# articles

feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119297
title: Interesting Parallels Between The Cannabis and File-Sharing Debates
uri: Interesting-Parallels-Between-The-Cannabis-and-File-Sharing-Debates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/79vdwhXgmpo/
content:
<p><img src="media/25158bb5.sharing-caring.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sharing-caring.jpg" alt="sharing-caring" width="250" height="144" class="alignright size-full wp-image-60135">It would appear that when a subject is sufficiently peripheral to policymakers, slow incumbent industries can get whatever repressive and counterproductive policy they want, even in the face of overwhelming public opinion to the opposite for about 40 years.</p>
<p>In 1968, at the height of the hippie movement when everybody and their brother were doing joints, everybody and their brother were equally convinced cannabis would be legal in just a few years. How could it not be?</p>
<p>Twenty years later, in 1990, the war on certain species of plants was <a href="media/a87d92d4.XnV7G5a.jpg" data-original-source="http://i.imgur.com/XnV7G5a.jpg">harsher than ever</a> before.</p>
<p>Around 1995, at the dawn of file-sharing with ZModem over BBS networks and early dialup, and even more so with the advent of Napster a few years later, everybody and their brother were convinced copyright monopoly laws needed to be updated to reflect reality &#8211; like you unceremoniously adjust a map to the observed factual terrain. It was deemed to be a couple of years out, five years tops.</p>
<p>Here we are, twenty years later, and utterly insane corporate power grabs in the name of TPP, TTIP, and TISA are being cooked, while policitians remain dangerously clueless on the matter. Meanwhile, respect for the copyright monopoly as a law is considerably lower than the respect for speed limits.</p>
<p>The pattern here is that while the delusion and the disconnect remains active, punishments become increasingly harsher as policymakers desperately try to align the terrain with the map in their delusional heads, kind of how a military force with a bad mapmaker need to use an ever-increasing amount of explosives to fix the terrain instead of the map.</p>
<p>This goes on until the system comes down, until the hypocrisy ends, until people just stop pretending.</p>
<p>Slow cracks in the facade start appearing before the 40 years are up and you hit some sort of tipping point: in 1992, Bill Clinton famously said that he had smoked cannabis, but defended himself saying he &#8220;didn&#8217;t inhale&#8221;, as if that somehow made it politically acceptable in the eyes of the vested interests. </p>
<p>In 2007, a full fifteen years later, Barack Obama said &#8220;of course I inhaled, that was the point&#8221;, and didn&#8217;t try to excuse himself in the slightest. That was forty years after 1968. (Well, 39.)</p>
<p>The pattern here is that the people with crazy delusions of entitlement, such as the copyright industry, simply take <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/get-ready-for-another-forty-years-of-corporate-copyright-bullshit-120826/">forty years to die</a>, so those ideas get naturally erased from the group and the population at large. This is not a new pattern; it is present as early as the Christian/Jewish/Muslim sacred texts, when Moses led a bunch of people from Egypt to the Levant, which according to said texts took 40 years.</p>
<p>Now, it doesn&#8217;t take 40 years to walk from Egypt to the Levant. It takes two months to walk westward from the Levant across all of Europe, and Egypt is one-tenth that distance. The only way to make it take 40 years is to walk around in the desert at random, making 40 years of time pass.</p>
<p>We&#8217;ve frequently said that the current idiocy will solve itself once the people of the net generation come into the string-pulling positions of power, but that&#8217;s still some time out, and we gotta hold the barricades against dark-black dystopia until then. If we&#8217;re extrapolating 40 years from Napster, that puts us about 2040. People with the most political power are usually 50-60 years old, which means they will have been born in 1980-1990: the net arrived when they were in their late childhood to early teens. The people born in this time understand the net, and they have absolutely no sympathy whatsoever for the parasitic copyright industry swimming in its despicable and damaging delusions of entitlement.</p>
<p>But should we really have to wait another 25 years for the blatantly and painfully obvious to become apparent to policymakers? Can&#8217;t we use, you know, this <em>Internet</em> thing to make ideas move just a little faster today?</p>
<p>As a complete side note, another plant was banned earlier in history with the roughly same pattern and the same arguments. The plant was <a href="https://falkvinge.net/2012/09/04/history-and-anatomy-of-a-silly-drug-ban/">coffee</a>.</p>
<p><center>
<div class="alignfull" style="border:2px solid #3F3F3F;width:100%;padding:15px;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:4px;margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:10px;border-radius:10px">
<h3 style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px">
<div style="float:right;height:130px;width:39px;margin-left:20px;margin-right:10px"><img src="media/98818a80.Rick_Falkvinge_39x130.jpg" data-original-source="http://falkvinge.net/wp-content/themes/WpNewspaper/images/falkvinge/Rick_Falkvinge_39x130.jpg" style="border:none;-moz-box-shadow:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none" class="quimby_search_image"></div>
<p><span style="color:#3F3F3F;font-size:125%">About The</span> <span style="color:#FF3C78;font-size:125%">Author</span></p>
</h3>
<p style="font-family:PTSansRegular,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-weight:400;line-height:150%;margin-bottom:14px"><small>Rick Falkvinge is a regular columnist on TorrentFreak, sharing his thoughts every other week. He is the founder of the Swedish and first Pirate Party, a whisky aficionado, and a low-altitude motorcycle pilot. His blog at <a href="http://falkvinge.net">falkvinge.net</a> focuses on information policy.</small></p>
<div style="float:right;position:relative;top:-12px">
<p><small>Book Falkvinge <a href="http://falkvinge.net/keynotes/">as speaker</a>?</small></p>
</div>
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/Falkvinge" class="twitter-follow-button">Follow @Falkvinge</a></p>
</div>
<p></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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=79vdwhXgmpo:KL1eIuWTPng:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=79vdwhXgmpo:KL1eIuWTPng:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=79vdwhXgmpo:KL1eIuWTPng:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/79vdwhXgmpo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119295
title: Pirate Party to Dominate Iceland Parliament, Survey Finds
uri: Pirate-Party-to-Dominate-Iceland-Parliament-Survey-Finds
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/hpYEfltP77w/
content:
<p><img src="media/d8b2542b.pirate-ice.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-ice.jpg" width="180" height="160" class="alignright">Founded ten years ago by Rick Falkvinge, over the years the Swedish (and first) Pirate party grew into a considerable political movement.</p>
<p>Against what some believed were insurmountable odds, Pirates were even able to put their representatives into the European Parliament, where German politician Julia Reda has been a Member since 2014.</p>
<p>While local variants continue to ebb and flow elsewhere, over in Iceland there&#8217;s an intriguing situation playing out which has seen the Pirates transform from fresh-faced upstart to political powerhouse.</p>
<p>In 2013 (and after just a few months of existence) the Icelandic Pirate Party picked up a notable <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-enters-icelands-national-parliament-after-historic-election-win-130428/">5.1% of the vote</a>, meaning that the party entered the national government with three Members of Parliament. But now, just three years later, a dramatic situation is playing out.</p>
<p>According to the results of a new poll published Friday, the Icelandic Pirate Party now appears to count on the support of a staggering 38.1% of the population. To put that into perspective, that means that if elections were held today, the party would leap from the three seats it currently holds to a massive 26 seats.</p>
<p>While all survey results should be received with caution, if these figures can be maintained it means that the Pirates would oust the incumbents to become the most significant player in the country&#8217;s parliament.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.visir.is/sjalfstaedisflokkurinn-rett-yfir-kjorfylgi-/article/2016160319797">survey</a>, carried out by 365 Media, found that The Independence Party<br>
is roughly maintaining the 27.6% of the vote it achieved in the 2013 elections. However, The Progressives have dropped from 24.4% to 12.8%.</p>
<p>If that prediction plays out the two parties combined would plummet from the 63 seats they currently hold to just 27, meaning that if people went to the polls today the parties would lose their parliamentary majority.</p>
<p>In fact, as the <a href="http://grapevine.is/news/2016/03/11/new-government-impossible-without-pirates/">Grapevine</a> frames it, not only are the Pirates now the country&#8217;s largest political party, but no two-party ruling coalition could be formed in Iceland without including the Pirates.</p>
<p>Typically, however, the Icelandic Pirates are taking the latest poll results in their stride. Instead of the unbridled celebrations one might expect, they&#8217;re remaining ever level-headed.</p>
<p>“I just do not know. I do not judge it,” <a href="http://www.therightperspective.org/2016/03/11/icelands-pirate-party-rising-to-power/">says</a> &#8220;shocked&#8221; Pirate MP Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson.</p>
<p>While the Pirates are exercising caution, the pattern seems clear. In early 2015 the party was predicted to take <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-becomes-icelands-most-popular-political-party-150319/">23.9% of the votes</a>, a figure that had swelled to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-beats-icelands-government-coalition-in-the-polls-151023/">34.2% last October</a>.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, there is still a way to go. Elections don&#8217;t take place until 2017 and the party has already made it clear that it is seeking change rather than the ability to take power.</p>
<p>“We don’t really want to govern, but rather have the system working as a whole where everyone in it has responsibility for their actions,” Pirate MP Ásta Helgadóttir previously told TF.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=hpYEfltP77w:MOd01xE6PTY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=hpYEfltP77w:MOd01xE6PTY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=hpYEfltP77w:MOd01xE6PTY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/hpYEfltP77w" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119308
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 03/14/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-03-14-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/wfLNGQa2qaA/
content:
<p><img src="media/c90c8293.deadpool.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/deadpool.jpg" alt="deadpool" width="300" height="203" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118234">This week we have three newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Kung Fu Panda 3 is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are 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-030716/">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>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Deadpool</a> (HDTS) </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>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda_3/">Kung Fu Panda 3</a> (Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267968/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGPPfZIvtCw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ip_man_3/">IP-Man 3</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2888046/">7.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jckXscMwIOI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hateful_eight/">The Hateful Eight</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3460252">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_revenant_2015/">The Revenant</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hunger_games_mockingjay_part_2/">The Hunger Games: Mockingjay &#8211; Part 2</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951266/">6.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-7K_OjsDCQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_break_2013/">Point Break</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2058673/">5.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQvPRb4HADE">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_big_short/">The Big Short</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596363/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDlYm15ztK4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spectre_2015/">Spectre</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/">7.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/room_2015">Room</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3170832/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_Ci-pAL4eE">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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=wfLNGQa2qaA:LfqCIBEciwM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=wfLNGQa2qaA:LfqCIBEciwM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=wfLNGQa2qaA:LfqCIBEciwM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/wfLNGQa2qaA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119346
title: BREIN Threatens Pirates With High ‘Fines’, Warns VPN Users
uri: BREIN-Threatens-Pirates-With-High-Fines-Warns-VPN-Users
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/UzXeiynRDoY/
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">Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN has targeted the operators of pirate sites for more than a decade, but more recently it started going after uploaders as well.</p>
<p>Over the past several months the group has <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/busted-kickass-and-pirate-bay-uploaders-crowdfund-fines-151207/">tracked down</a> several prolific uploaders and has now announced intentions to take these efforts a step further.</p>
<p>Today the national data protection authority <a href="http://www.nu.nl/internet/4230040/stichting-brein-mag-ip-adressen-van-torrentgebruikers-verzamelen.html">granted</a> BREIN permission to collect the IP-addresses of pirating BitTorrent users, allowing the group to approach uploaders on a broader scale. </p>
<p>According to BREIN Director Tim Kuik they are ready to monitor and crack down on larger groups of file-sharers.</p>
<p>&#8220;The trial run is behind us and we will now start collecting IP addresses and evidence. I advise notorious uploaders to think twice, after all, forewarned is forearmed,&#8221; Kuik says. </p>
<p>The enforcement efforts will not be limited to pirates who share thousands of titles. BREIN says that people who are found sharing recent titles on a frequent basis are at risk too. </p>
<p>Also, BREIN notes that its enforcement actions are not limited to a specific content category. Those who share films, TV-series, music, books and games are all at risk, Kuik warns.   </p>
<p>The magnitude of the proposed settlements will differ based on individual circumstances, but could go as high as 12,500 euros. Those who choose not to settle can look forward a full-blown court case instead.</p>
<p>&#8220;Uploading a recent film or an episode of a TV-series you can basically already cost a few thousand euros,&#8221; Kuik says. &#8220;If there is no settlement, we will go to court to claim full damages and costs.&#8221; </p>
<p>Before BREIN can reach out to any alleged pirates they will have to request the personal details from the Internet providers in question. </p>
<p>Several ISPs have already announced that they will not hand anything over without a court order, so this issue will have to be ironed out in court before BREIN can proceed.</p>
<p>Also, there&#8217;s a large group of file-sharers who hide behind VPN services, many of which can&#8217;t identify their customers through an IP-address. BREIN is aware of this but notes that it&#8217;s not always impossible to identify VPN users.</p>
<p>Those VPN users who do get caught using a less secure service can look forward to a higher settlement demand than regular users.</p>
<p>&#8220;VPN services can see what you do, you run a security risk and it is possible that you can still be identified, which will result in a higher &#8216;fine&#8217;,&#8221; Kuik says. </p>
<p>According to BREIN, VPN users should consider paying for legal content, instead of paying for anonymous access to illegal content, so that creators get properly compensated. </p>
<p>It&#8217;s clear that the anti-piracy group is toughening its language. For many years the Netherlands was considered <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/downloading-movies-and-music-stays-legal-in-the-netherlands-121221/">a safe haven</a> for file-sharers, but if left up to BREIN this will no longer be the case.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=UzXeiynRDoY:0jCPcq0trIQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=UzXeiynRDoY:0jCPcq0trIQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=UzXeiynRDoY:0jCPcq0trIQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/UzXeiynRDoY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119121
title: Aussie Pirate Bay Blocking Process Begins in Federal Court
uri: Aussie-Pirate-Bay-Blocking-Process-Begins-in-Federal-Court
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/wlwzfsKA0DI/
content:
<p><a href="media/5ceed422.stop-blocked.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/stop-blocked.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-72076"><img src="media/07db73b3.stop-blocked.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stop-blocked.jpg" alt="stop-blocked" width="200" height="168" class="alignright size-full wp-image-72076"></a>In common with other countries around the world, Australia envisions a multi-point process to tackle the issue of online piracy.</p>
<p>The first was a so-called &#8220;three strikes” warning scheme that would see regular Internet users monitored by anti-piracy companies and then sent escalating warning notices by their respective ISPs. After years in the planning the system was found to be too expensive and has <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-site-blocking-imminent-but-three-strikes-abandoned-160218/">now been shelved</a>.</p>
<p>In parallel, copyright holders have sought to have pirate sites blocked at the ISP level and after <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/australia-passes-pirate-site-blocking-law-150622/">new legislation</a> was passed last year, the process was expected to become more streamlined. Today the first cases landed in Federal Court to test out the system for the first time.</p>
<p>Two industry players are leading the charge, with Roadshow Films (the movie division of Village Roadshow) and TV giant Foxtel both seeking to have several pirate sites blocked at the ISP level. The latter wants to render The Pirate Bay, Torrentz, isoHunt and TorrentHound inaccessible in Australia while the former is targeting streaming portal <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-site-targeted-by-aussie-blockade-refutes-studio-claims-160219/">Solarmovie</a>.</p>
<p>Perhaps needless to say, things haven&#8217;t been as straightforward as the entertainment companies might have liked.</p>
<p>Part of the blocking process requires that the copyright holders contact the sites in question to inform them that an application has been made. However, due to the existence of dozens of mirrors, clones and proxies (which only exist due to blocking action in other regions) that process has been both labored and fruitless.</p>
<p>Representing both Foxtel and Roadshow is veteran piracy case lawyer Richard Lancaster who also represented iiNet in the long-running and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dallas-buyers-club-gives-up-chasing-pirates-in-australia-160210/">recently ended case</a> against Dallas Buyers Club.</p>
<p>Lancaster told the Court that more than sixty sites need to be addressed to block the handful of key domains in the action yet only two-thirds of them have been reachable by letter. None of the sites responded.</p>
<p>&#8220;[For some of the sites] there&#8217;s no obvious or indeed unobvious mechanism for getting in touch with the operators of the sites, but we have sent notification letters out to 43 of the 61 domain names that have been identified in the pleadings,&#8221; he <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/article/foxtel-and-roadshow-home-in-on-piracy-website-blocking/">said</a>.</p>
<p>Also at issue is proving to the Court that the sites being targeted have a primary purpose to infringe copyright. According to counsel for the applicants, that will be achieved by providing screenshots of each of the domains being targeted.</p>
<p>However, since there is zero chance of the owners of the sites turning up to defend themselves, there will be no adversarial process over what the Court is shown.</p>
<p>Furthermore, none of the 50 ISPs cited as parties in the case will mount a defense against the applications so barring any unforeseen circumstances the blocks will eventually become reality. Nevertheless, there are technical issues to be ironed out and some of those were aired in Court today.</p>
<p>For their part the ISPs would like to block the sites in question by interfering with their DNS systems but it appears that Foxtel and Roadshow Films would prefer the blocking of URLs and IP addresses. Additionally, Foxtel would like to add more IP addresses if sites seek to evade a block, which could be a problem with at least one ISP.</p>
<p>&#8220;We wish to seek to negotiate an arrangement for DNS blocking. If [Foxtel] were pushing for a broader blocking mechanism that might be an issue,&#8221; said counsel for Internet provider TPG.</p>
<p>While agreement will eventually be reached, both sides acknowledged the need for these first two cases to be dealt with in a manner that will build an efficient and cost-effective framework for future applications.</p>
<p>&#8220;This will be the first of several proceedings, and we really want to establish best practice from the outset,&#8221; counsel for ISP Optus <a href="http://www.itnews.com.au/news/foxtel-village-roadshow-want-ip-address-url-piracy-site-blocking-416899">said</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are concerned and ISPs are concerned that the orders in this case provide a template for the future,&#8221; Foxtel&#8217;s counsel added.</p>
<p>&#8220;We expect that will be done by careful consideration in the proceedings and by an eye for efficiency in future proceedings.&#8221;</p>
<p>The next date of note is May 6, when the copyright holders and ISPs return to Court having attempted to iron out their differences on the technicalities of blocking. That is surely only a matter of time and perseverance.</p>
<p>When the blocks are eventually put in place, future visitors to blocked sites will be greeted by a special landing page that will inform them of the existence of a court order. Those landing pages will be hosted by the studios so they will be able to track the number of visitors to the site and even their IP addresses.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=wlwzfsKA0DI:Kw4j4xYSP3w:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=wlwzfsKA0DI:Kw4j4xYSP3w:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=wlwzfsKA0DI:Kw4j4xYSP3w:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/wlwzfsKA0DI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119379
title: MPAA Takedown Efforts Target Legal Popcorn Time Spin-Offs
uri: MPAA-Takedown-Efforts-Target-Legal-Popcorn-Time-Spin-Offs
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/RlJAfSg0zKw/
content:
<p><img src="media/c5784d35.popcorn-butter.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-butter.jpg" alt="popcorn-butter" width="275" height="196" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119416">When the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-we-shut-down-ytsyify-and-popcorn-time-151103/">MPAA shut down</a> the main PopcornTime.io fork late last year, many of its developers switched to the project&#8217;s &#8216;legal&#8217; spin-off Butter. </p>
<p>Unlike Popcorn-Time, <a href="http://butterproject.org/">Butter</a> doesn&#8217;t include any links to pirated movies and TV-shows. Instead, it acts as a general purpose streaming tool and actively promotes content that&#8217;s freely published by indie filmmakers. </p>
<p>Despite this neutral setup, a recent series of takedown requests Hollywood&#8217;s MPAA sent to GitHub threatens to pull the project&#8217;s code offline. </p>
<p><a href="media/07782dc3.popcorresp.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorresp.png">Correspondence</a> seen by TorrentFreak shows that the MPAA has been asking GitHub to remove the <a href="https://github.com/popcorn-official/popcorn-desktop">repository</a> of the recently revived PopcornTime.sh, as well as all related forks.</p>
<p>&#8220;There are multiple &#8216;forks&#8217; of Popcorn Time, all of which are 100% unlicensed and infringing, and many of which have been subject to litigation and court orders around the world confirming their infringement,&#8221; the MPAA informs GitHub. </p>
<p>&#8220;Popcorntime.sh is one of the more recent infringing &#8216;forks,&#8217; and we attached several specific examples of that site’s infringement to our prior letter. The Project provides to any member of the public the software needed to develop and release additional infringing Popcorn Time forks, and thereby enables infringement on a massive scale.&#8221;</p>
<p>Interestingly the notices don&#8217;t mention any Butter related projects by name. But since the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-hunted-popcorn-time-makes-surprise-comeback-160217/">PopcornTime.sh fork</a> uses code from Butter, Github has also involved several &#8216;legal&#8217; spin-offs.</p>
<p>In their notices the MPAA lists several files that are &#8220;most clearly and unambiguously designed&#8221; to deliver or find infringing content, including package.json and torrent_collection.js which are sourced from Butter. Several of the other files that are mentioned have nothing to do with Butter.</p>
<p><center><strong>MPAA&#8217;s takedown request</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/75d9aa60.mpaa-demand.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-demand.png" alt="mpaa-demand" width="550" height="409" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119418"></center> </p>
<p>A few hours ago the notices were forwarded to several Butter related projects, including a fork operated by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, giving the operators 24 hours to respond before their entire codebase is pulled. </p>
<p>Leo Germani, a representative of the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, informed us that they have already responded to GitHub. </p>
<p>&#8220;We answered GitHub clarifying that our project is a fork of the Butter project, not Popcorn Time, which we believe is totally unrelated to Popcorn Time and does not have any code that infringes copyright,&#8221; Germani says.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have been discussing and researching the use of P2P protocols for content distribution and we were excited when we got in touch with the Butter project, which aims to use the power of P2P to distribute licensed audiovisual content,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>Brazilian technology company Hacklab informed TorrentFreak that one of their repositories was targeted as well. </p>
<p>&#8220;Butter is a great technology that can reduce the cost of distributing videos and has the potential to boost the development of our local film industry. As a digital technology company we have to keep up with the most promising technology trends, and Butter is one of these,&#8221; Hacklab&#8217;s Luis Fagundes says.</p>
<p>&#8220;This notification is insane, as it&#8217;s directed to a different project and cites a bunch of files that do no violation at all. Unfortunately, the cost of this irresponsibility is high: it causes harm to developers and businesses who, instead of producing value to society, have to respond to a takedown threat,&#8221; he adds. </p>
<p>Talking to TorrentFreak, another developer explained that the MPAA&#8217;s description of the files is not totally accurate. The package.json file, for example, is not infringing and merely serves as the main entry point for the application. </p>
<p>The torrent_collection.js file, which isn&#8217;t enabled by default, allows users to add random torrent files to Butter but doesn&#8217;t link to any specific infringing material. The developers hope that their response will be sufficient to keep the project online. </p>
<p>Strangely enough, the people behind the PopcornTime.sh fork itself have not yet been contacted by GitHub and their repository remains online at the time of writing. <em>(see update) </em></p>
<p>Finally, it&#8217;s worth mentioning that GitHub is treating the issue very carefully. The MPAA has sent several requests over the past several weeks and Github has repeatedly requested further clarification and additional details.</p>
<p>However, despite GitHub&#8217;s vigilance the MPAA isn&#8217;t giving up, urging the developer platform to go above an beyond the DMCA to help combat potential copyright infirngements.</p>
<p>&#8220;We hope you agree that GitHub’s responsibility to not knowingly assist in a massive copyright infringement operation does not end with its DMCA policy,&#8221; the MPAA told the platform.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> After publication we were informed that the official Popcorn Time repository has also received a takedown notice.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Butter project founder Niv Sardi sent TorrentFreak a copy of the reply they sent to GitHub.</p>
<p><em>Hello,</p>
<p>It has now been more than 24hours since your Takedown notice, we have still to hear from our previous comment, but there are a few things we&#8217;d like to point out.</p>
<p>It has been brought to our attention that you sent this notification to all Butter forks, between them many of our clients that our now asking us for answers, one notable entity that got notified is the Brazilian the Ministry of Culture.</p>
<p>We understand that your quire is with the &#8216;popcorn-official&#8217; fork of our project, as you know we have no control of what our forks decide to do with our code, we can&#8217;t be liable for what they do nor can other people forking us.</p>
<p>Exceding the fact that the DMCA is intended for hosted content violating copyright (here the hosted content is the code, and we have 100% copyright over the code), not to bully activities you don&#8217;t like. We Butter Project never released any app, nor had in our history a way to &#8216;assist in a massive copyright infringement&#8217;.</p>
<p>Our project goal is to build great VOD streaming apps, this statement &#8216;literally all of the Project’s source code “could be used to locate infringing material”—in fact, this is its very purpose.&#8217; is hence plane wrong.</p>
<p>In a nutshell, these massive (and abusive ?) takedown notices are harming us, our reputation, the trust we built with our customers, and our community (went from 720 to 585 forks on butter-desktop).</p>
<p>Any quick analysis will show that there is absolutely no base for the supposed infringements:</p>
<p> &#8211; https://github.com/butterproject/butter-desktop/blob/master/src/app/lib/providers/tvshowtime.js</p>
<p>this a plugin for tvshowtime.com how is that infriging ? should we sent DMCA notices to all of it&#8217;s implementations ?</p>
<p> &#8211; https://github.com/butterproject/butter-desktop/blob/master/src/app/lib/providers/ysubs.js</p>
<p>this file has never been part of our project.</p>
<p> &#8211; https://github.com/butterproject/butter-desktop/blob/master/src/app/lib/providers/tvapi.js</p>
<p>that file is a generic plugin for a &#8216;tvapi&#8217; endpoint that is a freesoftware daemon with many plugins for different data sources, we removed that file as we weren&#8217;t using anyway.</p>
<p> &#8211; https://github.com/butterproject/butter-desktop/blob/master/src/app/lib/views/torrent_collection.js</p>
<p>this feature, not enabled by default, allows you to drop a random torrent on butter, we&#8217;ll look for that torrent on kat, but we don&#8217;t pull content from kat, the torent is user provided.</p>
<p> &#8211; https://github.com/butterproject/butter-desktop/blob/master/package.json</p>
<p>how can this be infriging ? this is a standard entrypoint for any node-webkit app…</p>
<p>To make things clear:<br>
&#8211; Butter never allowed to distribute copyright infringing content<br>
&#8211; Butter is not affiliated in anyway with the popcorntime.sh fork, we<br>
  don&#8217;t know who they are.<br>
&#8211; We ask GitHub to desist from being the tool used by bullies to cripple<br>
  free software.<br>
&#8211; We ask GitHub to back us up because this sets a stanza of what the<br>
  DMCA is for: hosted-content copyright infrigement.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=RlJAfSg0zKw:yhyZAEJ2sQA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=RlJAfSg0zKw:yhyZAEJ2sQA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=RlJAfSg0zKw:yhyZAEJ2sQA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/RlJAfSg0zKw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119426
title: Police Arrest Cinema Goers Over “Pirate” Audio Recording
uri: Police-Arrest-Cinema-Goers-Over-Pirate-Audio-Recording
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/G8AJfVkpXqM/
content:
<p><a href="media/584b352d.popcorn-butter.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-butter.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-119416"><img src="media/c5784d35.popcorn-butter.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-butter.jpg" alt="popcorn-butter" width="275" height="196" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119416"></a>Cinemas in many countries are today subjected to high levels of security, meaning that getting a camcorder into a venue and recording a whole movie can prove an extremely difficult task for pirates.</p>
<p>Over the years several ingenious ways have been found to deal with these problems and pirates are often able to record a movie and its audio at the same time. However, to get the best possible result it&#8217;s often better to record the video and the soundtrack separately.</p>
<p>For example, in Russia where theater security is less tight, it might be possible to record the whole movie at once. However, a Russian language soundtrack is of much less interest globally than an English one. This means that to reach the greatest audience, pirates need to find an English audio source too.</p>
<p>As our article last week revealed, audio can be obtained from a number of sources, not least <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-bust-man-for-pirating-movie-audio-at-drive-in-theater-150304/">US-based drive in cinemas</a>. However, since audio recording devices are more easily hidden from theater staff than cameras, recordings can be made almost anywhere.</p>
<p>Today, however, the Federation Against Copyright Theft is reporting that at least one English language soundtrack of a major movie won&#8217;t be hitting the Internet anytime soon following the arrest of two individuals in the north of the UK.</p>
<p>The men, aged 19 and 44, were arrested by Northumbria Police last Thursday following a screening of &#8220;The Divergent Series: Allegiant&#8221; at the Empire Cinema in Sunderland. Following the performance it&#8217;s reported they were found in possession of an unauthorized audio recording of the movie.</p>
<p>According to FACT the arrests follow an investigation which involved the film&#8217;s producers, distributors, and the Motion Picture Association. Perhaps of most interest is the revelation that three previous unauthorized recordings had already been made in the same cinema. Investigators love patterns.</p>
<p>Although not mentioned by FACT in connection with this case, audio can be watermarked in the same way video can. This allows investigators to match audio recordings back to a specific cinema. It seems likely that watermarking played a key role in this case.</p>
<p>The men have been released on bail pending further inquiries. The terms of their release include an agreement not to visit any cinema in England and Wales.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=G8AJfVkpXqM:zHzELeOA63w:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=G8AJfVkpXqM:zHzELeOA63w:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=G8AJfVkpXqM:zHzELeOA63w:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/G8AJfVkpXqM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119452
title: Napster Founder’s Movie Plan Will Fuel Torrent Sites, Theaters Say
uri: Napster-Founder-s-Movie-Plan-Will-Fuel-Torrent-Sites-Theaters-Say
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/oc2997gHVI4/
content:
<p><a href="media/23be6eda.cinema.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cinema.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-40568"><img src="media/72ea8c10.cinema.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cinema.jpg" alt="cinema" width="200" height="143" class="alignright size-full wp-image-40568"></a>Last week news broke that having dumped the recording industry on its head a decade-and-a-half ago, Napster founder Sean Parker is now turning his attentions to the world of cinema.</p>
<p>Unlike his now infamous file-sharing service, this time Parker intends to do things by the book, licensing content from its creators and delivering it to the public. However, disruption is still a mainstay of the entrepreneur&#8217;s business model, with Screening Room planning to offer day-and-date movies to the masses in the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/napster-founder-offer-new-movies-at-home-for-50-per-shot-160310/">comfort of their own homes</a>. </p>
<p>For a not unreasonable $150, Parker and his associates want to supply a set-top box with the ability to show brand new films for $50 per shot to be viewed once during a 48 hour period. It&#8217;s a proposal that has almost everyone excited but in a variety of different ways.</p>
<p>With the studios considering their options and yet to officially weigh in with their verdict, big name names in the industry are being less cautious. Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Peter Jackson and J.J. Abrams have come out in support of the plan, verbally and in some cases financially too.</p>
<p>But while momentum builds on the director level, opposition is mounting from the businesses that are most likely to be affected by the project. The Art House Convergence (AHC), a cinema group representing 600 theaters, has just published an open letter concerning Screening Room. AHC are clearly rattled by the proposition and the negative impact it could have on the cinema market.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Art House Convergence, a specialty cinema organization representing 600 theaters and allied cinema exhibition businesses, strongly opposes Screening Room, the start-up backed by Napster co-founder Sean Parker and Prem Akkaraju,&#8221; <a href="http://www.arthouseconvergence.org/index.php/2016/03/15/an-open-letter-from-art-house-convergence-regarding-screening-room/">the letter</a> begins.</p>
<p>&#8220;The proposed model is incongruous with the movie exhibition sector by devaluing the in-theater experience and enabling increased piracy. Furthermore, we seriously question the economics of the proposed revenue-sharing model.&#8221;</p>
<p>It&#8217;s clear from AHC&#8217;s announcement that they see content shown in cinemas as more effectively guarded from potential pirates. Introduce that content into the privacy of the home environment and it will necessarily herald in a whole new world of piracy.</p>
<p>&#8220;We strongly believe if the studios, distributors, and major chains adopt this model, we will see a wildfire spread of pirated content, and consequently, a decline in overall film profitability through the cannibalization of theatrical revenue,&#8221; AHC says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The theatrical experience is unique and beneficial to maximizing profit for films. A theatrical release contributes to healthy ancillary revenue generation and thus cinema grosses must be protected from the potential erosion effect of piracy.&#8221;</p>
<p>AHC&#8217;s argument develops with what it sees as an undermining of exhibitors&#8217; investment in digital technology, technology that was somewhat forced upon them in the name of piracy prevention.</p>
<p>&#8220;The exhibition community was required to subscribe to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Cinema_Initiatives">DCI-compliance</a> in a very material way,&#8221; AHC writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Those exhibitors who were unable to make the transition were punished by a loss of product. The digital conversion had a substantial cost per theater, upwards of $100,000 per screen, all in the name of piracy eradication and lowering print, storage and delivery costs to benefit the distributors. How will Screening Room prevent piracy?&#8221;</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>DCI Digital Cinema Specification &#8211; Piracy</h5>
<p><a href="media/fc9f4d99.dci-spec-piracy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dci-spec-piracy.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119462"><img src="media/fc9f4d99.dci-spec-piracy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dci-spec-piracy.png" alt="dci-spec-piracy" width="650" height="109" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119462"></a></center></p>
<p>That question is yet to be answered by Screening Room but if the service is to ever get off the ground, notoriously hard-to-please studios will demand a very clear say in how content is protected throughout the entire process. While digital compliance is certainly not only for theaters, AHC believes that some adopters of Screening Room could simply go back to exploiting the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_hole">analog hole</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;If studios are concerned enough with projectionists and patrons videotaping a film in theaters that they provide security with night-vision goggles for premieres and opening weekends, how do they reason that an at-home viewer won’t set up a $40 HD camera and capture a near-pristine version of the film for immediate upload to torrent sites?&#8221; the chain asks.</p>
<p>Of course, there&#8217;s very little Screening Room can do to stop a determined pirate from finding ways to copy their content, but it is entirely feasible for each movie screening to be embedded with watermarks similar to the ones <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/police-arrest-cinema-goers-over-pirate-audio-recording-160315/">already in place</a> in theaters around the world. Tracing content back to an individual set-top box would then be somewhat straightforward but of course by then the damage would already be done.</p>
<p>But while piracy is one of AHC&#8217;s biggest complaints, it all comes boils down to what they see as a huge undermining of their business model through the wiping out of the theatrical windowing system.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our exhibition sector has always welcomed innovation, disruption and forward-thinking ideas, most especially onscreen through independent film; however, we do not see Screening Room as innovative or forward-thinking in our favor, rather we see it as inviting piracy and significantly decreasing the overall profitability of film releases,&#8221; the chain 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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=oc2997gHVI4:FzmCh__yRG8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=oc2997gHVI4:FzmCh__yRG8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=oc2997gHVI4:FzmCh__yRG8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/oc2997gHVI4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119486
