting user-generated content. It responded by enacting Section 230, which grants broad immunity to online intermediaries,&#8221; Judge Davila writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Canadian order would eliminate Section 230 immunity for service providers that link to third-party websites. By forcing intermediaries to remove links to third-party material, the Canadian order undermines the policy goals of Section 230 and threatens free speech on the global internet.&#8221; </p>
<p><center><strong><strong>The preliminary injunction</strong></strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/3eb7cdda.googleeqorder.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/googleeqorder.png" alt="" width="609" height="314" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146696"></center></p>
<p>The Court signed a preliminary injunction which prevents Equustek enforcing the Canadian order in the United States, which is exactly what Google was after. Since the Canadian company chose not to represent itself in the US case, this will likely stand. </p>
<p>The ruling is important in the broader scheme. If foreign courts are allowed to grant worldwide blockades, free speech could be severely hampered. Today it&#8217;s a relatively unknown Canadian company, but what if the Chinese Government asked Google to block the websites of VPN providers? </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of the full order is <a href="media/bea2371d.googleinjunction.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/googleinjunction.pdf">available here (pdf)</a>.</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146589
title: Book Author Trolled Pirates With Fake Leak to Make a Point
uri: Book-Author-Trolled-Pirates-With-Fake-Leak-to-Make-a-Point
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/KGHCK37dtOI/
content:
<p><img src="media/21edb429.ravenking.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ravenking.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="275" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146710">When it comes to how piracy affects sales, there are thousands of different opinions. This applies to music, movies, software and many other digital products, including ebooks. </p>
<p>When we <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/best-selling-author-turns-piracy-into-profit-080512/">interviewed</a> Paulo Coelho nearly ten years ago, he pointed out how piracy helped him to sell more books. While a lot has changed since then, he still sees the benefits of piracy today. </p>
<p>However, for many other authors, piracy is a menace. They cringe at the sight of their book being shared online and believe that hurts their bottom line. This includes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_Stiefvater">Maggie Stiefvater</a>, who&#8217;s known for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raven_Cycle">The Raven Cycle</a> books, among others. </p>
<p>This week she responded to a tweet from a self-confessed pirate, stating that piracy got the box set of the Raven Cycle canceled. As is usual on social media, it quickly turned into a mess. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/7cbb951f.raventweet.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/raventweet.png" alt="" width="519" height="147" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146769"></center></p>
<p>Instead of debating the controversial issue indefinitely in 140 character tweets, Stiefvater did what authors do best. She put her thoughts on paper. In a Tumblr post, she countered the belief that piracy doesn’t hurt authors and that pirates wouldn&#8217;t pay for a book anyway.</p>
<p>The story shared by Stiefvater isn&#8217;t hypothetical, it&#8217;s real-world experience. She had noticed that the third book in the Raven Cycle wasn&#8217;t doing as well as earlier editions. While this is not uncommon for a series, the sales drop was not equal across all formats, but mostly driven by a lack of eBook sales.</p>
<p>While her publisher wasn&#8217;t certain that piracy was to blame, Stiefvater was convinced it played an important role. After all, the interest in her book tours was growing and there was plenty of talk about the books online as well. So when the publisher said that the print run of her new book the Raven King would be cut in half compared to a previous release, she came up with a plan.</p>
<p>Instead of trying to take all pirated copies down following the new release, she created her own, with help from her brother. But one with a twist.</p>
<p>&#8220;It was impossible to take down every illegal pdf; I’d already seen that. So we were going to do the opposite. We created a pdf of the Raven King. It was the same length as the real book, but it was just the first four chapters over and over again,&#8221; Stiefvater writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;I knew we wouldn’t be able to hold the fort for long — real versions would slowly get passed around by hand through forum messaging — but I told my brother: I want to hold the fort for one week. Enough to prove a point. Enough to show everyone that this is no longer 2004. This is the smart phone generation, and a pirated book sometimes is a lost sale.&#8221;</p>
<p>And so it happened. When the book came out April last year, customized pirated copies were planted all over the Internet by the author&#8217;s brother. People were stumbling all over them, making it near impossible to find a real pirated copy.</p>
<p>&#8220;He uploaded dozens and dozens and dozens of these pdfs of The Raven King. You couldn’t throw a rock without hitting one of his pdfs. We sailed those epub seas with our own flag shredding the sky.&#8221;</p>
<p>This paid off. Many people could only find the &#8220;troll&#8221; copies and saw no other option than to buy the real deal.</p>
<p>&#8220;The effects were instant. The forums and sites exploded with bewildered activity. Fans asked if anyone had managed to find a link to a legit pdf. Dozens of posts appeared saying that since they hadn’t been able to find a pdf, they’d been forced to hit up Amazon and buy the book.&#8221;</p>
<p>As a result, the first print of the book sold out in two days. Stiefvater was on tour and at some stores she visited, the books were no longer available. The publisher had to print more and more until&#8230; the inevitable happened.</p>
<p>&#8220;Then the pdfs hit the forums and e-sales sagged and it was business as usual, but it didn’t matter: I’d proven the point. Piracy has consequences,&#8221; Stiefvater writes, summarizing the morale of her story.</p>
<p>While this is unlikely to change the minds of undeterred pirates, it might strike a chord with some people. </p>
<p>Of course Stiefvater&#8217;s anecdote is no better that Coelho&#8217;s, who <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/best-selling-author-turns-piracy-into-profit-080512/">argued the opposite</a> in the past. Perhaps the real takeaway is that piracy doesn&#8217;t have any fixed effects and it certainly can&#8217;t be captured in oneliners either. It&#8217;s a complex puzzle of dozens of constantly changing factors, which will likely never be solved.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>Maggie Stiefvater&#8217;s full Tumblr post is a recommended read and can be found <a href="http://maggie-stiefvater.tumblr.com/post/166952028861/ive-decided-to-tell-you-guys-a-story-about">here</a>, or below. </em></p>
<div class="tumblr-post" data-href="https://embed.tumblr.com/embed/post/ZvVfACr_EEX6cWhh_D0H-A/166952028861" data-did="7876dda744c64140fe36f98083b1bd4ef6d337f3"  ><a href="http://maggie-stiefvater.tumblr.com/post/166952028861/ive-decided-to-tell-you-guys-a-story-about">http://maggie-stiefvater.tumblr.com/post/166952028861/ive-decided-to-tell-you-guys-a-story-about</a></div>
<p><script async src="https://assets.tumblr.com/post.js"></script></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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146626
title: MPAA: Almost 70% of 38 Million Kodi Users Are Pirates
uri: MPAA-Almost-70-of-38-Million-Kodi-Users-Are-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/o9K4EGfUUlk/
content:
<p><a href="media/1b5440c0.mpaa-logo1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-logo1.jpg"><img src="media/394b6768.mpaa-logo1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-logo1.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="112" class="alignright size-full wp-image-36694"></a>As torrents and other forms of file-sharing resolutely simmer away in the background, it is the streaming phenomenon that&#8217;s taking the Internet by storm.</p>
<p>This Tuesday, in a report by Canadian broadband management company Sandvine, it was revealed that IPTV traffic has grown to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/iptv-piracy-generates-more-internet-traffic-than-torrents-171101/">massive proportions</a>. </p>
<p>Sandvine found that 6.5% of households in North American are now communicating with known TV piracy services. This translates to seven million subscribers and many more potential viewers. There&#8217;s little doubt that IPTV and all its variants, Kodi streaming included, are definitely here to stay.</p>
<p>The topic was raised again Wednesday during a panel discussion hosted by the Copyright Alliance in conjunction with the Creative Rights Caucus. Titled &#8220;Copyright Pirates&#8217; New Strategies&#8221;, the discussion&#8217;s <a href="media/8a2fdf49.DNjVzZ8WsAE6PEs.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/DNjVzZ8WsAE6PEs.png">promotional graphic</a> indicates some of the industry heavyweights in attendance.</p>
<p>The Copyright Alliance tweeted points from the discussion throughout the day and soon the conversation turned to the streaming phenomenon that has transformed piracy in recent times.</p>
<p>Previously dubbed <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-sees-illegal-streaming-devices-as-piracy-3-0-170502/">Piracy 3.0</a> by the MPAA, Senior Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs Neil Fried was present to describe streaming devices and apps as the latest development in TV and movie piracy.</p>
<p>Like many before him, Fried explained that the Kodi platform in its basic form is legal. However, he noted that many of the add-ons for the media player provide access to pirated content, a point proven in a big screen demo.</p>
<p><center><b>Kodi demo by the MPAA <a href="https://twitter.com/copyright4u/status/925769451961769986">via</a> Copyright Alliance</b><a href="media/1e88f487.DNj-Z0UW4AAnltg.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/DNj-Z0UW4AAnltg.jpg"><img src="media/7252b6c0.DNj-Z0UW4AAnltg.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/DNj-Z0UW4AAnltg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146629" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/DNj-Z0UW4AAnltg.jpg 1200w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/DNj-Z0UW4AAnltg-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></a></center></p>
<p>According to the Copyright Alliance, Fried then delivered some interesting stats. The MPAA believes that there are around 38 million users of Kodi in the world, which sounds like a reasonable figure given that the system has been around for 15 years in various guises, including during its XBMC branding.</p>
<p>However, he also claimed that of those 38 million, a substantial 26 million users have piracy addons installed. That suggests around 68.5% or seven out of ten of all Kodi users are pirates of movies, TV shows, and other media. Taking the MPAA statement to its conclusion, only 12 million Kodi users are operating the software legitimately. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted XBMC Foundation President Nathan Betzen for his stance on the figures but he couldn&#8217;t shine much light on usage.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unfortunately I do not have an up to date number on users, and because we don’t watch what our users are doing, we have no way of knowing how many do what with regards to streaming. [The MPAA&#8217;s] numbers could be completely correct or totally made up. We have no real way to know,&#8221; Betzen said.</p>
<p>That being said, the team does have the capability to monitor overall Kodi usage, even if they don&#8217;t publish the stats. This was revealed back in June 2011 when Kodi was still called XBMC.</p>
<p>&#8220;The addon system gives us the opportunity to measure the popularity of addons, measure user base, estimate the frequency that people update their systems, and even, ultimately, help users find the more popular addons,&#8221; the team <a href="https://kodi.tv/xbmc-statistics">wrote</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most interestingly, for the purposes of this post, is that we can get a pretty good picture of how many active XBMC installs there are without having to track what each individual user does.&#8221;</p>
<p>Using this system, the team concluded there were roughly 435,000 active XBMC instances around the globe in April 2011, but that figure was to swell dramatically. Just three months later, 789,000 XBMC installations had been active in the previous six weeks.</p>
<p>What&#8217;s staggering is that in 2017, the MPAA claims that there are now 38 million users of Kodi, of which 26 million are pirates. In the absence of any figures from the Kodi team, TF asked Kodi addon repository TVAddons what they thought of the MPAA&#8217;s stats.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve always banned the use of analytics within Kodi addons, so it&#8217;s really impossible to make such an estimate. It seems like the MPAA is throwing around numbers without much statistical evidence while mislabelling Kodi users as &#8216;pirate&#8217; in the same way that they have mislabelled legitimate services like CloudFlare,&#8221; a spokesperson said.</p>
<p>&#8220;As far as general addon use goes, before our repository server (which contained hundreds of legitimate addons) was unlawfully seized, it had about <a href="https://www.tvaddons.co/kodi-stats-march2017/">39 million active users</a> per month, but even we don&#8217;t know how many users downloaded which addons. We never allowed for addon statistics for users because they are invasive to privacy and breed unhealthy competition.&#8221;</p>
<p>So, it seems that while there is some dispute over the number of potential pirates, there does at least appear to be some consensus on the number of users overall. The big question, however, is how groups like the MPAA will deal with this kind of unauthorized infringement in future.</p>
<p>At the moment the big push is to paint pirate platforms as <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-narrative-isnt-about-ethics-anymore-its-about-danger-170812/">dangerous places to be</a>. Indeed, during the discussion this week, Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid claimed that users of pirate services are &#8220;28 times more likely&#8221; to be infected with malware.</p>
<p>Whether that strategy will pay off <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirates-are-not-easily-deterred-by-viruses-and-malware-study-finds-170913/">remains unclear</a> but it&#8217;s obvious that at least for now, Piracy 3.0 is a massive deal, one that few people saw coming half a decade ago but is destined to keep growing.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146789
title: Steal This Show S03E10: The Battle Of The Bots
uri: Steal-This-Show-S03E10-The-Battle-Of-The-Bots
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/d9385J6cyXM/
content:
<p><img src="media/d01749d9.stslogo180.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stslogo180.png" alt="stslogo180" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-113928"><strong><sup><em>If you enjoy this episode, consider becoming a patron and getting involved with the show. <a href="https://patreon.com/user?u=4275705">Check out Steal This Show&#8217;s Patreon campaign</a>: support us and get all kinds of&nbsp;fantastic benefits!</em></sup></strong></p>
<p>It seems everyone&#8217;s getting in on the  &#8220;fake news&#8221; game today, from far-right parties in Germany to critics of Catalan separatism &#8212; but none more concertedly than the Russian state itself. </p>
<p>In this episode we meet <a href="https://twitter.com/benimmo">Ben Nimmo</a>, Fellow at the Atlantic Council&#8217;s Digital Forensic Research Lab, to talk us through the latest patterns and trends in online disinformation and hybrid warfare. &#8216;People who really want to cause trouble can make up just about anything,&#8217; explains Ben, &#8216;and the fakes are getting more and more complex. It&#8217;s really quite alarming.&#8217;</p>
<p>After cluing us in on the state of information warfare today, we discuss evidence that the Russians are deploying a fully-funded &#8216;Troll Factory&#8217; across dominant social networks whose intent is to distort reality and sway the political conversation in favour of its masters. </p>
<p>We dig deep into the present history of the &#8216;Battle Of The Bots&#8217;, looking specifically at the activities of the fake Twitter account @TEN_GOP, whose misinformation has reached all the way to the highest tier of American government. Can we control or counter these rogue informational entities? What&#8217;s the best way to do so? Do we need &#8216;Asimov Laws&#8217; for a new generation of purely online, but completely real, information entities?</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><a href="https://stealthisshow.com">Steal This Show</a> aims to release bi-weekly episodes featuring insiders discussing copyright and file-sharing news. It complements our regular reporting by adding more room for opinion, commentary, and analysis. </p>
<p>The guests for our news discussions will vary, and we&#8217;ll aim to introduce voices from different backgrounds and persuasions. In addition to news, STS will also produce features interviewing some of the great innovators and minds. </p>
<p><strong>Host:</strong> Jamie King</p>
<p><strong>Guest:</strong> <a href="https://twitter.com/benimmo">Ben Nimmo</a></p>
<p><center><iframe width="100%" height="180px" src="//stealthisshow.com/?lpe-frame=1&#038;lpe-season=3&#038;lpe-episode=10" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<p><strong>Produced </strong> <em>by </em>Jamie King<br>
<strong>Edited &#038; Mixed</strong> <em>by</em> Riley Byrne<br>
<strong>Original Music</strong> <em>by</em> David Triana<br>
<strong>Web Production</strong> <em>by</em> Siraje Amarniss</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146675
title: Piracy ‘Fines’ Awareness Causes 13% of Pirates to Stop Pirating, Study Finds
uri: Piracy-Fines-Awareness-Causes-13-of-Pirates-to-Stop-Pirating-S
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LP7NtUqrjVA/
content:
<p><a href="media/9ef6a551.warning.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/warning.png"><img src="media/40fc3a89.warning.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/warning.png" alt="" width="250" height="213" class="alignright size-full wp-image-109065"></a>Figuring out what to do about the online piracy problem is an ongoing puzzle for rightsholders everywhere. What they&#8217;re all agreed upon, however, is the need to educate the public.</p>
<p>Various approaches have been deployed, from ISP-based &#8216;education&#8217; notices through to the current practice of painting pirate sites as havens for viruses and malware. The other approach, of course, has been to threaten to sue pirates in an effort to make them change their ways.</p>
<p>These threats have traditionally been deployed by so-called copyright trolls &#8211; companies and groups who have the sole intention of extracting cash payments from pirates in order to generate an additional revenue stream. At the same time, many insist that their programs are also designed to reduce piracy via word of mouth.</p>
<p>While that might be true in some cases, there&#8217;s little proof that the approach works. However, a new study carried out on behalf of the Copyright Information and Anti-Piracy Center (CIAPC) in Finland suggests that they may have had some effect.</p>
<p>The survey was carried out between 11 September 2017 and 10 October 2017 among people aged 15 to 79-years-old. In total, 1001 people were interviewed, 77% of whom said they&#8217;d never used pirate services.</p>
<p>Of all people interviewed, 43% said they&#8217;d heard about copyright holders sending settlement letters to Internet users, although awareness rates were higher (between 51% and 55%) among people aged between 25 and 49-years-old. Predictably, awareness jumped to 70% among users of pirate services and it&#8217;s these individuals that produced some of the study&#8217;s most interesting findings.</p>
<p>Of the pirates who said they were aware of settlement letters being sent out, 13% reported that they&#8217;d terminated their use of pirate services as a result. A slightly higher figure, 14%, said they&#8217;d reduced their use of unauthorized content.</p>
<p>Perhaps surprisingly (given that they aren&#8217;t likely to receive a letter), the study also found that 17% of people who listen to or play content on illegal online services (implication: streaming) stopped doing so, with 13% cutting down on the practice.</p>
<p>&#8220;According to the Economic Research Survey, these two groups of respondents are partly overlapping, but it can still be said that the settlement letters have had a decisive impact on the use of pirated services,&#8221; CIAPC reports.</p>
<p>The study also found support for copyright holders looking to unmask alleged Internet pirates by compelling their ISPs to do so in court.</p>
<p>&#8220;The survey found that 65 percent of the population is fully or partly in favor of rightsholders being allowed to find out who has infringed their rights anonymously on the Internet,&#8221; the group adds.</p>
<p>Overall, just 17% of respondents said that rightsholders shouldn&#8217;t be able to find out people&#8217;s identities. Unsurprisingly, young pirates objected more than the others, with 35% of 25 to 49-year-old pirates coming out against disclosure. That being said, this figure suggests that 65% of pirates in this group are in favor of pirates being unmasked. That appears counter-intuitive, to say the least. </p>
<p>Speaking with TorrentFreak, Pirate Party vice council member of Espoo City Janne Paalijärvi says that study seems to have omitted to consider the effects of legal alternatives on pirate consumption.</p>
<p>&#8220;The analysis seemingly forgets to fully take into account the prevalence of legal streaming services such as Netflix,&#8221; Paalijärvi says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Legitimate, reasonably-priced and easy-to-use delivery platforms are the number one weapon against piracy. Not bullying your audience with copyright extortion letters. The latter approach creates unwanted hostility between artists and customers. It also increases the demand for political parties wanting to balance copyright legislation.&#8221; </p>
<p>Overall, however, Finland doesn&#8217;t appear to have a serious problem with piracy, at least as far as public perceptions go. According to the study, only 5% of citizens believe that unauthorized file-sharing is acceptable. The figure for 2016 was 7%.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146794
title: US Court Grants ISPs and Search Engine Blockade of Sci-Hub
uri: US-Court-Grants-ISPs-and-Search-Engine-Blockade-of-Sci-Hub
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/6ksHYE30zkw/
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">Earlier this year the American Chemical Society (ACS), a leading source of academic publications in the field of chemistry, filed a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/new-lawsuit-demands-isp-blockades-against-pirate-site-sci-hub-170629/">lawsuit</a> against Sci-Hub and its operator Alexandra Elbakyan.</p>
<p>The non-profit organization publishes tens of thousands of articles a year in its peer-reviewed journals. Because many of these are available for free on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sci-Hub">Sci-Hub</a>, ACS wants to be compensated.</p>
<p>Sci-Hub was made aware of the legal proceedings but did not appear in court. As a result, a default was entered against the site. </p>
<p>In addition to millions of dollars in damages, ACS also <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-faces-48-million-piracy-damages-and-isp-blocking-170905/">requested</a> third-party Internet intermediaries to take action against the site.</p>
<p>The broad request was later adopted in a recommendation from Magistrate Judge John Anderson. This triggered a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tech-giants-protest-looming-us-pirate-site-blocking-order-171013/">protest</a> from the tech industry trade group CCIA, which represents global tech firms including Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, that warned against the broad implications. However, this amicus brief was denied. </p>
<p>Just before the weekend, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a final decision which is a clear win for ACS. The publisher was awarded the maximum statutory damages of $4.8 million for 32 infringing works, as well as a permanent injunction. </p>
<p>The injunction is not limited to domain name registrars and hosting companies, but expands to search engines, ISPs and hosting companies too, who can be ordered to stop linking to or offering services to Sci-Hub.</p>
<p>&#8220;Ordered that any person or entity in active concert or participation with Defendant Sci-Hub and with notice of the injunction, including any Internet search engines, web hosting and Internet service providers, domain name registrars, and domain name registries, cease facilitating access to any or all domain names and websites through which Sci-Hub engages in unlawful access to, use, reproduction, and distribution of ACS’s trademarks or copyrighted works,” the injunction reads.</p>
<p><center><strong>part of the injunction</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/a2b70c50.acsorderblock.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/acsorderblock.png" alt="" width="579" height="202" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146803"></center></p>
<p>There is a small difference with the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/judge-recommends-isp-search-engine-blocking-sci-hub-us-171003/">recommendation</a> from the Magistrate Judge. Instead of applying the injunction to all persons &#8220;in privity&#8221; with Sci-Hub, it now applies to those who are &#8220;in active concert or participation&#8221; with the pirate site.</p>
<p>The injunction means that Internet providers, such as Comcast, can be requested to block users from accessing Sci-Hub. That’s a big deal since pirate site blockades are not common in the United States. The same is true for search engine blocking of copyright-infringing sites.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s clear that the affected Internet services will not be happy with the outcome. While the CCIA&#8217;s attempt to be heard in the case failed, it&#8217;s likely that they will protest the injunction when ACS tries to enforce it.</p>
<p>Previously, Cloudflare objected to a similar injunction where the RIAA argued that it was &#8220;in active concert or participation&#8221; with the pirate site MP3Skull. Here, Cloudflare <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cloudflare-fights-riaas-piracy-blocking-demands-in-court-160823/">countered</a> that the DMCA protects the company from liability for the copyright infringements of its customers, limiting the scope of anti-piracy injunctions. </p>
<p>However, a Florida federal court ruled that the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dmca-doesnt-shield-cloudflare-from-anti-piracy-injunctions-court-rules-170328/">DMCA doesn&#8217;t apply in these cases</a>.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s likely that ISPs and search engines will lodge similar protests if ACS tries to enforce the injunction against them.</p>
<p>While this case is crucial for copyright holders and Internet services, Sci-Hub itself doesn’t seem too bothered by the blocking prospect or the millions in damages it must pay on paper. </p>
<p>It already owes Elsevier <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-ordered-to-pay-15-million-in-piracy-damages-170623/">$15 million</a>, which it can&#8217;t pay, and a few million more or less doesn&#8217;t change anything. Also, the site has a Tor version which can’t be blocked by Internet providers, so determined scientists will still be able to access the site if they want.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>The full order is available <a href="media/0028b2c7.acsorder.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/acsorder.pdf">here (pdf)</a> and a copy of the injunction can be found <a href="media/77e1685e.sciinjunc.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/sciinjunc.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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146830
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 11/06/17
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-11-06-17
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qwLLydfjdzo/
content:
<p><img src="media/cef8e69f.valerian.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/valerian.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="181" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146832">This week we have four newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 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-103017/">last week</a></strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie name</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Most downloaded movies via torrents</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2239822/">Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2239822/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZsG7WJVZv8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406566/">Atomic Blonde</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406566/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIUube1pSC0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3450958/">War for the Planet of the Apes</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3450958/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxjPjPzQ1iU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5140878/">Annabelle Creation</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5140878/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KisPhy7T__Q">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</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=b0rveO9o-F0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2250912/">Spider-Man: Homecoming</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2250912/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0D3AOldjMU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3606752/">Cars 3</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3606752/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LeOH9AGJQM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7312940/">Singularity</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7312940/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEoobyOBxO8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">Thor Ragnarok</a> (HDTS/Cam)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue80QwXMRHg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3532216/">American Made</a> (Subbed HDrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3532216/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBIJRAkujM">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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146467
title: Fate of The Furious Cammers Found Guilty, Hollywood Fails to Celebrate?
