# articles

feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121732
title: I Just Watched an Infringing Video and It Felt Pretty Bad
uri: I-Just-Watched-an-Infringing-Video-and-It-Felt-Pretty-Bad
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4vhgcUnIZQo/
content:
<p><a href="media/c0ea239b.youtubeface.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/youtubeface.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-107705"><img src="media/a5365da2.youtubeface.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubeface.jpg" alt="youtubeface" width="222" height="158" class="alignright size-full wp-image-107705"></a>Like everyone reading this piece I have often seen pirated content on YouTube. The site is littered with hundreds maybe thousands of movies and TV shows, none of them uploaded by copyright holders.</p>
<p>Equally, if one wants to listen to just about any rare song, no matter how old, a YouTube search will uncover it. In most cases those songs haven&#8217;t been uploaded by their owners but when looking for any kind of desirable content, you have to have massive self-control to immediately click off.</p>
<p>Well this week, I did. And I was pretty infuriated while doing so.</p>
<p>While browsing one evening I noticed what I believed to be a new video from the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMDMoNu66_1Hwi5-MeiQgw">Hydraulic Press Channel</a> (HPC). For those who aren&#8217;t familiar with HPC it&#8217;s a channel, on YouTube, dedicated to crushing things in a hydraulic press. It&#8217;s almost as simple as that. It&#8217;s basic. It&#8217;s fun. And in a few months it has amassed a huge following.</p>
<p>What I clicked on was a video compilation of the top 10 things crushed by the channel, but something was wrong. The massively entertaining voice of channel host and resident crusher <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/04/19/the-man-who-loves-to-crush-things-and-his-growing-audience-of-people-who-love-to-watch/">Lauri Vuohensilta</a> was entirely missing. His wife wasn&#8217;t giggling in the background as she usually is either.</p>
<p>In fact, all I was witnessing was items getting crushed, one after the other and it left me cold. Then it dawned on me. I looked at the uploader name expecting the worst. I didn&#8217;t recognize it. Yep, this was an imposter. A <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2015/07/freebooting_stolen_youtube_videos_going_viral_on_facebook.html">freebooter</a>.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/4aa56c0e.hpc-fury.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hpc-fury.png" rel="attachment wp-att-121735"><img src="media/4aa56c0e.hpc-fury.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hpc-fury.png" alt="hpc-fury" width="650" height="665" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-121735"></a></center></p>
<p>This was definitely not the Hydraulic Press Channel and a quick look at the video notes confirmed it.</p>
<p>&#8220;A compilation of everything hydraulic press channel has crushed yet. None of it is mine, all belongs to hydraulic press channel.&#8221;</p>
<p>So why take it then? It&#8217;s already available for free on the official channel, I found myself shouting.</p>
<p>Worse still, this &#8220;stolen&#8221; video had amassed more than 400,000 views and i&#8217;d contributed to that not just once but twice when I went back for the screenshot. Somehow I felt disproportionately annoyed that this stupid compilation was taking revenue away from the hugely funny Lauri and his giggling wife.</p>
<p>And in that i&#8217;m not alone. At the time of writing a third of the video&#8217;s votes are in the downward direction versus around one in 35 on the original channel. Furthermore, the comment section is littered with people angry that RandomStuff98 &#8220;stole&#8221; the content from Hydraulic Press Channel (HPC).</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/e9c0bcc3.hpc-stolen.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hpc-stolen.png" rel="attachment wp-att-121745"><img src="media/e9c0bcc3.hpc-stolen.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hpc-stolen.png" alt="hpc-stolen" width="650" height="337" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-121745"></a></center></p>
<p>And here&#8217;s another interesting twist. I chatted with a couple of uploaders on a popular torrent site and although one didn&#8217;t express an opinion either way, the other said that he didn&#8217;t agree with people &#8220;stealing&#8221; YouTuber&#8217;s videos. This is coming from someone who uploads at least two dozen torrents a day.</p>
<p>With that in mind, one has to question how many of the outraged commenters on YouTube would also have concerns over the ethics of grabbing the latest leaked DVD screener from The Pirate Bay. My estimate is not very many of them.</p>
<p>I wasn&#8217;t sure why people &#8220;stealing&#8221; HPC&#8217;s content was so irritating but I presumed that it was partially down to the fact that the guy running the channel feels like &#8220;one of us&#8221;. He seems like an ordinary guy that you could go out and have a beer and a laugh with. That in itself makes it more personal, I suppose.</p>
<p>To get a bit more of an insight I shared my thoughts with musician and YouTube star <a href="http://itsdanbull.com/">Dan Bull</a> who has tens of millions of hits under his belt. Did he have any idea why myself, a prolific torrent uploader, and plenty of YouTuber&#8217;s feel protective of more &#8216;amateur&#8217; content?</p>
<p>&#8220;I think I can give you an explanation as to why mirroring a YouTube video is ethically different to sharing a Hollywood movie despite them being the same legally,&#8221; Dan told me.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a difficult topic as the same rationale that can be used for file-sharing, or abolition of copright, can be used to say that this kind of behavior is fine.<br>
However, if you look a bit more closely, it&#8217;s really much more of a dick move than hosting a torrent file,&#8221; he continued.</p>
<p>&#8220;When you share a movie, you&#8217;re making something accessible to people who perhaps otherwise wouldn&#8217;t be able to see it. In contrast, when you simply mirror someone else&#8217;s YouTube video on your own channel, it&#8217;s not making the media any more accessible, it&#8217;s just redirecting traffic from the original uploader, who in most cases on YouTube is a small-time independent content creator.&#8221;</p>
<p>Dan notes that the DMCA and Content ID on YouTube allow original creators to takedown or monetize mirrored content, but he prefers not to use them.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am not a fan of either of those practices in any case as I don&#8217;t believe in the validity of intellectual property. But I do think that when uploading someone else&#8217;s content, you should always take a moment to consider whether it&#8217;s a dick move or not,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>Of course, infringement is infringement, whether it&#8217;s ripping off the work of Hydraulic Press Channel or sharing the movies made by the studio members of the MPAA. Yet somehow it feels quite different. Few (if any) YouTube users complain about people uploading infringing blockbuster movies to the site yet HPC &#8220;pirates&#8221; get it with both barrels from commenters with no obvious respect for copyright law, only a sense of what is &#8220;right&#8221;.</p>
<p>If there was a way to bottle that kind of reaction and apply it to mainstream content, Hollywood might crack the piracy problem. But what aspect of this strange situation can they harness, what&#8217;s the secret recipe, and how can it be utilized? We&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121286
title: Pirate Bay Crew Removes Thousands of Torrents, Just Not ‘Those’
uri: Pirate-Bay-Crew-Removes-Thousands-of-Torrents-Just-Not-Those
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bjCxNvGkl_w/
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">At TorrentFreak we regularly receive concerned emails from Pirate Bay users who have spotted an influx of suspicious torrents on the popular torrent site. </p>
<p>These torrents usually carry the name of popular new TV-shows or movies, and appear to be shared by thousands of people. </p>
<p>However, those who download the torrents will soon notice that the video files won&#8217;t playing. Instead, they urge downloaders to install suspicious software, or worse. </p>
<p>This spam phenomenon is not new and neither is it limited to The Pirate Bay. However, it does appear to have gotten worse in recent years, something several of the site&#8217;s moderators confirm today. </p>
<p>Most regular users of the site are probably unaware of the efforts &#8216;invisible&#8217; moderators have to put into the site to keep it clean day in and day out. </p>
<p>To lift a corner of the veil we reached out to a few crew members to ask about the influx of spam, torrent removals, and their motivations to contribute to the site for free. </p>
<p>First up: who are these moderators and why do they volunteer to keep the site clean?</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re all ordinary downloaders at heart who share a love for TPB with millions of others. We put in the hours because we love helping others and we love TPB,&#8221; Spud17 tells us.</p>
<p>&#8220;I believe in the ideals TPB represents, that sharing is a fundamental human right,&#8221; veteran crew member Xe adds.</p>
<p>The overarching theme is that the moderators identify with The Pirate Bay&#8217;s ideal to share everything freely, without restrictions. Ironically, however, a large part of their job involves removing torrents, mostly fakes and spam. </p>
<p>&#8220;The Crew remove hundreds of thousands of fakes and torrents infested with malware, spyware etcetera. Spam and child porn are also removed,&#8221; Spud17 says.</p>
<p>While spam has always been an issue, it&#8217;s sometimes hard to contain. At some hours of the day there are no mods available to deal with it, which may result in batches of suspicious content getting through.  </p>
<p>&#8220;The Crew volunteer their time as and when they can, so it&#8217;s inevitable that there&#8217;ll be periods where the fakes have piled up for a few hours. Users are welcome to report bad torrents and uploaders on our forum, and on our IRC channel,&#8221; Spud17 says.</p>
<p>&#8220;I should also mention that sometimes we delete legitimate torrents by mistake. We&#8217;re human. We have a forum where people can appeal such calls,&#8221; Xe adds.</p>
<p>The Pirate Bay crew recommends downloaders to use common sense, and educate themselves on how fake files and spam can be detected. And in case of doubt, it&#8217;s best to avoid newly uploaded content, they say.</p>
<p>&#8220;The best defense for TPB users against the fakers is knowledge. Read the FAQ on our forum and pay particular attention to the section on finding torrents &#8211; if you read and understand that, you should be able to spot the fakes easily,&#8221; Spud17 says.</p>
<p>In any case, fake files and spam never stay on the site for long.</p>
<p>&#8220;The important thing for downloaders to know is that the vast majority of crap is dealt with by staff within a day, but often much quicker,&#8221; Xe adds. </p>
<p>All moderators we talked to embrace TPB&#8217;s decision not to comply with copyright holder&#8217;s takedown requests. However, they do respect sites that do. Running a torrent site can be quite tricky, and if they feel it&#8217;s safer to adhere to the DMCA then that&#8217;s their choice.</p>
<p>However, the removal policies at some other sites also means that The Pirate Bay remains relevant today, as the true haven for &#8216;uncensored&#8217; sharing.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is the only site I&#8217;m aware of which doesn&#8217;t delete content following DMCA requests,&#8221; Xe says. </p>
<p>&#8220;It is THE place to upload to avoid the disappointment of having your torrents deleted and THE place to download from when what you want has been deleted from elsewhere. It is the standard by which all other sites are judged.&#8221;</p>
<p>As the media industry keeps throwing up artificial barriers to prevent people from enjoying their content, people will keep flocking to The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Pirate Bay will always be relevant as long as money and location are barriers to accessing culture and educational media,&#8221; Spud17 says.</p>
<p>All in all, The Pirate Bay Crew take a lot of pride in what they do. The moderation team is not involved in keeping the site up and running technically, but they are vital to its survival. </p>
<p>Like last year&#8217;s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-mods-are-back-on-board-for-massive-cleanup-150220/">temporary rift has shown</a>, without moderators to remove the thousands of fake files TPB would soon turn into a spammer heaven. So, in a way, removing torrents is central to the site&#8217;s survival. As long as the pirated stuff stays up&#8230;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121859
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 05/09/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-05-09-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kUm4vrZNYxs/
content:
<p><img src="media/5874f321.besingles.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/besingles.jpg" alt="besingles" width="300" height="171" class="alignright size-full wp-image-121864">This week we have four newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>How to Be Single 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 BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-050216/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_to_be_single_2016/">How To Be Single</a> (Web-DL) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1292566/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrDI4-BSovs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zoolander_2/">Zoolander 2</a> (Web-DL) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1608290/">5.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CL4LNWHegk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Deadpool</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/">8.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIM1HydF9UA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zootopia/">Zootopia</a> (TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948356/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWM0ct-OLsM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10_cloverfield_lane/">10 Cloverfield Lane</a> (Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179933/">7.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saHzng8fxLs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/triple_9/">Triple 9</a> (Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1712261/">6.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzUtr5sjRvU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a> (TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">7.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX_iASz1Si8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(10)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baaghi_2016/">Baaghi: A Rebel For Love</a> (DVDscr)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4864932/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HQIKJBUsQk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kindergarten_cop_2/">Kindergarten Cop 2</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4763168/">?.?</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkfKechADow">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_jungle_book_2016/">The Jungle Book</a> (TS) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3040964/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtR9tqPa48s">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121855
title: Neuroscientists Discover Why Internet Pirates Don’t Feel Guilty
uri: Neuroscientists-Discover-Why-Internet-Pirates-Don-t-Feel-Guilty
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/RjF1AHCS2oU/
content:
<p><a href="media/c793bf10.guilt-brain.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/guilt-brain.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-121876"><img src="media/c793bf10.guilt-brain.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/guilt-brain.jpg" alt="guilt-brain" width="230" height="219" class="alignright size-full wp-image-121876"></a>Every month millions of people download and share movies, TV shows, music, software and ebooks without obtaining permission from copyright holders.</p>
<p>In most countries that activity is illegal, meaning that huge numbers of Internet users are breaking the law on a daily basis.</p>
<p>While there are plenty of criminals around, most illegal downloaders don&#8217;t equate their hobby to being tantamount to theft, despite huge efforts by copyright holders to paint it so. To most it just doesn&#8217;t &#8216;feel&#8217; the same and now scientists in Australia think they may have discovered why.</p>
<p>A three-stage study published by <a href="https://robertseres.wordpress.com/about-2/">Robert Eres</a>, a PhD student within the Social Neuroscience lab led by Dr Pascal Molenberghs at the <a href="http://www.monash.edu">Monash Institute</a> of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, investigated why normally law-abiding people don&#8217;t have a problem with breaking laws which cover intangible items.</p>
<p>To that end the researchers investigated what happens inside the brains of people when they pirate intangible digital content versus stealing a physical item such as a handbag.</p>
<p>To begin, the researchers issued a questionnaire to discover whether people are more likely to &#8220;steal&#8221; non-tangible items (such as movie or music files) than their physical counterparts (DVDs and CDs). They found that their test subjects were indeed more likely to &#8220;steal&#8221; items that have no physical embodiment, no matter what their cost or associated risk of getting caught.</p>
<p>Next up the researchers carried out two sets of brain scans to try and understand why people are more happy to &#8220;steal&#8221; items that have no physical presence.</p>
<p>&#8220;The first brain imaging experiment revealed that people’s brains were much more active when trying to imagine intangible compared to tangible objects, which suggests people have more difficulty with representing intangible items,&#8221; the researchers <a href="http://www.monash.edu/news/show/the-science-behind-piracy">write</a>.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/f1826198.brain-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/brain-2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-121870"><img src="media/f1826198.brain-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/brain-2.png" alt="brain-2" width="541" height="575" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-121870"></a></center></p>
<p>During the second set of scans, test subjects were asked to imagine themselves illegally or legally obtaining physical and digital versions of items such as movies, music, TV shows and software.</p>
<p>What the researchers found was that when imagining stealing an item, participants showed much more activation in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbitofrontal_cortex">lateral orbital frontal cortex</a> of their brains. Among other things, this part of the brain is associated with feelings of moral sensitivity and it was much more active when test subjects were thinking about stealing physical items than it was for intangible items such as digital files.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/ee273fa5.brain-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/brain-3.png" rel="attachment wp-att-121871"><img src="media/ee273fa5.brain-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/brain-3.png" alt="brain-3" width="541" height="587" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-121871"></a></center></p>
<p>“The findings from the two brain imaging experiments suggest that people are processing the intangible and tangible objects very differently within their brains,” Mr Eres says.</p>
<p>Social Neuroscience lab head Dr Pascal Molenberghs says that this suggests that people have less problem breaking laws covering intangible items since they experience more difficulties imagining them so their brains feel less guilty when they &#8220;steal&#8221; them.</p>
<p>“Evolutionarily, we have interacted more with physical goods – particularly in respect to ownership so that is why we are hardwired to respect these more compared to intangible items such as ideas or software,&#8221; Dr Molenberghs says.</p>
<p>Finally, the researchers believe that the results of study have wider implications to other areas of online life, beyond Internet piracy.</p>
<p>&#8220;Overall, the data presented here suggests that the differences we see in moral behaviors (particularly concerning contexts of non-physical interactions; piracy, online surveillance and espionage) may be due to the differences in their neural representation and the discerning level of guilt felt for tangible items compared with intangible,&#8221; they conclude.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121887
title: HBO Censors Game of Thrones Spoilers With Dubious Copyright Claims
uri: HBO-Censors-Game-of-Thrones-Spoilers-With-Dubious-Copyright-Claims
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/78iAfdd7gzs/
content:
<p><img src="media/a5365da2.youtubeface.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubeface.jpg" alt="youtubeface" width="222" height="158" class="alignright size-full wp-image-107705">As one of its hottest properties, HBO has become very protective of Game of Thrones. </p>
<p>In recent weeks thousands of pirates have received <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hbo-warns-game-of-thrones-pirates-removes-torrents-160507/">warnings</a> in their mailboxes, and the company is also fervently trying to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hbo-warns-game-of-thrones-pirates-removes-torrents-160507/">take down</a> links to pirated copies of the show, with some success.</p>
<p>Besides from actual copies of episodes, HBO also appears to have an eye on those who talk about what may happen during the rest of the season. The Internet is littered with spoilers which HBO doesn&#8217;t like, including those posted in Spanish by YouTube user <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmQkOxn7_tEkvOwTxBJRKUQ">Frikidoctor</a>.</p>
<p>Unlike many others, Frikidoctor is remarkably accurate with his predictions, and claims to have a source close to the fire who feeds him information. HBO doesn&#8217;t like this and has pulled several of his videos, arguing that they are infringing their copyrights. </p>
<p>This also happened to the video featuring several episode three spoilers which was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utoFaDwvZT4">uploaded</a> a few days ago. </p>
<p>&#8220;I uploaded the video and two hours later HBO decided to take it down on YouTube [claiming] copyright infringement,&#8221; Frikidoctor <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iFE9MphFFY">says</a>, responding to the surprise takedown. </p>
<p><center><strong>Removed, sorry about that</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/83bb9486.videoremovedfriki.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/videoremovedfriki.jpg" alt="videoremovedfriki" width="614" height="297" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121892"></center></p>
<p>Frikidoctor admits that he used snippets of trailers and other promotional material in earlier videos that were removed, but says that the video with the episode three &#8220;predictions&#8221; didn&#8217;t include any HBO audio or video.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the last two videos they took down I had some frames from teasers and trailers they decided to share with everyone for promotional purposes. This time the video did not have a single frame or sound that belongs to HBO,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>Instead, the video was just him dressed up in a Mexican wrestler costume, discussing what would happen in the upcoming episode.</p>
<p>&#8220;So, they think that me dressed as a Mexican wrestler talking about predictions for episode three of Game of Thrones is their property. That it&#8217;s copyrighted material that belongs to them,&#8221; Frikidoctor notes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Isn&#8217;t that misuse of the DMCA?&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>Frikidoctor has <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/freefolk/comments/4i7y4b/so_can_a_video_be_taken_down_even_if_it_does_not/d2wuozn?context=3">appealed</a> the takedown with YouTube and also contacted a lawyer to discuss what steps to take next. While he sees it as a violation of his right to free speech, he&#8217;s not sure whether he&#8217;s willing to take the issue to court just yet. </p>
<p>For now, however, he will refrain from posting any predictions, to keep the pressure off. </p>
<p>If Frikidoctor did indeed pursue a claim against HBO he would have a good chance of winning. Merely talking about newsworthy information obtained from a source is generally something that would fall under fair use. </p>
<p>It certainly isn&#8217;t something to be struck down easily with a copyright complaint. </p>
<p>&#8216;Bogus&#8217; YouTube takedown have become a hot topic in recent months. Earlier this year close to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/50000-people-protest-dmca-abuse-crash-government-server-160401/">100,000 people</a> voiced their concerns about potential abuse of copyright takedowns. </p>
<p>The campaign, spearheaded by Fight for the Future and popular YouTube channel ChannelAwesome, stressed that copyright holders are too often censoring free speech with dubious or false takedown claims. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121918
title: UK Government Expands Crackdown on Online Piracy
uri: UK-Government-Expands-Crackdown-on-Online-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-qS8j7VmXrM/
content:
<p><img src="media/e928f84b.uk-flag.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/uk-flag.jpg" width="200" height="179" class="alignright">In various publications and reports in recent months, the UK has been described as a world leader in intellectual property enforcement. Indeed, news of various operations and dozens of arrests carried out by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/?s=pipcu">regularly appeared</a> in the media.</p>
<p>This morning the UK Government has announced that it intends to build on this reputation with the publication of a new strategy titled <em>Protecting Creativity, Supporting Innovation: IP Enforcement 2020</em>.</p>
<p>The document outlines a four-year strategy which aims to provide an environment in which UK rightsholders have access to &#8220;proportionate and effective mechanisms to resolve disputes and tackle IP infringement&#8221; both at home and overseas.</p>
<p>The strategy has six key points, with reducing the level of illegal online content placed at the top of the list and strengthening the law closely after. The government also wants to increase its educational programs with the aim of building respect for intellectual property.</p>
<p>A significant emphasis on dealing with online infringement sees the government focus on a number of key areas, from those sharing files online to the sites facilitating infringement. Search engines also come under the spotlight.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the main points are all framed at helping the consumer to both recognize and then avoid copyright infringing websites.</p>
<p><strong>Notice and takedown, notice and trackdown</strong></p>
<p>Given the Copyright Office <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-govt-reviews-impact-and-efficacy-of-dmca-safe-harbor-160105/">DMCA review</a> currently underway in the United States, it&#8217;s no surprise to find a review of notice and takedown procedures heading the list in the UK. The government says that it wants to &#8220;improve and streamline the process&#8221; while considering the scope for introducing a Code of Practice for intermediaries.</p>
<p>More controversially, the four-year strategy also includes the possibility of introducing a system of &#8220;notice and trackdown&#8221; which would enable rightsholders to not only send notices but also take action directly against identified infringers.</p>
<p>Safe harbor (or platform liability as its referred to in the report) will come under the spotlight as well, with the government seeking clarification from the EU on current rules.</p>
<p><strong>Dealing with pirating Internet users</strong></p>
<p>On top of the &#8220;notice and trackdown&#8221; elements detailed above (presumably for the minority who post infringing links on websites etc), the report envisions effort being placed on encouraging consumers to buy from legitimate sources. Mainly, this will be achieved through the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/how-uk-piracy-warnings-work-140517/">long-delayed warning notice system</a> under development at ISPs.</p>
<p>&#8220;This government will also build on progress made under our voluntary anti-piracy projects to warn internet users when they are breaching copyright and work to ensure that search engines do not link to the worst-offending sites. This is in recognition of the fact that the clear majority of consumers want to do the right thing, to abide by the law and support our creative industries,&#8221; says Minister for Intellectual Property Baroness Neville-Rolfe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Helping those consumers to understand what is, and is not, allowed online, and helping guide them to legal content when they search, will help ensure that the vast appetite that exists for new and creative content benefits the legitimate creators, and not those criminals who cynically exploit the hard work of others.&#8221;</p>
<p>To help users make the right choice, the government is promising to give more support to industry initiatives such as FindanyFilm.com and the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-anti-piracy-education-campaign-launched-quietly-151201/">GetitRight campaign</a> while encouraging education campaigns focused on children and students.</p>
<p>&#8220;We will work with intermediaries, rights holders and trade bodies to highlight all the UK’s legal sources of content,&#8221; the government says.</p>
<p><strong>Targeting pirate sites, services, and their operators</strong></p>
<p>In addition to honing the existing <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/city-of-london-police-launches-pirate-site-blacklist-for-advertisers-140331/">Infringing Website List</a> (IWL), emphasis will be placed on depriving sites of their income via the &#8220;Follow the Money&#8221; approach and reducing the numbers of visitors they currently enjoy.</p>
<p>&#8220;We will continue to work with brand advertisers, advertising intermediaries and<br>
law enforcement partners to highlight the value of the IWL and will support groups<br>
such as the Digital Trading Standards group (DTSG) in promoting their UK good<br>
practice principles,&#8221; the report notes.</p>
<p>Existing efforts to deprive sites of the ability to process funds will be maintained, with the government promising to seek commitments from payment processors such as PayPal, MasterCard and VISA to make it more easy for service to be declined following complaints from law enforcement.</p>
<p>Of course, no &#8220;pirate site&#8221; strategy would be complete without the inclusion of a blocking regime and as expected the UK government leaves no stone unturned.</p>
<p>&#8220;This government has also pledged to protect intellectual property by continuing to require internet service providers to block sites that carry large amounts of illegal content, including their proxies,&#8221; Baroness Neville-Rolfe explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;The UK has a good track record in the development of injunctive relief for online infringement, but this is something that must be preserved, and even enhanced to cope with the sheer numbers of infringing websites that spring up every month, and the new business models they employ.&#8221;</p>
<p>The government further sees an opportunity to make the blocking process easier to access for smaller businesses.</p>
<p>&#8220;We will continue our work to support businesses of any size to navigate and utilize the civil court system by improving the guidance that is currently available, including guidance on the minimum levels of evidence required for website blocking orders, and by ensuring that court judgments and cases are published on a regular and consistent basis,&#8221; the report reads. </p>
<p>The UK also sees potential for cooperation with the EU on injunctions, more on that in a moment.</p>
<p>Interestingly, it appears that &#8216;pirate&#8217; set-top streaming boxes have rightsholders and by extension the government pretty rattled. They get a special mention in the report with the government noting that a greater understanding of the challenges they present is required. Furthermore, the report says that the government will consider what kind of new legislation might be needed to tackle them.</p>
<p><strong>Search engines and social media</strong></p>
<p>According to the report, the government will work with search engines and social media platforms to reduce the availability of infringing content. This will include a review of their current &#8220;notice and takedown&#8221; procedures and see the government considering the options for rightsholders to challenge infringers under &#8220;notice and trackdown&#8221; as detailed above.</p>
<p>The review process will also determine whether Codes of Practice are required for platforms including Google, Facebook and Twitter.</p>
<p><strong>Overseas cooperation</strong></p>
<p>While there are issues locally, the government sees the piracy problem as one to be solved cooperatively on an international basis. To this end there will be requests to partners overseas to carry out &#8220;domain and hosting enforcement action&#8221; when UK interests are at stake.</p>
<p>&#8220;This will include exploring with European colleagues the options for mutual recognition of the evidence required for injunctions and court orders in various member states,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p>This item is of particular interest since around 1,000 &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites are already blocked by injunction in the UK. Streamlining the process EU-wide would be a major bonus for rightsholders.</p>
<p>The UK Government&#8217;s four-year IP enforcement strategy can be found here <em>(<a href="media/8605f916.IP-Enforcement-Strategy.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/521776/IP-Enforcement-Strategy.pdf">pdf</a>)</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121910
title: DVDFab Has Ignored Court’s Shut Down Order, AACS Says
uri: DVDFab-Has-Ignored-Court-s-Shut-Down-Order-AACS-Says
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/9nfOb9aq8Yo/
content:
<p><img src="media/71ee9633.dvdf.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dvdf.jpg" alt="dvdf" width="275" height="178" class="alignright size-full wp-image-103142">In 2014 decryption licensing outfit <a href="http://www.aacsla.com/home">AACS LA</a> initiated a renewed crackdown on DRM-circumvention software.</p>
<p>The company, founded by a group of movie studios and technology partners, sued the makers of popular DVD and Blu-Ray ripping software <a href="http://www.dvdfab.cn/">DVDFab</a> in a New York federal court. </p>
<p>After a brief legal battle the court ruled in favor of AACS, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-court-orders-seizure-dvdfab-domain-names-funds-140310/">issuing</a> an injunction based on the argument that the “DVDFab Group” violates the DMCA’s anti-circumvention clause, since their software can bypass DVD and Bluray encryption.</p>
<p>Among other things the injunction barred DVDFab from distributing its software in public and allowed AACS to seize a wide range of domain names and block the company’s social media accounts.</p>
<p>The crippling injunction seemed to work, but not for long. In a new court filing (<a href="media/31df1369.dfdfab-aacs-sanctions.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dfdfab-aacs-sanctions.pdf">pdf</a>) AACS notes that the software vendor briefly blocked U.S. purchases but went back to business as usual soon after. </p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants are again offering DVDFab software that circumvents AACS Technology for purchase and download from the United States via their enjoined website at DVDFab.cn,&#8221; they write. </p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiff has been able to purchase and download DVDFab Passkey for Bluray from the United States without issue, and without using a VPN or other means of masking a United States IP address,&#8221; AACS adds.</p>
<p>In addition, the software maker also launched an XBMC box called <a href="http://VidOn.me">VidOn</a> which also allows users to rip DVDs and Blurays.</p>
<p>According to AACS, the VidOn box uses the same DVDFab technology to rip Blu-Ray disks. </p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiff has tested the products and found that the VidOn software works in conjunction with DVDFab Passkey to circumvent AACS access and copy control technology and then extract or &#8216;rip&#8217; the audiovisual content of Blu-ray discs for playback using the VidOn hardware.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>VidOn importer</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/a24d43c9.vidon.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/vidon.png" alt="vidon" width="447" height="196" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121915"></center></p>
<p>Similar to the DVDFab software, the VidOn box is widely available to the U.S. public and promoted there using various social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.</p>
<p>According to AACS these clear violations of the permanent injunction should not go unpunished. The company therefore asks the court to award damages and to issue coercive contempt sanctions of $10,000 per day.</p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiff requests the Court impose a coercive sanction of $10,000 per day on Defendants, continuing until Defendants come into compliance with the Amended PI Order,&#8221; AACS writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;This figure is reasonable and in line with amounts awarded in previous cases involving similar behavior, namely repeated, brazen violations of court orders and intellectual property protections,&#8221; they add.</p>
<p>In addition, the rightsholders want the permanent injunction to be updated so DVDFab is also barred from selling the new VidOn products and operating other related websites through which its ripping tools are offered.</p>
<p>It is not up to the court to decide whether sanctions and an amended injunction are appropriate. However, recent history has shown that it&#8217;s hard to permanently ban &#8220;ripping&#8221; software from the market. </p>
<p>In addition to DVDFab&#8217;s continued operation, AACS also failed to completely shut down its competitor AnyDVD. While the parent company SlySoft did shut down, the development was quickly taken over by <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anydvd-is-back-but-dont-call-us-pirates-developer-says-160302/">RedFox</a>, without any significant changes.  </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121937
title: Court: Resistance To Star Trek Copyright Claims Is Futile
uri: Court-Resistance-To-Star-Trek-Copyright-Claims-Is-Futile
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zafdHa3qnZE/
content:
<p><img src="media/b89b241e.axanar.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/axanar.jpg" alt="axanar" width="250" height="148" class="alignright size-full wp-image-121946" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/axanar-220x130.jpg 220w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/axanar.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px">Earlier this year Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios filed a lawsuit against the makers of a Star Trek inspired fan film, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-studios-sue-fan-funded-star-trek-spin-off-151231/">accusing</a> them of copyright infringement.</p>
<p>The dispute centers around the well-received short film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prelude_to_Axanar">Star Trek: Prelude to Axanar</a> and the planned follow-up feature film Axanar.</p>
<p>Among other things, the Star Trek rightsholders claim ownership over various Star Trek related settings, characters, species, clothing, colors, shapes, words, short phrases and even the Klingon language.</p>
<p>The makers of the fan-spinoff <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-does-not-protect-the-klingon-language-court-hears-160330/">responded</a> to several of the allegations last month. Among other things, they argued that the Klingon language is not copyrightable because it&#8217;s not more than an idea or a system. They therefore asked the court to  dismiss or strike the copyright claims in question.</p>
<p>The court reviewed the matter and has now decided that the case <a href="media/5ac21cd5.gov.uscourts.cacd.636636.43.0.pdf" data-original-source="http://ia801503.us.archive.org/29/items/gov.uscourts.cacd.636636/gov.uscourts.cacd.636636.43.0.pdf">should proceed</a>. This means that the Axanar makers have to face the copyright claims Paramount and CBS lodged against them.</p>
<p>In his order, District Court Judge Gary Klausner doesn&#8217;t reject the notion that several individual elements such as the Klingon language may not be protected by copyright. However, the case deals with the entire &#8220;Star Trek world,&#8221; which is a combination of these. </p>