title: “Open WiFi Operators Are Not Liable for Pirating Users”
uri: Open-WiFi-Operators-Are-Not-Liable-for-Pirating-Users
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/_uE7zFahHLw/
content:
<p><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">Nowadays pretty much every self-respecting coffee bar has its own Wi-Fi access point, allowing customers to check their email or read the latest news. </p>
<p>The same is true for many other shops and establishments that offer free and open Internet access.</p>
<p>While most free Wi-Fi users do little harm, these unsecured networks can also be used to download and share copyrighted material. This is what happened to Tobias McFadden, who runs a local music and lighting shop in Munich, Germany. </p>
<p>In 2010, a music pirate on McFadden&#8217;s network was flagged by Sony, who took the owner of the shop to court. While the local German court was inclined to hold the shop operator responsible for indirect copyright infringement, EU Advocate General Szpunar disagrees. </p>
<p>In a lengthy advisory opinion to the EU Court of Justice, which will issue a final ruling later, Szpunar <a href="http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&#038;docid=175130&#038;pageIndex=0&#038;doclang=en&#038;mode=lst&#038;dir=&#038;occ=first&#038;part=1&#038;cid=604042">concludes</a> that much like general ISPs, operators of commercial establishments with free Wi-Fi are not liable for pirating users. </p>
<p>This means that the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_harbor_(law)#European_Union">safe harbor </a> Internet providers enjoy also apply to members of the public who offer free Wi-Fi as part of their business. </p>
<p>&#8220;In his view, it is not necessary for the person in question to present himself to the public as a service provider or that he should expressly promote his activity to potential customers,&#8221; the EU Court of Justice clarifies in a press release today.</p>
<p>The Advocate General does leave room for local courts <a href="http://ipkitten.blogspot.nl/2016/03/breaking-ag-spuznar-says-that-provider.html">to impose injunctions</a> on network operators to stop the copyright infringements. However, these should be fair and balanced, without any requirements to monitor users. </p>
<p>Also, the operators of free Wi-Fi should not be forced to secure their connections. This requirement would prioritize the interests of copyright holders above the public&#8217;s right to freedom of expression and information, which would not be appropriate.</p>
<p>&#8220;By restricting access to lawful communications, the measure would also entail a restriction on freedom of expression and information,&#8221; the Court notes.</p>
<p>&#8220;More generally, any general obligation to make access to a Wi-Fi network secure, as a means of protecting copyright on the Internet, could be a disadvantage for society as a whole and one that could outweigh the potential benefits for rightsholders.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Advocate General’s advice is not binding, but the European Court of Justice often uses such advice as the basis of its rulings.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=_uE7zFahHLw:xfwjve2RQu4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=_uE7zFahHLw:xfwjve2RQu4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=_uE7zFahHLw:xfwjve2RQu4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/_uE7zFahHLw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119511
title: Apple App Piracy Technique Used For Malware
uri: Apple-App-Piracy-Technique-Used-For-Malware
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/S_yd9PX-ph8/
content:
<p><a href="media/caba437f.pirateapple.gif" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirateapple.gif" rel="attachment wp-att-29587"><img src="media/75474d78.pirateapple.gif" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirateapple.gif" alt="pirateapple" width="180" height="160" class="alignright size-full wp-image-29587"></a>Ever since the launch of Apple&#8217;s app-enabled devices, users have sought ways to run software not sourced from the official App Store. It&#8217;s been a cat-and-mouse battle, with teams of security experts trying to break Apple&#8217;s security to enable a process known as &#8216;jailbreaking&#8217;.</p>
<p>A successfully jailbroken iPhone, for example, can not only run software from third party app stores such as <a href="https://cydia.saurik.com/">Cydia</a>, but can also run pirated iOS software. Needless to say, with this feature the popularity of jailbreaking has soared, prompting Apple to do everything it can to close security holes.</p>
<p>However, in 2013 something unexpected happened. A new technique known as the “FairPlay Man-In-The-Middle&#8221; (MITM) attack exploited flaws in Apple&#8217;s &#8216;Fairplay&#8217; DRM system to allow both pirated and third-party software (unapproved by Apple) to run on iOS devices. Crucially, this could all take place without a jailbreak being deployed on the device.</p>
<p>Somewhat surprisingly people with the ability to carry out the third-party software exploit have been remarkably well behaved for the past three years but all good things come to an end. Rather than using the loophole for consumer-friendly activity, attackers are now using it for evil.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://paloaltonetworks.com">Palo Alto Networks</a> researcher Claud Xiao, there now exists iOS malware that is able to deploy itself to non-jailbroken devices using the man-in-the-middle attack previously used by pirates.</p>
<p>Named “AceDeceiver” by the researcher, the malware targets the method of transferring App Store purchases from the iTunes software installed on users&#8217; computers to their iOS devices.</p>
<p>&#8220;iOS devices will request an authorization code for each app installed to prove the app was actually purchased,&#8221; Xiao explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the FairPlay MITM attack, attackers purchase an app from App Store then intercept and save the authorization code. They then developed PC software that simulates the iTunes client behaviors, and tricks iOS devices to believe the app was purchased by victim. Therefore, the user can install apps they never actually paid for, and the creator of the software can install potentially malicious apps without the user’s knowledge.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><a href="media/dbccc604.fairplay-mitm.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fairplay-mitm.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119512"><img src="media/dbccc604.fairplay-mitm.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fairplay-mitm.png" alt="fairplay-mitm" width="528" height="294" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119512"></a></center></p>
<p>But to do its dirty deeds AceDeceiver needs to find a way onto a user&#8217;s device in the first instance and that was achieved via Apple&#8217;s very own App Store.</p>
<p>Between July 2015 and February 2016 software claiming to be wallpaper apps successfully passed Apple&#8217;s vetting systems and were made available to Apple users. The way this was achieved was extremely cunning, with the App only going into malicious mode if it was run in a certain geographical area, in this case, China.</p>
<p>&#8220;The iOS apps of AceDeceiver mainly act as a third party app store if users access them from China. Note that some of the apps or games they provide in the store are also installed through a FairPlay MITM attack. In addition, these apps strongly suggest users input their Apple ID with password so that users could &#8216;directly install free apps from the App Store, execute in-app purchase, and login to Game Center&#8217;.&#8221;</p>
<p>That doesn&#8217;t sound like good news and indeed, the researchers found that claims that the software did not transfer login credentials were simply untrue.</p>
<p>&#8220;In fact, we discovered all versions of AceDeceiver will upload the Apple ID and password to [the attackers&#8217; server],&#8221; Xiao adds.</p>
<p>All three apps were removed by Apple after the researchers reported them in February 2016 but their threat remains.</p>
<p>&#8220;The attack is still viable because the FairPlay MITM attack only requires these apps to have been available in the App Store once. As long as an attacker could get a copy of authorization from Apple, the attack doesn’t require current App Store availability to spread those apps,&#8221; Xiao explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;While the attack requires a user’s PC to be infected by malware first, after that, the infection of iOS devices is completed in the background without the user’s awareness. The only indication is that the new malicious app does appear as an icon in the user’s home screen, so the user may notice a new app he or she won’t recall downloading.&#8221;</p>
<p>The full disclosure from Claud Xiao can be found <a href="http://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2016/03/acedeceiver-first-ios-trojan-exploiting-apple-drm-design-flaws-to-infect-any-ios-device/">here</a>, along with removal instructions for those concerned they may be infected by the malware.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=S_yd9PX-ph8:jtq4qZ1pPmo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=S_yd9PX-ph8:jtq4qZ1pPmo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=S_yd9PX-ph8:jtq4qZ1pPmo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/S_yd9PX-ph8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119456
title: Warner Bros and Intel Sued Over Defamatory 4K Piracy Claims
uri: Warner-Bros-and-Intel-Sued-Over-Defamatory-4K-Piracy-Claims
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/QyChJSuddvw/
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">Earlier this year, Warner Bros. and Intel daughter company Digital Content Protection (<a href="http://www.digital-cp.com/">DCP</a>) filed a lawsuit against LegendSky, accusing it of violating the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provisions.</p>
<p>LegendSky is the maker of HDFury <a href="https://www.hdfury.com/shop/splitters/integral-4k60-444-600mhz/">devices</a> which allow users to &#8220;strip&#8221; the latest HDCP encryption, according to the complaint.</p>
<p>This makes it much easier for pirates to circumvent the stronger HDCP content protection and release pirated copies of 4K films and series. Late last year several 4K leaks <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirates-can-now-rip-4k-content-from-netflix-and-amazon-151127/">started to appear online</a>, right after the HDFury devices went on sale. </p>
<p>However, the Chinese company fiercely rejects these piracy claims and has launched a counterattack in a New York federal court this week. LegendSky explains that their devices are not &#8220;stripping&#8221; any HDCP copy protection. </p>
<p>Instead, the HDFury devices merely convert newer versions of HDCP to older versions, such HDCP 1.4. These conversions are permitted by the DMCA as a fair use exception when they are used connect two separate computer programs.</p>
<p>In addition, DCP’s own license agreement specifically permits licensees to convert HDCP copy protection, the company informs the court. </p>
<p>In their counterclaim (<a href="media/ed0c7927.legenddefam.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/legenddefam.pdf">pdf</a>) LegendSky notes that several HDCP licensees including Netflix, Disney, NBC and CBS have bought their devices for legitimate purposes. &#8220;And yet Plaintiff alleges that HDFury Devices are nothing more than “strippers,” the company adds.</p>
<p><center><strong>NBC and others use HDFury</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/2ad99fd7.dcpinvoic.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dcpinvoic.jpg" alt="dcpinvoic" width="593" height="324" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119483"></center></p>
<p>LegendSky states that DCP&#8217;s lawsuit is an illegitimate attempt to keep its licensing monopoly intact, and the company is now countersuing the Warner and Intel daughter company for monopolization.</p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiffs’ Complaint is a sham. They know, or should know, that Plaintiff DCP’s licensees, including Netflix, use HDFury Devices to convert newer to older versions of HDCP so as to enable interoperability between devices.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;In reality, then, the Complaint is a bludgeon to use against Defendant so as to unlawfully expand the scope of Plaintiffs’ copyright monopolies, and protect Plaintiff DCP’s HDCP monopoly licensing rents in the relevant market..,&#8221; LegendSky adds.</p>
<p>In addition, DCP is also being sued for defamation after painting LegendSky and its customers as criminals. </p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiffs have, either directly or indirectly, made knowing false statements of fact to third parties wherein they have painted Defendant as a criminal enterprise releasing the HDFury Devices with no other intent than to steal and pirate copyrighted materials,&#8221; they write.</p>
<p>&#8220;These imputations of intentional criminality have injured Defendant’s reputation and standing in this District,&#8221; the counterclaim adds.</p>
<p>The Chinese hardware manufacturer is asking the court to dismiss the original complaint and award damages and penalties against DCP, where appropriate.  </p>
<p>Given LegendSky&#8217;s strong reply, this case could get very interesting. While there is no doubt that pirates can use HDFury devices to downgrade HDCP copy protection to a more easily crackable version, the devices also have plenty of legitimate uses.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=QyChJSuddvw:UKMTf-_ILhs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=QyChJSuddvw:UKMTf-_ILhs:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=QyChJSuddvw:UKMTf-_ILhs:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/QyChJSuddvw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119606
title: Police Raid Pirate Android Box Sellers, Six Arrested
uri: Police-Raid-Pirate-Android-Box-Sellers-Six-Arrested
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/NPJC83FFBb0/
content:
<p><a href="media/bc6e239e.cityoflondonpolice.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cityoflondonpolice.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-71397"><img src="media/31176dbb.cityoflondonpolice.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cityoflondonpolice.jpg" alt="cityoflondonpolice" width="200" height="82" class="alignright size-full wp-image-71397"></a>The advent of cheap Android devices such as <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/did-pirates-clean-out-amazon-fire-tv-stock-in-the-uk-151229/">Amazon&#8217;s Fire Stick</a> and dozens of set-top variants means that anyone can install legal software such as Kodi and then modify it to do <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kodi-announces-legal-action-to-smash-piracy-links-160215/">less legal things</a>.</p>
<p>With the correct know how, all the latest movies, TV shows and live sports are just a few clicks away, all streamed over the Internet, for free. This <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/when-piracy-gets-too-easy-expect-a-big-response-150620/">ease of use</a> irritates rightsholders who seem powerless to do much about the flood of illicit broadcasts. </p>
<p>Also complicating the situation is that individuals looking to make a quick buck are selling piracy-configured devices on eBay, Amazon and other venues, meaning that anyone can get in on the close-to-free TV action by shelling out a few pounds, euros or dollars.</p>
<p>Today, however, the UK&#8217;s Police’s Intellectual Property Unit (PIPCU) has made a tiny dent in this illicit market after arresting several individuals said to be involved in the sale of &#8216;pirate&#8217; boxes configured to stream content including movies and sport.</p>
<p>Following the execution of seven search warrants at as many locations in the north of England (Consett, Lanchester, Washington, Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Seamer), six people were arrested.</p>
<p>Police say that a 37 year-old man targeted in Sunderland was arrested on suspicion of distributing an unauthorized decoder, money laundering and making and/or supplying items for use in fraud.</p>
<p>The investigation, which was carried out with the assistance of Trading Standards and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), led to the seizure of 42 &#8220;illegally modified&#8221; set-top boxes configured to receive subscription-only TV.</p>
<p>“This operation is an excellent example of multi-agency working across force boundaries to tackle piracy and those intent on making money at the expense of honest subscription payers who deserve a fair deal,&#8221; says PIPCU&#8217;s Detective Chief Inspector Peter Ratcliffe.</p>
<p>&#8220;We routinely seek to identify and disrupt those intent on making quick cash from piracy and will use every enforcement opportunity to bring them to justice.”</p>
<p>While buyers of such devices might think they&#8217;re getting value for money, both PIPCU and the Federation Against Copyright Theft are keen to point out that they&#8217;re not risk free.</p>
<p>“Consumers need to be aware that these cheap pre-configured TV boxes are illegal,&#8221; says FACT Director General Kieron Sharp. &#8220;They are stealing copyrighted content and starving UK businesses from revenue, as well as putting consumers’ devices at risk of malware and ransomware.”</p>
<p>A pirate box holding itself to ransom is an interesting concept but not one that appears to be gaining any traction on sites specializing in such topics. Indeed, in many instances using one of these boxes is much safer than visiting streaming sites directly, since much of the malicious advertising is filtered out.</p>
<p>This week&#8217;s arrests follow at least two previous operations (<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-android-tv-box-sellers-raided-by-police-150612/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/organized-crime-police-raid-pirate-android-tv-box-sellers-150630/">2</a>) targeting the sellers of &#8216;pirate&#8217; boxes in the UK.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=NPJC83FFBb0:h-ptF4wwBII:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=NPJC83FFBb0:h-ptF4wwBII:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=NPJC83FFBb0:h-ptF4wwBII:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/NPJC83FFBb0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119472
title: Anti-Piracy Outfit Criticizes Authorities For Not Prosecuting Pirates
uri: Anti-Piracy-Outfit-Criticizes-Authorities-For-Not-Prosecuting-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/DFQhbJw4u4M/
content:
<p><a href="media/cf654c6a.piratekay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/piratekay.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-108106"><img src="media/0fe8e43a.piratekay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratekay.jpg" alt="piratekay" width="275" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108106"></a>It&#8217;s hard to believe but it was more than eight years ago when a court in Denmark ordered a local Internet service provider to begin <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-blocked-by-isp-080204/">blocking The Pirate Bay</a>.</p>
<p>The court found that ISP Tele2 had assisted in the file-sharing infringements of its customers, a decision that put Denmark on the map as the first European country to block the notorious site.</p>
<p>Since then most of the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popular-torrent-and-streaming-sites-blocked-in-denmark-150327/">major torrent</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-20-big-piracy-sites-blocked-in-denmark-150821/">streaming sites</a> have also been blocked in Denmark but piracy has continued, much to the disappointment of rights holders.</p>
<p>Services like Popcorn Time haven&#8217;t improved the situation either, so it came as little surprise that users of the application were eventually <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/filmmakers-demand-cash-from-popcorn-time-viewers-150330/">targeted</a> by trolls through the Danish legal system. Shortly after though, the state itself got tough, arresting the operators of two sites which allegedly <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/police-arrest-men-for-spreading-popcorn-time-information-150819/">spread information</a> about the popular application.</p>
<p>In December, Denmark&#8217;s largest torrent site <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/denmarks-largest-torrent-site-closes-to-protect-users-151207/">shutdown too</a>, but that doesn&#8217;t appear to have had much of an effect either.</p>
<p>So for Rights Alliance, the anti-piracy outfit that counts all the big Hollywood studios and record labels among its members, much more needs to be done. Normally the group addresses its issues in private but this week took the unusual step of openly criticizing the authorities for their piracy failures.</p>
<p>In an open letter to the Prosecutor General, Rights Alliance director Maria Fredenslund says that not enough emphasis is being placed on the plight of the entertainment industries.</p>
<p>&#8220;As you know, we at Rights Alliance have worked to ensure that intellectual property crime is a priority focus, including that police and prosecutors take better care of intellectual property cases,&#8221; Fredenslund begins.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, we find that distribution of pirated copies is still extensively used as a platform and source of income for criminals.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Rights Alliance director says that public prosecution initiatives from 2013 and 2015 have failed to hit the mark and promises haven&#8217;t been kept.</p>
<p>&#8220;We write now because we do not see positive results in terms of the specific handling of intellectual property cases, as we were promised,&#8221; she writes.</p>
<p>Fredenslund wants public prosecutions of pirates to become a priority for the authorities and wants discussion to begin soon.</p>
<p>&#8220;There is from our side an urgent need to see concrete results in terms of cases handled, and a very clear communication from the authorities on what is illegal on the Internet,&#8221; she adds.</p>
<p>In publicly asking for a meeting with the Prosecutor General, Rights Alliance are clearly attempting to bring the issue of online piracy into the public eye. Quite what can be done remains up for debate.</p>
<p>With site blocking already in place and international efforts to physically remove sites such as The Pirate Bay from the internet failing, only targeting end users remains.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s understood that sending warning notices to Internet users caught pirating is still favored by rightsholders but whether those schemes have had any major effect on sales in other regions is still an unknown quantity.</p>
<p>The so-called &#8220;six strikes&#8221; system in the United States is still ongoing and has <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isps-and-rightsholders-extend-six-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-150903/">just been extended</a>, but proclamations of the scheme&#8217;s successes have been almost entirely absent.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=DFQhbJw4u4M:1YsZyQeVx2Y:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=DFQhbJw4u4M:1YsZyQeVx2Y:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=DFQhbJw4u4M:1YsZyQeVx2Y:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/DFQhbJw4u4M" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118998
title: Netflix Joins DMCA Takedown Bandwagon to Frustrate Pirates
uri: Netflix-Joins-DMCA-Takedown-Bandwagon-to-Frustrate-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/srqMLLuNd_Q/
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">Netflix has upped its anti-piracy efforts recently, by taking a more <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-announces-crackdown-on-vpn-and-proxy-pirates-160114/">aggressive stance</a> against subscribers who use VPN services. </p>
<p>These changes were implemented to appease the major movie studios, but Netflix is also taking measures to limit access to pirated copies of its own original programming.</p>
<p>During the past several weeks the company has <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/faceted_search?principal_name=Netflix2">started to report</a> thousands of &#8216;pirate&#8217; links to Google, asking it to remove these from search results. </p>
<p>With help from their anti-piracy partner <a href="http://www.vobileinc.com/#welcome-to-vobile">Vobile</a>, Netflix has targeted 71,861 links to allegedly copyright infringing material from torrent and streaming sites, most of which have indeed been removed. </p>
<p>The links in question all point to content owned by Netflix, including popular series including House of Cards, Narcos, Sense8 and films such as The Ridiculous 6 and A Very Murray Christmas.</p>
<p>Unlike other copyright holders Netflix is a relative newcomer when it comes to sending DMCA takedown notices to Google. The first request was recorded last December, targeting <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/11546808">over 3,000 links</a> at once.</p>
<p><center><strong>Netflix takedown request</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/c38134d9.netflixdown.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netflixdown.jpg" alt="netflixdown" width="600" height="338" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119337"></center></p>
<p>Netflix is targeting a wide variety of torrent, streaming and hosting sites, with uploaded.net and vodlocker.com being the prime targets. </p>
<p>In addition to reporting these links to Google, Netflix also appears to be reaching out to &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites directly as recent listings for House of Cards and other Netflix originals are frequently removed. </p>
<p>While the takedown efforts are unlikely to make the piracy problem go away, Netflix likely hopes to frustrate pirates enough to convert them into paying customers. That is, if Netflix&#8217;s original programming is available in their country, which <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-cant-stream-house-of-cards-globally-blames-licensing-deals-160312/">isn&#8217;t as logical</a> as it may sound. </p>
<p>In any case, the takedown efforts are a notable change compared to the casual piracy attitude the company had a few years ago.</p>
<p>Previously, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that the company was not really bothered too much by people who pirate content via torrent sites. In fact, Netflix <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-uses-pirate-sites-to-determine-what-shows-to-buy-130914/">admitted</a> to using piracy data to determine what shows they should license in different regions.</p>
<p>“Certainly there’s some torrenting that goes on, and that’s true around the world, but some of that just creates the demand,” Hastings said at the time.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=srqMLLuNd_Q:XLBchvuxDeA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=srqMLLuNd_Q:XLBchvuxDeA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=srqMLLuNd_Q:XLBchvuxDeA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/srqMLLuNd_Q" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119482
title: Copyright Holders Want to Ban Talk About Piracy Blocklist Circumvention
uri: Copyright-Holders-Want-to-Ban-Talk-About-Piracy-Blocklist-Circumventio
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/pflh0vedcps/
content:
<p><a href="media/e39c1037.censorship.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/censorship.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-47463"><img src="media/6cb6a973.censorship.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/censorship.jpg" alt="censorship" width="200" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-47463" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/censorship-150x150.jpg 150w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/censorship.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px"></a>This week following further intense discussions on how to bring Internet piracy under control, rights holders submitted new proposals for amendments to local copyright law.</p>
<p>Supported by communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, one of the key aims of the working group is to bring an end to the game of whac-a-mole caused by the country&#8217;s site blocking regime. </p>
<p><strong>Ending the proxy wars</strong></p>
<p>Like other countries, once pirate sites are blocked by local ISPs, proxies, mirrors and clones of those sites reappear elsewhere, rendering the blockades ineffective. This means that copyright holders have to head back to court to obtain a new blocking order if they are to keep up with the pirates.</p>
<p>As is already loosely the case in the UK, rightsholders with interests in Russia want mirror and proxy sites to be classified as extensions of the original blocked site and given the same illegal standing. This would mean they could be quickly blocked without need for a new trial.</p>
<p>Currently the courts require an individual process for each site, a position highlighted recently when ISPs were ordered to  permanently block huge torrent site RuTracker but several sites appeared online which effectively circumvented the blockade.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Working Group proposes to simplify the blocking procedures in respect of mirrors of sites that have already been recognized by the court as illegal resources,&#8221; National Federation of the Music Industry (Sony, Universal, Warner, EMI) chief Leonid Agronov explains.</p>
<p><strong>Circumventing blockades? You can&#8217;t talk about that</strong></p>
<p>While the proposed measures against mirrors, clones and reverse proxy sites are not unexpected, demands being made by anti-piracy group Association for the Protection of Copyright on the Internet (AZAPO) really take things to the next level.</p>
<p>Just as sites can take measures to avoid being blocked, users can circumvent blocks with a variety of tools including VPNs, TOR and other proxies. People learn about these techniques online but if AZAPO has its way &#8211; and that looks likely &#8211; telling people how to circumvent web-blocking measures will become an illegal act.</p>
<p>In a document penned by AZAPO, approved by telecoms watchdog Rozkomnadzor, and seen by <a href="http://www.gazeta.ru/tech/2016/03/15/8123975/torrents_mirrors.shtml">Gazeta.ru</a>, the anti-piracy group says that banning discussion of workarounds will enhance the country&#8217;s blocking regime.</p>
<p>&#8220;The introduction of [a system of fines] for those who promote methods for bypassing Internet blockades will enhance the effectiveness of blocking prohibited Internet resources,&#8221; the group writes.</p>
<p>At this stage the proposals suggest fines ranging from around $70 for &#8220;entrepreneurial individuals&#8221; right up to $14,500 for those operating within a legal entity but it&#8217;s not yet clear how these fines will be managed or enforced.</p>
<p>While discussion of circumvention could soon be off-limits, there&#8217;s no intention of banning circumvention tools outright. Noting that they have legitimate uses, Rozkomnadzor says it simply wants to draw a line in the sand over the way they&#8217;re promoted online.</p>
<p>&#8220;These technical software tools have a wide range of useful applications. But advertising these as a way to bypass website blocks should not be a legitimate action,&#8221; a spokesperson said.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, representatives from the Internet industry see things somewhat differently. Karen Ghazaryan, principal analyst at the Russian Association of Electronic Communications, told Gazeta that tightening of the law will only lead to further dissemination of information detailing how to bypass blockades.</p>
<p>Indeed, there would be little the authorities could do about advice pages appearing outside the country, unless they wanted to enter into the biggest game of whac-a-mole ever seen.</p>
<p>Crucially, clamping down on discussion is unlikely to stimulate the market for legal content consumption among consumers, Ghazaryan says.</p>
<p>Presented this week, the draft proposals will now be sent to the Ministry of Communications for subsequent discussion in the State Duma.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=pflh0vedcps:kxtI3JyOJnM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=pflh0vedcps:kxtI3JyOJnM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=pflh0vedcps:kxtI3JyOJnM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/pflh0vedcps" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119327
title: After Half a Decade, We Now Know What YIFY Stands For
uri: After-Half-a-Decade-We-Now-Know-What-YIFY-Stands-For
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/NUYwF02JJ_k/
content:
<p><img src="media/a9295419.yify.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/yify.png" alt="yify" width="237" height="102" class="alignright size-full wp-image-77492">In 2010 a fresh movie piracy brand began to conquer the Internet. Bypassing the so-called ‘Scene’, YIFY joined a new breed of release groups who publish their work directly to torrent sites.</p>
<p>In fact, YIFY, which later <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/yify-torrents-announces-retirement-of-yify-but-show-goes-on-140124/">rebranded</a> to YTS, started its own torrent website featuring high quality releases of the latest movies. </p>
<p>As the years went by the group amassed a huge following, and a year ago its website generated <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/revealed-the-secrets-of-yify-torrents-network-140223/">millions</a> of pageviews per day. A true success story, but one that <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-we-shut-down-ytsyify-and-popcorn-time-151103/">ended abruptly</a> last October. </p>
<p>Hollywood sources tracked down the founder of YIFY and filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit in New Zealand. This meant the end of YIFY and YTS, but surprisingly the case was never heard in court. </p>
<p>Instead, both parties agreed to a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/yts-yify-signs-unprecedented-settlement-with-mpaa-151105/">private settlement outside of court</a>, keeping the identity of one of YIFY&#8217;s key players out of the public eye. However, this didn&#8217;t last long.</p>
<p>Last week a New Zealand court confirmed the identity of the YIFY founder to the local Sunday Star Times. The news outlet <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/77759835/archery-champion-behind-global-piracy-site-shut-down-by-hollywood-studios">reported</a> that the movie studios filed their lawsuit against Yiftach Swery, a 23-year-old  app and website developer. </p>
<p>Several years ago YIFY told TorrentFreak that the name was &#8220;just a random alias&#8221; but this explanation is hard to maintain now. </p>
<p>While we have always doubted the randomness of the popular tag, <strong>Yif</strong>tach Swery leaves little room for speculation. </p>
<p>Indeed, we confirmed with someone in the know that the <strong>YIF</strong> part is derived directly from the founder&#8217;s name. In theory, the same could be said for YTS but this stands for &#8220;YIFY Torrents Solutions,&#8221; our source says.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s worth noting that Yiftach was not the only person behind YIFY. In fact, towards the end he was no longer actively involved in encoding and uploading movies. </p>
<p>How many other people were involved in the group remains unknown. TorrentFreak did hear that other people connected to YIFY have been &#8220;approached&#8221; by the movie industry over the years, but Yiftach is the only one who signed a settlement deal.</p>
<p>One thing is very clear though, the original YIFY team is not coming back. Instead, Yiftach and his former colleagues will probably focus on picking up their regular lives again.</p>
<p>That said, the YIFY name lives on in the memories of million of pirates. While most of its shine has been lost, YIFY will certainly go down in history. </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=NUYwF02JJ_k:K89n5y1kqg8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=NUYwF02JJ_k:K89n5y1kqg8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=NUYwF02JJ_k:K89n5y1kqg8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/NUYwF02JJ_k" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119513
title: SXSW 2016 on BitTorrent: 10.33 GB of Free Music
uri: SXSW-2016-on-BitTorrent-10-33-GB-of-Free-Music
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/j5fle4A3mYA/
content:
<p><img src="media/6b41ba5c.sxsw2016.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sxsw2016.png" alt="sxsw2016" width="242" height="113" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119516">Since 2005 the <a href="http://www.sxsw.com/music">SXSW music</a> festival has published thousands of free tracks from participating artists. </p>
<p>For some of the first releases the festival organizers created the torrents for the artist showcases themselves, but since 2008 this task has been taken over by the public.</p>
<p>Luckily all of the SXSW showcase MP3s are still freely available on the festival’s site for sampling purposes, so it only takes one person to get a torrent up and running. </p>
<p>For the past several years Ben Stolt has taken the time and effort to put all the MP3s on BitTorrent, and the latest 2016 release consists of <a href="http://www.sxswtorrent.com/2016">two torrents</a> containing 1,593 tracks.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s a record-breaking 10.39 gigabytes of free music in total, almost four times the file size of the first torrent in 2005.  </p>
<p>All the tracks released for the previous editions are also still <a href="http://www.sxswtorrent.com/">available</a> for those people who want to fill up their harddrives without having to invest thousands of dollars. The 2005 &#8211; 2016 archives now total more than 69 gigabytes.</p>
<p>Every year SXSW torrents are a great success, with many thousands of music aficionados downloading gigabytes of free music across virtually every genre from both established acts and upcoming bands. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to Ben Stolt who spends several hours preparing the releases each year, in part for his personal pleasure.</p>
<p>&#8220;My motivation is in part selfish, because, like many others, my friends and I all use the contents of the torrent to prepare for our week at SXSW Music. But without fail the emails start coming in January and February asking if there will be a torrent,&#8221; Stolt says. </p>
<p>&#8220;Many people come back every year, so I can&#8217;t leave them hanging,&#8221; he adds. </p>
<p>The job comes witch challenges though. SXSW doesn&#8217;t always make it easy to publish the tracks. For example, a few years ago Stolt had to start re-writing the ID3 tags based on the artist pages, as SXSW stopped doing so.</p>
<p>&#8220;Without that, the tracks would be a giant mess and mostly unidentifiable since the file names on the SXSW site are purely numeric. Also in 2014 they abruptly switched to using SoundCloud for the samples, but that was thankfully short-lived and things were back to normal the next year,&#8221; Stolt notes.</p>
<p>The efforts pay off though. Many people love the SXSW torrents which attract tens of thousands of downloaders each year. For some, it almost makes up for not being able to attend the festival in person.  </p>
<p>&#8220;Appreciate the amount of work involved to make it happen. Can&#8217;t get to SXSW, so having these torrents available are the next best thing,&#8221; one downloader responds.</p>
<p>This year’s SXSW music festival is currently underway in Austin, Texas and ends on Sunday. The torrents, however, are expected to live on for as long as there are people sharing. </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=j5fle4A3mYA:XPeDnnJmrF4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=j5fle4A3mYA:XPeDnnJmrF4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=j5fle4A3mYA:XPeDnnJmrF4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/j5fle4A3mYA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119509
title: Downloading MP3s From Spotify is Easy – But Feels Dated
uri: Downloading-MP3s-From-Spotify-is-Easy-But-Feels-Dated
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/XJhiCAZJ7bc/
content:
<p><a href="media/f6de83fa.spotify.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/spotify.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-36278"><img src="media/46b7618f.spotify.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spotify.jpg" alt="spotify" width="200" height="125" class="alignright size-full wp-image-36278"></a>These days there are essentially two ways to obtain music on-demand. One can buy MP3s from places like iTunes or for those looking to make their pennies stretch further, streaming solutions like Spotify are just what the doctor ordered.</p>
<p>Services that allow users to download MP3s are more expensive than streaming options and no wonder. Offline listening features notwithstanding, streaming is somewhat transient. Like a diamond, an MP3 is forever.</p>
<p>No surprise then that Spotify users squealed with excitement back in March 2013 when a new Chrome extension hit the web. <a href="http://raldenhoven.github.io/downloadify/">Downloadify</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/rAldenhoven">Robin Aldenhoven</a> allowed Spotify users to permanently download MP3s to their devices from the Spotify web interface, a move that sparked a frenzy of people doing just that.</p>
<p>Now, three years on, it appears that downloading MP3s from Spotify is a thing again. This time around it&#8217;s not quite as easy as installing a simple extension but for those with a PC and a modicum of patience it shouldn&#8217;t prove too much of a problem.</p>
<p>The original code for the aptly named Spotify Playlist Downloader (SPD) was created by <a href="https://github.com/Lordmau5">Lordmau5</a> and has been kicking around for a few weeks. Given a few parameters it happily dumps playlists full of 160 kbps MP3s to the host machine in seconds and names them nicely too.</p>
<p>However, SPD requires people to fiddle around using a command line, something the majority simply can&#8217;t be bothered with. So, what SPD needed was for someone to come along and augment it with a nice Windows GUI to make the whole thing more user-friendly.</p>
<p>Thanks to <a href="https://github.com/dekiller82">dekiller82</a>, Spotify Playlist Downloader now happily runs via a basic GUI, provided people also install <a href="https://nodejs.org/en/">NodeJS</a> and Microsoft&#8217;s .NET framework up front.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>Spotify Playlist Downloader</h5>
<p><a href="media/9cd800aa.SPD-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/SPD-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119581"><img src="media/9cd800aa.SPD-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/SPD-1.png" alt="SPD-1" width="587" height="479" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119581"></a></center></p>
<p>Admittedly it&#8217;s a bit clunky but it definitely works and does so with both premium and even free Spotify accounts. There are reports that free accounts can seize up after vigorous SPD use but eventually they begin to work again although no one seems to know why.</p>
<p>So with tens of millions of tracks now available to anyone with a PC, one might expect there are celebrations to be had. Indeed, in some quarters they&#8217;re probably going on right now.</p>
<p>But without the whole Spotify package, complete with recommendations, superb music discovery opportunities and a beautiful interface, the hand stacking, sorting and categorizing of MP3s feels somewhat primitive. Sure, the tracks come at a bargain price, but using them seems like a step back in time.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s little doubt that sooner or later Spotify will plug the hole exploited by SPD but in the meantime thousands of people will be greedily filling their hard drives with MP3s. For some it will entail grabbing some treasured classics but for others it will mean revisiting a life filled with soulless Windows Explorer folders that lead first to excitement and then musical dead ends.</p>
<p>Everyone knows that forbidden fruit is alluring but sometimes the realization dawns that while it&#8217;s definitely exciting, it&#8217;s not necessarily more tasty.</p>
