# articles

feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185365
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 04/13/20
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-04-13-20
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/NNQyV1XsxZQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/b6b27f53.badb.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/badb.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="196" class="alignright size-full wp-image-185033" />This week we have four newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Bad Boys for Life is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the articles of the recent weekly movie download charts.</p>
<h5>This week&#8217;s most downloaded movies are:</h5>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Movie Rank</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>Rank <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-the-week-on-bittorrent-04-06-20/">last week</a></strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie name</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Most downloaded movies via torrents</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502397/">Bad Boys for Life</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502397/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKCj3XuPG8M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6587640/">Trolls World Tour</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6587640/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08AExF6dETA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9086228/">Gretel &#038; Hansel</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9086228/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZblQLhKcZQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8367814/">The Gentlemen</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8367814/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ify9S7hj480">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076298/">IP Man 4</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076298/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNaIewXwLHs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/">Sonic The Hedgehog</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szby7ZHLnkA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634106/">Bloodshot</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634106/">5.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOUVVDWdXbo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5774060/">Underwater</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5774060/">5.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rszr56AH3Co">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7713068/">Birds of Prey</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7713068/">6.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjpsGw7YlU8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8242084/">My Spy</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8242084/">6.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-zZ9z8pRxM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185325
title: Russia Preparing New Law to Ban All Video Recording in Movie Theaters
uri: Russia-Preparing-New-Law-to-Ban-All-Video-Recording-in-Movie-Theaters
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/iEwLPpjsuUU/
content:
<p><a href="media/a13d45bb.cammer1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/cammer1.jpg"><img src="media/a13d45bb.cammer1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/cammer1.jpg" alt="" width="210" height="122" class="alignright size-full wp-image-65828" /></a>With movie piracy becoming more sophisticated with each passing year and bandwidth cheaper than ever, the quality of copies appearing online has gradually increased.</p>
<p>Pirates are now very comfortable with downloading high-quality multi-gigabyte rips sourced from physical discs and VOD sources but many can&#8217;t wait, preferring to view movies early in their theatrical windows. The go-to sources in these cases are so-called &#8216;cam&#8217; copies, i.e movies obtained by pointing a recording device directly at a cinema screen.</p>
<p>&#8220;Illicit camcording is the primary source of unauthorized copies of newly released movies found online,&#8221; the Office of the United States Trade Representative wrote in its latest Special 301 Report.</p>
<p>&#8220;The recordings made in movie theaters today are very different from those by a single person sitting in a theater with a bulky videotape recorder. The results are not shaky, inaudible recordings. It is now easy for a surreptitious recording in a movie theater to result in a clean digital copy of a movie with perfect audio that can be quickly distributed online.&#8221;</p>
<p>While this may be overstating the quality of the average &#8216;cam&#8217; recording found online today, the United States views the availability of these copies as a &#8220;significant trade problem.&#8221; In particular, fingers are regularly pointed at Russia as a primary source of &#8216;cams&#8217; but, to date, local authorities haven&#8217;t been able to prevent dozens appearing online every year. Now, however, Russia seems ready to take action.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://tass.ru/kultura/8215869">TASS</a> news agency, the Ministry of Culture has prepared a new bill that aims to address apparent shortcomings in Russian legislation. Right now, punishment for recording in cinemas is moderated according to intent, meaning that someone who isn&#8217;t acting for financial gain can escape prosecution. The government now wishes to tighten up the loopholes to ensure that no one falls through the gaps.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Ministry of Culture of Russia has prepared a draft federal law prohibiting the recording of films in cinemas regardless of the purpose of such recordings,&#8221; says Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova.</p>
<p>&#8220;In other words, to hold the violator accountable it will no longer be necessary to prove that he was shooting specifically for profit.&#8221;</p>
<p>Lyubimova says that the changes will support other anti-piracy measures as part of a government strategy to not only introduce new legislation but to also sharpen up laws already in place. Whether fresh anti-camming penalties will reduce the high number of copies appearing online from Russia will remain to be seen but US rightsholders will be hoping for a good set of results.</p>
<p>According to the USTR, 26 illegally camcorded movies were traced back to Russian cinemas in 2015. In 2016, this had jumped to 63 cammed copies and the following year the figure rose again to 78 movies, a 300% increase over the number reported in 2015.</p>
<p>For reasons that aren&#8217;t entirely clear, however, the USTR&#8217;s latest Special 301 Report <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-places-36-countries-on-annual-piracy-watchlist-190429/">noted</a> a significant drop for movies &#8216;cammed&#8217; in Russia, with &#8216;just&#8217; 48 titles appearing online in 2018.</p>
<p>The threat from Russia-sourced recordings isn&#8217;t just limited to video though. When &#8216;cammed&#8217; copies appear online it is not uncommon for their components to be sourced from different places, i.e the video could be recorded in one country and the audio in another. According to the USTR, a total of 34 movie audio tracks were traced back to Russian cinemas in 2018.</p>
<p>Traditionally, illicit &#8216;cam&#8217; copies were blamed for undermining the theatrical market but with the rise of licensed VOD platforms, authorities say that they are being affected too.</p>
<p>&#8220;In addition to theater owners who lose revenue, legitimate digital platforms, who often negotiate for a certain period of exclusivity after the theatrical run, cannot fairly compete in the market,&#8221; the USTR states.</p>
<p>While Russia is viewed as the primary supplier of first-run movie &#8216;cams&#8217;, other countries receive their share of criticism too. In 2018, Mexico was claimed to be the second-largest foreign source of illegally recorded films, with India and China earning mentions for not doing enough to curtail supply.</p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185142
title: COVID-19 ‘Lockdowns’ Directly Impacted Torrent Download Numbers in Several Countries
uri: COVID-19-Lockdowns-Directly-Impacted-Torrent-Download-Numbers-in
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Jq5iRmJi5y8/
content:
<p><img src="media/39cc8e99.download-keyboard.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/download-keyboard.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="138" class="alignright size-full wp-image-73383" />The coronavirus pandemic has massively increased Internet traffic. This applies to work usage, legal entertainment, but also file-sharing. </p>
<p>Last week <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-and-filesharing-traffic-surges-amidst-covid-19-crisis-200408/">we showed</a> how downloads, including content from popular sites such as The Pirate Bay, YTS, and RARBG, have increased in recent weeks. </p>
<p>While this upward trend is clearly visible in the global numbers, zooming in at the country level adds a more detailed perspective. That is exactly what we did over the past several days, resulting in some rather intriguing findings. </p>
<p>To begin, we take a look at Italy, which was the first European country to be severely impacted by COVID-19. Responding to the increasing threat, the local government implemented a lockdown on March 9th, instructing people to stay indoors.</p>
<p>Using data provided by <a href="https://iknowwhatyoudownload.com/">iknowwhatyoudownload.com</a>, we analyzed the number of Italian IP-addresses that were found sharing torrents from the start of the year, as well as the tracked number of downloads. </p>
<p>The graph below shows that both the number of downloads and the unique IP-addresses reached new highs on March 9, after which they continued to go up for a few days, to then stabilize. </p>
<p>On March 8, there were 592K downloads and 213K IP-addresses. A week later these numbers were up to 810K and 304K respectively.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/138f684b.italc.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/italc.jpg" alt="" width="609" height="376" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185196" /></center></p>
<p>In Spain, there is a similar trend that started a few days later, again coinciding with the lockdown measures. The Spanish Government ordered its lockdown on March 14, with both the number of downloads and unique IP-addresses reaching new highs on that exact date. </p>
<p>Similar to the Italian situation, both numbers continued to go up for a while. A week after the lockdown started, reported downloads and IP-addresses were up by roughly a third.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/8e662248.spaincor.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/spaincor.jpg" alt="" width="601" height="370" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185309" /></center></p>
<p>In France, the effect of the countrywide measures is also clearly visible. Again, both numbers reached a yearly high on the day the lockdown went into effect, growing even further in the following days.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/d45e232d.francekor.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/francekor.jpg" alt="" width="605" height="371" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185310" /></center></p>
<p>There is also an upward trend in the UK, as can be seen in the graph below. This effect is less pronounced than elsewhere, likely because people are still allowed to move relatively freely, which is a clear difference compared to the previously mentioned countries.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/12fa6194.UKcor.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/UKcor.jpg" alt="" width="606" height="372" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185312" /></center></p>
<p>There are also some clear outliers in Europe. <a href="media/2624b00c.nethc.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nethc.jpg">In the Netherlands</a>, for example, there is no significant uptick in torrent downloads or IP-addresses. This, despite the <em>intelligent</em>-lockdown that&#8217;s been ordered locally. </p>
<p>There is not much change in Sweden either. That was more or less expected, however, as the Scandinavian country hasn&#8217;t taken any extreme measures to curb the spread of the virus.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/d5e3b59c.sedenkor.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sedenkor.jpg" alt="" width="604" height="373" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185311" /></center></p>
<p>Moving over to the United States we see that there appears to be a <a href="media/2624b00c.nethc.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nethc.jpg">small increase</a> in downloads over the past few weeks, but nothing that really stands out. This is likely because most of the restrictive measures are limited to a few affected regions. </p>
<p>In South America, however, the effects are very clear in some countries. In Argentina, for example, which issued a lockdown on March 19, reported download numbers and IP-addresses shot up in the following days.</p>
<p>On March 17, there were 508K downloads and 179K IP-addresses, and by the 25th these numbers had gone up to 706K and 254K respectively. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/6df9224a.argc.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/argc.jpg" alt="" width="599" height="374" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185358" /></center></p>