<p>&#8220;When viewed in a vacuum, each of these elements may not individually be protectable by copyright. Plaintiffs, however, do not seek to enforce their copyright in each of these elements individually. Rather, Plaintiffs’ copyright infringement claims are based on the Star Trek Copyrighted Works as a whole.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;The Complaint clearly defines the works at issue, and includes the copyright registration numbers for the motion pictures and the first episode of each television series,&#8221; the order adds.</p>
<p>At this point there is no need to rule on the copyright status of various Star Trek features, as they were merely used as an illustration of the similarity between the official and the spin-off Star Trek works.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Court finds it unnecessary to analyze whether the allegedly non-protectable elements of the Star Trek Copyrighted Works are eligible for copyright protection because Plaintiff describes these elements in the Complaint solely in an effort to demonstrate how the Axanar Works are substantially similar to the Star Trek Copyrighted Works,&#8221; the Judge writes.</p>
<p>Several other arguments to dismiss the case were denied as well, which means that the case will proceed as planned. </p>
<p>Since the court will not decide over the copyrightability of the Klingon language, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/language-creation-society-joins-klingon-copyright-battle-160428/">the amicus brief</a> submitted by the Language Creation Society (LCS) is moot and <a href="media/c4782002.gov.uscourts.cacd.636636.42.0.pdf" data-original-source="http://ia801503.us.archive.org/29/items/gov.uscourts.cacd.636636/gov.uscourts.cacd.636636.42.0.pdf">denied as well</a>.</p>
<p>Finally, while the crowdfunded Star Trek spin-off failed to get the case dismissed, Judge Gary Klausner made no judgment about the copyright claims themselves, which will have to be fought in court. However, as LCS <a href="http://conlang.org/axanar/#updates">notes</a>, he did slip a Star Trek <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Star_Trek_sayings">reference</a> into his order.</p>
<p>&#8220;Although the Court declines to address whether Plaintiffs’ Claims will <em>prosper</em> at this time, the Court does find Plaintiffs’ claims will <em>live long</em> enough to survive Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss.&#8221; </p>
<p>To be continued.</p>
<p><center><strong>Live long and prosper&#8230;</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/e8d2af25.prosper.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/prosper.png" alt="prosper" width="669" height="167" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121953"></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121968
title: Germany to Rescind Piracy Liability for Open Wifi Operators
uri: Germany-to-Rescind-Piracy-Liability-for-Open-Wifi-Operators
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/jCaZwY9iQBA/
content:
<p><a href="media/e48d0e48.pirate-wifi.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-wifi.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-38959"><img src="media/1ef8d7ce.pirate-wifi.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-wifi.jpg" alt="pirate-wifi" width="150" height="136" class="alignright size-full wp-image-38959"></a>In many countries it&#8217;s accepted that whoever commits a crime or a civil tort in the file-sharing space is the person that should be held directly responsible for it.</p>
<p>For example, if someone shares the latest movie online without permission, that is the only person copyright holders should have an interest in for that particular offense. Certainly, innocent third parties should not be held liable.</p>
<p>In Germany, however, the position is more complex. Due to a concept known as <em><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St%C3%B6rerhaftung">Störerhaftung</a></em>, a third party who played no intentional part in someone else&#8217;s infringements can be held liable for them. This type of liability has raised its head in many file-sharing cases where open WiFi owners have been considered liable for other people&#8217;s infringements.</p>
<p>Now, however, this stifling situation is probably in its dying days. According to a <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzpolitik/stoererhaftung-union-und-spd-einigen-sich-auf-wlan-gesetz-a-1091731.html">Spiegel</a> report, Germany&#8217;s ruling coalition have agreed to abolish the so-called &#8216;interferer liability&#8217;.</p>
<p>This means that both private and small scale WiFi operators (such as café owners) will soon enjoy the same freedom from liability enjoyed by commercial operators.<br>
No splash-pages or password locks will be required meaning that open WiFi hotspots will at last become as freely available in Germany as they are already in countries such as France and the UK.</p>
<p>Pressure had been mounting on the German government following a European Court of Justice opinion published in March which held that entities operating unsecured wireless networks should not be held liable for the copyright infringements of third parties.</p>
<p>The case involves Pirate Party member Tobias McFadden who received a claim from music company Sony who alleged that his open WiFi was used to offer an album without permission. Sony demanded that McFadden prevent future infringement by password protecting his network, blocking file-sharing ports, and logging/blocking users sharing copyrighted content. The Pirate objected to Sony&#8217;s claims of liability and the case went to the European Court of Justice.</p>
<p>The final judgment from the ECJ is not expected for a few months but in most cases early recommendations from experts are upheld by the ruling judge.</p>
<p>Should all go smoothly, the removal of the liability from German law has the potential to shake up the massive file-sharing settlement letter business. While those accused of infringement already have some means to fight back, the absence of third-party liability for connection owners could remove much of the pressure placed on them to settle, whether they were directly involved in an infringement or not.</p>
<p>According to reports the legislative amendments are set to be passed by Parliament next week and could be in place as early as this fall.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121963
title: 45,000 People Ask Netflix to Stop VPN Crackdown
uri: 45-000-People-Ask-Netflix-to-Stop-VPN-Crackdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qukTC3IeHBw/
content:
<p><img src="media/b310fc7c.netflix-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-logo.png" alt="netflix-logo" width="200" height="121" class="alignright size-full wp-image-69714">​Earlier this year Netflix announced that it would increase its efforts to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-announces-crackdown-on-vpn-and-proxy-pirates-160114/">block customers</a> who circumvent geo-blockades. </p>
<p>As a result it has become harder to use VPN services and proxies to access Netflix content from other countries, something various movie studios have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/why-netflix-vpn-pirates-shouldnt-terrify-hollywood-160116/">repeatedly called for</a>.</p>
<p>With the application of commercial blacklist data, Netflix blocks IP-addresses that are linked to such services, something which also affects well-intentioned customers who merely use a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">VPN to protect their privacy</a>. </p>
<p>This broad blocking policy has sparked wide protests and 44,446 Internet users have signed a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tens-of-thousands-protest-netflixs-vpn-blockade-160226/">petition</a> launched by digital rights group OpenMedia, which asks Netflix to stop the VPN crackdown. </p>
<p>Today, OpenMedia sent a letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, delivering this message. The letter starts off by saying that the petition signers all love Netflix, but that they don&#8217;t like how the company handles their privacy.</p>
<p>&#8220;Watching quality content, and knowing that creators are being compensated in the process is great. But we also love our privacy. And lately, as your subscribers, you just haven’t been treating us well,&#8221; the letter reads. </p>
<p>&#8220;[Blocking VPN connections] is a huge problem for our privacy ­conscious supporters, who use VPNs as an essential, user­ friendly tool to protect their privacy in a post ­Snowden world.&#8221;</p>
<p>The letter acknowledges that Netflix has to cooperate with rightsholders, but according to OpenMedia there are better ways to make sure that geographic restrictions are enforced. </p>
<p>&#8220;We are not unreasonable. We do understand that you have contractual obligations to the rights­holders whose content you distribute. But we believe that there are better ways for you to respect creators, and enforce your geographic restrictions and contractual obligations than by outright blocking your privacy conscious customers from using your service.&#8221;</p>
<p>The group invites Netflix&#8217;s CEO for a meeting to discuss these alternatives. Talking to TorrentFreak, OpenMedia spokesperson David Christopher previously said that Netflix could link content libraries to credit card addresses, for example. </p>
<p>&#8220;We hope that you will consider the needs and privacy of the millions of Internet users around the world who value your service, by demonstrating that you are open to new and innovative solutions – the very root of what Netflix was founded on,&#8221; the letter adds.</p>
<p>Thus far Netflix hasn&#8217;t shown any willingness to address the concerns. During an investor call <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-vpn-blockade-backlash-doesnt-hurt-us-190416/">last month</a> Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that the recent crackdown on VPN users hasn&#8217;t hurt the company&#8217;s results, and that the complaints came from a &#8220;small but vocal minority.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>OpenMedia&#8217;s letter</strong><br></br></center><center><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/312226987/content?start_page=1&#038;view_mode=scroll&#038;access_key=key-nvGmtd07rl5Io4BuoMNp&#038;show_recommendations=false" data-auto-height="false" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" scrolling="no" id="doc_73463" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121990
title: Mega Ordered to Hand Over Users’ Details to U.S. Court
uri: Mega-Ordered-to-Hand-Over-Users-Details-to-U-S-Court
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ikKI7V42-MA/
content:
<p><a href="media/bd98da73.mega_logo.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mega_logo.png" rel="attachment wp-att-102194"><img src="media/7bd905c6.mega_logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mega_logo.png" alt="mega_logo" width="200" height="109" class="alignright size-full wp-image-102194"></a>When Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mega-is-brilliantly-secure-but-not-anonymous-130118/">launched</a> his new Mega cloud-storage company in January 2013, the company was focused on one key issue &#8211; privacy.</p>
<p>Mega encrypts all files uploaded by users, meaning that no one other than the uploader can see what is in those files unless he or she shares their private key with a third party. But while Mega is secure in many respects, users can not expect complete anonymity.</p>
<p>From the start Mega made it clear it would carry communication logs, the IP addresses used by subscribers to access the service, and other personal information.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, although Dotcom is no longer part of the company (his current stance is actually one of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-warns-mega-users-to-backup-their-files-160421/">hostility</a>), Mega&#8217;s commitment to privacy has been maintained by its current operators. Just recently, however, their stance of keeping user information private has been challenged in court.</p>
<p>The case involves a hack on a Kazakhstan government computer system which is said to have taken place in August 2014 but was not unearthed until 2015.</p>
<p>According to the Kazakh authorities the hackers made off with a trove of information including thousands of sensitive documents and emails between the government and advisors in the United States. These were then uploaded and stored on Mega by either the hackers or individuals closely linked to them.</p>
<p>In order to begin tracking the hackers down, in May last year Kazakhstan filed a lawsuit in the United States against 100 unnamed &#8220;John Does&#8221; seeking an injunction and damages. The EFF <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/11/judge-rules-respublika-cannot-be-forced-take-down-articles-kazakhstan-proceed">became involved</a> in the case after the Kazakhstan government tried to stop <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respublika_%28Kazakh_newspaper%29">Respublika</a>, a site which reports critically on Kazakhstan’s ruling regime, from publishing the leaks.</p>
<p>Subsequently the Southern District of New York sought assistance from authorities in New Zealand in an effort to gain access to the hackers&#8217; personal details. The request was processed by the New Zealand High Court which was asked to order Mega to hand over the information it holds on the supposed hacker(s).</p>
<p>The application was opposed by Mega, who told the Court that handing over the information would undermine the privacy of its users and was not guaranteed to assist in the U.S. hacking case.</p>
<p>However, in a ruling handed down today Mega&#8217;s attempt at protecting user privacy was dismissed by the High Court.</p>
<p>&#8220;[This] information is neither particularly revealing nor particularly sensitive; it does not, for instance, carry the same degree of confidentiality as an individual&#8217;s email or phone records,&#8221; <a href="https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/cases/the-republic-of-kazakhstan-v-mega-limited">wrote</a> Justice Simon Moore.</p>
<p>&#8220;Therefore, I am satisfied that the privacy interests in this case should not carry significant weight. I am also satisfied that any potential harm could be mitigated by the imposition of properly worded protection orders&#8221;</p>
<p>As a result, Mega will now have to reveal the IP addresses, email addresses, contact and payment details of the users in question. When it does, that information will have to be sent to the New York district court, although Mega will be compensated for its trouble.</p>
<p>Speaking with TorrentFreak, Mega chairman Stephen Hall says that he has concerns about the Kazakhstan Government and the process it has undertaken.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Kazakhstan Government has a poor record as documented by international groups (<a href="https://www.hrw.org/europe/central-asia/kazakhstan">1</a>,<a href="media/e7baaed9.236852.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/236852.pdf">2</a>). Mega holds concerns that this is not a mere civil case about seeking damages from a hacker as the only damages that have been mentioned are the costs of the investigation,&#8221; Hall says.</p>
<p>&#8220;By construing it as a civil case [the Kazakhstan Government] has bypassed the usual discretion that needs to be exercised by a Minister of the NZ Government under the <a href="http://www.crownlaw.govt.nz/assistance-for-foreign-authorities/making-requests/">Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act 1992</a> process.</p>
<p>Furthermore, Hall says that Mega is not convinced that the party who uploaded the content to Mega is the original hacker as no evidence to that end has been provided. Additionally, it appears there has been little effort to take the content down.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mega has only received one request to take down any of the material. This request which related to the contents of a Gmail account of an official in the Finance Ministry was implemented immediately,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, takedown requests were not received for the remaining material, suggesting that finding the hacker was more important than preserving secrecy of the material.&#8221;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122029
title: Court Orders Pirate Bay Domains to be Forfeited to the State
uri: Court-Orders-Pirate-Bay-Domains-to-be-Forfeited-to-the-State
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/xRnHTkM0Bo8/
content:
<p><img src="media/9484b25e.tpb-logo.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-logo.jpg" width="222" height="198" class="alignright">In 2013, anti-piracy prosecutor Fredrik Ingblad filed a motion targeting two of The Pirate Bay&#8217;s most recognizable names, ThePirateBay.se (the site’s main domain) and PirateBay.se (a lesser used alternative). </p>
<p>Rather than take on the site and its operators directly, Ingblad filed a complaint against Punkt SE (IIS), the organization responsible for Sweden’s top level .SE domain.</p>
<p>Ingbland argued that since The Pirate Bay is an illegal site the domains are tools used to infringe copyright and should be suspended. Furthermore, the prosecutor insisted that as the controller of those domains, IIS should also be held liable for copyright infringement.</p>
<p>IIS naturally took an opposing stance and said that any decision on the fate of the domains should be decided by the court. Meanwhile, IIS refused to suspend The Pirate Bay&#8217;s domains.</p>
<p>The case was heard in <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fate-of-pirate-bay-domains-hang-in-the-balance-150421/">April 2015</a> and a month later the Stockholm District Court <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/key-pirate-bay-domains-must-be-seized-court-rules-150519/">ruled</a> that The Pirate Bay should forfeit both ThePirateBay.se and PirateBay.se.</p>
<p>But despite ordering the domain seizures the case against IIS was essentially rejected, with the District Court dismissing the prosecution’s case and awarding the registry close to $40,000 in costs. As a result the prosecution took the case to appeal.</p>
<p>This morning, however, the Svea Court of Appeal handed down its decision which upholds the decision of the Stockholm District Court.</p>
<p>&#8220;In common with the District Court ruling the Court of Appeal finds that there is a basis for confiscation since the domain names assisted crimes under the Copyright Act,&#8221; the Svea Court of Appeal said in a statement.</p>
<p>This means that ThePirateBay.se and PirateBay.se are now set to be forfeited to the Swedish state and The Pirate Bay will have to find alternatives.</p>
<p>Speaking with TorrentFreak, IIS counsel Elisabeth Ekstrand says that her organization is pleased that the decision of the District Court has been upheld.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are pleased that the Court of Appeal chose to uphold the decision from the District Court. We think it is good that this issue has been examined. Now we need some time to read through the verdict before we can make any further comments,&#8221; Ekstrand told TF.</p>
<p>Both of the domains are held in the name of Pirate Bay co-founder Fredrik Neij and the District Court previously ruled that he is the owner.</p>
<p>&#8220;The prosecutor’s primary claim with respect to Fredrik Neij should be upheld and domain names should be confiscated from him in accordance with the Copyright Act,” the Court said.</p>
<p>However, speaking with TorrentFreak a few minutes ago, Neij denied that he is the owner of the domains and will file an appeal to the Supreme Court to protest.</p>
<p>&#8220;I will appeal on the grounds that I do not own the domain and that I did not commit copyright infringement as I am not involved with the site anymore,&#8221; Neij explained.</p>
<p>All of the parties involved are allowed to appeal so this case seems far from over.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121988
title: Game Over: Nintendo Takes Down “Full Screen Mario” Code
uri: Game-Over-Nintendo-Takes-Down-Full-Screen-Mario-Code
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kIan93Z4efE/
content:
<p><img src="media/f24e33a6.nintendologo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/nintendologo.png" alt="nintendologo" width="250" height="139" class="alignright size-full wp-image-121992">Playing old console games through browser-based emulators and spin-offs is a niche pastime of many dedicated gamers.</p>
<p>However, keeping these fan-made games online is quite a challenge. This is what Josh Goldberg learned the hard way when his browser version of Nintendo’s 1985 Super Mario Bros was pulled offline in 2013. </p>
<p>The &#8220;<a href="http://www.fullscreenmario.com/">Full Screen Mario</a>&#8221; browser game was unique in several aspects. It not only allowed people to play the original 32 levels, but also included a random map generator and level editor, features Nintendo later released in its own &#8220;Mario Maker&#8221; game. </p>
<p>After welcoming 2.7 million unique visitors, Goldberg received a DMCA takedown notice from Nintendo which made him decide to pull the plug. However, the code remained widely available <a href="https://github.com/FullScreenShenanigans/FullScreenMario/">on Github</a> and was actively developed in recent years.</p>
<p>This allowed people to play the game on their local machines, or host a copy on their own servers. But now, after more than two years, Nintendo has decided to pull the GitHub repository offline as well.</p>
<p>&#8220;Nintendo recently became aware that certain material posted on the web page located at [<a href="https://github.com/FullScreenShenanigans/FullScreenMario">GitHub</a>] infringes copyrights owned by Nintendo,&#8221; reads a <a href="https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/master/2016-05-11-Nintendo.md">DMCA notice</a> that was sent to GitHub a few hours ago.</p>
<p>&#8220;Nintendo requests that GitHub disable public access to the web page [&#8230;] which provides access to software files that make unauthorized use of Nintendo of America Inc.&#8217;s copyrighted material from its Super Mario Bros. videogame, in violation of Nintendo&#8217;s exclusive rights,&#8221; the notice adds.</p>
<p>As a result, GitHub has taken the entire repository down, <a href="https://github.com/FullScreenShenanigans/FullScreenMario/blob/master/Source/index.html">replacing it</a> with a message pointing to Nintendo&#8217;s DMCA takedown request. </p>
<p><center><strong>Full Screen Mario</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/c4e9fa52.fsm.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fsm.jpg" alt="fsm" width="600" height="373" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121995"></center></p>
<p>Interestingly the takedown comes a few hours after Goldberg, who now works as a Software Development Engineer at Microsoft, <a href="https://medium.com/@OpenAtMicrosoft/josh-software-development-engineer-microsoft-5cc9300444c3#.tc7zh6cd2">highlighted Full Screen Mario&#8217;s success</a> in an interview with Microsoft + Open Source.</p>
<p>Interesting timing, just like the release of &#8220;Mario Maker&#8221; which came out a few months after &#8220;Full Screen Mario&#8221; was taken down. According to the developer, his game may in fact have inspired the Nintendo release.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s too much of a coincidence that in the fall they take down a fan site that was too popular for them, then in the spring and summer they release a trailer for this product,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2014/06/11/the-guy-behind-full-screen-mario-thinks-nintendos-mario-maker-looks-suspiciously-familiar/">previously told </a>The Washington Post in an interview. </p>
<p>&#8220;It has the same user interface I had in development, just way better, and it&#8217;s something I wish I could have made,&#8221; he added, noting that Nintendo never contacted him personally.</p>
<p>Now, roughly three years after Full Screen Mario was born, the project appears to have come to an end. While there&#8217;s a possibility that the project may respawn elsewhere, as there are still some forks floating around, it&#8217;s  game over for the official repository. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122065
title: Leaked EU Draft Reveals Geo-Blocking Can Stay For Video
uri: Leaked-EU-Draft-Reveals-Geo-Blocking-Can-Stay-For-Video
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/iE7l2fWfc4A/
content:
<p><img src="media/3737aed5.europe-flag.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/europe-flag.png" width="222" height="146" class="alignright">Consumers of audio-visual content &#8211; video in particular &#8211; are often granted access to different libraries of movies and TV shows depending on which country they&#8217;re accessing services from.</p>
<p>Netflix is a prime example. US customers get the best selection by far and even subscribers in various member states of Europe are restricted depending on their home country. This means that those traveling within the region can sometimes be denied access to content.</p>
<p>So-called &#8220;geo-blocking&#8221; is extremely unpopular with consumers who often go to some lengths, via the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">use of VPNs</a> etc, to unblock content in other regions. However, last December a light appeared at the end of the tunnel when the European Commission <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-proposal-bans-netflix-style-geo-blocking-and-restrictions-151209/">published a proposal</a> which would require streaming services to ban the practice as part of the EU’s wider <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/europe-will-abolish-geo-blocking-and-other-copyright-restrictions-150506/">copyright reforms</a>.</p>
<p>“We want to ensure the portability of content across borders. People who legally buy content – films, books, football matches, TV series – must be able to carry it with them anywhere they go in Europe,” said Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market.</p>
<p>The proposals were generally well-received and after a report was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/68-of-digital-content-providers-geo-block-in-the-eu-160321/">published</a> in March which further condemned widespread geo-blocking, it appeared that the European Commission was determined to move ahead with its plan.</p>
<p>However, a leaked document just published by Politico <em>(<a href="http://www.politico.eu/pro/geoblocking-ecommerce-european-commission-leak-eu/">subscription</a>)</em> reveals that the EC intends to propose exemptions for audio-visual services such as Netflix.</p>
<p>The revelation is tucked away on page 11 of the draft which states the following:</p>
<p>&#8220;The material scope of the proposal is aligned with that of <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/services/services-directive/index_en.htm">Directive 2006/123/EC</a> to the extent possible in order to ensure maximum legal certainty for traders and customers,&#8221; it reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;This means that, inter alia, non-economic services of general interest, transport services, audio-visual services, gambling activities, healthcare services and certain social services are excluded from the scope of this Regulation.&#8221;</p>
<p>Later, on page 18, the European Commission again references exemptions for services offering products that are subject to territorial licensing.</p>
<p>&#8220;Audio-visual services, including services the main feature of which is the provision of access to broadcasts of sports events and which are provided on the basis of exclusive territorial licenses, are therefore excluded from the scope of this Regulation,&#8221; the draft <a href="http://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/geo-blocking1.docx">adds</a>.</p>
<p>While the EC&#8217;s proposals are likely to be seen as a negative for consumers, copyright holders will be pleased that the prospect of having to rewrite their licensing agreements has disappeared into the distance.</p>
<p>It is believed that the European Commission will officially unveil these proposals during the next two weeks. Should they be made official they&#8217;re expected to come into force during 2017.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122108
title: MPAA Signs Anti-Piracy Deal With Large Domain Registry
uri: MPAA-Signs-Anti-Piracy-Deal-With-Large-Domain-Registry
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3bROrDnF23s/
content:
<p><img src="media/1f9a16ec.mpaa-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-1.jpg" alt="mpaa" width="222" height="163" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119098">Following the failed SOPA and PIPA bills, entertainment industry groups have switched their efforts away from legislation and towards voluntary cooperation with various stakeholders.</p>
<p>This has resulted in several agreements with Internet providers, advertising agencies and payment processors, designed to help prevent piracy.</p>
<p>Continuing this trend, the MPAA is now actively working on private deals with domain name registries and registrars. After teaming up with U.S-based <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/inside-the-mpaas-piracy-deal-with-the-donuts-domain-registry-160210/">Donuts</a> a few months ago, the movie industry group is now going global. </p>
<p>Today, the MPAA and Asian registry <a href="http://www.radix.website/">Radix</a> announced their new anti-piracy partnership. Radix bills itself as Asia&#8217;s largest new gTLD applicant and controls several domain extensions including .online, .tech, .space, .website, .press, .host, .site.</p>
<p>Under their agreement the MPAA will act as a &#8220;trusted notifier,&#8221; tasked with reporting sites that are clearly copyright-infringing. After several checks, these domain names may then be suspended by the registry. </p>
<p>&#8220;We welcome MPAA&#8217;s cooperation in helping us prevent intellectual property and copyright violations in our name space,&#8221; comments Sandeep Ramchandani, Business Head of Radix.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re hopeful that our joint actions will not only protect creators from having their works stolen, but also protect Internet users from exposure to malware that is commonly found on sites run by unlicensed operators,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>The details of the partnership have not been released but they are likely similar to the Donuts agreement, which we analyzed in detail in our <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/inside-the-mpaas-piracy-deal-with-the-donuts-domain-registry-160210/">previous coverage</a>. </p>
<p><center><strong>Radix&#8217;s gTLDs</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/82846220.radixtld.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/radixtld.jpg" alt="radixtld" width="589" height="161" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122119"></center></p>
<p>The new deal suggests that the MPAA is actively reaching out to registries to help them fight online piracy. </p>
<p>The Hollywood group previously lobbied domain name system oversight body ICANN to take action against pirate sites, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/icann-refuses-to-play-piracy-police-150612/">without any result</a>. Thus far, reaching out to registries directly has proven to be more fruitful.</p>
<p>According to Steven Fabrizio, the MPAA&#8217;s Senior Executive Vice President, voluntary partnerships should help to battle online piracy, and he hopes they will expand to other industries and domain name services. </p>
<p>&#8220;While this agreement is geared to film and television piracy, similar agreements could address other illegal activity online. Hopefully, it can become a model to be used with other players in the domain name ecosystem and Internet intermediaries,&#8221; Fabrizio says.</p>
<p>While the deal doesn&#8217;t put any major pirate sites at risk right away, it does limit the number of domain name options they have. It also means that sites such as yts.host, thepiratebay.tech and torrentmirror.online could soon disappear.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122015
title: Sony Pictures Targets Torrent Sites With Preemptive Takedowns
uri: Sony-Pictures-Targets-Torrent-Sites-With-Preemptive-Takedowns
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Q0j8BDfLRz8/
content:
<p><img src="media/8f778b69.SONY_PICTURES_NETWORKS_LOGO.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/SONY_PICTURES_NETWORKS_LOGO.jpg" alt="SONY_PICTURES_NETWORKS_LOGO" width="144" height="171" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122018">While it&#8217;s not widely publicized, many larger torrent sites regularly remove links to infringing files. This allows copyright holders to somewhat limit the availability of their works on the Internet.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, movie studios and other rightsholders hire anti-piracy companies to track down infringing content. These outfits then send takedown notices to the sites in question. </p>
<p>In India, the local Sony Pictures&#8217; representatives are taking a different approach. This week they informed several torrent site operators about their upcoming release, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4906984/">Azhar</a>, which premieres in theaters today. </p>
<p>However, instead of linking to torrents or specific URLs, the notice is a general warning urging site owners to keep the film off their sites. Citing the Indian Copyright Act, the company warns that distributing the film would break the law.</p>
<p>&#8220;By way of the present caution notice issued to you, we caution you and your website, not to indulge in any broadcasting, rebroadcasting, making available for viewing and / or communicating to the public, the film and any content associated thereof, without obtaining permission / authorization from our client,&#8221; the notice reads.</p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Pictures_Networks">Sony Pictures Networks</a>&#8216; anti-piracy partner MarkScan adds that they will keep a close eye on the developments, and warns that civil or criminal lawsuits may follow if the warning is ignored.</p>
<p>&#8220;We will be monitoring your activities for any act of infringement of the statutory and contractual rights of our Client and shall be compelled to initiate legal proceedings (civil and/or criminal) should you engage in violation of our Client&#8217;s rights despite the present notice,&#8221; they write.</p>
<p>While the language may sound intimidating, the torrent site operators we spoke with have no plans to take preemptive action. Besides broad keyword filters, there are few options to prevent users from uploading content that&#8217;s not available yet.</p>
<p>At the time of writing we haven&#8217;t seen any pirated copies of Azhar on torrent sites, but the soundtrack is widely distributed. Despite the threats, it&#8217;s likely that the movie will follow soon after the first releases leak online.</p>
<p><center><strong>The Preemptive notice</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/c505aebb.sonypicindia.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sonypicindia.png" alt="sonypicindia" width="600" height="861" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122017"></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122063
title: RIAA Ceremony Commends ICE For “Historic” Pirate Site Shutdown
uri: RIAA-Ceremony-Commends-ICE-For-Historic-Pirate-Site-Shutdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/fWkvprpkcRY/
content:
<p><img src="media/328083ef.IPRC_Seized.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/IPRC_Seized.jpg" width="299" height="224" class="alignright">In 2010, U.S. authorities launched Operation in Our Sites, an anti-piracy campaign aimed at pushing copyright-infringing sites offline.</p>
<p>In its early days several high-profile sites including the infamous <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ninjavideo-founder-sentenced-to-22-months-in-prison-120106/">Ninjavideo</a> were taken down but over time authorities focused more on sites connected to the supply of counterfeit physical goods.</p>
<p>In 2014, however, two music-focused piracy sites were on the radar of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigators. RockDizFile.com and RockDizMusic.com were two interconnected operations and in October 2014 disappeared from the Internet to be replaced by the now famous ICE domain seizure banner.</p>
<p>RockDizMusic was an index for popular new music while RockDizFile was a file-storage site acting as a storage facility for its similarly named counterpart. Both were run by Rocky P. Ouprasith of Charlotte, N.C., who was arrested following the execution of a Homeland Security Investigations search warrant.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/381fe0db.rockdizmusic.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/rockdizmusic.jpg" width="869" height="580" class="aligncenter"></center></p>
<p>While the sites had a much lower profile than many of the world&#8217;s leading torrent indexes, in 2013 the RIAA branded RockDizFile “as the second largest online file-sharing site in the reproduction and distribution of infringing copies of copyrighted music in the United States.”</p>
<p>Subsequent court documents placed a value of $6 million on the amount of content pirated by the site. Ouprasith entered a guilty plea and last November was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/operator-of-u-s-music-piracy-sites-jailed-for-three-years-151118/">sentenced</a> to serve a total of 36 months in prison with two years supervised release. The 23-year-old was also ordered to forfeit almost $51,000 and pay more than $45,000 in restitution.</p>
<p>This week, almost six months after the successful prosecution, the RIAA expressed gratitude to the U.S. law enforcement officers involved in the operation. During a special ceremony L. Carlos Linares, vice president of Anti-Piracy Legal Affairs at the RIAA, thanked ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents stationed in the United States, Canada, France and the Netherlands for bringing Ouprasith&#8217;s sites to their knees.</p>
<p>“On behalf of the major U.S. record labels, we are grateful for the excellent work of the ICE agents involved in this historic case,” said RIAA Chairman &#038; CEO Cary Sherman.</p>
<p>“Music creators cannot make a living doing what they love when sites like RockDizMusic and RockDizFile are allowed to permeate the marketplace with illegal music, creating a damaging domino effect throughout our entire economy.</p>
<p>&#8220;This agency has repeatedly shown that it will work vigilantly to protect consumers from illicit sites and preserve one of America’s greatest exports – the intellectual property of our creative industries.”</p>
<p>ICE-HSI Executive Associate Director Peter Edge said that cooperation with groups such as the RIAA is a vital aspect of anti-piracy operations.</p>
<p>“Collaboration with industry is absolutely critical to conducting effective intellectual property enforcement. The dedication from agents involved in this case is a testimony to the importance we place on defending the U.S. economy, protecting consumers and cracking down on criminal organizations engaged in counterfeiting and other forms of IP theft,” Edge said.</p>
<p>According to ICE, the RIAA initially referred the case to the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) before it was transferred to Homeland Security Investigations offices in Norfolk, Virginia.</p>
<p>While music piracy remains as rampant as ever, this prosecution sent a message to would-be pirates in the United States that the highest levels of law enforcement are at the RIAA&#8217;s disposal, should they be required. That being said, most large sites are operated from outside U.S. borders.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122094
title: MPAA ‘Invests’ Millions in Academic Piracy Research
uri: MPAA-Invests-Millions-in-Academic-Piracy-Research
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/riCkQt4vku0/
content:
<p><img src="media/1f9a16ec.mpaa-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-1.jpg" alt="mpaa" width="222" height="163" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119098">All over the world, hundreds of researchers are looking into the effects of piracy and copyright legislation. </p>
<p>These studies are interesting from an academic point of view, but they are also crucially important for stakeholders who lobby lawmakers for change. </p>
<p>Hollywood&#8217;s MPAA is one of the groups with a vested interest. The organization often <a href="http://www.mpaa.org/research-and-reports/">uses research</a> to argue their case, and actively criticizes studies that are not in line with their agenda.</p>
<p>In addition, the MPAA is also actively funding research in this area. Most notably, the group sent multiple gifts to Carnegie Mellon&#8217;s “Initiative for Digital Entertainment Analytics” (<a href="http://idea.heinz.cmu.edu/">IDEA</a>), which researches various piracy related topics. </p>
<p>As mentioned previously, MPAA contributed $100,000 to the program in 2012, which was bumped to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-pays-university-for-piracy-research-141118/">$912,000</a> a year later. And it doesn&#8217;t stop there. </p>
<p>The organization&#8217;s most recent <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/312470534/Mpaa-990?secret_password=AybTC7p8MLfeDqcncyiM">tax filing</a> which appeared online this week shows that they sent another gift in 2014, worth a cool $1,000,000. This is the largest donation the MPAA made during the year, and a significant chunk of their $72 million yearly revenue. </p>
<p><center><strong>MPAA&#8217;s gift</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/ae759b23.carnegrantgift.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/carnegrantgift.jpg" alt="carnegrantgift" width="518" height="143" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122099"></center></p>
<p>The continued support suggests that the movie industry group is happy with the results IDEA has achieved so far. The research program resulted in the publication of several high quality peer-reviewed papers in recent years, which largely fall in line with the industry&#8217;s agenda.</p>