<p>The license-bending, label-annoying Spotify Playlist Downloader project can be found <a href="https://github.com/dekiller82/spotify-playlist-downloader-with-windows-gui">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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=XJhiCAZJ7bc:iUHxV9ti5qU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=XJhiCAZJ7bc:iUHxV9ti5qU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=XJhiCAZJ7bc:iUHxV9ti5qU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/XJhiCAZJ7bc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119537
title: Is Your VPN / Proxy Working? Check Your Torrent IP-Address
uri: 2016-03-20-Is-Your-VPN-Proxy-Working-Check-Your-Torrent-IP-Address
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/cjy47fg7IkI/
content:
<p><img src="media/d69b1c52.IPleak.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/IPleak.png" alt="IPleak" width="191" height="182" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119543">Every day dozens of millions of people share files using BitTorrent, willingly exposing their IP-addresses to the rest of the world.</p>
<p>For those who value their privacy this is a problem, so many sign up with a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-anonymous-review-160220/">VPN provider</a> or torrent proxy service. This is fine, but some people then forget to check whether their setup is actually working, which is not always the case. </p>
<p>Some torrent clients may be vulnerable to leaks, or people simply forget to configure their client properly, which may involve ticking a few <a href="media/26a8ec14.checkboxes.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/checkboxes.png">extra checkboxes</a> and disabling features such as DHT and PEX. </p>
<p>So how do you check if your VPN and proxy are working properly? While it’s easy enough to test your web IP-address through one of the many IP-checking services, checking the IP-address that’s broadcasted via your torrent client is more complex.</p>
<p>There are a few services that offer a “torrent IP check” tool but these are generally limited to responses from HTTP trackers. Luckily, a new project allows people to dive a bit deeper. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.doileak.com/">Doileak</a> is free a service that runs IP-address checks to test for general leaks, but also more specific torrent checks. </p>
<p>After loading a test torrent it will report back the IP-address your torrent client is using to connect to other peers. In addition to an HTTP tracker, it also has an UDP version, which is crucial as UDP trackers are more likely to leak information. </p>
<p>Furthermore, Doileak also reports the various DNS requests your torrent client is using, which may also be a weak link for some. </p>
<p><center><br><strong>Doileak torrent results</strong></br></center><center><img src="media/c1cdd28a.torrentiptest.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrentiptest.jpg" alt="torrentiptest" width="600" height="239" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119574"></center></p>
<p>Everything is functioning properly as long as your residential IP-address or your Internet provider&#8217;s DNS server doesn&#8217;t show up in the torrent sections. For VPN users the web and torrent IP-address should be the same, but for proxy users the two IPs are different.</p>
<p>Talking to TorrentFreak, Doileak founder Tobias warns that not all VPN services are as effective as they should be, so encourages people to check their setup. </p>
<p>&#8220;BitTorrent support initially wasn&#8217;t on my todo list, but after some research it became clear that a lot of torrent users believe they are anonymous, while they are broadcasting their real IP-address,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.doileak.com/blog-torrent-different-ways-to-leak-ip.html">separate article</a> Tobias identifies several weak spots for torrent users, including UDP leaks and the DHT vulnerability. </p>
<p>Users who are interested in their setup can run <a href="https://www.doileak.com/">the test over at Doileak</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cjy47fg7IkI:zg94kg-p3IM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cjy47fg7IkI:zg94kg-p3IM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=cjy47fg7IkI:zg94kg-p3IM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/cjy47fg7IkI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119614
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 03/21/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-03-21-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/a4A2mmqo0oA/
content:
<p><img src="media/c90c8293.deadpool.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/deadpool.jpg" alt="deadpool" width="300" height="203" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118234">This week we have three newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Deadpool 3 is the most downloaded movie for the second week in a row.</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-031416/">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>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Deadpool</a> (HDTS) </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>2</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda_3/">Kung Fu Panda 3</a> (HDrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267968/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGPPfZIvtCw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fifth_wave/">The 5th Wave</a> (Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304933/">5.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmxLybfGNC4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ip_man_3/">IP-Man 3</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2888046/">7.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jckXscMwIOI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hateful_eight/">The Hateful Eight</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3460252">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_revenant_2015/">The Revenant</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zootopia">Zootopia</a> (HDcam) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948356/">8.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWM0ct-OLsM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_big_short/">The Big Short</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596363/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDlYm15ztK4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spectre_2015/">Spectre</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2379713/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5474114/">The Gigolo 2</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5474114/">4.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMlb90DOjJs">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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=a4A2mmqo0oA:QxxruveTiDk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=a4A2mmqo0oA:QxxruveTiDk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=a4A2mmqo0oA:QxxruveTiDk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/a4A2mmqo0oA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119612
title: 68% of Digital Content Providers Geo-Block in the EU
uri: 68-of-Digital-Content-Providers-Geo-Block-in-the-EU
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Xv8ewwx-IWk/
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">The European Union wants companies selling digital content to citizens in EU Member States to do so across the entire region. Instead, companies continue to ring-fence their content, making material available in one region and not another.</p>
<p>The practice is known as geo-blocking and is carried out by checking users&#8217; IP addresses and other data against commercial blocklists. A decision is then taken by providers as to which country&#8217;s content to serve to the user. This means that when an England-based Netflix user travels to mainland Europe, he can no longer access the same content he can when he&#8217;s at home.</p>
<p>In part to discover more about geo-restriction, last year the European Commission launched its <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/europe-will-abolish-geo-blocking-and-other-copyright-restrictions-150506/">Digital Single Market Strategy</a> alongside an <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eu-starts-geo-blocking-anti-trust-case-against-u-s-movie-studios-150723/">antitrust</a> sector inquiry into e-commerce. After sending out questionnaires to both retailers of physical goods and companies offering digital content, the EU Commission has now published its initial findings.</p>
<p>Responses from more than 1,400 companies from all 28 Member States reveals widespread geo-blocking. In respect of physical goods, the EU reports that geo-blocking is often based on the &#8220;unilateral business decisions of retailers&#8221;, i.e simply not wanting to do business abroad.</p>
<p>&#8220;Where a non-dominant company decides unilaterally not to sell abroad, that is not an issue for competition law,&#8221; says European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.</p>
<p>However, the situation with digital content supply is somewhat different. While the decision not to sell physical goods elsewhere is mainly the decision of the retailers, it was found that agreements between suppliers and distributors are often the cause of geo-blocking of digital content.</p>
<p>While 68% of digital content providers told the Commission that they geo-block users located in other Member States, 59% admitted that they are contractually bound to do so by their suppliers. The Commission says that these kinds of agreements have the potential to restrict competition in the EU Single Market and breach EU antitrust rules.</p>
<p>While all digital content covered by the EU inquiry was found to be affected by geo-blocking, <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-882_en.htm">the chart</a> below clearly shows that worst offenders can be found in the fiction TV, films and sports sectors, with almost three-quarters of suppliers of the former engaged in contractual blocking.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/19306899.eu-geo-blocking.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/eu-geo-blocking.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119624"><img src="media/19306899.eu-geo-blocking.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/eu-geo-blocking.png" alt="eu-geo-blocking" width="648" height="315" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119624"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;The information gathered as part of our e-commerce sector inquiry confirms the indications that made us launch the inquiry: Not only does geo-blocking frequently prevent European consumers from buying goods and digital content online from another EU country, but some of that geo-blocking is the result of restrictions in agreements between suppliers and distributors,&#8221; Vestager says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Where geo-blocking occurs due to agreements, we need to take a close look whether there is anti-competitive behavior, which can be addressed by EU competition tools.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Commission notes that if specific competition concerns arise it could open investigations into restrictive practices and abuse of dominant market positions. However, any enforcement measures would need to be carried out on a case-by-case basis.</p>
<p>Margrethe Vestager will offer a more detailed analysis of the inquiry in a preliminary report set to be published and opened for public consultation mid-2016. The final report is scheduled for publication in the first quarter of 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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Xv8ewwx-IWk:574M326LBc8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Xv8ewwx-IWk:574M326LBc8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Xv8ewwx-IWk:574M326LBc8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Xv8ewwx-IWk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119622
title: Judges: Geolocation Not Good Enough to Pinpoint Pirates
uri: Judges-Geolocation-Not-Good-Enough-to-Pinpoint-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/InifzWF73O8/
content:
<p><img src="media/f7a82faa.ip-address.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ip-address.png" alt="ip-address" width="225" height="153" class="alignright size-full wp-image-50438">While relatively underreported, many U.S. district courts are still swamped with lawsuits against alleged film pirates.</p>
<p>Malibu Media, the Los Angeles based company behind the ‘X-Art’ adult movies, is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/adult-movie-outfit-is-most-litigious-copyright-plaintiff-in-u-s-150812/">behind</a> most of these cases. The company has filed thousands of lawsuits in recent years, targeting Internet subscribers whose accounts were allegedly used to share Malibu&#8217;s films via BitTorrent. </p>
<p>Like all copyright holders Malibu collects file-sharers&#8217; IP-addresses as evidence. They then ask the courts to grant a subpoena, forcing Internet providers to hand over the personal details of the associated account holders.</p>
<p>In most cases the courts sign off on these requests, but two recent orders from the Southern District of California show that matters aren&#8217;t always as straightforward.</p>
<p>In a recent case, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mitchell Dembin was not convinced that geolocation tools are good enough to prove that the alleged pirate resides in the Court’s district. As a result, he denied Malibu&#8217;s request for a subpoena. </p>
<p>&#8220;The allegation that the IP address at issue likely resolves to a physical address in this District is not supported in any of the declarations filed in connection with the instant motion,&#8221; Judge Dembin writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;In its Memorandum of Point and Authorities filed in support of this Motion, Plaintiff again asserts that it employed geolocation technology to trace the physical address of the offending IP address within this jurisdiction, and adds the name of the software employed, but again provides no evidentiary support for its assertions,&#8221; he adds (<a href="media/83c20de7.dembinorder.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dembinorder.pdf">pdf</a>).</p>
<p>Malibu had provided the court with a lengthy memorandum (<a href="media/83c20de7.dembinorder.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dembinorder.pdf">pdf</a>) explaining how it traced the IP-address to California. Among other things, the company pointed out that it uses a geolocation database from Maxmind, which it believes to be accurate 99% of the time.</p>
<p>Judge Dembin, however, concluded that Malibu fails to provide sufficient evidence, and he is not alone. Late last week Magistrate Judge Ruben Brooks issued a similar order against the adult media company. </p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiff fails to offer any evidence to support its allegation that the infringing IP address was actually traced to a location within this judicial district,&#8221; Brooks writes (<a href="media/83c20de7.dembinorder.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dembinorder.pdf">pdf</a>).</p>
<p>&#8220;Nothing in the declarations Plaintiff submitted with its Ex Parte Motion explains what steps Plaintiff took to trace the IP address to a physical point of origin within this Court’s jurisdiction.&#8221;</p>
<p>In addition, Judge Brooks also raised questions about the accuracy of a geolocation tool to identify the ISP, concluding that the request for a subpoena should be denied based on a lack of evidence. </p>
<p>Geolocation tools are widely used in copyright lawsuits, so the reservations held by the judges could impact future litigation. Interestingly, when we compared the results of various geolocation tools for one of the IP-addresses involved, the results <a href="media/b3225ffb.fhFwcGX.png" data-original-source="http://i.imgur.com/fhFwcGX.png">were different</a> across several databases.</p>
<p>While the orders are good news for the defendants in these particular cases, copyright troll watcher SJD <a href="http://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/2016/03/20/malibu-media-well-oiled-shakedown-machine-hits-a-roadblock-two-california-judges-deny-early-discovery/">points out</a> that several other local judges have granted similar requests. </p>
<p>That said, the recent decisions do offer hope to those who are targeted by Malibu cases in Southern California, as they now have some additional ammunition to fight back.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=InifzWF73O8:nLMy_D6d7Cw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=InifzWF73O8:nLMy_D6d7Cw:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=InifzWF73O8:nLMy_D6d7Cw:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/InifzWF73O8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119675
title: BREIN Shuts Down Torrent Release Group 2Lions-Team
uri: BREIN-Shuts-Down-Torrent-Release-Group-2Lions-Team
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/AYLWIR7WMN8/
content:
<p><img src="media/ededf114.upload.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/upload.jpg" alt="upload" width="180" height="125" class="alignright size-full wp-image-70533">Dutch anti-piracy outfit BREIN has been very active recently, targeting various release groups that frequent popular torrent sites. </p>
<p>Yesterday the Hollywood-backed group announced another victory after obtaining <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/305588266/2lions-Team">ex-parte injunctions</a> against three members of the torrent release group 2Lions-Team.</p>
<p>The three members were ordered to pay €2,000 in damages each. In addition, BREIN reached out of court settlements with an undisclosed number of 2Lions-Team members, bringing the total damages amount to €67,500.</p>
<p>2Lions-Team has uploaded thousands of files to popular torrent sites including The Pirate Bay, KickassTorrents and ExtraTorrent. The group published a wide variety of titles including movies and TV-shows such as The Revenant, Making a Murderer, The Walking Dead, as well as several local titles.</p>
<p>According to BREIN the group is responsible for uploading thousands of torrents, some of which were downloaded over <a href="http://anti-piracy.nl/nieuws.php?id=390">470,000 times</a>. As part of the settlements, most torrents have now been pulled offline.</p>
<p>Indeed, several &#8220;2lionsteam&#8221; related accounts and their torrents have now been <a href="https://thepiratebay.se/user/2lionsteam/">deleted</a> from The Pirate Bay, ExtraTorrent and other sites. </p>
<p><center><strong>2Lions-Team on TPB before it was removed)</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/ccae823a.2lions.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/2lions.jpg" alt="2lions" width="600" height="340" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119680"></center></p>
<p>The release group&#8217;s <a href="http://www.2lions-team.cc/">own website</a> is no longer functioning either, but points to a messages from BREIN instead.</p>
<p>&#8220;Making copyrighted works available through torrents is an unauthorized reproduction and publication which infringes on the copyrights and related rights of BREIN affiliated rightsholders,&#8221; the message reads.</p>
<p>Judging from recent BREIN pursuits, the anti-piracy group is not interested in bankrupting any of the uploaders. For the level of the settlements in this case, BREIN says it took the financial capabilities of the 2Lions-Team into account as well.</p>
<p>Over the past several months BREIN has been pursuing uploaders more aggressively and this trend is expected to continue. </p>
<p>Last week the anti-piracy group was granted permission to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/brein-threatens-pirates-with-high-fines-warns-vpn-users-160314/">monitor IP-addresses</a> of torrent users on a broad scale, suggesting that it will also target individual BitTorrent users who share pirated content on a regular basis. </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AYLWIR7WMN8:xk3_1_eA-54:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AYLWIR7WMN8:xk3_1_eA-54:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=AYLWIR7WMN8:xk3_1_eA-54:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/AYLWIR7WMN8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119703
title: Man Faces Prison Sentence For Circumventing UK Pirate Site Blockade
uri: Man-Faces-Prison-Sentence-For-Circumventing-UK-Pirate-Site-Blockade
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/BgMAW4NpYxM/
content:
<p><img src="media/31176dbb.cityoflondonpolice.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cityoflondonpolice.jpg" alt="cityoflondonpolice" width="200" height="82" class="alignright size-full wp-image-71397">During the summer of 2014, City of London Police <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/police-arrest-operator-torrent-site-proxies-140806/">arrested</a> the then 20-year-old Callum Haywood of Bakersfield for his involvement with several proxy sites and services. </p>
<p>Haywood was interrogated at a police station and later released on bail. He agreed to voluntarily hand over several domain names, but the police meanwhile continued working on the case.</p>
<p>One of the main services linked to the investigation was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/unblock-torrent-sites-blocked-proxies-camerons-porn-filter-with-immunicity-130728/">Immunicity</a>, a censorship circumvention tool that allowed users to route their traffic through a proxy network.</p>
<p>In addition, Haywood was also connected to the Pirate Bay proxy list <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fighting-censorship-proxies-gear-up-to-unblock-more-torrent-sites-130518/">Piratereverse.info</a> and KickassTorrents proxies Kickassunblock.info and Katunblock.com, movie2kproxy.com, h33tunblock.info and several other proxy sites.</p>
<p>These proxies all served as a copy of the original sites, which are blocked by several UK ISPs, allowing users to bypass restrictions imposed by the High Court. While Haywood wasn&#8217;t operating any of the original sites, police have decided to move the case ahead.</p>
<p>Today, after nearly two years, the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) formally announced the charges, which amount to one count of converting and/or transferring criminal property and six counts of possession of an article for use in fraud.</p>
<p>The charges relate to the operation of a Pirate Bay proxy and two KickassTorrent proxies. </p>
<p><center><strong>Piratereverse.info</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/1f857a98.piratereverse.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratereverse.jpg" alt="piratereverse" width="569" height="467" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119712"></center></p>
<p>Based on the charges the now 22-year old student potentially risks a long prison sentence. </p>
<p>Possession of articles for use in fraud is punishable by up to five years in prison under UK law, while supplying articles for use in a fraud carries a sentence of up to 10 years. Converting and/or transferring criminal property is money laundering, for which the maximum sentence is 14 years.</p>
<p>Speaking with TorrentFreak today, Haywood denies any wrongdoing.</p>
<p>The prosecution is the first of its kind, in that it targets a person who allegedly assisted Internet users to bypass High Court orders to block The Pirate Bay and other torrent sites. </p>
<p>Even though the blocking orders don&#8217;t apply to all UK ISPs, who continue to provide access to the very same sites, PIPCU alleges that Haywood&#8217;s sites were setup to circumvent the court orders.</p>
<p>Haywood is scheduled to appear on bail at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on April 21 for a preliminary hearing. </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=BgMAW4NpYxM:SagxkGSbEQk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=BgMAW4NpYxM:SagxkGSbEQk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=BgMAW4NpYxM:SagxkGSbEQk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/BgMAW4NpYxM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119610
title: Google Now Card Offers Deadpool Piracy Advice
uri: Google-Now-Card-Offers-Deadpool-Piracy-Advice
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/cRC1ix7mrcM/
content:
<p><a href="media/ff54932e.deadpool.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/deadpool.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-118234"><img src="media/c90c8293.deadpool.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/deadpool.jpg" alt="deadpool" width="300" height="203" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118234"></a>British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke is credited with the penning of three laws, one of which declares that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.</p>
<p>While not quite magic for those who understand how it works, Google Now can be both impressive and spooky.</p>
<p>On mobile devices (Android and iOS) Google Now and its &#8216;Card&#8217; notifications often pop up at the most opportune times, offering advice about things that haven&#8217;t yet happened in a users life &#8211; but are about to.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not unusual for Google Cards to let you know how long it will take you to get home &#8211; from a restaurant you haven&#8217;t quite arrived at yet. And it can also advise what the weather will be like tomorrow, in a place that more often that not you&#8217;ve planned to visit only in your head.</p>
<p>Google can&#8217;t read people&#8217;s minds but it does harvest data from Google accounts in order to provide its Now services. That includes your search and location history, sites you&#8217;ve visited and the content of Gmail messages. It can also access your phone contacts, calendar entries and even certain apps.</p>
<p>&#8220;To know when to display cards and reminders, Google Now uses information from your device and from other Google products,&#8221; the company explains.</p>
<p>But while Google Now does some predictable things, like offering news about a favorite sporting event or offering appropriate stock listings, it can also serve up the odd surprise. One of those landed on the phone of TorrentFreak reader Ryan Raab this past weekend.</p>
<p>While using his Nexus 6 (loaded with the latest <a href="http://developer.android.com/preview/index.html">Android N beta</a>), Ryan received a serving of Google Cards. After Google noticed he&#8217;d &#8220;shown an interest&#8221; in Olivia Munn, he was advised of her upcoming role in the X-Men Apocalypse movie <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/19/recommended-reading-3-19-16/">as documented</a> by Engadget. Nice.</p>
<p>But it was his interest in the movie Deadpool that delivered the surprise. Sandwiched between a Guardian article about Barack Obama and a New York Post piece about Donald Trump, Google Now advised Ryan where he could watch the hit movie. (Hint: Not in a theater)</p>
<p><center><a href="media/db054f60.Screenshot_20160320-XXX-GoogleNow.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Screenshot_20160320-XXX-GoogleNow.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119698"><img src="media/db054f60.Screenshot_20160320-XXX-GoogleNow.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Screenshot_20160320-XXX-GoogleNow.png" alt="Screenshot_20160320-XXX-GoogleNow" width="500" height="889" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119698"></a></center></p>
<p>As can be seen from the screenshot, Ryan&#8217;s interest in Deadpool resulted in a Google Card being presented to him referencing one of the world&#8217;s largest torrent sites, 1337x. Indeed, clicking on the Card landed Ryan on the site in question, as shown below.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/e72973a2.Screenshot_20160320-144824-GoogleNow.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Screenshot_20160320-144824-GoogleNow.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119706"><img src="media/e72973a2.Screenshot_20160320-144824-GoogleNow.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Screenshot_20160320-144824-GoogleNow.png" alt="Screenshot_20160320-144824-GoogleNow" width="500" height="889" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119706"></a></center></p>
<p>Obviously there isn&#8217;t a team at Google hand-crafting Google Cards designed to promote unauthorized torrents. However, this does appear to show that Google&#8217;s algorithms are smart enough to put together interesting advice based on multiple and diverse information sources.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak sent Ryan&#8217;s findings to Google for comment but at the time of publication we were yet to hear back. However, it does appear that in this instance simply having an interest in both torrents and a particular movie was enough to trigger a custom Card linking to a pirate site.</p>
<p>While a feature like this won&#8217;t annoy too many torrent fans, they may change their tune when more sensitive information is picked up by Google in future editions.</p>
<p><em>&#8220;You showed an interest in &#8216;having an affair&#8217; &#8211; here&#8217;s a link to AdulteryX4u.com.&#8221;</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cRC1ix7mrcM:bihPbb5mMig:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cRC1ix7mrcM:bihPbb5mMig:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=cRC1ix7mrcM:bihPbb5mMig:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/cRC1ix7mrcM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119758
title: Pirated ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Blu-Ray Leaks Online
uri: Pirated-Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens-Blu-Ray-Leaks-Online
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/cz6UBOnfHHA/
content:
<p><img src="media/fbb35eb5.swfor.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/swfor.jpg" alt="swfor" width="250" height="186" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119776">After becoming one of the top grossing movies of all time in theaters, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now gearing up for its home entertainment releases. </p>
<p>Many people are expected to buy the Blu-Ray and DVDs, which are scheduled to come out on April 5th, so they can relive the latest chapter in the convenience of their own home.</p>
<p>However, it appears that pirates are off to an early start. As is often the case with popular movies, the Blu-Ray versions of Star Wars: The Force Awakens has leaked online in advance of its retail debut.</p>
<p>There are currently dozens of copies posted on torrent, hosting and streaming sites, including The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents where it leads the lists of <a href="media/3734d19b.DR0bxNP.png" data-original-source="http://i.imgur.com/DR0bxNP.png">most shared</a> files. </p>
<p>The first copy appeared online yesterday and within 12 hours an estimated 250,000 people had already grabbed a copy. This number is likely to increase to several millions during the weeks to come. </p>
<p>The Blu-Ray disc, posted below, originates from the REPLiCA release group and appears to be a regular retail copy. </p>
<p>Under the most recent rules, Scene release groups <a href="https://scenerules.org/t.html?id=2014_BLURAY.nfo">are required</a> to  supply a photo of the physical disc with their group tag as proof.</p>
<p><center><strong>Leaked Star Wars Blu-Ray</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/8a1ecfa4.star-wars-blu.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/star-wars-blu.jpg" alt="star-wars-blu" width="500" height="489" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119765"></center></p>
<p>The leaked Blu-Ray is by no means the first footage that has ended up on pirate sites. Several camcorded copies of the movie have been floating online for three months, but due to their low quality the interest in these releases has been limited. </p>
<p>Needless to say, this isn&#8217;t an issue with the Blu-Ray version. </p>
<p><center><strong>Screenshot from the pirated Blu-Ray</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/3bd26724.star-leak.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/star-leak.jpg" alt="star-leak" width="600" height="250" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119768"></center></p>
<p>In recent weeks Disney and Lucasfilm have tried to limit the exposure of pirated copies. The companies sent out <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/owners/71772/Lucasfilm-Ltd-LLC/">tens of thousands</a> of takedown requests to Google. However, on most pirate sites the film remains widely available. </p>
<p>In any case, it&#8217;s safe to say that the movie studios will be disappointed with the early pirate release, which is likely to eat away at some of the home entertainment revenues. </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cz6UBOnfHHA:zv8MZsBv1HU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cz6UBOnfHHA:zv8MZsBv1HU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=cz6UBOnfHHA:zv8MZsBv1HU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/cz6UBOnfHHA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119750
title: Internet Archive Seeks to Defend Against Wrongful Copyright Takedowns
uri: Internet-Archive-Seeks-to-Defend-Against-Wrongful-Copyright-Takedowns
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Yb4_IC2EqjQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/16a360f4.internet-archive.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/internet-archive.png" width="200" height="172" class="alignright">Every single day millions of takedown notices are sent by copyright holders to online services ranging from YouTube and Google to KickassTorrents. The aim is to have copyright-infringing content removed, quickly.</p>
<p>As Internet usage has grown, the volume of notices being sent has exploded and as a result the debate over DMCA takedown procedures has become a hot topic, to the point that U.S. authorities are involved once again.</p>
<p>Under pressure from rightsholders, on the final day of 2015 the U.S. Copyright Office launched a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-govt-reviews-impact-and-efficacy-of-dmca-safe-harbor-160105/">public consultation</a> with the aim of assessing the costs and burdens of the notice-and-takedown process on copyright owners, online service providers, and the general public.</p>
<p>As a free and public repository of a wide range of media (26 petabytes overall), the <a href="http://archive.org">Internet Archive</a> has a keen interest in how U.S. copyright law is shaped. In its just-published submission to the Copyright Office the Archive is quite clear &#8211; without the Safe Harbor provisions of the DMCA its valuable work would become impossible.</p>
<p><strong>The certainty of Safe Harbor</strong></p>
<p>&#8220;As we move increasingly towards a world where human knowledge is stored digitally, we are likely to see more libraries playing the role of host and curator of content posted by users. As such, it is important to understand how library interests intersect with the DMCA safe harbors and to ensure that libraries continue to enjoy the protection of these safe harbors in the future,&#8221; the Archive writes.</p>
<p>With some reservations the Archive believes that the DMCA and its system of shared responsibility is &#8220;working well&#8221; and should not be significantly overhauled. It notes that as a curator of everything from feature length films, old radio programs and cylinder recordings, to pre-1964 architectural trade catalogs, house plan books, and technical building guides, the Archive deals with an almost unprecedented range of material. That is only possible due to the &#8220;important certainty&#8221; offered by the DMCA.</p>
<p>&#8220;Without the protection of the DMCA safe harbors, we might not be able to host collections like these — despite the fact that no one has complained about the vast majority of the materials,&#8221; the Archive warns.</p>
<p><strong>&#8216;Notice and Staydown&#8217; will chill free speech and fair use</strong></p>
<p>While acknowledging that burdens are felt on both sides, with copyright holders keen to have content taken down and third-party organizations expected to respond swiftly in doing so, the Archive expresses concern over proposals for a &#8220;notice and staydown&#8221; system in which content that has been taken down once must never reappear again.</p>
<p>&#8220;The DMCA’s express provision that service providers have no affirmative duty to monitor for infringing activity remains an extremely important safeguard both for free speech and for the continuation of traditional library activities in the digital age,&#8221; the Archive says.</p>
<p>In its submission the Archive goes to some lengths to highlight differences between those engaging in commercial piracy and those who seek to preserve and share cultural heritage. As a result the context in which a user posts content online should be considered before attempting to determine whether an infringement has taken place. This, the organization says, poses problems for the &#8216;staydown&#8217; demands <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-ceo-piracy-notices-are-costly-increasingly-pointless-150924/">gaining momentum</a> with copyright holders.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is why proposals for &#8216;notice and staydown,&#8217; which would appear to require platforms to use automated processes to make sure certain materials are never again able to be posted to the internet — regardless of context — threaten to chill legitimate speech and fair uses of materials,&#8221; the organization warns.</p>
<p>Interestingly the Internet Archive cites the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_Bill_of_Rights">Library Bill of Rights</a>, which encourages libraries to “challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.” A &#8216;notice and staydown&#8217; regime would violate these fundamental principles, the Archive says.</p>
<p><strong>Reducing erroneous, sloppy and cynical takedowns</strong></p>
<p>While warning against changes to the law that could increase non-profit service providers&#8217; liability for infringing content, the Archive has some suggestions as to how the DMCA could protect against improper takedown notices.</p>
<p>Noting that incomplete and/or erroneous notices are received by the organization every week, the Archive concludes that the major culprits are agents of major studios and publishers. Over the years their notices have demanded the takedown of public domain works such as Jane Eyre, Sense and Sensibility, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Moby Dick, while &#8216;dumb&#8217; keyword matching continues to claim innocent victims.</p>
<p>&#8220;For example, we received a takedown notice regarding an old Salem cigarette commercial based on the term &#8216;Salem&#8217; which is also the title of a major television series. Similar keyword misidentifications frequently show up as “matches” for music, concerts, home movies, and public domain books,&#8221; the Archive explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are deeply concerned that automated filtering could lead to taking down many materials that are being used in reasonable, legitimate and legally protected ways — especially when the underlying purpose of the complaint is not copyright related but rather an attempt to silence critical speech.&#8221;</p>
<p>To this end the Archive is calling for a tweak to the DMCA which would allow providers to leave content up as long as they have a genuine belief that the takedown notice they have received is erroneous.</p>
<p>&#8220;It might make sense to create a provision in the law that would grant the service provider the ability to refuse to take material down when they have a reasonable, good faith belief that the material identified in a DMCA notice is non-infringing,&#8221; the Archive writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;For example, if a work appears to be in the public domain, or if the use of the material appears to be a fair use, then the service provider could refuse to take the material down without risking the imposition of statutory damages.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Internet Archive&#8217;s submission (full text <a href="https://archive.org/stream/InternetArchiveDMCA512Comments/Internet%20Archive%20DMCA%20512%20Comments_djvu.txt">here</a>) is an excellent example of what is at stake in respect of possible amendments to the DMCA. While the fight between copyright holders and hardcore pirates might be the key issue, the battle has the potential to wreak havoc elsewhere and the Internet Archive and similar groups are desperate to avoid the crossfire.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Yb4_IC2EqjQ:lpPsTPVNSXg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Yb4_IC2EqjQ:lpPsTPVNSXg:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Yb4_IC2EqjQ:lpPsTPVNSXg:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Yb4_IC2EqjQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119816
title: UK Police Arrest Pirate Box Seller, Threaten to Suspend Domain
uri: UK-Police-Arrest-Pirate-Box-Seller-Threaten-to-Suspend-Domain
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/DXjOsPynIzw/
content:
<p><img src="media/357ad110.cityoflondonpolice.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/cityoflondonpolice.jpg" width="200" height="82" class="alignright">Last week officers from the UK&#8217;s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) arrested six individuals suspected of being involved in the supply of &#8216;pirate&#8217; Internet-enabled set-top boxes.</p>
<p>Aimed at hampering the popularity of Android and similar devices used to access free movies, TV shows and live sports, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/police-raid-pirate-android-box-sellers-six-arrested-160318/">the multi-location raids</a> netted just 42 devices. Now it appears that the police have hit a relative jackpot.</p>
<p>PIPCU say that after executing two search warrants at a business premises and home address in East London, more than 500 Internet-enabled &#8216;pirate&#8217; boxes have been seized. Police say they had been configured to illegally access subscription-only services.</p>
<p>Police have also confirmed the arrest of a 38-year-old man who was detained on suspicion of making and/or supplying articles for use in fraud, conspiracy to defraud, and two further offenses under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act and Proceeds of Crime Act.</p>
<p>PIPCU say that its investigation began in February 2016 after a broadcaster complained that modified devices were being sold both on the Internet and from a shop in Walthamstow. Details coming out of PIPCU are scarce but it&#8217;s possible that the broadcaster in question was either Sky TV and/or the Premier League, whose content is widely offered for streaming via these kinds of units.</p>
<p>Police have not yet made public the name of the business that was raided in Walthamstow but TorrentFreak is aware that one of the most popular sellers of Kodi-enabled Android devices operates from a shop in that same area. That could be a coincidence of course but TF&#8217;s request for comment sent to that shop&#8217;s website remains unanswered.</p>
<p>While we wait for more information, PIPCU says it will be asking the vendor raided yesterday to remove all illegal set top boxes from online sale. Interestingly, however, if that doesn&#8217;t happen PIPCU says it will take further action that could have a crippling effect on the business.</p>
<p>&#8220;Officers at PIPCU will be ordering the vendor to take the appropriate action to remove any illegal set top boxes from online sales sites,&#8221; PIPCU says.</p>
<p>&#8220;If the items continue to be sold online, then action will be taken to suspend the site by working closely with Nominet, the UK’s central registry for all .uk domains. This remains protocol for any site in breach of the Copyright and Trademark Act.&#8221;</p>
<p>The recent action carried out by PIPCU against sellers of IPTV devices is not unexpected. While modified editions of the legal Kodi software have been used on desktop machines for many years, the advent of cheap Android-based equipment has brought the streaming of movies, TV shows, sports and other content into the living rooms of countless non-tech savvy individuals.</p>