uri: Fate-of-The-Furious-Cammers-Found-Guilty-Hollywood-Fails-to-Celebrate
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/tL7W1TjT6Kw/
content:
<p><img src="media/86342ead.theater-movie-cinema.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/theater-movie-cinema.png" alt="" width="275" height="164" class="alignright size-full wp-image-142135" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/theater-movie-cinema.png 275w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/theater-movie-cinema-220x130.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px">Earlier this year Hollywood&#8217;s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-tracks-the-fate-of-the-furious-pirates-two-men-arrested-170418/">MPAA helped</a> local police catch two camcording pirates at a movie theater in Linthicum, Maryland.</p>
<p>Troy Cornish and Floyd Buchanan were spotted with recording equipment, preparing to target the US premiere of The Fate of the Furious.</p>
<p>According to Anne Arundel County Police, both were caught inside the theater while they were recording. The men reportedly wore camming harnesses under their clothing, which strapped mobile phones against their chests.</p>
<p>The MPAA&#8217;s involvement in the case is no surprise. The anti-piracy organization is the go-to outfit when it comes to content security at movie theaters and often keeps a close eye on known suspects. </p>
<p>In fact, at the time, an MPAA investigator told police that Buchanan was already known to the industry group as a movie piracy suspect.</p>
<p>Soon after the first reports of the arrests were released, dozens of news outlets jumped on the story. Rightly so, as &#8216;camming&#8217; movie pirates are rarely caught. However, when the two were convicted this summer it was awfully quiet. There was no mention in the news at all. </p>
<p>While a few months late, this means we can break the news today. Despite claiming their innocence during trial, both Cornish and Buchanan were found guilty at the Glen Burnie District Court. </p>
<p>The court sentenced the two men to a suspended jail sentence of a year, as well as 18 months probation. </p>
<p><center><strong>The sentence</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/2125cabd.sentences.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sentences.png" alt="" width="614" height="335" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146730"></center></p>
<p>While this is a serious sentence, it&#8217;s likely not the result the MPAA and the major Hollywood studios were hoping for. Despite the cammers&#8217; attempt to illegally record one of the biggest blockbusters of the year, they effectively escaped prison. </p>
<p>If both were jailed for a substantial period there would undoubtedly be a press release to celebrate, but nothing of the like happened during the summer. </p>
<p>The above may sound a bit odd, but it&#8217;s totally understandable. The sentences in these cases are likely seen as too mild by Hollywood&#8217;s standards, so what&#8217;s the purpose of highlighting them? Anti-piracy messaging is mostly about scaring people and deterrence, and this case doesn&#8217;t fit that picture. </p>
<p>Still, the MPAA&#8217;s investigators are not going to stop. If either of the two men are caught again, it will be hard to avoid prison. Perhaps we&#8217;ll hear more then.</p>
<p>The MPAA didn&#8217;t respond to our request for comment.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146796
title: Aussie ‘Pirate’ Blocking Efforts Switch to Premium IPTV
uri: Aussie-Pirate-Blocking-Efforts-Switch-to-Premium-IPTV
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/GUYnsCqpNcE/
content:
<p><a href="media/cc21ea2d.hdsubs-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/hdsubs-logo.jpg"><img src="media/4446ff16.hdsubs-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hdsubs-logo.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="242" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146804"></a>Website blocking has become  one of the leading anti-piracy mechanisms in recent years and is particularly prevalent across Europe, where thousands of sites are now off-limits by regular means.</p>
<p>More recently the practice spread to Australia, where movie and music industry bodies have filed several applications at the Federal Court. This has rendered dozens of major torrent and streaming inaccessible in the region, after local ISPs complied with orders compelling them to prevent subscriber access.</p>
<p>While such blocking is now commonplace, Village Roadshow and a coalition of movie studios have now switched tack, targeting an operation offering subscription-based IPTV services. </p>
<p>The action targets HDSubs+, a fairly well-known service that provides hundreds of otherwise premium live channels, movies, and sports for a relatively small monthly fee, at least versus the real deal.</p>
<p><center><b>A small selection of channels in the HDSubs+ package</b><a href="media/c3bd9dfb.hdsubs1.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/hdsubs1.png"><img src="media/5fd20834.hdsubs1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hdsubs1.png" alt="" width="755" height="735" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146813"></a></center></p>
<p><a href="https://www.computerworld.com.au/article/629592/village-roadshow-fires-new-salvo-war-pirates-targets-streaming-app/">ComputerWorld</a> reports that the application for the injunction was filed last month. In common with earlier requests, it targets Australia&#8217;s largest ISPs including Telstra, Optus, TPG, and Vocus, plus the subsidiaries.</p>
<p>Access to HDSubs.com appears to be limited, possibly by the platform&#8217;s operators, so that visitors from desktop machines are redirected back to Google. However, access to the platform is available by other means and that reveals a fairly pricey IPTV offering.</p>
<p>As seen in the image below, the top package (HD Subs+), which includes all the TV anyone could need plus movies and TV shows on demand, weighs in at US$239.99 per year, around double the price of similar packages available elsewhere.</p>
<p><center><b>Broad selection of channels but quite pricey</b><a href="media/6a302106.HDSubsPricing.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/HDSubsPricing.png"><img src="media/039f030f.HDSubsPricing.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/HDSubsPricing.png" alt="" width="1000" height="615" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146818"></a></center></p>
<p>If the court chooses to grant the injunction, ISPs will not only have to block the service&#8217;s main domain (HDSubs.com) but also a range of others which provide the infrastructure for the platform.</p>
<p>Unlike torrent and streaming sites which tend to be in one place (if we discount proxies and mirrors), IPTV services like HD Subs often rely on a number of domains to provide a sales platform, EPG (electronic program guide), software (such as an Android app), updates, and sundry other services.</p>
<p>As per CW, in the HD Subs case they are: <em>ois001wfr.update-apk.com, ois005yfs.update-apk.com, ois003slp.update-apk.com, update002zmt.hiddeniptv.com, apk.hiddeniptv.com, crossepg003uix.hiddeniptv.com, crossepg002gwj.hiddeniptv.com, mpbs001utb.hiddeniptv.com, soft001rqv.update-apk.com and hdsubs.com.</em></p>
<p>This switch in tactics by Village Roadshow and the other studios involved is subtle but significant. While torrent and streaming sites provide a largely free but fragmented experience, premium IPTV services are direct commercial competitors, often providing a more comprehensive range of channels and services than the broadcasters themselves.</p>
<p>While quality may not always be comparable with their licensed counterparts, presentation is often first class, giving the impression of an official product which is comfortably accessed via a living room TV. This is clearly a concern to commercial broadcasters.</p>
<p>As reported last week, global IPTV traffic is both <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/iptv-piracy-generates-more-internet-traffic-than-torrents-171101/">huge and growing</a>, so expect more of these requests Down Under.</p>
<p>Previous efforts to block IPTV services include those in the UK, where the Premier League takes <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/new-premier-league-blocking-disrupts-pirate-iptv-providers-170814/">targeted action</a> against providers who provide live soccer. These measures only target live streams when matches are underway and as far as we&#8217;re aware, there are no broader measures in place against any provider.</p>
<p>This could mean that the action in Australia, to permanently block a provider in its entirety, is the first of its kind anywhere.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146841
title: Top 10 Torrent Site TorrentDownloads Blocked By Chrome and Firefox
uri: Top-10-Torrent-Site-TorrentDownloads-Blocked-By-Chrome-and-Firefox
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/K482l-mKTwQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/0ee098aa.warning5.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/warning5.png"><img src="media/f08f4119.warning5.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/warning5.png" alt="" width="193" height="121" class="alignright size-full wp-image-130559"></a>While the popularity of torrent sites isn&#8217;t as strong as it used to be, dozens of millions of people use them on a daily basis.</p>
<p>Content availability is rich and the majority of the main movie, TV show, game and software releases appear on them within minutes, offering speedy and convenient downloads. Nevertheless, things don&#8217;t always go as smoothly as people might like.</p>
<p>Over the past couple of days that became evident to visitors of TorrentDownloads, one of the Internet&#8217;s most popular torrent sites.</p>
<p><center><b>TorrentDownloads &#8211; usually a reliable and tidy platform</b><a href="media/094608af.torrentdownloads-screen.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/torrentdownloads-screen.png"><img src="media/7ab75583.torrentdownloads-screen.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrentdownloads-screen.png" alt="" width="1445" height="636" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146844"></a></center></p>
<p>Instead of viewing the rather comprehensive torrent index that made the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2017-170107/">Top 10 Most Popular Torrent Site</a> lists in 2016 and 2017, visitors receive a warning.</p>
<p>&#8220;Attackers on torrentdownloads.me may trick you into doing something dangerous like installing software or revealing your personal information (for example, passwords, phone numbers or credit cards),&#8221; Chrome users are warned.</p>
<p>&#8220;Google Safe Browsing recently detected phishing on torrentdownloads.me. Phishing sites pretend to be other websites to trick you.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><b>Chrome warning</b><a href="media/5276dd3f.torrentdownloads-chrome.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/torrentdownloads-chrome.png"><img src="media/1c23e091.torrentdownloads-chrome.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrentdownloads-chrome.png" alt="" width="798" height="567" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146842"></a></center></p>
<p>People using Firefox also receive a similar warning.</p>
<p>&#8220;This web page at torrentdownloads.me has been reported as a deceptive site and has been blocked based on your security preferences,&#8221; the browser warns.</p>
<p>&#8220;Deceptive sites are designed to trick you into doing something dangerous, like installing software, or revealing your personal information, like passwords, phone numbers or credit cards.&#8221;</p>
<p>A deeper check on Google&#8217;s malware advisory service <a href="https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search?url=torrentdownloads.me">echoes</a> the same information, noting that the site contains &#8220;harmful content&#8221; that may &#8220;trick visitors into sharing personal info or downloading software.&#8221; Checks carried out with MalwareBytes reveal that service blocking the domain too.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke with the operator of TorrentDownloads who told us that the warnings had been triggered by a rogue advertiser which was immediately removed from the site.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have already requested a review with Google Webmaster after we removed an old affiliates advertiser and changed the links on the site,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;In Google Webmaster they state that the request will be processed within 72 Hours, so I think it will be reviewed today when 72 hours are completed.&#8221;</p>
<p>This statement suggests that the site itself wasn&#8217;t the direct culprit, but ads hosted elsewhere. That being said, these kinds of warnings look very scary to visitors and sites have to take responsibility, so completely expelling the bad player from the platform was the correct choice. Nevertheless, people shouldn&#8217;t be too surprised at the appearance of suspect ads.</p>
<p>Many top torrent sites have suffered from similar warnings, including <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/chrome-and-firefox-block-pirate-bay-over-harmful-programs-160915/">The Pirate Bay</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-blocked-again-over-harmful-programs-151021/">KickassTorrents</a>, which are often a product of anti-piracy efforts from the entertainment industries.</p>
<p>In the past, torrent and streaming sites could display ads from top-tier providers with few problems. However, in recent years, the so-called &#8220;follow the money&#8221; anti-piracy tactic has forced the majority away from pirate sites, meaning they now have to do business with ad networks that may not always be as tidy as one might hope.</p>
<p>While these warnings are the very last thing the sites in question want (they&#8217;re hardly good for increasing visitor numbers), they&#8217;re a gift to entertainment industry groups.</p>
<p>At the same time as the industries are forcing decent ads away, these alerts provide a great opportunity to warn users about the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-narrative-isnt-about-ethics-anymore-its-about-danger-170812/">potential problems</a> left behind as a result. A loose analogy might be deliberately cutting off beer supply to an unlicensed bar then warning people not to go there because the homebrew sucks. It some cases it can be true, but it&#8217;s a problem only being exacerbated by industry tactics.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s worth noting that no warnings are received by visitors to TorrentDownloads using Android devices, meaning that desktop users were probably the only people at risk. In any event, it&#8217;s expected that the warnings will disappear during the next day, so the immediate problems will be over. As far as TF is informed, the offending ads were removed days ago.</p>
<p>That appears to be backed up by checks carried out on a number of other malware scanning services. Norton, Opera, SiteAdvisor, Spamhaus, Yandex and ESET all declare the site to be clean.</p>
<p>Technical Chrome and Firefox users who are familiar with these types of warnings can 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, if they really must.</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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146834
title: MPAA Warns Australia Not to ‘Mess’ With Fair Use and Geo-Blocking
uri: MPAA-Warns-Australia-Not-to-Mess-With-Fair-Use-and-Geo-Blocking
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/BlEYssrl0-A/
content:
<p><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">Last year, the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission published a Draft Report on Intellectual Property Arrangements, recommending various amendments to local copyright law.</p>
<p>The Commission <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-gov-agency-endorses-vpn-use-to-reduce-piracy-160429/">suggested</a> allowing the use of VPNs and similar technologies to enable consumers to bypass restrictive geo-blocking. It also tabled proposals to introduce fair use exceptions and to expand safe harbors for online services.</p>
<p>Two months ago the Government <a href="media/2b2de4f7.ausgovernmentresponse.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/ausgovernmentresponse.pdf">responded</a> to these proposals. It promised to expand the safe harbor protections and announced a consultation on fair use, describing the current fair dealing exceptions as restrictive. The Government also noted that circumvention of geo-blocks may be warranted, in some cases.</p>
<p>While the copyright reform plans have been welcomed with wide support from the public and companies such as Google and Wikipedia, there&#8217;s also plenty of opposition. From Hollywood, for example, which fears that the changes will set back Australia&#8217;s progress to combat piracy.</p>
<p>A few days ago, the MPAA submitted its 2018 list of foreign trade barriers to the U.S. Government. The document in question highlights key copyright challenges in the most crucial markets, Australia included. According to the movie industry group, the tabled proposals are problematic.</p>
<p>&#8220;If the Commission’s recommendations were adopted, they could result in legislative changes that undermine the current balance of protection in Australia. These changes could create significant market uncertainty and effectively weaken Australia’s infrastructure for intellectual property protection,&#8221; the MPAA writes.  </p>
<p>&#8220;Of concern is a proposal to introduce a vague and undefined &#8216;fair use&#8217; exception unmoored from decades of precedent in the United States. Another proposal would expand Australia’s safe harbor regime in piecemeal fashion,&#8221; the group adds. </p>
<p>The fair use opposition is noteworthy since the Australian proposal is largely modeled after US law. The MPAA&#8217;s comment suggests, however, that this can&#8217;t be easily applied to another country, as that would lack the legal finetuning that&#8217;s been established in dozens of court cases.</p>
<p>That the MPAA isn&#8217;t happy with the expansion of safe harbor protections for online service providers is no surprise. In recent years, copyright holders have often complained that these protections hinder progress on the anti-piracy front, as companies such as Google and Facebook have no incentive to proactively police copyright infringement.</p>
<p>Moving on, the movie industry group highlights that circumvention of geo-blocking for copyrighted content and other protection measures are also controversial topics for Hollywood. </p>
<p>&#8220;Still another would allow circumvention of geo-blocking and other technological protection measures. Australia has one of the most vibrant creative economies in the world and its current legal regime has helped the country become the site of major production investments.</p>
<p>&#8220;Local policymakers should take care to ensure that Australia’s vibrant market is not inadvertently impaired and that any proposed relaxation of copyright and related rights protection does not violate Australia’s international obligations,&#8221; the MPAA adds.</p>
<p>Finally, while it was not included in the commission&#8217;s recommendations, the MPAA stresses once again that Australia&#8217;s anti-camcording laws are not up to par.</p>
<p>Although several camming pirates have been caught in recent years, the punishments don&#8217;t meet Hollywood&#8217;s standards. For example, in 2012 a man connected to a notorious release group was convicted for illicitly recording 14 audio captures, for which he received an AUS$2,000 fine.</p>
<p>&#8220;Australia should adopt anticamcording legislation. While illegal copying is a violation of the Copyright Act, more meaningful deterrent penalties are required,&#8221; the MPAA writes. &#8220;Such low penalties fail to reflect the devastating impact that this crime has on the film industry.&#8221;</p>
<p>The last suggestion has been in the MPAA&#8217;s recommendations <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-demands-tougher-penalties-for-aussie-pirates-141114/">for several years</a> already, but the group is persistent. </p>
<p>In closing, the MPAA asks the US Government to keep these and other issues in focus during future trade negotiations and policy discussions with Australia and other countries, while thanking it for the critical assistance Hollywood has received over the years. </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>MPAA&#8217;s full submission, which includes many of the recommendations that were made in previous years, is available <a href="media/36276214.mpaa-NTE_filing_-_Oct_25_2017.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-NTE_filing_-_Oct_25_2017.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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146860
title: Sky: People Can’t Pirate Live Soccer in the UK Anymore
uri: Sky-People-Can-t-Pirate-Live-Soccer-in-the-UK-Anymore
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/VO9pq4N-l-I/
content:
<p><a href="media/c6d79219.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg"><img src="media/8a86db31.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg" alt="" width="234" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-135034"></a>The commotion over the set-top box streaming phenomenon is showing no signs of dying down and if day one at the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) Conference 2017 was anything to go by, things are only heating up.</p>
<p>Held at Studio City in Macau, the conference has a strong anti-piracy element and was opened by Joe Welch, CASBAA Board Chairman and SVP Public Affairs Asia, 21st Century Fox. He began Tuesday by noting the important recent launch of a brand new anti-piracy initiative.</p>
<p>&#8220;CASBAA recently launched the Coalition Against Piracy, funded by 18 of the region&#8217;s content players and distribution partners,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>TF reported on the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/new-coalition-against-piracy-will-crack-down-on-pirate-streaming-boxes-171017/">formation</a> of the coalition mid-October. It includes heavyweights such as Disney, Fox, HBO, NBCUniversal and BBC Worldwide, and will have a strong focus on the illicit set-top box market.</p>
<p>Illegal streaming devices (or ISDs, as the industry calls them), were directly addressed in a segment yesterday afternoon titled Face To Face. Led by Dr. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/people/ros-lynch">Ros Lynch</a>, Director of Copyright &#038; IP Enforcement at the UK Intellectual Property Office, the session detailed the &#8220;onslaught of online piracy&#8221; and the rise of ISDs that is apparently &#8220;shaking the market&#8221;.</p>
<p>Given the apparent gravity of those statements, the following will probably come as a surprise. According to Lynch, the UK IPO sought the opinion of UK-based rightsholders about the pirate box phenomenon a while back after being informed of their popularity in the East. The response was that pirate boxes weren&#8217;t an issue. It didn&#8217;t take long, however, for things to blow up.</p>
<p>&#8220;The UKIPO provides intelligence and evidence to industry and the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) in London who then take enforcement actions,&#8221; Lynch explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;We first heard about the issues with ISDs from [broadcaster] TVB in Hong Kong and we then consulted the UK rights holders who responded that it wasn&#8217;t a problem. Two years later the issue just exploded.&#8221;</p>
<p>The evidence of that in the UK isn&#8217;t difficult to find. In addition to millions of devices with both free Kodi addon and subscription-based systems deployed, the app market has bloomed too, offering free or near to free content to all.</p>
<p>This caught the eye of the Premier League who this year obtained two pioneering injunctions (<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/premier-league-obtains-intriguing-injunction-to-tackle-pirate-streams-170309/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/premier-league-wins-new-stream-blocking-injunction-to-fight-piracy-170727/">2</a>) to tackle live streams of football games. Streams are blocked by local ISPs in real-time, making illicit online viewing a more painful experience than it ever has been. No doubt <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/new-premier-league-blocking-disrupts-pirate-iptv-providers-170814/">progress has been made</a> on this front, with thousands of streams blocked, but according to broadcaster Sky, the results are unprecedented.</p>
<p>&#8220;Site-blocking has moved the goalposts significantly,&#8221; said Matthew Hibbert, head of litigation at Sky UK. </p>
<p>&#8220;In the UK you cannot watch pirated live Premier League content anymore,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>While progress has been good, the statement is overly enthusiastic. TF sources have been monitoring the availability of pirate streams on around dozen illicit sites and services every Saturday (when it is actually illegal to broadcast matches in the UK) and service has been steady on around half of them and intermittent at worst on the rest.</p>
<p>There are hundreds of other platforms available so while many are definitely affected by Premier League blocking, it&#8217;s safe to assume that live football piracy hasn&#8217;t been wiped out. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to suggest that no progress has been made, in this and other related areas.</p>
<p>Kevin Plumb, Director of Legal Services at The Premier League, said that pubs showing football from illegal streams had also massively dwindled in numbers.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the past 18 months the illegal broadcasting of live Premier League matches in pubs in the UK has been decimated,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>This result is almost certainly down to prosecutions taken in tandem with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), that have seen several landlords landed with large fines. Indeed, both sides of the market have been tackled, with both licensed premises and IPTV device sellers being targeted.</p>
<p>&#8220;The most successful thing we&#8217;ve done to combat piracy has been to undertake criminal prosecutions against ISD piracy,&#8221; said FACT chief Kieron Sharp yesterday. &#8220;Everyone is pleading guilty to these offenses.&#8221;</p>
<p>Most if not all of FACT-led prosecutions target device and subscription sellers under fraud legislation but that could change in the future, Lynch of the Intellectual Property Office said.</p>
<p>&#8220;While the UK works to update its legislation, we can&#8217;t wait for the new legislation to take enforcement actions and we rely heavily on &#8216;conspiracy to defraud&#8217; charges, and have successfully prosecuted a number of ISD retailers,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>Finally, information provided yesterday by network company CISCO shine light on what it costs to run a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/iptv-mass-piracy-thats-flying-largely-under-the-radar-161127/">subscription-based pirate IPTV operation</a>.</p>
<p>Director of Intelligence &#038; Security Operations Avigail Gutman said a pirate IPTV server offering 1,000 channels to around 1,000 subscribers can cost as little as 2,000 euros per month to run but can generate 12,000 euros in revenue during the same period.</p>
<p>“In April of 2017, ten major paid TV and content providers had relinquished 3.09 million euros per month to 285 ISD-based streaming pirate syndicates,” she <a href="http://www.macaubusiness.com/macau-casbaa-illegal-content-streaming-devices-prevalent-asia/">said</a>.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s little doubt that IPTV piracy, both paid and free, is here to stay. The big question is how it will be tackled short and long-term and whether any changes in legislation will have any unintended knock-on effects. </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-2017-170107/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-anonymous-review-2017-170304/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146897
title: Russia Plans Instant Movie Pirate Site Blockades, Without Court Order
uri: Russia-Plans-Instant-Movie-Pirate-Site-Blockades-Without-Court-Order
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/n2deKWUVU9A/
content:
<p><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 decade ago online pirates had more or less free rein in Russia, but much has changed in recent years. </p>
<p>With the introduction of several new laws, the country has been very aggressive in its anti-piracy approach, outpacing the United States and other western countries in several key areas. </p>
<p>At the center of many of these efforts is Rozcomnadzor. The controversial Russian Government body is responsible for managing web-blockades against pirate portals and other disruptive sites, which are censored on a broad scale. </p>