<p>Moving around the world, we see similar boosts taking place. South Africa issued a three-week lockdown order starting on March 26, with torrent downloads and reported IP-addresses <a href="media/5b4d015d.safc.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/safc.jpg">going up around the same time</a>. </p>
<p>A similar spike was also evident in Saudi Arabia at the time more stringent measures were announced in some regions. On March 9 the first restrictions went into effect in Qatif, with measures following in Riyadh, Mecca, and Medina later in the month.	</p>
<p><center><img src="media/2fdec578.saudicoro.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/saudicoro.jpg" alt="" width="606" height="372" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185359" /></center></p>
<p>In Asia, the findings are not always as expected. While we previously reported on other data that showed that visits to file-sharing sites surged in China, the same pattern doesn&#8217;t appear in the downloads and IP-address data. This is also true for South Korea. </p>
<p>We did find a notable increase in some other Asian countries. In Singapore, for example, although the increase there had already started before the most far-reaching measures were made public. </p>
<p><img src="media/79898359.singapore.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/singapore.jpg" alt="" width="607" height="371" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-185362" /></center></p>
<p>On the whole, however, it is striking to see how many of these charts follow the COVID-19 measures locally. The overall trend appears to be that the more strict the lockdown measures are, the greater effect they have on BitTorrent activity.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see how these graphs develop over time. Will they eventually return to the pre-corona numbers or remain at a higher level? </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>The data used for the graphs presented here were provided by <a href="https://iknowwhatyoudownload.com/">iknowwhatyoudownload.com</a>. While this is not a full record of all BitTorrent traffic, it is certainly helpful to reveal trends within countries. For full transparency, we make the underlying data <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/images/torrentfreakdatacountrycovid.csv">available here</a> (January 1, 2020 &#8211; April 6, 2020). This also includes other countries.</em></p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185409
title: Internet Archive to Senator: No “Emergency Copyright Act” Required, Fair Use Has Library Covered
uri: Internet-Archive-to-Senator-No-Emergency-Copyright-Act-Required
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FV6ljtoB0KU/
content:
<p><a href="media/16a360f4.internet-archive.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/internet-archive.png"><img src="media/16a360f4.internet-archive.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/internet-archive.png" alt="" width="200" height="172" class="alignright size-full wp-image-55299" /></a>On first view, making books, learning and other research materials available online during a nationwide library shutdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic seems like a positive step. However, the National Emergency Library recently launched by the Internet Archive now finds itself in the middle of a controvery.</p>
<p>The National Emergency Library, which contains around 1.4 million scanned books, is free for everyone to access. Available until at least the end of June 2020, the library has effectively suspended wait-lists, which allows lenders to obtain books on a temporary basis but without having to wait until other readers have finished reading their copies.</p>
<p>However, copyright holders, authors groups and publishers have criticized the move, claiming that without remuneration for creators, the library acts as a glorified pirate site.</p>
<p>The Authors Guild, for example, described the move as &#8220;appalling&#8221;, slamming the initiative as pushing the boundaries of copyright law while trampling on the rights of struggling authors. The Copyright Alliance went further still, describing the project as &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/internet-archives-national-emergency-library-is-vile-says-copyright-alliance-310331/">particularly vile</a>&#8220;.</p>
<p>With pressure mounting, the government has now become involved. In a letter to Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle, Senator Thom Tillis &#8211; whose Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Intellectual Property is currently <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-industry-praises-the-effectiveness-of-pirate-site-blocking-in-u-s-senate-200311/">conducting a review</a> of the Copyright Act &#8211; says he recognizes the essential nature of books and the problems being encountered as a result of the coronavirus lockdown.</p>
<p>Citing various measures taken by copyright holders to &#8220;ease the struggles&#8221;, he highlights that these, however, do not break the law.</p>
<p>&#8220;These voluntary efforts should be commended, not only because they are expanding access to copyrighted works, but also because they do not violate copyright law or harm creators. On the contrary, these times have shown the critical value of copyrighted works to the public interest,&#8221; Senator Tillis writes.</p>
<p>Noting that he &#8220;deeply values access to copyrighted works,&#8221; the Senator insists that such access should be provided within the law. He stops short of citing any specific laws that the Internet Archive is supposedly breaking but suggests that the National Emergency Library is illegal nonetheless.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am not aware of any measure under copyright law that permits a user of copyrighted works to unilaterally create an emergency copyright act. Indeed, I am deeply concerned that your &#8216;library&#8217; is operating outside the boundaries of the copyright law that Congress has enacted and alone has jurisdiction to amend,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>There are no overt threats in the letter, which may suggest that the Senator is hoping for an amicable agreement, perhaps by reverting the library to its original status with lending limits returned to normal and other copyright matters solved. However, Kahle doesn&#8217;t seem particularly interested in a compromise.</p>
<p>He insists that the National Emergency Library is not only essential in a time of national crisis, but is also acting well within the confines of existing copyright legislation.</p>
<p>&#8220;The National Emergency Library was developed to address a temporary and significant need to our communities &#8211; for the first time in our nation&#8217;s history, the entire physical library system is offline and unavailable,&#8221; Kahle informs the Senator.</p>
<p>&#8220;Your constituents have paid for millions of books they currently cannot access. According to National Public Library survey data from 2018-2019, North Carolina&#8217;s public libraries house more than fifteen million print book volumes in their hundred twenty-three branches across the State. Because those branches are now closed and their books are unavailable, the massive public investment paid by tax-paying citizens is unavailable to the very people who funded it.&#8221;</p>
<p>This specific example, Kahle notes, is echoed around the nation, affecting public, school, college and academic libraries alike. The National Emergency Library, he contends, aims to provide a solution by enabling teachers, students and communities to access the learning material currently out of reach.</p>
<p>Kahle also provides some lending statistics, indicating that 90% of the books borrowed thus far were published more than 10 years ago and two-thirds were published last century. Overall, he states, the volume of lending to date is comparable &#8220;to that of a town with 30,000 people&#8221;, with 90% returning books after reading them for just 30 mins.</p>
<p>&#8220;These usage patterns suggest that perhaps that patrons may be using the checked-out books for fact checking or research, but we suspect a large number of people are browsing the book in a way similar to browsing library shelves,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>Kahle insists that the library isn&#8217;t offering any recently published books and any authors who prefer not to have their books made available can ask the library to have them removed. This, he stresses, does not have to be via a formal DMCA notice but a plain request not to have their works included. He then addresses the issue of legality, in particular the Senator&#8217;s claim that the library has somehow enacted its own emergency legislation.</p>
<p>&#8220;You raise the question of how this comports with copyright law,&#8221; Kahle writes. &#8220;Fortunately, we do not need an &#8217;emergency Copyright Act&#8217; because the fair use doctrine, codified in the Copyright Act, provides flexibility to libraries and others to adjust to changing circumstances. As a result, libraries can and are meeting the needs of their patrons during this crisis in a number of ways.&#8221;</p>
<p>Kahle concludes by acknowledging that in their &#8220;haste&#8221; to respond to the urgent needs of teachers, students, and librarians, the project did not do enough to engage with authors, publishers and policymakers. However, he claims that those conversations are now underway and invites the Senator to contribute by addressing the urgent access needs of the country.</p>
<p><em>The letter from Senator Tillis and response from Internet Archive can be found <a href="https://www.authorsguild.org/industry-advocacy/senator-tillis-echoes-ags-concerns-in-internet-archive-letter/">here</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/textfiles/status/1249519103632695302/photo/1">here</a></em></p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185185
title: Charter Can’t Sue Over False DMCA Notices, Record Labels Argue
uri: Charter-Can-t-Sue-Over-False-DMCA-Notices-Record-Labels-Argue
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/OjqrwMiY0ig/
content:
<p><img src="media/bc059ccf.charter.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/charter.jpg" alt="" width="190" height="95" class="alignright size-full wp-image-71664" />Legal battles between copyright holders and Internet providers are not new. In most countries these disputes revolve around site blocking but, in the US, a different trend has emerged. </p>
<p>Over the past years, several major ISPs have been sued for failing to terminate accounts of alleged repeat infringers. </p>
<p>These lawsuits are serious business. Late last year, for example, Cox was found guilty by a jury that awarded a billion dollars in damages. While the judgment is being appealed, other ISPs are on high alert. </p>
<p>This is also true for Charter Communications, one of the largest Internet providers in the US. The company was sued last year by several major music companies, including Capitol Records, Warner Bros, and Sony Music, which argued that the ISP is liable for pirating subscribers.</p>
<p>Last month Charter replied to the record labels&#8217; complaint. In addition to denying many of the allegations, the ISP also went on the offensive. Charter submitted a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185185&#038;preview=true">counterclaim</a> accusing the labels of sending inaccurate DMCA takedown notices.</p>
<p>The claim comes after the music companies removed 272 sound recordings and 183 music compositions from their initial complaint. These were dropped after the record labels were ordered to produce further evidence that they indeed owned the rights.</p>
<p>Charter believes that the companies have sent many inaccurate takedown notices in the past. These notices reportedly cause damage to the ISP, which says it incurred costs and reputational damage by forwarding the &#8220;false accusations.&#8221;</p>
<p>“Charter is injured when it processes inaccurate notices, causing it to forward false accusations to its subscribers, to the extent this creates tension with the impacted subscribers, negatively affects goodwill, and causes reputational harm to Charter,” the counterclaim reads.</p>
<p>This could be a serious problem, especially since some of the claimed works were also used to calculate the damages in the Cox trial. However, the music companies now argue that the allegations don&#8217;t hold water and they, therefore, ask the court to dismiss the counterclaim.</p>
<p>In a reply, received last week by the US District Court in Denver, Colorado, the music companies point out that under the DMCA, misrepresentation claims only hold up if the receiving party removed or disabled access to the infringing content. </p>
<p>In this case, Charter didn&#8217;t. The ISP went on the record stating that it could not remove any content, or stop users from sharing any files. </p>
<p>&#8220;Here, Charter does not allege that it removed or disabled access to any infringing material or activity identified in Plaintiffs’ notices. In fact, Charter concedes that it cannot remove infringing content, nor restrict its users’ access to it. Thus, no amendment could cure the deficiency, and the claim should be dismissed with prejudice,&#8221; the labels write.</p>
<p>In addition, the labels point out that the ISP failed to state a claim. While mistakes may have happened while sending takedown notices, Charter has no evidence showing that the labels had &#8220;actual knowledge&#8221; of any misrepresentations, they counter. </p>
<p>&#8220;Charter’s claim is based entirely on speculation arising from Plaintiffs’ decision in February 2020 to drop from this suit a few hundred of more than 11,400 copyrighted works included in their original complaint. </p>
<p>&#8220;Charter also has not identified any material misrepresentation or a single infringement notice that it claims was inaccurate, as required,&#8221; the labels add.</p>