<p>For example, an IDEA paper recently <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-site-blocking-boosts-interest-in-vpns-research-shows-200416/">showed</a> that pirate site blockades boost the use of legal services such as Netflix, and a previous paper <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/search-engines-can-diminish-online-piracy-research-finds-140916/">found</a> that search engines can help to diminish online piracy.</p>
<p>However, the researchers stress that the gift is unrestricted, which means that in no way does it influence the results of their work. </p>
<p>IDEA co-director Rahul Telang informs TorrentFreak that the gift is used to hire researchers and pay for research materials. It is not tied to a particular project. </p>
<p>&#8220;The funding allows us to hire research scientists, post-docs, PhD students and masters students for our projects. Many projects are data intensive that require either purchase of expensive data or collection of data which is time consuming,&#8221; Telang says. </p>
<p>Telang couldn&#8217;t say how much the entire budget for IDEA is, or what gifts it received from the MPAA after 2014. </p>
<p>&#8220;Exact funding amount is a bit tricky since the university takes a pot of money as overhead before we can get to use the money. Plus other funding goes up and down,&#8221; he says. </p>
<p>In addition to funding IDEA, the MPAA also supports other academic researchers on a smaller scale. Two years ago the group started a <a href="http://www.mpaaresearchgrants.org/">grants program</a> inviting academics to pitch their research proposals.</p>
<p>Researchers were offered a $20,000 grant for projects that address various piracy related topics, including the impact of copyright law and the effectiveness of notice and takedown regimes. </p>
<p>The above clearly shows that Hollywood sees academic research as a valuable tool, and indeed, it has cited various studies in its recent lobbying efforts. </p>
<p>Of course it has to be said that MPAA is not the only industry group that finances research. Various companies from the other side of the table, such as Google, do exactly the same.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=121961
title: Copyright Holders Try To Remove BBC iPlayer From Google
uri: Copyright-Holders-Try-To-Remove-BBC-iPlayer-From-Google
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/NzNXR9rqEFw/
content:
<p><a href="media/9a754751.bbc1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/bbc1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-31596"><img src="media/aa3c6858.bbc1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bbc1.jpg" alt="bbc" width="200" height="160" class="alignright size-full wp-image-31596"></a>The controversy over the prevalence of copyrighted material appearing online without rightsholder permission has ramped up to new levels this year, with a somewhat predictable twist.</p>
<p>Apparently in no position to tackle the hundreds of &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites online today, organizations including the MPAA and RIAA have turned almost entirely on Google, complaining that the search giant does little to stop infringing content appearing in its results.</p>
<p>With the recent Copyright Office DMCA efficacy <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-govt-reviews-impact-and-efficacy-of-dmca-safe-harbor-160105/">consultation</a> ringing in everyone&#8217;s ears, fresh attacks on Google are conveyed on an almost daily via friendly blogs run by industry supporters. Meanwhile, Google continues to silently process millions of takedown requests every week, precisely none of which relate to infringements carried out by the company.</p>
<p>But as the public criticism of Google mounts, what is less well reported is how impressively the company continues to deal with the abuses of the DMCA carried out by hundreds if not thousands of copyright holders and their hopeless automated bots. Case in point, recent attacks on the BBC.</p>
<p>As one of the world&#8217;s most famous and responsible broadcasters the BBC takes copyright infringement and indeed all aspects of the law extremely seriously. However, according to a whole bunch of copyright holders the company&#8217;s website is a hive of infringement.</p>
<p>As illustrated in the image below, the BBC has recently been subjected to a wave of copyright infringement allegations from several copyright holders, none of which appear to have any merit.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/f0aee75a.bbc-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bbc-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-122052"><img src="media/f0aee75a.bbc-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bbc-1.png" alt="bbc-1" width="600" height="229" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122052"></a></center></p>
<p>One of the worst blunders comes from Indian anti-piracy outfit <a href="http://www.markscan.co.in/contactus.php">Markscan</a> who on their homepage refer to themselves as a &#8220;knowledge partner&#8221; of the MPAA.</p>
<p>In a notice sent to Google aiming to protect the rightsholders behind the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Paris_ePrix">2016 Paris ePrix</a> (electric Formula E racing) Markscan <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/12138047">demanded</a> the takedown of several hundred links supposedly showing the event live without a license.</p>
<p>Unfortunately the company&#8217;s bots fingered the wrong suspect, first trying to take down the BBC iPlayer version of BBC News and later the BBC&#8217;s flagship entertainment channel, BBC1.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/30b4f0e3.bbc-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bbc-2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-122056"><img src="media/30b4f0e3.bbc-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bbc-2.png" alt="bbc-2" width="650" height="116" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122056"></a></center></p>
<p><center><a href="media/1c7a7752.bbc-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bbc-3.png" rel="attachment wp-att-122057"><img src="media/1c7a7752.bbc-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bbc-3.png" alt="bbc-3" width="650" height="122" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122057"></a></center></p>
<p>We didn&#8217;t examine in detail all 574 links sent by Markscan but the Yahoo one shown above is also bogus. Furthermore, most of the links appear to reference live streams of the Paris race which took place on April 23, 2016. The notice wasn&#8217;t sent until the day after, long after the race had finished. Overall, Google rejected 97% of the Markscan claims.</p>
<p>But the fun doesn&#8217;t end there. Waves of notices sent by anti-piracy outfit Topple Track targeted the BBC late March, each informing Google that the broadcaster is infringing on the rights of recording labels. One demanded the takedown of <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/requests/3280120/">38 BBC pages</a>, another <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/requests/3279357/">40 pages</a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/domains/bbc.co.uk/">sundry others</a> in between.</p>
<p>What all of these takedowns have in common is that they&#8217;re all bogus, they&#8217;re all abuses of the DMCA, and every single one was somehow spotted by Google and rejected. As outlined earlier, copyright holders are often extremely critical of Google but it appears that far from accepting every notice coming in, Google is actually taking the time to do the right thing and is regularly saving copyright holders from each other.</p>
<p>Some <a href="http://voxindie.org/google-funded-dmca-study-suspect/">argue</a> that the relatively <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/28-of-piracy-takedown-requests-are-questionable-160331/">small percentage</a> of incorrect notices sent is hardly worth mentioning in the overall scheme of things, but when they are your URLs being removed from search, things take on a different light. Thanks to Google&#8217;s vigilance BBC iPlayer remains in its indexes, no doubt the Corporation will be grateful for that.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122041
title: IBM Patents Printer That Doesn’t Copy Infringing Content
uri: IBM-Patents-Printer-That-Doesn-t-Copy-Infringing-Content
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/oRGmi88DCDk/
content:
<p><img src="media/1661a9e4.ibm.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ibm.jpg" alt="ibm" width="250" height="122" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122045">Every week hundreds of million of people copy and print documents, even though they officially don&#8217;t always have the rights to do so. </p>
<p>This unauthorized printing can be problematic for copyright holders, such as book authors, IBM says, and this week the company filed a patent application for a technology that aims to counter the problem. </p>
<p>Simply titled “Copyright Infringement Prevention,” the patent’s main goal is to &#8216;restrict&#8217; the functionality of printers, so they only process jobs when the person who&#8217;s printing them has permission to do so.</p>
<p>It works as follows. When a printer receives a print job, it parses the content for potential copyrighted material. If there is a match, it won&#8217;t copy or print anything unless the person in question has authorization.</p>
<p>&#8220;The computer, in response to identifying any text, images, or formatting indicative of potential copyrighted material, identifies potential copyrighted material within the file.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;The computer determines whether the file may be printed based, at least in part, on the identified potential copyrighted material,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/312461758/Ibm-Print?secret_password=uhnboMw21MqI0FraOnWv">patent</a> description adds.</p>
<p>The patent describes various variations on this approach, and IBM notes that ISBN numbers, United States Copyright Office records, and other public resources could be used to define the copyright status of a work. </p>
<p><center><strong>Image from IBM&#8217;s patent</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/b1ba3b23.ibmpatent.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ibmpatent.png" alt="ibmpatent" width="600" height="707" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122044"></center></p>
<p>IBM sees a wide variety of applications for their printer patent. For example, it may also include a feature that provides users with &#8220;options to acquire permissions&#8221; to print or copy something. </p>
<p>In addition, the printer can also scan through large amounts of texts, much like the plagiarism checkers many schools use nowadays.</p>
<p>The patent doesn&#8217;t go into detail about the potential market for these type of printers, but we doubt that the general public will be very interested in a printer or scanner that limits what they can do. </p>
<p>That said, it may be more suitable for a business environment, where preventing infringements and limiting rights or users often has a higher priority. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122161
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 05/16/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-05-16-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/JMrxU4L5GTc/
content:
<p><img src="media/85d1cad7.capt1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/capt1.jpg" alt="capt1" width="300" height="164" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122164">This week we have three newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Captain America: Civil War 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 BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-050916/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_america_civil_war/">Captain America: Civil War</a> (TC) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820">8.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKrVegVI0Us">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_to_be_single_2016/">How To Be Single</a> (Web-DL) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1292566/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrDI4-BSovs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_huntsman_winters_war/">The Huntsman: Winter&#8217;s War</a> (Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381991/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2-_OQL9fBk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/london_has_fallen/">London Has Fallen</a> (Web-DL) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3300542/">6.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AsOdX7NcJs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zoolander_2/">Zoolander 2</a> (Web-DL) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1608290/">5.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CL4LNWHegk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zootopia/">Zootopia</a> (TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948356/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWM0ct-OLsM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Deadpool</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/">8.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIM1HydF9UA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a> (TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">7.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX_iASz1Si8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(10)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_jungle_book_2016/">The Jungle Book</a> (TS) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3040964/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtR9tqPa48s">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10_cloverfield_lane/">10 Cloverfield Lane</a> (Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179933/">7.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saHzng8fxLs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122167
title: UK Govt Targets Google and Facebook in Piracy Crackdown
uri: UK-Govt-Targets-Google-and-Facebook-in-Piracy-Crackdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/8MNjBfLs87Q/
content:
<p><img src="media/4d28e669.uk-flag.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/uk-flag.jpg" alt="uk-flag" width="200" height="179" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86005">Last week the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-government-expands-crackdown-on-online-piracy-160510/">published its strategy</a> for tackling copyright infringement over the next four years.</p>
<p>Among other things, the government said that it would work with search engines and social media platforms to reduce the availability of infringing content on their services. </p>
<p>However, new information just made available suggests that this cooperation may not take place on entirely voluntary basis. </p>
<p>In fact, the Government is considering the introduction of updated anti-piracy legislation if the measures taken by Google, Microsoft, Facebook and other tech stakeholders prove insufficient. </p>
<p>Civil servants at the IPO have started to collect evidence for ministers to document potential gaps in current legislation which need to be addressed, The Times <a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/web-giants-must-stamp-out-piracy-or-face-legal-action-sk76mxgtd">reports</a> today. </p>
<p>According to Ros Lynch, director of copyright and enforcement at the IPO, not all tech companies are doing as much as they should.</p>
<p>“A number of companies do have procedures in place and they are taking some action. I’m not saying they’ve been wholly effective. Some are not doing as much as they could,&#8221; Lynch says.</p>
<p>In recent months the UK Government has hosted talks with tech companies and entertainment industry players, hoping to reach voluntary agreements. Thus far these meetings have been without result. </p>
<p>Google, one of the primary targets of the movie and music industry companies, maintains that the current takedown system is both effective and efficient enough to deal with infringing content. </p>
<p>However, UK music group BPI would like to see a more pro-active anti-piracy stance from various intermediaries. Search engines, for example, should make sure that content doesn&#8217;t re-appear under a new URL once it&#8217;s been removed.</p>
<p>“This damaging situation can only be remedied by Google themselves changing strategy and proactively pursuing a ‘notice and stay down’ approach, so that once a piece of content has been notified for removal by the BPI, it isn’t indexed again for the same site and stays removed,” the BPI <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bpi-hits-200-million-google-takedowns-calls-for-notice-and-stay-down-160324/">noted</a> previously.</p>
<p>How UK law could be amended to address these concerns is unclear, but the major search engines and social networks are likely to push back hard against more restrictive policies.</p>
<p>This is not the first time that the UK Government has warned major Internet companies over their lacking anti-piracy policies. Former UK Culture Secretary Sajid Javid issued a similar <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-govt-warns-google-microsoft-yahoo-over-piracy-140902/">&#8220;legislative&#8221; threat</a> two years ago, without much effect.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122182
title: YouTube Are Criminal Piracy Racketeers, Grammy Winner Says
uri: YouTube-Are-Criminal-Piracy-Racketeers-Grammy-Winner-Says
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/uyoOcWixIks/
content:
<p><a href="media/b9f3b5ba.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117196"><img src="media/34e023fb.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="sadyoutube" width="275" height="196" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117196"></a>Throughout the heated exchanges of the SOPA anti-piracy debate in 2011 and 2012 the entertainment industries demanded tough legislation to deal with the growing menace of overseas pirate sites.</p>
<p>Now, four years later, the emphasis appears to have switched. While KickassTorrents and The Pirate Bay are still somewhere on the agenda, Google has transformed into the new bad guy and the pressure is mounting in a way never witnessed before.</p>
<p>The U.S. Copyright Office&#8217;s <a href="media/dcbb6a6f.2015-32973.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-12-31/pdf/2015-32973.pdf">request for comments</a> into the efficacy of the DMCA&#8217;s safe harbor provisions has resulted in a wave of condemnation for both Google search and the company&#8217;s YouTube platform, with everyone from the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/music-industry-u-s-copyright-law-is-obsolete-and-harmful-160401/">major record labels</a> to the MPAA and back again attacking the technology giant.</p>
<p>While the language has often been bitter and at times scathing, an attack this weekend by Grammy award-winning musician <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Schneider_%28musician%29">Maria Schneider</a> really ups the ante by stating that YouTube is guilty of the same criminal acts that Megaupload is currently accused of.</p>
<p>&#8220;YouTube is guilty of criminal racketeering,&#8221; Schneider wrote in an open letter to the platform.</p>
<p>&#8220;YouTube has thoroughly twisted, contorted, and abused the original meaning of the outdated DMCA &#8216;safe harbor&#8217; to create a massive income redistribution scheme, where income is continually transferred from the pockets of musicians and creators of all types, and siphoned directly into their own pockets.&#8221;</p>
<p>But Schneider didn&#8217;t step off the gas there. The 55-year-old composer and musical director also turned on lawmakers for allowing Google&#8217;s lobbying efforts to cloud their judgment.</p>
<p>&#8220;Congress seems to be too hypnotized by Alphabet lobbyists, swarming like locusts, for the lawmakers to stand up straight with a firm sense of right and wrong, and defend the Constitution and the citizens of this country,&#8221; she added.</p>
<p>&#8220;When we analyze the bullying behavior of YouTube, in my opinion YouTube has created an illegal business through intimidation – the classic Webster’s Dictionary definition of racketeering.&#8221;</p>
<p>The word &#8216;opinion&#8217; appears no less than six times in Schneider&#8217;s letter, which is probably prudent when accusing one of the world&#8217;s most important companies of engaging in organized crime.</p>
<p>Still, Schneider doubles down by insisting that rather than hiding behind the DMCA&#8217;s safe harbor provisions, YouTube has lost its right to do so after encouraging its users to become pirates.</p>
<p>&#8220;YouTube and its parent Alphabet have obliterated the original meaning of the &#8216;safe harbor&#8217; law with their bullying and coercive schemes to get their users to disrespect and ignore copyright,&#8221; Schneider wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;YouTube has substantially influenced the behavior of hundreds of millions of its users toward infringement, fermenting a veritable pirate orgy.  YouTube goes way beyond turning a blind eye to the marauding masses; it actively seduces its users into illegal behavior, and has even managed to make its users believe pirate behavior is beneficial to creators.&#8221;</p>
<p>These are bold words but really just the tip of the iceberg of a piece that derides every facet of Google&#8217;s &#8220;piracy factory&#8221; with terminology usually reserved for gangster movies. Accusing YouTube of<br>
being “pusher” of pirate activity on its unsuspecting “users”, Schneider says the company bullies, demonizes, intimidates and threatens rightsholders into submission. </p>
<p>&#8220;The sweeping influence of their scam has succeeded in dismantling copyright from the inside, like a flesh-eating virus, influencing citizens to destroy themselves.  Any company influencing behavior like this, especially for the purposes of eroding Constitutional rights, should lose their safe harbor,&#8221; she adds.</p>
<p>In closing, Schneider has several key demands. Front and center is a call for &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eff-warns-against-broad-stay-down-anti-piracy-filters-160122/">takedown and staydown</a>&#8220;, the mechanism championed by every Google critic thus far in this DMCA consultation.</p>
<p>Second, the musician wants stricter controls on upload, including the mandatory use of the latest digital fingerprinting technology. How these would allow for fair use isn&#8217;t discussed.</p>
<p>Finally, she wants copyright holders&#8217; identities hidden when they carry out a takedown, to stop them being &#8220;intimidated&#8221; by the public.</p>
<p>The letter in its full glory is available <a href="https://musictechpolicy.com/2016/05/15/guest-post-by-schneidermaria-open-letter-to-youtube-pushers-of-piracy/">here</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122194
title: Universal Music Appeals VKontakte Piracy Lawsuit
uri: Universal-Music-Appeals-VKontakte-Piracy-Lawsuit
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/7q9aYrPqHlY/
content:
<p><img src="media/2dca634d.vk.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/vk.jpg" alt="vk" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-72276" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/vk-150x150.jpg 150w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/vk.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px">For several years <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VK_(social_networking)">VKontakte</a>, or VK, has been branded as a piracy facilitator by copyright holders and even the U.S. Government.</p>
<p>In common with many user-generated sites, VK allows its millions of users to upload anything from movies and TV shows to their entire music collections. However, copyright holders often claim that Russia’s social network has failed to adopt proper anti-piracy measures.</p>
<p>Two years ago this resulted <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/major-record-labels-sue-russian-facebook-piracy-140403/">in a lawsuit</a> filed at the Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region Arbitration Court, in which Universal Music and Warner Music demanded countermeasures and compensation for the large-scale copyright infringement VK allegedly facilitates.</p>
<p>Last year, the labels scored an <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/russian-facebook-ordered-to-crack-down-on-piracy-150929/">important victory</a>. The Saint Petersburg &#038; Leningradsky Region Arbitration Court ruled  that although VK could not be held liable for infringement, it was obliged to implement “effective” filtering or other technology to prevent infringement of the labels’ rights.</p>
<p>However, a few months later this decision was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/universal-warner-defeated-in-vkontakte-piracy-battles-160304/">overturned</a>. The region’s Appeal Court decided that VKontakte is not required to implement broad anti-piracy measures, and maintained the position that the social network is not responsible for infringements committed by its users.</p>
<p>The labels were clearly disappointed by the overturned verdict and this week Universal Music officially lodged an appeal, <a href="http://rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20160516/276106978.html">Rapsi reports</a>. </p>
<p>The music label hopes that VK will be held accountable and is demanding damages for the incurred losses. In the original complaint Universal asked for 13 music tracks to be removed from the site while seeking compensation of around 15.6 million rubles ($241,900).</p>
<p>Whether Warner Music has filed a similar appeal is unknown at this point, but industry sources previously said that the label was likely to pursue the case at a higher court.</p>
<p>A third record label, Sony Music, already <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sony-settles-piracy-lawsuit-with-russias-facebook-150728/">ended</a> its proceedings against VKontakte at an earlier stage. The company dropped its complaints last summer after reaching a confidential settlement with the social network.</p>
<p>Responding to various piracy allegations last year, VK director Dmitry Sergeev promised that the company would do its best to tackle the problem. </p>
<p>Sergeev <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vkontakte-asks-u-s-to-remove-pirate-site-stamp-141105/">admitted</a> that the service has a history of being used for piracy, especially audio, but added that the company has put a lot of effort into its anti-piracy measures, often in cooperation with rightsholders.</p>
<p>“Over the last years, especially in 2013 and 2014, VK took numerous steps to address copyright holders’ concerns. These steps were part of the VK long-term plan of improvement and cooperation with the rightsholders and copyright industry associations,” Sergeev noted.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s now up to the court to decide whether VK&#8217;s efforts are indeed sufficient.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122199
title: Rightscorp Revenues Collapse, Pirates Too Hard to Track
uri: Rightscorp-Revenues-Collapse-Pirates-Too-Hard-to-Track
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ZLulOg_oxD4/
content:
<p><img src="media/ea7c06f8.rightscorp.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/rightscorp.png" width="222" height="54" class="alignright">According to the world&#8217;s leading entertainment industry companies, piracy continues to run riot on the Internet. Movies, TV shows, music and software are downloaded in their millions every day, with most anti-piracy measures a mere band-aid.</p>
<p>As a result companies have sprung up to take advantage of this situation, with U.S.-based Rightscorp a prime example. Rightscorp sends DMCA notices to ISPs in the hope they&#8217;ll forward them to their pirating customers. Attached to each one is a demand for around $30 to make a supposed lawsuit go away.</p>
<p>While Rightscorp were originally less offensive than some of the larger copyright trolls in the United States, it didn&#8217;t take long for their &#8220;speeding ticket&#8221; type model to start developing into lawsuits, against both <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/comcast-users-sued-after-ignoring-piracy-notices-150516/">regular users</a> and even Internet service providers such as <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-communications-sued-for-not-disconnecting-pirates-141128/">Cox Communications</a>.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for the company this aggression doesn&#8217;t appear to be paying off. Rightscorp has never made a profit and in 2015 had its worst year yet after turning in a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rightscorp-blames-vpns-and-isps-for-drop-in-revenue-160331/">net loss of $3.5m</a>. The first three months of 2016 are not only worse, but can best be described as dismal.</p>
<p>In its latest quarterly report Rightscorp says that during the three months ended March 31, 2016, the company generated just $68,283 in revenue. To put that into perspective, in the same period last year the company pulled in $307,904. That&#8217;s a decrease of $239,621 or 78%.</p>
<p>So what justification does Rightscorp give for losing eight-tenths of its business? Well, as per its 2015 summary the company&#8217;s explanation is somewhat vague so we&#8217;ll have to read between the lines.</p>
<p>Reason A: <em>Changes in the filesharing software intended to defeat detection of copyrights being illegally distributed</em></p>
<p>Seemingly deliberately cryptic, this seems to reference file-sharers hiding their online activities, probably though the use of VPNs, proxies and other anonymous technologies.</p>
<p>Reason B: <em>Less forwarding of the Company&#8217;s notices by ISPs</em></p>
<p>If ISPs really are forwarding less notices, Rightscorp are in serious trouble. The company relies on this mechanism to reach alleged file-sharers and if it cannot do that, its business model lies in tatters.</p>
<p>Reason C: <em>The shutting down of some filesharing network infrastructure.</em></p>
<p>Again, the company gives no details, but it&#8217;s certainly possible that the demise of several large torrent trackers during the year made Rightscorp&#8217;s job of harvesting IP addresses a lot more difficult since they now have to rely more on BitTorrent&#8217;s DHT (<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bittorrents-future-dht-pex-and-magnet-links-explained-091120/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bittorrents-dht-turns-10-years-old-150607/">2</a>).</p>
<p>TF spoke with someone who was close to one of the largest now-defunct trackers who gave us his theory.</p>
<p>&#8220;With enough requests, you could find every IP address sharing a torrent via a tracker. Not so with DHT,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;You could do it with DHT but it would take days, by which time most people have already drive-by-downloaded the file and stopped seeding.&#8221;</p>
<p>Since Rightscorp deals mainly with small music downloads the time people spend on a torrent is already much shorter than for movies. It therefore makes sense that the expanded amount of time to track them via DHT could be hurting the company.</p>
<p>Of course, falling revenues are not only a problem for Rightscorp, they&#8217;re also a problem for the company&#8217;s copyright holder partners. Rightscorp pays out 50% of the revenues it collects to record companies such as BMG, but no one will be getting rich after the first three months of 2016.</p>
<p>&#8220;For the three months ended March 31, 2016 we accrued $49,142 due to copyright holders. For the three months ended March 31, 2015 we accrued $153,952 to copyright holders,&#8221; the company says.</p>
<p>That decrease of 68% is a pretty poor result, particularly since Rightscorp struggles to maintain even five major clients. Even if the profits were split equally that would be just over $3,000 per month each. With smaller clients on board too, that amount diminishes even further.</p>
<p>But of course that&#8217;s not the full picture, Rightscorp has lots of costs too. In the first three months of the year legal fees amounted to $127,617, wages and related charges topped $303,000, with sundry other costs building to a grand total of $961,105.</p>
<p>As a result the company <a href="https://biz.yahoo.com/e/160516/riht10-q.html">recorded</a> a net loss of $784,180 during the past three months. At this rate the company will lose another $3.1m this year, unless it can stop people from hiding with VPNs, force ISPs to cooperate more, or find a better way to harvest IP addresses.</p>
<p>None seem likely at this point.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122202
title: Megaupload Hard Drives Are Unreadable, Hosting Company Warns
uri: Megaupload-Hard-Drives-Are-Unreadable-Hosting-Company-Warns
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Z8EwaJ_1e9Y/
content:
<p><img src="media/9a9629f5.megaupload-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megaupload-logo.jpg" alt="megaupload-logo" width="250" height="208" class="alignright size-full wp-image-95191">As we near the 5th anniversary of the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-shut-down-120119/">Megaupload raid</a>, data from hundreds of the site&#8217;s servers are gathering dust around the world. </p>
<p>This is also true for the files that were hosted by Cogent, one of the companies where Megaupload stored its servers. </p>
<p>While the original machines are no longer intact, the hosting company has backed up all data which it will keep in storage pending the various lawsuits against the company and its operators.</p>
<p>However, the lack of progress in the various legal proceedings isn&#8217;t doing the hard drives any good, something the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-studios-want-to-copy-megauploads-servers-160404/">RIAA and MPAA already hinted at</a> earlier this year. </p>
<p>Not an unrealistic fear, as Cogent recently informed Megaupload and the rightsholders that half of the hard drives have now become unreadable. </p>
<p>&#8220;Recently, the parties have each been advised by Cogent that it has been unable to read eight of the sixteen computer hard drives on which the Megaupload cached data have been stored,&#8221; Megaupload informed (<a href="media/b7925f85.megauploadcogent.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megauploadcogent.pdf">pdf</a>) a Virginia federal court this week. </p>
<p>While this is a worrying message, it doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean that all data is lost. Cogent believes that the “drive heads” may be just be “frozen” but it has requested outside help to confirm this.</p>
<p>&#8220;Without the assistance of a computer forensic expert, however, Cogent cannot confirm that the data remains extant and uncorrupted,&#8221; Megaupload writes, adding that the hosting company doesn&#8217;t want to pay for the expenses itself. </p>
<p>On previous occasions the federal court postponed decisions over how to secure the evidence stored on hard drives, but all parties would now like to see some action.  </p>
<p>In its request to the court, Megaupload argues that either the copyright holders or the Government should pick up the tab for preserving the data. The defunct file-hosting service can&#8217;t contribute itself, since its assets remain frozen. </p>
<p>Also, since the U.S. Government previously copied selected portions of the Cogent data as evidence, it now has an obligation to secure the rest as well, if only to avoid the suspicion of cherry-picking evidence.</p>
<p>&#8220;Having seized control of the Carpathia servers in order to obtain &#8216;selected&#8217; portions of the data, the government has triggered its duty to preserve the remaining data because the entire data-set &#8216;might be significant&#8217; to the defense of the Criminal Action,&#8221; Megaupload writes.</p>
<p>For their part the RIAA and MPAA also want to make sure that the data is preserved so have renewed their request (<a href="media/a7c42d75.megaserverriaampaa.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megaserverriaampaa.pdf">pdf</a>) for a subpoena to obtain copies. </p>
<p>Alternatively, both rightsholder groups are open to bringing in an independent computer forensics vendor, to copy and preserve the data while the civil cases <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/judge-riaa-and-mpaa-cant-copy-megauploads-servers-yet-160427/">are on hold</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122231
title: Copyright Holders Dominate Closed-Door DMCA Hearings
uri: Copyright-Holders-Dominate-Closed-Door-DMCA-Hearings
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/8FeiruCK5SE/
content:
<p><img src="media/0333c7dc.copyright-blood.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-blood.jpg" width="225" height="151" class="alignright">Earlier this year the U.S. Government ran a public consultation to evaluate the effectiveness of the DMCA’s Safe Harbor provisions. These include issues such as &#8216;notice and takedown&#8217; plus short-comings and abuses that arise from the current system.</p>
<p>In the final days of the consultation Fight for the Future (<a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/">FFTF</a>) and popular YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiH828EtgQjTyNIMH6YiOSw">Channel Awesome</a> launched a campaign urging the public to get involved. What followed was a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/50000-people-protest-dmca-abuse-crash-government-server-160401/">massive response</a> to the U.S. Copyright Office coordinated via the associated <a href="https://www.takedownabuse.org/">TakedownAbuse site</a>. But that was just the beginning.</p>
<p>Thanks to the huge support FFTF and Channel Awesome (CA) were able to convince the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) to give them seats at the table in a series of closed-door meetings on DMCA reforms held in San Francisco last week. Jeff Lyon (FFTF) and Mike Michaud (CA) <a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2016-05-17-a-look-inside-the-closed-door-dmca-meetings/">attended</a> and they report that discussion was heavily skewed in favor of copyright owners.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unfortunately, the hearings appeared to be rigged against the public interest, and unless we step up our game, it’s looking very likely that the USCO will make the DMCA even worse, with major giveaways to the copyright industry that put SOPA-style restrictions on independent content creators,&#8221; Lyon reports.</p>
<p>The FFTF CEO says that while Google, EFF and Mozilla were in attendance <em>(<a href="media/9a1e63c9.ca-agenda.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.copyright.gov/policy/section512/ca-agenda.pdf">pdf</a>)</em>, they were outnumbered by pro-copyright groups including the MPAA, RIAA, Copyright Alliance (who previously labeled FFTF&#8217;s campaign participants as &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-group-likens-massive-dmca-abuse-protests-to-zombie-apocalypse-160409/">zombies</a>&#8220;), Creative Future, Disney, Paramount and NBCUniversal.</p>
<p>Speaking with TorrentFreak, Lyon says that one of the key copyright industry demands is for a &#8220;take down, stay down&#8221; system which would require platform owners to proactively police user-uploaded content.</p>
<p>&#8220;I can say for sure that there was overwhelming consensus in favor of &#8216;take down, stay down&#8217; from members of the discussions affiliated with the copyright industry,&#8221; Lyon says. </p>
<p>&#8220;The idea is that once a copyright holder files a DMCA takedown for a particular piece of content, for example a music clip, it should then become the responsibility of the website operator to proactively scan everything uploaded by users and block that content from being posted in the future.&#8221;</p>
<p>Lyon says that this would effectively eliminate a user&#8217;s right to file a counter-notice, since they would be unable to post any content with a copyright claim against it, even in a fair use situation.</p>
<p>&#8220;Being unable to post copyrighted content also means users would be less able to sue copyright holders to assert a fair use right, since the content would be blocked by the website, instead of being taken down by a legal claim made by the copyright holder,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak asked Lyon if copyright holders had made any suggestions on how such a complex system could work in practice. Apparently some feel it is Google&#8217;s problem.</p>
<p>&#8220;Keith Kupfershmid of Copyright Alliance said something to the effect of &#8216;I&#8217;m not a techie, but if they can make self driving cars, they can surely figure out how to keep copyrighted material from being posted,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>However, also in attendance was Tony Rodriguez of anti-piracy outfit <a href="https://www.digimarc.com/">Digimarc</a>. Lyon says that Rodriguez suggested that his company has the ability to deal with the job.</p>
<p>&#8220;It was strongly implied that Digimarc&#8217;s scanning technology could be adapted for use by website owners to comply with staydown requirements. I think Digimarc is practically salivating at the prospect of being in control over a government-mandated copyright protection racket, where they can serve both copyright holders and website owners who are held hostage by new staydown rules,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;Overall the attitude was that it should be the tech industry&#8217;s problem to figure out how to do it and pay for it. Nobody had a good answer for determining fair use scenarios programmatically.&#8221;</p>
<p>While physically outnumbered by copyright holders, Google senior copyright counsel Fred von Lohman agreed with Jeff Lyon that content filtering technology is extremely expensive and burdensome for website owners to develop, noting that Google had spent over $40 million and deployed 100 software engineers to develop its Content ID system. Others weighed in too.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of the best points was made by Daphne Keller from Stanford Law,&#8221; Lyon says.</p>