<p>With software like Popcorn Time and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-dealt-with-showbox-provokes-record-labels-160208/">Showbox</a> also gaining in popularity due to their placement on these devices, plug-and-play piracy is now a reality and rightsholders everywhere are more than tired of it.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=DXjOsPynIzw:1xE8WEsNC4Y:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=DXjOsPynIzw:1xE8WEsNC4Y:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=DXjOsPynIzw:1xE8WEsNC4Y:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/DXjOsPynIzw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119879
title: BPI Hits 200 Million Google Takedowns, Calls for “Notice and Stay Down”
uri: BPI-Hits-200-Million-Google-Takedowns-Calls-for-Notice-and-Stay-Do
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/R6FT3Uxu0y8/
content:
<p><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">Despite the growing availability of legal music services in many countries, record labels are facing a constant stream of pirated music.</p>
<p>In an attempt to prevent these infringements, BPI and other music industry groups send millions of takedown notices to Internet services every month. Most of these requests are directed at Google.</p>
<p>Later this week the UK music industry group BPI will reach a new milestone, notifying Google of the 200 millionth allegedly infringing URL. This is more than any other industry group.</p>
<p>At the time for writing BPI has <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/reporters/1847/BPI-British-Recorded-Music-Industry-Ltd/">reported</a> 199,728,661 links which were spread out over 328,714 separate notices. This means that the music group is responsible for roughly 15% of all URLs that are submitted to Google. </p>
<p><center><strong><strong>BPI takedown requests</strong></strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/3931af08.bpi200.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bpi200.jpg" alt="bpi200" width="600" height="221" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119892"></center></p>
<p>While the takedown requests help to limit the visibility of pirate sites in search results, the BPI is far from satisfied with the process. In particular, the group is frustrated by the fact that the same content often reappears under a different URL.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;Illegal results that are taken down by Google are frequently replaced by other illegal links, which means that legal services continue to be overshadowed by infringing sites in the very top search results,&#8221; the BPI said today.  </p>
<p>Ideally, the BPI would like a lower threshold for pirate sites to be down-ranked, while completely de-listing sites that have been ruled illegal by the High Court. In addition, they call for a &#8220;notice and stay down&#8221; procedure where search engines ensure that the same content doesn&#8217;t reappear under a new URL.</p>
<p>&#8220;This damaging situation can only be remedied by Google themselves changing strategy and proactively pursuing a &#8216;notice and stay down&#8217; 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,&#8221; BPI notes.</p>
<p>The UK Government has put the issue on the agenda as well and is hosting a round table, where it hopes to reach a voluntary agreement between search engines and entertainment industry players.</p>
<p>Government involvement or not, thus far an agreement is still miles away. Google believes that the current takedown system is both effective and efficient enough to deal with infringing content</p>
<p>“[The takedown procedure] provides copyright owners with an effective and efficient framework for removing any infringing page on a site,” Google said previously, noting that it removes hundreds of millions of URLs per year.</p>
<p>The company <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-counsel-sees-problems-with-take-down-stay-down-151121/">has rejected</a> the &#8220;notice and stay down&#8221; plans and believes that removing or blocking entire websites might <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-opposes-whole-site-removal-of-pirate-domains-151021/">chill free speech</a> and prove counterproductive.</p>
<p>BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor disagrees and stresses that the current system is not an effective response to online piracy. Search engines should take a more active stance against piracy, voluntarily, or with little push from the Government.</p>
<p>“We are calling on Google and Bing to show their undiluted commitment to artists and the creative process by implementing a more pro-active solution to illegal sites appearing in search results,&#8221; he says. </p>
<p>&#8220;This will avoid the cost for both of us in dealing with hundreds of repeated notices for the same content on the same illegal sites,” Taylor adds. </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=R6FT3Uxu0y8:kT3OMz9hINA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=R6FT3Uxu0y8:kT3OMz9hINA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=R6FT3Uxu0y8:kT3OMz9hINA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/R6FT3Uxu0y8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119825
title: Police Raid Usenet Service, Arrest Operator, Seize Data
uri: Police-Raid-Usenet-Service-Arrest-Operator-Seize-Data
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/tNsJrcrfbC4/
content:
<p><a href="media/50356461.newsoo-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/newsoo-logo.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119846"><img src="media/50356461.newsoo-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/newsoo-logo.png" alt="newsoo-logo" width="240" height="240" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119846"></a>When it comes to file-sharing news, torrent sites usually grab most of the headlines and have done so for the last decade or more. However, a much older method of file-sharing continues in the background, one which facilitates the spread of huge amounts of copyrighted material every day.</p>
<p>Usenet (newsgroups) is a server-based sharing system that usually requires a subscription to access. Users download files (binaries) directly from servers run by their Usenet provider and no peer-to-peer sharing takes place. This means that downloads are very secure, almost immune from snooping, and generally very fast.</p>
<p>Certain <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-and-tech-giants-clash-in-usenet-piracy-case-160303/">prominent cases</a> aside, Usenet providers have largely avoided prosecution but for one company in France the show is now over. Following a complaint filed by anti-piracy outfit <a href="https://www.sacem.fr/">SACEM</a> two years ago, France&#8217;s largest independent Usenet provider <a href="https://twitter.com/newsoo_fr">Newsoo</a> has just been shut down by the police.</p>
<p>&#8220;I just got back from custody after a search and seizure of Newsoo servers by the judicial police in Strasbourg. I announce therefore that the Newsoo adventure ends immediately and permanently,&#8221; Newsoo owner Cedric <a href="https://www.wareziens.net/forum/topic-28331-newsoo-v2-1er-fournisseur-usenet-francais-independant-page-15.html">reports</a>.</p>
<p>While the Newsoo operation was small by Giganews standards, for example, the service was definitely unique. Cedric (known online as Optix) was very public about his passion for his staunchly independent service, which was built up over the years by hand and backed up by personal customer support from the enthusiast.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>An earlier thumbs-up from Optix in the Newsoo control room</h5>
<p><a href="media/817599e0.newsoo-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/newsoo-2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119837"><img src="media/817599e0.newsoo-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/newsoo-2.png" alt="newsoo-2" width="600" height="450" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119837" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/newsoo-2-200x150.png 200w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/newsoo-2.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a></center></p>
<p>But like many file-sharing services (and all Usenet providers), Newsoo had its problems with copyrighted content being uploaded to its servers and this week the authorities ran out of patience. In what was reportedly a relatively calm raid, Optix was arrested and his service dismantled.</p>
<p>&#8220;As to the &#8216;practical&#8217; terms of my custody, rest can be assured. The staff were very courteous, kind and sympathetic, and there were no handcuffs and all that. I&#8217;m fine,&#8221; he explained in a statement.</p>
<p>While questioning whether the shutdown of his service was appropriate, Optix says that it actually came as a relief. Describing Newsoo as an addictive project in which he was responsible for everything, the combination of little time with his family and no financial incentive eventually became too much.</p>
<p>&#8220;Revenues were automatically fed back into the activity itself, I took no salary, no dividends, nada, niet, zilch &#8211; zero personal enrichment. In other words, everything earned [was always spent on] new machines, new fibers, and the network,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>Newsoo celebrates 10Gbps fibre in 2015</h5>
<p><a href="media/2cda3bb4.newsoo-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/newsoo-3.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119843"><img src="media/2cda3bb4.newsoo-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/newsoo-3.png" alt="newsoo-3" width="600" height="450" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119843" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/newsoo-3-200x150.png 200w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/newsoo-3.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a></center></p>
<p>While the raid effectively closed down Newsoo, Optix says the final decision <a href="https://twitter.com/newsoo_fr/status/712660248918695938">lay with him</a>. He will now place his company into liquidation, cooperate with the inquiry, and try to remember the good times.</p>
<p>&#8220;When I began two years ago, I started with barely two poor machines. I gained a lot of knowledge and I enjoyed sharing with you my successes, my problems and now my fall (well that is not really a pleasure),&#8221; he told supporters on the <a href="https://www.wareziens.net/forum/topic-28331-newsoo-v2-1er-fournisseur-usenet-francais-independant-page-15.html">Warizens forum</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;It was really great to see that even if people were not fully in the project, most have made the effort to read all of my writings, because there is so much to say on a subject as exciting as this. In short, it is time to say goodbye.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to a Zataz <a href="http://www.zataz.com/police-strasbourg-newsoo-usenet">report</a>, the raid targeted 650TB of data and resulted in the seizure of 130 hard disks. One newsgroup connected to the service is said to have held 26 million MP3 files.</p>
<p>Optix has been told he will appear in court June 21, 2016.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=tNsJrcrfbC4:fErt2AHpJ74:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=tNsJrcrfbC4:fErt2AHpJ74:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=tNsJrcrfbC4:fErt2AHpJ74:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/tNsJrcrfbC4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119828
title: Google: First Amendment Doesn’t Protect MPAA’s Secrets
uri: Google-First-Amendment-Doesn-t-Protect-MPAA-s-Secrets
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/rxD1xiedIRs/
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">In 2014 <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/google-mpaa-publicly-slam-each-other-over-piracy-141219/">leaked documents</a> from the Sony hack revealed that the MPAA helped Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood to revive SOPA-like censorship efforts in the United States.</p>
<p>In a retaliatory move Google sued the Attorney General, hoping to find out more about the secret plan. The company also demanded internal communication <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-takes-mpaa-to-court-over-secret-censorship-plans-150603/">from the MPAA</a> and its lawfirm Jenner &#038; Block, as well as several movie studios.</p>
<p>More recently Google requested a deposition of MPAA lead counsel Steve Fabrizio, who could possibly provide additional details on the case. These type of interrogations are part of the discovery process, but the MPAA argued that this would violate its First Amendment rights. </p>
<p>According to the MPAA, its involvement with the Attorney General <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-wants-to-keep-its-anti-piracy-secrets-from-google-160311/">is protected by the First Amendment privilege</a>, which protects associational activity. </p>
<p>However, in a response submitted to a federal court in Mississippi this week, Google strongly disagrees. </p>
<p>&#8220;The MPAA’s attempt to invoke the First Amendment privilege to hide its efforts to suborn a public official to attack Google is wholly disingenuous and misunderstands the nature of the privilege itself,&#8221; Google writes. </p>
<p>Google points out that there&#8217;s is no chilling effect on speech in this case, as the MPAA&#8217;s lobbying efforts and anti-piracy focus are already widely known. In addition, they point out that the First Amendment privilege is limited and not applicable in this case.</p>
<p>Instead, the search giant informs the court that the Hollywood group is merely trying to keep its lobbying efforts out of the public eye in order to avoid scrutiny or embarrassment.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is simply not enough for the MPAA to claim that its associational rights would be &#8216;chilled&#8217; because the MPAA would prefer that its covert lobbying efforts remain secret so that it can avoid scrutiny or embarrassment,&#8221; Google writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;It must actually show consequences which objectively suggest an impact on, or ‘chilling’ of, the members’ associational rights,” they add.</p>
<p>Another crucial point raised by Google is that the First Amendment privilege doesn&#8217;t protect lobbying, something the MPAA&#8217;s anti-piracy efforts would certainly fall under.</p>
<p>Turning the tables, the search engine argues that it&#8217;s the MPAA who are helping the Attorney General to breach Google&#8217;s First Amendment rights. </p>
<p>&#8220;There is something deeply troubling in the MPAA claiming the First Amendment privilege to shield its role in lobbying Attorney General Hood to threaten Google’s First Amendment rights. </p>
<p>&#8220;The MPAA should not be permitted to spend years lobbying a public official to suppress the speech of a business rival and then turn around and hide behind the very rights it was trying to squelch,&#8221; Google adds. </p>
<p>Google therefore asks the court to deny the MPAA’s motion to quash and order Mr. Fabrizio to appear at a deposition so he can be heard.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=rxD1xiedIRs:bbzyUIxAehY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=rxD1xiedIRs:bbzyUIxAehY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=rxD1xiedIRs:bbzyUIxAehY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/rxD1xiedIRs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119909
title: Kim Dotcom Fights For “Mega Millions” in U.S. Appeals Court
uri: Kim-Dotcom-Fights-For-Mega-Millions-in-U-S-Appeals-Court
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/m2MVGMUSiO8/
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">Following the 2012 raid on Megaupload and Kim Dotcom, U.S. and New Zealand authorities seized millions of dollars in cash and other property.</p>
<p>Claiming the assets were obtained through copyright and money laundering crimes, the U.S. government launched a separate civil action in which it asked the court to forfeit the bank accounts, cars and other seized possessions of the Megaupload defendants.</p>
<p>The U.S. branded Dotcom and his colleagues as “fugitives” and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/u-s-government-wins-dozens-of-millions-from-kim-dotcom-150326/">won their case</a> last summer. However, Megaupload&#8217;s legal team soon <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-appeals-to-reclaim-mega-millions-from-u-s-150701/">appealed</a> the verdict and defended its position in the Fourth Circuit appeals court this week.</p>
<p>During the hearing Megaupload Appellate Counsel Michael Elkin pointed out that it was wrong to rely on the ‘fugitive disentitlement‘ doctrine, as Dotcom and his former colleagues were merely exercising their legal right to defend themselves.</p>
<p>Ira Rothken, Kim Dotcom’s Lead Global Counsel, informs TorrentFreak that the District Court&#8217;s decision denied defendants’ basic rights and violated due process.</p>
<p>&#8220;We asked the Fourth Circuit to rule in favor of fairness, natural justice, and due process by stopping US efforts to take Kim Dotcom&#8217;s global assets for doing nothing more than lawfully opposing extradition to the United States—a country he has never been to,&#8221; Rothken says. </p>
<p>Rothken believes that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) wrongfully labeled the Megaupload defendants as fugitives and hopes the appeals court will undo the verdict.</p>
<p>&#8220;The DOJ in our view is trying to abuse the Fugitive Disentitlement Doctrine by modifying it into an offensive weapon of asset forfeiture to punish those who fight extradition under lawful treaties, and a provocation for international discord.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;Today we asked the Court of Appeals for justice,&#8221; Rothken adds.</p>
<p>Megaupload&#8217;s defense is not alone in this assessment having previously received support from a group of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/prominent-legal-experts-rally-behind-megaupload-150709/">prominent legal experts</a>.</p>
<p>The Cato Institute, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Institute for Justice previously submitted an independent brief in support of Megaupload, describing the assets grab as a dangerous violation of due process rights</p>
<p>“Stripping the claimants of their due process rights isn’t just unconstitutional, it’s dangerous. There’s a growing literature on the abuse of civil forfeiture and those abuses are directly tied to the protections given to the claimants here, as well as the ability of government officials to directly benefit from forfeitures,” they wrote.</p>
<p>The crux of the appeal is whether or not the District Court’s order to forfeit an estimated $67 million in assets was right. According to the Government it was, as the defendants’ due process rights were not violated.</p>
<p>During this week&#8217;s hearing Assistant U.S. attorney Jay Prabhu denied any wrongdoing. According to the Government, Kim Dotcom and his colleagues were properly labeled as fugitives. The U.S. feared that Dotcom would get his money back if no action was taken and filed the civil case &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-government-grabbed-dotcoms-millions-as-a-last-resort-150818/">as a last resort</a>&#8220;.</p>
<p>The case now lies in the hands of the Fourth Circuit appeals court. Their decision will be crucial for the criminal trial, but the Hong Kong and New Zealand courts also have to weigh in on the verdict, as many of the contested assets are located there.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=m2MVGMUSiO8:e24n9BYxH5M:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=m2MVGMUSiO8:e24n9BYxH5M:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=m2MVGMUSiO8:e24n9BYxH5M:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/m2MVGMUSiO8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119802
title: Original DVD Screeners Widely Available on eBay
uri: Original-DVD-Screeners-Widely-Available-on-eBay
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bpkTZOSUQwI/
content:
<p><a href="media/391b692f.screening.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/screening.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-104521"><img src="media/c283851d.screening-300x200.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/screening-300x200.jpg" alt="screening" width="300" height="200" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-104521"></a>During the latter part of every year, pressure builds as Internet pirates prepare for the inevitable.</p>
<p>Having been sent out to industry professionals &#8220;For Their Consideration&#8221;, so-called DVD Screener copies of the latest movies begin to hit the Internet.</p>
<p>Last year was a pretty memorable one with some massive titles hitting the web. Both The Revenant and The Hateful Eight were <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-hateful-eight-and-the-revenant-leaked-online-151221/">furiously downloaded</a> on BitTorrent before their theatrical debuts, causing shockwaves and controversy as anti-piracy advocates took the opportunity to bemoan droves of &#8220;Internet thieves&#8221;.</p>
<p>But of course, these leaks have to originate somewhere and as revealed in February with a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fbi-busts-movie-industry-insider-for-dvd-screener-leaks-160228/">high-profile arrest</a>, movie insiders are often to blame for content being made available online.</p>
<p>While Kyle Moriarty from Lancaster admitted to copying screeners of The Revenant and The Peanuts Movie while working on a movie studio lot, other DVD screeners do make it to their intended recipients. However, even though these people are supposed to guard the discs with their lives, some don&#8217;t appear to do so and are happy to <a href="http://www.geofffox.com/MT/archives/2013/01/18/screeners.php">let their friends view them</a> in advance of their theatrical release.</p>
<p>This kind of reckless behavior is welcomed by pirates and almost guarantees a flood of titles hitting BitTorrent around the same time every year. At this point Internet pirates get all the blame yet it&#8217;s pretty clear that although the industry doesn&#8217;t really want to talk about it, those closer to home are main source of the problem</p>
<p>To see the scale of the issue one only has to turn to the world&#8217;s favorite online auction house. Known as a source for just about anything, it turns out that eBay is also a great place to buy DVD screeners, presumably being offloaded directly or indirectly by those who were expected to review them.</p>
<p>For example, for just US$16.53 <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-E-Emmy-DVD-Set-2015-FYC-Screener-New-Sealed-/252319544347">one can currently buy</a> a lovely Emmy &#8216;boxed set&#8217; of TV show screeners including episodes of Bates Motel, The Returned, Intervention, Wahlburgers and Married at First Sight.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/37344d49.screener-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/screener-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119804"><img src="media/37344d49.screener-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/screener-1.png" alt="screener-1" width="650" height="476" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119804"></a></center></p>
<p>For those more interested in movies, eBay has plenty of treasures available. Around December 17 last year a DVD screener copy of Straight Outta Compton leaked onto the Internet. Just a handful of months later and it appears that screener recipients are looking to convert those discs into cash via the popular site.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/1f9afdfe.screener-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/screener-2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119807"><img src="media/1f9afdfe.screener-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/screener-2.png" alt="screener-2" width="650" height="395" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119807"></a></center></p>
<p>And the more one digs, the more titles appear. A copy of Tom Hardy&#8217;s Kray&#8217;s movie Legend, <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Legend-Academy-Award-DVD-Movie-Screener-Tom-Hardy-Emily-Browning-/331789140131">for example</a>, along with a <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/INGLOURIOUS-BASTERDS-2009-Academy-Screener-DVD-QUENTIN-TARANTINO-BRAD-PITT-RARE-/321766192142">vintage copy</a> of Inglourious Basterds, and many, many more besides. Shame the <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMC-Something-To-Consider-EMMY-FYC-16-DVD-Set-MAD-MEN-BREAKING-BAD-WALKING-DEAD/361435569085">Walking Dead screeners</a> aren&#8217;t more recent.</p>
<p>Finally, if binge-watching is more your thing, Netflix screeners are also <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/NETFLIX-2015-Emmy-21-DVD-Box-PROMO-Set-HotGirls-Bojack-HouseOfCards-Orange-Blood/252329450998">catered for on eBay</a>. Apparently the company sends out huge box-sets for recipients&#8217; binge-worthy consideration.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/d4fab381.screener-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/screener-3.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119809"><img src="media/d4fab381.screener-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/screener-3.png" alt="screener-3" width="600" height="616" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119809"></a></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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=bpkTZOSUQwI:oA2SPfn9pK0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=bpkTZOSUQwI:oA2SPfn9pK0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=bpkTZOSUQwI:oA2SPfn9pK0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/bpkTZOSUQwI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119859
title: There Will Be No More Internet Piracy Superstars
uri: There-Will-Be-No-More-Internet-Piracy-Superstars
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/UwFeqP0g7eA/
content:
<p><a href="media/a1524312.parker.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/parker.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119887"><img src="media/a1524312.parker.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/parker.png" alt="parker" width="210" height="198" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119887"></a>In 1999, when Napster began drawing its first digital breaths, few users realized they were part of the dawn of a people-powered sharing revolution that would reach millions.</p>
<p>In time, founders Shawn Fanning, John Fanning, and Sean Parker would become both famous and infamous, with the latter surviving Metallica&#8217;s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica_v._Napster,_Inc.">destruction of his business</a> and emerging 15 years later as a Facebook <a href="http://www.forbes.com/profile/sean-parker/">multi-billionaire</a>.</p>
<p>But while Parker is publicly living the dream with his pirate history all but forgotten, others on the receiving end of massive litigation have slowly but surely drifted into the background to pursue other interests. Like Gary Fung, for example.</p>
<p>As the former admin of torrent site isoHunt.com, Fung became a hero to many due to his extended battle with Hollywood&#8217;s MPAA. Year after year Fung defied the most powerful people in the movie industry to keep his site online, something that was well received among the file-sharing masses.</p>
<p><a href="media/9625dbce.garyfung.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/garyfung.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-98974"><img src="media/ea171eb7.garyfung.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/garyfung.jpg" alt="garyfung" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-98974" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/garyfung-150x150.jpg 150w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/garyfung.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px"></a>While it eventually came to a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isohunt-shuts-down-after-110-million-settlement-with-the-mpaa-131017/">costly end</a>, Fung&#8217;s battle was a true David and Goliath affair.</p>
<p>It inspired many, in part due to the way the Canadian was prepared to become a public figure whose face was well known to his fans. As a result he is still one of the most recognizable individuals to have emerged from the torrent world.</p>
<p>Of course, there are at least three other individuals who enjoyed even greater pirate infamy than Gary Fung. Like Madonna, Bono or Oprah, the trio of Gottfrid, Fredrik and Peter are recognizable by a single name, albeit when placed together. While moderately recognizable in the mainstream they are truly world famous among the technological masses.</p>
<p>Just like Fung, these Pirate Bay operators gained superstar fame due to their willingness to become recognized in public. During the height of the site&#8217;s popularity it was never a secret who was loading the servers and keeping fellow pirates happy. At every opportunity and even when on trial, one or the other was courting publicity in order to further the pirate movement.</p>
<p><Center><br>
<h5>The world&#8217;s most famous pirates <em>(<a href="http://yle.fi/uutiset/pirate_bay_-jutun_syytetyille_vuoden_vankeusrangaistukset/5239438">credit</a>)</em></h5>
<p><a href="media/a908775f.tpb-crew.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-crew.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119873"><img src="media/a908775f.tpb-crew.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-crew.png" alt="tpb-crew" width="580" height="326" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119873"></a></center></p>
<p>And, overall, people absolutely loved it. Unlike most of the faceless operators of dozens of similar sites, Anakata, TiAMO and brokep became icons, appearing in hundreds of mainstream publications around the world and even starring in <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tpb-afk-watch-and-download-the-pirate-bay-documentary-now-130208/">their own movie</a>. Throughout they stayed defiant, and remain so to this day.</p>
<p>While Napster may have been first and Fung was undoubtedly brave, these three renegades were in a class of their own and will go down in history as the most popular digital pirates the world has ever seen.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>Fredrik addressing Pirate Bay fans in Sweden</h5>
<p><a href="media/f99830bc.tpb-ss.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-ss.png" rel="attachment wp-att-99171"><img src="media/8a823f22.tpb-ss.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-ss.png" alt="tpb-ss" width="600" height="354" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-99171" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-ss-300x177.png 300w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-ss-220x130.png 220w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-ss.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a></center></p>
<p>Of course there have been others since, most notably Kim Dotcom. Although he&#8217;s never likely to embrace the Department of Justice&#8217;s claims that he&#8217;s the biggest intellectual property pirate the world has ever seen, to many Dotcom is still a pirate hero, regardless of whether he was responsible for the massive piracy on Megaupload. </p>
<p>The key factor is that like Gary, Gottfrid, Fredrik and Peter, rightly or wrongly Dotcom is facing similar persecution from Hollywood. And, just like them, he has remained strong, refused to fold and has indicated the studios can go forth and multiply. A lot of people like that.</p>
<p>Furthermore, what Dotcom has done is position himself as a freedom fighter. He&#8217;s placed a human face on what began as a fight over piracy yet has developed into a struggle for control of the Internet. That resonates with millions, even those who oppose other elements of his character.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/c225e211.kim-car.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kim-car.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119877"><img src="media/c225e211.kim-car.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kim-car.png" alt="kim-car" width="600" height="327" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119877"></a></center></p>
<p>But although it was fun while it lasted, in terms of public personalities the pirate movement has already enjoyed its &#8216;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=concorde+moment&#038;ie=utf-8&#038;oe=utf-8">Concorde Moment</a>&#8216;. During the last decade and a half fearless pirates put their faces into the public arena, confident in the knowledge that they could never be touched, that somehow laws would never catch up with innovation.</p>
<p>Now, however, it&#8217;s clear that the only pirates with their faces being shown in public are those being raided, arrested, prosecuted or subjected to punishing civil litigation. No longer is it fun to prod the bear while shouting out one&#8217;s real name. The bears have learned to be patient and now return at a later date to inflict mountains of regret.</p>
<p>There might still be a surprise in store, a brave entrepreneur and entertainer might arrive prepared to sacrifice himself for the benefit of others. But for now the prospect of lawsuits, jail and extradition will ensure that the next generation of pirates will reject superstar status and accept something much more basic.</p>
<p>Their freedom.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=UwFeqP0g7eA:-LUBmvVeBFo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=UwFeqP0g7eA:-LUBmvVeBFo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=UwFeqP0g7eA:-LUBmvVeBFo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/UwFeqP0g7eA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119910
title: Transmission Releases Long-Awaited BitTorrent Client For Windows
uri: Transmission-Releases-Long-Awaited-BitTorrent-Client-For-Windows
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/9oPjBkPZk6s/
content:
<p><img src="media/0dfd6159.transmission-2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/transmission-2.jpg" alt="transmission" width="222" height="222" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118927">Transmission is one of the oldest and most used BitTorrent clients. Since its first release in 2005, the free, multi-platform application has gathered a steady user-base of millions of users.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.transmissionbt.com/">Transmission</a> is one of the most-used Mac BitTorrent clients as well as being the default BitTorrent client on various Linux distributions.</p>
<p>However, despite being more than a decade old official support for the Windows operating system has always been lacking. This changed earlier this month, when the first Windows build was added to the <a href="https://download.transmissionbt.com/files/">download directory</a>. </p>
<p>Users who try the Windows version will notice that it&#8217;s very similar to the releases on other platforms. All the features are in the same place, and the look and feel is pretty much identical as well. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke with Transmission developer Mike Gelfand, who&#8217;s in charge of the Windows project. He tells us that a lot of progress has been made in recent months and that the official Windows release will be added to the download page after the next version comes out. </p>
<p>The big question is, however, why Windows and why now?</p>
<p>Mike explains that the idea came from a conversation he had with Transmission developer Jordan Lee, who noted that the lack of Windows support was the &#8220;biggest missing feature.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Since then I saw many people showing up either willing to use Transmission on Windows since they already use it on another platform, or looking for an alternative to their current BitTorrent client on Windows for this or that reason,&#8221; Mike notes. </p>
<p><center><strong>Transmission for Windows</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/5e56eb63.transmission-windows.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/transmission-windows.jpg" alt="transmission-windows" width="600" height="410" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119931"></center></p>
<p>Since the original developers had little experience with Windows coding, Mike decided to take on Jordan&#8217;s proposal and join this part of the project. </p>
<p>On the one hand, the goal was to make Transmission&#8217;s &#8220;fast, easy and free&#8221; experience available to Windows users. Secondly, an official release simplifies life for people maintaining unofficial forks.</p>
<p>And so, after several months of active development, Transmission for Windows arrived. Thus far the release hasn&#8217;t been actively promoted, but it has been picked up by <a href="http://www.ghacks.net/2016/03/21/transmission-bittorrent-windows/">Ghacks</a> and a few other places already.</p>
<p>Mike stresses that the project is still in active development and that more changes and features are likely to be introduced in the near future. Thus far, it is pretty much a copy of the core Transmission client without any additional features.</p>
<p>&#8220;The only difference right now is that it runs on Windows. We’ll see how it goes, some features could be added later on which are specific to Windows and aren’t needed on other platforms,&#8221; he says. </p>
<p>Those interested in giving Transmission for Windows a spin can download the client <a href="https://download.transmissionbt.com/files/">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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=9oPjBkPZk6s:syjsx3tcDkE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=9oPjBkPZk6s:syjsx3tcDkE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=9oPjBkPZk6s:syjsx3tcDkE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/9oPjBkPZk6s" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119961
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 03/28/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-03-28-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4nrD05hHIZY/
content:
<p><img src="media/754386d2.starwars-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/starwars-logo.jpg" alt="starwars-logo" width="180" height="121" class="alignright size-full wp-image-114787"></p>
<p><img src="media/5ad3d3bd.starw.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/starw.jpg" alt="starw" width="300" height="179" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119962">This week we have three newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Star Wars: The Force Awakens 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-032116/">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/star_wars_episode_vii_the_force_awakens/">Star Wars: The Force Awakens</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Deadpool</a> (HDrip subbed) </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>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ice_age_the_great_egg_scapade/">Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade</a> (Web-DL)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5480340/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pYrMX6py-w">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_revenant_2015/">The Revenant</a> (Web-DL) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fifth_wave/">The 5th Wave</a> (HDrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304933/">5.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmxLybfGNC4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda_3/">Kung Fu Panda 3</a> (Web-DL)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267968/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGPPfZIvtCw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ip_man_3/">IP-Man 3</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2888046/">7.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jckXscMwIOI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hateful_eight/">The Hateful Eight</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3460252">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a> (Cam)</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>10</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spectre_2015/">Spectre</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2379713/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=4nrD05hHIZY:2mU9k1WdKAU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=4nrD05hHIZY:2mU9k1WdKAU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=4nrD05hHIZY:2mU9k1WdKAU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/4nrD05hHIZY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119906
title: RuTracker to Bypass Web Blockade With IM Delivered Torrents
uri: RuTracker-to-Bypass-Web-Blockade-With-IM-Delivered-Torrents
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/pW5iczYtTaw/
content:
<p><a href="media/32f30707.hole-wall.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hole-wall.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119915"><img src="media/32f30707.hole-wall.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hole-wall.png" alt="hole-wall" width="240" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119915" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hole-wall-200x150.png 200w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/hole-wall.png 240w" sizes="(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px"></a>If copyright holders had their way the world&#8217;s leading torrent sites would be blocked by Internet service providers in every country of the world. That goal remains in the distance but there can be little doubt that the process is moving forward.</p>
<p>Several countries around Europe are now blocking between dozens and hundreds of &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites and surprisingly, given the country&#8217;s traditional attitude to infringement, Russia is also becoming a blocking front-runner.</p>
<p>But while copyright holders remain enthusiastic about the implementation of bans, millions of Internet users are only interested in circumventing them. <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-anonymous-review-160220/">VPNs</a>, proxies and mirrors are all playing their part but it now appears that Russian torrent giant RuTracker is about to deploy an alternative system to beat the censors.</p>
<p>In addition to other counter-measures already being deployed, RuTracker is reportedly working on a bot system that will deliver torrents to users via the encrypted instant messaging service <a href="https://telegram.org">Telegram</a>.</p>
<p>Financed by Russian Facebook (vKontakte) founder Pavel Durov, Telegram is a multi-platform messaging system that has grown from 100,000 daily users in 2013 to an <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2016/02/23/encrypted-messaging-app-telegram-hits-100m-monthly-active-users-350k-new-users-each-day/">impressive 100 million users</a> in February 2016.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/fcd48225.telegram.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/telegram.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119913"><img src="media/fcd48225.telegram.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/telegram.png" alt="telegram" width="575" height="515" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119913"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;Telegram is a messaging app with a focus on speed and security, it’s super-fast, simple and free. You can use Telegram on all your devices at the same time — your messages sync seamlessly across any number of your phones, tablets or computers,&#8221; Telegram explains.</p>
<p>The attractiveness of Telegram for RuTracker lies in its reach. In addition to sending any kind of file (doc, zip, mp3, torrent, etc), it can broadcast such content to an unlimited audience. It&#8217;s believed that the site will use Telegram to distribute magnet links, which makes sense after the site <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rutracker-counters-lifetime-isp-ban-by-going-public-151109/">added them</a> in recent months.</p>
<p>The big question now is how RuTracker will be received by Telegram&#8217;s operators. While the platform is generally anti-censorship and refuses to comply with local government restrictions on freedom of speech, it does have rules about infringing content. </p>