<p>In addition to regular pirate sites, Rozcomnadzor also has the power to block their <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/putin-signs-law-remove-pirate-proxies-search-engines-170703/">proxies and mirrors</a>, and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/russia-bans-unrestricted-vpns-proxies-and-tor-in-russia-170731/">even VPN services</a> which can be used to circumvent these measures. However, according to a recent proposal from the Russian government, this is not enough. </p>
<p>A new amendment that that was <a href="http://regulation.gov.ru/projects#npa=73424">published</a> by the Ministry of Culture proposes to allow for near-instant pirate site blockades to protect the local movie industry, Vedomosti <a href="https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2017/11/07/740695-minkult-piratskimi-filmami">reports</a>.</p>
<p>Russian officials state that people often skip a visit to the movie theater when a pirated copy is available, depriving the makers of a crucial source of income. While filmmakers and other copyright holders can already report infringing sites, it&#8217;s a relatively slow process. </p>
<p>At the moment, website owners are given three days to remove infringing content before any action is taken. Under the new proposal, site blockades would be implemented less than 24 hours after Rozcomnadzor is alerted. Website owners will not get the chance to remove the infringing content and a court order isn&#8217;t required either.</p>
<p>Vladimir Medinsky, Russia&#8217;s Minister of Culture, has been a proponent of such pre-judicial blockades for a while, but his previous proposals didn&#8217;t receive support in the State Duma. </p>
<p>The new blocking plans go further than any of the previous legislation, but they will only apply to movies that have &#8220;a national film certificate&#8221; from Russian authorities, as <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/russia-eyes-improved-anti-piracy-measures-but-not-hollywood-movies-1056065">HWR</a> points out. This doesn&#8217;t cover any Hollywood movies, which typically top the local box office.</p>
<p>Hollywood&#8217;s industry group MPAA is not going to appreciate being left out, but its critique isn&#8217;t new. Despite all the new anti-piracy laws, the group is generally critical of Russia&#8217;s copyright enforcement policies.</p>
<p>&#8220;Russia needs to increase its enforcement activity well beyond current levels to provide adequate and effective enforcement of IPR violations, including the imposition of criminal deterrent penalties,&#8221; the MPAA <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-warns-australia-not-mess-with-fair-use-and-geo-blocking-171107/">wrote</a> in its recent trade barriers report.</p>
<p>That said, the group was positive about the new law that allows rightsholders to have proxy sites and mirrors banned.</p>
<p>&#8220;The recently-enacted amendment to the Anti-Piracy law should constrain the ability of wrongdoers to simply modify their internet sites and continue to operate in violation of the law,&#8221; the MPAA added. </p>
<p>From a Hollywood perspective, it certainly beats <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sopa-ghosts-hinder-u-s-pirate-site-blocking-efforts-171008/">blocking no sites at all</a>, which is largely the case in the US at the moment. </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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146934
title: Pirate Bay Suffers Downtime, Tor and Proxies are Up (Updated)
uri: Pirate-Bay-Suffers-Downtime-Tor-and-Proxies-are-Up-(Updated)
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/yCEEQbxe_Ns/
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 Pirate Bay has been hard to reach for roughly a day now.</p>
<p>For many people, the site currently displays a CloudFlare error message across the entire site, with the CDN provider referring to an &#8220;unknown error.&#8221;</p>
<p>No further details are available to us and there is no known ETA for the site&#8217;s full return.  However, judging from past experience, it&#8217;s likely a small technical issue that needs fixing <em>(update below)</em>.</p>
<p><strong>Pirate Bay downtime<img src="media/c5595d26.tpb520.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb520.png" alt="" width="600" height="321" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146935"></strong></p>
<p>The Pirate Bay has had quite a few stints of downtime in recent months. The popular torrent site usually returns after several hours, but an outage of more than 24 hours has happened before as well. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to the TPB team but we have yet to hear more about the issue.  </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 Tor traffic goes through a separate server and works just fine.</p>
<p>The same is true for The Pirate Bay&#8217;s <a href="https://proxybay.one/">proxy sites</a>, most of which are still working just fine.</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. 1337x.to is also suffering downtime. A week ago the site&#8217;s operator said that the site was under attack, which may still be ongoing. Meanwhile, 1337x&#8217;s <a href="https://1337x.st/">official proxy is still online</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> It appears that for some people the site slowly started to come back soon after this article was published. Others still report downtime.</p>
<p><strong>Update: </strong>The TPB team says the downtime is caused by a network issue. This should be cleared up soon.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146932
title: Sony & Warner Sue TuneIn For Copyright Infringement in UK High Court
uri: Sony-Warner-Sue-TuneIn-For-Copyright-Infringement-in-UK-High-Court
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/THhgVi3d4aA/
content:
<p><a href="media/6af1b930.tunein.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/tunein.jpg"><img src="media/938269cc.tunein.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tunein.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="141" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146961"></a>When it comes to providing digital online audio content, TuneIn is one of the world&#8217;s giants.</p>
<p>Whether music, news, sport or just chat, TuneIn provides more than 120,000 radio stations and five million podcasts to 75,000,000 global users, both for free and via a premium tier service. </p>
<p>Accessible from devices including cellphones, tablets, smart TVs, digital receivers, games consoles and <a href="https://secure.bmw.com/com/en/owners/bmw_apps_2013/apps/tunein/index.html?cntry=&#038;topic=&#038;store_category=&#038;device=">even cars</a>, TuneIn reaches more than 230 countries and territories worldwide. One, however, is about to cause the company a headache.</p>
<p>According to a report from Music Business Worldwide (<a href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/sony-and-warner-launch-legal-proceedings-against-tunein-in-the-uk/">MBW</a>), Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group are suing TuneIn over unlicensed streams.</p>
<p>MBW sources say that the record labels filed proceedings in the UK High Court last week, claiming that TuneIn committed copyright infringement on at least 800 music streams accessible in the UK.</p>
<p>While TuneIn does offer premium streams to customers, the service primarily acts as an index for radio streams hosted by their respective third-party creators. It describes itself as &#8220;an audio guide service&#8221; which indicates it does not directly provide the content listened to by its users.</p>
<p>However, previous EU rulings (such as one <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-facilitates-piracy-and-can-be-blocked-top-eu-court-rules-170614/">related to The Pirate Bay</a>) have determined that providing an index to content is tantamount to a communication to the public, which for unlicensed content would amount to infringement in the UK.</p>
<p>While it would be difficult to avoid responsibility, TuneIn states on its website that it makes no claim that its service is legal in any other country than the United States.</p>
<p>&#8220;Those who choose to access or use the Service from locations outside the United States of America do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable,&#8221; the company <a href="https://tunein.com/policies/">writes</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Access to the Service from jurisdictions where the contents or practices of the Service are illegal, unauthorized or penalized is strictly prohibited.&#8221;</p>
<p>All that being said, the specific details of the Sony/Warner complaint are not yet publicly available so the precise nature of the High Court action is yet to be determined.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted the BPI, the industry body that represents both Sony and Warner in the UK, for comment on the lawsuit. A spokesperson informed us that they are not directly involved in the action.</p>
<p>We also contacted both the IFPI and San Francisco-based TuneIn for further comment but at the time of publication, we were yet to hear back from either.</p>
<p>TuneIn reportedly has until the end of November to file a defense.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146991
title: Multi-National Police Operation Shuts Down Pirate Forums
uri: Multi-National-Police-Operation-Shuts-Down-Pirate-Forums
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zkuCXDteeVY/
content:
<p><a href="media/094ed972.server-raid.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/server-raid.jpg"><img src="media/042ef459.server-raid.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/server-raid.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-26913"></a>Once upon a time, large-scale raids on pirate operations were a regular occurrence, with news of such events making the headlines every few months. These days things have calmed down somewhat but reports coming out of Germany suggests that the war isn&#8217;t over yet.</p>
<p>According to a statement from German authorities, the Attorney General in Dresden and various cybercrime agencies teamed up this week to take down sites dedicated to sharing copyright protected material via the Usenet (newsgroups) system.</p>
<p>Huge amounts of infringing items were said to have been made available on a pair of indexing sites &#8211; 400,000 on Town.ag and 1,200,000 on Usenet-Town.com.</p>
<p>&#8220;Www.town.ag and www.usenet-town.com were two of the largest online portals that provided access to films, series, music, software, e-books, audiobooks, books, newspapers and magazines through systematic and unlawful copyright infringement,&#8221; the statement reads.</p>
<p>Visitors to these URLs are no longer greeted by the usual warez-fest, but by a seizure banner placed there by German authorities.</p>
<p><center><b>Seizure banner on Town.ag and Usenet-Town.com (translated)</b><a href="media/5eef4e19.townag-shut.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/townag-shut.png"><img src="media/2b0b8ebf.townag-shut.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/townag-shut.png" alt="" width="1000" height="711" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146992"></a></center></p>
<p>Following an investigation carried out after complaints from rightsholders, 182 officers of various agencies raided homes and businesses Wednesday, each connected to a reported 26 suspects. In addition to searches of data centers located in Germany, servers in Spain, Netherlands, San Marino, Switzerland, and Canada were also targeted.</p>
<p>According to police the sites generated income from &#8216;sponsors&#8217;, netting their operators millions of euros in revenue. One of those appears to be Usenet reseller <a href="https://www.ssl-news.info/index.php?lang=de">SSL-News</a>, which displays the same seizure banner. Rightsholders claim that the Usenet portals have cost them many millions of euros in lost sales.</p>
<p>Arrest warrants were issued in Spain and Saxony against two German nationals, 39 and 31-years-old respectively. The man arrested in Spain is believed to be a ringleader and authorities there have been asked to extradite him to Germany.</p>
<p>At least 1,000 gigabytes of data were seized, with police scooping up numerous computers and other hardware for evidence. The true scale of material indexed is likely to be much larger, however.</p>
<p>Online chatter suggests that several other Usenet-related sites have also disappeared during the past day but whether that&#8217;s a direct result of the raids or down to precautionary measures taken by their operators isn&#8217;t yet clear.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147004
title: Dallas Buyers Club Loses Piracy Lawsuit, IP-Address is Not Enough
uri: Dallas-Buyers-Club-Loses-Piracy-Lawsuit-IP-Address-is-Not-Enough
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2LOa7zIB-UA/
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">In recent years, BitTorrent users around the world have been targeted with threats. They can either pay a significant settlement fee, or face far worse in court.</p>
<p>The scheme started in Germany years ago, and copyright holders later went after alleged pirates in Australia, Denmark, Finland, the UK, US, and elsewhere.</p>
<p>This summer, the copyright holders behind the movie Dallas Buyers Club added Spain to the mix, going after dozens of alleged pirates in Bilbao and San Sebastian. The &#8216;filmmakers&#8217; are part of a tight group of so-called copyright trolls which are constantly expanding their business to other countries. </p>
<p>While they have had some success, mainly by sending out settlement letters, in Spain the first court case brought bad news. </p>
<p>The Commercial Court of Donostia dismissed the claim against an alleged file-sharer due to a lack of evidence. Dallas Buyers Club identified the infringer through an IP-address, but according to Judge Pedro José Malagón Ruiz, this is not good enough.</p>
<p>&#8220;The ruling says that there is no way to know whether the defendant was the P2P user or not, because an IP address only identifies the person who subscribed to the Internet connection, not the user who made use of the connection at a certain moment,&#8221; copyright lawyer <a href="https://twitter.com/dbravo">David Bravo</a> tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;A relative or a guest could have been using the network, or even someone accessing the wifi if it was open,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>In addition, the Judge agreed with the defense that there is no evidence that the defendant actively made the movie available. This generally requires a form of intent. However, BitTorrent clients automatically share files with others, whether it&#8217;s the intention of the user or not. </p>
<p>&#8220;The upload of the data from the P2P programs occurs automatically by the program configuration itself. [&#8230;] This occurs by default without requiring the knowledge or intention of the user,&#8221; Judge Malagón Ruiz writes in his verdict, <a href="https://www.genbeta.com/actualidad/la-primera-sentencia-en-espana-sobre-el-uso-de-p2p-absuelve-al-demandado">quoted</a> by Genbeta.</p>
<p>In other words, these BitTorrent transfers are not necessarily an act of public communication, therefore, they are not infringing any copyrights.</p>
<p>The case provides hope for other accused file-sharers who are looking to have their cases dismissed as well. Not in the last place because the defense was coordinated online, without active involvement of a lawyer. </p>
<p>Bravo, together with two colleague lawyers, offered self-help forms to accused file-sharers free of charge. Defendants could use these to mount a proper defense, which paid off in this case.</p>
<p>&#8220;This ruling sets a precedent,&#8221; Bravo tells TorrentFreak, noting that it&#8217;s a clear setback for the copyright holders who are involved in these mass file-sharing lawsuits.</p>
<p>While the lawyer cautions that other courts may come to a different conclusion, it appears that Dallas Buyers Club and other copyright trolls will meet some fierce &#8216;p2p coordinated&#8217; resistance in Spain. </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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146921
title: Spanish Police Arrest Seven in Pirate Sports Streaming Crackdown
uri: Spanish-Police-Arrest-Seven-in-Pirate-Sports-Streaming-Crackdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/fkJnNbiz5ro/
content:
<p><a href="media/66f48d3e.sports.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/sports.jpg"><img src="media/36a523bc.sports.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sports.jpg" alt="" width="170" height="198" class="alignright size-full wp-image-110297"></a>While most large broadcasters around the world now offer comprehensive sports packages to their customers, subscriptions are often quite expensive.</p>
<p>This has led to the proliferation of pirate services, each dedicated to bringing live sports to the masses at massively reduced prices or even completely free.</p>
<p>As a result, it&#8217;s now possible to watch almost any sport from a pirate source, whether that&#8217;s via a website, an augmented Kodi setup, or a premium IPTV provider. Today, however, there&#8217;s one less pirate service available after a series of raids in Spain.</p>
<p>According to the National Police, raids took place in Madrid, Alicante, Albacete, Gandía, and the Valencian cities of Xátiva and Antequera this week. In total, seven people were arrested for illegally broadcasting football matches.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/38bd03ae.streamarrest1.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/streamarrest1.png"><img src="media/d649ed90.streamarrest1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/streamarrest1.png" alt="" width="646" height="454" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146923"></a></center></p>
<p>Unusually in such cases, the suspects are alleged to have offered matches via a number of mechanisms, including direct download, streaming, subscription streaming, and peer-to-peer distribution. This, the police say, allowed them to have the broadest possible access to the market.</p>
<p>The group&#8217;s servers were scattered around the world; some located in Spain, others in France, with the remainder in the United States and Canada.</p>
<p>The investigation began in 2016 following a complaint from La Liga, the top professional association in Spanish football. The group alleged that a total of 13 websites were illegally offering lists of links which enabled visitors to access content to which it holds the exclusive rights.</p>
<p>Police say the operation was well organized, with matches presented to Internet users with schedules ordered by championships. Revenue was generated via advertising which appeared on the various pages viewed by visitors.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s claimed that the sites&#8217; operators also attempted to make their scattered servers harder to find by utilizing intermediary companies, including those that offer server location anonymization services.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/64d8ec36.streamarrest2.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/streamarrest2.png"><img src="media/b1f3cdd4.streamarrest2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/streamarrest2.png" alt="" width="644" height="391" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146924"></a></center></p>
<p>Across the country, eight house searches reportedly yielded a trove of evidence, both digital and physical, detailing the pirate operation and the profit obtained from it.</p>
<p>At this early stage, police estimate the &#8220;economic benefit&#8221; to the defendants from subscriptions and advertising to be in the region of 1.4 million euros, although it&#8217;s unclear whether those are actual historic or projected gains.</p>
<p>Following the raids, seven websites were ordered to be blocked and three bank accounts, said to be linked to the pirate operation, were frozen. Police say that the investigation continues so further arrests and website blockades can&#8217;t be ruled out.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146974
title: Sci-Hub Won’t Be Blocked by US ISPs Anytime Soon
uri: Sci-Hub-Won-t-Be-Blocked-by-US-ISPs-Anytime-Soon
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/D2LKpXPI10A/
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">Sci-Hub, often referred to as the &#8220;Pirate Bay of Science,&#8221; hasn&#8217;t had a particularly good run in US courts so far.</p>
<p>Following a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-ordered-to-pay-15-million-in-piracy-damages-170623/">$15 million defeat</a> against Elsevier in June, the American Chemical Society won a default judgment of $4.8 million in copyright damages late last week. </p>
<p>In addition, the publisher was granted an unprecedented injunction, requiring various third-party services to stop providing access to the site.</p>
<p>The order specifically mentions domain registrars and hosting companies, but also search engines and ISPs, although only those who are in &#8220;active concert or participation&#8221; with the site. This order sparked fears that Google, Comcast, and others would be ordered to take action, but that&#8217;s not the case.</p>
<p>After the news broke ACS issued a press release clarifying that it would not go after search engines and ISPs when they are not in &#8220;active participation&#8221; with Sci-Hub. The problem is that this can be interpreted quite broadly, leaving plenty of room for uncertainty. </p>
<p>Luckily, ACS Director Glenn Ruskin was willing to provide more clarity. He stressed that search engines and ISPs won&#8217;t be targeted for simply linking users to Sci-Hub. Companies that host the content are a target though.</p>
<p>&#8220;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,&#8221; Ruskin said.</p>
<p>When we asked whether this means that ISPs such as Comcast are not likely to be targeted, the answer was affirmative.</p>
<p>&#8220;That is correct, unless the internet service provider has been in active concert or participation with SciHub.  Simply linking to SciHub does not rise to be in active concert or participation,&#8221; Ruskin clarified.  </p>
<p>The above suggests that ACS will go after domain name registrars, hosting companies, and perhaps Cloudflare, but not any further. Still, even if that&#8217;s the case there is cause for worry among several digital rights activists. </p>
<p>The Electronic Frontier Foundation believes that these type of orders set a dangerous precedent. The concept of &#8220;active concert or participation&#8221; should only cover close associates and co-conspirators, not everyone who provides a service to the defendant. Domain registrars and registries have often been compelled to take action in similar cases, but EFF says this goes too far.</p>
<p>&#8220;The courts need to limit who can be bound by orders like this one, to prevent them from being abused,&#8221; EFF Senior Staff Attorney Mitch Stoltz informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;In particular, domain name registrars and registries shouldn&#8217;t be ordered to help take down a website because of a dispute over the site&#8217;s contents. That invites others to use the domain name system as a tool for censorship.&#8221;</p>
<p>News of the Sci-Hub injunction has sparked controversy and confusion in recent days, not least because Sci-hub.cc became unavailable soon after. Instead of showing the usual search box, visitors now see a &#8220;403 Forbidden&#8221; error message. On top of that, the bulletproof Tor version of the site also went offline. </p>
<p>The error message indicates that there&#8217;s a hosting issue. While it&#8217;s easy to conclude that the court&#8217;s injunction has something to do with this, that might not necessarily be the case. Sci-Hub&#8217;s hosting company isn&#8217;t tied to the US and has a history of protecting sites from takedown efforts.</p>
<p>We reached out to Sci-Hub founder Alexandra Elbakyan for comment but we&#8217;re yet to receive a response. The site hasn’t posted any relevant updates on its social media pages either.</p>
<p>That said, the site is far from done. In addition to the Tor domain, Sci-Hub has several other backups in place such as Sci-Hub.io and Sci-Hub.ac, which are up and running as usual.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147054
title: Twitter Sued Over Slow Response to DMCA Takedown Request
uri: Twitter-Sued-Over-Slow-Response-to-DMCA-Takedown-Request
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/DFEfb8TA_cw/
content:
<p><img src="media/b4239d69.pirate-twitter.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-twitter.png" alt="" width="198" height="186" class="alignright size-full wp-image-98627">In common with many other user-generated content sites, Twitter is used by some of its members to host or link to copyright-infringing material.</p>
<p>If rightsholders submit a takedown request, Twitter swiftly takes the infringing content down. Over the past several months the company has processed thousands of requests and complied with most of them.</p>
<p>However, a new lawsuit filed in a California federal court suggests that Twitter’s takedown efforts aren&#8217;t perfect.</p>
<p>Rhode Island-based photographer Kristen Pierson filed a complaint against Twitter, accusing the company of hosting and linking to one of her works without permission.</p>
<p>The photo in question, taken at an Alice in Chains concert in 2006, was <a href="http://www.twitter.com/juanitabaila/status/843233321006120960">posted by Twitter</a> user Karen Juanita. After Pierson found out she sent a DMCA takedown notice to Twitter on April 26 of this year. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/f6a25b67.infringingtweet.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/infringingtweet.png" alt="" width="600" height="477" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147057"></center></p>
<p>Twitter promptly replied that it had “disabled access” to the photo, but this didn&#8217;t happen right away. While Twitter noted that it could take some time for the removal to propagate, it appears that something went wrong.</p>
<p><center><strong>Twitter&#8217;s response</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/71c8251a.maytakesometime.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/maytakesometime.png" alt="" width="594" height="359" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147060"></center></p>
<p>According to the complaint, it took 90 days before it was effectively taken down. It seems unlikely that Twitter intentionally waited three months, but Pierson is not looking for an excuse. Instead, she&#8217;s demanding damages from the social media outfit. </p>
<p>&#8220;Twitter had actual knowledge of the direct infringement and contributory infringement. Pierson provided notice to Twitter in compliance with the DMCA, and Twitter failed to expeditiously disable access to or remove the Copyrighted Photograph from their servers,&#8221; the complaint notes. </p>
<p>&#8220;Alternatively, Twitter directly infringed Pierson’s copyrights by continuing to allow public access to the Copyrighted Photograph on Twitter’s server or on servers controlled by Twitter.&#8221;</p>
<p>Theoretically, damages could go up to $150,000, should willful copyright infringement be proven. However, it&#8217;s more likely that both parties will settle their differences, or that the case will be dismissed for other reasons. </p>
<p>This isn&#8217;t the first time that Twitter has been sued for failing to promptly remove infringing content. Several photographers, including <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/twitter-sued-for-failing-to-remove-copyrighted-photo-150729/">Pierson herself</a>, have done so before. In most cases, these lawsuits are settled after a few weeks, behind closed doors.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of the complaint is available <a href="media/921bbe36.pierson-twitter.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pierson-twitter.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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147028
title: Google: Netflix Searches Outweigh Those For Pirate Alternatives
uri: Google-Netflix-Searches-Outweigh-Those-For-Pirate-Alternatives
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/rFtDDQbvv5Q/
content:
<p><a href="media/057c7f2e.netflix-logo.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-logo.png"><img src="media/b310fc7c.netflix-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-logo.png" alt="" width="200" height="121" class="alignright size-full wp-image-69714"></a>When large-scale access to online pirated content began to flourish at the turn of the decade, entertainment industry groups claimed that if left to run riot, it could mean the end of their businesses.</p>
<p>More than seventeen years later that doomsday scenario hasn&#8217;t come to pass, not because piracy has been defeated &#8211; far from it &#8211; but because the music, movie and related industries have come to the market with their own offers.</p>
<p>The music industry were the quickest to respond, with services like iTunes and later Spotify making serious progress against pirate alternatives. It took the video industry far longer to attack the market but today, with platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Video, they have a real chance at scooping up what might otherwise be pirate consumption.</p>