<p>Finally, the music companies point out that the DMCA’s three-year statute of limitations has expired for Charter&#8217;s claims. The notices at issue were sent nearly four years ago, they point out.</p>
<p>Based on these arguments, the labels ask the court to dismiss the ISP&#8217;s counterclaim. On top of that, they also want Charter&#8217;s request for a declaratory judgment on contributory liability dismissed.  </p>
<p>Both requests are now with the court which, in due course, will decide if Charter can move ahead with its case or if it will be tossed out. </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>Here is a copy of the <a href="media/d68d265c.riaacounterclainresponse.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/riaacounterclainresponse.pdf">record labels&#8217; reply with the dismissal requests (pdf)</a>. </em></p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185488
title: Huge Games Piracy Forum CS.RIN.RU Says Cash is Needed to Stay Online
uri: Huge-Games-Piracy-Forum-CS-RIN-RU-Says-Cash-is-Needed-to-Stay-Online
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/QJQtZq1kTso/
content:
<p><a href="media/b924ec7d.cs-rin-ru-e1586936958961.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/cs-rin-ru-e1586936958961.png"><img src="media/b924ec7d.cs-rin-ru-e1586936958961.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/cs-rin-ru-e1586936958961.png" alt="" width="270" height="83" class="alignright size-full wp-image-185495" /></a>People who regularly download movies and TV shows can do so with relative ease. Content is ripped at source by release groups and placed online with all protections removed. For video games pirates, things are more complex.</p>
<p>Setting aside the often massive downloads and hours of unpacking, games then need to be &#8216;cracked&#8217; which for the absolute novice user can be daunting, even when the necessary tools are provided. As a result, communities of video games pirates have thrived over the years, helping people to gain the knowledge required and, of course, share the latest games.</p>
<p>Probably the largest in existence anywhere is Russia-based CS.RIN.RU, otherwise known as the Steam Underground Community. Somewhat counter-intuitively, the site isn&#8217;t really underground and can be viewed by anyone with a web browser. However, to gain access to the juicy stuff (links to many thousands of pirated games and the necessary cracks), users need to sign up. Huge numbers have.</p>
<p>How many sign-in on a regular basis is unclear but the forum has in excess of 560,000 registered users and is the go-to platform for the latest releases. The site is hard moderated with staff mostly intolerant of anyone not sticking to the rules. As a result, however, it&#8217;s a valued source of titles sporting some of the most knowledgable video game pirates around.</p>
<p>According to an announcement this morning, however, CS.RIN.RU is now entering unchartered waters. An administrator has revealed that after being sponsored for the last 17 years by the owner of <a href="https://rin.ru/">Russian Information Network</a> (RIN), a site dedicated to news and events in Russia, he can no longer afford to financially support the world&#8217;s largest games piracy forum.</p>
<p>&#8220;Around this time last year, we moved to a new server so that the RIN owner could continue to afford hosting us and for various technical improvements. I have recently learned that he can no longer afford to renew our server&#8217;s subscription. Unfortunately, this was bound to happen sooner or later,&#8221; the announcement reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;Due to our performance and security requirements, it is not possible to host this forum at just any provider or on anything less than a full dedicated server. In fact, our current dedicated server that was rented on a tight budget is already at its limits and significant efforts were put in to make it work. We will be moving to a new server at the beginning of May.&#8221;</p>
<p>While the move to new hardware appears certain, things will have to change moving forward. CS.RIN.RU&#8217;s operators say that if the users want to keep the site online, they will have to cough up the money.</p>
<p>&#8220;We, the staff, have put great thought into figuring out how to keep this forum online. Sadly, we have determined that we will not be able to finance the kind of hosting this forum requires by ourselves, even with the crappiest, bare-minimum server we could find. This means that come June, we have to rely on donations from you, the community,&#8221; the statement continues.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is a significant announcement and we know that some of you will not agree with this step and truth be told, we don&#8217;t want to have ask this either, but we see no other way.&#8221; </p>
<p>The operators of CS.RIN.RU aren&#8217;t asking for much. In fact, they estimate the overall costs to be around 1,200 euros per year to keep the community intact. However, like many piracy-focused sites that rely on donations, the big issue is how to receive that money from members without compromising the security of the people accepting the funds. As a result, cryptocurrency is the only available option.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s doubtful that this will cause too many problems for the site but it will almost certainly reduce the number of donations from willing parties. Despite being able to successfully download games and cracks, some users seem reluctant to learn about cryptocurrency, even though they have the money to donate. However, world-famous repacker FitGirl thinks that it shouldn&#8217;t be a problem and is preparing to contribute.</p>
<p>&#8220;People who still relies [sic] on fiat seem very strange to me. I&#8217;m using crypto for all my warez needs for YEARS. Not a single cent from my banks ever touched my hoster, my seedbox, my VPN. All is paid in crypto,&#8221; the piracy star wrote this morning.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just as complex as PayPal in 2020. Once you setup it, it&#8217;s sooooooo easy to make payments and accept donations (in my case). Hope we will gather needed amount, will chip my part later today.&#8221;</p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185483
title: YouTube Fights Off Lawsuit Over ‘Retaliatory’ Copyright Strikes
uri: YouTube-Fights-Off-Lawsuit-Over-Retaliatory-Copyright-Strikes
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/uMLmO8ygxNs/
content:
<p><img src="media/72389cbc.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="196" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117196" />For many content creators of YouTube, copyright strikes are a major problem. </p>
<p>When users receive three &#8216;strikes&#8217;, YouTube can remove all videos, take down the channel permanently, and prevent the creator from making any new ones. </p>
<p>This is a significant threat for those who make a decent living off the video platform including Erik Mishiyev, aka <a href="https://djshorte.com/">DJ Short-E</a>, who ran two popular YouTube channels totaling over 250,000 subscribers. </p>
<p>This achievement earned him a “Silver Creator Award” and generated $310,000 in revenue over a period of five years. However, Mishiyev&#8217;s relationship with the video platform was far from rosy. </p>
<p>Despite having over a quarter million subscribers, the DJ felt that the views of his videos were low when compared to similar channels. When some subscribers informed him that they received no alerts for new uploads, Mishiyev contacted YouTube support. </p>
<p>This inquiry didn&#8217;t go well and ultimately resulted in the creator supposedly threatening to take legal action against the video giant. Soon after that happened, he reported being bombarded by copyright takedowns and strikes, which effectively shut down his channels. </p>
<p>Mishiyev believes that these takedowns were retaliation for his legal threats. And when YouTube chose not to accept his DMCA counter-notices &#8211; which he sent in an attempt to get rid of the strikes &#8211; <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-sued-for-720k-over-alleged-copyright-strike-retaliation-190829/">he took YouTube to court</a>. </p>
<p>In a complaint filed at a federal court in California last summer, the YouTuber demanded $720,000 in compensation for lost income, among other things. In addition, he wanted to prevent YouTube from ever banning him again. </p>
<p>At the center of the lawsuit is a breach of contract claim. Mishiyev argued that YouTube failed to live up to its duties as it failed to process his DMCA counter-notices, a point contested by the video giant.</p>
<p>In a response filed a few weeks ago, YouTube noted that its Terms of Service allows the company to remove any content &#8220;without prior notice&#8221; and &#8220;in its sole discretion.&#8221; This agreement allows the company not to restore a video following a copyright claim, even when it is challenged.</p>
<p>&#8220;YouTube has no obligation to ever restore that material to its service, even when a user protests, and the agreement expressly highlights its discretion not to do so,&#8221; YouTube informed the court.</p>
<p>In other words, YouTube doesn&#8217;t have to restore content after it receives a counter-notice. It can simply ignore it, based on the agreed terms of service. </p>
<p>This is also the conclusion reached by the court. In an order released last month, US District Court Judge William Alsup notes that users are given the opportunity to submit counter-notifications but Google is not required to act on them.</p>
<p>&#8220;[O]nce a user submitted a counter-notice, the agreement reserved to YouTube’s sole discretion the decision to take any further action, including whether to restore the videos or even to send the counternotice to the purported copyright owner,&#8221; Judge Alsup wrote. </p>
<p>&#8220;Thus, YouTube did not agree to act as a neutral processor of notices and counter-notices. YouTube retained control to evaluate counter-notices and infringement on its own.&#8221; </p>
<p>Mishiyev didn&#8217;t go into detail on what grounds the notices were inaccurate. The main claim was that the videos were &#8216;struck&#8217; by YouTube as retaliation. However, even if that&#8217;s true, YouTube is still not in the wrong for terminating the account.</p>
<p>&#8220;Even taking the retaliation allegations as true, however, the complaint fails to overcome YouTube’s express right to terminate plaintiff’s account for repeat copyright infringement,&#8221; Judge Alsup notes. </p>
<p>Based on these and several other arguments, the Judge granted YouTube&#8217;s request to dismiss the complaint. While that&#8217;s good news for the video service, the legal battle isn&#8217;t completely over yet. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/judge-dismisses-dj-short-e-lawsuit-against-youtube/">highlighted</a> by Reclaim The Net, Mishiyev, aka DJ Short-E, has appealed the decision at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>Here is a copy of US District Court Judge William Alsup&#8217;s <a href="media/815f1d87.mishiyev-youtube-dismissed.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/mishiyev-youtube-dismissed.pdf">order to dismiss Mishiyev&#8217;s complaint against YouTube.</a>.</em></p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185535
title: MPA and BREIN Sue Hosting Providers Over Pirate Streaming Service
uri: MPA-and-BREIN-Sue-Hosting-Providers-Over-Pirate-Streaming-Service
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/531URnIo89M/
content:
<p><img src="media/fdb4ba62.streamingkey.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/streamingkey.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125426" />Moonwalk was a massive pirate streaming operation that offered tens of thousands of pirated movies and TV-shows to more than 100 million end-users. </p>
<p>Despite its size, it was largely unknown to the public at large. It wasn&#8217;t a classic streaming piracy site. Instead, it operated as a middleman, offering a library of pirated content to hundreds of pirate sites that could embed their videos for free.</p>
<p>This activity wasn&#8217;t apparent to the casual pirate site user, but anti-piracy groups were well aware of it. After carefully researching the operation, the Motion Picture Association, together with Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/brein-mpa-and-ace-shut-down-massive-pirate-cdn-191021/">took action last fall</a>. </p>
<p>The two industry groups did so by going after the hosting companies. In October, BREIN and MPA obtained <em>ex-parte</em> orders from a Dutch Court ordering three local hosting providers to disconnect Moonwalk&#8217;s servers while preserving essential evidence.</p>
<p>This did indeed happen, and from one day to the next, hundreds of pirate sites lost access to their video host. While several of these eventually returned, BREIN and the MPA believe that 25 streaming sites ceased operating permanently.</p>
<p>Despite this success, the <a href="https://stichtingbrein.nl/">BREIN</a> and <a href="https://www.motionpictures.org/">MPA</a> have yet to identify the operators. In addition, they also want access to any evidence that can help them to investigate the case further, including information on the 283 streaming sites that used Moonwalk. </p>
<p>The two groups tried to get this information from the hosting providers in question: <a href="https://serverius.net/">Serverius</a>, <a href="https://www.worldstream.nl/en/">Worldstream</a>, and <a href="https://yisp.nl/">YISP</a>. While the hosts helped to take Moonwalk offline in response to the ex-parte court order, further cooperation was reportedly lacking.</p>
<p>&#8220;[T]he providers have not or not fully complied with the requested delivery of identifying company data. In cases where data were provided, these were found to be false or not traceable,&#8221; BREIN notes. </p>