<p>Private chats between groups of users up to 5,000 members are strictly off-limits, so any exchanges there are not subjected to any takedowns. However, something more public could fall foul of the site&#8217;s rules.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our mission is to provide a secure means of communication that works everywhere on the planet. To do that in the places where it is most needed (and to continue distributing Telegram through the App Store and Google Play), we have to process legitimate requests to take down illegal public content (sticker sets, bots, and channels) within the app,&#8221; Telegram&#8217;s ToS reads.</p>
<p>While it remains to be seen how the service will view the transmission of magnet links, entertainment industry bosses are already beginning to chime in with their opinions. Alexander Blinov, General Director of Gala Records / EMI, told news outlet <a href="http://izvestia.ru/news/607315">Izvestia</a> that if Telegram doesn&#8217;t take action against RuTracker, his company will take the fight to Google and Apple.</p>
<p>&#8220;The appearance of RuTracker in Telegram is not good and if RuTracker continues to distribute illegal content through this channel, we will have to take the necessary measures, in particular filing complaints with Apple and Google,&#8221; Blinov said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Working relationships with these companies have already been established. However, response times are unpredictable: sometimes they act quickly, and sometimes they do not pay attention to complaints.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to Alexei Byrdin of the Internet Video Association, Telegram is an international project so will need to comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. There are no mentions of that legislation anywhere on the Telegram site but it&#8217;s certainly possible that Google and Apple could inflict the terms of the DMCA upon the service.</p>
<p>In any event, the move by RuTracker is certainly an interesting one. The site hasn&#8217;t really concerned itself with too much innovation over the years but in recent months has responded aggressively after receiving a lifetime block in Russia. Necessity really is the mother of invention.</p>
<p><em>Image credit: <a href="http://www.eyemead.com/">John Palmer</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=pW5iczYtTaw:65KFQjDb4Wo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=pW5iczYtTaw:65KFQjDb4Wo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=pW5iczYtTaw:65KFQjDb4Wo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/pW5iczYtTaw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119965
title: ‘Pirate’ Sites Ordered to Pay $450,000 for Expendables 3 Leak
uri: Pirate-Sites-Ordered-to-Pay-450-000-for-Expendables-3-Leak
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/8Y8Te0M2b_8/
content:
<p><img src="media/f59bc3e0.expendablespiracy.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/expendablespiracy.jpg" alt="expendablespiracy" width="275" height="203" class="alignright size-full wp-image-92859">During the summer of 2014 LionsGate suffered a major setback when <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/expendables-3-leaks-online-100k-copies-down-in-hours-140725/">a high quality leak</a> of the then unreleased Expendables 3 film appeared online.</p>
<p>Fearing a massive loss in revenue the movie studio <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/lionsgate-sues-filesharing-sites-expendables-3-leak-140801/">sued</a> the operators of several websites that allegedly failed to remove the infringing files.</p>
<p>Since most of the defendants failed to appear in court, LionsGate asked for a default judgment against the alleged operators of <a href="https://www.limetorrents.cc/">LimeTorrents</a> and the defunct Dotsemper and Swankshare sites.</p>
<p>While the websites are not responsible for the original leak, they failed to respond to a slew of takedown requests sent by the movie studio in the days after the film first appeared online.</p>
<p>Last week United States District Judge Otis Wright granted the default judgment (<a href="media/4a383fd9.exp3default.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/exp3default.pdf">pdf</a>), ordering Muhammed Ashraf (LimeTorrents), Tom Messchendorp (Dotsemper), and Lucas Lim (Swankshare) to pay the maximum statutory damages of $150,000 each. </p>
<p>The maximum amount in statutory damages is appropriate, according to the Judge, because the movie studio likely suffered substantial losses as a result of the pre-release leak of The Expendables 3.</p>
<p>&#8220;In light of the fact that the film garnered over $575 million dollars in worldwide box office revenues, the &#8216;value of the copyright&#8217; strongly favors a high award of statutory damages,&#8221; Judge Wright notes.  </p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants hosted the anticipated film available online prior to its theatrical release for the purpose of enabling users to illegally download it, which more than likely diminished Plaintiff’s revenue substantially,&#8221; he adds. </p>
<p><center><strong>Judge Otis Wright&#8217;s order</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/6f08a058.lionsorder.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/lionsorder.jpg" alt="lionsorder" width="550" height="275" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119973"></center></p>
<p>In addition, the maximum in damages may serve as a deterrent for the defendants and any other site operators that link to or host infringing content.</p>
<p>&#8220;Moreover, an award of the enhanced statutory damages will likely serve to deter Defendants and others from infringing Plaintiff’s rights in the future,&#8221; Judge Wright&#8217;s order reads. </p>
<p>The court also issued a permanent injunction on top of the damages, forbidding the men from operating their sites going forward, as well as any other websites through which The Expendables 3 is being made available. </p>
<p>Whether this injunction will be very effective is doubtful. TorrentFreak previously spoke with the LimeTorrents operator, who informed us that his site will remain online, no matter what the outcome is.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want to keep the site up and running, and we don&#8217;t care about default judgment because we don&#8217;t have any faith in the United States,&#8221; Ashraf told us. </p>
<p>The site operator, who also runs Torrentdownload.biz, said that the &#8220;Expendables 3&#8221; keyword was already banned from appearing in the search results, and that he doesn&#8217;t intent to pay any damages.</p>
<p>&#8220;We already took action and blocked their keyword, so we don&#8217;t have a penny to pay them for their own leak problem,&#8221; the operator said.</p>
<p>At the time of writing LimeTorrents and Torrentdownload indeed remain operational. LimeTorrent&#8217;s .com domain name was locked earlier, but the site is still accessible via a new .cc TLD.</p>
<p>Dotsemper and Swankshare previously shut down. The operators of these sites live outside of the United States and haven&#8217;t been responsive, so whether LionsGate will recoup much of the $450,000 is highly doubtful.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=8Y8Te0M2b_8:MVBafwPt6b4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=8Y8Te0M2b_8:MVBafwPt6b4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=8Y8Te0M2b_8:MVBafwPt6b4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/8Y8Te0M2b_8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120002
title: UK Government Video Urges Advertisers to Boycott Pirate Sites
uri: UK-Government-Video-Urges-Advertisers-to-Boycott-Pirate-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/YI7p9rZNgYM/
content:
<p><img src="media/357ad110.cityoflondonpolice.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/cityoflondonpolice.jpg" width="200" height="82" class="alignright">Underlying a multitude of strategies designed to limit traffic to pirate sites, there is a strong belief among copyright holders that operators only keep their sites online due to how profitable they are.</p>
<p>Since most portals don&#8217;t make their motivations public it&#8217;s unclear as to how many sites this applies. However, it can&#8217;t be denied that the largest sites are pulling in decent revenues via advertising so with this in mind there is an ongoing and concerted effort by authorities to &#8220;Follow the Money.&#8221;</p>
<p>Part of this strategy is ensuring that major brands and smaller companies refrain from placing their advertising on infringing sites. In addition to funding the sites in question, copyright holders insist that having &#8220;household name&#8221; branding appearing alongside pirate content suggests that sites are not only legitimate but somehow endorsed by their advertisers.</p>
<p>While the US has its own initiatives underway, the UK&#8217;s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) maintains the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/city-of-london-police-launches-pirate-site-blacklist-for-advertisers-140331/">Infringing Website List</a> (IWL), a database of sites that police and copyright holders have deemed to breach copyright law. </p>
<p><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/police-begin-placing-warning-adverts-pirate-sites-140729/">PIPCU earlier claimed</a> to have placed warning ads on these domains to deter would-be downloaders and is now receiving help from the government to reach more advertisers.</p>
<p>In a new video published by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), the Internet is described as the most powerful communication tool ever invented, noting that by 2020 the total Internet advertising spend will outstrip that of TV. But while reaching billions of consumers has its benefits, the IPO says that advertisers need to be aware of the problems being caused by IP crime.</p>
<p>Starting with an image of a presumably unlicensed pharmaceutical site, the video quickly moves on to the world of torrents, with an image of a fake website called &#8220;Super Torrent&#8221;.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/145aa509.ipo-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipo-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120015"><img src="media/145aa509.ipo-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipo-1.png" alt="ipo-1" width="596" height="352" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120015" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipo-1-220x130.png 220w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipo-1.png 596w" sizes="(max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px"></a></center></p>
<p>Somewhat ironically the screenshot from the video shown above is actually a copy of ExtraTorrent (the world&#8217;s 3rd <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">largest torrent site</a>) but with a name switch. In fact, those who look closely will see that on the left hand side of the image where ExtraTorrent displays its news feed, there&#8217;s even a link directing people to find more news on TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;Illegal websites offering copyright infringing content, illegal websites facilitating fraud, organized crime, even terrorism,&#8221; the voiceover warns. &#8220;You wouldn&#8217;t want your brand, your client&#8217;s logo, your hard-earned reputation mixed up with that, would you?&#8221;</p>
<p>The video continues by stating that of the top 500 infringing websites, 294 carried advertising for recognized brands, 43 of which were businesses in the top 1000 for advertising spend. By placing ads on such websites, advertisers give them legitimacy while tarnishing their images by associating themselves with viruses and malware, the IPO adds.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/0192b975.ipo-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipo-2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120017"><img src="media/0192b975.ipo-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipo-2.png" alt="ipo-2" width="596" height="352" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120017" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipo-2-220x130.png 220w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipo-2.png 596w" sizes="(max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px"></a></center></p>
<p>Of course, knowing which sites are considered a risk isn&#8217;t always easy for advertisers and that&#8217;s where copyright holders and the police step in.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Infringing Website List lists all known websites determined by the police to be illegal on the basis of copyright infringement. It&#8217;s the first of its kind in the world,&#8221; the IPO says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sites are identified by the creative industries, evidenced and verified by the police. The IWL then provides an up to date list of copyright-infringing websites to enable advertisers, agencies and brands to cease advert placement on illegal websites.&#8221;</p>
<p>The idea is that ad agencies can integrate the IWL into their ad placement systems in order to boycott pirate sites, something which can prevent direct advertising on designated platforms. However, the advertising world isn&#8217;t as straightforward as that and the use of <a href="http://href="https://torrentfreak.com/plenty-of-ad-networks-still-love-pirate-sites-150926/">various middle-men</a> ensures that advertising <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/samsung-exposed-as-top-advertiser-on-pirate-sites-131004/">often makes it</a> onto pirate sites, even though they have been &#8216;blacklisted&#8217; in Europe and the United States.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the IPO and PIPCU say they are making progress and in August 2015 reported that top UK advertisers were placing <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-uk-advertisers-place-73-fewer-ads-on-pirate-sites-150812/">73% fewer ads</a> on pirate sites. More current stats aren&#8217;t presented in the video but the message from the IPO remains the same.</p>
<p>&#8220;Stop funding criminals, sign up to the IWL,&#8221; the IPO concludes.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vhUTfGLVFEQ" 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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=YI7p9rZNgYM:ItUEfJnYju4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=YI7p9rZNgYM:ItUEfJnYju4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=YI7p9rZNgYM:ItUEfJnYju4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/YI7p9rZNgYM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120005
title: Piracy Group Thanks HDFury as “Sponsor” for Netflix Leak
uri: Piracy-Group-Thanks-HDFury-as-Sponsor-for-Netflix-Leak
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kaLz4T5v3Fc/
content:
<p><img src="media/b93e3114.hdfuryl.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hdfuryl.jpg" alt="hdfuryl" width="250" height="170" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120010">Late last year several pirated copies of 4K videos started to leak from both Netflix and Amazon. <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirates-can-now-rip-4k-content-from-netflix-and-amazon-151127/">These leaks</a> were unusual as online 4k streams were always well protected against pirates.</p>
<p>While it’s still not clear how these videos were copied, several sources suggested that one of LegendSky&#8217;s <a href="https://www.hdfury.com/shop/splitters/integral-4k60-444-600mhz/">latest HDFury devices</a> may have been involved.</p>
<p>These suspicions were corroborated a few weeks ago when Warner Bros. and Intel daughter company Digital Content Protection (DCP) <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/warner-bros-and-intel-sue-4k-content-protection-ripper-160104/">sued the HDFury manufacturer</a> over its ability to &#8220;strip&#8221; the latest HDCP encryption.</p>
<p>The Chinese hardware manufacturer refutes this claim and has pointed out that its tools merely allow users to convert HDCP encryption, which would be fair use and permitted by law. </p>
<p>While the case continues in court, a pirate group has stepped up to add some fuel to the fire. In an <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pee-wees.big_.holiday.2016.1080p.webrip.x264-qcf.nfo_.txt">NFO file</a> packaged with a recent release of the Netflix film &#8220;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pee-wee%27s_Big_Holiday">Pee-wee&#8217;s Big Holiday</a>,&#8221; Scene group &#8216;Team QCF&#8217; thanks HDFury while describing it as one of its sponsors. </p>
<p>&#8220;<em>We like to give a shout out to our sponsors without them this is not possible :p</em>,&#8221; the NFO file reads, linking to the controversial HDFury 4k splitter. </p>
<p>While the release in question is 1080p, the controversial hardware makes it possible to use a 4K source to get a better encode.</p>
<p><center><strong>The nfo</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/46b43e5a.qcf-hdfury.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/qcf-hdfury.png" alt="qcf-hdfury" width="564" height="240" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120008"></center></p>
<p>In addition, Gatorade also gets a plug. &#8220;<em>Drink Gatorade it will help your encodes</em>,&#8221; the NFO file adds, linking to the Gatorade website. </p>
<p>Team QCF doesn&#8217;t normally list any sponsors, and it&#8217;s pretty unlikely that HDFury or Gatorade have intentionally contributed to the Scene group. However, the wink to HDFury suggests that the devices are indeed used to rip 4K content from Netflix. </p>
<p>At least, the group felt the urge to respond to the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/warner-bros-and-intel-sued-over-defamatory-4k-piracy-claims-160317/">recent controversy</a> over the HDFury devices. </p>
<p>It is doubtful that the &#8220;endorsement&#8221; will be featured in court though. As an anonymous source, Team QCF may just as well be putting up a smokescreen for fun, or perhaps to divert attention from another vulnerability.</p>
<p>That said, LegendSky is probably going to be unhappy with the fact that their HDFury devices are now openly being plugged by a well-known Scene group. </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=kaLz4T5v3Fc:FCuGvRoNF0M:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=kaLz4T5v3Fc:FCuGvRoNF0M:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=kaLz4T5v3Fc:FCuGvRoNF0M:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/kaLz4T5v3Fc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120000
title: KickassTorrents Celebrates ‘Happy Torrents Day’
uri: 2016-03-30-KickassTorrents-Celebrates-Happy-Torrents-Day
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Nb7ua2iOaL4/
content:
<p><img src="media/8a8594d4.happytorrents.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/happytorrents.jpg" alt="happytorrents" width="275" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120037">With millions of unique visitors per day KickassTorrents (<a href="https://kat.cr/">KAT</a>) has become the most-used torrent site on the Internet, beating even The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>The site also has a very active community of torrent aficionados from all over the world. On March 30, staff and members come together to celebrate their beloved pastime on &#8216;<a href="https://kat.cr/community/show/happy-torrents-day-2016-30th-march-year-5/">Happy Torrents Day</a>&#8216;.</p>
<p>&#8220;Five years ago we realized that what our users do on KickAssTorrents, what they believe in and enjoy, needed celebrating. A day to give back to them what they give to us,&#8221; KAT administrator Mr. Black tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;Every torrent community is different and individual in its own way but we all believe in freedom of sharing and of course share one of the most important things in common. Torrents.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>Happy Torrents Day</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/742792c3.torrentsday.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrentsday.jpg" alt="torrentsday" width="400" height="276" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120049"></center></p>
<p>The event was initially started by KAT administrator Mr. Pink in 2011. It began as a small celebration, but over the years it has turned into a recurring tradition with many thousands of people participating.</p>
<p>Last year more than 115,000 registered users checked in. The number of uploads also increased significantly on Happy Torrents Day, well above the 4,000 torrents that were added on an average day that year. This year, the KAT team hopes to break this record. </p>
<p>&#8220;Torrents Day in 2015 took us to just short of 6,000 torrents uploaded&#8230; 5,775 to be exact. But due to the users we have gained and the services provided we are expecting to well exceed these numbers,&#8221; Mr. Black says. </p>
<p>The KAT staff have put together <a href="https://kat.cr/community/show/happy-torrents-day-2016-30th-march-year-5/">an overview</a> of the various challenges and events. For example, users can add their favorite song to the <a href="https://kat.cr/community/show/happy-torrents-day-official-soundtrack-thread-2016/">official soundtrack</a>, or participate in the <a href="https://kat.cr/community/show/happy-torrents-day-2016-30th-march-users-upload-challenge/">upload challenge</a>.</p>
<p>If everything goes according to plan Torrents Day 2016 is expected to drive a lot of traffic to the site and perhaps set several new records. Judging from the discussion already going on, there&#8217;s definitely plenty of interest for this young tradition. </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Nb7ua2iOaL4:5suipnI-xiY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Nb7ua2iOaL4:5suipnI-xiY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Nb7ua2iOaL4:5suipnI-xiY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Nb7ua2iOaL4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120041
title: Instagram Sued for Failing to Remove Copyrighted Photo
uri: Instagram-Sued-for-Failing-to-Remove-Copyrighted-Photo
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/f1zVN8n2Zv0/
content:
<p><img src="media/bcdcb030.insta.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/insta.jpg" alt="insta" width="211" height="211" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120070">With hundreds of million of active users, Instagram is often asked to remove copyrighted material being shared on its servers without permission.</p>
<p>If rightsholders submit a takedown request, Instagram swiftly takes the infringing content down. At least, that&#8217;s what it is supposed to do.</p>
<p>A new lawsuit filed in a California federal court suggests that Instagram’s takedown procedure is not always as effective as it should be.</p>
<p>This week Wisconsin-based photographer Jennifer Rondinelli Reilly filed a complaint (<a href="media/e47fd426.insta.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/insta.pdf">pdf</a>) against Instagram in which she accuses the service of hosting or linking to one of her works without permission.</p>
<p>The work in question is an image of red lips and a microphone, which was registered at the U.S. Copyright Office in 2013. The image in question is used on several occasions, including  in the profile below.</p>
<p><center><strong>One of the alleged infringing uses</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/87905128.rondin.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rondin.jpg" alt="rondin" width="550" height="233" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120072"></center></p>
<p>After discovering the unauthorized use of her work the photographer sent Instagram dozens of DMCA takedown requests. However, according to the complaint Instagram failed to take action in response.</p>
<p>&#8220;Reilly sent DMCA notices to Instagram regarding the Infringing Uses on January 26, 2016, January 27, 2016, January 28, 2016,&#8221; the complaint reads. </p>
<p>&#8220;Reilly never authorized the Infringing Uses,&#8221; the complaint states, adding that the images are still present on the site. &#8220;Instagram has not removed or disabled access to the Infringing Uses.&#8221; </p>
<p>At the time of writing several of the reported images have been removed. However, the profile picture shown above is still present and the same is true for <a href="media/d2269fb2.1515137_724205097631510_1039857745_n.jpg" data-original-source="https://scontent-ord1-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e15/1515137_724205097631510_1039857745_n.jpg">other</a> copies of the image on Instagram.</p>
<p>To resolve the matter, Reilly requests a permanent injunction against the service, as well as statutory damages for the alleged losses she has suffered. </p>
<p>This is not the first time the photographer has gone after a social network. A few months ago she filed a similar lawsuit <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/twitter-sued-for-ignoring-dmca-takedown-requests-160113/?preview=true">against Twitter</a>. This case was dismissed not much later, but it&#8217;s unclear if both parties reached a settlement out of court.</p>
<p>A few weeks ago Reilly also sued Buzzfeed for copyright infringement and the case is still ongoing. </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=f1zVN8n2Zv0:nQc1vCzOOCY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=f1zVN8n2Zv0:nQc1vCzOOCY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=f1zVN8n2Zv0:nQc1vCzOOCY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/f1zVN8n2Zv0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120068
title: Copyright Does Not Protect the Klingon Language, Court Hears
uri: Copyright-Does-Not-Protect-the-Klingon-Language-Court-Hears
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/mAuezefzYEw/
content:
<p><img src="media/19ce6742.klingon.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/klingon.jpg" alt="klingon" width="250" height="137" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120085">Earlier this year Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios filed <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-studios-sue-fan-funded-star-trek-spin-off-151231/">a lawsuit</a> against the makers of the Star Trek inspired fan film, accusing 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 Anaxar.</p>
<p>The project is an idea from Alec Peters who started working on it half a decade ago. The short film turned in to a massive hit and quickly raised more than $100,000 through crowdfunding, and the follow-up feature raised another $638,000 on Kickstarter alone.</p>
<p>That’s a serious budget for a fan-art project and the success prompted the attention of both Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios, who filed their complaint at a California federal court last December.</p>
<p>Among other things, the Star Trek rightsholder claimed ownership over various Star Trek related settings, characters, species, clothing, colors, shapes, words, short phrases and even the Klingon language.</p>
<p>This week, Axanar productions and Alec Peters responded to the allegations put forward in the complaint (<a href="media/11509208.Copyright-Does-Not-Protect-the-Klingon-Language-.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/Copyright-Does-Not-Protect-the-Klingon-Language-.pdf">pdf</a>). According to the makers of the fan film, several of the allegedly &#8220;infringing elements&#8221; are not protected by copyright to begin with.</p>
<p>In their reply the filmmakers argue that words and short phrases such as names, titles and slogans can&#8217;t be protected. This includes the popular phrase &#8220;beam me up&#8221; as well as several Star Trek related names. </p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;the names Garth of Izar, Soval, Richard Robau, and John Gill are not protectable, and neither are the words Andorians, Tellarites, Romulans, Axanar, Archanis IV, Q’onoS, Nausicaa, Rigel, Andoria, Tellar Prime, Vulcans, Klingons, Terra, Starship Enterprise, Starfleet, Federation, Starships, Stardate, and Federation or the short phrase &#8216;beaming up&#8217;,” they write. </p>
<p>In addition, Axanar productions points out that Paramount and CBS can&#8217;t claim ownership of the Klingon language, which is nothing more than an idea according to the defendants.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Klingon language itself is an idea or a system, and is not copyrightable,&#8221; they write.</p>
<p>&#8220;The mere allegation that Defendants used the Klingon language, without any allegation that Defendants copied Plaintiffs’ particular expression of that language, is therefore  insufficient to state a claim for copyright infringement as to any protected element.&#8221; </p>
<p><center><strong>Vulcan comparison</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/b6f8a972.klingoncomp.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/klingoncomp.jpg" alt="klingoncomp" width="600" height="268" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120088"></center></p>
<p>The defendants continue by stressing that the use of the Vulcan appearance and the Heat-Ray Phaser weapons are not unique to Star Trek. They are common appearances in nature and / or have been used in fictional works before.</p>
<p>&#8220;Vulcan appearance: a species with &#8216;pointy ears&#8217; is not original to Star Trek, and has appeared in  many fictional fantasy works depicting imaginary humanoid species predating Star Trek, including, but not limited to, vampires, elves, fairies, and werewolves, as well as in many animals in nature.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Phasers are also known as Heat-Ray weapons, which have existed in science fiction since H.G. Wells’ &#8216;War of the Worlds&#8217; in 1898,&#8221; the complaint notes.</p>
<p>Besides the questions Axanar raises over the copyright protections, they also argue that the allegations aren&#8217;t specific enough, since it&#8217;s not specified which exact copyrights have been infringed. </p>
<p>&#8220;While Plaintiffs allege that they own &#8216;more than 700&#8217; Star Trek television episodes, a dozen motion pictures, and four books, they still fail to specify which of those copyrights Defendants have allegedly infringed,&#8221; the write.</p>
<p>As a result, Axanar Productions asks the court to dismiss or strike the copyright claims in question. </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=mAuezefzYEw:tREr8VuPDYI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=mAuezefzYEw:tREr8VuPDYI:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=mAuezefzYEw:tREr8VuPDYI:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/mAuezefzYEw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120091
title: Creative Content UK Aims to Re-Educate Book Pirates
uri: Creative-Content-UK-Aims-to-Re-Educate-Book-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/256G8b_smmg/
content:
<p><a href="media/c013e7ce.books-3-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/books-3-small.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-120109"><img src="media/c013e7ce.books-3-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/books-3-small.jpg" alt="books-3-small" width="233" height="257" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120109"></a>While the UK continues its aggressive pursuit of those who run or even <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/man-faces-prison-sentence-for-circumventing-uk-pirate-site-blockade-16032/">facilitate access</a> to sites offering copyright infringing material, its efforts to deal with consumers of pirated content have been painfully drawn out.</p>
<p>With the provisions of the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/?s=digital+economy+act">Digital Economy Act</a> now somewhat of a distant memory, using force to deal with Internet subscribers has been largely overtaken by plans to re-educate the masses.</p>
<p>To that end the government-funded, rightsholder-supported <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-anti-piracy-education-campaign-launched-quietly-151201/">Creative Content UK</a> (CCUK) initiative has been trying to gather momentum since its somewhat subdued debut in December last year. Though various PR campaigns the project hopes to change the public&#8217;s attitude towards Internet piracy.</p>
<p>Currently CCUK is running “<a href="https://www.getitrightfromagenuinesite.org/">Get It Right from a Genuine Site</a>”, a campaign that hopes to deter people from using sites like The Pirate Bay in favor of licensed services that ensure that creators are properly paid.</p>
<p>The campaign has been largely inoffensive and quite colorful thus far but has struggled to achieve mainstream exposure. However, the latest video in the &#8220;Get It Right&#8221; series hopes to change that with a properly &#8220;grown up&#8221; attempt at reaching out to would-be pirates.</p>
<p>Featuring bookseller Nic Bottomley and his <a href="http://www.mrbsemporium.com">real-life book store</a> &#8216;Mr B&#8217;s Emporium Of Reading Delights&#8217;, this <a href="http://www.booksellers.org.uk/Campaigns/GetItRight">Bookseller Association</a>-supported video is a somewhat refreshing and calming anti-piracy short that&#8217;s a million miles away from &#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmZm8vNHBSU">You Wouldn&#8217;t Download</a>&#8220;.</p>
<p>Located in the beautiful city of Bath, the Emporium is a classic UK book shop and the video begins with its owner&#8217;s memories of repeatedly reading the Roald Dahl classic Fantastic Mr Fox. It&#8217;s warming stuff and a welcome change from the aggressive threats featured in other campaigns.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/c5e0a121.book-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/book-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120095"><img src="media/c5e0a121.book-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/book-1.png" alt="book-1" width="550" height="259" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120095"></a></center></p>
<p>From the moment it begins it becomes clear that the aim of this short is to encourage the viewer to empathize with Bottomley, who together with his wife has built up a really decent book business over the past 12 years. And it works.</p>
<p>Bottomley&#8217;s tone is superb and doesn&#8217;t sound &#8216;preachy&#8217; at all, and it&#8217;s genuinely nice to hear a little about what it&#8217;s like to run his shop and help out customers. But of course, that&#8217;s only possible if the public spends money with him and by extension, those writing the books.</p>
<p>&#8220;You know that when you buy a book from a high street book shop, or a book or an ebook from a legitimate website, that the creator of that content, in other words the writer of the book or ebook, has been properly rewarded for their work,&#8221; Bottomley tells the viewer.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/1867a0a4.book-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/book-2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120096"><img src="media/1867a0a4.book-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/book-2.png" alt="book-2" width="550" height="259" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120096"></a></center></p>
<p>But while it&#8217;s easy for those who grew up with mountains of real books to have the utmost respect for what Bottomley has achieved, it&#8217;s questionable whether his story will resonate so clearly with the &#8216;downloading generation&#8217;. Real books and real book shops are indeed beautiful, but increasingly digital downloads are taking over, with products like Kindle Unlimited (the Netflix of books) a more attractive proposition for those on the go.</p>
<p>Still, it&#8217;s hoped that booksellers of all kinds will get behind the initiative and spread the word that supporting writers (and sellers) is the right thing to do.</p>
<p>“We need to help the creative community to invest in creating more of content, and the development of new artists and writers and ideas as a result,” <a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/news/booksellers-urged-support-campaign-against-illegal-downloading-325207">says</a> Bookseller Association CEO Tim Godfray.</p>
<p>Finally, it will be interesting to see to what extent publishers, writers and book sellers will be supported when UK Internet service providers finally begin to send out warnings to alleged pirates in the months (years?) to come. The scheme has already been hugely delayed and thus far there has only been discussion of music, movie and TV show downloaders being targeted.</p>
<p>Also problematic is the manner in which ebooks are shared online. While torrents are the preferred method for larger files, books are much more likely to be distributed via hosting sites and forums. This kind of sharing cannot be tracked, so the education component is even more critical for the book sector.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bnNLz1cJiJ8" 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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=256G8b_smmg:EhsYOB8vu00:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=256G8b_smmg:EhsYOB8vu00:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=256G8b_smmg:EhsYOB8vu00:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/256G8b_smmg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120126
title: 28% of Piracy Takedown Requests Are “Questionable”
uri: 28-of-Piracy-Takedown-Requests-Are-Questionable
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bTUDpHHmB4w/
content:
<p><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">In recent years copyright holders have overloaded Google with DMCA takedown notices, targeting links to pirated content.</p>
<p>These requests have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-asked-to-remove-100000-pirate-links-every-hour-160306/">increased dramatically</a> over the years. In 2008, the search engine received only a few dozen takedown notices during the entire year, but today it processes two million per day on average.</p>
<p>Copyright holders have used this increase to call for tougher anti-piracy actions from search engines and other intermediaries, claiming that the current system is broken. For its part, Google is concerned that the continued increase may lead to more mistakes. </p>
<p>This week, researchers from Columbia University’s American Assembly and Berkeley<a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2755628"> published an in-depth review</a> of the current takedown regime, with one study zooming in on the millions of takedown requests Google receives every week. </p>
<p>Using data Google provides to the <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/">Lumen database</a>, the researchers reviewed the accuracy of more than 108 million takedown requests. The vast majority of these, 99.8%, targeted Google&#8217;s web search. </p>
<p>According to the researchers their review shows that more 28% of all requests are &#8220;questionable.&#8221; This includes the 4.2% of notices in which supposed infringing material is not listed on the reported URL.</p>
<p>&#8220;Nearly a third of takedown requests (28.4%) had characteristics that raised clear questions about their validity, based solely on the facial review and comparisons we were able to conduct. Some had multiple potential issues,&#8221; the researchers write.</p>
<p>Among the &#8220;questionable&#8221; takedown requests are those that target websites that have been <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-processes-millions-of-useless-dmca-notices-140715/">shut down over a year ago</a>. As shown in the figure below, rightsholders such as NBC Universal continued to target websites such as Megaupload.com and BTJunkie.org long after they were gone. </p>
<p>&#8220;A few senders—generally targeting unauthorized file-sharing sites—continued to send requests targeting links that led to long-defunct sites, calling into question the checks they do to keep their automated algorithms accurate,&#8221; the researchers write.</p>
<p><center><strong>Reporting dead sites</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/b5294c9c.defunct.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/defunct.png" alt="defunct" width="600" height="307" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120153"></center></p>
<p>Other questionable notices were improperly formatted, included a subject matter inappropriate for DMCA takedown, or had potential fair use issues, among other things. </p>
<p>Joe Karaganis, co-author of the report and vice president of Columbia University’s American Assembly, informs TorrentFreak that the often automated notices are problematic because the increase in volume makes human review rather impracticable.</p>
<p>&#8220;The problem with automation isn&#8217;t that it gets stuff wrong. Human senders turn out to be even worse on average. It&#8217;s that automation scales the process up in ways that has made meaningful human review difficult or impossible,&#8221; Karaganis says.  </p>
<p>&#8220;With notice sending robots talking to notice receiving robots, the step of actually looking at the targeted content often drops out of the equation. The main contribution of our study is to go back in to look at the targeted content and make those human judgments,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>The result of the high number of &#8220;questionable&#8221; takedown notices is that Google likely removes more content than it should. The company currently acts in response to 97.5% of the takedown requests, which means that the vast majority of the questionable notices are honored.</p>
<p>&#8220;At a minimum, Google takes a very conservative approach to these issues and yes, probably over removes content,&#8221; Karaganis says. </p>
<p>&#8220;They are not special in this regard. Given the risk of high statutory penalties if a service rejects a valid notice, most if not all of them err on the side of takedown. Some just categorically take down 100% of the requests they receive.&#8221;</p>
<p>The researchers include several policy recommendations on how the current takedown process can be improved. Among other things, they suggest making it more difficult for senders to issue questionable notices without risk.</p>
<p>In addition, they warn against the &#8220;notice and stay down&#8221; and automated filtering mechanisms copyright holders frequently call for, as these may increase the potential for abuse while hurting due process. </p>
<p>The report, first highlighted by the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/03/29/how-were-unwittingly-letting-robots-censor-the-web/">Washington Post</a>, is very much in line with the position Google has taken thus far. </p>
<p>In that regard, it is worth highlighting that the research is in part funded by Google, who will undoubtedly deploy it in future lobbying efforts, much like the copyright industries do with the research <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/search-engines-can-diminish-online-piracy-research-finds-140916/">they fund</a>. </p>
<p>Google won&#8217;t have to wait long before it can put the study to use, as the U.S. Government is currently running a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-govt-reviews-impact-and-efficacy-of-dmca-safe-harbor-160105/">public consultation</a> to evaluate the effectiveness of the DMCA&#8217;s Safe Harbor provisions. This includes issues around automated takedown requests and potential abuse, and the deadline for comments expires tomorrow. </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=bTUDpHHmB4w:U0yNsEhBhSM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=bTUDpHHmB4w:U0yNsEhBhSM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=bTUDpHHmB4w:U0yNsEhBhSM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/bTUDpHHmB4w" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119669
title: Rightscorp Blames VPNs and ISPs For Drop in Revenue
uri: Rightscorp-Blames-VPNs-and-ISPs-For-Drop-in-Revenue
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-DMySm00wYc/
content:
<p><a href="media/c9f95d44.rightscorp.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/rightscorp.png" rel="attachment wp-att-78740"><img src="media/ef1215bb.rightscorp.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rightscorp.png" alt="rightscorp" width="222" height="54" class="alignright size-full wp-image-78740"></a>More than ten years ago when it became clear that piracy might never be stopped, anti-piracy outfits began to pursue alleged infringers for cash settlements in a bid to turn file-sharing into profit.</p>
<p>One of the most prominent companies employing this model today is US-based Rightscorp. By leveraging ISPs&#8217; tendency to forward infringement warnings to users, Rightscorp attaches settlement demands to DMCA-style notices. When these reach the user they are currently invited to pay around $30 or face a potential lawsuit.</p>