<p>While there&#8217;s still a long way to go, it&#8217;s interesting to hear the progress that&#8217;s being made not only in the West but also piracy hotspots further afield. This week, Brazil&#8217;s <a href="https://exame.abril.com.br/tecnologia/netflix-tem-mais-procura-do-que-alternativas-piratas-diz-google/">Exame</a> reported on a new study published by Google.</p>
<p>Focused on movies, one of its key findings is that local consumer interest in Netflix is now greater than pirate alternatives including torrents, streaming, and apps. As illustrated in the image below, the tipping point took place early November 2016, when searches for Netflix overtook those for unauthorized platforms.</p>
<p><center><b>Netflix vs Pirates (via Exame)</b><a href="media/46c0f124.netflix-piratas-google.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-piratas-google.jpg"><img src="media/9f340375.netflix-piratas-google.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-piratas-google.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="453" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-147035"></a></center></p>
<p>While the stats above don&#8217;t necessarily point to a reduction in piracy of movies and TV shows in Brazil, they show that Netflix&#8217;s library and ease of use is rewarded by widespread awareness among those seeking such content locally.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re not lowering piracy but this does show how relevant the [Netflix] brand is when it comes to offering content online,&#8221; Google Brazil&#8217;s market intelligence chief Sérgio Tejido told Exame.</p>
<p>For Debora Bona, a director specializing in media and entertainment at Google Brazil, the success of Netflix is comparable to the rise of Spotify. In part thanks to The Pirate Bay, Sweden had a serious piracy problem in the middle of the last decade but by providing a viable alternative, the streaming service has become part of the solution.</p>
<p>&#8220;The event is interesting,&#8221; Bona says. &#8220;Since the launch of streaming solutions such as Netflix and Spotify, they have become alternatives to piracy. Sweden had many problems with music piracy and the arrival of Spotify reversed this curve.&#8221;</p>
<p>Netflix launched in Brazil back in 2011, but Exame notes that the largest increase in searches for the platform took place between 2013 and 2016, demonstrating a boost of 284%. Even more evidence of Netflix&#8217;s popularity was revealed in <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/10/07/brazil-shows-why-netflix-will-succeed-internationa.aspx">recent surveys</a> which indicate that 77% of surveyed Brazilians had watched Netflix, up from 71% in 2016.</p>
<p>Importantly, nine out of ten users in Brazil said they were &#8220;extremely satisfied&#8221; or &#8220;very satisfied&#8221; with the service, up from 79% in the previous year. An impressive 66% of subscribers said that they were &#8220;not at all likely to cancel&#8221;, a welcome statistics for a company pumping billions into making its own content and increasingly protecting it (<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-expands-content-protection-team-to-reduce-piracy-171015/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/inside-the-mpaa-netflix-amazon-global-anti-piracy-alliance-170918/">2</a>), in the face of persistent pirate competition.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=146640
title: MPAA Lobbies US Congress on Streaming Piracy Boxes
uri: MPAA-Lobbies-US-Congress-on-Streaming-Piracy-Boxes
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/UG_CTJN31Dw/
content:
<p><img src="media/2a7e5df9.congress-2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/congress-2.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="228" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146956">As part of its quest to reduce piracy, the MPAA continues to spend money on its lobbying activities, hoping to sway lawmakers in its direction.</p>
<p>While the lobbying talks take place behind closed doors, quarterly disclosure reports provide some insight into the items under discussion.</p>
<p>The MPAA’s most recent lobbying disclosure <a href="https://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event=getFilingDetails&#038;filingID=E14BD848-1CCB-4364-B8B1-175EF8D7D885&#038;filingTypeID=69">form</a> features several new topics that weren’t on the agenda last year. </p>
<p>Among other issues, the Hollywood group lobbied the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives on set-top boxes, preloaded streaming piracy devices, and streaming piracy in general.</p>
<p>The details of these discussions remain behind closed doors. The only thing we know for sure is what Hollywood is lobbying on, but it doesn’t take much imagination to take an educated guess on the &#8216;why&#8217; part.</p>
<p>Just over a year ago streaming piracy boxes were hardly mentioned in anti-piracy circles, but today they are on the top of the enforcement list. The MPAA is reporting these concerns to lawmakers, to see whether they can be of assistance in curbing this growing threat.</p>
<p><center><strong>Some of the lobbying topics</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/a586db0c.lobbyingtopics.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/lobbyingtopics.png" alt="" width="560" height="323" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-146962"></center></p>
<p>It’s clear that pirate streaming players are a prime concern for Hollywood. MPA boss Stan McCoy recently characterized the use of these devices as “<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-sees-illegal-streaming-devices-as-piracy-3-0-170502/">Piracy 3.0</a>” and a coalition of industry players sued a US-based seller of streaming boxes <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-giants-sue-kodi-powered-tickbox-tv-over-piracy-171014/">earlier this month</a>.</p>
<p>The lobbying efforts themselves are nothing new of course. Every year the MPAA spends around $4 million to influence the decisions of lawmakers, both directly and through external lobbying firms such as Covington &#038; Burling, Capitol Tax Partners, and Sentinel Worldwide.</p>
<p>While piracy streaming boxes are new on the agenda this year, they are not the only topics under discussion. Other items include trade deals such as the TPP, TTIP, and NAFTA, voluntary domain name initiatives, EU digital single market proposals, and cybersecurity.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to the MPAA for more information on the streaming box lobbying efforts, but 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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147092
title: Hollywood Studios Force ISPs to Block Popcorn Time & Subtitle Sites
uri: Hollywood-Studios-Force-ISPs-to-Block-Popcorn-Time-Subtitle-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/dIXFTPbQUeE/
content:
<p><a href="media/0e57238e.popcorncensor.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/popcorncensor.jpg"><img src="media/efc3d7b7.popcorncensor.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorncensor.jpg" alt="" width="228" height="99" class="alignright size-full wp-image-87053"></a>Early 2014, a new craze was sweeping the piracy world. Instead of relatively cumbersome text-heavy torrent sites, people were turning to a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/open-source-torrent-streaming-a-netflix-for-pirates-140308/">brand new application</a> called Popcorn Time.</p>
<p>Dubbed the Netflix for Pirates due to its beautiful interface, Popcorn Time was soon a smash hit all over the planet. But with that fame came trouble, with anti-piracy outfits all over the world seeking to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-we-shut-down-ytsyify-and-popcorn-time-151103/">shut it down</a> or at least pour cold water on its popularity.</p>
<p>In the meantime, however, the popularity of Kodi skyrocketed, something which pushed Popcorn Time out of the spotlight for a while. Nevertheless, the application in several different forms never went away and it still enjoys an impressive following today. This means that despite earlier action in several jurisdictions, Hollywood still has it on the radar.</p>
<p>The latest development comes out of Norway, where Disney Entertainment, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Columbia Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Universal City Studios and Warner Bros. have just taken 14 local Internet service providers to court.</p>
<p>The studios claimed that the ISPs (including Telenor, Nextgentel, Get, Altibox, Telia, Homenet, Ice Norge, Eidsiva Bredbånd and Lynet Internet) should undertake broad blocking action to ensure that three of the most popular Popcorn Time forks (located at popcorn-time.to, popcorntime.sh and popcorn-time.is) can no longer function in the region.</p>
<p>Since site-blocking necessarily covers the blocking of websites, there appears to have been much discussion over whether a software application can be considered a website. However, the court ultimately found that wasn&#8217;t really an issue, since each application requires websites to operate.</p>
<p>&#8220;Each of the three [Popcorn Time variants] must be considered a &#8216;site&#8217;, even though users access Popcorn Time in a way that is technically different from the way other pirate sites provide users with access to content, and although different components of the Popcorn Time service are retrieved from different domains,&#8221; the Oslo District Court&#8217;s ruling reads.</p>
<p>In respect of all three releases of Popcorn Time, the Court weighed the pros and cons of blocking, including whether blocking was needed at all. However, it ultimately decided that alternative methods for dealing with the sites do not exist since the rightsholders tried and ultimately failed to get cooperation from the sites&#8217; operators.</p>
<p>&#8220;All sites have as their main purpose the purpose of facilitating infringement of protected works by giving the public unauthorized access to movies and TV shows. This happens without regard to the rights of others and imposes major losses on the licensees and the cultural industry in general,&#8221; the Court writes.</p>
<p>The Court also supported compelling ISPs to introduce the blocks, noting that they are &#8220;an appropriate and proportionate measure&#8221; that does not interfere with the Internet service providers&#8217; freedom to operate nor anyone&#8217;s else&#8217;s right to freedom of expression.</p>
<p>But while the websites in question are located in three places (popcorn-time.to, popcorntime.sh and popcorn-time.is) the Court&#8217;s blocking order goes much further. Not only does it cover these key domains but also other third-party sites that Popcorn Time utilizes, such as platforms offering subtitles.</p>
<p>Popcorn-time.to related domains to be blocked: <em>popcorn-time.to, popcorn-time.xyz, popcorn-time.se, iosinstaller.com, video4time.info, thepopcorntime.net, timepopcorn.info, time-popcorn.com, the-pop-corn-time.net, timepopcorn.net, time4videostream.com, ukfrnlge.xyz, opensubtitles.org, onlinesubtitles.com, popcorntime-update.xyz, plus subdomains.</em></p>
<p>Popcorntime.sh related domains to be blocked: <em>Popcorntime.sh, api-fetch.website, yts.ag, opensubtitles.org, plus subdomains.</em></p>
<p>Popcorn-time.is related domains to be blocked: <em>popcorn-time.is, yts.ag, yify.is, yts.ph, api-fetch.website, eztvapi.ml and opensubtitles.org, plus subdomains.</em></p>
<p>Separately, the Court ordered the ISPs to block torrent site YTS.ag and onlinesubtitles.com, opensubtitles.org, plus their subdomains.</p>
<p>Since no one appeared to represent the sites and the ISPs can&#8217;t be held responsible if they cooperate, the Court found that the studios had succeeding in their action and are entitled to compensation.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Court&#8217;s conclusions mean that the plaintiffs have won the case and, in principle, are entitled to compensation for their legal costs from the operators of the sites,&#8221; the Court notes. &#8220;This means that the operators of sites are ordered to pay the plaintiffs&#8217; costs.&#8221;</p>
<p>Those costs amount to 570,000 kr (around US$70,000), an amount which the Court chose to split equally between the three Popcorn Time forks ($23,359 each). It seems unlikely the amounts will ever be recovered although there is still an opportunity for the parties to appeal.</p>
<p>In the meantime the ISPs have just days left to block the sites listed above. Once they&#8217;ve been put in place, the blocks will remain in place for five years.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147115
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 11/13/17
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-11-13-17
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/uyYeIhlnLf0/
content:
<p><img src="media/cef8e69f.valerian.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/valerian.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="181" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146832">This week we have four newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 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-110617/">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/tt2239822/">Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2239822/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZsG7WJVZv8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1959563/">The Hitman&#8217;s Bodyguard</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1959563/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4Afusxc2SM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(5)</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=b0rveO9o-F0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">Thor Ragnarok</a> (HDTS/Cam)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue80QwXMRHg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2250912/">Spider-Man: Homecoming</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2250912/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0D3AOldjMU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139592/">Jeepers Creepers 3</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139592/">4.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgium_8mSFM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(10)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3532216/">American Made</a> (Subbed HDrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3532216/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBIJRAkujM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3450958/">War for the Planet of the Apes</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3450958/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxjPjPzQ1iU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406566/">Atomic Blonde</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406566/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIUube1pSC0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1615160/">Foreigner</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1615160/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om9YCk7ufHs">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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147120
title: Microsoft Sued Over ‘Baseless’ Piracy Threats
uri: Microsoft-Sued-Over-Baseless-Piracy-Threats
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/F61v5GYt0EQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/fcd804cf.windowspiratemicrosoft.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/windowspiratemicrosoft.png" alt="" width="269" height="189" class="alignright size-full wp-image-143278">For many years, Microsoft and the Business Software Alliance (BSA) have carried out piracy investigations into organizations large and small. </p>
<p>Companies accused of using Microsoft software without permission usually get a letter asking them to pay up, or face legal consequences. </p>
<p>Rhode Island-based company <a href="https://hannainst.com/">Hanna Instruments</a> is one of the most recent targets. The company stands accused of using Microsoft Office products without a proper license. </p>
<p>However, instead of Microsoft going after Hanna in court for copyright infringement, Hanna has filed a lawsuit against BSA and Microsoft asking for a declaratory judgment that it did nothing wrong.</p>
<p>The lawsuit is the result of a long back-and-forth that started in June. At the time, BSA&#8217;s lawyers sent Hanna a letter accusing it of using Microsoft products without a proper license, while requesting an audit. </p>
<p>Hanna&#8217;s management wasn&#8217;t aware of any pirated products but after repeated requests, the company decided to go ahead and conduct a thorough investigation. The results, combined in a detailed spreadsheet, showed that it purchased 126 copies of Microsoft Office software, while only 120 were in use. </p>
<p>Perfectly fine, they assumed, but the BSA was not convinced. </p>
<p>Since Hanna only had Microsoft generated key cards for the most recent purchases, the company used purchase orders, requisitions, and price quotes to prove that it properly licensed earlier copies of Microsoft Office. Not good enough, according to the BSA, which wanted to see money instead.</p>
<p>The BSA&#8217;s lawyers informed Hanna that the company would face up to $4,950,000 in damages if the case went to court. Instead, however, they offered to settle the matter for $72,074.</p>
<p><center><strong>From the complaint</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/ba0eda01.hanna.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hanna.png" alt="" width="600" height="482" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147139"></center></p>
<p>Hanna wasn&#8217;t planning to pay and pointed out that they sent in as much proof as they could find, documenting legal purchases of Microsoft Office licenses for a period covering more than ten years. While the BSA appreciated the effort, it didn&#8217;t accept this as hard evidence.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;the provision of purchase orders, price quotes, purchase requisitions are not acceptable as valid proof of purchase to our client.  Reason being, the aforesaid documents do not demonstrate that a purchase has taken place, they merely establish intent to make a purchase of software,&#8221; the BSA wrote in yer another email.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the BSA itself still failed to provide any solid proof that Hanna was using unlicensed software. The Rhode Island company repeatedly requested this, but the BSA simply replied that it&#8217;s neither appropriate nor efficient to request evidence from their clients in every case.</p>
<p>The BSA then went a step further and suggested that Microsoft did the company a favor by approaching it directly. The alternative would have been to call in the U.S. Marshals and raid the company&#8217;s headquarters.</p>
<p>&#8220;The rights holders had the alternative option of simply commencing litigation and seeking a court order permitting a raid by U.S. Marshals,&#8221; the BSA&#8217;s lawyers wrote in one of their letters.</p>
<p>This &#8216;threat&#8217; wasn&#8217;t completely in vain. In the past, the BSA and Microsoft&#8217;s accusations have developed into fully-fledged raids, with armed law enforcement officials assisting the software vendor, taking away computers for further inspection.</p>
<p>Still, Hanna maintained that it didn&#8217;t do anything wrong. At this point, they&#8217;d spent $25,000 on disproving the BSA&#8217;s &#8220;baseless&#8221; claims, and saw no other option than to take the matter to court. </p>
<p>Late last week the company submitted a complaint against Microsoft and the BSA in a Rhode Island federal court, asking for a declaratory judgment and monetary compensation.</p>
<p>&#8220;To date, the Defendants have not provided any documentation supporting the baseless allegation that Hanna illegally copied Microsoft Office, in spite of repeated requests by Plaintiff’s counsel that BSA produce such information,&#8221; the complaint reads. </p>
<p>&#8220;By this Complaint, Hanna seeks a declaration by the Court that it has not infringed any Microsoft copyrights, that Hanna has been harmed by BSA’s relentless and unsupported charges, and that Defendants pay Hanna’s costs and expenses for this action, together with reasonable attorney fees, and any additional monetary award this Court deems appropriate.&#8221; </p>
<p>It&#8217;s now up to the court to decide who&#8217;s right and who&#8217;s wrong, but the case already provides a rare and intriguing insight into the anti-piracy practices of Microsoft and the BSA. </p>
<p>This isn&#8217;t the first time that one of these cases has gone to court. In Belgium, the BSA and Microsoft <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/microsoft-sued-over-mafia-like-anti-piracy-raid-120621/">lost a similar case</a>. Here, a local company was ordered to pay a settlement on the spot or lose its computers. With law enforcement at the ready, the owner decided to pay, despite owning valid licenses. </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>The full complaint is available <a href="media/5e65d9e0.hannacomplaint.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/hannacomplaint.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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147162
title: The Pirate Bay & 1337x Must Be Blocked, Austrian Supreme Court Rules
uri: The-Pirate-Bay-1337x-Must-Be-Blocked-Austrian-Supreme-Court-Rules
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/e8UGC933-9k/
content:
<p><a href="media/fd06f581.pirate-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-bay.jpg"><img src="media/2a43984f.pirate-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-bay.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="207" class="alignright size-full wp-image-53470"></a>Following a long-running case, in 2015 Austrian ISPs were ordered by the Commercial Court to block The Pirate Bay and other &#8220;structurally-infringing&#8221; sites including 1337x.to, isohunt.to, and h33t.to.</p>
<p>The decision was welcomed by the music industry, which looked forward to having more sites blocked in due course.</p>
<p>Soon after, local music rights group LSG sent its lawyers after several other large ISPs urging them to follow suit, or else. However, the ISPs dug in and a year later, in May 2016, things began to unravel. The Vienna Higher Regional Court overruled the earlier decision of the Commercial Court, meaning that local ISPs were free to unblock the previously blocked sites.</p>
<p>The Court concluded that ISP blocks are only warranted if copyright holders have exhausted all their options to take action against those actually carrying out the infringement. This decision was welcomed by the Internet Service Providers Austria (ISPA), which described the decision as an important milestone.</p>
<p>The ISPs argued that only torrent files, not the content itself, was available on the portals. They also had a problem with the restriction of access to legitimate content.</p>
<p>“A problem in this context is that the offending pages also have legal content and it is no longer possible to access that if barriers are put in place,” <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-blockade-lifted-by-austrian-court-160623/">said</a> ISPA Secretary General Maximilian Schubert.</p>
<p>Taking the case to its ultimate conclusion, the music companies appealed to the Supreme Court. Another year on and its decision has just been published and for the rightsholders, who represent 3,000 artists including The Beatles, Justin Bieber, Eric Clapton, Coldplay, David Guetta, Iggy Azalea, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Metallica, George Michael, One Direction, Katy Perry, and Queen, to name a few, it was worth the effort.</p>
<p>The Court looked at whether &#8220;the provision and operation of a BitTorrent platform with the purpose of online file sharing [of non-public domain works]&#8221; represents a &#8220;communication to the public&#8221; under the EU Copyright Directive. Citing 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 both received European Court of Justice rulings earlier this year, the Supreme Court concluded it was.</p>
<p>Citing another Dutch case, in which Playboy publisher <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-court-not-for-profit-hyperlinking-usually-not-infringement-160908/">Sanoma took on the blog GeenStijl.nl</a>, the Court noted that linking to copyrighted content hosted elsewhere also amounted to a &#8220;communication to the public&#8221;, a situation mirrored on torrent sites like The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>&#8220;The similarity of the technical procedure in this case when compared to BitTorrent platforms lies in the fact that in both cases the operators of the website did not provide any copyrighted works themselves, but merely provided further information on sites where the protected works were available,&#8221; the Court notes in its <a href="https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?ResultFunctionToken=e4a2eb4e-5096-4a10-8c3e-4ea8d0a1d902&#038;Position=1&#038;Abfrage=Justiz&#038;Gericht=&#038;Rechtssatznummer=&#038;Rechtssatz=&#038;Fundstelle=&#038;AenderungenSeit=Undefined&#038;SucheNachRechtssatz=False&#038;SucheNachText=True&#038;GZ=4Ob121%2f17y&#038;VonDatum=&#038;BisDatum=09.11.2017&#038;Norm=&#038;ImRisSeit=Undefined&#038;ResultPageSize=100&#038;Suchworte=&#038;Dokumentnummer=JJT_20171024_OGH0002_0040OB00121_17Y0000_000">ruling</a>.</p>
<p>In respect of the potential for blocking legitimate content as well as that infringing copyright, the Court turned the ISPs&#8217; own arguments against them somewhat.</p>
<p>The ISPs had previously argued that blocking The Pirate Bay and other sites was pointless since the torrents they host would still be available elsewhere. The Court noted that point and also found that people can easily upload their torrents to sites that aren&#8217;t blocked, since there&#8217;s plenty of choice.</p>
<p>The ISPA criticized the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling, noting that in future ISPs will still find themselves being held responsible for decisions concerning blocking.</p>
<p>&#8220;We do not support illegal content on the Internet in any way, but consider it extremely questionable that the decision on what is illegal and what is not falls to ISPs, instead of a court,&#8221; said ISPA Secretary General Maximilian.</p>
<p>&#8220;Although we find it positive that a court of last resort has taken the decision, the assessment of the website in the first instance continues to be left to the Internet provider. The Supreme Court&#8217;s expansion of the circle of sites that be potentially blocked further complicates this task for the operator and furthers the privatization of law enforcement.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is extremely unpleasant that even after more than 10 years of fierce discussion, there is still no compelling legal basis for a court decision on Internet blocking, which puts providers in the role of both judge and hangman.&#8221;</p>
<p>Also of interest is ISPA&#8217;s stance on how blocking of content fails to solve the underlying issue. When content is blocked, rather than removed, it simply displaces the problem, leaving others to pick up the pieces, the Internet body argues.</p>
<p>&#8220;Illegal content is permanently removed from the network by deletion. Everything else is a placebo with extremely dangerous side effects, which can easily be bypassed by both providers and consumers. The only thing that remains is a blocking infrastructure that can be misused for many purposes and, unfortunately, will be used in many places,&#8221; Schubert says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The current situation, where providers have to block the rightsholders quasi on the spot, if they do not want to engage in a time-consuming and cost-intensive litigation, is really not sustainable so we issue a call to action to the legislature.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>The domains that were listed in the case, many of which are already defunct, are: thepiratebay.se, thepiratebay.gd, thepiratebay.la, thepiratebay.mn, thepiratebay.mu, thepiratebay.sh, thepiratebay.tw, thepiratebay.fm, thepiratebay.ms, thepiratebay.vg, isohunt.to, 1337x.to and h33t.to.</p>
<p>Whether it will be added later is unclear, but the only domain currently used by The Pirate Bay (thepiratebay.org) is not included in the list.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147193
title: Judge Puts Brakes on Piracy Cases, Doubts Evidence Against Deceased Man
uri: Judge-Puts-Brakes-on-Piracy-Cases-Doubts-Evidence-Against-Deceased-Ma
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zFo68x5-blQ/
content:
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-108977" src="media/17a592c8.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="167">In recent years, file-sharers around the world have been pressured to pay significant settlement fees, or face legal repercussions.</p>
<p>These so-called “copyright trolling” efforts have been a common occurrence in the United States for more than half a decade, and still are.</p>