<p>In an attempt to legally oblige the three hosting companies to share more evidence and act more diligently going forward, BREIN and the MPA are taking them to court in the Netherlands.</p>
<p>&#8220;BREIN is now progressing in a collective action, including the continuation of the closure and inspection of the seized documents with company data,&#8221; the group writes. </p>
<p>The <a href="media/c1c0b2cf.ng-collectieve-vordering-YISP-BV-WORLDSTREAM-BV-SERVERIUS-BV.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.rechtspraak.nl/SiteCollectionDocuments/dagvaarding-collectieve-vordering-YISP-BV-WORLDSTREAM-BV-SERVERIUS-BV.pdf">legal paperwork</a> provides a detailed overview of the case including Moonwalk&#8217;s infrastructure. Among other things, BREIN and the MPA retained the forensic anti-piracy services of <a href="https://dtv.nagra.com/why-nagra">NAGRA</a>, to see how and where it operated from. </p>
<p>This led to a list of IP-addresses, which were connected to the three hosting companies. The majority were linked to Worldstream and YISP, while ten IP-addresses were hosted at Serverius, through two resellers.</p>
<p>Serverius has handed over some data but doesn&#8217;t want to press their resellers for further information. YISP has also shared some details but is generally reluctant to share more evidence. Worldstream, for its part, categorically refuses to hand over customer details over privacy concerns.</p>
<p>Through their legal action, BREIN and the MPA are requesting an order to compel Worldstream and YISP to share all seized material and information relating to Moonwalk and its customers. In addition, the anti-piracy groups seek an order requiring the hosting companies to keep Moonwalk offline.</p>
<p>The copyright holder groups also want to confirm what the obligations of third-party services are when it comes to alleged copyright infringements. Among other things, to clarify what information they have to share. </p>
<p>&#8220;BREIN also requests a declaration of justice with regard to a number of obligations with regard to the enforcement of intellectual property law. On the one hand because of the refusal of the defendants to voluntarily provide relevant company data and on the other hand because of their structural failure to take adequate measures to have reliable data,&#8221; the request reads.</p>
<p>The need for accurate information is exemplified in the Moonwalk case. For example, YISP did share some personal details of Russian residents who were supposedly linked to Moonwalk, but these turned out to be false.  </p>
<p>BREIN sent investigators to Russia and found that one address pointed to a jobless man in an apartment complex. This man was not technically skilled and the sole computer he owns is only used by his wife. Another lead identified a woman in Kyiv, who had no clue about Moonwalk either. </p>
<p>In the grander scheme, the present legal action aims to set clear guidelines on what type of information hosting companies should collect and share. Ideally, hosting companies should make sure that their customers are all verified.</p>
<p>&#8220;BREIN intends to encourage defendants and comparable hosting providers to provide BREIN exclusively with verified company data of their customers and to set up their administration, general terms and conditions and company policy accordingly,&#8221; the anti-piracy outfit writes.</p>
<p>The current case is expected to have a broader impact on other Dutch and European hosting companies. BREIN and the MPA aren&#8217;t shying away from a thorough legal battle that could go all the way up to the Supreme Court, and they also note that the EU Court of Justice may have to weigh in on some issues. </p>
<p>As such, this lawsuit is about much more than Moonwalk alone. While the pirate CDN is an immediate target, future rulings could set the tone for copyright enforcement measures in the years to come.</p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185533
title: Photographer Sues NBCUniversal Demanding Millions For Copyright Infringement
uri: Photographer-Sues-NBCUniversal-Demanding-Millions-For-Copyright-Infrin
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FjDkJ5w2xmc/
content:
<p><a href="media/8de42f14.photo-1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/photo-1.jpg"><img src="media/8de42f14.photo-1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/photo-1.jpg" alt="" width="299" height="199" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124919" /></a>When reviewing the many lawsuits filed against pirate site operators over the years, it&#8217;s not unusual to see damages claims running into the tens of millions of dollars. This is largely due to the scale of the alleged infringement and the number of copyrighted works involved.</p>
<p>In recent years many photographers have also sought to enforce their rights, sometimes filing lawsuits for a single image or video, such as in the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kendall-jenner-posts-video-of-herself-on-instagram-gets-sued-for-copyright-infringement-200402/">recent case</a> against Kendall Jenner. However, a case just filed against Comcast-owned NBCUniversal could run to pirate site-levels of damages.</p>
<p>Filed in a New York district court this week by <a href="https://markseliger.com/">Mark Seliger</a>, the complaint (and subsequent amended complaint) alleges that NBCUniversal Media-owned gossip portal Eonline.com (E!) reproduced the photographer&#8217;s famous portraits without permission.</p>
<p>&#8220;Seliger is an accomplished and critically acclaimed photographer. His works have appeared in Rolling Stone, GQ, Vogue, and Vanity Fair and he has authored numerous album covers, books, and short films,&#8221; the complaint begins.</p>
<p>&#8220;He has also created photography in collaboration with global brands like Netflix, Levi’s, and Ralph Lauren. He has won numerous awards, including the Clio Grand Prix and the Cannes Lions Grand Prix, and his works are part of the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the National Portrait Gallery in London.&#8221;</p>
<p>Presenting dozens of iconic celebrity portraits owned by the photographer, the complaint lists page after page of URLs on Eonline.com which allegedly carry these copyrighted works, including those depicting Miley Cyrus, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Nicky Minaj, Johnny Depp, Jennifer Lopez, Alec Baldwin, Jamie Dornan, Amy Schumer, Bradley Cooper, Katie Holmes, to name just a few.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/968ca0ab.seliger-ss-portraits-e1587037507117.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/seliger-ss-portraits-e1587037507117.png"><img src="media/968ca0ab.seliger-ss-portraits-e1587037507117.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/seliger-ss-portraits-e1587037507117.png" alt="" width="650" height="788" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-185566" /></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants, and each of them, have willfully copied, reproduced, displayed, and distributed the Subject Photography for financial benefit and without Plaintiff’s consent, at and on websites bearing the URLs depicted in Exhibit B hereto,&#8221; the complaint notes, adding: &#8220;Plaintiff did not consent to said use of the Subject Photography.&#8221;</p>
<p>Seliger alleges that the NBCUniversal-owned publication (plus Does 1-10) accessed the copyrighted works from locations such as his website and social media, copied and then reproduced them at the dozens of Eonline.com URLs listed in the complaint. There are many, which means that this lawsuit has the potential, at least on paper, to become extremely expensive for NBCUniversal should the court rule in the photographer&#8217;s favor.</p>
<p>Alleging &#8220;willful, intentional and malicious&#8221; direct copyright infringement, Seliger demands statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringement. A second claim for relief, alleging vicarious and/or contributory copyright infringement, demands the same amount per individual breach of US copyright law.</p>
<p>A third claim states that Seliger&#8217;s works are &#8220;routinely published with attribution, credit, and other copyright management information&#8221; which identify him as the creator. According to the lawsuit, the defendants removed this information and/or added false information before distributing online the photographs online. Citing violations of <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/1202">17 U.S.C. § 1202(a)</a>, the photographer demands unspecified additional damages.</p>
<p>As per the standard in these cases, Seliger further demands an injunction preventing the defendants from continuing to infringe his rights plus costs, attorneys&#8217; fees, and a trial by jury.</p>
<p><em>The complaint and first amended complaint can be found here (<a href="media/1022147e.-cv-03031-Mark-Seliger-v-NBCUniversal-Media-complaint-200414.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/1-20-cv-03031-Mark-Seliger-v-NBCUniversal-Media-complaint-200414.pdf">1</a>,<a href="media/399d9e94.1-Mark-Seliger-v-NBCUniversal-Media-amended-complaint-200415.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/1-20-cv-03031-Mark-Seliger-v-NBCUniversal-Media-amended-complaint-200415.pdf">2</a> pdf)</em></p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185585
title: The Pirate Bay Blocked By MalwareBytes But Normal Service Will Be Resumed
uri: The-Pirate-Bay-Blocked-By-MalwareBytes-But-Normal-Service-Will-Be-Resu
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/a4CL5LTS2Cc/
content:
<p><img src="media/0e036607.pirate-bay.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-bay.jpg" width="200" height="207" class="alignright size-full" />Once upon a time, prolonged downtime at The Pirate Bay was greeted by wails of concern. Many of the site&#8217;s users would naturally presume the worst, that the site had been raided and shut down once again.</p>
<p>In recent years, however, persistent downtime has been a common occurrence that has gradually become the norm. That&#8217;s quite possibly a result of the pressure the site finds itself under on a daily basis, i.e constantly ensuring that it doesn&#8217;t succumb to the kinds of raids and anti-piracy actions that have hindered it in the past.</p>
<p>That being said, over the last several weeks downtime for regular users has been considerable. While mainly accessible via its .onion address via the Tor network, the clear web variant of the site only returned this week after <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bays-main-domain-returns-after-month-of-downtime-200411/">roughly a month</a> of downtime.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the return wasn&#8217;t straightforward. While anyone with a basic browser setup could access the site as normal, some with a less basic setup &#8211; especially in respect of security measures &#8211; still had problems accessing the site. Users of the security software MalwareBytes were prevented from accessing any torrents whatsoever, for example.</p>
<p>The problem lay in The Pirate Bay&#8217;s setup. Aside from cosmetic changes to some pages, the site sends requests to another domain (apibay.org) in order to present torrents to the user on thepiratebay.org. However, those accessing the main domain with Malwarebytes installed were greeted with blank torrent pages after the security software blocked apibay.org.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/088f8ebc.tpb-malwarebytes.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-malwarebytes.png"><img src="media/088f8ebc.tpb-malwarebytes.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-malwarebytes.png" alt="" width="513" height="325" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-185588" /></a></center></p>
<p>Any warning of this type, especially concerning trojans, should be of concern to users of any site. However, dumping trojans on users hasn&#8217;t been the modus operandi of The Pirate Bay thus far, so TorrentFreak contacted Malwarebytes to find out what was causing the alert.</p>
<p>Manager of WebProtection Labs at MalwareBytes Andres Ortiz informs TorrentFreak that the issue was caused by the presence of &#8220;a few&#8221; cryptocurrency miners, not on thepiratebay.org, but on a sub-directory of apibay.org, the domain from where TPB appears to present its torrent results. The <a href="https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/5369990b0fa0e2b11acbc386a7f819cf7954b39a7a936dcfe461ef821cdcdc11/detection">analysis</a> for just one example miner is shown below.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/1a7607f2.apibay-org-miner-e1587056474280.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/apibay-org-miner-e1587056474280.png"><img src="media/1a7607f2.apibay-org-miner-e1587056474280.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/apibay-org-miner-e1587056474280.png" alt="" width="650" height="480" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-185589" /></a></center></p>
<p>After examining the apibay.org domain once again, MalwareBytes has now confirmed that the miners have been removed so in response, they will push an update to their users to stop TPB’s indexes from being blocked moving forward. However, if any party reintroduces the miners, it&#8217;s certainly possible that the site will be rendered inaccessible once again.</p>
<p>The Pirate Bay first introduced a coin miner <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-website-runs-a-cryptocurrency-miner-170916/">back in 2017</a> as a way to generate additional revenue. At the time it was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/how-much-money-can-pirate-bay-make-from-a-cryptocoin-miner-170924/">estimated</a> it could potentially generate around $12,000 per month from users&#8217; CPU cycles.</p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185601