<p>How many notices the company sends out is unclear but it&#8217;s likely to be millions overall, since according to the company&#8217;s most recent filing around 230,000 people have settled. It sounds like it should be a lucrative business but ever since the company was incorporated in 2010 the numbers haven&#8217;t added up. Indeed, Rightscorp&#8217;s latest filing, its 2015 Annual Report, indicates a crisis at the company.</p>
<p>The report begins with a positive, noting that in September 2015 Rightscorp entered into a representation agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. But that&#8217;s where the good news ends.</p>
<p>During the year ended December 31, 2015, Rightscorp generated revenues of $832.2K. That&#8217;s down 10% ($98.5K) when compared to the $930.7K generated in 2014. Not a great start and gets worse.</p>
<p>To begin, all of those revenues aren&#8217;t for Rightscorp to keep. The total is split with rightsholders, roughly 50/50, meaning that in 2015 Rightscorp paid almost $439K to its copyright holder partners, down from the $465.3K paid out in 2014. Sadly for Rightscorp the $392K in revenue left over isn&#8217;t enough to make ends meet, not by a long way.</p>
<p>In 2015 the anti-piracy outfit burned through more than $1.67m in wage and related expenses plus $216.3K on sales and marketing. Also causing problems are the costs mounting up due to various legal battles <em>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/accused-pirates-win-class-action-settlement-from-rightscorp-and-warner-bros-160112/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirating-subscribers-could-cost-cox-over-200-million-141215/">2</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rightscorp-dmca-subpoena-effort-crashes-and-burns-150819/">3</a>)</em>. In all, Rightscorp spent more than $951K on legal proceedings in 2015, up from $465K the year before.</p>
<p>When combined Rightscorp&#8217;s general and administrative expenses were close to $4.5m in 2015, up almost $737K on the previous year. As a result the company recorded a net loss of $3.43m, up from the $2.85m net loss <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rightscorp-hemorrhages-cash-profit-from-piracy-remains-elusive-150311/">recorded in 2014</a>.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the company&#8217;s precarious position is only underlined with the revelation that 72% of its revenues are attributable to just two rightsholder customers, with one alone accounting for 58% of revenues.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s fairly obvious that this model isn&#8217;t currently working, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Not only are Rightscorp&#8217;s costs going through the roof but its revenues are falling too, despite the company&#8217;s insistence that piracy is as prevalent as ever.</p>
<p>So how does Rightscorp explain the drop in settlements achieved? Well, this is where it gets interesting.</p>
<p>According to the company&#8217;s <a href="http://www.4-traders.com/RIGHTSCORP-INC-13620710/news/RIGHTSCORP-Management-s-Discussion-and-Analysis-of-Financial-Condition-and-Results-of-Operations--22094251/">annual filing</a> there are three key reasons, including an unwillingness by Internet service providers to forward Rightscorp settlement demands to their customers. If that is the case then the anti-piracy outfit has a huge problem, since without that mechanism it cannot cheaply contact alleged pirates with an offer to settle.</p>
<p>But while the ISP dilemma is clear, the other reasons provided by Rightscorp for falling revenues are less so.</p>
<p>The anti-piracy outfit additionally blames &#8220;changes in the filesharing software intended to defeat detection of copyrights being illegally distributed.&#8221; For a company specializing in anti-piracy technology this statement is terribly uninformative and gives the impression of a riddle designed to confuse.</p>
<p>So, since there have been no real changes in the way BitTorrent software operates since its inception, the truth must lie elsewhere. Reading between the lines this seems likely to be a reference to people using anonymizing techniques (VPNs, proxies etc) which make it impossible for Rightscorp to track them down. Not a good situation for shareholders.</p>
<p>Oddly, the language used by Rightscorp to explain the third reason behind its drop in revenues in no more clear. Blaming &#8220;the shutting down of some filesharing network infrastructure&#8221; for achieving fewer settlements, the company gives no hint as to what that might mean, especially since according to them file-sharing traffic is only on the increase.</p>
<p>With file-sharers seemingly hiding, ISPs passing on fewer notices, coupled with Rightscorp&#8217;s inability to control its costs, it seems unlikely that the company has much of a future.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our independent registered public accounting firm has expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, which may hinder our ability to obtain future financing,&#8221; the company 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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=-DMySm00wYc:DjSozAT2Whw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=-DMySm00wYc:DjSozAT2Whw:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=-DMySm00wYc:DjSozAT2Whw:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/-DMySm00wYc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120100
title: The Pirate Bay Reveals New “Climate Saving” Design
uri: The-Pirate-Bay-Reveals-New-Climate-Saving-Design
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/H6ooU3geTck/
content:
<p><img src="media/7e02aab6.tpb3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb3.png" alt="tpb" width="230" height="243" class="alignright size-full wp-image-106334"><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/five-file-sharing-predictions-for-2016-160101/">As predicted</a> a few months ago, The Pirate Bay will roll out a new design for the site this year. </p>
<p>This week a reader spotted the <a href="http://pastebin.com/1L70qK9G">following .css file</a> on Pastebin, suggesting that The Pirate Bay will launch a green on black look later this month, something the TPB crew confirmed today. </p>
<p>&#8220;Yes, after more than a decade it&#8217;s time for something fresh. We&#8217;re still ironing out a few minor bugs but the design should go live in a week or two,&#8221; Pirate Bay&#8217;s Winston tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>While the user interface will remain mostly intact, the change is quite dramatic. The TPB team was kind enough to share two of the latest mockups, revealing a command-line inspired look.</p>
<p><center><strong>Pirate Bay&#8217;s future homepage</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/1348145d.tpb-green-353.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-green-353.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120102"><img src="media/1348145d.tpb-green-353.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-green-353.png" alt="tpb-green-353" width="600" height="535" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120102"></a></center></p>
<p>Aside from the cosmetic change, the redesign also has an ulterior motive.</p>
<p>&#8220;We spend most of our time looking at the command line, so for us the change is natural. But the new design also aims to lower the global power consumption by decreasing the demands on our user&#8217;s monitors.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll therefore rename the site into &#8216;The Green Bay&#8217; once we go live, just for the lulz,&#8221; Winston adds.</p>
<p><center><strong>TPB&#8217;s new design</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/a8534f31.tpb-green-full.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-green-full.jpg" alt="tpb-green-full" width="600" height="453" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120103"></center></p>
<p>The theory behind the lower energy consumption is simple. Dark websites demand a tiny bit less energy from monitors than light ones, which adds up for a site that generates roughly a billion pageviews per month.</p>
<p>While the effectiveness of this type of energy saving up for debate, the idea itself is not new. A dark version of Google, <a href="http://www.blackle.com/">Blackle</a>, made <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/does-a-darkened-google-really-save-electricity-104/">headlines</a> all across the Internet a few years ago with a similar idea. </p>
<p>And if that&#8217;s not good enough, the TPB team has some other tips in store to save the planet. </p>
<p>&#8220;Our users tend to be very climate aware. One of the main reasons to download the latest movies is so they don&#8217;t have to pump too much carbon into the atmosphere by driving their car to the movie theaters,&#8221; Winston notes.</p>
<p>In addition to The Pirate Bay, KickassTorrents is also working on a new look. The site already updated its homepage for non-registered users a few weeks ago, going for a more basic white look. The rest of the site is expected to follow soon.</p>
<p>The Pirate Bay team doesn&#8217;t have a hard date for the design launch yet, but it&#8217;s expected to go live later this month.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=H6ooU3geTck:SpOS-P78g0M:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=H6ooU3geTck:SpOS-P78g0M:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=H6ooU3geTck:SpOS-P78g0M:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/H6ooU3geTck" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120272
title: 50,000 People Protest DMCA Abuse, “Crash” Government Server
uri: 50-000-People-Protest-DMCA-Abuse-Crash-Government-Server
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/t1YwmAflzGw/
content:
<p><a href="media/b997f7ba.copyright-branded.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-branded.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-56211"><img src="media/db7b975c.copyright-branded.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-branded.jpg" alt="copyright-branded" width="250" height="164" class="alignright size-full wp-image-56211"></a>The U.S. Government is currently running a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-govt-reviews-impact-and-efficacy-of-dmca-safe-harbor-160105/">public consultation</a> to evaluate the effectiveness of the DMCA’s Safe Harbor provisions, including issues around automated takedown requests and potential abuse.</p>
<p>The deadline for comments expires tonight and despite being announced three months ago, it only generated a few dozen responses until yesterday. </p>
<p>That quickly changed when Fight for the Future (<a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/">FFTF</a>) and the popular YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiH828EtgQjTyNIMH6YiOSw">Channel Awesome</a> got involved. They launched a campaign urging the public to speak out against DMCA takedown abuse and censorship yesterday afternoon, generating an overwhelming response. </p>
<p>By this morning the campaign video had been viewed 170,000 times, and the buzz triggered 50,000 comments to the Copyright Office, submitted through the form hosted at <a href="https://www.takedownabuse.org/">TakedownAbuse.org</a>.</p>
<p>As a result the official <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.regulations.gov%2F%23%21documentDetail%3BD%3DCOLC-2015-0013-0002&#038;t=OTRjYTMxMjc4NDUwZGFlOGI3Y2YzZTQ1ZTA4MDhkZDM1YTY4Y2U3OCx0OGt3MVM0eQ%3D%3D">Regulations.gov</a> site <a href="http://tumblr.fightforthefuture.org/post/142064630638/copyright-censorship-is-no-joke-youtubers-and">reportedly</a> became unresponsive for a while. </p>
<p>&#8220;The flood of new submissions over the last several hours appears to have repeatedly crashed the website that the government set up to receive feedback,&#8221; FFTF writes.</p>
<p><center><strong>Issues at Regulations.gov</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/16b8d8be.regul-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/regul-1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-120275"><img src="media/16b8d8be.regul-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/regul-1.jpg" alt="regul" width="600" height="402" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120275"></a></center></p>
<p>Due to the massive response, many submitted comments are now waiting in a queue, prompting the activist group to call for an extension of the consultation&#8217;s deadline.</p>
<p>“The DMCA affects all Internet users and they should have an opportunity to express their concerns with the ways content is censored from the Internet, causing damage to free speech that can’t be undone,” FFTF co-founder Tiffiniy Cheng says.</p>
<p>“The Copyright Office has a responsibility to make sure these voices are heard. They need to extend the deadline and make sure their website stays up and can receive comments the entire time.”</p>
<p>The comments the campaign site allows people to send to the Copyright Office urge Congress to impose statutory damages for rightholders that abuse the DMCA takedown process or fail to take fair use into account. In addition, they call for a discouragement of automated takedown systems, including YouTube&#8217;s Content-ID system.</p>
<p>Given the high number of submissions generated by the campaign, it will be interesting to see what conclusions the Copyright Office will draw after the review is completed. </p>
<p><center><strong>Channel Awesome&#8217;s campaign video</strong><br></br></center><center><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/NoIL5qUI1p8?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" 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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=t1YwmAflzGw:fMALU7SGEv8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=t1YwmAflzGw:fMALU7SGEv8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=t1YwmAflzGw:fMALU7SGEv8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/t1YwmAflzGw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120209
title: Reddit Working On a Copyright Takedown Transparency Report
uri: Reddit-Working-On-a-Copyright-Takedown-Transparency-Report
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LzXUwz8zo5A/
content:
<p><img src="media/db1c50a4.reddit-alien.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/reddit-alien.jpg" width="180" height="180" class="alignright">For those interested in the pressures placed on large sites by governments, law enforcement, litigious third parties and copyright holders, transparency reports are wonderful things.</p>
<p>Published on an annual or even daily basis in the <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/?hl=en">case of Google</a>, these reports disclose information to the public relating to court-ordered requests for user data through to the removal of allegedly copyright infringing content.</p>
<p>Here at TF we&#8217;re generally confronted with the latter, with Google&#8217;s Transparency Report providing a goldmine of information that would ordinarily be kept out of the public eye. In fact, it&#8217;s quite possible that the publication of this report will help to shape <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-govt-reviews-impact-and-efficacy-of-dmca-safe-harbor-160105/">future legislation</a>, with <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/28-of-piracy-takedown-requests-are-questionable-160331/">both Google</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bpi-hits-200-million-google-takedowns-calls-for-notice-and-stay-down-160324/">copyright holders</a> currently relying on the data to lobby for change and/or the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/internet-archive-seeks-to-defend-against-wrongful-copyright-takedowns-160323/">status quo</a>.</p>
<p>With the importance of transparency reports established, it&#8217;s always nice to see new companies jumping on board. Following Google&#8217;s first publication in 2010, Twitter followed in 2012 and they&#8217;re now joined by a multitude of companies from <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/is-bing-considered-lower-piracy-threat-than-google-151016/">Microsoft</a> and Facebook to <a href="https://www.cloudflare.com/transparency/">Cloudflare</a>.</p>
<p>In early 2015, Reddit produced its <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/reddit-rejects-62-of-all-copyright-complaints-150130/">first report</a> covering the previous 12 months which revealed that the site rejects 62% of all copyright complaints. However, other than that the report was light on copyright data, something the site is now working to address.</p>
<p>Noting that in 2015 the site received a large number of requests to remove content under the DMCA, Reddit&#8217;s operators say they&#8217;re now working on tools to provide more transparency.</p>
<p>&#8220;To cope with Reddit’s rate of growth in 2015 and the subsequent spike in the number of takedown requests received, we have dedicated significant time and resources to build internal tools to allow us to accurately track the number and types of requests that we are receiving,&#8221; the site reveals in its <a href="https://www.reddit.com/wiki/transparency/2015">latest report</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is an ongoing project, which we hope to be able to refine, so that we can be transparent with our users, on how much content we takedown on the site. For perspective, from January 1, 2016 to February 29, 2016, we received approximately 190 requests to remove content under the DMCA. 5% of these requests required us to remove content from the site.&#8221;</p>
<p>How sites respond to takedown notices under the DMCA is of huge interest at the moment, with copyright holders keen to tighten up the legislation and those on the receiving end often torn between taking content down to avoid liability while considering crucial issues such as fair use. For its part, Reddit likes to do things properly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Each DMCA takedown notice is reviewed carefully and, in circumstances where content is actually hosted on our servers, we assess whether the existence of the content on Reddit can fall under an exception, such as &#8216;fair use&#8217; of the copyrighted material,&#8221; the site explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;If we believe that the existence of the content can be defended or falls under an exception under copyright law, then we may request further information from the requesting party that will assist us in our review.&#8221;</p>
<p>More transparency is always a good thing as it helps to understand the dilemmas faced by those on all sides of the copyright debate. Reddit&#8217;s report will be a welcome addition.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are hopeful that our newly implemented method of tracking requests will put us in a position where we can provide you with confirmation of more accurate information regarding DMCA requests that are received throughout 2016 and how we responded to them,&#8221; the site 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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LzXUwz8zo5A:TzZ4p4GTiVQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LzXUwz8zo5A:TzZ4p4GTiVQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=LzXUwz8zo5A:TzZ4p4GTiVQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/LzXUwz8zo5A" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120227
title: Music Industry: DMCA Copyright Law is Obsolete and Harmful
uri: Music-Industry-DMCA-Copyright-Law-is-Obsolete-and-Harmful
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/JmOuNPvPdmI/
content:
<p><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">Signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1998, the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) aimed to ready copyright law for the digital age.</p>
<p>The law introduced a safe harbor for Internet services, meaning that they can’t be held liable for their pirating users as long as they properly process takedown notices and deal with repeat infringers.</p>
<p>However, in recent years copyright holders, Internet services and the public in general have signaled various shortcomings. On the one hand, rightsholders believe that the law doesn&#8217;t do enough to protect creators, while the opposing side warns of increased censorship and abuse. </p>
<p>To hear the growing concerns from all sides the U.S. Copyright Office launched <a href="media/dcbb6a6f.2015-32973.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-12-31/pdf/2015-32973.pdf">a public consultation</a> in order to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the DMCA’s safe harbor provisions.</p>
<p>A few hours ago a broad coalition of 400 artists and music groups, including the RIAA, Music Publishers Association and A2IM <a href="https://www.riaa.com/400-artists-songwriters-managers-and-music-organizations-call-for-reforms-of-broken-dmca/">submitted</a> their response. The 70-page brief provides a comprehensive overview of what the music industry sees as the DMCA shortcomings while calling for significant reform. </p>
<p>&#8220;The Music Community’s list of frustrations with the DMCA is long,&#8221; the groups write, adding that &#8220;a law that might have made sense in 1998 is now not only obsolete but actually harmful.&#8221;</p>
<p>The music industry&#8217;s comments focus heavily on search engines, Google in particular. In recent years music companies have sent hundreds of millions of takedown notices to Google, but despite these efforts, copyright infringing material is still topping many search results. </p>
<p>&#8220;The notice-and-takedown system has proved an ineffective tool for the volume of unauthorized digital music available, something akin to bailing out an ocean with a teaspoon,&#8221; they write. </p>
<p>&#8220;Copyright owners should not be required to engage in the endless game of sending repeat takedown notices to protect their works, simply because another or the<br>
same infringement of the initially noticed work appears at a marginally different URL than the first time.&#8221; </p>
<p>The music groups are calling for advanced technologies and processes to ensure that infringing content doesn&#8217;t reappear elsewhere once it&#8217;s removed, a so-called &#8220;notice and stay down&#8221; approach.</p>
<p>This includes audio fingerprinting technologies, hash-matching technologies, meta-data correlations and the removal of links that point to content which has been taken down already. </p>
<p>&#8220;The current standard of &#8216;URL by URL&#8217; takedown does not make sense in a world where there is an infinite supply of URLs,&#8221; the groups add. </p>
<p>Another problem with the DMCA, according to the music companies, is that the safe harbor provision also protects sites that are clearly profiting from copyright infringement.  </p>
<p>Describing it as a “get out of jail free” card for many dubious sites, RIAA and the others demand change. </p>
<p>&#8220;At its worst, the DMCA safe harbors have become a business plan for profiting off of stolen content; at best, the system is a de facto government subsidy enriching some digital services at the expense of creators. This almost 20 year-old, 20th Century law should be updated,&#8221; they write. </p>
<p>The music industry groups note that these and other issues have turned the DMCA law into a &#8220;dysfunctional relic,&#8221; and are calling on Congress to take action and come up with a copyright law that better protects their interests. </p>
<p>The anti-DMCA comments submitted to the U.S. Government are the strongest we&#8217;ve seen thus far, but more responses are expected to be published after the deadline passes today. </p>
<p>Where most copyright holders call for stricter anti-piracy measures, many Internet services and activists are expected to focus on the increase on DMCA abuse and censorship.</p>
<p>Earlier this week a Google-funded report <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/28-of-piracy-takedown-requests-are-questionable-160331/">revealed</a> that close to 30% of all DMCA requests it receives are &#8220;questionable&#8221; and the EFF previously called on the public to share their <a href="http://boingboing.net/2016/02/19/eff-wants-your-dmca-takedown-c.html">DMCA horror stories</a>. </p>
<p>In addition, Fight for the Future just launched a <a href="https://www.takedownabuse.org/">campaign page</a>, helping the public to inform the Copyright Office that DMCA abuses should be stopped. The campaign generated over <a href="http://tumblr.fightforthefuture.org/post/142064630638/copyright-censorship-is-no-joke-youtubers-and">50,000 comments in a day</a>, &#8216;crashing&#8217; the Government&#8217;s website.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=JmOuNPvPdmI:HXw0FdE5aMA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=JmOuNPvPdmI:HXw0FdE5aMA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=JmOuNPvPdmI:HXw0FdE5aMA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/JmOuNPvPdmI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120197
title: Rightscorp Plans to Hijack Pirates’ Browsers Until a Fine is Paid
uri: Rightscorp-Plans-to-Hijack-Pirates-Browsers-Until-a-Fine-is-Paid
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/dcEbMJ4SnxM/
content:
<p><a href="media/282472b3.hijack.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/hijack.png" rel="attachment wp-att-75668"><img src="media/c715a8a7.hijack.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hijack.png" alt="hijack" width="180" height="231" class="alignright size-full wp-image-75668"></a>Earlier this week, anti-piracy outfit Rightscorp <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rightscorp-blames-vpns-and-isps-for-drop-in-revenue-160331/">published its results for 2015</a>. They make for dismal reading, with the company recording a net loss of $3.43m, up from the $2.85m net loss recorded in 2014.</p>
<p>The company has a number of problems. First and foremost it has too few clients and somehow needs to expand the catalog of copyrights under its protection. With a wider spread and  greater volume it could do better, but that&#8217;s only part of the problem.</p>
<p>Internet service providers in the United States aren&#8217;t generally fans of copyright trolls like Rightscorp. They prey on valuable customers who often incorrectly conclude that their provider has been spying on them. Of course the sting in the tail is the compensation that Rightscorp demands, all conveniently delivered to the Internet subscriber by their ISP.</p>
<p>In its filing this week Rightscorp blamed falling revenues on a reluctance by ISPs to pass on these automated fines. Nevertheless, the company isn&#8217;t giving up on improved cooperation with service providers since it has a plan that could streamline its business and more or less force users to pay up.</p>
<p>Rightscorp says this could be achieved via a &#8220;next generation technology&#8221; its developing called Scalable Copyright, which will shift warnings and settlement demands away from easily ignored emails and towards an altogether more aggressive delivery method.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the Scalable Copyright system, subscribers receive each [settlement] notice directly in their browser,&#8221; the company reports.</p>
<p>&#8220;Single notices can be read and bypassed similar to the way a software license agreement works [but] once the internet account receives a certain number of notices over a certain time period, the screen cannot be bypassed until the settlement payment is received.&#8221;</p>
<p>The idea of locking browsers in response to infringement allegations is nothing new. Users of some ISPs in the United States already receive these warnings if too many complaints are made against their account. However, to date no company has asked for money to have these locks removed and the idea of &#8216;wheel clamping&#8217; a browser is hardly an attractive one, especially based on the allegations of a third-party organization.</p>
<p>Still, Rightscorp seems confident that it can persuade ISPs to come along for the ride.</p>
<p>&#8220;Its implementation will require the agreement of the ISPs. We have had discussions with multiple ISPs about implementing Scalable Copyright, and intend to intensify those efforts.  ISPs have the technology to display our notices in subscribers’ browsers in this manner,&#8221; the company notes.</p>
<p>While ISPs do indeed have the ability to hold their customers to ransom on Rightscorp&#8217;s behalf, the big question is why they would choose to do so. On the surface there seems no benefit to ISPs whatsoever, since all it will do is annoy those who pay the bills. But Rightscorp sees things somewhat differently and says that the system will actually be both cheap and beneficial to ISPs.</p>
<p>&#8220;We provide the data at no charge to the ISPs. With Scalable Copyright, ISPs will be able to greatly reduce their third-party liability and the music and home video industries will be able to return to growth along with the internet advertising and broadband subscriber industries,&#8221; the company explains.</p>
<p>That third-party liability is the requirement under the DMCA for service providers to terminate repeat infringers or face the prospect of losing their safe harbor protections.</p>
<p>&#8220;U.S. ISPs have a safe harbor that is conditional on terminating repeat copyright infringers. Rightscorp has the technology to identify these repeat infringers. ISPs either need to work with copyright holders to reduce repeat infringers identified by Rightscorp or face significant liability,&#8221; the company warns.</p>
<p>As the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-is-liable-for-pirating-subscribers-ordered-to-pay-25-million-151217/">recent case</a> between BMG and Cox Communications illustrates, ISPs do need to be cautious over the issue of repeat infringers and they must have policies in place to deal with them. However, the notion that a browser-lock system like this one needs to be deployed is unlikely to be on the agenda of many ISPs, especially considering Rightscorp&#8217;s track record.</p>
<p>While the MPAA/RIAA Copyright Alerts program limits the numbers of warnings that can be sent to single subscriber in order to avoid labeling them as repeat infringers too quickly, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/comcast-user-hit-with-112-dmca-notices-in-48-hours-151002/">Rightscorp is on record</a> as sending 112 notices to a single Comcast user in less than 48 hours over the sharing of a single torrent.</p>
<p>But despite all the rhetoric, these ambitious plans to hijack browsers to generate revenue will require ISPs to co-operate more with Rightscorp, not less, so the current downward trend in forwarding the company&#8217;s notices is hardly encouraging.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=dcEbMJ4SnxM:IsW5h3gOVFk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=dcEbMJ4SnxM:IsW5h3gOVFk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=dcEbMJ4SnxM:IsW5h3gOVFk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/dcEbMJ4SnxM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120034
title: This Millennium’s Best Picture Oscar Winners Are Not On Netflix
uri: This-Millennium-s-Best-Picture-Oscar-Winners-Are-Not-On-Netflix
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/jOvy2Gf7h_g/
content:
<p><img src="media/78778e9e.netf-300x136.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netf-300x136.png" alt="netf" width="240" height="109" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-104411">An often heard excuse from pirates is that they can&#8217;t find the content they&#8217;re looking for in their home country, at least not for a decent price. </p>
<p>In recent months Hollywood has started to attack what they see as a myth, pointing out that movies and TV-shows are more widely available than ever before. </p>
<p>&#8220;The number of online platforms for legally viewing movies and TV shows continues to grow steadily, making more creative content from all over the world available to more audiences than ever before,&#8221; the MPAA&#8217;s Julia Jenks <a href="http://www.mpaa.org/the-number-of-online-services-continues-to-expand-benefiting-consumers-and-creators/#.Vv5AUqR94sM">wrote</a> last week.</p>
<p>&#8220;There are now more than 480 unique legitimate online services available in countries around the world and 120 such services available in the United States.&#8221;</p>
<p>This is correct and backed up by a recent MPAA-commissioned <a href="media/fb6af738.Online-Video-Report-2015-Q4.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Online-Video-Report-2015-Q4.pdf">study</a>. But there&#8217;s also an important element missing from the analysis. Unlike the music industry, where subscription services such as Spotify offer the most popular content, the video market is much more scattered. </p>
<p>Perhaps the public doesn&#8217;t want to use dozens of different services to watch movies and TV-shows? </p>
<p>And what about the news that the content library of the dominant video platform Netflix is shrinking rather than growing? Earlier this week Allflix showed that the U.S. Netflix catalog has shrunk <a href="https://www.allflicks.net/netflixs-us-catalog-has-shrunk-by-more-than-2500-titles-in-less-than-2-5-years/">by more than 2,500 titles</a> since 2014.</p>
<p>This prompted us to conduct a small survey, looking at some of the top movies made over the past two decades &#8211; the winners of the Academy Award&#8217;s Best Picture category. Quite surprisingly, none of the films that won the prestigious award this millennium are available on the U.S. version of Netflix. </p>
<p>We have to go all the way back to 1999 to spot the first Best Picture Oscar winner on Netflix, American Beauty. </p>
<p>Interestingly, many of the more recent Oscar winners are available in other regions, such as Afghanistan, Antarctica, Aruba, Canada, Guyana, Haiti and Venezuela, to name a few. </p>
<p>As can be seen in the table below, the only Best Picture-winning film that&#8217;s not on a non-U.S. version of Netflix is Spotlight, which makes sense as it hasn&#8217;t been released for the home-entertainment market yet. </p>
<p><center><strong>Best Picture Oscar Winners on Netflix? (April 2016)</strong></center></p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Year</strong></th>
<th width="38%"><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="10%"><strong>Available US?</strong></th>
<th width="40%"><strong>Available elsewhere?</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>2015</strong></td>
<td>Spotlight</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2014</strong></td>
<td>Birdman</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Canada</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2013</strong></td>
<td>12 Years a Slave</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Japan and South Korea</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2012</strong></td>
<td>Argo</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Afghanistan and 115 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2011</strong></td>
<td>The Artist</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Aruba and 10 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2010</strong></td>
<td>The King&#8217;s Speech</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Venezuela and 51 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2009</strong></td>
<td>The Hurt Locker</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Cuba and 58 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2008</strong></td>
<td>Slumdog Millionaire</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Samoa and 23 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2007</strong></td>
<td>No Country for Old Men</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Guyana and 58 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2006</strong></td>
<td>The Departed</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Antarctica and 34 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2005</strong></td>
<td>Crash</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Suriname and 45 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2004</strong></td>
<td>Million Dollar Baby</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Holy See and 3 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2003</strong></td>
<td>The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Azerbaijan and 131 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2002</strong></td>
<td>Chicago</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Haiti and 45 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2001</strong></td>
<td>A Beautiful Mind</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Norfolk Island and 21 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2000</strong></td>
<td>Gladiator</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Montserrat and 45 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1999</strong></td>
<td>American Beauty</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td>Yes, Bhutan and 210 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1998</strong></td>
<td>Shakespeare in Love</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td>Yes, Puerto Rico and 6 others</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1997</strong></td>
<td>Titanic</td>
<td>No</td>
<td>Yes, Canada</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1996</strong></td>
<td>The English Patient</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td>Yes, Martinique and 52 others</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>The Oscar-winner limitations don&#8217;t seem to be tied to the Best Picture category either. Of the twelve films that won an Oscar in 2013, only two are listed in the U.S. Netflix library. </p>
<p>The two films are &#8220;The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life,&#8221; which won an Oscar for the best short documentary, and &#8220;The Great Gatsby&#8221; which won the Oscars for best costume and best production design.</p>
<p>We can&#8217;t and won&#8217;t point any fingers as to the source of this availability &#8220;problem.&#8221; It might be that the studios are reluctant to put their most acclaimed titles on Netflix, or perhaps Netflix isn&#8217;t willing to pay enough. </p>
<p>However, the above does illustrate that in its current form, Netflix alone is certainly not going solve Hollywood&#8217;s piracy problems. This is an important note, as Netflix is by far the most popular consumption platform for films and TV-shows.  </p>
<p>Ultimately, it doesn&#8217;t really matter whether there are 12 or 12,000 legal video platforms in a country. More services may actually mean that it becomes less convenient for consumers, as long as the content is scattered.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=jOvy2Gf7h_g:AwYbtVeLtyk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=jOvy2Gf7h_g:AwYbtVeLtyk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=jOvy2Gf7h_g:AwYbtVeLtyk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/jOvy2Gf7h_g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120233
title: Copyright Troll Partner Threatens to Report Blogger to the Police
uri: Copyright-Troll-Partner-Threatens-to-Report-Blogger-to-the-Police
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/OaaFjVqhwMk/
content:
<p><a href="media/67ffec03.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-108977"><img src="media/17a592c8.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" alt="trollsign" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108977"></a>One might think that if a copyright holder would like to chase down alleged pirates in the UK it would be a relatively simple affair. Track their IP addresses and obtain their identities from ISPs, hire a lawfirm, send out the letters, and wait for the cash.</p>
<p>However, that&#8217;s been tried before and it has universally ended in tears for the lawfirms involved. As a result, copyright trolls are now deploying the new tactic of sending the letters via a limited company.</p>
<p>This is a pretty good idea. Not only do these companies avoid the scrutiny of the Solicitors Regulatory Authority but if it all goes wrong in a messy court battle, for example, the limited company can simply cease trading. It&#8217;s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/acslaw-and-mediacat-completely-shut-down-both-their-businesses-110204/">happened before</a>. </p>
<p>The tactic is being employed by at least two sets of trolls and their partners in the UK. Golden Eye International, for example, is the front company acting for a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sky-users-receive-porn-piracy-threats-in-time-for-christmas-151202/">number of porn copyright holders</a>. By troll standards their operation seems <em>relatively</em> straightforward, but the same cannot be said of TCYK.</p>
<p>TCYK stands for The Company You Keep, a Robert Redford film that&#8217;s being used as a money generator by TCYK LLC, a US-based outfit attempting to turn piracy into profit. They&#8217;ve just accused an <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/82-year-old-great-grandmother-is-a-pirate-trolls-say-160212/">82-year-old woman</a> of being a movie pirate, which prompted intervention from her <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/disgusted-member-of-parliament-intervenes-in-internet-piracy-case-160307/">&#8220;disgusted&#8221; local MP</a>.</p>
<p>However, instead of setting up in the UK themselves to chase alleged pirates themselves, TCYK employ the services of a company called Hatton and Berkeley. This is where things get messy.</p>
<p><a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08221539/officers">According to the UK government&#8217;s Companies House database</a>, the sole director of Hatton and Berkeley is a man called Paul Carter yet according to his various claims in the media and on <a href="http://www.robertcroucher.com/hatton-and-berkeley/">his website</a>, Robert Croucher says he is both managing director and owner.</p>
<p>In fact, according to public records Robert Croucher has never been listed as any kind of director of the company nor listed as having had any kind of shareholding. Croucher also claims to be personally based at 43, Berkeley Square in London while dozens of companies share the same address. It appears to be a virtual office.</p>
<p>Only complicating matters is that when alleged pirates receive &#8216;pay-up-or-else&#8217; letters from Hatton and Berkeley on behalf of TCYK LLC, they aren&#8217;t told to pay either.</p>
<p>Instead they are told to send money to a third company called <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/epcXEasG1fo30I_THfu8CbQf-7A/appointments">Ranger Bay Ltd</a>, a company operated by a Marcus Auton. A former Bank of America employee and experienced accountant, Auton makes no mention of his copyright troll links <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-auton-aca-bsc-8b129a6b">on his Linkedin profile</a> but TF has confirmed that his company is receiving money from suspected pirates.</p>
<p>Underlying the TCYK/Hatton and Berkeley/Ranger Bay operation are links with notorious copyright troll <a href="http://patrickachache.com/">Patrick Achache</a>, who is up to his neck in copyright litigation in the United States and elsewhere. Robert Croucher has made no secret of his affiliations with Achache, even <a href="http://www.hattonandberkeley.com/hatton-and-berkeley-news/2015/10/1/uk-anti-piracy-campaign">posing with him</a> for pictures <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-trolls-announce-uk-anti-piracy-invasion-151002/">while announcing</a> a copyright troll invasion of the UK last October.</p>
<p>There can be no doubt that these kinds operations are set up in a complex manner, with some believing the tiered structure is deployed as a defensive mechanism in case everything goes wrong via a failed court action, for example. Of course, that is denied by those involved but not everyone is so keen to accept that at face value.</p>
<p>One of the most persistent troll-watchers in the UK is known as Joe Hickster. He runs the <a href="https://acsbore.wordpress.com/">ACS Bore blog</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/acs_law_illegal">Twitter</a>) which was set up to undermine the activities of the now-defunct ACS:Law but has since expanded to cover any and all copyright troll-affiliated companies operating in the UK.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s no denying that Hickster is both persistent and at times abrasive, but he&#8217;s a man on a mission who feels it is his duty to help people wrongly accused by trolls. Indeed, Hickster is responsible for at least dozens (he doesn&#8217;t keep count) of people not paying companies like ACS:Law, GoldenEye and now Hatton and Berkeley/TCYK/Ranger Bay many tens (maybe hundreds) of thousands of pounds.</p>