<p>While copyright holders should be able to take legitimate piracy claims to court, there are some who resort to dodgy tactics to extract money from alleged pirates. The evidence isn&#8217;t exactly rock-solid either, which results in plenty of innocent targets.</p>
<p>A prime candidate for the latter category is a man who was sued by Venice PI, a copyright holder of the film &#8220;<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4694544/">Once Upon a Time in Venice</a>.&#8221; He was sued not once, but twice. That&#8217;s not the problem though. What stood out is that defendant is no longer alive. </p>
<p>The man&#8217;s wife informed a federal court in Seattle that he passed away recently, at the respectable age of 91. While age doesn&#8217;t prove innocence, the widow also mentioned that her husband suffered from dementia and was both mentally and physically incapable of operating a computer at the time of the alleged offense.</p>
<p>These circumstances raised doubt with US District Court Judge Thomas Zilly, who brought them up in a recent order (citations omitted).</p>
<p>&#8220;In two different cases, plaintiff sued the same, now deceased, defendant, namely Wilbur Miller. Mr. Miller’s widow submitted a declaration indicating that, for about five years prior to his death at the age of 91, Mr. Miller suffered from dementia and was both mentally and physically incapable of operating a computer,&#8221; the Judge writes.</p>
<p>The Judge notes that the IP-address tracking tools used by the copyright holder might not be as accurate as is required. In addition, he adds that the company can&#8217;t simply launch a &#8220;fishing expedition&#8221; based on the IP-address alone.</p>
<p>&#8220;The fact that Mr. Miller’s Internet Protocol (&#8216;IP&#8217;) address was nevertheless identified as part of two different BitTorrent &#8216;swarms&#8217; raises significant doubts about the accuracy of whatever IP-address tracking method plaintiff is using.</p>
<p>&#8220;Moreover, plaintiff may not, based solely on IP addresses, launch a fishing expedition aimed at coercing individuals into either admitting to copyright infringement or pointing a finger at family members, friends, tenants, or neighbors. Plaintiff must demonstrate the plausibility of their claims before discovery will be permitted,&#8221; Judge Zilly adds.</p>
<p><center><strong>From the order</strong><br></br></center><center><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147201" src="media/7db1c64d.trollip1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trollip1.png" alt="" width="592" height="232"></center></p>
<p>Since the copyright holder has only provided an IP-address as evidence, the plausibility of the copyright infringement claims is not properly demonstrated. This means that the holder was not allowed to conduct discovery, which includes discussions with defendants.</p>
<p>The court, therefore, ordered Venice PI to cease all communication with defendants effective immediately, until further notice. This order applies to a dozen cases which are now effectively on hold.</p>
<p>The copyright holder has been given 28 days to provide more information on several issues related to the evidence gathering. This offer of proof should be supported by a declaration of an expert in the field.</p>
<p>The Judge wants to know if an IP-address can be spoofed or faked by a BitTorrent tracker, and if so, how likely this is. In addition, he questions if the material that was tracked (possible only part of a download) is actually playable. And finally, the Judge asks what other evidence Venice PI has against each defendant, aside from the IP-address.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the absence of a timely filed offer of proof, plaintiff’s claims will be dismissed with prejudice and without costs, and these cases will be closed,&#8221; Judge Zilly warns.</p>
<p>The harsh order was noticed by copyright troll skeptic FCT, <a href="https://twitter.com/fightcopytrolls/status/930263287345876992">who notes</a> that Venice PI will have a hard time providing the requested proof. </p>
<p>Venice and other &#8220;copyright trolls&#8221; use the German company Maverickeye to track BitTorrent pirates on a broad scale. They are also active with their settlement demands in various other countries, most recently in Sweden. </p>
<p>If the provided proof is not sufficient in the court&#8217;s opinion, it will be hard for them and other rightsholders to continue their practices in the Washington district.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>The full order is available <a href="media/8990bd3a.zillyorder.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/zillyorder.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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147258
title: Swedish Data Authority Investigates Piracy Settlement Letters
uri: Swedish-Data-Authority-Investigates-Piracy-Settlement-Letters
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/U_8x2QnRSd4/
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>Companies that aim to turn piracy into profit have been in existence for more than a decade but still the controversy around their practices continues.</p>
<p>Most, known colloquially as &#8216;copyright trolls&#8217;, monitor peer-to-peer networks such as BitTorrent, collecting IP addresses and other data in order to home in on a particular Internet account. From there, ISPs are sued to hand over that particular subscriber&#8217;s personal details. Once they&#8217;re obtained, the pressure begins.</p>
<p>At this point, trolls are in direct contact with the public, usually by letter. Their tone is almost always semi-aggressive, warning account holders that their actions are undermining entire industries. However, as if by magic, all the harm can be undone if they pay up few hundred dollars, euros, or pounds &#8211; quickly.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-trolls-hit-thousands-of-swedish-pirates-with-550-fines-171023/">case in Sweden</a>, where law firm Njord Law is representing the well-known international copyright trolls behind the movies CELL, IT, London Has Fallen, Mechanic: Resurrection, Criminal, and September of Shiraz.</p>
<p>“Have you, or other people with access to the aforementioned IP address, such as children living at home, viewed or tried to watch [a pirate movie] at the specified time?” Njord Law now writes in its letters to alleged pirates.</p>
<p>“If so, the case can be terminated by paying 4,500 SEK [$550].”</p>
<p>It&#8217;s clear that the companies involved are diving directly for cash. Indeed, letter recipients are told they have just two weeks to pay up or face further issues. The big question now is whether these demands are permissible under law, not necessarily from a copyright angle but due to the way they are presented to the alleged pirates.</p>
<p>The Swedish Data Protection Authority (<a href="http://www.datainspektionen.se">Datainspektionen</a>) is a public authority tasked with protecting the privacy of the individual in the information society. <a href="http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=83&#038;artikel=6819392">Swedish Radio</a> reports that it has received several complaints from Swedes who have received cash demands and as a result is investigating whether the letters are legal.</p>
<p>As a result, the authority now has to determine whether the letters can be regarded as a debt collection measure. If so, they will have to comply with special laws and would also require special permission. </p>
<p>&#8220;They have not classified this as a debt collection fee, but it is not that element that is crucial. A debt collection measure is determined by whether there is any kind of pressure on the recipient to make a payment. Then there is the question of whether such pressure can be considered a debt collection measure,&#8221; says lawyer Camilla Sparr.</p>
<p>Of course, the notion that the letters exist for the purposes of collecting a debt is rejected by Njord Law. Lawyer Jeppe Brogaard Clausen says that his company has had no problems in this respect in other jurisdictions.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have encountered the same issue in Denmark and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isp-bombarded-with-82000-demands-to-reveal-alleged-pirates-170513/">Finland</a> and it was judged by the authorities that there is no talk about a debt collection letter,&#8221; Clausen told SR.</p>
<p>A lot hinges on the investigation of the Data Protection Authority. Njord Law has already obtained permission to find out the identities behind tens of thousands of IP addresses, including a single batch where <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-isp-to-hand-identities-behind-5300-ip-addresses-to-copyright-trolls-170315/">25,000 customers of ISP Telia</a> were targeted.</p>
<p>At least 5,000 letters demanding payment have been sent out already and another 5,000 are lined up for the next few months. Clausen says their purpose is to change Swedes&#8217; attitude towards illegal file sharing but there&#8217;s a broad belief that they&#8217;re part of a global network of companies whose aims are to generate profit from piracy. </p>
<p>But while the Data Protection Authority does its work, there is plenty of advice for letter recipients who don&#8217;t want to cave into demands for cash. Last month, Copyright Professor Sanna Wolk <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-professor-dont-pay-those-file-sharing-fines-171027/">advised</a> them to ignore the letters entirely.</p>
<p>“Do not pay. You do not even have to answer it,&#8221; Wolk told people receiving a letter.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the end, it’s the court that will decide whether you have to pay or not. We have seen this type of letter in the past, and only very few times those in charge of the claims have taken it to court.&#8221;</p>
<p>Of course, should copyright holders actually take a matter to court, then recipients must contest the claim since failure to do so could result in a default judgment. This means they lose the case without even having had the opportunity to mount a defense.</p>
<p>Importantly, one such defense could be that the individual didn&#8217;t carry out the offense, perhaps because their WiFi isn&#8217;t password protected or that they share their account with others.</p>
<p>“Someone who has an open network cannot be held responsible for copyright violations – such as downloading movies – if they provide others with access to their internet connection. This has been decided in a European Court ruling last year,” <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-court-open-wifi-operator-not-liable-for-pirate-users-160916/">Wolk noted</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147278
title: Cracking Group 3DM Loses Piracy Case Against Game Maker
uri: Cracking-Group-3DM-Loses-Piracy-Case-Against-Game-Maker
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/husbag8CY18/
content:
<p><img src="media/d5b7c118.KT.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/KT.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="185" class="alignright size-full wp-image-147284">While most cracking groups operate under a veil of secrecy, China-based <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3DM">3DM</a> is not shy to come out in public. </p>
<p>The group&#8217;s leader, known as Bird Sister, has commented on various gaming and piracy related issues in the past. </p>
<p>She also spoke out when her own group was sued by the Japanese game manufacturer Koei Tecmo last year. The company accused 3DM of pirating several of its titles, including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_of_the_Three_Kingdoms_(video_game_series)">Romance of the Three Kingdoms</a>.</p>
<p>However, Bird Sister instead wondered why the company should be able to profit from a work inspired by a 3rd-century novel from China.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;why does a Japanese company, Koei have the copyright of this game when the game is obviously a derivation from the book &#8220;Romance of the Three Kingdoms&#8221; written by Chen Shou. I think Chinese gaming companies should try taking back the copyright,&#8221; <a href="https://haogamers.com/leader-of-chinese-piracy-group-speaks-out-against-koei-tecmos-copyright-claims-f582db2e4248">she said</a>. </p>
<p><center><strong>Bird Sister</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/55a92ee3.birdsister.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/birdsister.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117427"><img src="media/55a92ee3.birdsister.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/birdsister.jpg" alt="birdsister" width="600" height="387" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117427"></a></center></p>
<p>The novel in question has long since been in the public domain so there&#8217;s nothing stopping Koei Tecmo from using it, as Kotaku <a href="https://kotaku.com/tecmo-koei-defeats-major-chinese-piracy-group-1820464639">points out</a>. The game, however, is a copyrighted work and 3DM&#8217;s actions were seen as clear copyright infringement by a Chinese court.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.4gamer.net/games/999/G999905/20171108076/">press release</a>, Koei Tecmo announces that it has won its lawsuit against the cracking group. </p>
<p>The court ordered 3DM to stop distributing the infringing games and awarded a total of 1.62 million Yuan ($245,000) in piracy damages and legal fees.</p>
<p>While computer games are cracked and pirated on a daily basis, those responsible for it are rarely held accountable. This makes the case against 3DM rather unique. And it may not be the last if it&#8217;s up to the game manufacturer.</p>
<p>&#8220;We will continue to respond rigorously to infringements of our copyrights and trademark rights, both in domestic and overseas markets, while also developing satisfying games that many users can enjoy,&#8221; said the company, commenting on the ruling.</p>
<p>While the lawsuit may help to steer the cracking group away from pirating Koei Tecmo games, it can&#8217;t undo any earlier releases. Court order or not, past 3DM releases, including Romance of the Three Kingdoms titles, are still widely available through third-party 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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147303
title: Kodi Developers Quit Following Threats From MPA, Netflix, Amazon
uri: Kodi-Developers-Quit-Following-Threats-From-MPA-Netflix-Amazon
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/TXNLxnYqEuI/
content:
<p><a href="media/a8baecfe.btdotbF2_400x400.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/btdotbF2_400x400.jpg"><img src="media/29363e6f.btdotbF2_400x400.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/btdotbF2_400x400.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="220" class="alignright size-full wp-image-147304"></a>While Kodi is undoubtedly the most popular media player software in the world right now, it&#8217;s also the most hated by entertainment industry groups. On its own its an extremely decent and legal piece of software but with third-party add-ons it becomes a piracy powerhouse.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, following the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tvaddons-returns-ugly-war-canadian-telcos-kodi-addons-170801/">legal attack on the TVAddons repository</a>, several addon developers <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popular-kodi-add-ons-quit-following-prominent-piracy-lawsuit-170607/">decided to call it quits</a>. Facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit was something none of them fancied so shutting down became the preferred option for some. But while others kept going, there are now clear signs that the fallout isn&#8217;t over yet.</p>
<p>Last evening news began to emerge of fresh upheaval in the Kodi addon scene. In a posting on Twitter, Kodi addon developer jsergio123 delivered the first blow, effectively announcing his retirement. </p>
<p>&#8220;Sorry to say but I am stopping all development of the urlresolver, metahandler, and my other addons,&#8221; he <a href="https://twitter.com/jsergio123/status/930872944674426891">said</a>.</p>
<p>Early reports indicate that the retirement was the result of Hollywood threats but as the dust settled there, another clearer case emerged in Europe.</p>
<p>UK-based Kodi addon developer The_Alpha was believed to be involved in the popular Colossus repository, having previously been part of an addon called Bennu, which many view as the successor to the resurrected Phoenix addon.</p>
<p>Yesterday The_Alpha also threw in the towel after receiving a letter at his home in the UK, hand-delivered by the world&#8217;s most powerful anti-piracy coalition &#8211; the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/global-entertainment-giants-form-massive-anti-piracy-coalition-170613/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/inside-the-mpaa-netflix-amazon-global-anti-piracy-alliance-170918/">2</a>).</p>
<p>&#8220;This letter is addressed to you by companies of the six-major United States film studios represented by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), namely Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Disney Enterprises, Inc., Paramount Pictures Corporation, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Universal City Studios LLLP and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Netflix, Inc. and Amazon Studios LLC (represented by MPA via the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE)), Sky UK Limited, and The Football Association Premier League Limited,&#8221; the breathless opening paragraph reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are writing to you concerning your development, distribution and/or involvement in the operation of certain third party Kodi add-ons under the moniker &#8216;The Alpha&#8217;. The infringing addons provide unlawful access to protected copyright works, including works owned by, or exclusively licensed to, the Content Companies.&#8221;</p>
<p>The letter, a copy of which was obtained by <a href="https://www.tvaddons.co/thealpha-mpa-ace/">TVAddons</a>, also notes The_Alpha&#8217;s involvement in the popular Colossus Kodi addon repository, which shut down last evening, taking dozens of popular addons with it.</p>
<p><center><b>The letter: shut down &#8211; or else</b><a href="media/b17b72db.thealpha_mpa.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/thealpha_mpa.jpg"><img src="media/cf3e9c16.thealpha_mpa.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/thealpha_mpa.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="987" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-147313"></a></center></p>
<p>The shutdown of the Colossus repo and the two developers&#8217; addons is undoubtedly a severe blow to the Kodi scene. But, while many casual users might be familiar with Colossus and Bennu, most won&#8217;t appreciate the importance of URLResolver. Most recently maintained by jsergio12 and distributed via TVAddons, this is an extremely important addon. Here&#8217;s how it works.</p>
<p>When Kodi plays content using addons, whether that&#8217;s a movie or TV show, links to that content have to be obtained (scraped) from sites hosting it. This means that all addons would ordinarily have to have their own code in order to find the URLs where that content can be obtained. It can be a different process for every video host, a big job for any  developer. That&#8217;s where <a href="https://github.com/jsergio123/script.module.urlresolver">URLResolver</a> comes in.</p>
<p>This clever tool helps other addons access content by resolving video hosting site URLs to enable related content to be played in Kodi. URLResolver is a really important tool but since it comes packaged with addons that rely on it, most users won&#8217;t even know it&#8217;s already on their system.</p>
<p>They&#8217;ll definitely miss it when it&#8217;s gone, since among other things it was utilized by the extremely popular Covenant addon. All may not be lost though, since TVAddons indicate they&#8217;ll try to keep URLResolver alive.</p>
<p>&#8220;TV ADDONS has been distributing URLResolver from our community repository since our return in August. We plan on continuing to provide updates, although we expect things to be slowed a bit by jsergio123’s sudden retirement,&#8221; the site <a href="https://www.tvaddons.co/colossus-covenant-jsergio123/">said</a>.</p>
<p>While also useful, <a href="https://github.com/jsergio123/script.module.metahandler">MetaHandler</a> is a different beast. The addon queries sites such as thetvdb.com, themoviedb.org and imdb.com, extracts relevant metadata (such artwork and summaries etc) and installs it in a database for local use in Kodi.</p>
<p><a href="media/b62bccc2.colossus.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/colossus.jpg"><img src="media/76684624.colossus.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/colossus.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="220" class="alignright size-full wp-image-147308"></a>Adding to his retirement announcement, Jsergio123 took to Twitter to confirm problems over in the UK.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am not responsible for Covenant and Bennu but Colossus has agreed to delete the repo too,&#8221; Jsergio123 confirmed.</p>
<p>The Colossus repo has been taken offline, taking the addons above and many others with it. The fallout from this could be pretty significant so it will interesting to see how the community responds.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s no publicly confirmed reason for Jsergio123 discontinuing development but given the obvious problems in the UK and a subsequent tweet, everything points to the whole affair being linked to the same threats of legal action.</p>
<p><center></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The community needs to support <a href="https://twitter.com/tvaddonsco?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tvaddonsco</a> legal battle. That&#39;s all I&#39;m going to say.</p>
<p>&mdash; jsergio123 (@jsergio123) <a href="https://twitter.com/jsergio123/status/930884765686919168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">15 November 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center></p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> The hugely popular Ares Wizard has also gone offline.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147276
title: Center For Justice Wants Court to Unveil Copyright Trolling Secrets
uri: Center-For-Justice-Wants-Court-to-Unveil-Copyright-Trolling-Secrets
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/X_RatzyZARE/
content:
<p><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">Mass-piracy lawsuits have been plaguing the U.S. for years, targeting hundreds of thousands of alleged downloaders.</p>
<p>While the numbers are massive, there are only a few so-called &#8220;copyright trolling&#8221; operations running the show. </p>
<p>These are copyright holders, working together with lawyers and piracy tracking firms, trying to extract cash settlements from alleged subscribers.</p>
<p>Getting a settlement is also what the makers of the “Elf-Man” movie tried when they targeted Ryan Lamberson of Spokane Valley, Washington. Unlike most defendants, however, Lamberson <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/accused-pirate-slams-bittorrent-tracking-outfit-court-140503/">put up a fight</a>, questioning the validity of the evidence. After the filmmaker pulled out, the accused pirate ended up winning <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/falsely-accused-pirate-wins-101000-in-attorney-fees-150112/">$100,000</a> in attorney fees.</p>
<p>All this happened three years ago but it appears that there might be more trouble in store for Elf-Man and related companies.</p>
<p>The Washington non-profit organization <a href="https://cforjustice.org/">Center for Justice</a> (CFJ) recently filed a motion to intervene in the case. The group, which aims to protect &#8220;the wider community from abuse by the moneyed few,&#8221; has asked the court to unseal several documents that could reveal more about how these copyright trolls operate.</p>
<p>The non-profit asks the court to open up several filings to the public that may reveal how film companies, investigators, and lawyers coordinated an illegal settlement factory.</p>
<p>&#8220;The CFJ’s position is simple: if foreign data collectors and local lawyers are feeding on the subpoena power of federal courts to extract settlements from innocent people, then the public deserves to know. </p>
<p>&#8220;What makes this case so important is that, based on the unsealed exhibits and declarations, it appears that a German operation is providing the &#8216;investigators&#8217; and &#8216;experts&#8217; that claim to identify infringing activities, but its investigators apparently have a direct financial interest and the &#8216;software&#8217; is questionable at best,&#8221; CFJ adds.</p>
<p>Another problem mentioned by the non-profit organization is that not all defense lawyers are familiar with these &#8216;trolling&#8217; cases. They sometimes need dozens of hours to research them, which costs the defendant more than the cash settlement deal offered by the copyright holder.</p>
<p>As a result, paying off the trolls may seem like the most logical and safe option to the accused, even when they are innocent. </p>
<p>CFJ hopes that the sealed documents will help to expose the copyright trolls’ &#8220;mushrooming&#8221; enterprise, not just in this particular case, but also in many similar cases where people are pressured into settling. </p>
<p>&#8220;The entire lawsuit may have been a sham. Which is where CFJ comes in. Money and information remain the most significant hurdles for those being named as defendants in lawsuits like this one who receive threatening settlement letters like the one Mr. Lamberson received. </p>
<p>&#8220;CFJ’s goal is to level the playing field and reduce the plaintiffs’ informational advantage. The common-law right of access to judicial records is especially important where, as here, the copyright &#8216;trolling&#8217; risks infecting the judicial system,&#8221; the non-profit adds. </p>
<p>The recent filings were <a href="https://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/2017/11/15/a-washington-nonprofit-aims-to-unveil-copyright-trolls-dirty-secrets/">spotted by SJD</a> from Fight Copyright Trolls, who rightfully notes that we still have to see whether the documents will be made public, or not. If they are indeed unsealed, it may trigger a response from other accused pirates, perhaps even a class action suit.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p>Center For Justice&#8217;s full motion to intervene is <a href="media/32dd2aeb.cfj-motion.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cfj-motion.pdf">available here (pdf)</a>.</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147376
title: Ares Kodi Project Calls it Quits After Hollywood Cease & Desist
uri: Ares-Kodi-Project-Calls-it-Quits-After-Hollywood-Cease-Desist
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/VJ2rU-tBQd4/
content:
<p><a href="media/b3530493.ares-wizard-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/ares-wizard-logo.jpg"><img src="media/4007f109.ares-wizard-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ares-wizard-logo.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="220" class="alignright size-full wp-image-147381"></a>This week has been particularly bad for those involved in the Kodi addon scene. Following cease-and-desist notices from the MPA-led anti-piracy coalition Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, several addon developers and repositories shut down.</p>
<p>With Columbia, Disney, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, Warner, Netflix, Amazon and Sky TV all lined up for war, the third-party developers had <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kodi-developers-quit-following-threats-from-mpa-netflix-amazon-171116/">little choice but to quit</a>. One of those affected was the leader of the hugely popular Ares Project, which quietly disappeared mid-week.</p>
<p>The Ares Wizard was an extremely popular and important piece of software which allowed people to switch Kodi builds, install third-party addons, install popular repositories, change system settings, and carry out backups. It&#8217;s installed on huge numbers of machines worldwide but it will soon fall into disrepair.</p>
<p><center><b>The mighty Ares Wizard in action</b><a href="media/977f5aa4.ares-wizard.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/ares-wizard.png"><img src="media/5921fe8f.ares-wizard.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ares-wizard.png" alt="" width="1055" height="572" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-147384"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;[This week] I was subject to a hand-delivered notice to cease-and-desist from MPA &#038; ACE,&#8221; Ares Project leader Tekto informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;Given the notice, we obviously shut down the repo and wizard as requested.&#8221;</p>
<p>The news that Ares Project is done and never coming back will be a huge blow to the community. The project just celebrated its second birthday and has grown exponentially since it first arrived on the scene.</p>