<p>&#8220;She backed up my and von Lohman&#8217;s claims that content scanning systems are generally expensive, but added that good content scanning algorithms that could protect fair use rights will be very expensive. Thus if sites are required to implement content scanning, they will be incentivized to use cheap options that would err on the side of filtering out lawful content and fair use.&#8221;</p>
<p>Interestingly, sitting right next to Lyon in one of the sessions was MPAA attorney Dean Marks. He appeared to have SOPA on his mind.</p>
<p>&#8220;After some light-hearted joking banter with the regulators, the MPAA attorney suggested new legislation to take down entire websites (aka SOPA) for suspected copyright infringement,&#8221; Lyon explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;He spoke briefly and near the end of the meeting, so it was really almost in passing. He did not get into specifics about overseas websites [per SOPA], only mentioned that torrent sites only exist to spread pirated material and should be taken down completely.&#8221;</p>
<p>Overall, Lyon says he gets the impression that rather like with the SOPA debate, these DMCA discussions are being framed as &#8220;copyright industry vs. tech industry&#8221;, something which undermines the public interest. Nevertheless, FFTF and groups including EFF are putting up a fight.</p>
<p>&#8220;The general public is more affected by the DMCA than they even know. Copyright holders are abusing the process to censor negative reviews and commentary from the Internet. Creators are discouraged from fighting back, facing lost revenue and permanent bans from online platforms,&#8221; Lyon says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The sheer number of copyright holders at the meetings allowed them to push the discussions toward their &#8216;take down, stay down&#8217; agenda, and they repeatedly tried to discredit nearly 100,000 comments sent by the public calling them out for mass censorship and abuse of the existing DMCA takedown rules. The copyright industry is clearly engaging in a massive lobbying effort to bring new SOPA-style legislation back in front of Congress.&#8221;</p>
<p>FFTF acknowledge that their opponents are powerful lobbying forces but they believe they have the tools and the public backing to put up a fight.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve beat them before and we can do it again. The copyright industry was blindsided by nearly 100,000 comments sent to the Copyright Office in the span of one day. When the next round of public commenting opens up, we will be ready, and our voices will be impossible to ignore,&#8221; Lyon concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122229
title: Filmmakers Ask “Pirate” to Take Polygraph, Backtrack When He Agrees
uri: Filmmakers-Ask-Pirate-to-Take-Polygraph-Backtrack-When-He-Agree
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/JwDSKdkQHwg/
content:
<p><img src="media/2381f8ad.dallas1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dallas1.jpg" alt="dallas" width="275" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-96710">The makers of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790636/">Dallas Buyers Club</a> have sued thousands of BitTorrent users over the past two years.</p>
<p>Many of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dallas-buyers-club-sues-bittorrent-pirates-citing-oscar-wins-140312/">these cases</a> end up being settled for an undisclosed amount. This usually happens after the filmmakers obtain the identity of the Internet account holder believed to have pirated the movie.</p>
<p>Not all alleged downloaders are eager to pay up though. In fact, many don’t respond to the settlement letters they receive or claim that someone else must have downloaded the film using their connection.</p>
<p>This is also true in the case Dallas Buyers Club filed against California resident Michael Amhari. The filmmakers claimed that Amhari downloaded a pirated copy of the movie after he was linked to a pirating IP-address and demanded a $10,000 settlement. </p>
<p>However, Amhari denies any involvement, and when the copyright holders demanded a polygraph test to prove it, he agreed. However, soon after, Dallas Buyers Club&#8217;s attorney retracted the offer.</p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiff demanded that defendant take a polygraph examination in exchange for a dismissal of the case. Plaintiff&#8217;s counsel disingenuously stated that he would bear all the costs for such a polygraph test,&#8221; Amhari&#8217;s counsel Clay Renick writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;When plaintiff&#8217;s counsel then agreed to take such a test with the proviso that defense costs and attorney fees be covered, plaintiff then refused to pay costs and revoked his offer to conduct a polygraph.&#8221;</p>
<p>Instead of coming to terms, Dallas Buyers Club asked the court to order a default judgment in their favor, which Amhari&#8217;s counsel asked the court (<a href="media/caf06d95.dallaspiratepoly.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dallaspiratepoly.pdf">pdf</a>) to set aside. </p>
<p>In addition to the backpedaling on the polygraph offer the filmmakers also made other false promises, according to the defendant&#8217;s lawyer. </p>
<p>For example, they offered to dismiss the case if he would state under penalty of perjury that he was not involved, while pointing out another possible suspect. However, after Amhari submitted his declaration they moved for a default anyway.</p>
<p>&#8220;After receiving exculpatory evidence and the sworn declaration of defendant, Mr. Davis then refused to file a dismissal and proceeded to demand that defendant appear in the action or he would file a default.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;This behavior is galling and it should not be permitted by the court,&#8221; the defendant&#8217;s counsel adds. </p>
<p>Because of these dubious tactics the court should set aside the default that was entered earlier this month. According to Renick, Dallas Buyer&#8217;s Club has nothing more than an IP-address to back up their infringement claims, which is not enough to prove guilt. </p>
<p>&#8220;This action is further proof of the malicious motives of plaintiff’s counsel who proceeds against an innocent defendant with nothing other than an IP-address to support his allegations,&#8221; he concludes. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122305
title: KickassTorrents Blocking Case Suspended By Music Industry
uri: KickassTorrents-Blocking-Case-Suspended-By-Music-Industry
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/UZNduXjiYZE/
content:
<p><a href="media/d82e0bf5.kickass.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/kickass.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-21602"><img src="media/6df39282.kickass.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kickass.jpg" alt="kickass" width="205" height="143" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21602"></a>Last month, members of the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and Australasian collecting society APRA AMCOS teamed up to file the music industry&#8217;s first &#8216;pirate&#8217; site blocking application Down Under.</p>
<p>Filed at the Federal Court under section 115A of the Copyright Act 1968, member labels Universal Music, Warner Music, Sony Music and J Albert &#038; Son demanded that leading torrent site KickassTorrents (KAT) should be blocked by the country’s ISPs.</p>
<p>“Online infringement continues to be a major threat to the sustainability of the Australian music industry. Illegal offshore sites like Kickass Torrents show a complete disrespect for music creators and the value of music,” said Jenny Morris OAM, Chair of the APRA Board.</p>
<p>But now, exactly one month later, the case has been temporarily suspended in an effort to cut down on costs. The problem lies with two other key cases already underway in Australia, both of which involve similar requests to block &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites. All three are likely to become bogged down with the same problems.</p>
<p>The first involves a case brought by TV giant Foxtel <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-pirate-bay-blocking-process-begins-in-federal-court-160315/">which targets</a> The Pirate Bay, Torrentz, isoHunt and TorrentHound. The second features the movie division of Village Roadshow, Roadshow Films, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-site-targeted-by-aussie-blockade-refutes-studio-claims-160219/">taking on</a> streaming portal Solarmovie.</p>
<p>In those cases ISPs including TPG (including subsidiary iiNet), Optus, Telstra and M2 say they don&#8217;t intend to oppose the studios&#8217; requests for a blockade. However, there is a dispute over <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/australian-isps-refuse-to-pay-for-pirate-site-blocking-160506/">who will pay</a> for the blocks to be put in place. The ISPs feel they are innocent parties and shouldn&#8217;t be forced to finance the operation, the studios disagree. There is also a dispute over how the blocks will be carried out from a technical perspective.</p>
<p>With these problems in mind, the record labels appeared in court yesterday with a request for their case against KickassTorrents to be suspended until after the other cases have been settled. The labels see little point in going over the same ground in parallel and feel that agreement in the other cases will provide a template for theirs.</p>
<p>&#8220;Given that the form of relief is a major component of the dispute between Roadshow and Foxtel and the ISPs, and there&#8217;s been a considerable amount of time spent between the applicants and respondents negotiating forms of orders and final relief in an attempt to standardize the forms of order sought by the applications,&#8221; counsel for the music industry <a href="http://www.itnews.com.au/news/music-industry-delays-piracy-site-blocking-battle--419689">said</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;We propose deferral of consideration of the relief elements for this proceeding until after determination of the Foxtel and Roadshow applications.&#8221;</p>
<p>A delay, which would save time and money, was also endorsed by the Internet service providers.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want to minimize the costs that are expended. In that light it&#8217;s certainly prudent to come back after that other hearing,&#8221; Optus counsel said.</p>
<p>Justice Katzmann agreed to the delay and ordered a case management hearing for July 11 to take place after the film studios&#8217; hearing next month. A final hearing will take place in October following a judgment in the film studios&#8217; cases.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122310
title: Seized Popcorn Time “News” Domain Sparks Free Speech Appeal
uri: Seized-Popcorn-Time-News-Domain-Sparks-Free-Speech-Appeal
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/sfGOQBu0vaI/
content:
<p><img src="media/3b9dbdf1.popcornt.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcornt.png" alt="popcornt" width="237" height="106" class="alignright size-full wp-image-101106">Movie companies worldwide see Popcorn Time as one of the largest piracy threats against their businesses. </p>
<p>They are doing their best to put a halt to its popularity and are taking broad steps to contain it, sometimes with help from the authorities. </p>
<p>Earlier this year Norwegian rightsholders reported a local Popcorn Time site to the local economic crime police. Responding to this referral, the authorities <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/norwegian-police-seize-popcorn-time-information-site-160308/">seized</a> the Popcorn-Time.no domain name.</p>
<p>While it uses Popcorn Time in the domain name the site didn’t host the application itself but instead posted news articles, as well as links to sites that offered the application.</p>
<p>This broad takedown of a news-focused site raised concerns with digital rights activists and legal experts. Not only is the legality of the site debated, but also the use of a far-reaching measure without a proper judicial review.</p>
<p>Hoping to hold the authorities accountable, Electronic Frontier Norway (<a href="https://efn.no/">EFN</a>) and the Norwegian Unix User Group (<a href="http://www.nuug.no/">NUUG</a>) <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/norwegian-authorities-sued-over-popcorn-time-domain-seizure-160418/">took the case to court</a>. The main question they want answered is whether the domain seizure was appropriate in this case.</p>
<p>However, late last week the court <a href="https://efn.no/no/nyheter/pressemeldinger/nuug-og-efn-nektes-domstolkontroll-av-dns-domenebeslag-gir-ikke-opp-og-soker-bitcoin-stotte">refused</a> to take on the case, arguing that both parties lacked standing, as they were not sufficiently affected by the domain seizure.</p>
<p>While it was a disappointing decision for the groups, it didn&#8217;t mark the end of the case. Today, EFN and NUUG filed an appeal and this time were joined by the legal owner of the domain name, the Norwegian company IMCASREG8. </p>
<p>IMCASREG8 didn&#8217;t run the site but acted as an intermediary between the operator of the domain and the registrar. On paper, they are the legal owner of the domain name.</p>
<p><center><strong>Popcorn-time.no when it was still active</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/307b3667.popcor-no.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcor-no.jpg" alt="popcor-no" width="600" height="353" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119038"></center> </p>
<p>With the new party the groups hope to have sufficient standing to have the case heard. In their appeal there&#8217;s a strong focus on the free speech element, and they hope the court will clarify when domain seizures are appropriate.</p>
<p>“We feel that this is an important case that addresses the limits of free speech,” EFN’s managing director Tom Fredrik Blenning tells TorrentFreak. </p>
<p>NUUG leader Hans-Petter Fjeld adds that the authorities shouldn&#8217;t be allowed to seize the domain name of a news site, which writes about open source software that by itself is not infringing. </p>
<p>&#8220;Part of what makes us upset is that the domain name of a news site about a piece of free software that has both legal and illegal uses, has been seized without judicial scrutiny,&#8221; Fjeld says.</p>
<p>It is now up to the court to decide whether the appeal will be heard. For now, the Popcorn-Time.no site remains offline, flashing a police notice.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122331
title: Music Industry Wants More Money From YouTube
uri: Music-Industry-Wants-More-Money-From-YouTube
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qv7j92wLt6s/
content:
<p><img src="media/a5365da2.youtubeface.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubeface.jpg" alt="youtubeface" width="222" height="158" class="alignright size-full wp-image-107705">YouTube is arguably one of the best alternatives to piracy for casual listeners. Instead of going through the trouble of downloading a track for &#8216;sampling&#8217; purposes, people can usually play it from YouTube straightaway. </p>
<p>The added bonus is that copyright holders also earn money from authorized plays on the site, which generates dozens of millions in added revenue per month. </p>
<p>While this might sound positive, the major music labels are not pleased with YouTube at all. In fact, in recent months they&#8217;ve been pushing hard to revamp current legislation, so they can make YouTube pay more than just a small portion of the ad-revenue.</p>
<p>Figures reported by BPI today reveal that music video plays surged 88% last year, but that revenues rose only 0.4% in the same period. According to BPI Chief Geoff Taylor artists and labels are clearly not benefiting from the growing demand</p>
<p>&#8220;Instead, dominant tech platforms like YouTube are able to abuse liability protections as royalty havens, dictating terms so they can grab the value from music for themselves, at the expense of artists,&#8221; he says.  </p>
<p>&#8220;This is wrong. Music is precious – it’s not a commodity to be strip-mined for big data,&#8221; he adds. </p>
<p>Ultimately, the music industry wants YouTube and other user generated services to pay more. In part, they think this can be achieved by making sure that &#8220;pirate&#8221; videos no longer appear on the site.</p>
<p>If there was no pirated content on YouTube the labels believe they would be in a better position to negotiate than they are now. Ideally, this should happen by changing copyright law so the site can no longer &#8220;hide behind&#8221; safe harbor protections.</p>
<p>&#8220;This problem requires urgent action by the EU, and our Government needs to take the lead in making sure it is tackled,” Taylor says. </p>
<p>The music industry attack on YouTube is well-coordinated. BPI&#8217;s comments fall in line with similar complaints made by other music industry groups, including the RIAA which recently accused  YouTube of running a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-says-youtube-is-running-a-dmca-protection-racket-160412/">DMCA-protected protection racket</a>.</p>
<p>YouTube owner Google, meanwhile, remains seemingly unfazed by the complaints. The company recently stressed that it does have proper licensing deals with both major and independent labels and that it paid out over a billion dollars in recent years. </p>
<p>In addition the company noted that there are sufficient tools to remove infringing content from Google.</p>
<p>&#8220;Those pressing the &#8216;value grab&#8217; argument also assert that the royalty rates in these licenses are too low, allegedly because the DMCA’s notice-and-takedown process makes it too difficult for record labels to withdraw their works from YouTube in the face of users re-uploading those works. </p>
<p>&#8220;This claim, however, ignores Content ID, which has been in existence since 2008 and which record labels use every day to monetize their works on YouTube,&#8221; Google noted.</p>
<p>One thing&#8217;s very clear though. With Google and YouTube being targeted from multiple sides, we haven&#8217;t heard the last of this yet. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122354
title: Fox ‘Stole’ a Game Clip, Used it in Family Guy & DMCA’d the Original
uri: Fox-Stole-a-Game-Clip-Used-it-in-Family-Guy-DMCA-d-the-Orig
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/0-1DN32eTvk/
content:
<p><a href="media/7e8165ab.familyguy.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/familyguy.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-122368"><img src="media/7e8165ab.familyguy.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/familyguy.jpg" alt="familyguy" width="220" height="147" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122368"></a>Just when you think you&#8217;ve seen every ridiculous example of a bogus DMCA-style takedown, another steps up to take the crown. This week&#8217;s abomination comes courtesy of Fox and it&#8217;s an absolute disaster.</p>
<p>In last Sunday&#8217;s episode of Family Guy titled &#8220;<a href="http://familyguy.wikia.com/wiki/Run,_Chris,_Run/Notes/Trivia">Run, Chris, Run</a>&#8220;, Peter and Cleveland play the 1980s classic Nintendo video game Double Dribble. Peter doesn&#8217;t play fair though and exploits a glitch in the game that allows his player to shoot a three-point goal every time. The clip is available on YouTube.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bm84_r5s7qA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Perhaps surprisingly the game glitch is absolutely genuine and was documented in a video that was uploaded to YouTube by a user called &#8216;sw1tched&#8217; back in February 2009.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is an automatic shot my brothers and I found on the NES Double Dribble back in the 80&#8217;s when it was released. I know others know this also, but as long as you release at the right point it is automatic. The half court shot I took at the end goes in 80% of the time, but i didn&#8217;t want to keep recording&#8230;.HAHA,&#8221; sw1tched wrote.</p>
<p>Interestingly the clip that was uploaded by sw1tched was the exact same clip that appeared in the Family Guy episode on Sunday. So, unless Fox managed to duplicate the gameplay precisely, Fox must&#8217;ve taken the clip from YouTube.</p>
<p>Whether Fox can do that and legally show the clip in an episode is a matter for the experts to argue but what followed next was patently absurd. Shortly after the Family Guy episode aired, Fox filed a complaint with YouTube and took down the Double Dribble video game clip on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed59WhzXlkk&#038;feature=youtu.be&#038;t=13">copyright grounds</a>. (mirror <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2n7uuj">Daily Motion</a>)</p>
<p><center><a href="media/40a48021.doubledribble-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/doubledribble-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-122357"><img src="media/40a48021.doubledribble-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/doubledribble-1.png" alt="doubledribble-1" width="650" height="576" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122357"></a></center></p>
<p>Faced with yet another example of a blatantly wrongful takedown, TorrentFreak spoke with <a href="https://fightforthefuture.org/">Fight for the Future</a> CTO Jeff Lyon. Coincidentally he&#8217;d just watched the episode in question.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s most likely that this is just another example of YouTube&#8217;s Content ID system automatically taking down a video without regard to actual copyright ownership and fair use. As soon as FOX broadcast that Family Guy episode, their robots started taking down any footage that appeared to be reposted from the show — and in this case they took down the footage they stole from an independent creator,&#8221; Lyon says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The problem with an automated DMCA takedown system is that robots can never know the difference between fair use and copyright infringement. It is not hyperbolic to call this mass censorship,&#8221; he continues.</p>
<p>&#8220;Instead of copyright holders having to prove a video is infringing, their scanning software can take it down automatically, and then it falls on the creator to prove they had a right to post it. Creators are discouraged from filing counter-notices to stand up for their work, facing lost revenue and permanent bans from online platforms. This erodes fair use and free speech on the Internet.&#8221;</p>
<p>The entire situation is indeed bewildering and utterly ridiculous. The original Double Dribble game came out in 1987, some 12 years before the very first episode of Family Guy aired in 1999. The clip of the glitch was uploaded by sw1tched more than seven years ago. Then somehow Fox came along, copied it, put it into their TV show, claimed copyright on it, and then nuked the original clip from the Internet.</p>
<p>You couldn&#8217;t make it up. Nor would you want to.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122341
title: Pirate Bay’s Domain Shuffle Has Come Full Circle
uri: Pirate-Bay-s-Domain-Shuffle-Has-Come-Full-Circle
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5DGpGR_qzUI/
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">When The Pirate Bay first came online during the summer of 2003, its main point of access was thepiratebay.org. </p>
<p>Since then the site has burnt through more than a dozen domains, trying to evade seizures or other legal threats.   </p>
<p>Over the past few months The Pirate Bay has been active from the .SE domain, but after the registry was ordered to forfeit the domain to the Swedish state <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-pirate-bay-domains-forfeited-state-160512/">last week</a> the notorious torrent site quickly switched. </p>
<p>The domain dispute is not officially over yet, as the Supreme Court still has to make a decision, but The Pirate Bay wasted no time and immediately started redirecting the .SE TLD to the good old .ORG just in case.</p>
<p>Ironically, the torrent site moved away from the thepiratebay.org four years ago because it feared a domain name seizure from the United States. However, instead of providing more stability it triggered a rather impressive domain shuffle as the overview below shows.</p>
<p><em>&#8211; In 2012 TPB switches from .ORG to .SE, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-moves-to-se-domain-prevent-domain-seizure-120201/">fearing</a> a domain seizure.</p>
<p>&#8211; In 2013 TPB <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-moves-to-gl-domain-in-anticipation-of-domain-seizure-130409/">trades .SE for .GL</a> over a pending lawsuit.</p>
<p>&#8211; TPB is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/new-pirate-bay-greenland-domains-about-to-be-seized-130410/">not welcome</a> in Greenland, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-finds-safe-haven-in-iceland-switches-to-is-domain-130425/">switches to .IS</a>.</p>
<p>&#8211; Swedish authorities go after the .IS domain, TPB <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-moves-to-sx-as-prosecutor-files-motion-to-seize-domains-130430/">moves to .SX</a>.</p>
<p>&#8211; Sint Maarten&#8217;s registry suspends .SX domain, TPB <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-moves-to-ac-after-domain-name-seizure-131210/">relocates</a> to .AC.</p>
<p>&#8211; AC isn&#8217;t safe, so TPB <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-docks-in-peru-new-system-will-make-domains-irrelevant-131212/">sails to Peru</a>.</p>
<p>&#8211; PE domain is suspended, next stop <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-moves-to-guyana-131218/">Gyuana</a>.</p>
<p>&#8211; GY domain lasts only a few days, so TPB decides to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-back-in-swedens-calm-waters-after-gy-suspension-131219/">move back</a> to the SE domain.</em></p>
<p>In 2015 TPB leaves the .SE domain again as the domain lawsuit is about to come to its conclusion. Instead of moving to one alternative, the site decided to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-moves-to-gs-la-vg-am-mn-and-gd-domains-150519/">enable six domains at once</a>.</p>
<p>In the months that followed this “hydra” was carefully destroyed as registrars and registries suspended the domain names in question. This most likely happened in response to copyright holder complaints.</p>
<p><em>&#8211; First, South Georgia&#8217;s registry <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-loses-new-domain-name-hydra-lives-on-150522/">took away</a> the .GS domain</p>
<p>&#8211; A few weeks later the Armenian <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-hydra-loses-another-domain-name-150715/">.AM domain was suspended</a>. </p>
<p>&#8211; At the end of 2015 the LA, .GD, .MN and .VG were <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/registrar-shuts-down-pirate-bay-domain-names-151228/">lost as well</a>, leaving the hydra headless. </em></p>
<p>With the hydra gone, The Pirate Bay once again went back to the .SE domain. Earlier this year the site briefly added an additional <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-switches-on-new-ms-domain-160107/">.MS TLD</a>, but this <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/registry-suspends-pirate-bays-new-ms-domain-name-160114/">was suspended</a> after a few days.</p>
<p>Last week The Pirate Bay decided to &#8216;leave&#8217; the .SE domain once again after a court ruling put it at risk, making the .ORG the default again. This means that after nearly half a decade, the domain shuffle has come full circle.  </p>
<p>However, for some reason we have a feeling that this wont be the last domain switch we&#8217;ll see. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122373
title: ISP: Police Request Most User Data for File-Sharing “Crimes”
uri: ISP-Police-Request-Most-User-Data-for-File-Sharing-Crimes
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/09YQTv8CL48/
content:
<p><img src="media/f2bfe741.pirate-running.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-running.jpg" alt="pirate-running" width="222" height="204" class="alignright size-full wp-image-78717">In recent years Internet provider <a href="https://www.bahnhof.se/">Bahnhof</a> has fought hard to protect the privacy of its subscribers.</p>
<p>The company has been a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/swedish-isps-obstruct-new-anti-piracy-legislation-090427/">major opponent</a> of extensive data retention requirements, launched a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isp-provides-free-vpn-to-protect-customer-privacy-141117/">free VPN</a> to its users, and recently vowed to protect subscribers from a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isp-vows-to-prevent-users-from-a-piracy-witch-hunt-160422/">looming</a> copyright troll invasion.</p>
<p>This week Bahnhof reiterated its pro-privacy stance by stressing that it doesn&#8217;t hand over personal details of alleged pirates, not even to the police. </p>
<p>For the first time in history the company <a href="https://www.bahnhof.se/press/press-releases/2016/05/19/fildelning-i-topp-nar-polisen-utreder-brott-pa-internet">published</a> details on the nature of police data requests. Interestingly, this reveals that file-sharing &#8216;crime&#8217; is the largest category by far. </p>
<p>Of all requests received by the ISP well over a quarter, 27.5%, were for cases related to online file-sharing. This trumps other crimes such as grooming minors, forgery and fraud.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want to publish these figures to show that police are violating people&#8217;s privacy and putting resources into meaningless trifles,&#8221; Bahnhof CEO Jon Karlung says, commenting on the release.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/a78afcf4.Bahnhof-small.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Bahnhof-small.png" alt="Bahnhof-small" width="572" height="428" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122386" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Bahnhof-small-200x150.png 200w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/Bahnhof-small.png 572w" sizes="(max-width: 572px) 100vw, 572px"></center></p>
<p>While the total number of 40 requests is relatively modest the data shows that file-sharing is high on the agenda for the Swedish police. However, from Bahnhof they shouldn&#8217;t expect any cooperation. </p>
<p>Citing European privacy regulations the Internet provider says that it will only hand over data to the police if the complaint applies to a serious crime, which doesn&#8217;t apply to piracy according to the company.</p>
<p>The ISP&#8217;s decision <a href="https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/2016/05/first-time-isp-reveals-police-demand-subscriber-data-turns-ordinary-file-sharing-investigated-crime/">goes against</a> the recommendation of the Swedish Telecoms Authority as well as the police, and a future court ruling is expected to provide more clarity on the issue.  </p>
<p>Until then, Bahnhof will continue to shield alleged file-sharers from police requests for their personal data.</p>
<p>&#8220;The IP address is your fingerprint on the web,&#8221; Karlung says, noting that it&#8217;s tied to people&#8217;s browsing habits and all sorts of private data. &#8220;It shall not be disclosed without strong reasons.&#8221; </p>
<p>The recent comments fall in line with the ISP&#8217;s critique on the ongoing push to criminalize file-sharing in Sweden. Just a few weeks ago Karlung <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isp-boss-criticizes-calls-to-criminalize-file-sharers-160507/">dismissed calls</a> for harsher punishments for online piracy, noting that rightsholders should concentrate on developing better legal options instead.</p>
<p>For their part, the police <a href="http://www.svt.se/kultur/bahnhof-lagen-anvands-inte-for-att-bekampa-terrorism">note</a> that the high number of file-sharing related requests are the result of increased enforcement efforts from copyright holders. When these report criminal activity, police are obliged to investigate the matter.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><em>Credit: <a href="https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/2016/05/first-time-isp-reveals-police-demand-subscriber-data-turns-ordinary-file-sharing-investigated-crime/">Translated chart</a> by Rick Falkvinge<br>
</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122290
title: ISP Runs Huge Pirate Site Especially For Customers
uri: ISP-Runs-Huge-Pirate-Site-Especially-For-Customers
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/F4R32Hpu9Q8/
content:
<p><a href="media/71374742.spongepirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/spongepirate.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-102272"><img src="media/9231f6fe.spongepirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spongepirate.jpg" alt="spongepirate" width="170" height="208" class="alignright size-full wp-image-102272"></a>There are hundreds of &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites on the Internet today, most of them run by groups who choose to remain in the shadows. Identities are prized pieces of information in the torrent and streaming worlds and they&#8217;re extremely tightly guarded.</p>
<p>There are exceptions of course. The original people behind The Pirate Bay are well known public figures and the same can be said of Gary Fung of isoHunt, for example. In general, however, people tend to distance themselves from piracy in case groups like the MPAA and RIAA decide to pounce.</p>
<p>That being said, apparently there are those who really couldn&#8217;t give a damn.</p>
<p>Established in 2005, <a href="http://www.connect.net.pk/">Connect Communications</a> is one of the largest Internet service providers in Karachi, Pakistan, and they are proud of it.</p>
<p>&#8220;Connect Communications offer state of the art broadband connection to your home on ethernet with trunk network on Optical Fiber. Now you can take full advantage of Gigabit Network for your various network utilities,&#8221; the company says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our Residential Broadband access gives you the ultimate high speed Internet experience with download speeds up to 100Mbps. Download a full length movie in under 10 minutes or take advantage of our DoDear services such as playing online games at Connect&#8217;s game arena or downloading movies and music.&#8221;</p>
<p>Of course, many ISPs offer downloads but Connect&#8217;s DoDear service really goes the extra mile. It&#8217;s advertised on the company&#8217;s main page, as shown in the screenshot below (bottom right).</p>
<p><center><a href="media/ddc4f41e.dodear.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dodear.png" rel="attachment wp-att-122326"><img src="media/ddc4f41e.dodear.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dodear.png" alt="dodear" width="650" height="603" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122326"></a></center></p>
<p>After accessing the DoDear portal one can immediately see this is no ordinary ISP service. On the main page lists of TV shows and movies appear alongside torrent-site like categories such as software, games, movies, videos and music. Clicking the movie tab removes all lingering thoughts that this might be a legitimate service.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/aeaf7297.dodear-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dodear-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-122329"><img src="media/aeaf7297.dodear-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dodear-1.png" alt="dodear-1" width="643" height="444" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122329"></a></center></p>
<p>With released and unreleased movies on the left and links to the uTorrent and BitTorrent clients plus VLC media player on the right, it soon becomes clear that Connect Communications are running a fully-fledged pirate site. And to make things easier for pirates, DoDear even allows users to filter movies by cam, telesync (TS), screener and master (DVDrip).  </p>
<p>Software pirates are well catered for too. DoDear has several hundred applications for download, all neatly arranged with cover art for each title. The site also has plenty of games which are conveniently split into genres such as racing, action, adventure, shooting and sports.</p>
<p>Another factor which will be quite alien to torrent site users is the fact that DoDear is publicly recruiting for people to help run their portal.</p>
<p>&#8220;At dodear we are always seeking talented, creative and innovative professionals. If you&#8217;re the one with a passion for learning and exploring yourself and having the enthusiasm for proving youself then we can provide a fair value to you,&#8221; the service notes in its &#8216;<a href="http://www.dodear.com/index.php/en/company/careers">careers</a>&#8216; section.</p>
<p>This somewhat bizarre situation probably gives a flavor of why the United States Trade Representative considers Pakistan to be a piracy problem. Interestingly, however, the United States downgraded the threat last month, apparently because progress is being made.</p>
<p>&#8220;USTR is moving Pakistan from the Priority Watch List to the Watch List in 2016 with an [out of cycle review] due to the Government of Pakistan’s significant efforts to implement key provisions of the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan Act of 2012 and the newfound determination with which Pakistan has approached IPR over the past 12 months,&#8221; the USTR said in its latest Special 301 Report <em>(<a href="media/d98adad0.USTR-2016-Special-301-Report.pdf" data-original-source="https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/USTR-2016-Special-301-Report.pdf">pdf</a>)</em>.</p>
<p>For the curious, the DoDear pirate portal can be found <a href="http://www.dodear.com">here</a> although people looking to download will be disappointed. Torrent links are blocked for non-Connect Communications customers.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122458
title: Steal This Show S01E10: ‘The Dark Side Of OTT’
uri: Steal-This-Show-S01E10-The-Dark-Side-Of-OTT
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Hh94Mbyp-OM/
content:
<p><img src="media/585776e5.steal240.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/steal240.png" alt="steal240" width="200" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-113930"></a>In this episode <a href="https://twitter.com/twatan">Natan Edelsburg</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MindaSmiley">Minda Smiley</a>, executive editor and reporter at media and advertising platform <a href="http://www.thedrum.com">The Drum</a> respectively, reflect on the future of Over The Top TV. </p>
<p>We discuss how streaming services could ignite a new piracy war, Hulu&#8217;s use of pirate data to decide what content to acquire, and how new moves from the FCC could land Popcorn Time on set top boxes in the US. </p>
<p>Finally we eye a potentially unruly future for Over The Top, with the appearance of generic android-based hardware and easy-to-use, renegade services like Kodi and Viper Media. How will content producers and advertisers adapt?</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> Natan Edelsburg and Minda Smiley.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="100%" height="180px" src="//stealthisshow.com/?lpe-frame=1&#038;lpe-season=1&#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> Eric Bouthiller<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="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122188
title: TorrZan Allows You to Download Torrents Via Telegram
uri: TorrZan-Allows-You-to-Download-Torrents-Via-Telegram
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/nquNEN2Q64Q/
content:
<p><img src="media/62df69d5.telegram.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/telegram.jpg" alt="telegram" width="222" height="160" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122280">With 100 million  active users, <a href="https://telegram.org/">Telegram</a> is one of the most used messaging services, but it&#8217;s much more than that. </p>
<p>The application, which is supported by all leading operating systems, also allows developers to create nifty bots. This can come in quite handy. </p>
<p>The new <a href="http://www.torrzan.com/">TorrZan bot</a>, for example, can grab torrents directly from the messaging application. With a series of simple commands it&#8217;s easy to find or add popular torrents, which can then be downloaded with a simple click. </p>
<p>The torrent files are not shared over the user&#8217;s local network, but from TorrZan&#8217;s servers. Once a download is complete the files can be downloaded to a local device, or played directly if they are streamable. </p>
<p>We tried the free version, which allows people to test three torrents up to 10GB without speed restrictions. Downloading a copy of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sintel">film Sintel</a> took just a few minutes and after <a href="media/92deb9fc.teletorrent.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/teletorrent.jpg">it was completed</a> an https link to the mp4 video played seamlessly on both iPhone and PC. </p>
<p>The developers of TorrZan say they created the service to provide an easy and convenient tool for people to download torrents, while keeping user privacy in mind.</p>
<p>&#8220;We created this bot only because we believe that it is the most convenient and easiest way to download torrents across all platforms that are supported by Telegram, which includes Android, iOS, Windows Phone, PC, Mac and Linux,&#8221; TorrZan&#8217;s team informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p><center><br></br></center><center><img src="media/1be2e346.torrzanex.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrzanex.jpg" alt="torrzanex" width="600" height="393" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122276"></center></p>
<p>TorrZan doesn’t record or store any logs of your downloading activity, which is good to know. As an added privacy bonus, it uses external servers to download the torrents so users&#8217; local IP-addresses are not visible to the public.</p>