title: Charter’s Request to Dismiss Piracy Liability Allegations Fails
uri: Charter-s-Request-to-Dismiss-Piracy-Liability-Allegations-Fails
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4PhPJHfQYTo/
content:
<p><img src="media/3d6122ae.courtorderjustice.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/courtorderjustice.jpg" alt="" width="256" height="171" class="alignright size-full wp-image-147326" />Charter Communications, one of the largest Internet providers in the US, stands accused of deliberately turning a blind eye to its pirating subscribers.</p>
<p>Several music companies including Capitol Records, Warner Bros. and Sony Music <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/music-companies-sue-charter-for-turning-a-blind-eye-to-piracy-190326/">filed a lawsuit</a> last year arguing that the ISP failed to terminate or otherwise take meaningful action against the accounts of repeat infringers. </p>
<p>The ISP objected and filed a motion at a Colorado federal court, asking it to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/terminating-subscribers-doesnt-stop-pirates-charter-argues-190605/">dismiss the claim of vicarious copyright infringement</a>. Charter argued that it doesn’t directly profit from pirating subscribers, nor does it have the ability to control them.</p>
<p>Previously, other Internet providers have been successful in getting vicarious infringement claims dropped, but Charter&#8217;s attempt failed. In an order released this week, US District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson denied the motion to dismiss.</p>
<p>Judge Jackson follows an earlier <a href="media/5e4fc8c9.gov.uscourts.cod.187729.71.0.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cod.187729/gov.uscourts.cod.187729.71.0.pdf">recommendation</a> from Magistrate Judge Michael Hegarty. Charter objected to this recommendation and was backed by an amicus curiae brief from <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-professors-back-isp-charter-to-avoid-dangerous-piracy-liability-precedent-191112/">23 law professors</a>. However, their arguments failed to convince the court.</p>
<p>Among other things, Charter argued that it didn&#8217;t profit more from pirating subscribers than from non-pirates. Judge Jackson doesn&#8217;t dispute this, but stresses that it&#8217;s enough to show that there&#8217;s <em>a</em> financial benefit.</p>
<p>&#8220;I find no case, and Charter has provided no case, suggesting that Charter must have benefited more from infringing subscribers than from non-infringing subscribers, or that the infringing subscribers paid more than non-infringing subscribers,&#8221; Judge Jackson writes.</p>
<p>The ISP also countered that the option that its services can be used for piracy wasn&#8217;t the primary &#8220;draw&#8221; for prospective subscribers. Again, the Judge waves this argument noting that, at this stage, it&#8217;s enough to show that piracy was <em>a</em> draw.</p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiffs must only allege that the ability to download their infringing content served as a draw, not necessarily the only draw to subscribers. I find that plaintiffs’ allegations are sufficient to show that the ability to download infringing content served as a draw.&#8221;</p>
<p>In addition to the &#8216;profit&#8217; and &#8216;draw&#8217; elements, the music companies also argued that Charter has the ability to supervise and control the activity of pirating subscribers. This is another requirement to prove vicarious infringement.</p>
<p>The ISP disagreed and pointed out that it can&#8217;t identify and police pirating subscribers. Even if it would terminate users based on third-party allegations, these people could simply move to another provider and continue, it argued.</p>
<p>Again, Judge Jackson wasn&#8217;t convinced. He stresses that it&#8217;s irrelevant what users would do at other ISPs and believes that Charter could certainly take action against some infringing subscribers.</p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiffs only seek to hold Charter liable for infringement that occurs through the use of Charter’s services, not all infringement that occurs on the internet,&#8221; Judge Jackson writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Charter can certainly limit its subscribers’ ability to infringe by blocking their access to the internet through Charter. I find that this is sufficient to allege that Charter has the ability to control infringement,&#8221; he adds</p>
<p>All in all, the Judge sides with the earlier recommendation to deny Charter&#8217;s motion to dismiss. This means that the ISP will have to face the vicarious infringement charges. The claim for contributory copyright infringement also remains, as that wasn&#8217;t part of the motion to dismiss.</p>
<p>A few weeks ago Charter countersued the music companies <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185185&#038;preview=true">for sending inaccurate takedown notices</a>. This matter is still on the Judge&#8217;s desk and will be decided in due course.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>Here is a copy of US District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson&#8217;s <a href="media/3d2cd952.charter-order-on-recommendations.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/charter-order-on-recommendations.pdf">order on Charter&#8217;s motion to dismiss the vicarious liability claim.</a></em></p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185448
title: Vicious Headbutt Video Meets Bogus DMCA Notices and the Streisand Effect
uri: Vicious-Headbutt-Video-Meets-Bogus-DMCA-Notices-and-the-Streisand-Effe
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/IaiEHLzUwP4/
content:
<p><a href="media/ef9df3c8.facepalm.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/facepalm.jpg"><img src="media/ef9df3c8.facepalm.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/facepalm.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="158" class="alignright size-full wp-image-127813" /></a>For as long as people have been able to share decent-sized videos online, there have been clips of people willingly punching each other in the face. This is commonly known as a &#8216;fight&#8217; and they can be quite entertaining, under the right circumstances.</p>
<p>Some people, however, like to violently attack seemingly innocent parties over the most trivial of things. This is known as &#8216;assault&#8217; and is never acceptable under any circumstances. That brings us to the horrible yet remarkable events surrounding an incident in 2019 that began awfully, was dealt with heroically and, by some twists of fate, ended up here on TF in a copyright shitstorm.</p>
<p>Last summer, Steve Heflin was on business in Fort Lauderdale to interview prospective employee Mark with a view to hiring him as a new salesman for his Internet infrastructure company. Things went well over dinner and the pair decided to go to a local bar where they first encountered &#8220;two guys in suits&#8221; sitting at the bar. Steve tells us that after one left the other was involved in a dispute and was asked by the management to leave. Things didn&#8217;t go well.</p>
<p>Due to the apparent level of intoxication, the valet wouldn&#8217;t return &#8220;drunk guy&#8217;s&#8221; keys, informing him that his car would be safe where it was parked and he should get an Uber home instead. There was an altercation and the valet ended up hiding behind the manager. The confrontation escalated and as can be seen in the video embedded below, something pretty awful happened to the first person in line.</p>
<p>Those who can&#8217;t stomach violence probably shouldn&#8217;t click. For those that do, Steve is the guy that deals with the assailant to ensure he can&#8217;t hurt anyone else &#8211; including himself. Mark is the guy who steps in to help later on.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b5hW4bnHfPU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>&#8220;Not gonna lie &#8211; it was surreal,&#8221; Steve told TorrentFreak this week. &#8220;If I didn&#8217;t see the video myself, I would never be able to tell you how I took him down. It was all so fast. I told him to calm down, he swung and next thing you know, we are on the ground. I really was shocked to see it all! Still strange to this day.&#8221;</p>
<p>In various edits, this video has been seen by countless thousands of people since last year. Steve has been hailed a hero for the way he handled the situation, receiving positive comments from people who watched the video on platforms including YouTube, Reddit, Vimeo, Facebook, and more.</p>
<p>However, those looking <a href="https://www.documentingreality.com/forum/f224/drunk-guy-headbutts-employee-but-bystander-puts-him-chokehold-205136/">for the video</a> today (Steve provided this copy on a private YouTube link) won&#8217;t find it so easily. That&#8217;s because (surprise, surprise) someone has been abusing the DMCA to have the content removed.</p>
<p>&#8220;I started getting messages from Reddit about me violating copyright laws and using copyrighted content. YouTube &#8211; same thing. Viral content advertisers were pinging me asking me for the rights to the video to make it more viral and split the money. I declined them all,&#8221; Steve explained.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/7fbdf928.bully-takedown1-e1586960924573.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/bully-takedown1-e1586960924573.png"><img src="media/7fbdf928.bully-takedown1-e1586960924573.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/bully-takedown1-e1586960924573.png" alt="" width="650" height="215" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-185520" /></a></center></p>
<p>As the image above shows, the video &#8211; that was <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/bullybackfire/comments/cqtj7j/leisure_suit_bully_got_his/">posted</a> by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/stevey3000">Steve</a> himself eight months ago (he earned various awards and a custom flair for his trouble) &#8211; was removed by Reddit&#8217;s legal team because they received a copyright complaint. </p>
<p>Another thread on Reddit, created by someone else but referencing the same video, received a further round of attention after being reposted on the platform. As can be <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Instantregret/comments/dm1l4b/entitled_bully_takedown/">seen here</a>, however, that was also subjected to a copyright complaint. Any other subs that linked to the content (<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/bjj/comments/cx3ydg/nice_takedown_and_control_out_in_the_urban/">such as /r/bjj</a>) were also denied access following the takedowns.</p>
<p>This pattern continued wherever the video was posted but due to the lack of transparency in respect of who claimed the video as their own, it&#8217;s not easy to see who filed the copyright complaints on sites like Reddit, for example. However, <a href="https://vimeo.com/359682807">two</a> DMCA complaints <a href="https://vimeo.com/359683477">filed with Vimeo</a> and <a href="https://lumendatabase.org/notices/19230620?access_token=wBdOEyxY8AYWMTzdUFMTdw">published on the Lumen Database</a> actually lists the name of the sender.</p>
<p>According to Steve, it matches the name of the guy he took down in the video.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/77d10497.bully-takedown2-e1586969136909.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/bully-takedown2-e1586969136909.png"><img src="media/77d10497.bully-takedown2-e1586969136909.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/bully-takedown2-e1586969136909.png" alt="" width="650" height="287" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-185528" /></a></center></p>
<p>This raises a number of issues, which need to be looked at closely. Could this be someone impersonating &#8220;drunk guy&#8221;, taking down videos in his name in order to &#8216;help&#8217; in some way? Perhaps. Could this be the guy himself filing these notices? Also possible but he would need to obtain the copyrights first. Steve says that&#8217;s unlikely.</p>
<p>As the video clearly shows, the assailant did not record the video himself since at the time he was either headbutting someone in the face or having his face ground into the floor. In fact, the video was taken by someone else &#8211; a woman &#8211; who happily handed over a copy to Steve upon request.</p>
<p>A crucial point here is that the existence of the video &#8211; which someone is now trying to erase from history &#8211; was potentially an absolute life-saver for Steve because after the police took the assailant away, they returned with some pretty serious allegations.</p>
<p>&#8220;So by now someone had bought me a beer (my third of the night so I am very sober) and the cops come back inside and want to talk to me. I figure it is a normal Q&#038;A about the incident. Nope. They are asking me who I am with and where my friends are and why I sucker-punched [the assailant],&#8221; Steve explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;I was like &#8211; what? The cop says well, [the assailant] said you and TEN of your friends jumped him and then I sucker-punched him when he wasn&#8217;t looking. So now I am on the defense because they want to take me in! Everyone starts chiming in at the same time about what really happened and it is overload with so many people talking.</p>
<p>&#8220;Then this one woman plainly says &#8216;Do you want to see the video?&#8217; I turned and looked at her and said, &#8216;You took a video?'&#8221;</p>
<p>The unavoidable conclusion here is that witness accounts aside, the video proved who was in the wrong and Steve was allowed to go on his way. It&#8217;s a piece of evidence recorded by an accidental citizen journalist, evidence that is now being subjected to DMCA complaint after DMCA complaint in an effort to disappear what happened that day.</p>