<p>&#8220;Ares Project started in Oct 2015. Originally it was to be a tool to setup up the video cache on Kodi correctly. However, many ideas were thrown into the pot and it became a wee bit more; such as a wizard to install community provided builds, common addons and few other tweaks and options,&#8221; Tekto says.</p>
<p>&#8220;For my own part I started blogging earlier that year as part of a longer-term goal to be self-funding.  I always disliked seeing begging bowls out to support &#8216;server&#8217; costs, many of which were cheap £5-10 per month servers that were used to gain £100s in donations.</p>
<p>&#8220;The blog, via affiliate links and ads, could and would provide the funds to cover our hosting costs without resorting to begging for money every weekend.&#8221;</p>
<p>Intrigued by this first wave of actions by ACE in Europe, TorrentFreak asked for a copy of the MPA/ACE cease-and-desist notice but unfortunately, Tekto flat-out refused. All he would tell us is that he&#8217;d agreed not to give out any copies or screenshots and that he was adhering to that 100%.</p>
<p>That only leaves speculation as to what grounds the MPA/ACE cited for closing the project but to be fair, it doesn&#8217;t take much thought to find a direct comparison. Earlier this year, in the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/selling-piracy-configured-media-players-is-illegal-eu-court-rules-170426/">BREIN v Filmspeler case</a>, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that selling &#8220;fully-loaded&#8221; Kodi boxes amounted to illegally communicating copyrighted content to the public.</p>
<p>With that in mind, it doesn&#8217;t take much of a leap to see how this ruling could also apply to someone distributing &#8220;fully-loaded&#8221; Kodi software builds or addons via a website. It had previously been considered a legal gray area, of course, and it was in that space that the Ares team believed it operated. After all, it took ECJ clarification for local courts in the Netherlands to be satisfied with the legal position.</p>
<p>&#8220;There was never any question that what we were doing was illegal. We didn&#8217;t and never have hosted any content, we always prevented discussions about illegal paid services, and never sold any devices, pre-loaded or otherwise. That used to be enough to occupy the &#8216;gray&#8217; area which meant we were safe to develop our applications. That changed in 2017 as we were to discover,&#8221; Tekto notes.</p>
<p>Up until this week and apparently oblivious to how the earlier ECJ ruling might affect their operation, things had been going extremely well for Ares. In mid-2016, the group moved to its own support forum that attracted 100,000 signed-up members and 300,000 visitors every month.</p>
<p>&#8220;This was quite an achievement in terms of viral marketing but ultimately this would become part of our downfall,&#8221; Tekto says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The recent innovation of the &#8216;basket driven&#8217; Ares Portal system seems to have triggered the legal move to shut the project down completely. This simple system gave access to hundreds of add-ons. The system removed the need for builds, blogs and YouTubers &#8211; you just shopped on the site for addons and then installed them to your device with a simple 6 digit code.&#8221;</p>
<p>While Ares and Tekto still didn&#8217;t believe they were doing anything illegal (addons were linked, not hosted) it is now pretty clear to them that the previous gray area has been well and truly closed, at least as far as the MPA/ACE alliance is concerned. And with that in mind, the show is over. Done. Finished.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are not criminals or malicious hackers, we weren&#8217;t even careful about hiding our identities. You couldn&#8217;t meet a more ordinary bunch of folks in truth,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;There was never any question we would close our doors if what we were doing crossed any boundaries of legality. So with the notice served on us, we are closing our doors and removing all our websites and applications. It&#8217;s a sad day in many ways, but nobody wants to be facing court or a potential custodial sentence, for what is essentially a hobby.&#8221;</p>
<p>Finally, Tekto says that others like him might want to consider their positions carefully, before they too get a knock at the door. In the meantime, he gives thanks to the project&#8217;s supporters, who have remained loyal over the past two years.</p>
<p>&#8220;It just leaves me to thank our users for their support and step away from the Kodi scene,&#8221; he 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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147330
title: Pirate Site Owner Found Guilty, But He Can Keep The Profits
uri: Pirate-Site-Owner-Found-Guilty-But-He-Can-Keep-The-Profits
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/9jEupC7ecNo/
content:
<p><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">Traditionally, Sweden has been rather tough on people who operate file-sharing sites, with The Pirate Bay case as the prime example. </p>
<p>In 2009, four people connected to the torrent site were found guilty of assisting copyright infringement. They all received stiff prison sentences and millions of dollars in fines. </p>
<p>The guilty sentence was upheld in an <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-appeal-verdict-101126/">appeal</a>. While the prison terms of Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij and Carl Lundström were reduced to eight, ten and four months respectively, the fines swelled to $6.5 million.</p>
<p>This week another torrent related filesharing case concluded in Sweden, but with an entirely different outcome. IDG <a href="https://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.692619/doms-piratsajt-behaller-pengar">reports</a> that the 47-year-old operator of Filmfix was sentenced to 120 hours of community service.</p>
<p>Filmfix.se offered community-curated links to a wide variety of pirated content hosted by external sources, including torrent sites. The operator charged users 10 Swedish Krona per month to access the service, which is little over a dollar at the current exchange rate.</p>
<p>With thousands of users, Filmfix provided a decent income. The site was active for more than six years and between April 2012 and October 2013 alone it generated over $88,000 in revenue. Interestingly, the court decided that the operator can keep this money. </p>
<p><center><strong>Filmfix</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/78921557.filmfix.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/filmfix.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="418" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147405"></center></p>
<p>While the District Court convicted the man for facilitating copyright infringement, there was no direct link between the subscription payments and pirated downloads. The paying members also had access to other unrelated features, such as the forums and chat. </p>
<p>Henrik Pontén, head of the local Rights Alliance, which reported the site to the police, stated that copyright holders have not demanded any damages. They may, however, launch a separate civil lawsuit in the future.</p>
<p>The man&#8217;s partner, who was suspected of helping out and owned the company where Filmfix&#8217;s money went to, was acquitted entirely by the District Court.</p>
<p>The 120-hours of community service stands in stark contrast to the prison sentences and millions of dollars in fines in The Pirate Bay case, despite there being quite a few similarities. Both relied on content uploaded by third parties and didn&#8217;t host any infringing files directly.</p>
<p>The lower sentence may in part be due to a fresh Supreme Court ruling in Sweden. In the case against an operator of the now-defunct private torrent tracker Swepirate, the Court <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sweden-supreme-court-dont-presume-prison-sentences-for-pirates-171010/">recently ruled</a> that prison sentences should not automatically be presumed in file-sharing cases.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147343
title: The Truth Behind the “Kodi Boxes Can Kill Their Owners” Headlines
uri: The-Truth-Behind-the-Kodi-Boxes-Can-Kill-Their-Owners-Headlines
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/u3vdjw_E0rc/
content:
<p><a href="media/729747e2.facepalm.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/facepalm.jpg"><img src="media/50fb18c6.facepalm.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/facepalm.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="158" class="alignright size-full wp-image-127813"></a>Another week, another batch of &#8216;Kodi Box Armageddon&#8217; stories. This time it hasn&#8217;t been directly about the content they can provide but the physical risks they pose to their owners.</p>
<p>After being primed in advance, the usual British tabloids jumped into action early Thursday, noting that following tests carried out on &#8220;illicit streaming devices&#8221; (aka Android set-top devices), 100% of them failed to meet UK national electrical safety regulations.</p>
<p>The tests were carried out by <a href="https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/">Electrical Safety First</a>, a charity which was prompted into action by anti-piracy outfit Federation Against Copyright Theft.</p>
<p>&#8220;A series of product safety tests on popular illicit streaming devices entering the UK have found that 100% fail to meet national electrical safety regulations,&#8221; a FACT statement reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;The news is all the more significant as the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) estimates that more than one million of these illegal devices have been sold in the UK in the last two years, representing a significant risk to the general public.&#8221;</p>
<p>After reading many sensational headlines stating that &#8220;Kodi Boxes Might Kill Their Owners&#8221;, please excuse us for groaning. This story has absolutely nothing &#8211; NOTHING &#8211; to do with Kodi or any other piece of software. Quite obviously, software doesn&#8217;t catch fire.</p>
<p>So, suspecting that there might be more to this than meets the eye, we decided to look beyond the press releases into the actual Electrical Safety First (ESF) report. While we have no doubt that ESF is extremely competent in its field (it is, no question), the front page of its report is disappointing.</p>
<p>Despite the items sent for testing being straightforward Android-based media players, the ESF report clearly describes itself as examining &#8220;illicit streaming devices&#8221;. It&#8217;s terminology that doesn&#8217;t describe the subject matter from an electrical, safety or technical perspective but is pretty convenient for FACT clients Sky and the Premier League.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the full picture reveals rather more than most of the headlines suggest.</p>
<p>First of all, it&#8217;s important to know that ESF tested just nine devices out of the million or so allegedly sold in the UK during the past two years. Even more importantly, every single one of those devices was supplied to ESF by FACT.</p>
<p>Now, we&#8217;re not suggesting they were hand-picked to fail but it&#8217;s clear that the samples weren&#8217;t provided from a neutral source. Also, as we&#8217;ll learn shortly, it&#8217;s possible to determine in advance if an item will fail to meet UK standards simply by looking at its packaging and casing.</p>
<p>But perhaps even more intriguing is that the electrical testing carried out by ESF related primarily not to the set-top boxes themselves, but to their power supplies. ESF say so themselves.</p>
<p>&#8220;The product review relates primarily to the switched mode power supply units for the connection to the mains supply, which were supplied with the devices, to identify any potential risks to consumers such as electric shocks, heating and resistance to fire,&#8221; ESF reports.</p>
<p>The set-top boxes themselves were only assessed &#8220;in terms of any faults in the marking, warnings and instructions,&#8221; the group adds.</p>
<p>So, what we&#8217;re really talking about here isn&#8217;t dangerous <strike>illicit streaming devices</strike> set-top boxes, but the power supply units that come with them. It might seem like a small detail but we&#8217;ll come to the vast importance of this later on.</p>
<p>Firstly, however, we should note that none of the equipment supplied by FACT complied with <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1994/3260/schedule/1/made">Schedule 1</a> of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994. This means that they failed to have the &#8220;Conformité Européene&#8221; or <a href="http://www.ce-marking.org/what-is-ce-marking.html">CE logo</a> present. That&#8217;s unacceptable.</p>
<p>In addition, none of them lived up the requirements of <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1994/3260/schedule/3/made">Schedule 3</a> of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 either, which in part requires the manufacturer’s brand name or trademark to be &#8220;clearly printed on the electrical equipment or, where that is not possible, on the packaging.&#8221; <em>(That&#8217;s how you can tell they&#8217;ll definitely fail UK standards, before sending them for testing) </em></p>
<p>Also, none of the samples were supplied with &#8220;sufficient safety or warning information to ensure the safe and correct use, assembly, installation or maintenance of the equipment.&#8221; This represents &#8216;a technical breach&#8217; of the regulations, ESF reports.</p>
<p>Finally, several of the samples were considered to be a potential risk to their users, either via electric shock and/or fire. That&#8217;s an important finding and people who suspect they have such devices at home should definitely take note.</p>
<p>However, the really important point isn&#8217;t mentioned in the tabloids, probably since it distracts from the &#8220;Kodi Armageddon&#8221; narrative which underlies the whole study and subsequent reports.</p>
<p>ESF says that one of the key issues is that the set-top boxes come unbranded, something which breaches safety regulations while making it difficult for consumers to assess whether they&#8217;re buying a quality product. Crucially, this is not exclusively a set-top box problem, it is much, MUCH bigger.</p>
<p>&#8220;Issues with power supply units or unbranded and counterfeit chargers go beyond illicit streaming devices. In the last year, issues have been reported with other consumer electrical devices, such as laptop chargers and counterfeit phone chargers,&#8221; the same ESF report reveals.</p>
<p>&#8220;The total annual online sales of mains plug-in chargers is estimated to be in the region of 1.8 million and according to Electrical Safety First, it is likely that <em>most of these sales</em> involve cheap, unbranded chargers.&#8221;</p>
<p>So, we looked into this issue of problem power supplies and chargers generally, to see where this report fits into the bigger picture. It transpires it&#8217;s a massive problem, all over the UK, across a wide range of products. In fact, Trading Standards <a href="https://www.tradingstandards.uk/news-policy/news-room/2016/warning-over-fake-chargers-and-second-hand-electrics">reports</a> that 99% of non-genuine Apple chargers bought online &#8220;fail a basic safety test&#8221;.</p>
<p>But buying from reputable High Street retailers doesn&#8217;t help either.</p>
<p>During the past year, Poundworld was fined for selling &#8211; wait for it &#8211; 72,000 dangerous chargers. Home Bargains was also <a href="https://www.tradingstandards.uk/news-policy/news-room/2017/home-bargains-guilty-of-selling-unsafe-chargers">fined</a> for selling &#8220;thousands&#8221; of power adaptors that fail to meet UK standards.</p>
<p>&#8220;All samples provided failed to comply with Electrical Equipment Safety Regulations and were not marked with the manufacturer’s name,&#8221; Trading Standards reports.</p>
<p>That sounds familiar.</p>
<p>So, there you have it. Far from this being an isolated &#8220;Kodi Box Crisis&#8221; as some have proclaimed, this is a broad issue affecting imported electrical items in general. On this basis, one can&#8217;t help but think the tabloids missed a trick here. Think of the power of this headline:</p>
<p>ALL UNBRANDED ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT CAN KILL, DISCONNECT EVERYTHING</p>
<p>or, alternatively:</p>
<p>PIRATES URGED TO SWITCH TO BRANDED AMAZON FIRESTICKS, SAFER FOR KODI</p>
<p>Perhaps not&#8230;.</p>
<p>The ESF report can be found here (<a href="media/c3fea5ff.Illicit-Streaming-Devices.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/mediafile/101036988/Illicit-Streaming-Devices.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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147167
title: “The Commercial Usenet Stinks on All Sides,” Anti-Piracy Boss Says
uri: The-Commercial-Usenet-Stinks-on-All-Sides-Anti-Piracy-Boss-Says
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/v5X0Zr9gUMY/
content:
<p><img src="media/18851468.usenet.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/usenet.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="168" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119213">Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN has targeted pirates of all shapes and sizes over the past several years.</p>
<p>It’s also one of the few groups keeping a close eye on Usenet piracy. Although Usenet and associated piracy are a few decades old already and relatively old-fashioned, the area still has millions of frequent users. This hasn&#8217;t escaped the attention of law enforcement.</p>
<p>Last week police in Germany launched one of the largest <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/multi-national-police-operation-shuts-down-pirate-forums-171110/">anti-piracy operations</a> in recent history. Houses of dozens of suspects connected to Usenet forums were searched, with at least 1,000 gigabytes of data and numerous computers seized for evidence.</p>
<p>In their efforts, German authorities received help from international colleagues in the Netherlands, Spain, San Marino, Switzerland and Canada. Rightfully so, according to BREIN boss Tim Kuik, who describes Usenet as a refuge for pirates.</p>
<p>&#8220;Usenet was originally for text only. People were able to ask questions and exchange information via newsgroups. After it became possible to store video and music as Usenet text messages, it became a refuge for illegal copies of everything. That&#8217;s where the revenue model is based on today,&#8221; Kuik says.</p>
<p>BREIN states that uploaders, Usenet forums, and Usenet resellers all work in tandem. Resellers provide free accounts to popular uploaders, for example, which generates more traffic and demand for subscriptions. That&#8217;s how resellers and providers earn their money. </p>
<p>The same resellers also advertise on popular Usenet forums where links to pirated files are shared, suggesting that they specifically target these users. For example, one of the resellers targeted by BREIN in the past, was sponsoring one of the sites that were raided last week, BREIN notes.</p>
<p>Last year BREIN signed settlements with several Usenet uploaders. This was in part facilitated by a court order, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-usenet-providers-expose-prolific-pirates-160622/">directing Usenet provider Eweka</a> to identify a former subscriber who supposedly shared infringing material. </p>
<p>Following this verdict, several Dutch Usenet servers were taken over by a San Marino company. But, according to BREIN this company can also be ordered to share customer information if needed.</p>
<p> &#8220;It is not unthinkable that this construction has been called into existence by Usenet companies who find themselves in hot water,&#8221; Kuik says.</p>
<p>According to BREIN it&#8217;s clear. Large parts of Usenet have turned into a playground for pirates and people who profit from copyright infringement. This all happens while the legitimate rightsholders don&#8217;t see a penny. </p>
<p>&#8220;For a long time, there&#8217;s been a certain smell to the commercial Usenet,&#8221; Kuik says. &#8220;It&#8217;s stinking on all sides.&#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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147408
title: Original Torrentz Domain Names Listed For Sale
uri: Original-Torrentz-Domain-Names-Listed-For-Sale
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/YTd7NSjSw84/
content:
<p><img src="media/b724b30b.torrentz-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrentz-1.png" alt="" width="189" height="57" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125836">Last year, the torrent ecosystem lost two of its biggest sites. First KickassTorrents was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">taken down</a> following a criminal investigation by the FBI, resulting in indictments against the operators.</p>
<p>A few days later, Torrentz.eu decided to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrentz-shuts-down-largest-torrent-meta-search-engine-says-farewell-160805/">close its doors</a> as well, albeit voluntarily. Without prior warning, all torrent listings were removed from the meta-search engine, which was the third largest torrent site at the time.</p>
<p>The site’s operator kept the website online, but instead of offering links to the usual torrents, its users were left with the following message: “Torrentz will always love you. Farewell.” </p>
<p>Today, more than a year later, not much has changed. Torrentz is still online but the torrent search engine is still not functional. This role was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrentz-shut-down-a-year-ago-but-the-name-lives-on-170805/">taken over</a> by an unrelated site carrying the name Torrentz2, which has millions of daily visitors itself now.</p>
<p>However, according to a message posted on the original Torrentz site, things may change in the near future. The original Torrentz domain names, including <a href="http://torrentz.eu/">Torrentz.eu</a>, Torrentz.com and Torrentz.in, are for listed sale. </p>
<p><center><strong>Torrentz for sale</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/ae35c61f.torrentzforsale.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrentzforsale.png" alt="" width="599" height="334" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147411"></center></p>
<p>Considering the history of the site and the fact that it still has quite a bit of traffic, this may pique the interest of some online entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>For sentimental Torrentz fans, a sale can go both ways. It could either be used for a new torrent related venture, or someone could scoop it up just to fill it with ads, or even worse.</p>
<p>One thing potential buyers have to be aware of is that the site is still blocked in several countries, including the UK. This, despite the fact that it hasn&#8217;t carried any links to infringing content for over a year. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to the owner of Torrentz to find out why he decided to sell the site now. At the time of writing we haven&#8217;t heard back yet, but it&#8217;s clear that he&#8217;s ready to move on.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147261
title: Danes Deploy ‘Disruption Machine’ to Curb Online Piracy
uri: Danes-Deploy-Disruption-Machine-to-Curb-Online-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/C_WAgw6mPZ8/
content:
<p><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">Over the years copyright holders have tried a multitude of measures to curb copyright infringement, with varying levels of success. </p>
<p>By now it&#8217;s well known that blocking or even shutting down a pirate site doesn&#8217;t help much. As long as there are alternatives, people will simply continue to download or stream elsewhere.</p>
<p>Increasingly, major entertainment industry companies are calling for a broader and more coordinated response. They would like to see ISPs, payment processors, advertisers, search engines, and social media companies assisting in their anti-piracy efforts. Voluntarily, or even with a legal incentive, if required.</p>
<p>In Denmark, local anti-piracy group <a href="http://rettighedsalliancen.dk/">RettighedsAlliancen</a> has a similar goal and they are starting to make progress. The outfit is actively building a piracy &#8220;disruption machine&#8221; that tackles the issue from as many sides as it can.</p>
<p>The disruption machine is built around an Infringing Website List (IWL), which is not related to a similarly-named initiative from the UK police. This list is made up of pirate sites that have been found to facilitate copyright infringement by a Danish court.</p>
<p>&#8220;The IWL is a part of the disruption machine that RettighedsAlliancen has developed in collaboration with many stakeholders in the online community,&#8221; the group&#8217;s CEO Maria Fredenslund tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>The stakeholders include major ISPs, but also media companies, MasterCard, Google, and Microsoft. With help from the local government they <a href="media/19f2226f.Code_of_Conduct_-_Engelsk_version.pdf" data-original-source="https://kum.dk/fileadmin/KUM/Documents/Nyheder%20og%20Presse/Pressemeddelelser/2015/Code_of_Conduct_-_Engelsk_version.pdf">signed</a> a Memorandum of Understanding. Their goal is to make the internet a safe and legitimate platform for consumers and businesses while limiting copyright infringement and associated crime.</p>
<p><center><strong>MoU signees</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/679ab0c1.IWLmou.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/IWLmou.png" alt="" width="600" height="455" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147371"></center></p>
<p>There are currently twelve court orders on which the list is based and two more are expected to come in before the end of the year. As a result, approximately 600 pirate sites are on the IWL, making them harder to find.</p>
<p>Every time a new court order is handed down, RettighedsAlliancen distributes an updated list to their the network of stakeholders.</p>
<p>&#8220;Currently, all major ISPs in Denmark have agreed to implement the IWL in their systems based on a joint Code of Conduct. This means that all the ISPs jointly will block their customers access to infringing services thus amplifying the impact of a blocking order by magnitudes,&#8221; Fredenslund explains.</p>
<p>Thus far ISPs are actively blocking 100 pirate sites, resulting in significant traffic drops. The rest of the list has yet to be implemented.</p>
<p>The IWL is also used in the online advertising industry, where several major advertising brokers have signed a <a href="http://adkodex.com/codex/">joint agreement</a> not to show advertising on these sites. This shuts off part of the revenue streams to pirate sites which, in theory, should make them less profitable. </p>
<p>A similar approach is being taken by major payment providers, who are preventing known pirate sites from processing transactions through their services. Every company has its own measures, but the overlapping goal is to frustrate pirate sites and reduce copyright infringement.</p>
<p><center><strong>The Disruption Machine</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/6d5895e4.disruptionmachine.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/disruptionmachine.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="391" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147372"> </center></p>
<p>It&#8217;s interesting to see that Google is listed as a partner since they don&#8217;t support general website blockades. However, Google said that it would demote sites on the IWL in its search results.</p>
<p>While these are all positive developments, according to the anti-piracy group, it&#8217;s just the start. RettighedsAlliancen also believes other tools and services could join in. Browser plugins could use the IWL to identify illegal sites, for example, and the options are endless.</p>
<p>&#8220;Likewise, large companies, institutions, and public authorities are also well-suited to implement the IWL in their local networks. For example, to prevent students from accessing illegal content while at school or university,&#8221; Fredenslund says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Looking further ahead, social media platforms such as Facebook are used to a great extent to consume content online and it is therefore obvious that they should also incorporate the IWL in their systems to prevent their users from harm and preventing copyright infringement.&#8221; </p>
<p>This model is not completely unique, of course. We&#8217;ve seen several elements being implemented in other countries as well, and copyright holders have been pushing voluntary agreements for quite some time now. </p>
<p>What&#8217;s new, however, is that it&#8217;s clearly defined as a strategy by the Danish group. And by labeling the strategy as a &#8220;disruption machine&#8221; it already <em>sounds</em> effective, which is part of the job.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147461
title: Kodi Addon Dev Says “Show of Force” Will Be Met With Defiance