<p>Besides adding torrents or magnet links manually, users can also use the bot to search for files. This appears to work nicely for well-known titles, and avoids the extra step of having to search for links on third-party sites.</p>
<p>&#8220;We integrated a search feature that displays torrents from popular torrent sites right inside our bot. This means that our users don&#8217;t have to jump through hoops, they can simply find torrents and download them directly inside the same interface,&#8221; the TorrZan team says.</p>
<p>The bot is still in the early stage of development and the team is planning to introduce several new features and updates in the future. Among other things, they want to make it easier to integrate video and audio playback with local devices. </p>
<p>For now, anyone can test the service for free without any restrictions. However, the services uses a freemium model and after three torrents non-paying users are limited to 1 GB of storage and a 50 KB\s download limit. </p>
<p>Those interested in giving it a free spin can visit the official <a href="http://www.torrzan.com/">TorrZan site</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122461
title: New Game of Thrones Episode Leaks Online Early
uri: New-Game-of-Thrones-Episode-Leaks-Online-Early
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/iZa5ce9_EgI/
content:
<p><img src="media/9fc504d2.got6.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/got6.jpg" alt="got6" width="250" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-121258">More than twenty-four hours before its official premiere, the fifth episode of the latest Game of Thrones season is already widely available on torrent and streaming sites.</p>
<p>According reports from several viewers, HBO Nordic accidentally made the episode available on its site a few hours ago. </p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s online right now, if you want to go and watch it, but they might remove it soon. Someone probably messed up by putting it there,&#8221; Reddit user Ozires writes (<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/freefolk/comments/4kgs1s/episode_5_the_door_has_leaked_on_hbo_nordic/">spoiler warning</a>).</p>
<p>After this it didn&#8217;t take long before someone ripped the show, and soon after many links to pirated copies started to appear. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak can confirm that the leak is indeed legitimate. The quality of the pirated copy we&#8217;ve seen is rather low, but it nonetheless receives a lot of attention from Game of Thrones fans.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s rather ironic that HBO itself appears to be the source for this leak. The company decided to stop releasing promotional screeners this year, fearing that outsiders would leak these. Perhaps the company should take a good look at its internal policies as well.</p>
<p><center><strong>Episode 5 <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/freefolk/comments/4kgs1s/episode_5_the_door_has_leaked_on_hbo_nordic/d3euo0n">on HBO Nordic</a></strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/2218a22e.hbonordicleak.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hbonordicleak.jpg" alt="hbonordicleak" width="600" height="343" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122473"></center></p>
<p>For several years in a row Game of Thrones has been the most pirated TV-show, and this year the interest is once again overwhelming.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s too late to stop today&#8217;s leak from getting out, HBO has increased its efforts to combat piracy. In recent weeks thousands of pirates <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hbo-warns-game-of-thrones-pirates-removes-torrents-160507/">have received warnings</a> in their mailboxes, and the company is also fervently <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hbo-warns-game-of-thrones-pirates-removes-torrents-160507/">taking down links</a> to pirated copies of the show.</p>
<p><center><strong>Screencap from the latest episode</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/63a82163.gotleak4.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gotleak4.jpg" alt="gotleak4" width="600" height="330" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122474"></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122476
title: Paramount Will End Case Against Fan-Funded Star Trek Film
uri: Paramount-Will-End-Case-Against-Fan-Funded-Star-Trek-Film
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/sylwuCrsji0/
content:
<p><img src="media/b89b241e.axanar.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/axanar.jpg" alt="axanar" width="250" height="148" class="alignright size-full wp-image-121946" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/axanar-220x130.jpg 220w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/axanar.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px">Earlier this year Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios filed a lawsuit against the makers of a Star Trek inspired fan film, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-studios-sue-fan-funded-star-trek-spin-off-151231/">accusing</a> them of copyright infringement.</p>
<p>The dispute centers around the well-received short film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prelude_to_Axanar">Star Trek: Prelude to Axanar</a> and the planned follow-up feature film Axanar.</p>
<p>Among other things, the Star Trek rightsholders claim ownership over various Star Trek related settings, characters, species, clothing, colors, shapes, words, short phrases and even the Klingon language.</p>
<p>While the legal battle has barely got going it now appears it will soon end. During a Star Trek fan event on Friday, director J.J. Abrams <a href="http://deadline.com/2016/05/star-trek-axanar-lawsuit-ending-jj-abrams-paramount-1201760721/">announced</a> that the case will be over soon, thanks to  Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin.</p>
<p>&#8220;We started talking about this realizing that this is not an appropriate way to deal with the fans. The fans should be celebrating this thing,&#8221; Abrams <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZFycZqcQhQ">said</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Fans of Star Trek are part of this world. So Justin went to the studio and pushed them to stop this lawsuit and now, within the next few weeks, it will be announced this is going away, and the fans will be able to work on their project,&#8221; he adds. </p>
<p>The news is welcomed by Axanar director Alec Peters, who posted a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/StarTrekAxanar/photos/a.289851977795999.67773.289256531188877/973490009432189/?type=3&#038;theater">short message</a> on Facebook a few hours ago.</p>
<p>&#8220;A huge THANK YOU to JJ Abrams and Justin Lin for their announcement last night that Paramount is dropping the suit against Axanar,&#8221; he writes. </p>
<p>However, the case isn&#8217;t completely over yet. The parties are still working on finalizing a settlement agreement and no official paperwork has yet been filed in court.</p>
<p>A settlement means that the case won&#8217;t be dismissed outright, but that the parties are coming to an agreement they are all satisfied with. Whether they intend to release any details on the nature of their agreement remains unclear at this point. </p>
<p>When Paramount and CBS filed the lawsuit earlier this year they accused the makers of exploiting the Star Trek franchise, so it&#8217;s likely that they are looking for financial compensation.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122339
title: Fair Use Needs Protecting & All Abusers Need to Be Punished
uri: Fair-Use-Needs-Protecting-All-Abusers-Need-to-Be-Punished
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FWe3AVvtLvw/
content:
<p><a href="media/cdef4830.copyright-blood.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-blood.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-120567"><img src="media/bd0abf4c.copyright-blood.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-blood.jpg" alt="copyright-blood" width="225" height="151" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120567"></a>For readers unfamiliar with her work, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-seidler-9b4a501">Ellen Seidler</a> is a multi-talented filmmaker, journalist, lecturer and photographer based in the United States. She is also one of the web&#8217;s most outspoken critics of online piracy.</p>
<p>Seidler&#8217;s crusade began following the release of her movie &#8220;And Then Came Lola&#8221; in 2010 which, along with every other movie ever, was pirated online. It&#8217;s clear from her posts on <a href="http://voxindie.org/">Vox Indie</a> that this was a turning point and her motivation to highlight <a href="http://popuppirates.com/">piracy&#8217;s harms</a> at every opportunity.</p>
<p>This week Seidler published a piece titled &#8216;<a href="http://voxindie.org/bogus-fair-use-claims-victimize-creators-hurt-by-piracy/">BOGUS fair use claims hurt creators already victimized by piracy</a>&#8216; in which she continued her <a href="http://voxindie.org/category/online-piracy-2/">full frontal assault</a> on Google/YouTube and its users, something that has become a feature of her writing in recent times.</p>
<p>&#8220;There was a lot of talk about fair use and takedown abuse at last week’s U.S. Copyright Office Section 512 roundtables in San Francisco.  Many of those who spoke, bemoaned how poor, innocent uploaders were victimized, time after time, by malicious DMCA takedowns,&#8221; Seidler wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;It’s a tried and true talking point, convenient, but disingenuous all the same.  Some of us, myself included, tried to make the point that creators, whose work is routinely (and massively stolen),  are often (doubly) victimized by malicious fair use claims.&#8221;</p>
<p>Although not mentioned directly, it&#8217;s likely that Seidler was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-holders-dominate-closed-door-dmca-hearings-160518/">referencing efforts</a> by groups such as Fight For The Future and Channel Awesome to ensure that fair use is protected following any revision of the DMCA. They were at the discussions last week doing just that and to suggest those kinds of efforts are disingenuous is pretty unfair. But lets rewind.</p>
<p>As explained in her article, Seidler&#8217;s problem stems from the fact that some of YouTube&#8217;s users are uploading copyright-infringing content (in this case a full movie whose creator Seidler represents) and making it available via the platform. In this instance YouTube&#8217;s own ContentID system flagged the work correctly and the video was blocked. However, that wasn&#8217;t the end of the story.</p>
<p>&#8220;This YouTube user didn’t seem to think the rights holder had the right to block the full, infringing copy and promptly disputed the block,&#8221; Seidler wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;Approval from copyright holder is not required,&#8221; the user reportedly wrote in a counter-notice. &#8220;It is fair use under copyright law. I don’t need to explain.”  </p>
<p>Needless to say, this wrongful claim of fair use had Seidler seeing red.</p>
<p>&#8220;Despite all the testimony at last week’s roundtable about fair use and how copyright holders seek out to punish those who claim it using malicious takedowns, it’s worth pointing out, yet again, that for every legit &#8216;fair use&#8217; claim, there are also false, and rather malicious, abuses of that defense.  It’s a fact conveniently overlooked by the anti-copyright apologists,&#8221; she wrote.</p>
<p>The above paragraph is somewhat frustrating. People wanting to exercise their legal right to fair use absolutely have a right to protest when they fear that right is under threat. Furthermore, people making fair use claims on a full movie have no connection with those using snippets of content for commentary, parody, criticism or news reporting purposes. That being said, Seidler definitely has a point.</p>
<p>Someone uploading a full movie to YouTube and then claiming &#8216;fair use&#8217; absent of any of the defining features should not be allowed to do so without repercussions. If fair use is worth protecting then it stands to reason that supporters should not allow it to be abused. There&#8217;s little doubt that people claiming fair use in these circumstances hurt the cause.</p>
<p>So here&#8217;s a proposal. If we are to protect the sanctity of fair use then abusers need to be held to account, that means that people uploading full movies to YouTube and then filing for bogus fair use protection should have a strike put against their account and eventually terminated from the site.</p>
<p>In return, those who file bogus copyright claims against those who have a legitimate fair use defense should be held to exactly the same standards. File an erroneous claim against a legitimate video, get a strike against your Content ID account. Do it several more times, lose the right to file copyright complaints on YouTube.</p>
<p>Of course, this proposal is never likely to be accepted by the entertainment industries since they all screw up regularly and that would put them in a position of not being able to protect their works. While that would be unfortunate, the exercise illustrates a point.</p>
<p>Protecting content such as that published on <a href="http://channelawesome.com/save-fair-use-now/">Channel Awesome</a>, for example, is just as important as protecting content pushed out by the studios. Therefore, if we are to deal with abuses of the DMCA and fair use then the same rules simply must apply to everyone &#8211; no exceptions.</p>
<p>Strikes on one side must be matched by strikes on the other. Deal?</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122492
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 05/23/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-05-23-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Tv0Y-4fzlss/
content:
<p><img src="media/e650a4cc.zootopia.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zootopia.jpg" alt="zootopia" width="300" height="171" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122495">This week we have three newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Zootopia, which was released as Bluray rip this week, 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 BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-051616/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zootopia/">Zootopia</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948356/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWM0ct-OLsM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_america_civil_war/">Captain America: Civil War</a> (TC) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820">8.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKrVegVI0Us">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gods_of_egypt/">Gods of Egypt</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404233/">5.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJBnK2wNQSo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/triple_9/">Triple 9</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1712261/">6.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yXKAlmoiZc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_huntsman_winters_war/">The Huntsman: Winter&#8217;s War</a> (Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381991/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2-_OQL9fBk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_apocalypse/">X-Men: Apocalypse</a> (HDCam)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385516/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jer8XjMrUB4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_to_be_single_2016/">How To Be Single</a> (Web-DL) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1292566/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrDI4-BSovs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Deadpool</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/">8.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIM1HydF9UA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/london_has_fallen/">London Has Fallen</a> (Web-DL) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3300542/">6.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AsOdX7NcJs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a> (TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">7.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX_iASz1Si8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122501
title: Adobe Warns Software ‘Pirates’ With Popup Message
uri: Adobe-Warns-Software-Pirates-With-Popup-Message
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5uYyvskSKzY/
content:
<p><img src="media/37d0a4f2.adobe-piracy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/adobe-piracy.png" alt="adobe-piracy" width="177" height="160" class="alignright size-full wp-image-72700">Adobe products are traditionally among the most pirated pieces of software. </p>
<p>Cracked versions of Acrobat, Illustrator and Photoshop are installed on millions of computers, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/adobe-says-piracy-down-but-pirates-still-love-their-software-150922/">despite</a> recent anti-piracy measures.</p>
<p>In an effort to educate people about the dangers of &#8220;non genuine&#8221; software the company is now actively warning users. To do so, Adobe is bundling its products with a Software Integrity Service that can scan for and detect pirated software.</p>
<p>&#8220;Adobe now runs validation tests and notifies people who are using non-genuine software. Our tests check for software tampering and invalid licenses,&#8221; Adobe explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is a new service, designed to inform and protect our customers from the risks of non-genuine and counterfeit software,&#8221; the company adds. </p>
<p>The warnings come in the form of a pop-up and are limited to Acrobat X users in the United States, for now. When a pirate copy of the software is detected the following message appears.</p>
<p><center><strong>Adobe Validation Testing has found this copy of Acrobat not genuine</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/da2e4cc1.piratepop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratepop.jpg" alt="piratepop" width="500" height="182" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122504"></center></p>
<p>The notification is meant to inform users, and can be clicked away. It may reappear after a short while, but Adobe stresses that nobody will get in trouble for it. </p>
<p>Their goal is simply to inform users of the risks and point them toward legal alternatives.</p>
<p>&#8220;Adobe’s goal has always been to help customers avoid the dangers of non-genuine or counterfeit software. We have been working on this service for a while, taking our time to ensure it is delivered to customers in an easy to understand and actionable way,&#8221; they say.</p>
<p>After running a pilot last year, the service now appears to appears to be rolling out more widely. A new &#8220;genuine&#8221; <a href="http://www.adobe.com/genuine.html">website</a> was launched recently and the pilot references have been removed. </p>
<p>Aside from a few recent <a href="https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2148995">complaints</a> about the pop-up there hasn&#8217;t been much backlash, which could mean that the program is still gearing up, and not operating at full swing just yet.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122526
title: Draft Law Orders Google to Remove Pirate Site Unblocking Advice
uri: Draft-Law-Orders-Google-to-Remove-Pirate-Site-Unblocking-Advice
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/b294U3rKVL4/
content:
<p><a href="media/36fef17d.google-water.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/google-water.png" rel="attachment wp-att-89037"><img src="media/2ca46867.google-water.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/google-water.png" alt="google-water" width="250" height="153" class="alignright size-full wp-image-89037"></a>Despite an enduring reputation for doing little to protect copyright online, in recent years the Russian government has passed tough legislation aimed at tackling so-called &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites.</p>
<p>One of the most controversial additions was the introduction of a new law in 2013 which allowed entertainment industry companies to take cases to the Moscow City Court with a view to having non-compliant sites blocked at the ISP level. Sites that fail to respond to takedown demands are then given just 72 hours to do so, with a total (reversible) blockade the most aggressive outcome.</p>
<p>In 2015, Russia upped the pressure with the introduction of a new mechanism aimed at reducing instances of pirate site reoffending. Sites that have two cases brought against them and are found to be infringing now face a total lifetime block, a fate suffered by major torrent site RuTracker <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rutracker-counters-lifetime-isp-ban-by-going-public-151109/">six months ago</a>.</p>
<p>But like many other jurisdictions, Russia immediately discovered that after sites are blocked pirates remain determined to continue using them. As a result dozens of proxy and mirror sites have sprung up to facilitate access, reducing the efficacy of ISP blocks and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/labels-target-rutracker-domain-as-blocking-fails-to-stop-site-160207/">frustrating copyright holders</a>.</p>
<p>Earlier this year it was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-holders-want-site-block-circumvention-advice-banned-160319/">proposed</a> that proxies and mirrors should be considered extensions of permanently blocked sites so that they can be quickly blocked and now there are hopes they can be rendered harder to find too.</p>
<p>In a draft bill just published by the Ministry of Communications these are described as &#8220;derivative sites&#8221; that feature a similar name and &#8220;completely or partially copy the information available on the original sites.&#8221; The <a href="http://regulation.gov.ru/projects#npa=48370">bill</a> tries to cover all angles by noting that &#8220;derivative sites&#8221; may also redirect users to blocked sites, provide services or information from blocked sites, or even translate blocked sites into other languages.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the bill also proposes that search engines including Google and Russian market leader Yandex will be required to remove links to sites that are setup to facilitate access to permanently blocked sites. Copyright holders will be given the opportunity to report such sites to search engines with an expectation that within three days they will cease providing links to those sites in their search results.</p>
<p>All services are covered, whether proxies or mirrors, but the bill also envisions going much further than just the sites themselves.</p>
<p>In an earlier case a web-blockade monitoring site was itself <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-web-blocking-monitoring-site-to-be-blocked-160213/">earmarked for blocking</a> after providing tips on how to circumvent court-ordered blockades. With legislative amendments, Russia now intends to render the provision of circumvention advice a punishable offense.</p>
<p>If the bill is passed platforms offering circumvention advice directly will be subject to penalties ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles ($45-$75) for &#8220;entrepreneurial individuals&#8221; operating outside a legal entity, up to 100,000 rubles ($1,492) for legal entities.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the draft proposes that any services offering circumvention advice should also be removed from Google and other providers&#8217; search listings via the mechanism detailed above.</p>
<p>The bill is still at the <a href="http://regulation.gov.ru/projects#npa=48370">draft stage</a> which means it could be subject to change but it seems likely that pressure to reduce access to workarounds of all kinds will continue through its path to final approval.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122559
title: The Pirate Bay Is Down For 24 Hours
uri: The-Pirate-Bay-Is-Down-For-24-Hours
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/rGmqRwqBYIQ/
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 unreachable for more than a day now.</p>
<p>The Pirate Bay currently displays a CloudFlare error message across all domain names, confirming that TPB’s servers are unresponsive. </p>
<p>In addition, some proxy sites are also offline, as well as TPB&#8217;s .onion address which displays a blank page.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to the TPB team who are aware of the issues. They explained that problem is of a technical nature and hope to have the site back online soonish. </p>
<p>In any case, there&#8217;s no reason to panic.</p>
<p><center><strong>TPB down</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/55eb12c4.tpbdowncf.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpbdowncf.jpg" alt="tpbdowncf" width="600" height="349" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122561"></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122546
title: Australia Officially Abandons Three Strikes Anti-Piracy Scheme
uri: Australia-Officially-Abandons-Three-Strikes-Anti-Piracy-Scheme
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3k5ytii4F1s/
content:
<p><img src="media/53490471.aus.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg" width="250" height="159" class="alignright">For many years Australia has been labeled a hotbed of Internet piracy. Faced with high prices, a dearth of choice, and legal products arriving months after their debut elsewhere, millions of Aussies have turned unofficial sources.</p>
<p>As a result, Australia has found itself in the spotlight of both local and international rightsholders who claim that their industry is hemorrhaging millions due to people downloading via torrent, streaming and other file-sharing services.</p>
<p>While the latter mechanisms are more difficult to police, those obtaining media via torrents are relatively easy to track so with this in mind, rightsholders have been placing local Internet service providers under pressure to cooperate in a so-called three-strikes anti-piracy scheme.</p>
<p>In the early days cooperation was not forthcoming so in order to force compliance, movie companies decided to sue ISP iiNet. That action <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/iinet-isp-not-liable-for-bittorrent-piracy-high-court-rules-120420/">failed in 2012</a>, leaving entertainment companies to re-build bridges and deal with matters on a friendly basis. Years of on/off negotiations ensued, more recently with government involvement.</p>
<p>Late last year it looked almost certain that a “three strikes” style scheme would be implemented, with pirates being monitored by copyright holders and notified of their behavior via escalating ISP warning notices, with legal action being the final step. But earlier this year it was revealed the whole project was in peril, entirely on the issue of costs.</p>
<p>Now it&#8217;s been officially confirmed that the project has been shelved. In a joint letter to the Australian Media and Communications Authority, the Communications Alliance and Foxtel (on behalf of rightsholders) state that it had &#8220;not proved possible to reach agreement on how to apportion all of the costs&#8221; for the scheme.</p>
<p>In all the years of intermittent discussion on &#8220;three strikes&#8221; costs have always been an issue. Agreement has been reached in other regions, the US for example, but Australia appears to have a unique set of problems.</p>
<p>According to a <a href="http://www.cnet.com/au/news/isps-and-rights-holders-quietly-ditch-three-strikes-piracy-scheme/">CNET report</a>, Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton says that while agreement had been reached on who would foot the bill in the majority of areas, &#8220;the sticking point was processing costs.&#8221;</p>
<p>These costs are reportedly associated with preparing the notices, contacting alleged pirates and dealing with the inevitable flood of telephone calls from unhappy customers. These type of costs are entirely associated with actions the ISPs would be required to carry out themselves, which suggests that the providers have continued to stand their ground, much as they have for many years.</p>
<p>Earlier this year Village Roadshow co-chief Graham Burke bemoaned the manual warning system under discussion, complaining that the labor-intense mechanism would churn out notices at a cost of $16 to $20 each. &#8220;You might as well give people a DVD,” he said. But even with automation the ISPs are predicting extremely high costs.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is possible to largely automate it, but that&#8217;s quite an expensive undertaking,&#8221; says John Stanton. &#8220;We&#8217;ve had ISPs run a ruler over how much it would cost&#8230;and it was in the multiple millions.&#8221;</p>
<p>So what now for the Aussie downloading problem? Well, it appears that for at least a year not much will happen. With copyright trolls seemingly <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dallas-buyers-club-gives-up-chasing-pirates-in-australia-160210/">running for the hills</a> it will be up to legal alternatives to try and persuade consumers they&#8217;re a more attractive proposition. They won&#8217;t have to go that alone, however.</p>
<p>“We are going to be mounting a massive campaign to reinforce the fact (to the public) that piracy is not a victimless crime and we have to continue to provide content in a timely way and at affordable prices,” Graham Burke <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-site-blocking-imminent-but-three-strikes-abandoned-160218/">said</a>.</p>
<p>And of course the specter of site blocking is still on the horizon and possibly just months away. The music industry may have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-blocking-case-suspended-by-music-industry-160519/">temporarily suspended</a> its case against KickassTorrents but other cases involving The Pirate Bay are running full steam ahead and will almost certainly conclude before the end of the year. The Kickass case will conclude shortly after.</p>
<p>As for three-strikes, that will be subject to a review in April 2017 but given that agreement over costs hasn&#8217;t been reached in close to a decade, another year seems unlikely to make much of a difference.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122595
title: Hollywood Withdraws Funding for UK Anti-Piracy Group FACT
uri: Hollywood-Withdraws-Funding-for-UK-Anti-Piracy-Group-FACT
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/CAcNI3Toyxk/
content:
<p><a href="media/9b46c1db.fact.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/fact.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-74060"><img src="media/f002015f.fact.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fact.jpg" alt="fact" width="180" height="133" class="alignright size-full wp-image-74060"></a>The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT)is the most aggressive private anti-piracy group currently operating in the UK.</p>
<p>In recent years the organization has been responsible for investigating dozens of alleged pirates and has secured many convictions, largely on behalf of its movie and TV industry partners.</p>
<p>Now, however, FACT faces a somewhat uncertain future after the Motion Picture Association, the movie industry outfit that supplies FACT with half of its funding, decided to pull its support for the anti-piracy group.</p>
<p>The MPA, which represents the interests of Disney, Paramount, Sony, 20th Century Fox, Universal and Warner Bros, has recently advised FACT that it intends to terminate its 30-year long relationship by not renewing its membership when it expires in six months&#8217; time.</p>
<p>Speaking with <a href="http://www.screendaily.com/news/fact-faces-uncertain-future-following-mpa-funding-pull/5104276.article">Screen Daily</a>, MPA Europe president Stan McCoy explained that local funding for FACT had been withdrawn in favor of financing larger regional hubs with a wider remit.</p>
<p>The relevant regional office dealing with the UK is the MPA&#8217;s EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) in Brussels which aims to provide “a nimble local presence and a direct relationship with local law enforcement.&#8221;</p>
<p>McCoy acknowledged FACT&#8217;s efforts over the last three decades but said that the changing nature of piracy, including the shift away from physical to online infringement, requires &#8220;a more flexible approach&#8221; than the one currently in place.</p>
<p>“We live in a world now where a piracy website can have its nexus in Sweden one day, then move in a few months to Eastern Europe, then to Thailand, or it can operate in all three of those jurisdictions at once,” McCoy said.</p>
<p>For FACT the withdrawal of the MPA and by extension the major studios is a massive blow. The MPA currently provides FACT with around 50% of its funding, leaving the balance to made up a range of partners including the <a href="http://www.cinemauk.org.uk/">UK Cinema Association</a>, the Film Distributors’ Association, the Premier League, and broadcasters including ITV.</p>
<p>FACT confirmed that its MPA funding is being withdrawn and is said to be considering its options. In the meantime, however, it&#8217;s unlikely that the UK will become a care-free piracy zone. The MPA says it intends to continue its work protecting copyright in the UK which will include the pursuit of more site-blocking injunctions and increased cooperation with the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit.</p>
<p>That being said, it will be interesting to see how this situation plays out. FACT provided &#8220;boots on the ground&#8221; for the studios in the UK and undertook investigations against pirates that in some cases the police were reluctant to take on and in others carry through to a prosecution. Abandoning that local touch could be risky strategy for the MPA, but only time will tell.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122548
title: Hollywood Writers: Set-top Box Piracy Fears Are Overblown
uri: Hollywood-Writers-Set-top-Box-Piracy-Fears-Are-Overblown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2WaHRSaS-LE/
content:
<p><a href="media/b3183808.writers-guild.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/writers-guild.jpg"><img src="media/b3183808.writers-guild.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/writers-guild.jpg" alt="writers-guild" width="200" height="152" class="alignright size-full wp-image-82859"></a>Earlier this year the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a proposal that will allow consumers to swap expensive cable boxes for third-party devices and apps.</p>
<p>The rules are meant to promote competition and get rid of the inflated rates cable TV viewers have to pay for using the devices that their providers typically supply.</p>
<p>The proposal was welcomed by President Obama, but is meeting <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-says-pirate-sites-will-take-advantage-of-set-top-box-proposals-160426/">fierce resistance</a> from copyright holders and cable providers, who fear a piracy surge and brand devaluation. </p>
<p>&#8220;Devices and applications to facilitate piracy exist today, but the proposal would make them more attractive and more harmful,&#8221; the MPAA writes this week, noting that pirate sites will use changes to their advantage.</p>
<p>&#8220;It would endanger the entire video distribution ecosystem by disregarding licensing requirements, jeopardizing content security, and promoting piracy and theft of service,&#8221; NBC Universal and Comcast adds in their reply comment.</p>
<p>While the positions above are typical of the copyright industry, there is a notable exception. Comments submitted by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writers_Guild_of_America,_West">Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) this week</a> suggest that piracy fears are being overblown. </p>
<p>This is an unexpected stance from a labor union represents thousands of screen writers in Hollywood and Southern California, many of whom work for the major movie and TV studios. </p>
<p>Instead of repeating the piracy concerns, the writers believe that it&#8217;s crucial to offer the public more choice and they expect that the proposal will benefit both consumers and content creators.</p>
<p>&#8220;While fears of piracy have been raised in this proceeding, the WGAW’s careful analysis is that the Commission’s rules can promote competition and protect content,&#8221; <a href="http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=60002014784">WGAW writes</a>.</p>
<p><center><strong>Soon?</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/252332b4.piratebox.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratebox.jpg" alt="example of a pirate box"></center></p>
<p>The proposed rules strike a balance between promoting competition and protecting content, the union argues. By promoting competition, increased availability and cheaper alternatives, piracy may actually diminish.</p>
<p>&#8220;While new technology can create some business uncertainty, there is strong evidence that pro-consumer developments that make legal content more accessible to viewers benefits both consumers and content creators,&#8221; the writers note. </p>
<p>&#8220;The current pay-TV set-top box market is controlled by incumbent distributors who charge consumers high fees and exercise their gatekeeping power to limit content competition.&#8221; </p>
<p>WGAW suggests that the piracy fears of many rightsholders are overblown. They point out that on the &#8220;open Internet&#8221; piracy is also possible, but that hasn&#8217;t stopped innovative legal services from flourishing. </p>
<p>&#8220;A competitive navigation device market poses no greater risk of piracy than the open Internet, where the legal video streaming market has become lucrative and dominates Internet traffic.&#8221; </p>
<p>The new FCC rules would encourage innovation, much as the open Internet has done. As a result WGAW believes that consumers will be able to have broader access to entertainment at a reasonable price, which should benefit the industry as a whole.</p>
<p>&#8220;With the open Internet we are beginning to see what is possible in a more competitive landscape. The proposed rules for a competitive navigation device market are a logical and necessary next step in giving consumers more choice and further opening the content market to competition,&#8221; the writers union concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122567
title: Music Piracy Triggers Significant Losses, EU Study Shows
uri: Music-Piracy-Triggers-Significant-Losses-EU-Study-Shows
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ZO2V0Oq0EVg/
content:
<p><a href="media/15e2b1a1.cassette.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cassette.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-84245"><img src="media/7abb2d22.cassette.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cassette.jpg" alt="cassette" width="200" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-84245"></a>For more than a decade researchers have been looking into the effects of online music piracy on the revenues of the record industry, with mixed results.</p>
<p>Both positive or negative effects have been reported, often varying based on the type of artist, music genre and media, among other variables.</p>
<p>That said, research has more often found that piracy hurts overall music sales, and an extensive new report from the European Union Intellectual Property Office (<a href="https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/">EUIPO</a>) confirms this trend. </p>
<p>The new study uses an elaborate model to quantify the effect of piracy on music sales, which it puts at 5.2% for the EU as a whole in 2014. This means that piracy resulted in €170 million in lost revenue across the EU. </p>
<p>The effects on digital sales are the most pronounced, €113 million compared to €57 million for physical products. </p>
<p>In addition to the direct effect on the music industry, there is also a secondary loss of €166 million in other sectors, and a €63 million loss in government revenue through direct and indirect taxes. The study doesn&#8217;t look at any positive effects, such as a possible increase in media player sales.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/c20dca22.euloss.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/euloss.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-122608"><img src="media/c20dca22.euloss.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/euloss.jpg" alt="euloss" width="600" height="444" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122608" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/euloss-768x569.jpg 768w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/euloss.jpg 778w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a></center></p>
<p>Interestingly, the estimated piracy losses are not equal across the EU. In absolute numbers they are the highest in the UK, with €48.6 in direct losses. This makes sense as it&#8217;s one of the largest music markets. </p>
<p>Relatively speaking the piracy effects are the most pronounced in Spain and Greece, with losses of 8.2% and 8% respectively. Croatia and Hungary are least affected, with both under 4%.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/8ed76870.eulossl.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/eulossl.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-122609"><img src="media/8ed76870.eulossl.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/eulossl.jpg" alt="eulossl" width="600" height="446" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122609" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/eulossl-768x571.jpg 768w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/eulossl.jpg 778w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a></center></p>
<p>Commenting on the results, EUIPO’s Executive Director António Campinos says that the current findings offer additional evidence in the ongoing piracy debate. </p>