<p>That, conveniently, leads us to the headline of this article, which wouldn&#8217;t have even been written if it hadn&#8217;t been for this icing on the cake. On April 9, 2020, an entity describing itself as &#8216;<a href="https://transparencyreport.google.com/copyright/owners/309526?hl=en_GB">TECHLAW</a>&#8216; filed DMCA complaints with Google (<a href="https://lumendatabase.org/notices/20458031?access_token=ujZKCiNIEALY7qn3E8JM3A">1</a>,<a href="https://lumendatabase.org/notices/20458027?access_token=iIXv4Kzl92zxvd6tdsuXuA">2</a>) in an effort to have a new thread, referencing a new posting of the video on Reddit, deleted from its indexes.</p>
<p>One was a standard DMCA takedown notice. The other was a highly dubious effort to have another URL removed on the basis that it breaches the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/1c7c5a3c.bully-takedown3-e1586966070981.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/bully-takedown3-e1586966070981.png"><img src="media/1c7c5a3c.bully-takedown3-e1586966070981.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/bully-takedown3-e1586966070981.png" alt="" width="650" height="586" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-185524" /></a></center></p>
<p>The massive irony here is that if this latest misguided effort to remove the video hadn&#8217;t been filed with Google this week, this entire episode would&#8217;ve flown under the radar without piquing our interest. Instead, the anti-circumvention notice stuck out like a sore thumb and led us down this inglorious Streisand-Effect rabbit hole.</p>
<p>The big question now is whether the notice-sender, whoever they may be, will continue in their quest to remove the video &#8211; a video they have no right to remove and is only likely to get posted in more and more places in response to the notices.</p>
<p>Whatever happens, Steve isn&#8217;t bitter about the events of that night, or the person he had to deal with.</p>
<p>&#8220;I truly have nothing against him,&#8221; he told us. &#8220;I mean, he thought my name was really Denarius&#8230;duh. I&#8217;m sure we would not get along if we knew each other&#8230;.that&#8217;s no big deal. But what if I saved a life or him from a bad accident, if not that night then another? If no one humbled him and he continued to be a drunk douche? I think of those things.&#8221;</p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185420
title: Copyright Holders Have to ‘Resend’ Millions of Pirate Bay Takedown Notices
uri: Copyright-Holders-Have-to-Resend-Millions-of-Pirate-Bay-Takedown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ppissbHrwXA/
content:
<p><img src="media/97d422f0.greenbay.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/greenbay.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="208" class="alignright size-full wp-image-120101" />After several weeks of absence, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bays-main-domain-returns-after-month-of-downtime-200411/">The Pirate Bay became accessible again</a> through its main .org domain last weekend.</p>
<p>At first sight the site looked more or less the same but there are some significant changes, both under the hood and in appearance. </p>
<p>Many users immediately noticed that the site doesn&#8217;t work well with several ad blockers. Whether this is a bug or a feature is the question, but it was both frustrating and annoying for some.</p>
<p>&#8220;Your adblock may block important javascript components, check that main.js is loaded or the webpage won&#8217;t work,&#8221; a message on The Pirate Bay warns. And indeed, whilelisting this file appears to resolve the problem.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/df68fc9a.adblock.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/adblock.png" alt="" width="605" height="221" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185644" /></center></p>
<p>The Pirate Bay&#8217;s search results are also presented differently. While it&#8217;s still possible to order by date, size, seeders, and leechers, that&#8217;s <a href="https://pirates-forum.org/Thread-New-GUI-Sucks">not immediately obvious to everyone</a>. Again, this was cause for some confusion.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s safe to say that every new design comes with drawbacks and other changes people have to get used to. However, there&#8217;s also a structural change that will be harder to overcome, one that mostly affects copyright holders. </p>
<p>With the new Pirate Bay design also comes a new URL structure. Instead of the old torrent pages that were accessible through <em>thepiratebay.org/torrent/12345</em>, the format has now changed to <em>thepiratebay.org/description.php?id=12345</em>. </p>
<p>Other URLs, including categories, the top lists, and user pages, all updated as well. To give another example, the 100 most-active torrents on the site can now be accessed from <em>thepiratebay.org/search.php?q=top100:all</em>, instead of the old <em>thepiratebay.org/top/all</em>.</p>
<p>For users, this isn&#8217;t a problem. All old links simply redirect to new ones. However, for copyright holders, it&#8217;s an outright disaster as it means that they will have to resend all their takedown notices. And we&#8217;re not talking about a few thousand here, but many millions. </p>
<p>Looking at Google&#8217;s transparency report we see that copyright holders have asked the search engine to remove more than <a href="https://transparencyreport.google.com/copyright/domains/thepiratebay.org">five million URLs</a>. Pretty much all of these notices have been rendered useless. </p>
<p>For example, this <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/510023">2012 takedown notice</a> from Paramount Pictures removed the link to The Pirate Bay&#8217;s top 100 video torrents. However, after the update, the same page reappeared under a new URL. Another consideration is that Google is just one search engine, so the same applies to other search engines too.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/ffc91733.tpbtopnew.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tpbtopnew.jpg" alt="" width="634" height="248" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185581" /></center></p>
<p>While that&#8217;s already quite bad, it&#8217;s really just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to the millions of URLs of thepiratebay.org, there are also hundreds of millions of Pirate Bay proxy URLs that have changed. All the notices for these sites have to be resent as well.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/be18b15d.tpbnewtakedown.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tpbnewtakedown.jpg" alt="" width="608" height="162" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185582" /></center></p>
<p>While search engines need time to pick up all the new links, the first takedown notices are already trickling in. As shown above, this also includes proxy sites.  </p>
<p>It is safe to say that The Pirate Bay&#8217;s updates are having a more significant impact than it may seem at first sight. While it&#8217;s not entirely clear what motivated the changes, they are likely intended to make the site operate more smoothly. </p>
<p>At the time of writing, however, there are still some issues. Comments are not working, for example, and the Tor site is also offline. We tried to get more info from the Pirate Bay team, but thus far we have yet to hear back.</p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185594
title: Russia Plans to Block Access to ‘Pirate’ Apps on Google Play and Apple’s App Store
uri: Russia-Plans-to-Block-Access-to-Pirate-Apps-on-Google-Play-and-A
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5Fda_TrVZGo/
content:
<p><a href="media/8b8ae225.pirateapple.gif" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirateapple.gif"><img src="media/8b8ae225.pirateapple.gif" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirateapple.gif" alt="" width="180" height="160" class="alignright size-full wp-image-29587" /></a>Site-blocking is one of the entertainment industries&#8217; preferred tools for dealing with the spread of unlicensed content.</p>
<p>Operated in dozens of countries around the world and currently <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-industry-praises-the-effectiveness-of-pirate-site-blocking-in-u-s-senate-200311/">being championed</a> as an effective anti-piracy solution for the United States, site-blocking is not only <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/affordable-legal-options-are-the-best-anti-piracy-tool-us-senators-are-told-300320/">controversial</a> but also struggles to keep up with piracy innovations.</p>
<p>When file-sharing hit the mainstream, it was via software clients such as Napster, Kazaa and LimeWire. After traversing through torrent clients it then hit the web, with people more likely to stream or download from a site using a browser. Over the past few years, however, part of the market came full circle, with dedicated piracy apps gaining in popularity once again.</p>
<p>While these pieces of software are usually downloaded from websites, they are effectively aggregators pulling content from a wide range of third-party platforms. It is technically possible to block all of those platforms to prevent apps from working but Russia now wants to deny access to the apps themselves.</p>
<p>According to draft amendments to copyright law reviewed by <a href="https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4323827">Kommersant</a>, the plan is for telecoms watchdog Roscomnadzor to contact app developers/owners with a request for them to cease distribution of their infringing tools. They will be expected to respond positively and quickly, within a day.</p>
<p>In the event that fails, Roscomnadzor will then turn to the entity that &#8220;ensures the placement of the application&#8221;, i.e websites, distribution platforms etc. If no action is taken there, they could find themselves subjected to ISP blocking instead.</p>
<p>According to Karen Ghazaryan, leading analyst at the Russian Association for Electronic Communications (RAEC), services such as Google Play and Apple&#8217;s App Store will be covered by the legislation.</p>
<p>While some will view blocking of legitimate platforms as draconian, there doesn&#8217;t appear to be any desire to block entire sites after a failure to restrict access to infringing apps. Instead, the proposed blocking is at least intended to be precise, targeting the specific locations where the apps can be found. </p>
<p>Whether that will be possible or whether over-blocking will raise its head again is unclear but Ghazaryn is concerned by the development and questions whether it is needed at all. Faced with copyright or trademark complaints, official platforms already remove applications from their stores.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Alexei Byrdin of anti-piracy group Internet Video Association suggests that such distributors should also face sanctions for failing to respond.</p>
<p>&#8220;It’s worth expanding the ways of influencing aggregators so that they really respond, for example, provide for significant fines &#8211; such as those in place for search engines for not deleting links to pirated resources,&#8221; he told Kommersant.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s certainly possible the government is hoping to tackle a broader range of distribution mechanisms other than Google Play or the App Store, however. When applications are denied distribution on the larger services, they tend to get pushed out to file-hosting platforms and third-party websites, which can also be blocked.</p>
<p>That being said, pirate apps are typically quite small so they can also be distributed via email or chat applications. Those mechanisms are hard or even impossible to block but restricting access to the masses is probably the pragmatic goal of the legislation, not eradicating the apps completely.</p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185664
title: Book Piracy Scandal at Australian Govt. Could Trigger Police Referral
uri: Book-Piracy-Scandal-at-Australian-Govt-Could-Trigger-Police-Referral
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/poV1iOpgpOE/
content:
<p><img src="media/53490471.aus.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="159" class="alignright size-full wp-image-96798" />Music and video piracy grab most headlines, but there&#8217;s also a thriving market for pirated copies of books.</p>
<p>Due to their small size, ebooks can be passed around without much trouble. With a file size of just a few megabytes, at most, they can easily be attached to an email. </p>
<p>This is also what happened with <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/a-bigger-picture-malcolm-turnbull/book/9781743795637.html">the memoir</a> of former Australian Prime Minister, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Turnbull">Malcolm Turnbull</a>. Although the official release is today, the book was being sent round en masse over the weekend, reaching the highest levels of Australian politics. </p>
<p>While it&#8217;s understandable that Turnbull&#8217;s former colleagues want to read all the juicy details first, they are not allowed to. Passing around copies of the book without permission is considered piracy, that&#8217;s something lawmakers should be well aware of. </p>
<p>After discovering the unauthorized sharing, Turnbull and his publisher <a href="https://www.hardiegrant.com/au">Hardie Grant</a>, decided to take action. They identified a top adviser of Scott Morrison, the current prime minister, as one of the senders.</p>
<p>The publisher reportedly alerted its law firm which sent the advisor a cease and desist notice accusing him of sending pirated copies of the book to dozens of people over email.</p>