uri: Kodi-Addon-Dev-Says-Show-of-Force-Will-Be-Met-With-Defiance
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qh_2Ha_hqmQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/dfc1e3ca.pirate-clash-fight.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-clash-fight.jpg"><img src="media/f26de7b6.pirate-clash-fight.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-clash-fight.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118800" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-clash-fight.jpg 250w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-clash-fight-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px"></a>For many years, the members of the MPAA have flexed their muscles all around the globe, working to prevent people from engaging in online piracy. If the last 17 years &#8216;progress&#8217; is anything to go by, it&#8217;s a war that will go on indefinitely.</p>
<p>With Columbia, Disney, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, and Warner on board, the MPAA has historically relied on sheer power to intimidate opponents. That has certainly worked in many large piracy cases but for many peripheral smaller-scale pirates, their presence is largely ignored.</p>
<p>This week, however, several players in the Kodi scene discovered that these giants &#8211; and more besides &#8211; have the ability to literally turn up at their front door. As reported Thursday, UK-based Kodi addon developer The_Alpha received a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kodi-developers-quit-following-threats-from-mpa-netflix-amazon-171116/">hand-delivered cease-and-desist letter</a> from all of the above, accompanied by new faces Netflix, Amazon and Sky TV. </p>
<p>These companies are part of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a massive and recently-formed anti-piracy coalition comprised of 30 global entertainment brands. TorrentFreak reached out to The_Alpha for his thoughts on coming under such a dazzling spotlight but perhaps understandably he didn&#8217;t want to comment.</p>
<p>The leader of the Ares Project was willing to go on the record, however, after he too received a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ares-kodi-project-calls-it-quits-after-hollywood-cease-desist-171117/">hand-delivered threat</a> during the week. His decision was to immediately comply and shutdown but TF is informed that others might not be so willing to follow suit.</p>
<p>A Kodi addon developer living in the UK who spoke to us on condition of anonymity told us that most people operating in the scene expected some kind of trouble &#8211; just not on this scale.</p>
<p>&#8220;Did you see the [company logos] across the top of Alpha&#8217;s letter? That&#8217;s some serious shit right there. The film companies are no surprise but Amazon delivers my groceries so I don&#8217;t expect this shit from them,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>When the ACE partnership was formed earlier this year, it seemed pretty clear that the main drive was towards the pooling of anti-piracy resources to be more effective and efficient. However, it can&#8217;t have escaped ACE that such a broad and powerful alliance could also have a profound psychological effect on its adversaries.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s no doubt in my mind that they&#8217;re turning up mob-handed to put the shits up people like Alpha and the rest of us,&#8221; the developer said. &#8220;It&#8217;s hardly a fair dust-up is it? What have we got to fight back with, a giro [state benefits]? It&#8217;s a show of force, &#8216;look how important we are&#8217;!&#8221;</p>
<p>Interestingly, however, the dev told us that it isn&#8217;t necessarily the size of the coalition that has him most concerned. What caught his eye was the inclusion of two influential UK-based companies in the alliance.</p>
<p>&#8220;Having Sly [a local derogatory nickname for Sky TV] and the Premier League on the letter makes it much more serious to me than seeing Warner or whatever,&#8221; he commented.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t get involved in footie but Sly is everywhere round here and I think it&#8217;s something the Brit dev scene might take notice of, even if most say &#8216;fuck it&#8217; and carry on anyway.&#8221;</p>
<p>When questioned whether that&#8217;s likely, our source said that while ACE might be able to tackle some of the bigger targets like Ares Project or Colossus, they fundamentally misunderstand how the Kodi scene works.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you want a good example of a scattered pirate scene, I give you Kodi. They can bomb the base or whatever but nobody lives there,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s some older blokes like me who can do without the stress but a lot of younger coders, builders and YouTubers who thrive on it. They&#8217;re used to running around council estates with real-life problems. A faffy letter from some toff in a suit means literally nothing. Like I said, all they have to lose is a giro.&#8221;</p>
<p>Whether this is just bravado will remain to be seen, but our earlier discussions with others in the scene indicate a particular weakness in the UK, with many players vulnerable to being found after failing to hide their identities in the past. To a point, our source agrees that this is a problem.</p>
<p>&#8220;People are saying that Alpha was found after trying to raise some charity money related to his disabled son but I don&#8217;t know for sure and nor does anybody else. What strikes me is that none of us really thought things would get this on top here because all you ever hear about is America this, Canada that, whatever. Does this means that more of us are getting done in England? You tell me,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Only time will tell but stamping out the pirate Kodi scene is going to be hard work.</p>
<p>Within hours of several projects disappearing Wednesday and Thursday, YouTube and myriad blogs were being flooded with guides detailing immediate replacements. This ad-hoc network of enthusiasts makes the exchange of information happen at an alarming rate and it&#8217;s hard to see how any company &#8211; no matter how powerful &#8211; will ever be able to keep up.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147485
title: Kodi-Addon Developer Launches Fundraiser to Fight “Copyright Bullies”
uri: Kodi-Addon-Developer-Launches-Fundraiser-to-Fight-Copyright-Bullies
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/iZcntVtMJdg/
content:
<p><img src="media/60695266.zemtv.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zemtv.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="172" class="alignright size-full wp-image-147486">Earlier this year, American satellite and broadcast provider Dish Network targeted two well-known players in the third-party Kodi add-on ecosystem.</p>
<p>In a complaint filed in a federal court in Texas, add-on ZemTV and the TVAddons library <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dish-network-sues-zemtv-and-tv-addons-for-copyright-infringement-170605/">were accused of copyright infringement</a>. As a result, both are facing up to $150,000 for each offense.</p>
<p>While the case was filed in Texas, neither of the defendants live there, or even in the United States. The owner and operator of TVAddons is Adam Lackman, who resides in Montreal, Canada. ZemTV&#8217;s developer Shahjahan Durrani is even further away in London, UK. </p>
<p>Over the past few months, Lackman has <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tvaddons-returns-ugly-war-canadian-telcos-kodi-addons-170801/">spoken out in public</a> on several occasions, but little was known about the man behind ZemTV. Today, however, he also decided to open up, asking for support in his legal battle against the Dish Network.</p>
<p>Shahjahan Durrani, Shani for short, doesn&#8217;t hide the fact that he was the driving force behind the Kodi-addons ZemTV, LiveStreamsPro, and F4MProxy. While the developer has never set foot in Texas, he is willing to defend himself. Problem is, he lacks the funds to do so.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve never been to Texas in my life, I&#8217;m from London, England,&#8221; Shani explains. &#8220;Somehow a normal chap like me is expected to defend himself against a billion dollar media giant. I don&#8217;t have the money to fight this on my own, and hope my friends will help support my fight against the expansion of copyright liability.&#8221;</p>
<p>Shani&#8217;s fundraiser went live a few hours ago and the first donations are now starting to come in. He has set a <a href="https://www.generosity.com/fundraising/defend-zemtv-developer-from-copyright-bullies">target of $8,500</a> set for his defense fund so there is still a long way to go. </p>
<p>Speaking with TorrentFreak, Shani explains that he got into Kodi addon development to broaden his coding skills and learn Python. ZemTV was a tool to watch recorded shows from zemtv.com, which he always assumed were perfectly legal, on his Apple TV. Then, he decided to help others to do the same.</p>
<p>&#8220;The reason why I published the addon was that I saw it as a community helping each other out, and this was my way to give back. I never received any money from anybody and I wanted to keep it pure and free,&#8221; Shani tells us. </p>
<p>ZemTV was a passive service, simply scraping content from a third party source, he explains. The addon provided an interface but did not host or control any allegedly infringing content directly. </p>
<p>&#8220;I had no involvement nor control over any of the websites or content sources that were allegedly accessible through ZemTV. I did not host nor take part in the sharing of any form of streaming media. As an open source developer, I should not be held liable for the potential abuse of my code,&#8221; the developer stresses.</p>
<p>Dish Network sees things differently, of course. In its complaint, the company accused Shani of illegally retransmitting their copyright protected channels while asking for donations to maintain the project. </p>
<p>The case is perhaps not as straightforward as either side presents it. However, it is in the best interests of the general public that both sides are properly heard. This is the first case against a Kodi-addon developer and the outcome will set an important precedent.</p>
<p>&#8220;This lawsuit is part of a targeted effort to destroy the Kodi addon community. The fight is rigged against the little guy, they are trying to make something illegal that shouldn&#8217;t be illegal. They tried to do it with the VCR, and now years and years later they are trying to do it with Kodi.</p>
<p>&#8220;Since I am the only addon developer to date who is actually fighting the wrath of big media bullies, it is crucial that I win my case,&#8221; Shani adds.</p>
<p>Going forward, the ZemTV developer believes that copyright holders are better off going after the content providers directly. If the sources are down, any problematic addons will also stop working. Rightholders can even work with addon developers and use addons to find infringing content providers.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think the copyright holders should target the sources, it&#8217;s as simple as that,&#8221; Shani tells us. </p>
<p>The fundraiser campaign is now <a href="https://www.generosity.com/fundraising/defend-zemtv-developer-from-copyright-bullies">public on Generosity.com</a>. At the time of writing the ticker sits at $50, so there is still a long way to go before the developer can organize a proper defense. </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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147480
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 11/20/17
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-11-20-17
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/7Z5v3Wm8kAI/
content:
<p><img src="media/cef8e69f.valerian.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/valerian.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="181" class="alignright size-full wp-image-146832">This week we have three newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 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-110617/">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/tt2239822/">Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2239822/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZsG7WJVZv8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5439796/">Logan Lucky</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5439796/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZsG7WJVZv8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5362988/">Wind River</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5362988/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7WuKdVhrmA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1959563/">The Hitman&#8217;s Bodyguard</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1959563/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4Afusxc2SM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">Thor Ragnarok</a> (HDTS/Cam)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue80QwXMRHg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406566/">Atomic Blonde</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406566/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIUube1pSC0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2250912/">Spider-Man: Homecoming</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2250912/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0D3AOldjMU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(3)</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=b0rveO9o-F0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2331047/">Rememory</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2331047/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6ihJIjVGLoM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3450958/">War for the Planet of the Apes</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3450958/">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxjPjPzQ1iU">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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147504
title: UK Government Publishes Advice on ‘Illicit Streaming Devices’
uri: UK-Government-Publishes-Advice-on-Illicit-Streaming-Devices
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Nr7RqUaaEL8/
content:
<p><a href="media/6ba5f758.Android-Box.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/Android-Box.png"><img src="media/b57c5448.Android-Box.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Android-Box.png" alt="" width="240" height="159" class="alignright size-full wp-image-143296"></a>With torrents and other methods of obtaining content simmering away in the background, unauthorized streaming is the now the method of choice for millions of pirates around the globe.</p>
<p>Previously accessible only via a desktop browser, streaming is now available on a wide range of devices, from tablets and phones through to dedicated set-top box. These, collectively, are now being branded Illicit Streaming Devices (ISD) by the entertainment industries.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s terminology the UK government&#8217;s Intellectual Property Office has adopted this morning. In a new public advisory, the IPO notes that illicit streaming is the watching of content without the copyright owner&#8217;s permission using a variety of devices.</p>
<p>&#8220;Illicit streaming devices are physical boxes that are connected to your TV or USB sticks that plug into the TV such as adapted Amazon Fire sticks and so called ‘Kodi’ boxes or Android TV boxes,&#8221; the IPO reports.</p>
<p>&#8220;These devices are legal when used to watch legitimate, free to air, content. They become illegal once they are adapted to stream illicit content, for example TV programmes, films and subscription sports channels without paying the appropriate subscriptions.&#8221;</p>
<p>The IPO notes that streaming devices usually need to be loaded with special software add-ons in order to view copyright-infringing content. However, there are now dedicated apps available to view movies and TV shows which can be loaded straight on to smartphones and tablets.</p>
<p>But how can people know if the device they have is an ISD or not? According to the IPO it&#8217;s all down to common sense. If people usually charge for the content you&#8217;re getting for free, it&#8217;s illegal.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you are watching television programmes, films or sporting events where you would normally be paying to view them and you have not paid, you are likely to be using an illicit streaming device (ISD) or app. This could include a film recently released in the cinema, a sporting event that is being broadcast by BT Sport or a television programme, like Game of Thrones, that is only available on Sky,&#8221; the IPO says.</p>
<p>In an effort to familiarize the public with some of the terminology used by ISD sellers on eBay, Amazon or Gumtree, for example, the IPO then wanders into a bit of a minefield that really needs much greater clarification. </p>
<p>First up, the government states that ISDs are often described online as being &#8220;Fully loaded&#8221;, which is a colloquial term for a device with addons already installed. Although they won&#8217;t all be infringing, it&#8217;s very often the case that the majority are intended to be, so no problems here.</p>
<p>However, the IPO then says that people should keep an eye out for the term &#8216;jail broken&#8217;, which many readers will understand to be the process some hardware devices, such as Apple products, are put through in order for third-party software to be run on them. On occasion, some ISD sellers do put this term on Android devices, for example, but it&#8217;s incorrect, in a tiny minority, and of course misleading.</p>
<p>The IPO also warns people against devices marketed as &#8220;Plug and Play&#8221; but again this is a dual-use term and shouldn&#8217;t put consumers off a purchase without a proper investigation. A search on eBay this morning for that exact term didn&#8217;t yield any ISDs at all, only games consoles that can be plugged in and played with a minimum of fuss.</p>
<p>&#8220;Subscription Gift&#8221;, on the other hand, almost certainly references an illicit IPTV or satellite card-sharing subscription and is rarely used for anything else. 100% illegal, no doubt.</p>
<p>The government continues by giving reasons why people should avoid ISDs, not least since their use deprives the content industries of valuable revenue.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The creative industries] provide employment for more than 1.9 million people and contributes £84.1 billion to our economy. Using illicit streaming devices is illegal,&#8221; the IPO writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you are not paying for this content you are depriving industry of the revenue it needs to fund the next generation of TV programmes, films and sporting events we all enjoy. Instead it provides funds for the organized criminals who sell or adapt these illicit devices.&#8221;</p>
<p>Then, in keeping with the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-narrative-isnt-about-ethics-anymore-its-about-danger-170812/">danger-based narrative</a> employed by the entertainment industries&#8217; recently, the government also warns that ISDs can have a negative effect on child welfare, not to mention on physical safety in the home.</p>
<p>&#8220;These devices often lack parental controls. Using them could expose children or young people to explicit or age inappropriate content,&#8221; the IPO warns.</p>
<p>&#8220;Another important reason for consumers to avoid purchasing these streaming devices is from an electrical safety point of view. Where devices and their power cables have been tested, some have failed EU safety standards and have the potential to present a real danger to the public, causing a fire in your home or premises.&#8221;</p>
<p>While there can be no doubt whatsoever that failing EU electrical standards in any way is unacceptable for any device, the recent headlines stating that &#8220;Kodi Boxes Can Kill Their Owners&#8221; are sensational at best and don&#8217;t present the full picture.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-truth-behind-the-kodi-boxes-can-kill-their-owners-headlines-171118/">reported this weekend</a>, simply not having a recognized branding on such devices means that they fail electrical standards, with non-genuine phone chargers presenting a greater risk around the UK.</p>
<p>Finally, the government offers some advice for people who either want to get off the ISD gravy train or ensure that others don&#8217;t benefit from it.</p>
<p>&#8220;These devices can be used legally by removing the software. If you are unsure get advice to help you use the device legally. If you wish to watch content that’s only available via subscription, such as sports, you should approach the relevant provider to find out about legal ways to watch,&#8221; the IPO advises.</p>
<p>&#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-anti-piracy-education-campaign-launched-quietly-151201/">Get it Right from a Genuine Site</a> helps you get the music, TV, films, games, books, newspapers, magazines and sport that you love from genuine services.&#8221;</p>
<p>And, if the public thinks that people selling such devices deserve a visit from the authorities, people are asked to report them to the Crimestoppers charity via an anonymous hotline.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/illicit-streaming-devices/illicit-streaming-devices">government&#8217;s guidance</a> is exactly what one might expect, given that the advisory is likely to have been strongly assisted by companies including the Federation Against Copyright Theft, Premier League, and Sky, who have taken the lead in this area during the past year or so.</p>
<p>The big question is, however, whether many people using these devices really believe that obtaining subscription TV, movies, and sports for next to free is 100% legal. If there are people out there they must be in the minority but at least the government itself is now putting them on the right path.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147510
title: 170 ‘Pirate’ IPTV Vendors Throw in the Towel Facing Legal Pressure
uri: 170-Pirate-IPTV-Vendors-Throw-in-the-Towel-Facing-Legal-Pressure
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/BZFPzQHjOTg/
content:
<p><img src="media/8a86db31.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg" alt="" width="234" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-135034">Pirate streaming boxes are all the rage this year. Not just among the dozens of millions of users, they are on top of the anti-piracy agenda as well.</p>
<p>Dubbed <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-sees-illegal-streaming-devices-as-piracy-3-0-170502/">Piracy 3.0</a> by the MPAA, copyright holders are trying their best to curb this worrisome trend. In the Netherlands local anti-piracy group <a href="https://stichtingbrein.nl/">BREIN</a> is leading the charge. </p>
<p>Backed by the major film studios, the organization booked a significant victory earlier this year <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/streaming-pirate-video-is-illegal-high-court-judge-says-170319/">against Filmspeler</a>. In this case, the European Court of Justice ruled that selling or using devices pre-configured to obtain copyright-infringing content is illegal. </p>
<p>Paired with the earlier <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-court-not-for-profit-hyperlinking-usually-not-infringement-160908/">GS Media ruling</a>, which held that companies with a for-profit motive can&#8217;t knowingly link to copyright-infringing material, this provides a powerful enforcement tool.</p>
<p>With these decisions in hand, BREIN previously  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/brein-hunts-down-pirate-media-player-vendors-170512/">pressured</a> hundreds of streaming box vendors to halt sales of hardware with pirate addons, but it didn&#8217;t stop there. This week the group also highlighted its successes against vendors of unauthorized IPTV services.</p>
<p>&#8220;BREIN has already stopped 170 illegal providers of illegal media players and/or IPTV subscriptions. Even providers that only offer illegal IPTV subscriptions are being dealt with,&#8221; BREIN reports. </p>
<p>In addition to shutting down the trade in IPTV services, the anti-piracy group also removed 375 advertisements for such services from various marketplaces.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is illegal commerce. If you wait until you are warned, you are too late,&#8221; BREIN director Tim Kuik says. </p>
<p>&#8220;You can be held personally liable. You can also be charged and criminally prosecuted. Willingly committing commercial copyright infringement can lead to a 82,000 euro fine and 4 years imprisonment,&#8221; he adds.  </p>
<p>While most pirate IPTV vendors threw in the towel voluntarily, some received an extra incentive. Twenty signed a settlement with BREIN for varying amounts, up to tens of thousands of euros. They all face further penalties if they continue to sell pirate subscriptions.</p>
<p>In some cases, the courts were involved. This includes the recent lawsuit against MovieStreamer, that was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-iptv-provider-loses-case-despite-not-offering-content-itself-171031/">ordered</a> to stop its IPTV hyperlinking activities immediately. Failure to do so will result in a 5,000 euro per day fine. In addition, the vendor was also ordered to pay legal costs of 17,527 euros.</p>
<p>While BREIN has booked plenty of successes already, as exampled here, the pirate streaming box problem is far from solved. The anti-piracy group currently has one case pending in court, but more are likely to follow in the near 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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147469
title: Google Wipes 786 Pirate Sites From Search Results
uri: Google-Wipes-786-Pirate-Sites-From-Search-Results
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/hCCNJ57H540/
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">Late July, President Vladimir Putin <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/russia-bans-unrestricted-vpns-proxies-and-tor-in-russia-170731/">signed</a> a new law which requires local telecoms watchdog Rozcomnadzor to maintain a list of banned domains while identifying sites, services, and software that provide access to them.</p>
<p>Rozcomnadzor is required to contact the operators of such services with a request for them to block banned resources. If they do not, then they themselves will become blocked. In addition, search engines are also required to remove blocked resources from their search results, in order to discourage people from accessing them.</p>
<p>Removing entire domains from search results is a controversial practice and something which search providers have long protested against. They argue that it&#8217;s not their job to act as censors and in any event, content remains online, whether it&#8217;s indexed by search or not.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, on October 1 the new law (&#8220;On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection&#8221;) came into effect and it appears that Russia&#8217;s major search engines have been <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/search-engines-will-open-systems-to-prove-piracy-vpn-blocking-170901/">very busy</a> in its wake.</p>
<p>According to a report from Rozcomnadzor, search providers Google, Yandex, Mail.ru, Rambler, and Sputnik have stopped presenting information in results for sites that have been permanently blocked by ISPs following a decision by the Moscow City Court.</p>
<p>&#8220;To date, search engines have stopped access to 786 pirate sites listed in the register of Internet resources which contain content distributed in violation of intellectual property rights,&#8221; the watchdog reports.</p>
<p>The domains aren&#8217;t being named by Rozcomnadzor or the search engines but are almost definitely those sites that have had complaints filed against them at the City Court on multiple occasions but have failed to take remedial action. Also included will be mirror and proxy sites which either replicate or facilitate access to these blocked and apparently defiant domains.</p>
<p>The news comes in the wake of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/russia-plans-instant-movie-pirate-site-blockades-without-court-order-171108/">reports</a> earlier this month that Russia is considering a rapid site blocking mechanism that could see domains rendered inaccessible within 24 hours, without any parties having to attend a court hearing.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s now extremely clear that Russia has one of the most aggressive site-blocking regimes in the world, with both ISPs and search engines required to prevent access to infringing sites, it&#8217;s uncertain whether these measures will be enough to tackle rampant online piracy.</p>
<p>New research published in October by Group-IB revealed that despite thousands of domains being blocked, last year the market for pirate video in Russia <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/despite-massive-site-blocking-russian-pirate-video-market-doubles-171029/">more than doubled</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147558