<p>&#8220;The question of whether piracy reduces or increases sales of recorded music has been the subject of many studies with contradictory results,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our study’s results are in line with the prevailing consensus and find that piracy reduces the revenue of legitimate industry in both digital and physical formats,&#8221; Campinos adds.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the findings presented this week contradict an <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/online-piracy-is-not-hurting-music-revenues-european-commission-finds-130318/">earlier EU study</a> which revealed that online piracy doesn&#8217;t hurt digital music revenues. So, whether this week&#8217;s study will be the end of the ongoing debate about the effects of piracy remains to be seen. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122572
title: Fan-Created Movie Subtitle Site Operator Facing Prison
uri: Fan-Created-Movie-Subtitle-Site-Operator-Facing-Prison
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/M3xoIoNuwzI/
content:
<p><img src="media/9103b592.undertexter.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/undertexter.jpg" width="180" height="90" class="alignright">Running a site offering or even linking to pirated movies and TV shows can be a hazardous occupation. It attracts the attention of copyright holders, the police, and in some cases even governments. For those running them these perils represent an occupational hazard.</p>
<p>But what if a site creates its own content and distributes that online, should that be a crime? That question is about to be answered in a unique case featuring fan-populated subtitling site Undertexter.se.</p>
<p>For ten years Undertexter (&#8216;subtitles&#8217; in Swedish) provided a somewhat useful service. Faced with what they perceived as a dearth of subtitling in local language, members of the site made their own translated subtitles for movies and TV shows. These were made available to all via the site.</p>
<p>However, in the summer of 2013 everything came crashing down. Under pressure from powerful Hollywood-based movie companies, police <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fan-created-subtitle-site-raided-by-swedish-police-130710/">raided</a> the site and seized its servers.</p>
<p>“The people who work on the site don’t consider their own interpretation of dialog to be something illegal, especially when we’re handing out these interpretations for free,” site founder Eugen Archy said at the time.</p>
<p>The authorities firmly disagreed, Archy was arrested, and the investigation into his site continued. Now, almost three years later, the Undertexter founder has been prosecuted for distributing infringing subtitles.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have indicted the person I say is behind the site Undertexter.se which made the dialogue from 74 films available to the public,&#8221; <a href="http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=83&#038;artikel=6438501">says</a> prosecutor Henrik Rasmusson.</p>
<p>Of particular interest is the nature of the 74 movies referenced by the prosecution. Rather than tackle all of the subtitles on the site, the prosecution appears to have hand-picked a few dozen that gives them the strongest case, i.e those that relate to movies that weren&#8217;t commercially available in Sweden at the time.</p>
<p>The underlying suggestion is that those who created the subtitles either managed to legally view them in other regions or more likely carried out their translation work from pirate copies available online. Also, since the majority of Undertexter&#8217;s traffic came from Sweden, it&#8217;s likely that users of the site married the subtitles up with pirate copies.</p>
<p>Archy does not deny that he founded and operated the site, nor does he refute claims that he made some money from his activities, largely through on-site advertising. However, he does believe that offering fan-created subtitles is not a crime.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, Rasmusson strongly disagrees and even suggests that a prison sentence could be a possible outcome of this prosecution.</p>
<p>&#8220;This particular type of case, with pirate subtitles for pirate movies, has not been tried before. But the scale is at such a level that the penalty does not stop at fines, but imprisonment. It could be a suspended sentence,&#8221; Rasmusson <a href="http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.658930/domstol-undertexter-pirat">says</a>.</p>
<p>Soon it will be up to the court to decide whether distributing fan-created subtitles is a crime in Sweden. Experts have already weighed in on the case with Sanna Wolk, an associate professor of civil law at Uppsala University, noting that the devil could be in the detail.</p>
<p>“The core issue is whether the lyrics count as independent works or pure translations. If they follow the script, it’s a copyright violation to distribute them without permission, but if they’re self-published, it is not,” Wolk <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/raided-subtitle-site-crowdfunds-grand-relaunch-130712/">noted</a> earlier.</p>
<p>“It is difficult to say where the exact line is. Subtitles need to be considered on their own merits to make an assessment.”</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122641
title: Huge Billboard Protests VPN Blocking at Netflix HQ
uri: Huge-Billboard-Protests-VPN-Blocking-at-Netflix-HQ
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/lLmhcFPZUvQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/b310fc7c.netflix-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-logo.png" alt="netflix-logo" width="200" height="121" class="alignright size-full wp-image-69714">In an effort to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/why-netflix-vpn-pirates-shouldnt-terrify-hollywood-160116/">appease</a> Hollywood&#8217;s major studios, Netflix increased its efforts to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-announces-crackdown-on-vpn-and-proxy-pirates-160114/">block customers</a> who circumvent geo-blockades this year. </p>
<p>As a result it has become harder to use VPN services to access Netflix content from other countries. However, the measures also affect well-intentioned customers who merely use a VPN to protect their privacy.</p>
<p>This broad blocking policy has sparked wide protests and tens of thousands Internet users have signed a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tens-of-thousands-protest-netflixs-vpn-blockade-160226/">petition</a> launched by digital rights group <a href="https://openmedia.org/">OpenMedia</a>, which asks Netflix to stop the VPN crackdown. </p>
<p>A few weeks ago OpenMedia sent an open letter to Netflix, inviting CEO Reed Hastings to discuss possible alternatives. In absence of a reply, the group is now following up with a new message that&#8217;s <em>unmissable</em>.  </p>
<p>This week a massive mobile billboard is driving through the streets of Los Gatos, California, where Netflix headquarters are located. The billboard carries the message &#8220;We ♥ Our Privacy,&#8221; with <a href="https://act.openmedia.org/netflix/">the URL</a> of the VPN unblocking campaign.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/becb56f5.netvpn2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netvpn2.jpg" alt="netvpn2" width="600" height="400" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122684"></center></p>
<p>OpenMedia hopes that the billboard will send a clear message. The protests are not going to stop and with thousands of new signers per week the campaign is gaining momentum.</p>
<p>“Right now, Netflix customers are being forced to choose between watching their favorite shows and safeguarding their privacy,&#8221; OpenMedia&#8217;s digital rights specialist Laura Tribe says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our mobile billboard is one more way we’re working to encourage Netflix to rethink their approach. The company has much better options available to it, than undermining the privacy of over 80 million paying Netflix customers in the post-Snowden world.”</p>
<p>OpenMedia understands that Netflix has to comply with Hollywood&#8217;s demands to restrict access, but it believes that there a there are better ways to make sure that geographic restrictions are enforced. For example, by simply linking content libraries to credit card addresses. </p>
<p>Thus far Netflix <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-vpn-blockade-backlash-doesnt-hurt-us-190416/">hasn’t been very receptive</a> to the concerns. During an investor call last month Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that the recent crackdown on VPN users hasn’t hurt the company’s results, and that the complaints came from a “small but vocal minority.”</p>
<p>A &#8216;small&#8217; minority with a huge billboard&#8230;</p>
<p><center><img src="media/6e6be8fe.netvpn1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netvpn1.jpg" alt="netvpn1" width="600" height="400" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122685"></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122680
title: FBI “In Latter Stages” of Prenda Law Copyright Troll Investigation
uri: FBI-In-Latter-Stages-of-Prenda-Law-Copyright-Troll-Investigation
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/V8ekhFsVg90/
content:
<p><a href="media/0ba3ba47.fbi-logo.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/fbi-logo.png" rel="attachment wp-att-108168"><img src="media/62ffe783.fbi-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fbi-logo.png" alt="fbi-logo" width="180" height="186" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108168"></a>In an effort to turn piracy into profit, more than a decade ago enterprising groups centered around lawfirms decided that file-sharers were ripe for a shakedown. Tracking IP addresses back to their users, companies demanded settlements of hundreds to many thousands of dollars each, to make supposed lawsuits go away.</p>
<p>During the last 10 years many companies have gained infamy with this business model, but few stirred up as much hatred as <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/?s=prenda">Prenda Law</a>. Prenda and its principals John Steele, Paul Hansmeier and Paul Duffy grabbed dozens of headlines, mostly surrounding negative court rulings which found the outfit to have engaged in everything from vexatious litigation through to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/prenda-spoofs-identity-wants-case-sealed-130815/">identity theft</a>, misrepresentation and even deception.</p>
<p>Underlying this deviant behavior was the disturbing fact that rather than simply monitoring pirates online, Prenda actually uploaded content itself in order to create <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-troll-ran-pirate-bay-honeypot-comcast-confirms-130815/">pirate honeypots</a> on The Pirate Bay and elsewhere, a practice that pushed the company well over the moral line. </p>
<p>Although now defunct, Prenda is still fresh in the minds of its many victims so news last year that the outfit was under investigation by the FBI was well-received. Speaking with TorrentFreak, Pirate Bay co-founders Peter Sunde and Fredrik Neij confirmed that they had both been interviewed in prison by police acting on behalf of the FBI.</p>
<p>“They wanted to know if I could verify the accuracy of the IP-address logs, how they were stored, and how they could be retrieved,” Neij <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fbi-wants-pirate-bay-logs-to-expose-copyright-trolls-150703/">explained</a>.</p>
<p>But since then another year has passed and memories of Prenda have continued to fade. Will the world&#8217;s most hated trolls ever be brought to criminal justice? Well, fresh news from Ken White at <a href="https://popehat.com/2016/05/25/fbi-actively-investigating-prenda-law-team-for-fraud/">Popehat</a> suggests that the FBI still have a keen interest in the case and could be close to their goal.</p>
<p>Operating out of its Minneapolis office, the FBI has continued to seek additional information about Prenda and has reportedly sent out a letter &#8220;on a large scale&#8221; to attorneys who have represented alleged file-sharers targeted by the law company.</p>
<p>Ken White says he has seen the document and it reveals that the FBI is investigating several entities connected to Prenda including Steele Hansmeier PLLC, <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/141137848/141021474-Duffy-New-Demand-Letter">LW Systems</a>, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/who-are-mcgip-and-why-are-they-suing-for-other-people%E2%80%99s-movies-110925/">Livewire Holdings</a>, AF Holdings, Ingenuity13, and <a href="https://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/discussions/steele-hansmeier/guava-llc-v-skyler-case-il-cook-county-12-l-7363/">Guava LLC</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;The FBI has devoted substantial resources to soliciting victim impact in a systematic way, and based on its questions about availability to testify is contemplating prosecution,&#8221; White explains.</p>
<p>Noting that the letter has gone out in a fairly public fashion, While says he believes that the investigation is probably in its latter stages, with the FBI already in possession of the evidence it needs to prosecute a case of wire and/or mail fraud.</p>
<p>By contacting Prenda&#8217;s victims, White believes the FBI is attempting to establish the amount of damages to claim, which could be substantial.</p>
<p>&#8220;Bear in mind that under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the more money wrongdoers made, the more time they&#8217;re facing. Team Prenda needs federal criminal defense attorneys, and needs them right now,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>News that the investigation into Prenda&#8217;s activities could be in its final stages will be well received by thousands of victims and the possibility of peering behind the curtain of one of the most hated troll outfits is certainly welcome. The cherry on the top would be a successful prosecution but that could be some time away yet.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122740
title: New Hollywood Injunction Blocks CouchTuner, Putlocker & More
uri: New-Hollywood-Injunction-Blocks-CouchTuner-Putlocker-More
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/NO0FsBDWdxE/
content:
<p><a href="media/38f7671b.mpa.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mpa.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-77324"><img src="media/32cbee81.mpa.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpa.jpg" alt="mpa" width="180" height="117" class="alignright size-full wp-image-77324"></a>Back in 2010, the major movie studios of the Motion Picture Association were pursuing a dream. Rather than deal with each individual file-sharer the companies decided that website blocking could be a solution to mass online piracy.</p>
<p>Their <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-takes-legal-action-to-force-isp-to-block-newzbin-usenet-site-101216/">first target</a> was Usenet-indexing site Newzbin, a somewhat soft target considering the site had already been declared as operating illegally in the UK.</p>
<p>Almost five years ago the High Court <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-forces-uk-isp-to-block-newzbin-usenet-site-110728/">ruled</a> in the studios&#8217; favor, ordering ISP BT to block the site. This action set a precedent in the UK and in the years that followed a similar process was used to block hundreds of &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites, with the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-blocking-more-than-100-pirate-sites-after-new-court-order-150324/">recording</a>, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/book-publishers-expand-uk-pirate-site-blocking-151128/">publishing</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/premier-league-expands-uk-pirate-site-blockades-011116/">sports industries</a> all getting involved.</p>
<p>Currently, sites are blocked on a regular basis as copyright holders are allowed to add new domains to existing court orders if the domains are considered to be closely associated with a previously blocked site. This covers new Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents proxy sites, for example.</p>
<p>However, during the past few days several sites became unavailable via UK ISPs that were not closely associated with sites already blocked, CouchTuner for instance. This was a fairly clear indication that a new High Court order had been obtained.</p>
<p>That confirmation has now arrived, with notification from ISP Virgin Media that it has blocked several streaming sites in compliance with an injunction obtained by the Motion Picture Association on May 5. The sites are Couchtuner.ag, Merdb, Putlocker.is, Putlocker.plus, Rainiertamayo.com (Rainierland), Vidics.ch, Watchfree.to and Xmovies8.tv.</p>
<p>From a traffic perspective, Putlocker is without doubt the largest target. According to Alexa the streaming portal is the 219th most popular site on the Internet, 166th in the United States and an impressive 35th in the UK.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/3313a442.putlockeris.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/putlockeris.png" rel="attachment wp-att-122744"><img src="media/3313a442.putlockeris.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/putlockeris.png" alt="putlockeris" width="650" height="164" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122744"></a></center></p>
<p>Next up is Watchfree.to, a site that rocketed from relative obscurity this time last year to become the 1,369th most popular site on the Internet. In third place comes CouchTuner, a fan favorite that&#8217;s currently ranked 1,609th worldwide. The remainder are relative minnows, with Vidics barely able to break the 28,000 barrier.</p>
<p>As always the current injunction was obtained under Section 97a of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act but one has to go back more than a year to find a similar fresh order obtained by the MPA. <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-uk-isps-to-block-popcorn-time-150428/">That came in April 2015</a> when several PopcornTime, isoHunt, EZTV and sundry streaming sites were targeted.</p>
<p>But while the MPA&#8217;s applications are spread out, it&#8217;s likely their reach will continue to grow. Any sites that have a similar name and/or functionality to those in an existing order will be added to the injunction without having to obtain a new one. In an effort to thwart workarounds, that includes proxies, mirrors and even copycats too.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122706
title: 4K Content Protection “Stripper” Must Pay $5 Million in Damages
uri: 4K-Content-Protection-Stripper-Must-Pay-5-Million-in-Damages
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/D5IBVInJj7g/
content:
<p><img src="media/c84f81a8.4k.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/4k.jpg" alt="4k" width="290" height="186" class="alignright size-full wp-image-115973">To make it harder for pirates to get their hands on the latest blockbusters, all popular Blu-rays and HD streams have content protection.</p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-bandwidth_Digital_Content_Protection">HDCP</a> is the standard in the field. The technology, which is owned by Intel daughter company DCP, makes it hard to rip HD content, but not impossible. </p>
<p>Earlier this year DCP and Warner Bros. filed two lawsuits against companies that sell hardware which can effectively bypass HDCP 2.2 content protection. </p>
<p>The first lawsuit against a Chinese company was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/4k-content-protection-stripper-beats-warner-bros-in-court-1605xx/">settled last month</a>, with the rightsholders on the &#8216;losing&#8217; end. However, this week DCP and Warner Bros. have something to celebrate. </p>
<p>The two companies signed a settlement with the California-based hardware seller <a href="http://www.acepanlong.com/">Ace Deal</a>, which admits to violating their rights under the DMCA. Ace Deal sold so-called HDCP strippers, devices that allow users to render protected video content in the clear, circumventing the copy protection.</p>
<p>The parties have submitted a joint proposal for a final judgment and a permanent injunction at a California federal court. According to the documents (<a href="media/8c5285f4.acedeal.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/acedeal.pdf">pdf</a>) Ace Deal sold 2,078 circumvention devices in recent years.</p>
<p>Not only does the hardware seller admit guilt, it has also agreed to a hefty damages amount of $5,250,000, which is quite something for such a small company.</p>
<p>In addition to the money, the settlement includes a permanent injunction that prohibits Ace Deal and its employees from offering similar products in the future. </p>
<p>They are ordered to refrain from &#8220;importing, manufacturing, offering to the public, providing, selling, using, or otherwise trafficking in any technology, product, service, device, component or part thereof that is primarily designed or produced to circumvent HDCP&#8230;&#8221;</p>
<p>The court still has to sign off on the proposed orders but that&#8217;s expected to be a formality. Meanwhile, Ace Deal has already removed the offending products from its website. </p>
<p>While this case shows a lot of similarities with the one filed against the Chinese company LegendSky, the outcome is entirely different. LegendSky was also accused of &#8220;stripping&#8221; HDCP copy protection, but these claims didn&#8217;t stick. </p>
<p>LegendSky successfully argued their 4K splitter device <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/warner-bros-and-intel-sued-over-defamatory-4k-piracy-claims-160317/">does not “strip”</a> any HDCP copy protection. Instead, it merely downgrades the higher HDCP protection to a lower version, which is permitted as an exception under the DMCA.</p>
<p>For Ace Deal this argument does not apply so they are left with millions in debt. At least on paper, which may <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-secretly-settled-hotfile-4-million-80-million-141224/">not always be true</a>.  </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122752
title: Police Conducting “World’s Largest” Pirate Box Crackdown
uri: Police-Conducting-World-s-Largest-Pirate-Box-Crackdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/v5-088G_oyA/
content:
<p><a href="media/e48d0e48.pirate-wifi.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-wifi.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-38959"><img src="media/1ef8d7ce.pirate-wifi.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-wifi.jpg" alt="pirate-wifi" width="150" height="136" class="alignright size-full wp-image-38959"></a>While Internet piracy has thrived on desktop machines for decades, it is now quite common to find the activity taking place in the living room. Expensive equipment is no longer needed and bulky machines have been replaced by much smaller HDMI-capable devices.</p>
<p>There are several types around but the most common have Android under the hood. Typically in small set-top or dongle format, these products can be loaded with media software from Google&#8217;s Play Store or invariably &#8220;side-loaded&#8221; with more unofficial products such as customized versions of Kodi, Showbox and Popcorn Time.</p>
<p>These cheap <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPTV">IPTV</a> systems can provide users with access to a bewildering array of free content, from movies and TV shows to live sports and other PPV events. As a result, copyright holders around the world are mounting aggressive crackdowns on those who sell such devices for infringing uses.</p>
<p>Some of the most prominent actions have involved the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), who together with police have conducted a number of raids in the UK in recent months. Most have taken place <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/police-raid-pirate-android-box-sellers-six-arrested-160318/">in England</a> but news is now emerging of a large scale anti-IPTV operation underway in Scotland.</p>
<p>According to local police, two premises were raided in Glasgow this week as part of what they describe as the &#8220;world&#8217;s largest&#8221; investigation into pirate IPTV boxes which has been underway for the last 16 months.</p>
<p>While movie companies have shown an interest in these devices it appears the focus in Scotland is on the streaming of live sports broadcasts. These are officially offered by FACT partners the English Premier League (soccer) alongside distributors Sky and BT but individuals and pubs are obtaining them illegally.</p>
<p>Speaking with <a href="http://stv.tv/news/west-central/1355490-police-crack-down-on-pubs-showing-pirate-tv-streams/">STV</a>, police say that initial estimates of the scale of infringement are now being dwarfed.</p>
<p>&#8220;As of today we estimated about 500 pubs might be involved, but today&#8217;s investigation has suggested it could be thousands,&#8221; a spokesman said.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is undoubtedly the biggest operation of its kind in the world in terms of recovery. It&#8217;s a process that&#8217;s been done elsewhere but not on this scale, this is the biggest.&#8221;</p>
<p>In a comment FACT director general Kieron Sharp said that his organization is committed to working with law enforcement to crack down IPTV-related piracy, wherever it may be. </p>
<p>&#8220;Pub landlords, as well as the general public, need to be aware that IPTV and set-top boxes with apps and add-ons allowing the streaming of pirated TV, sports and films are very much illegal,&#8221; Sharp said.</p>
<p>&#8220;FACT will continue to work with police forces across the UK to crack down on the illegal sale of these boxes.&#8221;</p>
<p>In other action, police in Scotland say that in conjunction with FACT they have taken down three &#8220;major&#8221; torrent sites operated from the Edinburgh, Kilmarnock and Falkirk areas.</p>
<p>“We’ve been successful in removing these sites and work is ongoing to remove several more that we have identified, in what is undoubtedly a growing problem,&#8221; <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14515062.Police_Scotland_shuts_down_illegal__quot_Torrent_quot__websites_hosting_bootleg_videos_and_music/">said</a> Police Constable Andy Law.</p>
<p>&#8220;Hosts often believe they leave no footprint, but in reality we can trace sites back to an address and from there it leaves little scope for the culprit to hide their actions.&#8221;</p>
<p>Police have not revealed the names of the sites and there has been no indication in torrent circles of any large indexes or trackers going down. It therefore seems more likely that these are lower level sites rather than the &#8220;major&#8221; ones suggested by the police.</p>
<p>&#8220;Websites offering illegal access to films, music, games and books are threatening our creative industries and the 1.8 million people in the UK working in them,&#8221; said FACT&#8217;s Kieron Sharp.</p>
<p>&#8220;FACT is committed to tackling online piracy and together with our partners at the police and within industry, we will continue the fight to clampdown on anyone operating these sites within our own territories.”</p>
<p>These latest announcements come alongside news that FACT has <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-withdraws-funding-for-uk-anti-piracy-group-fact-160524/">lost the support</a> of its movie studios partners alongside an estimated 50% of its budget. The MPA says it will carry out its own investigations from regional hubs in future.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122653
title: BSA Pays Disgruntled Employees to Rat on ‘Pirating’ Bosses
uri: BSA-Pays-Disgruntled-Employees-to-Rat-on-Pirating-Bosses
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/IxRsstwws2I/
content:
<p><img src="media/76fd4240.nopiracy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/nopiracy.png" alt="nopiracy" width="183" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-83919">Over the past two decades the Business Software Alliance (BSA) has represented <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSA_(The_Software_Alliance)#Members">major software companies</a>, including Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, Oracle and Symantec, in their fight against under-licensed businesses.</p>
<p>This has resulted in audits at thousands of companies worldwide, whose computers are carefully inspected to see if the business owner has failed to pay his or her dues. </p>
<p>While companies are often contractually obliged to comply with such audits, BSA&#8217;s selection procedures are raising eyebrows. </p>
<p>Since a few years the industry group has been <a href="https://reporting.bsa.org/r/report/add.aspx?src=us&#038;ln=en-us&#038;cmpid=nopiracy">actively soliciting</a> tips from the public about potentially infringing companies. Promising <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bsa-offers-facebook-users-cash-rat-pirates-140215/">hard cash rewards</a>, it asks &#8220;whistleblowers&#8221; to expose any wrongdoing.</p>
<p>BSA generally follows up these tips with a threatening letter to the business owner in which it requests an audit, something they are contractually obliged to agree to. </p>
<p>If unlicensed software is found during an audit, the group generally follows up with a demand for damages, which can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars for some companies.   </p>
<p>To find out more about the process TorrentFreak spoke with <a href="http://www.scottandscottllp.com/main/robert_scott.aspx">Robert J. Scott</a>, managing partner at Scott &#038; Scott, LLP., who has represented hundreds of defendants in BSA related cases over the past couple of years. </p>
<p>According to Scott a typical audit request comes after &#8220;a tip by a disgruntled employee or former employee, often seeking to recover advertised reward money.&#8221;  </p>
<p>Many of Scott&#8217;s clients liken BSA&#8217;s tactics to a form of extortion, but he prefers not to use this term. In principle he believes that software companies have the right to protect their work. However, he certainly doesn&#8217;t agree with BSA practices. </p>
<p>The reward money in particular is problematic as it tends to attract disgruntled people who have a history with the company. For example, a fired employee who hopes to cash in while getting back at a former boss. </p>
<p>&#8220;I challenge the payment of reward money to disgruntled employees,&#8221; Scott says. &#8220;I also have been opposed to the method of calculating damages in BSA cases as being contrary to law.&#8221;  </p>
<p>The damages awards demanded in these cases are typically three times the regular licensing fee, and can easily run to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the number of computers that are in use. </p>
<p>In a recent article for <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2016/05/10/software-piracy-claims-can-ruin-your-business-and-reward-those-responsible/">TechCrunch</a> Scott shares the story of Fuzzy’s Radiator, a Texas automotive repair company. In a threatening letter the BSA accused the company of running unlicensed Microsoft products, stating that it could owe millions of dollars for the alleged infringement.</p>
<p>The timing of the letter was interesting, as it came in shortly after Fuzzy’s Radiator’s in-house IT person left the company. “I think the disgruntled former employee was trying to bring down the company,” Fuzzy Radiator&#8217;s Trinda Lopez said.</p>
<p>Facing a potential bankruptcy, the company decided to freeze employee salaries and postpone the purchase of new equipment. Eventually, the dispute was settled for a fraction of the initial demand.</p>
<p>While some business owners may run unlicensed software on purpose, this is certainly not always the case. Sometimes the software is installed by relative outsiders, or IT personnel who decide to skip the licensing part on their own accord. </p>
<p>Intentional or not, if the BSA comes knocking it&#8217;s bound to get costly. Scott hopes that small business owners will become more aware of the potential risk and ensure that their licenses are in order. </p>
<p>&#8220;After handling over 250 cases by BSA, what I have learned is that small business owners can&#8217;t trust IT to manage software license compliance,&#8221; Scott tells us.   </p>
<p>Finally, it&#8217;s worth keeping in mind that BSA uses the prospect of excessive penalties to intimidate companies and elicit fear. With a proper defense the actual settlements turn out to be much lower.</p>
<p>Too bad for the disgruntled employee, who <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bsa-offers-facebook-users-cash-rat-pirates-140215/">gets a stake</a> of the settlement.  </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122750
title: Ten Websites Hit With 70m DMCA Complaints in a Year
uri: Ten-Websites-Hit-With-70m-DMCA-Complaints-in-a-Year
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/PzCex5L2dqU/
content:
<p><a href="media/cdef4830.copyright-blood.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-blood.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-120567"><img src="media/bd0abf4c.copyright-blood.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-blood.jpg" alt="copyright-blood" width="225" height="151" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120567"></a>As 2016 nears its midway point the rhetoric over DMCA takedowns is more fiery than ever. Aware that a favorable change in the law might be possible sometime in the future, copyright holders <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-holders-dominate-closed-door-dmca-hearings-160518/">are pushing</a> the Copyright Office in the United States to consider a &#8216;takedown, staydown&#8217; system.</p>
<p>This proposal, should it ever become enshrined in law, would enable copyright holders to issue a DMCA notice to a site for a particular piece of content with the expectation that it will never appear again on that same platform. Opposition to such a regime is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-counsel-sees-problems-with-take-down-stay-down-151121/">notable</a> but it&#8217;s not difficult to see why copyright holders are so keen to have it implemented.</p>
<p>In the meantime they are stuck with the existing system and their efforts are clearly illustrated in Google&#8217;s Transparency Report. During the past month alone 7,015 copyright holders and 3,176 reporting organizations sent requests for 87 million URLs to be removed from Google&#8217;s indexes. It&#8217;s a huge amount by any standard.</p>
<p>What is interesting is how a relatively small number of domains account for a disproportionate number of takedowns. For instance last month two sites &#8211; file-hosting site 4shared and MP3 site GoEar &#8211; accounted for close to 11 million takedowns. That means that it took complaints against another 77,855 domains to make up the remaining 76 million URLs.</p>
<p>When looking at the figures for the last year a similar picture emerges, with a small number of domains attracting disproportionate levels of complaints. Interestingly, those thinking that The Pirate Bay or KickassTorrents would get the top slots will be disappointed. Those sites pale into insignificance when compared to the front runners.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/4de6ae9a.top10-complaints.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/top10-complaints.png" rel="attachment wp-att-122778"><img src="media/4de6ae9a.top10-complaints.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/top10-complaints.png" alt="top10-complaints" width="639" height="454" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122778"></a></center></p>
<p>Also of interest is the kind of site being targeted.</p>
<p>In first position is 4shared, a file-hosting site traffic ranked 434th in the world by Alexa. While that represents huge amounts of traffic, it&#8217;s the site&#8217;s popularity in Brazil that is causing it to receive a disproportionate number of notices. <a href="http://4shared.com">4shared</a> is ranked the 53rd most popular domain there, something that hasn&#8217;t gone unnoticed by local anti-piracy outfit APDIF who since 2013 have filed 17 million complaints in response.</p>
<p>MP3 indexing site <a href="http://flowxd.me">FlowXD</a> takes second place with an &#8216;impressive&#8217; 8.2 million takedowns. Again APDIF has been sending the lion&#8217;s share of the notices, presumably due to the site&#8217;s popularity in Brazil and elsewhere in South America.</p>
<p>In a close third with almost 7.7 million takedowns in the past twelve months is <a href="http://Chomikuj.pl">Chomikuj</a>, a Cyrus-incorporated file-hosting site that is the 34th most-visited site in Poland. Overall, the UK&#8217;s BPI has shown the most interest in the site, having sent more than 4.5 million notices since 2011. More recently, however, a much wider spread of copyright holders have targeted the site.</p>
<p>Perhaps unsurprisingly a website unblocking service is also up there with the front runners. <a href="http://Unblocksit.es">Unblocksit.es</a> has had almost 7 million complaints filed with Google, mostly by anti-piracy outfit <a href="http://www.rivendell.biz/">Rivendell</a> who boast being the &#8220;world Leader on Google&#8217;s transparency report for removal illegal links.&#8221; </p>
<p>In fifth and sixth place respectively sit file-hosting giants <a href="http://rapidgator.net">Rapidgator</a> and <a href="http://uploaded.net">Uploaded</a> with around 6.5 million complaints each. A wide range of copyright holders focus on both sites with an emphasis on the music sector. Rapidgator and Uploaded have experienced a decline in traffic since the start of the year but neither are showing signs of going away any time soon.</p>
<p>From there, all remaining sites in the top 10 are dedicated to offering free music. None seem particularly popular with English-speaking users. <a href="http://goear.com">GoEar</a> gets quite a lot of Spanish eyes and for some reason <a href="http://gooveo.org">Gooveo</a> is rocking it in Guatemala. Viciomp3 and Esamusica both appear to be defunct although copyright holders are continuing to send complaints to Google.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122774
title: Paramount Cracks Down on “The Godfather” Pirates, After 44 Years
uri: Paramount-Cracks-Down-on-The-Godfather-Pirates-After-44-Years
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gB5xHpJHPLg/
content:
<p><img src="media/b6279983.paramount1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/paramount1.jpg" alt="paramount" width="225" height="210" class="alignright size-full wp-image-66402">Like many other Hollywood studios, Paramount Pictures sees online piracy as a major threat to its revenues.</p>
<p>Torrent sites such as The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents represent a thorn in the side and the company is doing everything in its power to limit the damage.</p>
<p>For Paramount this includes tracking down and warning individual users of these sites. Generally speaking, rightsholders monitor people who share recent blockbusters or TV-shows, but there are exceptions. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak has learned that the Hollywood studio started sending takedown notices targeting Internet subscribers whose accounts were used to download and share an episode of the 1972 classic The Godfather.</p>
<p>With help from its anti-piracy partner IP-Echelon the studio is contacting ISPs, asking the companies to &#8220;disable&#8221; the copyright infringements and make sure that their subscribers stop sharing the film.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are requesting your immediate assistance in removing and disabling access to the infringing material from your network. We also ask that you ensure the user and/or IP address owner refrains from future use and sharing of Paramount materials and property,&#8221; the letter reads, listing the technical details.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/65c0fb1d.godfatherwarn.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/godfatherwarn.jpg" alt="godfatherwarn" width="591" height="235" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122789"></center></p>
<p>In addition, Paramount urges the ISP not to destroy any data such as IP-address logs, even if the retention period has expired. The movie studio mentions that this data may be required if a lawsuit is filed at a later stage. </p>
<p>&#8220;In complying with this notice, [ISP] should not destroy any evidence, which may be relevant in a lawsuit, relating to the infringement alleged, including all associated electronic documents and data relating to the presence of infringing items on your network, which shall be preserved while disabling public access, irrespective of any document retention or corporate policy to the contrary.&#8221;</p>
<p>The lawsuit mention may cause some file-sharers to panic, but is likely little more than a mafia-inspired threat. Paramount is generally not known to file cases against individual file-sharers, even though it has sent out many similar takedown notices in the past.</p>
<p>In fact, many Hollywood studios and other rightsholders send out similar letters, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hbo-warns-game-of-thrones-pirates-removes-torrents-160507/">such as HBO</a> with recent episodes of Game of Thrones. That said, the Godfather notice is by far the &#8220;oldest&#8221; we have seen, which makes it record-worthy.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122799
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 05/30/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-05-30-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FfGPMmX9jns/
content:
<p><img src="media/472d3290.xmenapo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/xmenapo.jpg" alt="xmenapo" width="300" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122802">This week we have three newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>X-Men: Apocalypse 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 BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-052316/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_apocalypse/">X-Men: Apocalypse</a> (HDCam)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385516/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jer8XjMrUB4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/13_hours_the_secret_soldiers_of_benghazi/">13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4172430/">7.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MBjAN7jqsQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zootopia/">Zootopia</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948356/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWM0ct-OLsM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_america_civil_war/">Captain America: Civil War</a> (TC) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820">8.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKrVegVI0Us">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hardcore_henry/">Hardcore Henry</a> (HDrip &#8211; subbed) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3072482/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JVgQzBG5Ho">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_do_over_2016/">The Do Over</a> (Webrip) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4769836/">6.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JVgQzBG5Ho">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gods_of_egypt/">Gods of Egypt</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404233/">5.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJBnK2wNQSo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(10)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a> (TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">7.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX_iASz1Si8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Deadpool</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/">8.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIM1HydF9UA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_to_be_single_2016/">How To Be Single</a> (Web-DL) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1292566/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrDI4-BSovs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122815
title: Police Target 50 Streaming Sites, Detain Five Suspects
uri: Police-Target-50-Streaming-Sites-Detain-Five-Suspects
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/8PigXF3Jx5c/
content:
<p><a href="media/97dd66b9.gdf-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gdf-logo.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-122821"><img src="media/97dd66b9.gdf-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gdf-logo.jpg" alt="gdf-logo" width="230" height="238" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122821"></a>While torrents remain popular with millions of file-sharers, cheaper bandwidth and faster Internet connections have contributed to an explosion of content being streamed online.</p>
<p>Today there are thousands of sites offering huge libraries of unauthorized content, all of it available via a YouTube-like interface accessible via any Internet browser. With a non-existent learning curve, it&#8217;s piracy anyone can get involved in.</p>
<p>As a result these kinds of sites can quickly gain a massive following and efforts to hinder their operations continue every day. With millions of links being removed from search engines and site-blocking a regular occurrence, other more aggressive options are also regularly explored.</p>
<p>Currently that is the stance of prosecutors in Rome, Italy, who say they have carried out a large operation to shut down a network of sites offering live sports events, movies, TV shows and concerts without permission from copyright holders.</p>
<p>Titled Operation Match Off 2.0, the action was carried out by the Comando Unità Speciali (Special Command Unit) of the Guardia di Finanza (GdF), a department under Italy’s Minister of Economy and Finance tasked with dealing with financial crime.</p>
<p>According to GdF the operation targeted 50 sites running on 41 servers located on three continents. Three servers were seized locally in Italy. After raids were carried out in a number of regions across the country, five suspects were detained. Further details on the sites and the suspects are yet to be released.</p>
<p>The sites are said to have offered live streaming of sports, on-demand content such as movies and TV shows, plus scheduling features in return for a ten euro payment per month. Italian authorities say the equivalent official offering would cost nearer 100 euros.</p>
<p>GdF report that the five suspects had built of a &#8220;vast network&#8221; of users and were generating huge profits from them.</p>
<p>&#8220;To understand the scope of the operation we detected the presence of more than 340,000 registered users within a community,&#8221; GdF said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;Assuming that everyone had an illegal &#8216;subscription&#8217;, you can, with a simple calculation, estimate that the turnover is nearly €3,500,000 monthly ($3.89m), or more than €40,000,000 ($44.46) per year.&#8221;</p>
<p>Should they be found guilty, the five suspects would face fines and up to four years in prison.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122757
title: YouTube Threatens Legal Action Against Video Downloader
uri: YouTube-Threatens-Legal-Action-Against-Video-Downloader
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3VbPXYYJ3fo/
content:
<p><img src="media/34e023fb.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="sadyoutube" width="275" height="196" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117196">With over a billion users YouTube is the largest video portal on the Internet. </p>
<p>Every day users watch hundreds of millions of hours of video on the site, and for many it&#8217;s a prime source to enjoy music as well. </p>
<p>While YouTube is a blessing to thousands of content creators, there are also concerns among rightsholders. Music labels in particular are not happy with the fact that music videos can be easily downloaded from the site with help from external services.</p>
<p>To address the problem YouTube is contacting these third party sites, urging them to shut down this functionality. Most recently, YouTube&#8217;s legal team contacted the popular download service <a href="http://en.tubeninja.net/">TubeNinja</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;It appears from your website and other marketing materials that TubeNinja is designed to allow users to download content from YouTube,&#8221; the email from YouTube&#8217;s legal team reads.</p>
<p>According to YouTube the video downloader violates the terms of service (ToS) of both the site and the API. Among other things, YouTube&#8217;s ToS prohibits the downloading of any video that doesn&#8217;t have a download link listed on the site.</p>
<p>Later, Google&#8217;s video service adds that if the site owner continues to operate the service this &#8220;may result in legal consequences.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>Email from YouTube&#8217;s legal team</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/28a79289.youlett2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youlett2.jpg" alt="youlett2" width="600" height="377" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122758"></center></p>
<p>Despite the threatening language, TubeNinja owner Nathan doesn&#8217;t plan to take the functionality offline. He informed YouTube that his service doesn&#8217;t use YouTube&#8217;s API and says that it&#8217;s the responsibility of his users to ensure that they don&#8217;t violate the ToS of YouTube and TubeNinja. </p>
<p>&#8220;Our own ToS clearly states that the user is responsible for the legitimacy of the content they use our service for,&#8221; Nathan tells us.</p>
<p>TubeNinja doesn&#8217;t believe that YouTube has a very strong case and Nathan has asked the company for clarification. He also mentions that Google&#8217;s very own Chrome service lists many plugins that offer the exact same functionality.</p>
<p>&#8220;They don&#8217;t even seem to enforce removal of Chrome plugins that enable users to do the exact same thing,&#8221; Nathan says. </p>
<p>&#8220;Also the fact that services like Savefrom, Keepvid, clipconverter etc have been around since 2008, we find it hard to believe that there is any legal case at all. Kind of like suing a maker of VHS-recorders for users taping the television broadcast,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>This isn&#8217;t the first time that YouTube has taken action against download services. The site has gone after similar sites in the past </p>
<p>In 2012 Google <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-threatens-to-sue-huge-youtube-mp3-conversion-site-120619/">went after</a> Youtube-mp3.org with a message similar to the one TubeNinja received, but despite these efforts the site remains one of the most used conversion tools with millions of visitors per day.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122839
title: 10 Years Ago Hollywood Awoke The Pirate Bay ‘Beast’
uri: 10-Years-Ago-Hollywood-Awoke-The-Pirate-Bay-Beast
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ZzrvSNJx1B0/
content:
<p><img src="media/fc7fa772.tpb.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com//images/tpb.jpg" align="right" alt="pirate bay">Most of the site&#8217;s current users are probably unaware that without a few essential keystrokes in the site&#8217;s early years, The Pirate Bay may have not been here today.</p>
<p>May 31, 2006, less than three years after The Pirate Bay was founded, 65 Swedish police officers <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/the-piratebay-is-down-raided-by-the-swedish-police/">entered a datacenter</a> in Stockholm. </p>
<p>The policemen had instructions to shut down the Pirate Bay&#8217;s servers, which were already seen as a major threat to the entertainment industry. </p>
<p>At the time The Pirate Bay wasn&#8217;t the giant it is today though. And ironically, the raid only made the site bigger, stronger and more resilient.</p>
<p>While the police were about to enter the datacenter, Pirate Bay founders Gottfrid and Fredrik got wind that something was up. </p>
<p>In the months before the raid they were already being watched by private investigators day and night, but this time something was about to happen to their trackers.  </p>
<p>At around 10am in the morning Gottfrid told Fredrik that there were police officers at their office, and asked him to get down to the co-location facility and get rid of the ‘incriminating evidence,’ although none of it, whatever it was, was related to The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>As Fredrik was leaving, he suddenly realized that the problems might be linked to their tracker. He therefore decided to make a full backup of the site, just in case. </p>
<p>When he later arrived at the co-location facility the concerns turned out to be justified. There were dozens of policemen floating around taking away dozens of servers, most of which belonged to clients unrelated to The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p><center><strong>Footage from The Pirate Bay raid</strong><br></br></center><center><iframe width="600" height="450" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/30HF-m_I6yY?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>In the days that followed it became clear that Fredrik&#8217;s decision to start a backup of the site was probably the most pivotal moment in the site&#8217;s history. Because of this backup Fredrik and the rest of the Pirate Bay team managed to resurrect the site within three days.</p>
<p>Of course, the entire situation was handled with the mockery TPB had become known for. </p>
<p>Unimpressed, the site&#8217;s operators renamed the site &#8220;The Police Bay&#8221; complete with a new logo shooting cannon balls at Hollywood. A few days later this logo was replaced by a Phoenix, a reference to the site rising from its digital ashes.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>Logos after the raid</h5>
<p><img src="media/dcabe2f3.tpb-logos.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-logos.jpg" alt="tpb classic"></center></p>
<p>Instead of shutting it down the raid brought the site into the mainstream press, not least due to its swift resurrection. All the publicity also triggered a huge traffic spike for TPB, exactly the opposite effect Hollywood had hoped for.</p>
<p>Despite a criminal investigation leading to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-founders-prison-sentences-final-supreme-court-appeal-rejected-120201/">convictions for the site&#8217;s founders</a>, The Pirate Bay kept growing and growing in the years that followed. </p>
<p>The site&#8217;s assets, meanwhile, were reportedly transferred to the Seychelles-based company Reservella.</p>
<p>Under new ownership several major technical changes occurred. In the fall of 2009 the infamous BitTorrent tracker was <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-tracker-shuts-down-for-good-091117/">taken offline</a>, turning The Pirate Bay into a torrent indexing site. </p>
<p>Early 2012 The Pirate Bay went even further when it decided to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-dumps-torrents-120228/">cease offering torrent files</a> for well-seeded content. The site&#8217;s operators moved to magnet links instead, allowing them to save resources while making it easier for third-party sites to run proxies. </p>
<p>These proxies turned out to be much-needed, as The Pirate Bay is now the most broadly censored website on the Internet. In recent years ISPs all around the world have been ordered by courts to block subscriber access to the torrent site.</p>
<p>While TPB swiftly recovered from the &#8220;original&#8221; raid, it did suffer nearly two months of downtime late 2014 when <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/swedish-police-raid-the-pirate-bay-site-offline-141209/">another raid took place</a>. </p>
<p>Initially it was believed that some of the site&#8217;s crucial servers were taken by the police, but the TPB team later said that it was barely hit and that they took the site offline <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-what-raid-police-never-got-our-servers-150921/">as a precaution</a>.</p>
<p>While the first raid make The Pirate Bay stronger, the two-month stint of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-back-online-150131/">downtime</a> was a big hit. While the site still has millions of visitors per day, it is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">no longer</a> the most dominant player, and is still suffering from regular outages. </p>
<p>That said, The Pirate Bay is expected to live on and on. To celebrate its turbulent past the site&#8217;s operators declared May 31 to be Pirate Independence Day a few years ago.</p>
<p>“Let today be the pirates&#8217; Independence Day! Today we celebrate the victories we’ve had and the victories that will come. Today we celebrate that we’re united in our efforts. Keep on seeding!” the TPB team said at the time.</p>
<p>But remember, if there hadn&#8217;t been a recent backup back in 2006, things may have turned out quite differently.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122843
title: Google Promotes Pirate Movie Ratings In Search Snippet
uri: Google-Promotes-Pirate-Movie-Ratings-In-Search-Snippet
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/6e0y9pAxCIg/
content:
<p><a href="media/7c6b9504.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg"><img src="media/3a6fa524.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg" alt="google-bay" width="200" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21875"></a>In recent years Hollywood has taken a rather aggressive approach against Google. The movie studios believe that the search engine isn&#8217;t doing enough to limit piracy, and have demanded <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-asks-government-to-facilitate-private-anti-piracy-deals-151020/">more stringent measures</a>. </p>
<p>One of the suggestions often made is to boost the visibility of legal movie services in search results. For example, show a list of streaming and download portals when users search for a movie. </p>
<p>In recent months Google has experimented with exactly this. People who search for classic &#8220;pirate&#8221; terms may see <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-targets-pirate-searches-promote-legal-content-140721/">ads for legal options</a>. In addition, the search engine now shows a snippet with <a href="https://developers.google.com/search/docs/data-types/tv-movies">all sorts of movie details</a> when people search for a title.</p>
<p>This movie information also includes reviews and ratings from around the web, with links to IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and other prominent sites. A useful feature for sure, but Hollywood will not like all of the sites that are featured. </p>
<p>Among various established sources, Google is also showing ratings from the &#8220;pirate&#8221; streaming site <a href="http://fmovies.to/">FMovies</a>. As can be seen below, FMovies user ratings are tucked between IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, using the rather inviting title &#8220;Watch Free Movies Online.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>Watch Free Movies Online</strong> (<a href="media/a5393b2e.fmoviesfull.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fmoviesfull.png">context, different search</a>)<br></br></center><center><img src="media/9aff3319.love-pirate-google.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/love-pirate-google.jpg" alt="love-pirate-google" width="528" height="526" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122856"></center></p>
<p>While FMovies ratings only appear incidentally, we have seen it across different browsers and on both desktop and mobile searches. </p>
<p>The link in question points directly to the FMovies page where a high quality stream of the film is readily available. In addition, users can opt to download it directly to their computer or mobile device.</p>
<p><center><strong>Love (2015)</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/4fdab325.fmovies.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fmovies.jpg" alt="fmovies" width="600" height="357" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122864"></center></p>
<p>The FMovies ratings appear in the movie snippet because FMovies is using Google&#8217;s <a href="https://developers.google.com/search/docs/data-types/reviews">review markup</a>. This allows any site to be featured there, when it complies with all the quality guidelines.</p>
<p>When Google announced the ratings feature last year <a href="https://developers.googleblog.com/2015/08/using-schemaorg-markup-to-promote-your.html">it said</a> it offers &#8220;publishers with an opportunity to increase the discoverability and consumption of their reviews using markup,&#8221; but we doubt that pirate sites are meant to be included. </p>
<p>Ironically, one of the tools that is <a href="http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.nl/2014/10/continued-progress-on-fighting-piracy.html">supposed to divert people</a> from pirate searches is now used to link people to one directly. Mistake or not, the movie studios will use these and other examples to argue that Google still has a long way to go. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, FMovies is enjoying the free traffic, for as long as it lasts. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122858
title: MPAA Lobbyist / SOPA Sponsor to Draft Democratic Party Platform
uri: MPAA-Lobbyist-SOPA-Sponsor-to-Draft-Democratic-Party-Platform
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/_zU-Ocbgg3U/
content:
<p><a href="media/b9a14f2f.berman-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/berman-small.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-122862"><img src="media/b9a14f2f.berman-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/berman-small.jpg" alt="berman-small" width="220" height="269" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122862"></a>Last week Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz chose a panel of individuals to draft the party&#8217;s platform.</p>
<p>As previously <a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/05/25/hillary-clinton-debbie-wasserman-schultz-pick-corporate-influence-peddlers-to-guide-dnc-platform/">reported</a>, 15 were selected, with six chosen by Clinton, five chosen by Bernie Sanders and four chosen by Wasserman Schultz. While other publications will certainly pick over the bones of the rest of the committee, one in particular stands out as interesting to TF readers.</p>
<p>Howard L Berman is an attorney and former U.S. Representative. He&#8217;s employed at <a href="https://www.cov.com/en/professionals/b/howard-berman">Covington &#038; Burling</a> as a lobbyist and <a href="http://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event=getFilingDetails&#038;filingID=7b9516c8-8baa-49f7-a79b-9bc8edf0d4a4&#038;filingTypeID=51">represents the MPAA</a> on matters including &#8220;Intellectual property issues in trade agreements, bilateral investment treaties, copyright, and related legislation.&#8221;</p>
<p>It will come as no surprise then that the major studios have been <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&#038;cid=N00008094&#038;type=I">donors</a> throughout Berman&#8217;s political career. As shown in the image below, the top five contributors are all major movie companies.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/538bcdd8.hberman1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hberman1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-122860"><img src="media/538bcdd8.hberman1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hberman1.png" alt="hberman1" width="650" height="388" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122860"></a></center></p>
<p>Born in 1941, Berman&#8217;s work with the film industry earned him the <a href="http://forward.com/news/13244/new-foreign-affairs-committee-chairman-draws-prais-01741/#ixzz4ADhNCrwr">nickname</a> “the congressman from Hollywood” and over the years he&#8217;s been at the root of some of the most heated debates over the protection of intellectual property.</p>
<p>In 2007 and as later <a href="https://wikileaks.org/wiki/Proposed_US_ACTA_multi-lateral_intellectual_property_trade_agreement_%282007%29">confirmed by Wikileaks</a>, Berman was one of the main proponents of ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. </p>
<p>Just five short years later Berman was at the heart of perhaps the biggest copyright controversy the world has ever seen when he became a co-sponsor of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).</p>
<p>“The theft of American Intellectual Property not only robs those in the creative chain of adequate compensation, but it also stunts potential for economic growth, cheats our communities out of good paying jobs, and threatens future American innovation,” Berman said in the run-up to SOPA.</p>
<p>While these kinds of soundbites are somewhat common, it&#8217;s interesting to note that Berman showed particular aggression towards Google during hearings focusing on SOPA. On November 16, 2011, Berman challenged the search giant over its indexing of The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p><a href="media/7c6b9504.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-21875"><img src="media/3a6fa524.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg" alt="google-bay" width="200" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21875"></a>Insisting that there &#8220;is no contradiction between intellectual property rights protection and enforcement ensuring freedom of expression on the Internet,&#8221; Berman said that Google&#8217;s refusal to delist the entire site was unacceptable.</p>
<p>&#8220;All right. Well, explain to me this one,&#8221; Berman demanded of Google policy counsel Katherine Oyama.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Pirate Bay is a notorious pirate site, a fact that its founders proudly proclaim in the name of the site itself. In fact, the site&#8217;s operators have been criminally convicted in Europe. And yet&#8230;..U.S.-Google continues to send U.S. consumers to the site by linking to the site in your search results. Why does Google refuse to de-index the site in your search results?&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Oyama tried to answer, noting that Google invests tens of millions of dollars into the problem. &#8220;We have hundreds of people around the world that work on it,&#8221; she said. &#8220;When it comes to copyright&#8230;.&#8221; </p>
<p>Berman didn&#8217;t allow her to finish, repeating his question about delisting the whole site, again and again. Before Berman&#8217;s time ran out, Oyama was interrupted several more times while trying to explain that the DMCA requires takedowns of specific links, not entire domains. Instead, Berman suggested that Oyama should &#8220;infuse herself&#8221; with the notion that Google wanted to stop &#8220;digital theft.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;[T]he DMCA is not doing the job. That is so obvious,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112hhrg71240/html/CHRG-112hhrg71240.htm">said</a>. &#8220;[Y]ou cannot look at what is going on since the passage of the DMCA and say Congress got it just right. Maintain the status quo.&#8221;</p>
<p>These arguments continue today in the &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-ceo-piracy-notices-are-costly-increasingly-pointless-150924/">takedown, staydown</a>&#8221; debate surrounding the ongoing review of the DMCA, with Hollywood lining up on one side and Google being held responsible for the actions of others on the other. But simply complaining about the DMCA is a little moderate for Berman.</p>
<p>Almost one and a half decades ago in the wake of Napster and before the rise of BitTorrent, Berman had a dream of dealing with peer-to-peer file-sharing by force. In 2002 he proposed the Peer To Peer Piracy Prevention Act, which would have allowed copyright holders to take extraordinary technical measures against file-sharers in order to stop the unauthorized distribution of their content.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/5211">H.R.5211</a> sought to amend Federal copyright law to protect a copyright owner from liability in any criminal or civil action &#8220;for impairing, with appropriate technology, the unauthorized distribution, display, performance, or reproduction of his or her copyrighted work on a publicly accessible peer-to-peer file trading network.&#8221;</p>
<p>The bill didn&#8217;t deal in specifics, but &#8220;impairing&#8221; was widely believed to be a euphemism for DDoS and poisoning attacks on individual file-sharers in order to make sharing impossible from their computers.</p>
<p>At the time &#8220;shared-folder&#8221; type sharing apps were still popular so bombarding networks with fake and badly named files would also have been fair game, although distributing viruses and malware were not on the table. Eventually, however, the bill died.</p>
<p>Berman, on the other hand, appears to be very much alive and will be soon helping to draft the Democratic Party platform. On past experience his input might not be too difficult to spot.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122888
title: Major KickassTorrents Uploader Has 2,400 Torrents Nuked By Unity
uri: Major-KickassTorrents-Uploader-Has-2-400-Torrents-Nuked-By-Unity
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/WpQ4q9XtoLQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/960a1a3b.unity-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/unity-logo.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-122902"><img src="media/960a1a3b.unity-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/unity-logo.jpg" alt="unity-logo" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122902"></a>It&#8217;s not clear how many DMCA takedown notices The Pirate Bay receives each day but the site is extremely clear &#8211; no torrents are ever removed following a request from copyright holders.</p>
<p>The Pirate Bay, however, is somewhat of an exception. For many torrent sites, dealing with a flood of DMCA takedown requests (or their EU equivalent) is a part of everyday life. For those who want to stay online, complying with them is often seen as essential.</p>
<p>As a result it is extremely common to visit big sites to view a torrent only to find that it has been removed by rightsholders. One site that complies with DMCA takedown notices is market leader KickassTorrents (KAT).</p>
<p>While no overall stats are provided by the site, disappearing torrents are common phenomena, much to the disappointment of many users. However, one particular user has more than the average reason to feel deflated this morning.</p>
<p>&#8216;Zorro&#8217; is one of the few users on KAT to have achieved the rank of Elite Uploader. He describes himself as a male from Uganda although there are signs he could hail from somewhere in Asia. Overall, Zorro has uploaded well in excess of 2,400 torrents to KAT but today they have all been removed following copyright holder action.</p>
<p>In a broken English response to VIruz, another KAT uploader who thought the torrents had been taken down over the period of a day, Zorro revealed the truth. </p>
<p>&#8220;Not in one day..it&#8217;s within 12 minutes,&#8221; Zorro explained.</p>
<p>To underline the scale of the takedown, the image below provided by Zorro himself shows the mass of popups he received from KickassTorrents when the torrents were deleted. It&#8217;s quite a sight to behold.</p>
<p><img src="media/a6eb8629.nAJSla.gif" data-original-source="http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img922/7312/nAJSla.gif" alt="takedown"></p>
<p>Of course, for many copyright holders to coordinate on a single day would be quite a thing, but dealing with Zorro was a little more straightforward.</p>
<p>All of Zorro&#8217;s torrents contained content belonging to game engine and asset company <a href="https://unity3d.com/unity">Unity</a>, with most appearing to have been sourced from its <a href="https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/">Asset Store</a>.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/7efe0d4a.unity.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/unity.png" rel="attachment wp-att-122899"><img src="media/7efe0d4a.unity.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/unity.png" alt="unity" width="650" height="423" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122899"></a></center></p>
<p>Zorro says he has suspicions that a user he previously complained about may have had something to do with his torrents being removed. While that&#8217;s certainly possible, a much more convenient explanation is at hand.</p>
<p>Yesterday at Unite Europe (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmTofDNJ3aI">video</a>), Unity made an important announcement. Noting that Unity isn&#8217;t as accessible as it could be, the company announced a new strategy. </p>
<p>&#8220;So, we wanted to simplify. We wanted to give more value. With our three new products we’re confident we have increased the ability for you to reach the largest audience, provided increased no worry access to the latest tech and made Unity more affordable,&#8221; Unity said.</p>
<p>The details are available <a href="http://blogs.unity3d.com/2016/05/31/new-products-and-prices/">here</a>, but essentially Unity now has a completely free tier (not even a credit card required) through to Plus, Pro, and enterprise solutions.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/95a80e10.unity-price.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/unity-price.png" rel="attachment wp-att-122910"><img src="media/95a80e10.unity-price.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/unity-price.png" alt="unity-price" width="650" height="178" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122910"></a></center></p>
<p>Meanwhile, Zorro and his fans are now staring at where his uploads used to be. In addition to the 2,400 taken down by Unity, Zorro says he personally deleted the rest. However, he appears to be relatively upbeat.</p>
<p>&#8220;Never mind somehow I survived. And still I am here at KAT with more stronger courage. Sooner or later I will reupload everything. I will reupload all 2506 torrents in a new way. From now on I will work like a hacker bandit,&#8221; Zorro says.</p>
<p>While there will be plenty of users who are disappointed at this turn of events, it&#8217;s perhaps a sign of the times that other uploaders on the site consider these events to be an occupational hazard to be taken in one&#8217;s stride.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well the company [Unity] that wants it down wants it down for a reason&#8230;it&#8217;s their hard work being pirated off of. Have to look at the whole thing that way,&#8221; said an uploader called Jagwar.</p>
<p>&#8220;Kat just complies with their request. I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s anything wrong with that. We all know if we upload a torrent there&#8217;s a chance it will be removed due to copyright owner request. Seems like that guy just got unlucky.&#8221;</p>
<p><Center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n1EPXkPy8wI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122921
title: HBO Cracks Down on Game of Thrones ‘Porn’ Piracy
uri: HBO-Cracks-Down-on-Game-of-Thrones-Porn-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bKGjc4-EhTg/
content:
<p><img src="media/01ac513a.khaleesi.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/khaleesi.jpg" alt="khaleesi" width="300" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122938" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/khaleesi-220x130.jpg 220w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/khaleesi.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px">As one of its &#8216;hottest&#8217; properties, HBO has become very protective of Game of Thrones. </p>
<p>In recent weeks thousands of pirates have received <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hbo-warns-game-of-thrones-pirates-removes-torrents-160507/">warnings</a> in their mailboxes, and the company is also fervently trying to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hbo-warns-game-of-thrones-pirates-removes-torrents-160507/">take down</a> links to pirated copies of the show, with some success.</p>
<p>Besides targeting full copies of episodes, HBO also appears to have an eye on unauthorized compilations that focus on scenes without costumes, which are quite a common occurrence. </p>
<p>Sites such as Pornhub list thousands of clips of Khaleesi, Margaery Tyrell, Melisandre and others, fully uncovered. While this isn&#8217;t a new trend HBO now says that it&#8217;s taking action in response. </p>
<p>&#8220;HBO is aware of the issue and is in the process of getting material taken down from Pornhub,&#8221; the company <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/36417759/game-of-thrones-is-taking-action-against-pornhub-for-breach-of-copyright">said</a> in a statement. </p>
<p>A quick search revealed that a lot of compromising material is still readily available, but some videos have indeed been removed. This includes the Daenerys Targaryen compilation video below. </p>
<p><center><strong>Daenerys Targaryen&#8217;s compilation video is gone</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/12f7c8d5.gotpornhub.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gotpornhub.png" alt="gotpornhub" width="594" height="320" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122925"></center></p>
<p>Since the videos are uploaded by Pornhub users the site itself enjoys safe harbor protection. This means that there&#8217;s little else HBO can do other than issue regular takedown requests to protect their assets. </p>
<p>That said, Pornhub is well-aware of the interest in Game of Thrones. In an &#8216;<a href="http://www.pornhub.com/insights/game-of-thrones">insights</a>&#8216; article last month the site analized various trends. Among other things it reported a massive spike in GoT searches before this year&#8217;s season premiere. </p>
<p>Popular search terms include &#8220;sex scene,&#8221; &#8220;khaleesi,&#8221; &#8220;boobs,&#8221; &#8220;nude&#8221; and &#8220;parody&#8221; while further analysis revealed that Emilia Clarke (Khaleesi) was also by far the most popular Game of Thrones actress on the porn site.</p>
<p><center><strong>Hot GoT actresses</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/c8881517.gotpornhsearch-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gotpornhsearch-1.png" alt="gotpornhsearch" width="600" height="449" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-122929" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gotpornhsearch-1-200x150.png 200w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/gotpornhsearch-1.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></center></p>
<p>Of course HBO has the right to remove the infringing footage, but the company has reportedly <a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/7183290/Game-of-Thrones-goes-bonkers-at-rip-off-porn-site.html">targeted</a> various porn parodies as well. These can in theory be contested, but thus far we haven&#8217;t seen any signs of this.</p>
<p>Interestingly, HBO is not the only company that&#8217;s worried about having their brand on prominent display at the porn site. A few days ago several users reported that Blizzard began <a href="https://www.lewdgamer.com/2016/05/28/blizzard-allegedly-targeting-overwatch-sfm-dmcas/">cracking down</a> on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/comments/4l6418/blizzard_is_taking_down_overwatch_porn_and/">Overwatch inspired porn</a> on Pornhub as well.</p>
<p>Whether HBO&#8217;s actions will be good enough to keep GoT nude videos from spreading has yet to be seen. Once something&#8217;s on the Internet, it&#8217;s generally pretty hard to take down, and highlighting the problem may even have an adverse effect. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122950
title: Movie Companies Want to Destroy Massive Pirate Communities
uri: Movie-Companies-Want-to-Destroy-Massive-Pirate-Communities
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Z-kwhhYYWsM/
content:
<p><a href="media/1c77f260.bomb.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/bomb.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-27591"><img src="media/e6671f81.bomb.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bomb.jpg" alt="bomb" width="150" height="213" class="alignright size-full wp-image-27591"></a>VKontakte (or Russia&#8217;s Facebook as it&#8217;s often known) is the largest European social network with 300 million registered users, around a third of which are active. Due to the way it hosts user content largely without question, VK carries huge amounts of infringing movies, music, TV shows.</p>
<p>Like similar sites, vKontakte has groups dedicated to endless regular topics. It also has groups dedicated to movie and TV show piracy inhabited by those looking to obtain content for free. Of course, copyright holders have the ability to take this content down via regular takedown notices, but like their counterparts in the West they&#8217;re <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-ceo-piracy-notices-are-costly-increasingly-pointless-150924/">tired of playing whac-a-mole</a>.</p>
<p>To this end, copyright holders are now teaming up to put vKontakte under pressure to remove entire groups from where infringing content is being made available. Under the immediate spotlight are the ten largest groups specializing in movies and TV shows. They are huge.</p>
<p>Alexei Byrdin of the Internet Video Association informs Russia&#8217;s <a href="http://izvestia.ru/news/616233">Izvestia</a> that each group has a minimum of one million members while the largest has more than seven million. As a result the rightsholders&#8217; anti-piracy group wants vKontakte to completely take them down.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have repeatedly appealed to the groups themselves to remove the content, but the complaints were not satisfied and content continued to be active,&#8221; says <a href="http://webkontrol.com/en/">WebKontrol</a> CEO Olga Valigurskaya, adding that if vKontakte wants to do the right thing it should either delete all the content or remove the groups altogether.</p>
<p>However, vKontakte&#8217;s owners over at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail.Ru">Mail.ru</a> (who own all three top social networking platforms in the country) see the situation somewhat differently, as do vKontakte themselves.</p>
<p>&#8220;In most cases we refuse to block communities specializing in video content as we consider this measure excessive,&#8221; a vKontakte spokesperson explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;Instead, we remove specific videos that violate the rights of a particular copyright holder, provided that the rightsholder has provided all the necessary documents. And managers of these communities are sent a notification about the inadmissibility of posting illegal content.&#8221;</p>
<p>Rightsholders wanting broad anti-piracy action and tech platforms demanding a precision approach is a common and growing theme online today. A similar war of words is playing out in both the United States and Europe, where whole sites are being censored and entertainment companies are demanding a &#8220;takedown, staydown&#8221; approach to copyright enforcement.</p>
<p>Whether they will get their way remains to be seen, but in the meantime the battle lines are being drawn in Russia &#8211; and unsurprisingly it&#8217;s copyright versus tech all over again.</p>
<p>&#8220;The platform should stop IP violations. If they cannot stop the violation in any other way, except to remove a whole group, then it is necessary to remove the group,&#8221; National Federation of the Music Industry (Sony, Universal, Warner, EMI) chief Leonid Agronov told Izvestia.</p>
<p>Agronov&#8217;s stance was predictably rejected by Sergey Grebennikov, director of the Regional Public Center of Internet Technologies (<a href="http://rocit.ru/">ROCIT</a>), a non-profit with a mission to popularize the Internet.</p>