<p>Now, however, things are getting messy. It began last year when Robert Croucher weighed in on a four year old <a href="http://whocallsme.com">discussion</a> on phone number database site WhoCallsMe about a company called Westone Business Services Ltd.</p>
<p>Westone (which has Hatton and Berkeley&#8217;s current director Paul Carter also listed as a <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06435428/officers">former director</a>) were being called out by reviewers as &#8220;scammers&#8221; who apparently took their money for business services and ran. Croucher stepped in with his opening lines.</p>
<p>&#8220;To whom it may concern, I am Robert Croucher. I have no affiliation to Mr Paul Carter,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>As previous highlighted, Companies House begs to differ. In fact, the government database indicates the pair having been involved in several companies together &#8211; <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/09373896/officers">here</a>, <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08005843/officers">here</a>, <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07800354/officers">here</a> and <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08219740/officers">here</a>.</p>
<p>All of this information came to the attention of Joe Hickster who stepped into the discussion on March 22 to add his opinion.</p>
<p>&#8220;Seems that CMI Business Group (t/a Hatton &#038; Berkeley) are really a Speculative Invoicing outfit, in association with the notorious Patrick Achache, who assisted ACS:LAW and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bad-publicity-forces-lawyers-out-of-anti-file-sharing-cases-100410/">Tilly Baily Irvine</a>, in their actions in sending thousands of letters to people in the UK demanding money for Pornography or other films and threatening to go to Court if they were not paid,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>From there things went quickly downhill. People can read the <a href="http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/02078314545/3">full exchange here</a> but in summary Hickster accused Croucher of being involved in a &#8220;smoke and mirrors&#8221; operation, Croucher took offense, and the gloves came off.</p>
<p>&#8220;Your previous accusations that Paul Carter is the owner and director of Hatton &#038; Berkeley is flawed, I would advise scrutiny over any of your research from hereon,&#8221; Croucher said.</p>
<p>Again, Companies House lists Paul Carter as Hatton and Berkeley&#8217;s sole director. Nevertheless, Croucher continued.</p>
<p>&#8220;Due to the nature of your defamatory and unsubstantiated remarks above, I shall be seeking legal action against you should this continue,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>The exchanges continued and then Croucher dropped the bombshell.</p>
<p>&#8220;You and others have been sending false and defamatory Tweets to myself and worryingly the more junior female members of my staff, this is being reported to the MET Police as it is continued harassment (see Malicious Communications Act 1988),&#8221; he told Hickster.</p>
<p>&#8220;I will be seeking that charges be brought against you should you not cease and desist from contacting myself, members of my staff or other officers of any of my operating companies.  This is being taken very seriously and I believe you are underestimating the impact of your actions.</p>
<p>&#8220;To summarise; Please stop contacting me, any of my staff and certainly any of my clients, should you continue I will ensure that you are put to maximum task with respect to issuing legal proceedings against you for ongoing harassment and defamation,&#8221; he warned.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak caught up with Joe Hickster who denied harassment.</p>
<p>&#8220;I would not DREAM of harassing, ANY innocent person, whether they are young woman or men or pensioners. I would obviously leave that in [Croucher&#8217;s] more than capable hands, he has more experience at doing that than I,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s not unusual for anti-troll activists to hold their battles in public, it&#8217;s quite extraordinary for their targets to duke it out on the Internet. Where this will go from here is anyone&#8217;s guess, but one thing is for certain. Robert Croucher&#8217;s business affairs (and those of the companies he&#8217;s involved with) seem far from straightforward and one way or another, with or without Joe Hickster, anti-troll activists in the UK remain intent on exposing them.</p>
<p>Robert Croucher did not immediately respond to TorrentFreak&#8217;s request for comment</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=OaaFjVqhwMk:Jj4snUJWLng:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=OaaFjVqhwMk:Jj4snUJWLng:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=OaaFjVqhwMk:Jj4snUJWLng:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/OaaFjVqhwMk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119655
title: Contra Piracy Targets Filesharers With Automated $250 ‘Fines’
uri: Contra-Piracy-Targets-Filesharers-With-Automated-250-Fines
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ebpcn9hhjaQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/23e49e12.contropiracy.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/contropiracy.jpg" alt="contropiracy" width="250" height="193" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119663">For more than two decades online piracy has been a widely debated topic in the entertainment industries.</p>
<p>This problem has motivated several companies to sue downloaders or <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-internet-providers-receive-1-1-million-piracy-settlements-per-week-140726/">target them</a> with takedown requests, which are sometimes bundled with settlement demands to extract some money in return.</p>
<p>In the United States and Canada a new player recently appeared on this front. The Swiss based outfit &#8220;<a href="http://contrapiracy.org/">Contra Piracy</a>&#8221; is targeting local Internet users with hefty fines for allegedly sharing pirated movies via BitTorrent. </p>
<p>The company operates in a network of law firms and anti-piracy tracking outfits such as Canipre and Logistep. The latter is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-monitors-banned-from-operating-in-home-country-100909/">banned</a> from tracking BitTorrent users in its home country, but has been very active abroad. </p>
<p>Contra Piracy is working with a variety of rightsholders and TorrentFreak has seen notices for several film titles including Anger Of The Dead and Turbo Kid. It&#8217;s also the first outfit to apply this scheme for games in North America, as shown by this settlement request for &#8220;<a href="media/6610ed3d.Dzzcydf.png" data-original-source="http://i.imgur.com/Dzzcydf.png">Metro: Last Light</a>.&#8221;</p>
<p>These notices are sent to ISPs who then forward them to their customers, often with the settlement demand included. Internet subscribers in the U.S. and Canada are among the targets, and with proposed settlements of several hundred dollars they are significantly more expensive than <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/warner-bros-inflate-tv-show-piracy-fines-by-33-150614/">competitors</a> such as Rightscorp.</p>
<p><center><strong>Settlement Request</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/c96e8d5d.contra-settlement.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/contra-settlement.jpg" alt="contra-settlement" width="600" height="289" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119666"></center></p>
<p>While it may appear otherwise, Contra Piracy uses DMCA or notice and takedown emails in order to contact subscribers via their ISPs. This is an easy way to get the settlement requests to thousands of alleged pirates at minimal cost but it also means that they don&#8217;t know who the subscriber is. </p>
<p>While copyright holders certainly have the right to protect their works, the Contra Piracy operation seems to be rather sloppy. </p>
<p>The company&#8217;s website is littered with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, which becomes apparent from the following <a href="media/3e017764.spelling.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spelling.png">quote</a> taken from their questions section. </p>
<p>&#8220;You accept all legal risk shoudl a cause of action be issued at a court of relevent jurisdiction. If a claim is issued against you, you will be required to defend that action abd you may become subject to payment of attorney fees and costs associated through poursuit of civil enforcement.&#8221;</p>
<p>In addition, the settlement notices are sometimes sent months after the actual infringement took place. For example, a notice received last week lists a file that was allegedly pirated last September, which means that some ISPs will not be able to link the IP-address to a customer.</p>
<p>Finally, Contra Piracy appears to invest very little effort in gaining credibility. The company produced a video advertising how piracy may devastate the livelihoods of filmmakers. Judging from the video below, Contra Piracy itself is low on creative resources too.  </p>
<p><center><strong>Contra Piracy Promo&#8230;</strong><br></br></center><center><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/qNUnxUWLoMs?rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Still, the company probably generates enough income to continue its operation in the U.S. and Canada. With a minimal investment, they are able to rake in substantial revenue. </p>
<p>Contra Piracy isn&#8217;t completely unknown to torrenting pirates in America. The same outfit was previously involved in a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/2919-movie-pirates-walk-free-as-bittorrent-trolling-scheme-falls-apart-130802/">classic copyright trolling case</a> which was thrown out of court. </p>
<p>With the new scheme this is no longer a problem, as the takedown notice approach helps them to bypass the judicial system.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ebpcn9hhjaQ:j1qHRxHbpHc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ebpcn9hhjaQ:j1qHRxHbpHc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=ebpcn9hhjaQ:j1qHRxHbpHc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/ebpcn9hhjaQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120297
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 04/04/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-04-04-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Jow5jP_xKa4/
content:
<p><img src="media/754386d2.starwars-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/starwars-logo.jpg" alt="starwars-logo" width="180" height="121" class="alignright size-full wp-image-114787"></p>
<p><img src="media/5ad3d3bd.starw.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/starw.jpg" alt="starw" width="300" height="179" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119962">This week we have two newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the most downloaded movie for the second week in a row.</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-032816/">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>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_vii_the_force_awakens/">Star Wars: The Force Awakens</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Deadpool</a> (HDrip subbed) </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>3</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a> (Cam/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>4</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_revenant_2015/">The Revenant</a> (Web-DL) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ice_age_the_great_egg_scapade/">Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade</a> (Web-DL)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5480340/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pYrMX6py-w">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hail_caesar_2016/">Hail Caesar!</a> (Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475290/">6.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMUUKtF_BF0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda_3/">Kung Fu Panda 3</a> (Web-DL)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267968/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGPPfZIvtCw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/771436221/">Pandemic</a> (Web-DL)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3774802/">4.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SllHJHiSwpo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hateful_eight/">The Hateful Eight</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3460252">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fifth_wave/">The 5th Wave</a> (HDrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304933/">5.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmxLybfGNC4">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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Jow5jP_xKa4:3ysy8PdB3qI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Jow5jP_xKa4:3ysy8PdB3qI:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Jow5jP_xKa4:3ysy8PdB3qI:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Jow5jP_xKa4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120305
title: Aussie Pirates Have Another Year Not to Worry About Warnings
uri: Aussie-Pirates-Have-Another-Year-Not-to-Worry-About-Warnings
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/7DB-TFDoohA/
content:
<p><a href="media/c5e87d4f.aus.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-96798"><img src="media/dbb74c88.aus.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg" alt="aus" width="250" height="159" class="alignright size-full wp-image-96798"></a>Fueled by poor official content availability and unfair pricing, millions of Aussie citizens have turned to unauthorized channels to get their content fix, mainly via torrent and streaming sites.</p>
<p>As a result and after being stirred up largely by Hollywood in the United States, two anti-piracy strategies have emerged. The first involves local ISPs being ordered to block The Pirate Bay and similar sites.</p>
<p>The second is a “three strikes” style warning scheme that would see regular Internet users being monitored by anti-piracy companies and then sent escalating warning notices by their respective ISPs. The idea is that after receiving several these warnings, Internet subscribers will eventually change their ways.</p>
<p>But while site blocking is currently full-steam ahead with The Pirate Bay, Torrentz, isoHunt, TorrentHound and SolarMovie <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-pirate-bay-blocking-process-begins-in-federal-court-160315/">being targeted</a> in Federal Court, negotiations over the warning scheme have labored for years and yielded few results.</p>
<p>In February it was revealed that three-strikes (or graduated response as its often known) would not be immediately going ahead. As has been the case for years, rightsholders and ISPs simply <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-site-blocking-imminent-but-three-strikes-abandoned-160218/">couldn&#8217;t agree</a> over who would pay for what was clearly going to be an expensive system.</p>
<p>This raises the somewhat extraordinary situation that having pleaded with the Australian government for &#8220;three strikes&#8221;, having submitted <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-isps-advocate-three-strikes-solution-to-piracy-150220/">a draft</a> to the Australian Communications and Media Authority a year ago, and having missed the government-mandated deadline for implementation last September 1, rightsholders and ISPs are now having to lobby the government to put it on hold.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.itnews.com.au/news/australian-piracy-code-could-reappear-in-12-months-417730">ITNews</a>, earlier today Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton told the CommsDay summit that rightsholders and ISPs were working on a joint approach to the government to ask for the &#8220;three strikes&#8221; scheme to be suspended for another 12 months.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The plan is to say] &#8216;given that the focus is on website blocking at the moment, let&#8217;s put that draft code into abeyance and not have the [Australian Communications and Media Authority] seek to further examine it for possible registration, and we&#8217;ll come back in 12 months and see whether it makes sense to try and reinvigorate those commercial discussions&#8217;,&#8221; Stanton says.</p>
<p>Stanton&#8217;s statement is clearly trying to focus on the potential gains to be had via a site-blocking regime but discussions on &#8220;three strikes&#8221; preceded blocking plans by several years and have always been favored by rightsholders. Indeed, even in countries where blocking is already in place, moves to bring in warning notices have continued unabated. But, as always, the real issue revolves around who will pay.</p>
<p>&#8220;Hopefully [the suspension] will give us at least a good holding position, and we&#8217;ll see in a year&#8217;s time whether there really is a problem of scale that needs to be dealt with by a costly and complex scheme,&#8221; Stanton explains.</p>
<p>The problem has always been about costs. Rightsholders strongly believe that ISPs should pay a large proportion of the scheme but that position is rarely supported by the ISPs themselves. Even in countries where notice schemes are going ahead, limits on the numbers of notices are often put in place. Which, given the projected cost in Australia, wouldn&#8217;t necessarily be a bad thing.</p>
<p>“At the moment, [the warning system] is manual,” Village Roadshow co-chief executive Graham Burke said in February. “And it’s just so labor intense, that it’s somewhere in the vicinity of $16 to $20 per notice, which is prohibitive. You might as well give people a DVD.”</p>
<p>Reading between the lines it seems possible that rightsholders and ISPs will seek to come up with a more cost-effective automated system during the next year. The agreement to have some kind of system is now in place but it will all rest on the price tag. If that can be brought down to a few cents per warning then it will be all systems go.</p>
<p>In the meantime, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dallas-buyers-club-gives-up-chasing-pirates-in-australia-160210/">troll activity</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/australian-movie-giant-considering-legal-action-against-pirates-160311/">plans by Village Roadshow</a> to take a few people court not withstanding, Australians appear to have at least another year of trouble-free downloading &#8211; if they can get round the site blocks.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7DB-TFDoohA:YygvA83uezc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7DB-TFDoohA:YygvA83uezc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=7DB-TFDoohA:YygvA83uezc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/7DB-TFDoohA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120303
title: Movie Studios Want to Copy Megaupload’s Servers
uri: Movie-Studios-Want-to-Copy-Megaupload-s-Servers
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/KbC_DiZkzyA/
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">Well over four years have passed since Megaupload was shutdown, but aside from Andrus Nomm&#8217;s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-programmer-sentenced-to-a-year-in-prison-150213/">plea deal</a> there has been little progress in U.S. proceedings. </p>
<p>Last December a New Zealand District Court judge ruled that Kim Dotcom and his colleagues <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-can-be-extradited-to-the-united-states-judge-rules-151223/">can be extradited</a> to the United States to face criminal charges. </p>
<p>This decision was quickly appealed by the defense and will be heard in August, so until then not much is expected to happen.  </p>
<p>But there&#8217;s more legal trouble for the defunct file-hosting service. In addition to the criminal case, Megaupload and Kim Dotcom are also battling civil lawsuits against the <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/now-the-riaa-sues-megaupload-for-massive-copyright-theft-140411/">major record labels</a> and Hollywood’s <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/movie-studios-demand-millions-megaupload-new-lawsuit-140408/">top movie studios</a>. </p>
<p>Fearing that they might influence criminal proceedings, Megaupload&#8217;s legal team previously managed to put these cases on hold, with permission from the copyright holders. However, when Megaupload&#8217;s counsel recently opted for another stay pending the extradition appeal, the movie studios objected.</p>
<p>In a new motion filed at a federal court in Virginia, Megaupload&#8217;s lawyers inform the court that the studios will only agree to the stay if they can get a copy of Megaupload&#8217;s data at Cogent Communications. </p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiffs indicated they would not consent unless Defendants agreed to allow Plaintiffs to immediately serve a subpoena on a third-party, Cogent Communications, to obtain a mirrored copy of Megaupload’s users’ data cached on servers Megaupload had leased from Cogent,&#8221; they write (<a href="media/cc83d33e.mega-server.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mega-server.pdf">pdf</a>).</p>
<p>Cogent was one of the companies where Megaupload stored its servers. While the original machines are no longer intact, the company has backed up all data which it will keep in storage pending the various lawsuits. </p>
<p>The Hollywood studios now argue that they “would prefer” to have a copy of the cached data as well, but this is something Megaupload has strong legal objections to. </p>
<p>&#8220;The cached data belongs to Megaupload’s users. Megaupload was an ISP to its users, who entrusted it with their data, and, by federal statute, Megaupload has certain legal obligations to its users, including confidentiality and privacy,&#8221; Megaupload&#8217;s legal team writes.  </p>
<p>&#8220;As Megaupload explained to Plaintiffs in a lengthy meet-and-confer email, that there are numerous issues and legal risks  implicated by Plaintiffs’ proposal to serve a subpoena on Cogent to obtain a mirrored copy of the cached user data,&#8221; they add. </p>
<p>Both sides discussed the matter in detail but were unable to come to an agreement they would feel comfortable with. Megaupload nonetheless, asks the court to freeze the case for another six-months.</p>
<p>If the court would find it appropriate that someone else other than Cogent gets access to the data, they believe that Megaupload would be the best suited party for this.</p>
<p>The movie studios are expected to submit their objection to the request and ask for a subpoena to copy Megaupload&#8217;s data at Cogent. A hearing on the renewed request for a stay is scheduled for later this month.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=KbC_DiZkzyA:EaVzDK27CEc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=KbC_DiZkzyA:EaVzDK27CEc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=KbC_DiZkzyA:EaVzDK27CEc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/KbC_DiZkzyA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120295
title: WordPress Wants Statutory Damages for DMCA Abuse
uri: WordPress-Wants-Statutory-Damages-for-DMCA-Abuse
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qm-Ik6zsOTA/
content:
<p><a href="media/2968396f.wordpress.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/wordpress.png" rel="attachment wp-att-89669"><img src="media/d1ce434a.wordpress.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wordpress.png" alt="wordpress" width="222" height="222" class="alignright size-full wp-image-89669" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wordpress-150x150.png 150w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/wordpress.png 222w" sizes="(max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px"></a><a href="https://automattic.com/">Automattic</a>, the company behind the popular WordPress.com blogging platform, receives <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/wordpress-rejects-43-of-all-piracy-takedown-notices-150726/">thousands</a> of takedown requests from rightsholders every year.</p>
<p>A substantial percentage of these notices contain inaccuracies and several are clearly fraudulent or abusive. </p>
<p>The company highlights some of the worst offenders in its &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/wordpress-adds-subaru-to-takedown-hall-of-shame-150908/">Hall of Shame</a>&#8221; and has also sued <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/wordpress-wins-25000-from-dmca-takedown-abuser-150305/">takedown abusers</a> in the past. </p>
<p>In a recent submission to the U.S. Copyright Office, Automattic&#8217;s General counsel Paul Sieminski explains that &#8220;enforcement robots&#8221; and the lack of human review are in part to blame for many of the inaccurate notices.</p>
<p>&#8220;While we recognize that the use of automated tools may be necessary with respect to some types of infringement on some types of websites, personal blogs are not the proper targets for enforcement robots.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;Copyright holders have an obligation to consider fair use before sending a takedown notice, and robots simply cannot tell fair use from foul in any but the most obvious circumstances,&#8221; Sieminski adds. </p>
<p>Automattic does its best to comply with the DMCA but the company believes that more should be done to prevent this type of behavior in the future. The current regulations are not sufficient to deter the fraudulent and abusive, the company argues. </p>
<p>Among other changes, the company suggests the addition of statutory damages for DMCA takedown abuse, so the worst offenders can be punished appropriately. </p>
<p>With statutory damages, companies who are victims of DMCA abuse would no longer have to prove actual monetary harm. Instead, the law will prescribe a fixed damages amount.</p>
<p>&#8220;Damages from abusive notices of claimed infringement can sometimes be difficult to quantify. Thus, in order to further the goals of compensation and deterrence, statutory damages for abusive notices of claimed infringement and abusive counter notifications could be added either to section 504 or to section 1203.&#8221;</p>
<p>In addition, WordPress.com&#8217;s parent company suggests the introduction of bonds, as is common in other parts of the legal system. This would mean that copyright holders have something concrete to lose when they make false statements.</p>
<p>&#8220;Such a bond may be the only way to ensure that those who cause damage via misrepresentations are called to account for their misdeeds,&#8221; Sieminski writes. </p>
<p>Automattic&#8217;s comments (<a href="media/e1fe0bef.Automattic-Inc-512-NOI-Comments.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Automattic-Inc-512-NOI-Comments.pdf">pdf</a>) were submitted as part of the Government&#8217;s public consultation to evaluate the effectiveness of the DMCA’s Safe Harbor provisions. The U.S. Copyright Office will use the feedback to evaluate whether the DMCA law should be reformed in the 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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=qm-Ik6zsOTA:wv4BKyta2Lg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=qm-Ik6zsOTA:wv4BKyta2Lg:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=qm-Ik6zsOTA:wv4BKyta2Lg:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/qm-Ik6zsOTA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120345
title: Panama Papers: Pirates Prepare to Takeover Iceland
uri: Panama-Papers-Pirates-Prepare-to-Takeover-Iceland
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/_sFwrITF_eE/
content:
<p><img src="media/d8b2542b.pirate-ice.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-ice.jpg" width="180" height="160" class="alignright">From August 2015, an anonymous source began leaking around 11.5 million secret documents created by the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca to German news outlet Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ). </p>
<p>Comprised of documents created since the 1970s, the 2.6 terabytes of data (known as the <a href="http://panamapapers.sueddeutsche.de/articles/56febff0a1bb8d3c3495adf4/">Panama Papers</a>) shine light on 214,000 anonymous offshore companies located around the world, often setup to hide their owners&#8217; identities and business dealings.</p>
<p>&#8220;The data provides rare insights into a world that can only exist in the shadows. It proves how a global industry led by major banks, legal firms, and asset management companies secretly manages the estates of the world’s rich and famous: from politicians, Fifa officials, fraudsters and drug smugglers, to celebrities and professional athletes,&#8221; SZ writes.</p>
<p>One of the individuals now mired in controversy is Prime Minister of Iceland Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson. Leaks from the Panama Papers show that the 41-year-old and now wife Anna Sigurlaug Pálsdóttir owned an offshore that held millions of dollars in bonds during the country&#8217;s financial crisis.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/03/iceland-pm-calls-snap-election-offshore-revelations">The Guardian</a>, the papers show that Gunnlaugsson co-owned a company called Wintris Inc, set up in 2007 in the British Virgin Islands to handle investments with his partner.</p>
<p>Gunnlaugsson is said to have owned a 50% stake in Wintris for more than two years, which was later transferred to his wife who held the other 50%. However, while Gunnlaugsson was still a Wintris shareholder he was elected to parliament as leader of the Progressive Party. He never declared his Wintris shares on Iceland&#8217;s register of MPs’ financial interests as required.</p>
<p>Yesterday Gunnlaugsson walked out of an extremely awkward interview (below) and is now facing calls to hold a snap general election.</p>
<p><center><iframe src="https://embed.theguardian.com/embed/video/world/video/2016/apr/03/icelands-prime-minister-walks-out-of-interview-over-tax-haven-question-video" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>If an election does in indeed go ahead, Icelandic politics will be on a knife edge. Last Friday Gallup published the results of its <a href="http://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/politics_and_society/2016/04/01/pirates_still_ruling_the_roost_in_iceland/">latest poll</a> and it shows that the leading political force in Iceland is the Pirate Party.</p>
<p>As the chart clearly shows, not only is the Pirate Party way ahead of its nearest rival, but it&#8217;s also polling just ahead of the combined Independence Party/Progressive Party coalition government &#8211; and this was the position <em>before</em> the Panama leaks controversy.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/0bdd854f.iceland-poll.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/iceland-poll.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120353"><img src="media/0bdd854f.iceland-poll.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/iceland-poll.png" alt="iceland-poll" width="600" height="345" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120353"></a></center></p>
<p>For a country that relies on coalition governments this is a pretty big deal and for the local Pirate Party the achievement is nothing less than astonishing. In 2013 (and after just a few months of existence) the party achieved 5.1% of the vote and entered national government with three Members of Parliament.</p>
<p>It is now looking at the possibility of a much bigger prize with Pirate MP and spokesperson Birgitta Jónsdóttir noting that the party is prepared.</p>
<p>&#8220;In these strange times anything is possible,” she <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/panama-papers-icelands-pirate-party-ready-to-lead-a6967941.html">says</a>.</p>
<p>“It’s a really liquid situation. But, of course, if it happens we are ready. We have been asked time and time again since we scored so high in the polls. We are ready.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jónsdóttir says she feels that Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson won&#8217;t step down and during a live TV broadcast yesterday he confirmed as much, stating that the Panama Papers contained &#8220;nothing new&#8221; about his and his wife&#8217;s business affairs.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, this storm is far from over. With the revelation that the Prime Minister&#8217;s finance minister and interior minister also had stakes in offshore companies, thousands of people protested outside Iceland’s Parliament last evening calling for the government to step down. </p>
<p>Only time will tell how this situation will play out, but the prospect of a Pirate-led coalition government is both intriguing and unprecedented.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qMT2zZcvIi8" 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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=_sFwrITF_eE:WWmyUzmvj10:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=_sFwrITF_eE:WWmyUzmvj10:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=_sFwrITF_eE:WWmyUzmvj10:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/_sFwrITF_eE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120347
title: Panama Papers Endanger Anonymity of ‘Pirate’ Sites
uri: Panama-Papers-Endanger-Anonymity-of-Pirate-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-hSWqrh2tyE/
content:
<p><a href="media/29219ba9.megaupload-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/megaupload-logo.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-95191"><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"></a>This weekend an unprecedented database of over 11 million files leaked from Mossack Fonseca, the world&#8217;s largest offshore law firm. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://panamapapers.icij.org/">database</a> was initially leaked to the German newspaper <a href="http://panamapapers.sueddeutsche.de/articles/56febff0a1bb8d3c3495adf4/">Süddeutsche Zeitung</a> by an anonymous source. The newspaper then shared it which the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), who involved hundreds of journalists around the world.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Papers#Contents">reporting</a> thus far has mainly focused on how some of the wealthiest people in the world used offshore companies to launder money and avoid tax. However, Mossack Fonseca is also frequently used as a privacy tool. </p>
<p>This explains why the names of two former Megaupload employees appear in the Panama Papers. As reported by <a href="http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/38754/Panama-Papers/article/detail/4275653/2016/04/05/Welke-Nederlanders-hebben-bedrijven-in-belastingparadijzen.dhtml">Trouw</a>, early 2010 Dutch programmer Bram Van der Kolk and Slovak designer Julius Bencko started a an offshore company with help from Mossack Fonseca.</p>
<p>Van der Kolk and Bencko are both wanted by the U.S. Government for their involvement with Megaupload. However, their British Virgin Islands-based company &#8220;Easy Focus Technology Limited&#8221; had nothing to do with the defunct file-sharing service. </p>
<p>In fact, Van der Kolk says that the reason to use an offshore company was to remain anonymous and hide their ties to Megaupload. </p>
<p>&#8220;The British Virgin Islands are for companies what Mega is for files: privacy, at least as long as the information does not leak from the trust office!&#8221; Van der Kolk says.</p>
<p>The pair didn&#8217;t want Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom to know about their side-project, as he might have objected to it. Nothing more than that. </p>
<p>&#8220;Not so much because our project was competing with Megaupload or that we could thus spend less time on Megaupload. More because Kim would never allow it in principle, and it would lead directly to an unnecessary escalation.&#8221; </p>
<p>This anonymity aspect is also crucial for a lot of names that appear in the Panama Papers. For example, many &#8220;pirate&#8221; sites use offshore companies to keep the owners out of the public view. This may help to avoid legal issues, for example.  </p>
<p>This is believed to be one of the main reasons why several torrent sites, pirate streaming services and file-hosting companies are located in the British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Jersey, Panama and the Seychelles.</p>
<p>The Pirate Bay&#8217;s &#8220;parent company&#8221; Reservella, for example, is reportedly incorporated in the Seychelles. In fact, during a lawsuit in the Netherlands anti-piracy group BREIN showed evidence (<a href="media/780e673f.experian-report-reservella.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/experian-report-reservella.pdf">pdf</a>) listing Mossack Fonseca as Reservella&#8217;s registered agent.</p>
<p>Interestingly, Mossack Fonseca denied that they had anything to do with the company (<a href="media/83231e1d.fax-mossack-fonseca.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fax-mossack-fonseca.pdf">pdf</a>), suggesting that the report BREIN produced may have been <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fabricated-anti-pirate-bay-evidence-leaks-onto-091011/">fabricated</a>. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke with several Pirate Bay insiders who confirm that Reservella should not appear in the Panama Papers, nor do they expect any other TPB-info to turn up from the leaked documents.</p>
<p>Still, the privacy element will certainly have several other &#8220;pirate&#8221; sites worried that their owners may be exposed in the future. Thus far no public directory of names and companies have been released, but if that happens there is bound to be more panic.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=-hSWqrh2tyE:KM7Ilel0ci0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=-hSWqrh2tyE:KM7Ilel0ci0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=-hSWqrh2tyE:KM7Ilel0ci0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/-hSWqrh2tyE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120408
title: Geo-Blocking Madness Highlighted by Hidden Camera Stunt
uri: Geo-Blocking-Madness-Highlighted-by-Hidden-Camera-Stunt
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Ocv9VGI3zuk/
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>Anyone who has spent any significant amount of time on the Internet will be familiar with the practice of geo-blocking.</p>
<p>In one of its most visible forms Internet users are told by YouTube that the video they&#8217;re trying to access contains content from &#8216;company x&#8217;&#8230;&#8221;who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.&#8221;</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a major irritant that most people simply cannot (and really shouldn&#8217;t have to) get their heads around. After all, the content is there to be enjoyed yet someone, somewhere, has chosen to flick the off-switch purely based on a consumer&#8217;s IP address. A ring-fenced Internet is not what most people want when they jump online.</p>
<p>Yet while people get angry at content providers who do everything in their power to lock movies and TV shows to a particular region, those same providers are also suffering at their own hands.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s little doubt that product &#8216;windowing&#8217; is one of the causes of Internet piracy, with citizens of one country deemed more worthy than others when it comes to release dates. And one only has to look at the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tens-of-thousands-protest-netflixs-vpn-blockade-160226/">recent crackdown</a> on people accessing Netflix with a VPN to see that more than ever, rightsholders are determined to enforce their territorial practices.</p>
<p>For the 508 million citizens of the EU, this kind of behavior seems particularly unacceptable. Alongside the free movement of people and the ease of doing cross-border trade, people are still ring-fenced in respect of the digital content they can buy or rent online. That kind of behavior is increasingly being viewed as unacceptable and a new push from the part EU-funded European Consumer Organization (<a href="http://www.beuc.eu/">BEUC</a>) aims to do something about it.</p>
<p>&#8220;It happens unfortunately in great recurrence that consumers find that they cannot watch films or sport events online if they are on a foreign site, or they find that they are prevented from ordering a product from another Member State or must pay higher prices for a service abroad because their access has been blocked,&#8221; BEUC explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is because companies &#8216;geo-block&#8217; their services and offers. That is to say they erect artificial barriers to prevent consumers in other European Union countries accessing their services.&#8221;</p>
<p>It makes for somewhat uncomfortable viewing, but a new &#8216;hidden camera&#8217; video published by BEUC highlights just how ridiculous that kind of discrimination would appear in the physical world. Carried out person to person, &#8216;geo-blocking&#8217; really is quite offensive.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WbiacSD13qk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>&#8220;We believe discriminatory territorial practices should stop and we ask the EU to do two things,&#8221; BEUC says.</p>
<p>&#8220;First, consumers should be allowed to access content such as sport events, music streams, movies and TV programs from any provider in the EU. This would curb piracy (accessing the content from unauthorized sources) and help all consumers to enjoy Europe’s cultural diversity. Secondly, the rules preventing discrimination on the basis a consumer’s place of residence when selling goods or services need to be sharpened.&#8221;</p>
<p>The push from BEUC and its <a href="http://www.beuc.eu/beuc-network/members">40 consumer organization members</a> is timely. Last month <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/68-of-digital-content-providers-geo-block-in-the-eu-160321/">initial findings</a> published as a result of the EU Commission&#8217;s e-commerce antitrust inquiry revealed widespread content blocking across the European Union.</p>
<p>A significant 68% of digital content providers reported blocking consumers located in other EU countries, with almost three-quarters of suppliers in the fiction TV, films and sports sectors admitting that they engage in contractual geo-blocking.</p>
<p>Overall, BEUC&#8217;s calls will fall on sympathetic ears. Last year the European Commission adopted a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/europe-will-abolish-geo-blocking-and-other-copyright-restrictions-150506/">Digital Single Market Strategy</a> which among other things aims “to end unjustified geo-blocking,” which it described as “a discriminatory practice used for commercial reasons.”</p>
<p>Bread, pastry and coffee blocking isn&#8217;t expected to expand anytime soon but the EU probably has a battle on its hands to end the practice in the digital domain.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Ocv9VGI3zuk:8nbqYzW7744:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Ocv9VGI3zuk:8nbqYzW7744:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Ocv9VGI3zuk:8nbqYzW7744:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Ocv9VGI3zuk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120377
title: Steam Censors Pirate Bay Links in Chat Client
uri: Steam-Censors-Pirate-Bay-Links-in-Chat-Client
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/sis5B7_27JM/
content:
<p><a href="media/9522058c.steam.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/steam.png" rel="attachment wp-att-101241"><img src="media/32f916cb.steam.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/steam.png" alt="steam" width="238" height="174" class="alignright size-full wp-image-101241"></a>With millions of active users <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/">Steam</a> is not just a game distribution platform, but also a social network and a communication tool.</p>
<p>Many people use Steam’s instant messaging tool for chats with friends. About games of course, but also about lots of other stuff.</p>
<p>Interestingly, it appears that Steam doesn’t want its users to mention certain topics, piracy included. When one user tried to post a link to the notorious torrent site The Pirate Bay this week, Steam actively censored the message.</p>