<p>“It has occurred on a massive scale. Further, that you are encouraging others to also distribute it. Such an act is calculated to cause irreparable harm and damage to my clients,&#8221; the notice, reported by <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/turnbull-publisher-names-morrison-office-in-massive-book-breach-20200418-p54l3f.html">The Age</a>, reads.</p>
<p>The law firm urged the advisor to immediately stop this infringing activity and save all related communication for future investigation. This includes potential legal action.</p>
<p>“My clients will be proceeding against this malicious conduct and infringement of copyright immediately,” the publisher&#8217;s law firm wrote.</p>
<p>The strong language caused shockwaves across the highest echelons of Australian politics, with even the prime minister himself being asked to comment on the unusual piracy allegations.</p>
<p>While the current prime minister hasn&#8217;t personally commented, his advisor, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/apr/19/pms-senior-adviser-accused-of-pirating-malcolm-turnbulls-unreleased-memoir">identified</a> by the Guardian as Nico Louw, did respond. Louw reportedly apologized for sharing a pirated copy of the memoir to 59 people.</p>
<p>The pirated book also became a hot topic at ABC&#8217;s political discussion program Insiders. There, Australia&#8217;s foreign minister Marise Payne said she &#8220;received and deleted” a copy herself, encouraging others &#8220;to do the same thing.&#8221;</p>
<p>This comment piqued the interest of the book&#8217;s publisher, especially because the minister refuses to say who sent her the book. Sandy Grant, a chief executive at the publisher, suggested they might even subpoena politicians to get more details.</p>
<p>The publisher wants to get to the bottom of the matter and Grant said they plan to make a referral to the Australian Federal Police.</p>
<p>“When I watch a senior government minister saying they received stolen goods but can’t help us know where they came from, you despair,” Grant said, quoted by <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/turnbull-s-publisher-to-refer-copyright-breaches-to-afp-20200419-p54l82.html">SMH</a>. </p>
<p>“The bookshops in their electorates are closed or struggling, our staff are working reduced hours or being stood down and they seem to see that theft as something they can ignore. Would they ignore someone stealing from the local servo?” he added.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s clear that many details are still missing from this story, but perhaps the subpoenas and a police investigation could fill in some gaps.</p>
<p>The publisher of the memoir sees itself as a victim here, which is understandable. However, it&#8217;s not all bad news. The piracy scandal is being picked up in mainstream media outlets throughout Australia, which is priceless free advertising. </p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185411
title: MPA Doesn’t Want Kenya to Simply Copy the DMCA, It Should Do Better
uri: MPA-Doesn-t-Want-Kenya-to-Simply-Copy-the-DMCA-It-Should-Do-Better
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/htmMgrOhGvg/
content:
<p><img src="media/eae84aa1.copyright-branded.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-branded.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="164" class="alignright size-full wp-image-56211" />For more than a decade, countries around the world have mimicked United States policies regarding copyright infringement. </p>
<p>The DMCA, which refers to the 1999 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, has become the standard for how rightsholders and online services deal with pirated content. </p>
<p>While many believe that this is still sufficient, in recent years criticism has swelled. Many prominent copyright holders believe that the DMCA is ineffective, as removed content can reappear a day later. In addition, they feel that online services use the law as a shield to profit from copyright infringements. </p>
<p>This critique of the DMCA has now led to a situation where some of the largest media companies advise foreign governments not to copy US copyright law. This is also the message the Motion Picture wants to send to Kenya. </p>
<p>In a letter, addressed to the US Trade Representative (USTR), which is currently considering a new trade deal with the African country, the movie industry group notes that exporting US copyright law might not always be a good thing. </p>
<p>Anissa Brennan, who&#8217;s the Senior Vice President International Affairs and Trade Policy at the MPA, stresses that simply copying the DMCA isn&#8217;t going to cut it. Instead, a trade deal should include more effective anti-piracy measures.</p>
<p>&#8220;With regard to online enforcement, a U.S.-Kenya agreement should include disciplines that can effectively address online piracy. This means moving away from a rote recitation of Section 512 of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act,&#8221; <a href="media/294f4a4c.MPA_filing_final-1.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/MPA_filing_final-1.pdf">Brennan writes (pdf)</a>. </p>
<p>&#8220;Rather, we recommend moving to highlevel language that reflects the fundamental principles of the DMCA. Such an approach would be fully consistent with U.S. law and create some policy space for Kenya to be innovative in its approach to online piracy.&#8221; </p>
<p>Or put differently, the MPA wants Kenya to implement copyright legislation that&#8217;s more strict or effective than the US has in place.</p>
<p>What the more &#8216;innovative&#8217; approach looks like isn&#8217;t explained in detail. However, the Hollywood group previously <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-praises-australias-anti-piracy-laws-but-more-can-be-done-191111/">advocated in favor</a> of &#8220;staydown&#8221; policies, where online services have to make sure that infringing content or links don&#8217;t resurface. </p>
<p>In addition, the MPA also argued in favor of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpa-wants-pirated-content-removed-proactively-just-like-hate-speech-191104/">&#8216;proactive&#8217; measures</a> against infringing content, which hints at upload filters. At the same time, legislation should make it easier to hold online services liable for infringing users, instead of offering the DMCA&#8217;s broad &#8216;safe harbor&#8217; protections.</p>
<p>The MPA has lobbied US lawmakers for similar changes. While Congress is currently reviewing the DMCA, no concrete changes have been suggested yet. With their letter, the MPA suggests that Kenya could be a pioneer in this area. </p>
<p>While the DMCA is no longer seen as sufficient, the MPA does urge the African country to implement another US copyright policy that has become a global standard. That is, a copyright term of the author&#8217;s life plus 70 years, which is substantially longer than the current 50-year term.</p>
<p>&#8220;A U.S.-Kenya agreement should reflect the global consensus on term of protection for copyrighted works which is life of the author plus 70 years and a comparable term for works measured by date of publication,&#8221; the MPA writes.</p>
<p>In addition, there are various other proposed changes, including statutory damages for copyright infringement, as well as the option to issue injunctions against third-party services in copyright lawsuits.</p>
<p>Whether any of these changes will make their way into potential new trade agreements remains to be seen. During the negotiation phase of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement there were also repeated calls not to copy the DMCA language, but those proved to be unsuccessful. </p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185688
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 04/20/20
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-04-20-20
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2ibqIC0a_hw/
content:
<p><img src="media/ac43430b.fantasy-island.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/fantasy-island.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" class="alignright size-full wp-image-185690" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/fantasy-island.jpg 1800w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/fantasy-island-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />This week we have three newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Bad Boys for Life is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the articles of the recent weekly movie download charts.</p>
<h5>This week&#8217;s most downloaded movies are:</h5>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Movie Rank</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>Rank <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-the-week-on-bittorrent-04-13-20/">last week</a></strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie name</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Most downloaded movies via torrents</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0983946/">Fantasy Island</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0983946/">4.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6O30nJ02PU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502397/">Bad Boys for Life</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502397/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKCj3XuPG8M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6587640/">Trolls World Tour</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6587640/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08AExF6dETA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8367814/">The Gentlemen</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8367814/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ify9S7hj480">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9086228/">Gretel &#038; Hansel</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9086228/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZblQLhKcZQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7134096/">The Rhythm Section</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7134096/">5.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uq_5bYGYoY">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9580138/">Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion&#8217;s Revenge</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9580138/">7.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1vccr3yWBU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/">Sonic The Hedgehog</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szby7ZHLnkA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076298/">IP Man 4</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076298/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNaIewXwLHs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634106/">Bloodshot</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634106/">5.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOUVVDWdXbo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185674
title: Streaming Site Nites.TV Gets ‘Seized’ After Going Viral, But Questions Remain
uri: Streaming-Site-Nites-TV-Gets-Seized-After-Going-Viral-But-Quest
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bP3pDcyAMHg/
content:
<p><a href="media/2823eabd.nites-tv-logo-e1587372970818.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nites-tv-logo-e1587372970818.png"><img src="media/2823eabd.nites-tv-logo-e1587372970818.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nites-tv-logo-e1587372970818.png" alt="" width="270" height="151" class="alignright size-full wp-image-185695" /></a>Every month new pirate sites appear online, hoping to be the next big thing. Many fall by the wayside, having fizzled out in what is already an extremely crowded marketplace.</p>
<p>To gain traction, sites need to offer something different, either through innovation or by polishing existing experiences to stand out as a desirable alternative. Seemingly out of nowhere, movie and TV show streaming platform Nites.tv seemed to hit the bullseye recently by offering high-quality content with little fuss.</p>
<p>After registering its domain in the summer of 2019, Nites.tv was slow to get off the mark but starting October its traffic began loosely doubling every few weeks and by January 2020, according to SimilarWeb stats, was receiving around 350,000 visitors per month.</p>
<p>In overall terms, this isn&#8217;t huge amounts of traffic for a pirate streaming platform but there can be no doubt that, among its users, Nites.tv was considered a desirable platform. With a clean interface and large library of content, given more time it could have grown into something particularly notable. But then things began to get a little unusual.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/361146d9.nitestv-e1587374808375.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nitestv-e1587374808375.png"><img src="media/361146d9.nitestv-e1587374808375.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nitestv-e1587374808375.png" alt="" width="650" height="373" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-185697" /></a></center></p>
<p>Around a week ago, a number of news sites around the world began publishing stories about Nites.tv. In the UK, for example, The Sun <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/11388743/is-nites-tv-legal/">ran a feature</a> on the platform, explaining what it offers and questioning whether it was legal or not.</p>
<p>While Nites.tv is clearly not legal, the fact that The Sun wrote about a relatively obscure site with no news angle whatsoever was unusual in itself but the publication did point to a large number of recommendations on social media in its opening paragraphs.</p>