<p>&#8220;Deleting whole groups is unlawful,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Removals should concern only the videos, for which rightsholders have rights.&#8221;</p>
<p>There can be little doubt that the issue of infringing online content is largely descending into a worldwide battle not between copyright holders and actual pirates, but between entertainment companies and Internet platforms such as vKontakte, YouTube and Google. It won&#8217;t be settled any time soon.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122811
title: DVD Release Delays Boost Piracy and Hurt Sales, Study Shows
uri: DVD-Release-Delays-Boost-Piracy-and-Hurt-Sales-Study-Shows
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/KiJHiFIFr6k/
content:
<p><img src="media/eba4c6a8.piratkeyb.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratkeyb.png" alt="piratkeyb" width="275" height="194" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108110">After a film premiers in theaters, movie fans usually have to wait a few months before they can get their hands on a DVD or Blu-Ray copy, depending on the local release strategy.  </p>
<p>This delay tactic helps movie theaters to maximize their revenues. However, it might not be the best option for aftermarket sales, which typically account for the largest chunk of a movie&#8217;s revenues.</p>
<p>One factor that comes into play here is piracy. Due to artificial delays which vary across different parts of the world, pirates can often get their hands on a high quality rip of a movie before the DVD is officially released in their country. </p>
<p>A new study <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2784759">published</a> by Carnegie Mellon University researchers has looked into this piracy &#8220;window of opportunity,&#8221; and found that release delays are actually hurting DVD and Blu-Ray sales.</p>
<p>Using real-world data the researchers investigated to what degree the availability of pirated movies during international release delays impact subsequent sales and found a clear positive relation.  </p>
<p>&#8220;Our results suggest that an additional 10-day delay between the availability of digital piracy and the legitimate DVD release date in a particular country is correlated with a 2-3% reduction in DVD sales in that country,&#8221; the researchers write.</p>
<p>The results are robust and the researchers controlled for a variety of alternative explanations. </p>
<p>For example, a longer delay itself doesn&#8217;t have a significant effect on sales. Revenue is only impacted if this also results in a longer &#8220;piracy window.&#8221;</p>
<p>More proof that the effect is driven by piracy is that the sales drops are proportional to piracy levels in a country. </p>
<p>Data shared by various movie studios reveals that movie piracy in Spain is about six times larger than in other countries, an effect that&#8217;s also visible in the researchers&#8217; analysis.</p>
<p>&#8220;When we run our regressions on Spain and Italy alone, we observe a 10% drop in sales for every 10-day delay in legal availability, as compared to a 2% drop in sales for every 10-day delay in the entire sample,&#8221; the paper reads. </p>
<p>Faced with these results, the paper suggests that besides going after pirates, Hollywood can also tweak its own business strategies to target the problem. </p>
<p>The researchers note that thanks to the interconnected nature of the Internet, a pirated film is shared all over the world within seconds of its release. This means that, as opposed to 15 years ago, delayed international movie releases may do more harm than good.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our results suggest that studios and exhibitors should reconsider delayed international movie releases in the presence of global piracy,&#8221; the paper reads, adding that shorter delays &#8220;may have positive spillover effects in the form of reduced piracy in the DVD window.&#8221;</p>
<p>The research was carried out as part of Carnegie Mellon University’s <a href="http://idea.heinz.cmu.edu/">Initiative for Digital Entertainment Analytics</a>, which receives significant <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-invests-millions-in-academic-piracy-research-160514/">funding from the MPAA</a>. However, the researchers state that their work is carried out independently.</p>
<p>Whether the MPAA will take up the advixe has yet to be seen, but it&#8217;s good to see that the study confirms that movie studios themselves can also do more to address the piracy issue. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=123044
title: Student Arrested in U.S. For Live Streaming a Movie on Facebook
uri: Student-Arrested-in-U-S-For-Live-Streaming-a-Movie-on-Facebook
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/8i5BzymIbQc/
content:
<p><a href="media/3f34000a.cammer1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cammer1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-65828"><img src="media/bfbc3855.cammer1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cammer1.jpg" alt="cammer1" width="210" height="122" class="alignright size-full wp-image-65828"></a>Taking recording equipment into a cinema with the intention of grabbing a copy of the latest movie is a very risky occupation in the United States. Thanks to the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act 2005, doing so is a criminal offense.</p>
<p>&#8220;Any person who, without the authorization of the copyright owner, knowingly uses or attempts to use an audiovisual recording device to transmit or make a copy of a motion picture&#8230;from a performance of such work in a motion picture exhibition facility, shall..be imprisoned for not more than 3 years, fined under this title, or both,&#8221; the <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/pl109-9.html">Act reads</a>.</p>
<p>Over the years this legislation has been applied to everyone from the world&#8217;s most <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/imagine-bittorrent-piracy-group-sysop-jailed-40-months-121130/">prolific pirates</a> to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/new-moon-pirate-camming-farce-comes-to-an-end-091211/">absolute innocents</a>. Nevertheless, the existence of this law has undoubtedly contributed to a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-spy-cameras-attack-the-dying-art-of-camcorder-piracy-120426/">significant drop</a> in camcording offenses in the United States. Some people, however, don&#8217;t see the danger</p>
<p>Yesterday the unlikely-named romantic comedy &#8220;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Aa">A Aa</a>&#8221; enjoyed its worldwide premiere. One of the theaters showing the movie was the <a href="http://www.rosemont.com/mbfinancialpark/entertainment/muvico/">Muvico Rosemont</a> in Chicago.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/c71578df.muvico.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/muvico.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-123053"><img src="media/c71578df.muvico.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/muvico.jpg" alt="muvico" width="600" height="340" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-123053"></a></center></p>
<p>According to the movie distribution company behind &#8220;A Aa&#8221; there was some unexpected action Thursday at the 18 screen complex. Bluesky Cinemas reports that a student from Valparaiso University, Indiana, took a mobile phone into the premiere and began recording the movie and live streaming it on Facebook.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s relatively common at this point for people to get caught by theater staff, the infringement was reportedly monitored by an anti-piracy team 8,200 miles away in Hyderabad, the capital city of the southern Indian state of Telangana.</p>
<p>After taking action to remove the links on Facebook, Bluesky Cinemas&#8217; anti-piracy team say they contacted management at the Muvico Rosemont in Illinois. In turn, staff there called the police.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The] student was caught red-handed with [the] content,&#8221; Bluesky said in a statement.</p>
<p>But while these kinds of cases often get seriously out of hand (and an arrest is of course somewhat serious), <a href="http://www.blueskycinemas.com">Bluesky</a> reports that the content recorded on the students&#8217; device &#8211; all few minutes of it &#8211; was subsequently deleted. That hints at a no-further-action scenario.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the police clearly thought this offense was worth dealing with based on instructions issued from half way around the world, even if the recording was probably not professional in nature.</p>
<p>&#8220;Recording and sharing unauthorized video in social media is also a part of cybercrime,&#8221; Bluesky warns.</p>
<p>&#8220;We request especially students in USA not to [get involved in] these kind of issues and get into trouble yourself. [Our] anti-piracy team is actively working on tracing any kind of illegal activities.&#8221;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=123047
title: BitTorrent Goes All In on Media, Moves Sync App to New Venture
uri: BitTorrent-Goes-All-In-on-Media-Moves-Sync-App-to-New-Venture
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gCETqptGbQQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/21af8fa2.bittorrent-crime.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bittorrent-crime.jpg" alt="bittorrent-crime" width="222" height="202" class="alignright size-full wp-image-79637">Among the broader public BitTorrent Inc. is mostly know as the parent company of the popular BitTorrent and uTorrent software applications.</p>
<p>The two file-sharing clients, which have a base of roughly 170 million monthly users, are also the main sources of revenue for the venture capital-backed company. </p>
<p>Over the years BitTorrent has tried to launch many other applications and services to diversify its revenue stream, but these efforts haven&#8217;t been very successful.</p>
<p>One of the best received projects is perhaps &#8220;<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-launches-private-and-secure-dropbox-alternative-130125/">Sync</a>,&#8221; a Dropbox competitor that allows users to securely sync folders across multiple devices using the BitTorrent protocol. Within a few months the new tool had over a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-sync-hits-1-million-users-30-petabytes-transfered-131105/">million users</a> sharing dozens of petabytes of data.</p>
<p>Despite this success, BitTorrent Inc. is now saying farewell to the Sync application which it will spinoff into a new company. </p>
<p>Name Resilio, the new company will rebrand Sync as &#8220;Connect&#8221; and continue its development under the wings of BitTorrent&#8217;s former CEO Eric Klinker, <a href="http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/bittorrent-sync-spinoff-resilio-1201787793/">Variety</a> reports. </p>
<p>BitTorrent Inc., meanwhile, will increase its focus on media. This is something Klinker was hesitant about, as not all rightsholders are happy with BitTorrent&#8217;s role in the piracy ecosystem. </p>
<p>However, with <a href="http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/bittorrent-swaps-chief-execs-preps-la-office-launch-to-double-down-on-entertainment-1201757880/">two new CEO&#8217;s</a> steering the ship the company has set sail for Los Angeles, where it will soon open a new office.</p>
<p>As part of the new strategy the company will focus on offering a wide range of &#8216;legitimate&#8217; entertainment through several new applications. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/9a669395.bittorrentlive.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bittorrentlive.jpg" alt="bittorrentlive" width="600" height="336" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123116"></center></p>
<p>This includes the recently announced <a href="https://btlive.tv/">BitTorrent Live</a> service, which will launch with a wide <a href="http://blog.bittorrent.com/2016/05/17/bittorrent-live-multichannel-app-for-live-and-linear-programming-unveiled-at-intx/">variety of programming</a>. Live streaming has been one of the main focuses of BitTorrent inventor Bram Cohen for a long time, but the technology has yet to see its breakthrough. </p>
<p>In addition to streaming, the company will continue to promote artist &#8220;bundles&#8221; though their BitTorrent and uTorrent clients.</p>
<p>In recent years BitTorrent Inc. has had trouble building new revenue streams. Just last year it had to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-inc-lays-off-close-to-a-third-of-its-workforce-150425/">lay off one third</a> of its workforce, so the company hopes that this new direction will pay off in the long run.  </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122997
title: Copyright Troll Calls UK Government “Cowards”
uri: Copyright-Troll-Calls-UK-Government-Cowards
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/MgI75itoeXM/
content:
<p><a href="media/b083db33.troll.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/troll.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-48009"><img src="media/43622170.troll.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/troll.jpg" alt="troll" width="175" height="131" class="alignright size-full wp-image-48009"></a>Wherever there&#8217;s a controversy over unauthorized file-sharing it&#8217;s almost guaranteed that the copyright trolls at <a href="http://guardaley.com/">Guardaley</a> won&#8217;t be far behind. For many years the company has been central to cases against alleged file-sharers around the world, from the United States through to the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia.</p>
<p>Guardaley is at the heart of what many describe as a &#8220;settlement factory&#8221;, an industrialized system to track infringements on file-sharing networks, identify Internet subscribers, and leverage cash payments from them, whether they&#8217;re guilty or not.</p>
<p>The list of films &#8216;protected&#8217; by Guardaley is extensive but includes well-known troll fodder such as <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hurt-locker-makers-target-record-breaking-24583-bittorrent-users-110523/">The Hurt Locker</a>, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/downloaded-the-expendables-on-bittorrent-the-copyright-police-are-coming-110105/">The Expendables</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-troll-partner-threatens-to-report-blogger-to-the-police-160403/">The Company You Keep</a>. </p>
<p>Chief Operating Officer Patrick Achache largely operates in the background but in recent times has been nurturing his public image. From public declarations of his <a href="http://patrickachache.com/charity/">charitable work</a> to parading in the UK to warn of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-trolls-announce-uk-anti-piracy-invasion-151002/">impending file-sharing doom</a>, Achache paints himself as man on a mission of goodness. His targets, however, feel little but misery.</p>
<p>In a new interview conducted at the Cannes Film Festival and published on FilmFestivals.com (article since disappeared), Achache describes his life and frustrations as one of the world&#8217;s most visible copyright trolls. </p>
<p>&#8220;The technology to identify IP addresses is very easy – it’s participating in file-sharing networks, the difficult part is the data management and analysis, as well as the traffic. We record 200 million IP addresses per day and that is a lot to process, analyze and store,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>But while tracking might be the easy part, Achache sees pushing the boundaries of the legal system as a valuable tool to elicit payments from alleged infringers.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our lawyers are constantly looking into setting up new precedence cases (e.g. third party liability). In the US we have always worked with the statutory damages, which can be up to $150,000 USD for willful copyright infringement. Let us be serious – there is nothing like clicking on the wrong link and [getting] caught up in our software,&#8221; Achache says.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s not difficult to take much of what Achache says with a healthy side portion of salt, he&#8217;s certainly not wrong there. Over the years tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of alleged file-sharers have fallen into Guardaley&#8217;s global clutches and most regret having done so. </p>
<p>&#8220;Our clients have sued infringers in Singapore. There are criminal proceedings in Poland, where people get arrested and their computers get taken away. We have provided data for at least 1,000 lawsuits in Germany. In the US our clients are thriving to take someone to court,&#8221; he reveals.</p>
<p>But while Achache and his clients regularly speak of their desire to go to court, their real aim is cash settlements. Achache won&#8217;t give the details but he says his lawyers have reached financial agreements with some amazing people &#8211; the German equivalent of the FBI, for example.</p>
<p>&#8220;We caught their IP address several times. They admitted, but I can’t provide further details as per confidentiality of the settlement. Our lawyers have all type of businesses &#8211; gas stations, embassies, army bases, banks, law firms – the list is really long. Some have thousands of illegal files on their hard drives.&#8221;</p>
<p>It can&#8217;t be denied that plenty fall into the Guardaley trap but it isn&#8217;t always plain sailing. According to Achache, ISPs opposing efforts to unmask file-sharers can be quite a challenge.</p>
<p>&#8220;In various jurisdictions they fight back hard, as they earn money from the pirating consumers which are signing on high volume bandwidth contracts,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>But there are bigger challenges, ones that involve convincing industry groups and the authorities that the best way to deal with file-sharers is to threaten them with court action until they cough up hard cash.</p>
<p>&#8220;What is [an even bigger challenge] is to convince industry bodies and local government that the way we police piracy is the only effective way,&#8221; Achache says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Let us take the UK as an example: We have sent letters to all the industry bodies, tried to work with the House of Lords, sent a letter to David Cameron. No one ever responded. That&#8217;s why we call out the UK government as cowards like <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/obamas-a-coward-for-not-hitting-google-over-piracy-filmmaker-says-160418/">Avi Lerner did</a>.&#8221;</p>
<p>For those familiar with the work of copyright trolls, the idea that Achache is surprised that no one responded to his overtures is somewhat surprising in itself, not to mention amusing.</p>
<p>While most industry bodies have a huge interest in protecting their copyrights, there is absolutely zero chance that a group like the BPI, for example, would team up with Guardaley to demand money from grandmothers, as the company <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/disgusted-member-of-parliament-intervenes-in-internet-piracy-case-160307/">recently did in the UK</a>.</p>
<p>Furthermore, expecting a response from the Prime Minister is so optimistic as to be laughable and wanting to work with the House of Lords shows a disregard for history.</p>
<p>In 2010 the UK&#8217;s Lord Lucas described copyright trolling as &#8220;a scam&#8221; and &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-scheme-a-scam-legal-blackmail-say-uk-lords-100128/">legal blackmail</a>&#8220;, Lord Young likened trolls to “rogue wheel-clampers&#8221;, and several other members of the House joined them in criticism. This is not a business that lawmakers want to get involved in.</p>
<p>But for Achache and his numerous rightsholder partners, such setbacks are just another day at the office. Guardaley are planning on expansion, including a new case in Australia where the Dallas Buyers Club case just crashed and burned, plus other English speaking territories.</p>
<p>In the meantime, downloaders of the movies &#8216;London Has Fallen&#8217; and &#8216;Criminal&#8217; need to take care since Achache has revealed that those titles are being monitored by his company. Expect the threats and cash demands to follow in the not too distant future.</p>
<p><em>Essential further reading on Guardaley <a href="https://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/2014/04/21/devils-cookbook-guardaleys-presentation/">here</a> for those hungry for the details. </em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=123022
title: Anti-Piracy Group Wants to Take Down ‘The Internet’
uri: Anti-Piracy-Group-Wants-to-Take-Down-The-Internet
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/XijtPDC83do/
content:
<p><img src="media/ca3fd692.bomb-explosion-atomic.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bomb-explosion-atomic.jpg" alt="bomb-explosion-atomic" width="300" height="157" class="alignright size-full wp-image-123056">In an effort to combat piracy, copyright holders report millions of infringing links to Google on a daily basis.</p>
<p>Due to the high number of often automated notices and the fact that copyright holders don’t always check the validity of all requests, mistakes are a common occurrence.</p>
<p>An occasional mishap is understandable, of course, but this week we stumbled upon one of the worst series of takedown notices we have ever seen.</p>
<p>Over the course of a few days reporting organization <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/reporters/142077/Copyright-UNIVERSAL/">Copyright UNIVERSAL</a> asked Google to remove thousands of links from its search engine. In their listing we do indeed see <em>some</em> infringing URLs, but it&#8217;s the legal content that really stands out.</p>
<p>In fact, it is safe to say that no website is safe for the overzealous anti-piracy group. </p>
<p>Over the past week Copyright UNIVERSAL has asked Google to remove 4,224 URLs including various high profile sites. While we don&#8217;t have room to highlight all &#8216;mistakes,&#8217; we&#8217;ve made a selection of some of the most outrageous errors. </p>
<p>Let&#8217;s start off with the MPAA, a fellow anti-piracy group which has called on Google to make sure that reported URLs remain offline. According to a recent notice from Copyright UNIVERSAL, their ratings page is clearly infringing.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/35a967fd.mpaa.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa.png" alt="mpaa" width="585" height="70" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123068"></center></p>
<p>The same is true for legal offerings from movie stores and streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon and Apple&#8217;s iTunes. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/04436849.netflix-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-1.png" alt="netflix" width="585" height="70" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123069"></center><br>
<center><img src="media/d8df36c0.amaz.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/amaz.png" alt="amaz" width="585" height="100" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123070"></center><br>
<center><img src="media/b86a9733.apple.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/apple.png" alt="apple" width="585" height="100" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123071"></center></p>
<p>According to the notices, Google&#8217;s very own Play store <a href="media/e82a26df.googplay.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/googplay.png">is also copyright infringing</a>.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/dcb7eefe.googplay-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/googplay-1.png" alt="googplay" width="585" height="99" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123143"></center></p>
<p>In fact, even Hulu&#8217;s original series are not safe from the overactive anti-piracy group&#8217;s recent takedown spree.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/c2decdd0.huluorg.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/huluorg.png" alt="huluorg" width="585" height="70" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123072"></center></p>
<p>But that&#8217;s just the beginning. Various Internet providers including Comcast, Verizon and Cox also offer entertainment online. This is not permitted according to Copyright UNIVERSAL which is targeting the respective sites in various takedown notices.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/38d9dfec.xfinity.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/xfinity.png" alt="xfinity" width="585" height="100" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123073"></center><br>
<center><img src="media/b8b0e088.verizon-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/verizon-1.png" alt="verizon" width="585" height="70" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123074"></center><br>
<center><img src="media/05f76c62.cox.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cox.png" alt="cox" width="583" height="70" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123075"></center></p>
<p>Then there are offline film broadcasting outlets, commonly known as movie theaters. These generally have a good relationship with copyright holders, but that doesn&#8217;t mean they can stay online. </p>
<p>The Copyright UNIVERSAL notices target several cinemas including the homepages of AMC Theaters and Vox Cinemas, as shown below.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/8668691d.amc.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/amc.png" alt="amc" width="585" height="100" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123077"></center></p>
<p><center><img src="media/a512a566.voxcinemas.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/voxcinemas.png" alt="voxcinemas" width="585" height="70" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123078"></center></p>
<p>The same is true for film rating sites such as Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, which are both targeted in several requests.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/ff6a2eb7.rotten.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rotten.png" alt="rotten" width="585" height="70" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123079"></center><br>
<center><img src="media/73e9d006.metacritic.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/metacritic.png" alt="metacritic" width="585" height="70" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123080"></center></p>
<p>Turning it up a notch, the anti-piracy group is also cracking down on sports leagues, as both the NBA and NFL sites are targeted. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/e86aefa2.nba.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/nba.png" alt="nba" width="585" height="70" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-123082"></center><br>
<center><img src="media/dad0dbcc.nfl.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/nfl.png" alt="nfl" width="585" height="70" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123083"></center></p>
<p>And what about the official movie homepage for The Huntsman: Winter&#8217;s War, tucked in between several news articles and other legitimate sites such as the Verge, The Age, The Australian and The Sun.</p>
<p>The list goes on and on and on&#8230;.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/3d9f3e7d.huntsandmore.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/huntsandmore.png" alt="huntsandmore" width="586" height="415" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-123084"></center></p>
<p>After keeping a close eye on DMCA takedown mistakes over the past several years, these are by far the worst. Keep in mind that the above is just a small selection of all the inaccuracies, which can be found <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/reporters/142077/Copyright-UNIVERSAL/">in full here</a>. </p>
<p>Unfortunately it is not clear on whose authority Universal COPYRIGHT is acting. The sloppy anti-piracy outfit reportedly operates from India but that&#8217;s pretty much all we know at this point. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to Google, who said they would look into the matter, but we haven&#8217;t heard back since. </p>
<p>The good news is that thanks to Google&#8217;s sharp eye none of the inaccurately reported links have been removed. So even if Copyright UNIVERSAL continues its crusade against pretty much the entire Internet, it&#8217;s unlikely that it will succeed. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=123001
title: Is The “Six Strikes” Anti-Piracy Scheme Doomed?
uri: Is-The-Six-Strikes-Anti-Piracy-Scheme-Doomed
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zvAhU3ZifdU/
content:
<p><img src="media/f2bfe741.pirate-running.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-running.jpg" alt="pirate-running" width="222" height="204" class="alignright size-full wp-image-78717">Five years ago the MPAA and RIAA <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-starts-130225/">teamed up</a> with several major U.S. Internet providers, announcing their plan to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-anti-piracy-warnings-double-year-140830/">shift the norms and behavior</a> of BitTorrent pirates.</p>
<p>The parties launched the <a href="http://www.copyrightinformation.org/">Center for Copyright Information</a> (CCI) and agreed on a system through which Internet account holders are warned if their connections are used to download pirated content.</p>
<p>After five or six warnings ISPs can take a variety of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-starts-130225/">repressive measures</a>, including bandwidth throttling and temporary Internet disconnections.</p>
<p>The system has been in place for <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-starts-130225/">several years</a> now and is currently set to expire in October, before which the parties have to agree on its future course.</p>
<p>When the initiative was announced many people feared an active witch hunt and various horror stories about falsely accused grandmothers. But, now that several years have passed it&#8217;s the silence that stands out most. </p>
<p>It&#8217;s almost as if the much praised Copyright Alert System doesn&#8217;t exist at all.</p>
<p>Since its inception, CCI has issued no more than <a href="http://www.copyrightinformation.org/category/press-release/">three press releases</a> and any recent data on the scope and effectiveness of the program is lacking. The only figures that were published cover the <a href="http://www.copyrightinformation.org/press-release/cci-provides-first-copyright-alert-system-progress-report-highlighting-initial-accomplishments/">first ten months</a>, ending December 2013. </p>
<p>Hoping to fill this information void TorrentFreak has been asking for fresh data for years, but CCI repeatedly informed us that they have no new numbers to share. </p>
<p>Similarly, the institution&#8217;s official <a href="https://twitter.com/copyrightinfo">Twitter account</a> has been gathering dust for almost a year, exemplifying the lack of communication.</p>
<p>This week we contacted CCI again, and although no data or concrete plans were unveiled, Executive Director Jim Kohlenberger was willing to shed some more light on the operation.</p>
<p>&#8220;The system continues to work smoothly, effectively, and as intended,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;We’ve seen that consumers are interested in the activity happening on their network, that they respond to educationally focused efforts, and are thirsty for more information on the amazing new ways to ethically access content where, when, and how they want.&#8221; </p>
<p>According to Kohlenberger there are growing signs that P2P piracy is on the decline, while use of legal content options is growing. Looking ahead, CCI&#8217;s director says the system will be further optimized. </p>
<p>&#8220;Going forward, we continue to look for opportunities to refine the system, and to advance our efforts and to elevate our consumer-focused mission in pragmatic ways,&#8221; Kohlenberger notes.</p>
<p>While the comments are positive, there are also some signs which suggest that there has been very little progress behind the scenes. The parties have been discussing future options for a long time already and thus far nothing has been set in stone.</p>
<p>After the original agreement expired last June it was <a href="media/bde18a6f.Memorandum-of-Understanding-Third-Amendment.pdf" data-original-source="http://prod.copyrightinformation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Memorandum-of-Understanding-Third-Amendment.pdf">extended</a> for four months to give the parties some additional time to agree on possible changes. In October another <a href="media/86e65770.CCI-MOU-Fourth-Amendment-Extension-10-23-15.pdf" data-original-source="http://prod.copyrightinformation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/CCI-MOU-Fourth-Amendment-Extension-10-23-15.pdf">three-month extension</a> was put in place, followed by yet more extensions in <a href="media/97840c3b.CCI-MOU-Amendment-5-Extension.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.copyrightinformation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/CCI-MOU-Amendment-5-Extension.pdf">February</a>, <a href="media/c84b0e42.Memorandum-of-Understanding-Sixth-Amendment.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.copyrightinformation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Memorandum-of-Understanding-Sixth-Amendment.pdf">March</a> and <a href="media/9e502a32.Memorandum-of-Understanding-Seventh-Amendment.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.copyrightinformation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Memorandum-of-Understanding-Seventh-Amendment.pdf">April</a> of this year. </p>
<p>This strange series of short extensions is odd, to say the least. </p>
<p>And while the future for the Copyright Alert System has yet to be decided, critique is swelling. Not just from pirates and activists, but also from copyright holders themselves as they can only send a limited number of complaints. </p>
<p>Last year a group of several independent movie studios called for the end of the system, describing it as <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-is-a-sham-filmmaker-say-150513/">a sham</a>. Instead, the movie studios see more mileage in a Canadian notice-and-notice system, where they can send out as many warnings as they like. </p>
<p>Add to this that Australia just <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/australia-officially-abandons-three-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-160524/">abandoned</a> their proposed &#8220;strikes&#8221; scheme and the fact that Hollywood said it will no longer push for similar measures elsewhere, and the picture gets more and more grim.</p>
<p>Considering the above it wouldn&#8217;t be a huge surprise if the scheme terminated itself in the future, but CCI is obviously not hinting in that direction. However, we seriously doubt that things are going as smoothly as they are presented. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=122962
title: Axl Rose Sends DMCA Notices to Google Targeting ‘Fat’ Photo
uri: Axl-Rose-Sends-DMCA-Notices-to-Google-Targeting-Fat-Photo
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/9yS1cfMGBH4/
content:
<p><a href="media/7dabb3f0.censored.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/censored.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-35000"><img src="media/f05b8357.censored.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/censored.jpg" alt="censored" width="199" height="173" class="alignright size-full wp-image-35000"></a>As regularly documented in these pages, copyright holders expend a lot of energy trying to protect their work from Internet piracy.</p>
<p>The tried and tested method is to issue a DMCA takedown notice to webhosts and platforms such as Google, Facebook and YouTube. Millions of these requests are sent and processed every week.</p>
<p>However, while copyright holders are fully entitled to protect their work, there are many instances that cause controversy. These cases often amount to ham-handed efforts at taking down infringing content but others arouse suspicions that censorship is the likely goal.</p>
<p>Details of several such cases appeared in the <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org">Lumen Database&#8217;s DMCA archive</a> this week, having been filed there by Google. They all relate to a wave of copyright claims sent to Blogspot and GoogleUserContent on May 31, 2016 demanding the removal of pictures depicting Guns N&#8217; Roses singer Axl Rose.</p>
<p>&#8220;Copyright image of Axl Rose. Please be advised that no permission has been granted to publish the copyright image so we cannot direct you to an authorized example of it,&#8221; the notices sent by Web Sheriff on behalf of the singer read.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/87e654fa.axl1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/axl1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-123061"><img src="media/87e654fa.axl1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/axl1.png" alt="axl1" width="650" height="700" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-123061"></a></center></p>
<p>Each notice (<a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/12362871">1</a>,<a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/12362846">2</a>,<a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/12362889">3</a>,<a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/12362883">4</a>,<a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/12362858">5</a>,<a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/12361654">6</a>) relates to the same image, an excellently framed but rather unflattering picture of Axl Rose taken at the MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Canada, back in 2010.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/60632a4f.axl2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/axl2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-123038"><img src="media/60632a4f.axl2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/axl2.png" alt="axl2" width="650" height="461" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-123038"></a></center></p>
<p>Intrigued, TorrentFreak tracked down the photographer who captured this moment to see if he was aware of these takedown efforts. We eventually found Boris Minkevich at the Winnipeg Free Press where his fine work is published in <a href="http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/music/Guns-N-Roses-show-a-massive-rock-n-roll-spectacle-81474192.html">all its glory</a>.</p>
<p>During our initial discussions a few things became clear. Firstly, Minkevich definitely took the photo. Second, Minkevich had no idea that Rose was trying to &#8220;cleanse the web&#8221; of his photo. </p>
<p>Perhaps the first reaction here is that Rose has no right to take down  Minkevich&#8217;s photo. Since Minkevich was the one who took it, he must own the copyright, right? Web Sheriff doesn&#8217;t seem to think so.</p>
<p>&#8220;We can gladly confirm that all official / accredited photographers at [Axl Rose] shows sign-off on ‘Photography Permission’ contracts / ‘Photographic Release’ agreements which A. specify and limit the manner in which the photos can be exploited and B. transfer copyright ownership in such photos to AR’s relevant service company,&#8221; the company told TF in a statement.</p>
<p>We contacted Minkevich again and asked whether he&#8217;d signed any contracts as suggested by Web Sheriff or had any clear idea of who owns the copyrights. He confirmed that some shows make photographers sign an agreement and some don&#8217;t. This event was in 2010, a long time to remember back.</p>
<p>However, even if Minkevich took this photograph in an unofficial and/or unauthorized capacity, Web Sheriff still believes there would be issues surrounding ownership.</p>
<p>&#8220;[If a photographer] was there and taking shots without permission or authority, then other considerations / factors would come-into-play as to what such individuals can and cannot do in terms of attempting to commercially exploit the resultant images of someone else’s show,&#8221; TF was informed.</p>
<p>So while the waters about who owns what continue to swirl, the big question remains &#8211; why target the picture at all? Understandably, Web Sheriff told us that client work is confidential but it&#8217;s certainly possible that part of the puzzle lies a quick Google search away.</p>
<p>As can been seen below, the photographs taken by Mr Minkevich all those years ago also triggered a viral <a href="https://memegenerator.net/Axl-Rose-Fat">Axl Rose &#8216;fat&#8217; meme</a> &#8211; hardly the kind of image someone like Axle Rose would like to preserve.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/37b1e365.axl3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/axl3.png" rel="attachment wp-att-123039"><img src="media/37b1e365.axl3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/axl3.png" alt="axl3" width="650" height="373" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-123039"></a></center></p>
<p>While poking fun at someone&#8217;s appearance is sadly par for the course on some parts of the Internet, sending DMCA notices is hardly likely to cure the problem, if indeed that&#8217;s what the aim of the half-dozen notices was. It&#8217;s possible we&#8217;ll never find out for sure.</p>
<p>Finally, it&#8217;s worth pointing out that Google hasn&#8217;t complied with the requests to remove the images and all remain up and accessible. That may be because Google believes that Axl Rose doesn&#8217;t own the photo and that the copyrights sit with Minkevich and/or the Winnipeg Free Press.</p>
<p>Clearly Axl Rose thinks otherwise but as pointed out by Minkevich to TF, the images being targeted on Blogspot are definitely infringing, although perhaps not in the way Axl might&#8217;ve hoped.</p>
<p>&#8220;Either way the photo was stolen off our website with no permission granted by the Winnipeg Free Press,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>Messy? You bet.  </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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