title: Game of Thrones Leaks “Carried Out By Former Iranian Military Hacker”
uri: Game-of-Thrones-Leaks-Carried-Out-By-Former-Iranian-Military-Hacker
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/pYJSZDFssqU/
content:
<p><a href="media/d3e17cbd.got-thrones7-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/got-thrones7-1.jpg"><img src="media/821a106b.got-thrones7-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/got-thrones7-1.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="135" class="alignright size-full wp-image-142026"></a>Late July it was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hbo-got-hacked-game-of-thrones-spoilers-surface-online-170801/">reported</a> that hackers had stolen proprietary information from media giant HBO.</p>
<p>The haul was said to include confidential details of the then-unreleased fourth episode of the latest Game of Thrones season, plus episodes of Ballers, Barry, Insecure, and Room 104.</p>
<p>“Hi to all mankind,&#8221; an email sent to reporters read. &#8220;The greatest leak of cyber space era is happening. What’s its name? Oh I forget to tell. Its HBO and Game of Thrones……!!!!!!”</p>
<p>In follow-up correspondence, the hackers claimed to have penetrated HBO&#8217;s internal network, gaining access to emails, technical platforms, and other confidential information.</p>
<p><center><b>Image released by the hackers</b><img src="media/c6c4b71e.leakedgotoutline-e1501570779747.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/leakedgotoutline-e1501570779747.png" width="600" height="600" class="aligncenter size-large"></center></p>
<p>Soon after, HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plepler confirmed a breach at his company, telling employees that there had been a &#8220;cyber incident&#8221; in which information and programming had been taken.</p>
<p>“Any intrusion of this nature is obviously disruptive, unsettling, and disturbing for all of us. I can assure you that senior leadership and our extraordinary technology team, along with outside experts, are working round the clock to protect our collective interests,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>During mid-August, problems persisted, with <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/curb-your-enthusiasm-on-those-hbo-leaks-170814/">unreleased shows</a> hitting the Internet. HBO appeared rattled by the ongoing incident, refusing to comment to the media on every new development. Now, however, it appears the tide is turning on HBO&#8217;s foe.</p>
<p>In a statement last evening, Joon H. Kim, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the FBI, announced the unsealing of an indictment charging a 29-year-old man with offenses carried out against HBO.</p>
<p>“Behzad Mesri, an Iranian national who had previously hacked computer systems for the Iranian military, allegedly infiltrated HBO’s systems, stole proprietary data, including scripts and plot summaries for unaired episodes of Game of Thrones, and then sought to extort HBO of $6 million in Bitcoins,&#8221; Kim said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mesri now stands charged with federal crimes, and although not arrested today, he will forever have to look over his shoulder until he is made to face justice.  American ingenuity and creativity is to be cultivated and celebrated &#8212; not hacked, stolen, and held for ransom.  For hackers who test our resolve in protecting our intellectual property &#8212; even those hiding behind keyboards in countries far away &#8212; eventually, winter will come.”</p>
<p>According to the Department of Justice, Mesri honed his computer skills working for the Iranian military, conducting cyber attacks against enemy military systems, nuclear software, and Israeli infrastructure. He was also a member of the Turk Black Hat hacking team which defaced hundreds of websites with the online pseudonym “Skote Vahshat”.</p>
<p>The indictment states that Mesri began his campaign against HBO during May 2017, when he conducted &#8220;online reconnaissance&#8221; of HBO’s networks and employees. Between May and July, he then compromised a number of HBO employee user accounts and used them to access the company&#8217;s data and TV shows, copying them to his own machines.</p>
<p>After allegedly obtaining around 1.5 terabytes of HBO’s data, Mesri then began to extort HBO, warning that unless a ransom of $5.5 million wasn&#8217;t paid in Bitcoin, the leaking would begin. When the amount wasn&#8217;t paid, three days later Mesri told HBO that the amount had now risen to $6m and as an additional punishment, data could be wiped from HBO&#8217;s servers.</p>
<p>Subsequently, on or around July 30 and continuing through August 2017, Mesri allegedly carried through with his threats, leaking information and TV shows online and promoting them via emails to members of the press.</p>
<p>As a result of the above, Mesri is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, one count of computer hacking (five years), three counts of threatening to impair the confidentiality of information (five years each), and one count of interstate transmission of an extortionate communication (two years). No copyright infringement offenses are mentioned in the indictment.</p>
<p>The big question now is whether the US will ever get their hands on Mesri. The answer to that, at least through any official channels, seems to be a resounding no. There is no extradition treaty between the US and Iran meaning that if Mesri stays put, he&#8217;s likely to remain a free man.</p>
<p><center><strong>Wanted</strong><br></br></center><center><center><a href="media/f961f9aa.fbi-mesri.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/fbi-mesri.png"><img src="media/94e7bb38.fbi-mesri.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fbi-mesri.png" alt="" width="676" height="872" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-147573"></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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147556
title: Sci-Hub Loses Domain Names, But Remains Resilient
uri: Sci-Hub-Loses-Domain-Names-But-Remains-Resilient
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/nbUyY93VH2E/
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> in June, the American Chemical Society 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/">earlier this month</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, which have the power to suspend domains worldwide if needed.</p>
<p>Yesterday, several of Sci-Hub&#8217;s domain names became unreachable. While the site had some issues in recent weeks, several people <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveMcLaugh/status/933063052743860224">noticed</a> that the present problems are more permanent.</p>
<p>Sci-hub.io, sci-hub.cc, and sci-hub.ac now have the infamous “serverhold” status which suggests that the responsible registries intervened. The status, which has been used previously when domain names are flagged for copyright issues, strips domains of their DNS entries. </p>
<p><center><strong>Serverhold</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/c9c37ec6.serverhold.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/serverhold.png" alt="" width="529" height="244" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147588"></center></p>
<p>This effectively means that the domain names in question have been rendered useless. However, history has also shown that Sci-Hub&#8217;s operator Alexandra Elbakyan doesn&#8217;t easily back down. Quite the contrary. </p>
<p>In a message posted on the site&#8217;s <a href="https://vk.com/sci_hub?w=wall-36928352_17843">VK page</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Sci_Hub/status/933081884380278784">Twitter</a>, the operator points out that users can update their DNS servers to the IP-addresses 80.82.77.83 and 80.82.77.84, to access it freely again. This rigorous measure will direct all domain name lookups through Sci-Hub&#8217;s servers. </p>
<p><center><strong>Sci-Hub&#8217;s tweet</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/5d55ae5c.scitwit.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scitwit.png" alt="" width="530" height="221" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147586"></center></p>
<p>In addition, the Sci-Hub.bz domain and the .onion address on the Tor network still appear to work just fine for most people.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s clear that Ukraine-born Elbakyan has no intention of throwing in the towel. By providing free access to published research, she sees it as simply <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-tears-down-academias-illegal-copyright-paywalls-150627/">helping millions of less privileged academics</a> to do their work properly.</p>
<p>Authorized or not, among researchers there is still plenty of demand and support for Sci-Hub&#8217;s service. The site hosts dozens of millions of academic papers and receives millions of visitors per month. </p>
<p>Many visits come from countries where access to academic journals is limited, such as Iran, Russia and China. But even in countries where access is more common, a lot of researchers visit the site.</p>
<p>While the domain problems may temporarily make the site harder to find for some, it&#8217;s not likely to be the end for Sch-Hub.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147596
title: Google & Apple Order Telegram to Nuke Channel Over Taylor Swift Piracy
uri: Google-Apple-Order-Telegram-to-Nuke-Channel-Over-Taylor-Swift-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/RuhoGxY0GvA/
content:
<p><a href="media/4261c671.telegram.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/telegram.jpg"><img src="media/62df69d5.telegram.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/telegram.jpg" alt="" width="222" height="160" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122280"></a>Financed by Russian Facebook (vKontakte) founder Pavel Durov, Telegram is a multi-platform messaging system that has grown from 100,000 daily users in 2013 to an impressive 100 million users in February 2016.</p>
<p>“Telegram is a messaging app with a focus on speed and security, it’s super-fast, simple and free. You can use Telegram on all your devices at the same time — your messages sync seamlessly across any number of your phones, tablets or computers,” the company&#8217;s marketing reads.</p>
<p>One of the attractive things about Telegram is that it allows users to communicate with each other using end-to-end encryption. In some cases, these systems are used for content piracy, of music and other smaller files in particular. This is compounded by the presence of user-programmed bots, which are able to search the web for illegal content and present it in a Telegram channel to which other users can subscribe.</p>
<p>While much of this sharing files under the radar when conducted privately, it periodically attracts attention from copyright holders when it takes place in public channels. That appears to have happened recently when popular channel &#8220;Any Suitable Pop&#8221; was completely disabled by Telegram, an apparent first following a copyright complaint.</p>
<p>According to channel creator Anton Vagin, the action by Telegram was probably due to the unauthorized recent sharing of the Taylor Swift album &#8216;Reputation&#8217;. However, it was the route of complaint that proves of most interest.</p>
<p>Rather than receiving a takedown notice directly from Big Machine Records, the label behind Swift&#8217;s releases, Telegram was forced into action after receiving threats from Apple and Google, the companies that distribute the Telegram app for iOS and Android respectively.</p>
<p>According to a message Vagin received from Telegram support, Apple and Google had received complaints about Swift&#8217;s album from Universal Music, the distributor of Big Machine Records. The suggestion was that if Telegram didn&#8217;t delete the infringing channel, distribution of the Telegram app via iTunes and Google Play would be at risk. Vagin received no warning notices from any of the companies involved.</p>
<p><center><b>Message from Telegram support</b><a href="media/f6285b74.telegram-complaint.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/telegram-complaint.jpg"><img src="media/18f5a386.telegram-complaint.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/telegram-complaint.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="112" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-147614"></a></center></p>
<p>According to Russian news outlet <a href="https://vc.ru/29481-telegram-zablokiroval-kanal-s-besplatnoy-muzykoy-po-trebovaniyu-apple-i-google">VC.ru</a>, which first reported the news, the channel was blocked in Telegram&#8217;s desktop applications, as well as in versions for Android, macOS and iOS. However, the channel still existed on the web and via Windows phone applications but all messages within had been deleted.</p>
<p>The fact that Google played a major role in the disappearing of the channel was subsequently confirmed by Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who commented that it was Google who &#8220;ultimately demanded the blocking of this channel.&#8221;</p>
<p>That Telegram finally caved into the demands of Google and/or Apple doesn&#8217;t really come as a surprise. In Telegram&#8217;s frequently asked questions section, the company specifically mentions the need to comply with copyright takedown demands in order to maintain distribution via the companies&#8217; app marketplaces.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our mission is to provide a secure means of communication that works everywhere on the planet. To do this in the places where it is most needed (and to continue distributing Telegram through the App Store and Google Play), we have to process legitimate requests to take down illegal public content (sticker sets, bots, and channels) within the app,&#8221; the company <a href="https://telegram.org/faq#q-there-39s-illegal-content-on-telegram-how-do-i-take-it-down">notes</a>.</p>
<p>Putting pressure on Telegram via Google and Apple over piracy isn&#8217;t a new development. In the past, representatives of the music industry threatened to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rutracker-to-bypass-web-blockade-with-im-delivered-torrents-160328/">complain to the companies</a> over a channel operated by torrent site RuTracker, which was set up to share magnet links.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147650
title: Looming Net Neutrality Repeal Sparks BitTorrent Throttling Fears
uri: Looming-Net-Neutrality-Repeal-Sparks-BitTorrent-Throttling-Fears
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/vmZ2m9-NBlM/
content:
<p><img src="media/269797aa.throttle.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/throttle.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="230" class="alignright size-full wp-image-8967">Ten years ago <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/comcast-throttles-bittorrent-traffic-seeding-impossible/">we uncovered</a> that Comcast was systematically slowing down BitTorrent traffic to ease the load on its network.</p>
<p>The Comcast case ignited a broad discussion about net neutrality and provided the setup for the FCC’s Open Internet Order, which came <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/net-neutrality-wont-prevent-bittorrent-blocking-10-01-29/">into effect</a> three years later.</p>
<p>This Open Internet Order then became the foundation of the net neutrality regulation that was adopted in 2015 and still applies today. The big change compared to the earlier attempt was that ISPs can be regulated as carriers under Title II.</p>
<p>These rules provide a clear standard that prevents ISPs from blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization of “lawful” traffic. However, this may soon be over as the FCC is determined to repeal it.</p>
<p>FCC head Ajit Pai recently <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-internet-exclusive/fcc-chief-plans-to-ditch-u-s-net-neutrality-rules-idUSKBN1DL21A">told</a> Reuters that the current rules are too restrictive and hinder competition and innovation, which is ultimately not in the best interests of consumers </p>
<p>“The FCC will no longer be in the business of micromanaging business models and preemptively prohibiting services and applications and products that could be pro-competitive,” Pai said. “We should simply set rules of the road that let companies of all kinds in every sector compete and let consumers decide who wins and loses.”</p>
<p>This week the FCC released its final repeal draft (<a href="media/e4ddd013.DOC-347927A1.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/DOC-347927A1.pdf">pdf</a>), which was met with fierce resistance from the public and various large tech companies. They fear that, if the current net neutrality rules disappear, throttling and ‘fast lanes’ for some services will become commonplace. </p>
<p>This could also mean that BitTorrent traffic could become a target once again, with it being blocked or throttled across many networks, as The Verge just <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/22/16691794/net-neutrality-fcc-ajit-pai-comcast-block-bittorrent">pointed out</a>.  </p>
<p>Blocking BitTorrent traffic would indeed become much easier if current net neutrality safeguards were removed. However, the FCC believes that the current  &#8220;no-throttling rules are unnecessary to prevent the harms that they were intended to thwart,&#8221; such as blocking entire file transfer protocols. </p>
<p>Instead, the FCC notes that antitrust law, FTC enforcement of ISP commitments, and consumer expectations will prevent any unwelcome blocking. This is also the reason why ISPs adopted no-blocking policies even when they were not required to, they point out.</p>
<p>Indeed, when the DC Circuit Court of Appeals decimated the Open Internet Order in 2014, Comcast <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-throws-net-neutrality-overboard-but-comcast-wont-ban-torrents-140114/">was quick to assure</a> subscribers that it had no plans to start throttling torrents again. Yes, that offers no guarantees for the future.</p>
<p>The FCC goes on to mention that the current net neutrality rules don&#8217;t prevent selective blocking. They can already be bypassed by ISPs if they offer &#8220;curated services,&#8221; which allows them to filter content on viewpoint grounds. And Edge providers also block content because it violates their &#8220;viewpoints,&#8221; citing the Cloudflare termination of The Daily Stormer.</p>
<p>Net neutrality supporters see these explanations as weak excuses and have less trust in the self-regulating capacity of the ISP industry that the FCC, calling for last minute <a href="https://www.battleforthenet.com/">protests to stop the repeal</a>. </p>
<p>For now it appears, however, that the FCC is unlikely to change its course, as Ars Technica <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/11/why-the-fcc-ignored-public-opinion-in-its-push-to-kill-net-neutrality/">reports</a>.</p>
<p>While net neutrality concerns are legitimate, for BitTorrent users not that much will change. </p>
<p>As we&#8217;ve <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/net-neutrality-is-not-a-pirates-fight-anymore-170712/">highlighted in the past</a>, blocking pirate sites is already an option under the current rules. The massive <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-net-neutrality-has-a-massive-copyright-loophole-150315/">copyright loophole</a> made sure of that. Targeting all torrent traffic is even an option, in theory. </p>
<p>If net neutrality is indeed repealed next month, blocking or throttling BitTorrent traffic across the entire network will become easier, no doubt. For now, however, there are no signs that any ISPs plan to do so.</p>
<p>If it does, we will know soon enough. The FCC will require ISPs to be transparent under the new plan. They have to disclose network management practices, blocking efforts, commercial prioritization, and the like.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147627
title: Swiss Copyright Law Proposals: Good News for Pirates, Bad For Pirate Sites
uri: Swiss-Copyright-Law-Proposals-Good-News-for-Pirates-Bad-For-Pirate-S
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/GWLQXcLRoT0/
content:
<p><a href="media/2911f25e.swiss-usb.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/swiss-usb.jpg"><img src="media/47ce6a20.swiss-usb.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/swiss-usb.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="135" class="alignright size-full wp-image-43153"></a>While Switzerland sits geographically in the heart of Europe, the country is not part of the European Union, meaning that its copyright laws are often out of touch with those of the countries encircling it.</p>
<p>For years this has meant heavy criticism from the United States, whose trade representative has put Switzerland on the Watch List, citing weaknesses in the country&#8217;s ability to curb online copyright infringement.</p>
<p>&#8220;The decision to place Switzerland on the Watch List this year is premised on U.S. concerns regarding specific difficulties in Switzerland’s system of online copyright protection and enforcement,” the USTR <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-labels-switzerland-an-internet-piracy-haven-160428/">wrote</a> in 2016.</p>
<p>Things didn&#8217;t improve in 2017. Referencing the so-called <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-monitors-banned-from-operating-in-home-country-100909/">Logistep Decision</a>, which found that collecting infringers&#8217; IP addresses is unlawful, the USTR <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/canada-and-switzerland-remain-on-us-pirate-watchlist-under-president-trump-170501/">said</a> that Switzerland had effectively deprived copyright holders of the means to enforce their rights online.</p>
<p>All of this criticism hasn&#8217;t fallen on deaf ears. For the past several years, Switzerland has been deeply involved in consultations that aim to shape future copyright law. Negotiations have been prolonged, however, with the Federal Council aiming to improve the situation for creators without impairing the position of consumers.</p>
<p>A new draft compromise tabled Wednesday is somewhat of a mixed bag, one that is unlikely to please the United States overall but could prove reasonably acceptable to the public.</p>
<p>First of all, people will still be able to &#8216;pirate&#8217; as much copyrighted material as they like, as long as that content is consumed privately and does not include videogames or software, which are excluded. Any supposed losses accrued by the entertainment industries will be compensated via a compulsory tax of 13 Swiss francs ($13), levied on media playback devices including phones and tablets.</p>
<p>This freedom only applies to downloading and streaming, meaning that any uploading (distribution) is explicitly ruled out. So, while grabbing some streaming content via a &#8216;pirate&#8217; Kodi addon is just fine, using BitTorrent to achieve the same is ruled out.</p>
<p>Indeed, rightsholders will be able to capture IP addresses of suspected infringers in order to file a criminal complaint with authorities. That being said, there will no system of warning notices targeting file-sharers.</p>
<p>But while the authorization of unlicensed downloads will only frustrate an already irritated United States, the other half of the deal is likely to be welcomed. </p>
<p>Under the recommendations, Internet services will not only be required to remove infringing content from their platforms, they&#8217;ll also be compelled to prevent that same content from reappearing. Failure to comply will result in prosecution. It&#8217;s a standard that copyright holders everywhere are keen for governments to adopt.</p>
<p>Additionally, the spotlight will fall on datacenters and webhosts that have a reputation for being popular with pirate sites. It&#8217;s envisioned that such providers will be prevented from offering services to known pirate sites, with the government clearly stating that services with piracy at the heart of their business models will be ripe for action.</p>
<p>But where there&#8217;s a plus for copyright holders, the Swiss have another minus. Previously it was proposed that in serious cases authorities should be able to order the ISP blocking of “obviously illegal content or sources.&#8221; That proposal has now been dropped, meaning no site-blocking will be allowed.</p>
<p>Other changes in the draft envision an extension of the copyright term from 50 to 70 years and improved protection for photographic works. The proposals also feature increased freedoms for researchers and libraries, who will be able to use copyrighted works without obtaining permission from rightsholders.</p>
<p>Overall the proposals are a pretty mixed bag but as Minister of Justice Simonetta Sommaruga said Wednesday, if no one is prepared to compromise, no one will get anything.</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-2017-170107/">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>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=147542
title: Copyright Holders Want ISPs to Police Pirate Sites and Issue Warnings
uri: Copyright-Holders-Want-ISPs-to-Police-Pirate-Sites-and-Issue-Warnings
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/_LMtGBXNm_w/
content:
<p><img src="media/a70e19c9.pageblocked.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pageblocked.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="207" class="alignright size-full wp-image-147564" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pageblocked.jpg 275w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/pageblocked-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px">Online piracy is a worldwide phenomenon and increasingly it ends up on the desks of lawmakers everywhere. </p>
<p>Frustrated by the ever-evolving piracy landscape, copyright holders are calling on local authorities to help out. </p>
<p>This is also the case in South Africa at the moment, where the Government is finalizing a new <a href="https://pmg.org.za/bill/684/">Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill</a>. </p>
<p>Responding to a call for comments, anti-piracy group <a href="https://www.saf-act.co.za">SAFACT</a>, <a href="http://www.fiapf.org/">film producers</a>, and local broadcaster <a href="https://m-net.dstv.com">M-Net</a> seized the opportunity to weigh in with some suggestions. Writing to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, they ask for measures to make it easier to block pirate sites and warn copyright infringers.</p>
<p>&#8220;A balanced approach to address the massive copyright infringement on the Internet is necessary,” they say.</p>
<p>On the site-blocking front, the copyright holder representatives suggest an EU-style amendment that would allow for injunctions against ISPs to bar access to pirate sites.  </p>
<p>“It is suggested that South Africa should consider adopting technology-neutral ‘no fault’ enforcement legislation that would enable intermediaries to take action against online infringements, in line with Article 8.3 of the EU Copyright Directive (2001/29/EC), which addresses copyright infringement through site blocking,” it reads.</p>
<p><center><strong>Request and response</strong> (<a href="https://businesstech.co.za/news/media/211725/how-m-net-wants-internet-pirates-to-be-dealt-with-in-south-africa/">via </a>Business Tech)<br></br></center><center><img src="media/ac929939.sareq.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sareq.png" alt="" width="808" height="522" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147549"></center></p>
<p>In addition, ISPs should also be obliged to take further measures to deter piracy. New legislation should require providers to &#8220;police&#8221; unauthorized file-sharing and streaming sites, and warn subscribers who are caught pirating. </p>
<p>“Obligations should be imposed on ISPs to co-operate with rights-holders and Government to police illegal filesharing or streaming websites and to issue warnings to end-users identified as engaging in illegal file-sharing and to block infringing content,” the rightsholders say.</p>
<p>The demands were made public by the Department recently, which also included an official response from the Government. While the suggestions are not dismissed based on their content, they don&#8217;t fit the purpose of the legislation. </p>
<p>&#8220;The Bill does not deal with copyright infringements. These aspects must be dealt with in terms of copyright-related legislation,&#8221; the Department writes.</p>
<p>SAFACT, the filmmakers, and M-Net are not without options though. The Government points out that the new Copyright Amendment Bill, which was introduced recently, would be a better fit for these asks. So it&#8217;s likely that they will try again. </p>
<p>This doesn&#8217;t mean that any of the proposed language will be adopted, of course. However, now that the demands are on the table, South Africans are likely to hear more blocking and warning chatter in the near 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-2017-170107/">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>
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