<p>Instead of the link the user on the other end saw {LINK REMOVED} in the chat window, as illustrated below.</p>
<p>TF tested some more domains to check if this was merely a one-off incident. We discovered that the same also happens to another torrent site, Torrentz, while the URL of the KickassTorrents website comes through without any issues.</p>
<p><center><strong>{LINK REMOVED}</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/c2090f47.steamtpbb.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/steamtpbb.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-120414"><img src="media/c2090f47.steamtpbb.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/steamtpbb.jpg" alt="steamtpbb" width="477" height="375" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120414"></a></center></p>
<p>The screenshot below shows what the same conversation looks like from the other side. </p>
<p>Please note that the sender of a censored URL doesn&#8217;t get any notification that their link has been censored &#8211; only the receiving party sees the &#8220;link removed&#8221; mention.</p>
<p><center><strong>Same conversation from the other side</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/f2837ddd.tpbsteamothers.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpbsteamothers.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-120410"><img src="media/f2837ddd.tpbsteamothers.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpbsteamothers.jpg" alt="tpbsteamothers" width="387" height="237" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120410"></a></center></p>
<p>Further tests showed that in addition to The Pirate Bay and Torrentz, links to the file-hosting service 4shared are also being removed from Steam conversations.</p>
<p>It’s unclear why Steam is censoring these particular links. TorrentFreak contacted Valve to find out more about the disappearing chats, but at the time of publication we have yet to receive a response.</p>
<p>Since all the censored sites are frequently associated with copyright infringement, it could be that piracy concerns are among the reasons for the links being censored. However, Steam is also known to remove certain URLs to prevent malware and viruses from spreading.</p>
<p>What&#8217;s perhaps even more worrying than a link or two being removed, is that Steam is actively monitoring everything that&#8217;s said in private conversations between users. This is also reflected in the privacy policy.</p>
<p>&#8220;Any information that is disclosed in chat, forums or bulletin boards should be considered public information,&#8221; Steam&#8217;s <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/">agreement</a> reads.</p>
<p>This is not the first time that Steam&#8217;s link removal policy has been brought up. Previously we <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/steam-censors-kickass-mentions-chat-client-150214/">reported</a> that chats mentioning the old Kickasstorrents domain Kickass.to, were also removed from chats.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=sis5B7_27JM:6ZTYinExQCk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=sis5B7_27JM:6ZTYinExQCk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=sis5B7_27JM:6ZTYinExQCk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/sis5B7_27JM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120298
title: Linking to Pirated Content Is Not Copyright Infringement, Says EU Court Adviser
uri: Linking-to-Pirated-Content-Is-Not-Copyright-Infringement-Says-EU-Cour
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/tDnlxjXQz2g/
content:
<p><img src="media/df753675.http-link-hyperlink.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/http-link-hyperlink.jpg" alt="http-link-hyperlink" width="250" height="198" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120483">One of the key roles of the EU’s Court of Justice is to interpret European law to ensure that it’s applied in the same manner across all member states.</p>
<p>The Court is also called upon by national courts to clarify finer points of EU law to progress local cases with Europe-wide implications.</p>
<p>In recent years the Court was called upon to rule on several cases related to hyperlinking, in an effort to established whether links to other websites can be seen as copyright infringement. </p>
<p>Previously, it ruled that links to copyrighted works are <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hyperlinking-is-not-copyright-infringement-eu-court-rules-140213/">not infringing</a> if the copyright holder published them in public, and the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/embedding-copyright-infringement-eu-court-rules-141025/">same is true for embedding</a> copyrighted videos. </p>
<p>But what if a link points to content that is not authorized by the copyright holder? Would this still be allowed? According to EU Advocate General Melchior Wathelet, it is. </p>
<p>In an advisory opinion to the EU Court of Justice, which will issue a final ruling later, the Advocate General reviewed a dispute between the Dutch weblog GeenStijl.nl and Playboy. </p>
<p>In October 2011, GeenStijl.nl published a post linking to leaked Playboy photos, which were hosted on the file-hosting service FileFactory. </p>
<p>Playboy publisher Sanoma successfully requested the removal of the photos at the hosting service, but in response GeenStijl continued to link to other public sources where they were still available.</p>
<p>The Dutch Court asked the EU Court of Justice to rule whether these links can be seen as a ‘communication to the public’ under Article 3(1) of the Copyright Directive of the Copyright Directive, and whether they facilitate copyright infringement. </p>
<p>In <a href="http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&#038;docid=175626&#038;pageIndex=0&#038;doclang=EN&#038;mode=req&#038;dir=&#038;occ=first&#038;part=1&#038;cid=698833">his advice</a> today the Advocate General acknowledges that the hyperlinks facilitate the discovery of the copyrighted works, and make them more easily available. However, this isn&#8217;t copyright infringement. </p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;hyperlinks which lead, even directly, to protected works are not ‘making them available’ to the public when they are already freely accessible on another website, and only serve to facilitate their discovery,&#8221; the EU Court of Justice&#8217;s writes, commenting on the advice. </p>
<p>The Advocate General argues that &#8220;linking&#8221; is not the same as making the content available, which would apply to the original uploader. This means that GeenStijl&#8217;s actions can not be characterized as copyright infringement.</p>
<p>&#8220;The actual act of ‘making available’ is the action of the person who effected the initial communication. Consequently, hyperlinks which are placed on a website and which link to protected works that are freely accessible on another site cannot be classified as an ‘act of communication’ within the  meaning of the Directive.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;In fact, the intervention of the owner of the site which places the hyperlink, in this case GS Media, is not indispensable to the photos in question being made available to internet users, including those who visit GeenStijl’s website,&#8221; the Court clarifies. </p>
<p>The advice is a setup for a landmark ruling. However, the Court stresses that the advice only applies to this particular case. </p>
<p>Technically, most torrent sites including The Pirate Bay, mostly link to material that&#8217;s already available elsewhere. However, in these cases the general purpose of the site may also be taken into account. </p>
<p>That said, the advice is good news for news sites, bloggers and the general public, as incidentally linking to relevant copyrighted material should be allowed in most cases. </p>
<p>The Advocate General’s advice is not binding, but the European Court of Justice often uses such advice as the basis of its rulings. The final verdict is expected to be released later this year.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=tDnlxjXQz2g:tgfnc5H3CXc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=tDnlxjXQz2g:tgfnc5H3CXc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=tDnlxjXQz2g:tgfnc5H3CXc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/tDnlxjXQz2g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120473
title: WebTorrent Desktop Streams Torrents Beautifully
uri: WebTorrent-Desktop-Streams-Torrents-Beautifully
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/j6CRSSYju38/
content:
<p><a href="media/234421e0.wtd-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wtd-logo.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120511"><img src="media/234421e0.wtd-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wtd-logo.png" alt="wtd-logo" width="208" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120511"></a>Every day millions of Internet users fire up a desktop-based BitTorrent client to download and share everything from movies, TV shows and music, to the latest Linux distros.</p>
<p>Sharing of multimedia content is mostly achieved by use of a desktop client such as uTorrent, Vuze, qBitTorrent or <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/transmission-releases-long-awaited-bittorrent-client-for-windows-160327/">Transmission</a>, but thanks to Stanford University graduate Feross Aboukhadijeh, there is another way.</p>
<p>WebTorrent is a BitTorrent client for the web. Instead of using standalone applications like those listed above it allows people to share files directly from their browser, without having to install any additional software.</p>
<p>“WebTorrent is the first torrent client built for the web. It’s written completely in JavaScript – the language of the web – and uses WebRTC for true peer-to-peer transport. No browser plugin, extension, or installation is required,” Feross previously <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/webtorrent-brings-bittorrent-to-the-web-impresses-netflix-151213/">told TF</a>.</p>
<p>Such has been WebTorrent&#8217;s impact, even Netflix contacted Feross to discuss his technology, which could greatly benefit the streaming video service by reducing its bandwidth consumption. But while WebTorrent &#8220;for the web&#8221; continues its development, Feross has just unveiled his latest creation.</p>
<p>At first glance <a href="https://webtorrent.io/desktop">WebTorrent Desktop</a> (WDT) seems like a step back, in that it appears to move WebTorrent away from webpages and places it back in the desktop environment like a regular torrent client. However, what WDT does is provide a super smooth video streaming experience with a few really neat tricks up its sleeve.</p>
<p>Firstly, WTD looks nothing like any other torrent client. Its clean and straightforward interface is easily navigated and offers little in the way of configuration options or indeed clutter, which in this case is a good thing. The aim is to get the in-built player streaming video as quickly as possible and it achieves that with style.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/31eea00b.wtd-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wtd-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120506"><img src="media/31eea00b.wtd-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wtd-1.png" alt="wtd-1" width="600" height="573" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120506"></a></center></p>
<p>Torrents are added by using a .torrent file or by copy/pasting a magnet link and in a matter of seconds on a reasonably well-seeded torrent, videos can be played almost immediately. The in-built player is a basic affair but has all the necessary controls to navigate within a video. This is where WebTorrent Desktop excels.</p>
<p>Even without the whole video file being downloaded it&#8217;s possible to skip around on the timeline, with WDT fetching the appropriate pieces of the file on demand for almost instant playback. This makes skipping to the last few minutes of a movie or sporting event a breeze, for example.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/36839903.wtd-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wtd-3.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120504"><img src="media/36839903.wtd-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wtd-3.png" alt="wtd-3" width="600" height="290" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120504"></a></center></p>
<p>Also of interest to those who enjoy watching from the comfort of their armchair is the inclusion of AirPlay, Chromecast and DLNA support. WebTorrent Desktop found my network-connected TV as soon as it was switched on and playback was instantaneous.</p>
<p>But while streaming in various torrent clients has been possible for some time, WebTorrent Desktop has another neat feature up its sleeve. In addition to gathering peers via trackers, DHT and PEX, it also supports the WebTorrent protocol for connecting to WebRTC peers.</p>
<p>This enables the client to tap into a pool of additional peers such as those running WebTorrent in their browsers on <a href="https://instant.io/">Instant.io</a>. As the diagram below shows, WebTorrent Desktop acts as a bridge to bring these two sets of peers together.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/75a00cd3.wtd-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wtd-2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120502"><img src="media/75a00cd3.wtd-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wtd-2.png" alt="wtd-2" width="601" height="328" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120502"></a></center></p>
<p>Available for Windows, Mac and Linux, WebTorrent Desktop is both free and open source, with its source <a href="https://github.com/feross/webtorrent-desktop">available on Github</a>. It also has zero advertising and none of the bloatware associated with other clients available today.</p>
<p>The WebTorrent Desktop Beta can be downloaded <a href="https://webtorrent.io/desktop">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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=j6CRSSYju38:Zc8CPciN7vY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=j6CRSSYju38:Zc8CPciN7vY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=j6CRSSYju38:Zc8CPciN7vY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/j6CRSSYju38" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120547
title: UK Govt Issues Advice on Dealing With Copyright Trolls
uri: UK-Govt-Issues-Advice-on-Dealing-With-Copyright-Trolls
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ECUpsJ1oVkY/
content:
<p>In 2007, copyright trolls landed on UK shores. Targeting alleged downloaders of the video game <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youre-caught-downloading-dream-pinball-settle-now-or-go-broke/">Dream Pinball 3D</a>, more than 500 people received demands for cash in exchange for making imaginary court cases go away.</p>
<p>After <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/acslaw-and-mediacat-completely-shut-down-both-their-businesses-110204/">several disasters</a> at the turn of the decade, trolls are now back in the UK in force (<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sky-users-receive-porn-piracy-threats-in-time-for-christmas-151202/">1</a>,<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/82-year-old-great-grandmother-is-a-pirate-trolls-say-160212/">2</a>) with tuned-up business models designed to intimidate.</p>
<p>Instead of hiring lawyers who are open to scrutiny, they employ <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-troll-partner-threatens-to-report-blogger-to-the-police-160403/">middlemen</a> who cannot be investigated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. This leaves their targets with little protection, and a dilemma of whether to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/o2-be-customers-all-you-need-to-handle-a-ben-dover-file-sharing-letter-121204/">fight the trolls alone</a> or <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/received-a-piracy-letter-uk-solicitor-will-defend-you-for-free-150320/">hire a lawyer</a>.</p>
<p>Interestingly the UK government has now indicated an interest in these cases. In an advisory notice just published by the Intellectual Property Office, the government offers guidance on how copyright trolls operate and how people should handle them.</p>
<p><strong>Outlining the problem</strong></p>
<p>&#8220;You may have received a letter if the copyright owner believes someone has used your internet connection to download copyright protected material, such as a film, if the material was downloaded without their permission. For example from a file sharing website,&#8221; the IPO begins.</p>
<p>&#8220;Rights holders may seek compensation for the financial loss they have suffered. Companies such as Golden Eye, TCYK LLC and Mircom have taken action to get compensation in recent years.&#8221;</p>
<p>What all of these companies have in common is that when they correspond with the bill payer they insist that person must be either directly responsible for the infringement or must have had a hand in it. The Intellectual Property Office quite rightly points out that these assertions are not necessarily true.</p>
<p>&#8220;It’s important to understand that the copyright owner can only take action against the person who actually committed the infringement. This may not be you. Your internet service provider (ISP) can only provide them with details of the internet account holder. Who may not be the actual infringer,&#8221; the IPO notes.</p>
<p><strong>Government advice</strong></p>
<p>The first pointer provided by the government is for people not to bury their heads in the sand.</p>
<p>&#8220;Don’t ignore the letter. Even if you believe that you or anyone with access to your internet connection hasn’t downloaded the copyright protected material. You should respond, even if you request more time to seek advice before you provide a more detailed response,&#8221; the IPO says.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you didn’t know anything about the alleged copyright infringement check the letter is genuine. There are scams operating where letters are sent to try and gain compensation from you when you might not have to pay.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Checking with people who have access to your Internet</strong></p>
<p>At this point the IPO suggest that letter recipients should check with friends or family who have had access to their Internet.</p>
<p>&#8220;They may have downloaded or uploaded the copyright protected material. They may be responsible for the alleged infringement,&#8221; the IPO says.</p>
<p>While that may indeed be the case, there is no requirement of a bill payer to go around playing detective on behalf of copyright trolls. If these companies know who is guilty of the infringement they should say so up front. If they don&#8217;t they are simply on a fishing exercise and without using the same words, the government seems to agree.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is the responsibility of the copyright owner to prove who has committed the infringement. This may not be the internet account holder,&#8221; the IPO says.</p>
<p>In closing the Intellectual Property Office <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letters-alleging-online-copyright-infringement/letters-alleging-online-copyright-infringement">suggests</a> that letter recipients could contact Citizens Advice or speak with a solicitor. Those seeking to do the latter can speak with <a href="http://www.lawdit.co.uk/contact-us">Michael Coyle at Lawdit Solicitors</a> in Southampton who handles these cases for less than £100.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not clear why the government has suddenly taken an interest in the activities of copyright trolls in the UK, but the intervention of Ian Austin MP may have been factor. Austin says he was &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/disgusted-member-of-parliament-intervenes-in-internet-piracy-case-160307/">disgusted</a>&#8221; to hear that an 82-year-old woman had been accused of pirating a movie by troll outfit TCYK LLC. He vowed to raise the matter in Parliament.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ECUpsJ1oVkY:vy45oM516oE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/ECUpsJ1oVkY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120587
title: Steal This Show S01E08: Maybe Free Is Not The Future
uri: Steal-This-Show-S01E08-Maybe-Free-Is-Not-The-Future
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/TCIKYYiK7r0/
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>Featuring&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashwin_Navin">Ashwin Navin</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/person/david-harrison-2">Dave Harrison</a> &#8211; founders of BitTorent Inc., and currently CEO and CTO of <a href="http://engine.is">Samba TV</a> respectively. </p>
<p>We discuss <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/napster-founders-movie-plan-will-fuel-torrent-sites-theaters-say-160316/">Screening Room</a>, the founder of Napster&#8217;s plan to bring movies to your living room on release day; the BPI&#8217;s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bpi-hits-200-million-google-takedowns-calls-for-notice-and-stay-down-160324/">prodigious anti-piracy efforts</a> and why the future may doom them to failure; and the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-first-amendment-doesnt-protect-mpaas-secrets-160325/">ongoing war between Google and the MPAA</a>. </p>
<p>Finally, Ashwin and Dave share what they&#8217;ve learned since the early days of BitTorrent, hint at where things are headed in the world of online TV, point to a couple of interesting developments in the P2P world, and wonder if maybe free is not the future, after all. </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>Guests:</strong> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashwin_Navin">Ashwin Navin</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/person/david-harrison-2">Dave Harrison</a>.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="100%" height="180px" src="//stealthisshow.com/?lpe-frame=1&#038;lpe-season=1&#038;lpe-episode=8" 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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=TCIKYYiK7r0:d4FIapEQOGo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=TCIKYYiK7r0:d4FIapEQOGo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=TCIKYYiK7r0:d4FIapEQOGo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/TCIKYYiK7r0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120453
title: 38% of Young EU Internet Pirates See Nothing Wrong in Piracy
uri: 38-of-Young-EU-Internet-Pirates-See-Nothing-Wrong-in-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/m15UI5fgp7g/
content:
<p><a href="media/298c27c8.europe-flag.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/europe-flag.png" rel="attachment wp-att-79290"><img src="media/23e20654.europe-flag.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/europe-flag.png" alt="europe-flag" width="222" height="146" class="alignright size-full wp-image-79290"></a>In  2013 the European Union Intellectual Property Office (<a href="https://euipo.europa.eu">EUIPO</a>) through  the  European  Observatory  on  Infringements  of  Intellectual Property Rights commissioned a study titled “European Citizens and Intellectual Property: Perception, Awareness and Behavior.&#8221;</p>
<p>Among other things the survey found that young people are often skeptical of the value that intellectual property can bring to the economy. With that in mind EUIPO ordered a follow-up study among 15-24 year-olds in all 28 Member States, aiming to learn more about the way young people behave online and why they obtain content both legally and illegally. </p>
<p>The resulting report, Intellectual Property and Youth 2016, has just been published and it raises some interesting points, including that young people do not feel particularly well-informed about IP issues.</p>
<p><strong>Poorly informed</strong></p>
<p>&#8220;The report reveals that young European citizens feel there is a lack of information about IP that would help them understand the issues. They also say that the information that is available is not communicated effectively to their age group,&#8221; says EUIPO Executive Director António Campinos. </p>
<p>&#8220;These factors combine to produce an atmosphere of indifference so that many young people who have been brought up in this digital age do not care whether they infringe IP or not.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>One in four admit to piracy</strong></p>
<p>According to the study, one in four young people admitted to using illegal sources to access content during the previous 12 months. However, an impressive 81% of respondents said that they use legal sources for accessing online content, leaving a tiny percentage as self-confessed hardcore pirates.</p>
<p>&#8220;This means that only a minority (5%) solely uses illegal sources to access online content,&#8221; the report notes.</p>
<p>Overall, music was the most popular content downloaded or streamed by young people with 97% of respondents saying they do so from both legal and illegal sources. Just over half (56%) of young people said they use illegal sources to access music.</p>
<p>In contrast, 95% of respondents said they obtained movies and TV shows online in the preceding 12 months, with 85% admitting doing so intentionally from illegal sources.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/1bfb2725.EUIPO-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/EUIPO-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120459"><img src="media/1bfb2725.EUIPO-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/EUIPO-1.png" alt="EUIPO-1" width="600" height="180" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120459"></a></center></p>
<p><strong>Reasons for using pirate sources</strong></p>
<p>Of course, the big question is why these young people choose to act illegally. Perhaps unsurprisingly, two-thirds cited price as the main driver for obtaining content from pirate sources.</p>
<p>However, the second most important reason according to respondents is that they simply do not see anything wrong with piracy as long as it&#8217;s for personal use. A not insignificant 38% of young people hold this opinion. Interestingly, that number reduces to 28% among the subset who graduated from higher education.</p>
<p>From this point on, however, the reasons for using illegal sources relate mostly to service issues. Content being available more quickly was cited by 33%, closely followed by 31% who enjoyed not being forced to register for a service. An equal 30% enjoyed both the larger choice on pirate sites while finding media easier to discover and access.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/94a563e1.EUIPO-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/EUIPO-2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120462"><img src="media/94a563e1.EUIPO-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/EUIPO-2.png" alt="EUIPO-2" width="600" height="348" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120462"></a></center></p>
<p><strong>Reasons to stop being a pirate</strong></p>
<p>In keeping with the finding that price is a key motivator to commit piracy, the survey found that the number one reason (58%) for young people to stop using illegal sources would be the availability of affordable content from legal sources.</p>
<p>In second place with 36% came the risk of punishment, followed by personally having a bad experience on a pirate site. Just 18% said that consideration of the harms caused by piracy would be a factor in avoiding illegal sources.</p>
<p>&#8220;Amongst those in the focus groups who are aware that they are using illegal sources to access digital content, the potential loss of income that music or movie stars could suffer caused by their behavior, does not seem to make an impression,&#8221; the report concludes.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/8b6b362a.EUIPO-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/EUIPO-3.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120465"><img src="media/8b6b362a.EUIPO-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/EUIPO-3.png" alt="EUIPO-3" width="600" height="362" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120465"></a></center></p>
<p>While the survey&#8217;s findings <em>(<a href="media/e1afc382.IP_youth_scoreboard_study_en.pdf" data-original-source="https://euipo.europa.eu/tunnel-web/secure/webdav/guest/document_library/observatory/documents/IP_youth_scoreboard_study/IP_youth_scoreboard_study_en.pdf">pdf</a>)</em> suggest that there is an opportunity for the entertainment industries to gain ground with educational campaigns alongside the threat of some kind of punishment, nothing can trump available, affordable content presented in a convenient and timely manner.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=m15UI5fgp7g:Ud-qbhjh7Q0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=m15UI5fgp7g:Ud-qbhjh7Q0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=m15UI5fgp7g:Ud-qbhjh7Q0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/m15UI5fgp7g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120313
title: Pirates Frustrated After TV Release Groups Swap .MP4 for .MKV
uri: Pirates-Frustrated-After-TV-Release-Groups-Swap-MP4-for-MKV
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ivvDd0RAXCg/
content:
<p><img src="media/b9037aa7.crypirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/crypirate.jpg" alt="crypirate" width="200" height="274" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120440">While pirates may not appear to be the most organized people, the groups that make up the top of the piracy pyramid abide by <a href="https://scenerules.org/">strict rules</a>.</p>
<p>Every so often they agree on a new set of standards, which determine what a proper release should look like. Most recently, new changes were announced for TV show releases, and these are set to go into effect this coming weekend.</p>
<p>The new rules are announced in lengthy documents, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/images/nfo-tvx2642k16.txt">one for HD</a> and one <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/images/nfo-sdtvx2642k16.txt">for SD</a> TV-releases.</p>
<p>&#8220;Since the last revision of this document in 2012, TV-X264-SD has grown and become a major section that many people contribute to and depend on. This new revision aims to update the standards from 2012 to standards suitable for 2016 and the future,&#8221; the intro to the SD version reads. </p>
<p>The rules are intended for Scene groups only. These groups don&#8217;t share their work directly to the public, but between themselves on so-called &#8220;topsites&#8221;. However, most of the time their releases are also the source of TV-shows that end up being shared on public pirate sites.</p>
<p>This means that hundreds of million of people around the world will be affected by the changes, albeit indirectly. </p>
<p>For the most part the rules deal with technicalities regarding release formatting, tagging and various audio, subtitle and video settings. These changes are hardly noticeable to outsiders, except for the &#8220;container&#8221; part.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/632fec28.mkvcontainer.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mkvcontainer.png" alt="mkvcontainer" width="533" height="211" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120445"></center>    </p>
<p>Instead of using .MP4 as the file format, all releases will be .MKV moving forward. This is the <a href="https://www.matroska.org/">Matroska container</a> which has been the standard for HD releases in recent years.</p>
<p>Some groups have already made the switch over the past few days, causing confusion among BitTorrent users. </p>
<p>&#8220;SUDDENLY everything (well many things) is MKV instead of MP4,&#8221; one downloader writes, adding &#8220;There is no way a way a whole bunch of encoders woke up today and suddenly decided to use MKV instead of MP4. Does anybody have any idea Whats going on?&#8221;</p>
<p><img src="media/8b378cff.mkvlogo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mkvlogo.png" alt="mkvlogo" width="200" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120442"> Others complain about not being able to watch MKV files on their video players, or branding MKV as inferior.</p>
<p>&#8220;All I can figure is that since things were just fine the way they were, a couple of people decided to screw everything up for everyone else,&#8221; another frustrated TV fan notes.</p>
<p>Several P2P TV-distribution groups, which are not part of the Scene, were also taken by surprise. However, TorrentFreak is informed that they won&#8217;t convert their releases to MP4, as some people have recommended. </p>
<p>Instead, the ETTV group advises TV-show downloaders to convert the videos to MP4 themselves if they want, pointing them to the free <a href="http://www.videohelp.com/software/rebox.NET">Rebox tool</a> that can do this in a few seconds.</p>
<p>&#8220;SD tv shows will soon be released in mkv containers. If you&#8217;re an mp4 fan you can remux the mkv files to mp4 in 2 simple steps in less than 30 seconds with the app link below,&#8221; ETTV writes.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/3aa7a229.ETTVcomment.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ETTVcomment.png" alt="ETTVcomment" width="666" height="126" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120446"></center>    </p>
<p>Interestingly, there were also <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-pirates-go-nuts-after-tv-release-groups-dump-xvid-120303/">massive complaints in 2012</a> when the SD standards changed from .AVI to MP4. At the time some people were literally outraged, vowing to ban certain sites and groups. </p>
<p>Whether we will see a repeat of this backlash will become clear after April 10, when the rules go into effect.</p>
<p>This time around it may not be as bad. Many video players support the MKV format and a lot of downloaders were already familiar with it, since HD shows have been released this way for years.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ivvDd0RAXCg:ADtsvUO4H4o:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ivvDd0RAXCg:ADtsvUO4H4o:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=ivvDd0RAXCg:ADtsvUO4H4o:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/ivvDd0RAXCg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120380
title: BPI Buys Up ‘Pirate’ Domains To Foil Pro-Piracy Activists
uri: BPI-Buys-Up-Pirate-Domains-To-Foil-Pro-Piracy-Activists
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/YzN8pepAX7w/
content:
<p><a href="media/ec902f6c.bpi.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/bpi.png" rel="attachment wp-att-94190"><img src="media/cb62421b.bpi.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bpi.png" alt="bpi" width="222" height="106" class="alignright size-full wp-image-94190"></a>For many digital pirates the Internet is a playground, a place where they can do as they please without fear of retribution. While that assertion has become less valid as the years have progressed, acts of sharing defiance are still commonplace.</p>
<p>With the &#8216;War on Sharing&#8217; apparently impossible to win by force alone, various educational campaigns have been launched by the entertainment industries in the hope that pirates and would-be pirates will eventually see the error of their ways.</p>
<p>In the UK one such project from <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-anti-piracy-education-campaign-launched-quietly-151201/">Creative Content UK</a> is known as <a href="https://www.getitrightfromagenuinesite.org/">Get it Right From a Genuine Site</a>. While yet to achieve significant mainstream exposure, the overall campaign is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/creative-content-uk-aims-to-re-educate-book-pirates-160330/">head and shoulders</a> above the offensive and aggressive campaigns of years gone by.</p>
<p>Whether the millions being spent by the government will have the desired effect is unknown at this point, but those behind the campaign have already taken measures to ensure that it doesn&#8217;t get sabotaged.</p>
<p>UK music group BPI owns the GetitRightFromaGenuineSite.org domain but to be doubly sure there are no imposters the group has also bagged at least 17 others, including the .audio, .band, .biz, .com, .digital, .email, .foundation and .net variants.</p>
<p>TF discovered these domains while trawling through WHOIS records this week but it was more of a surprise to see that the BPI had also grabbed a bunch of &#8216;pirate&#8217; versions too. As can be seen below, the BPI has secured the opportunity for people to GetitRightFroma<strong>Pirate</strong>Site too.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/8d869c66.bpi-pirate-whois.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bpi-pirate-whois.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120538"><img src="media/8d869c66.bpi-pirate-whois.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bpi-pirate-whois.png" alt="bpi-pirate-whois" width="600" height="509" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120538"></a></center></p>
<p>Of course, the chances of the BPI turning its hand to torrent and streaming site promotion are somewhat slim so there must be an alternative reason for it securing not only this .com variant but also many, many more.</p>
<p>We spoke to the music group who confirmed that their intention was indeed preventing abuse of the &#8216;Get it Right&#8217; campaign.</p>
<p>&#8220;It’s standard practice to adopt in respect of brands or major campaigns or initiatives,&#8221; a BPI spokesperson said.</p>
<p>&#8220;It gives options should alternatives ever be required and also helps to reduce possible abuse.”</p>
<p><center><a href="media/8a4d3642.bpi-pirate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bpi-pirate.png" rel="attachment wp-att-120541"><img src="media/8a4d3642.bpi-pirate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bpi-pirate.png" alt="bpi-pirate" width="600" height="219" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120541"></a></center></p>
<p>The BPI&#8217;s strategy here is pretty sound as this kind of thing has happened in the past.</p>
<p>Perhaps most famously, aggressive Swedish anti-piracy outfit and Pirate Bay nemesis Antipiratbyran (Anti-Piracy Agency) was countered by equally notorious piracy activist group Piratbyran (Piracy Agency) <a href="http://piratbyran.org/">whose website</a> remains operational to this day.</p>
<p>But while a notional threat of sabotage remains in 2016, it seems much less likely today than it did several years ago. It&#8217;s true that millions of people are currently sharing content every day but the stunts carried out by activists during file-sharing&#8217;s golden years have largely disappeared.</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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=YzN8pepAX7w:Jz7EbfLUwXY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=YzN8pepAX7w:Jz7EbfLUwXY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=YzN8pepAX7w:Jz7EbfLUwXY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/YzN8pepAX7w" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=120405
title: Copyright Group Likens Massive DMCA Abuse Protests to “Zombie Apocalypse”
uri: Copyright-Group-Likens-Massive-DMCA-Abuse-Protests-to-Zombie-Apocal
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FoLGKp5vlwE/
content:
<p><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">In recent years there have been a lot of complaints about the current state of the DMCA takedown process.</p>
<p>To hear the growing concerns from all sides, the U.S. Copyright Office launched a public <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-govt-reviews-impact-and-efficacy-of-dmca-safe-harbor-160105/">consultation</a> in order to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the 1998 copyright law.</p>
<p>Just before the deadline expired last week, Fight for the Future (<a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/">FFTF</a>) and popular YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiH828EtgQjTyNIMH6YiOSw">ChannelAwesome</a> decided to join in. They launched a <a href="https://www.takedownabuse.org/">campaign</a> through which people could protest DMCA abuse, triggering over 90,000 responses in less than 24 hours. </p>
<p>The public interest was so overwhelming that the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/50000-people-protest-dmca-abuse-crash-government-server-160401/">Government&#8217;s servers reportedly &#8220;crashed&#8221;</a> under the heavy load.</p>
<p>The protest organizers were delighted to see that so many people had voiced their concerns. Up until they got involved there had only been a few dozen responses so their efforts made a huge impact. </p>
<p>However, copyright holders and industry groups are not pleased with the public outcry. Earlier this week Keith Kupferschmid, CEO of the Hollywood funded <a href="https://www.copyrightalliance.org/">Copyright Alliance</a>, <a href="https://www.copyrightalliance.org/2016/04/copyright_zombie_apocalypse_has_arrived#.VwdVP6R94sN">likened it</a> to a &#8220;Copyright Zombie Apocalypse.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, in case you were unconscious and left for dead in a hospital last week, the copyright community experienced its own zombie apocalypse,&#8221; Kupferschmid writes. </p>
<p>His main complaint is that nearly all comments were sent through the <a href="https://www.takedownabuse.org/">TakedownAbuse</a> campaign site, where people could send in the pre-filled form highlighting various abuse related problems. </p>
<p>&#8220;These 90,000 comments are all identical submissions generated merely by clicking on the &#8216;I’m in&#8217; button at takedownabuse.org. Like the zombies in The Walking Dead, there was not a lot of effort or brainpower that went into the 90,000 plus submissions,&#8221; he notes.</p>
<p>&#8220;If there are problems with the DMCA the best way to understand what those problems are, and to attempt to address them, is for those with concerns to voice them in detail and not file yet another zombie comment.  As we’ve learned from The Walking Dead, those zombies are rather easily disposed of.&#8221;</p>
<p>While Kupferschmid certainly has a point when he argues that the massive number of responses is unlikely to generate a broad range of insights, the harsh wording appears to be a sign of bitter frustration. </p>
<p>Knowing that tens of thousands of people share a certain point of view has value, and the Copyright Office is clever enough to take the context into account. </p>
<p>Interestingly, however, Kupferschmid notes that he would say the same if the comments were voicing pro-copyright sentiments. </p>
<p>This is rather ironic because the Copyright Alliance is <a href="http://takeaction.copyrightalliance.org/">actively promoting</a> several pro-copyright campaigns that also allow the public to sign pre-written petitions. Unlike the form at TakedownAbuse.org, people can&#8217;t even edit the message. Like &#8220;zombies,&#8221; all they are encouraged to do is sign.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to FFTF&#8217;s Tiffiniy Cheng, who notes that people did edit or add their own comments. In any case, equating tens of thousands of concerned citizens to zombies might not be best move.</p>
<p>&#8220;The expression of a disagreement with a certain policy is valuable to our democracy and debate. And, that&#8217;s what we have here,&#8221; Cheng says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The people who filed comments have experienced real censorship that they want to stop and care deeply about stopping DMCA takedown abuse. You can&#8217;t discount that, they are getting organized and demanding a seat at the table the best way they know how &#8211; by coming together and showing how big this problem is,&#8221; she adds. </p>
<p>After the comment deadline passed the Takedownabuse campaign received thousands of additional comments. They plan to submit these additional responses to the Copyright Office as a petition. </p>
<p>Perhaps the Copyright Alliance should join in, rally some &#8220;zombies,&#8221; and launch a <a href="http://takeaction.copyrightalliance.org/">petition</a> of their own? </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>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=FoLGKp5vlwE:vKmstCTbYf8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=FoLGKp5vlwE:vKmstCTbYf8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=FoLGKp5vlwE:vKmstCTbYf8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/FoLGKp5vlwE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