<p>Over in Asia, an Indonesian news site also <a href="https://kumparan.com/kumparantech/viral-situs-streaming-film-gratis-nites-tv-apakah-legal-dan-aman-1tDpL9Inqk3">mentioned</a> increased discussion about the site online and felt sufficiently curious to refer the matter to the country&#8217;s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology for comment.</p>
<p>The existence of Nites.tv also came to the attention of Israeli news publication Ynet, which reported that the streaming platform was being heavily promoted on social networks including Twitter and Whatsapp messages. According to the publication, the messages on Whatsapp were noticed by security company ESET, which issued a warning about not clicking random links in messages in case they carry something nefarious.</p>
<p>Ynet speculated that the interest in Nites.tv may have been boosted as a result of people sitting home bored due to the coronavirus and looking for something to watch. Supporting this theory, a Reddit user <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieStreamingSites/comments/fzk7hx/is_nitestv_malware_it_seems_too_good_to_be_true/fnjvovl/">reported</a> that a Facebook campaign promoting the site stated that &#8220;USA has made all this content free during lockdown&#8221;, which of course is absolute nonsense.</p>
<p>Then yesterday, completely out of the blue, visitors to Nites.tv were greeted with an unpleasant surprise. Instead of all the latest movies and TV shows available for immediate streaming in high-quality, they were presented with the familiar &#8216;seizure&#8217; notice of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the global anti-piracy coalition that has taken down similar sites for breaches of copyright infringement.</p>
<p>This, of course, piqued our interest. We have covered dozens of these actions in the past and have become fairly familiar with how these things play out. Following a credible threat from ACE, sites tend to go dark for a while and then later, when some type of agreement has been reached with site operators, their domains are handed over to the Motion Picture Association (MPA).</p>
<p>Seized domains are subsequently redirected to the ACE anti-piracy portal but that traditional pattern doesn&#8217;t appear to have been replicated here.</p>
<p>We can&#8217;t rule out that ACE has filed a complaint against the site and it remains possible that the site owner responded immediately by voluntarily redirecting his domains (nites.tv, nites.cz, nites.ac) to the ACE portal. However, the owners of the domains aren&#8217;t currently listed as the MPA (as they mostly are) and their nameservers remain with Cloudflare, not the nameservers operated by the MPA that usually serve seized domains.</p>
<p>That leads us to another piece of the puzzle. Yesterday, around the time the Nites domains began redirecting to ACE, the official Nites Twitter account put up a poll, requesting feedback from site users as to how the platform should operate moving forward.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/c93c5d60.nites-twitter-ss-e1587380220885.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nites-twitter-ss-e1587380220885.png"><img src="media/c93c5d60.nites-twitter-ss-e1587380220885.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nites-twitter-ss-e1587380220885.png" alt="" width="500" height="526" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-185705" /></a></center></p>
<p>As things stand, very little of the above seems normal. The media attention isn&#8217;t in proportion to the size of the site and a pirate site campaign on WhatsApp is almost unheard of. Furthermore, the &#8216;seizure&#8217; indicators don&#8217;t add up either, especially when combined with an immediate user outreach to determine where the site goes next.</p>
<p>One to watch from a distance perhaps, at least for now.</p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185727
title: Author Wins EBook.bike Piracy Case After Accepting Just $9,000 in Damages
uri: Author-Wins-EBook-bike-Piracy-Case-After-Accepting-Just-9-000-in-Dama
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2s2ZuT3RHEM/
content:
<p><img src="media/24879ea8.3geINt6a_400x400.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/3geINt6a_400x400.jpg" width="270" height="270" class="alignright size-full" />More than a year ago, author John Van Stry embarked on a mission to take down former Pirate Party Canada leader Travis McCrea.</p>
<p>McCrea was the operator of eBook.bike, a free-to-use eBook download platform that ostensibly accepted user uploads of books and presented them to the public. The site became <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/former-pirate-party-leader-trolls-authors-to-push-traffic-to-ebook-site-190306/">hugely controversial</a> after authors complained that they had never given the platform permission to distribute their content.</p>
<p>McCrea, on the other hand, insisted that his platform was legal and was protected by the safe harbor provisions of the DMCA, noting that if people sent valid takedown notices, content would be removed. Nevertheless, opposition against the site continued to build and McCrea himself ran out of patience, asking someone to sue him to get the &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/travis-mcrae-sue-me-over-ebook-site-i-want-the-bs-over-done-with-190316/">BS over and done with</a>.&#8221;</p>
<p>Shortly after, author John Van Stry <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/former-pirate-party-leader-asks-to-be-sued-over-ebook-site-has-wish-granted-190401/">accepted the challenge</a> by suing McCrea in a Texas court. While Van Stry employed a team of professional lawyers to handle the matter, McCrea decided to defend the case himself.</p>
<p>As legal battles go, this one was particularly lopsided. With Van Stry&#8217;s team laying out its case in detail, McCrea &#8211; when he participated at all &#8211; seemed either overwhelmed (or potentially underwhelmed) by the importance of the case against him.</p>
<p>While frustrations were clearly building on Van Stry&#8217;s side from having to commit time and financial resources to the case, it became clear early on that McCrea would be unlikely to prevail.</p>
<p>McCrea <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ebook-bike-owner-says-deficient-dmca-notices-means-no-case-to-answer-190727/">hoped to lean</a> on the safe harbor provisions of the DMCA, arguing that as long as he took allegedly infringing content down, he could not be held liable under the law. That failed, at least in part due to McCrea&#8217;s failure to register an agent at the US Copyright Office. Claims that his acts were covered under laws designed to protect religious freedoms were also dismissed.</p>
<p>Earlier this month it became clear that the case hadn&#8217;t got long to run. A motion for summary judgment filed by Van Stry demanded $15,000 in damages each for 12 of his books, to a total of $180,000 plus costs. However, to obtain this amount the case would&#8217;ve had to go to a full trial, with all the additional costs that would&#8217;ve entailed.</p>
<p>In the event, the presiding judge <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/judge-in-ebook-bike-piracy-case-asks-author-to-consider-a-massively-reduced-damages-claim-200412/">suggested</a> an alternative route. Based on the assertion that Van Stry&#8217;s damages claim was &#8220;like to be illusory&#8221;, the judge said that if Van Stry limited his request for statutory damages to the statutory minimum award of $750 per work — an amount already agreed by McCrea &#8211; a trial would not be needed. That opportunity was accepted by Van Stry.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mr. McCrea has been found to have willfully infringed the following of Mr. Van Stry’s copyrighted works: Portals of Infinity: Book One: Champion for Hire; Perfect Strangers; Portals of Infinity: Kaiju; Portals of Infinity: Book Two: The God Game; Portals of Infinity: Book Three: Of Temples and Trials; Portals of Infinity: Book Four: The Sea of Grass; Portals of Infinity: Book Five: Demigods and Deities; Portals of Infinity: Reprisal; When It Falls; Stand On It; Black Friday; and Over Our Heads,&#8221; Judge William Bryson<br />
wrote in a final judgment handed down yesterday.</p>
<p>&#8220;[P]ursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 504(c) and the Court’s April 20, 2020, order, Plaintiff is awarded statutory damages from the Defendant in the amount of $9,000.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Judge also handed down an injunction, preventing McCrea from copying, reproducing, and/or distributing Van Stry&#8217;s books, &#8220;whether now in existence or hereafter created.&#8221;</p>
<p>Furthermore, due to his failure to comply with his discovery obligations during the case, McCrea was further ordered to pay Van Stry $3,605 in sanctions.</p>
<p>While the total damages awarded are considerably lower than initially demanded by Van Stry, the author has also run up significant legal bills pursuing the case against McCrea. These costs will also have to be covered by McCrea, with the amount to be advised to the court within 14 days of the order.</p>
<p>In a posting to his GoFundMe campaign launched last year to assist with the costs of his litigation, last evening Van Stry declared victory, explaining that his goals have now been achieved.</p>
<p>Van Stry said that he took umbrage at McCrea&#8217;s bragging that he was making money from authors&#8217; work and that by offering ebooks on his site, he was &#8220;helping&#8221; authors in some way. He also slammed McCrea for &#8220;destroying the retirement of many authors, who rely on the royalties they get from their backlogs to pay their bills.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The primary goal of this lawsuit was always to get an injunction and stop him from stealing my works and the works of other authors. I didn&#8217;t even know his site existed until I was told my works were on it by some fans and other authors,&#8221; he wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;[McCrea] was destroying the ability of new authors to enter the market. If your book only sells a few copies on Amazon, but it&#8217;s the &#8216;book of the week&#8217; on his website, with people downloading thousands of copies. Do you think that author is ever going to write again? It takes thousands of hours to write a book. It takes money to get cover art and editing services. If you don&#8217;t get paid for your hard work, you find another job.&#8221;</p>
<p>Van Stry said he felt a responsibility to tackle McCrea not just for himself, but for other authors too. However, he says he didn&#8217;t want to sue McCrea and it came with considerable costs.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sometimes, you just have to stand up for what is right. This lawsuit hurt me, considerably, and not just because of the money that came out of my pocket. Rarely did a day go by that I wasn&#8217;t thinking about it, and rarely did a week go by when I wasn&#8217;t having to deal with my attorneys. But it wasn&#8217;t just about me, it never was,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Whether McCrea will ever pay a penny will remain to be seen. McCrea lives in Canada and according to Van Stry, may not have a permanent place of residence.</p>
<p>&#8220;He now claims that he&#8217;s broke and living out of a conversion van (aren&#8217;t those expensive?). I don&#8217;t know if that&#8217;s true or not, and I don&#8217;t care,&#8221; the author wrote.</p>
<p><em>The final judgment and permanent injunction can be found <a href="media/1c803549.2-19-cv-00104-Stry-v-McCrea-Judgment-200420.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/2-19-cv-00104-Stry-v-McCrea-Judgment-200420.pdf">here</a> (pdf)</em></p>
<p>Drom: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185661
title: Linkvertise Threatens to Sue Universal Bypass over Copyright Infringement
uri: Linkvertise-Threatens-to-Sue-Universal-Bypass-over-Copyright-Infringem
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/XVciBBXHOWg/
content:
<p><img src="media/a3a00108.linkvert7.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/linkvert7.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="198" class="alignright size-full wp-image-185721" />The Internet offers a wealth of free information and entertainment, often monetized by advertisements. </p>
<p>Ads come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from classy commercials, through annoying banners, all the way to malicious ads.</p>
<p>In recent years, URL shorteners with built-in monetization tools have been added to the mix. Services such as AdFly, Adshrink, Linkvertise, and Shrinkearn pay hard cash for directing links through their ads.</p>
<p>The services allow people to make easy money, which sounds great, but it&#8217;s also a major annoyance for everyone else. This is why developer <a href="https://sainan.de/">Tim Speckhals</a>, aka &#8216;<a href="https://twitter.com/Sainan_de">Sainan</a>&#8216;, came up with an easy tool to circumvent these redirects: <a href="https://universal-bypass.org/">Universal Bypass</a>. </p>
<p>&#8220;I was annoyed by those sorts of sites and hadn&#8217;t seen an extension of that type, so I thought I&#8217;d fill that niché,&#8221; Speckhals tells TorrentFreak. Fast forward two years and this idea turned into one of the most-loved browser extensions. </p>
<p>Universal Bypass is now used by hundreds of thousands of people. It&#8217;s available for several browsers, including Chrome and Firefox, and doesn&#8217;t cost a penny. Up until recently, everything had gone smoothly. However, that changed when an outfit behind a URL shortener sent its lawyers after the developer. </p>
<p>Earlier this month, Linkvertise&#8217;s lawyer informed the Universal Bypass developer that his addon has a significant impact on the company&#8217;s business model. According to the letter, it violates copyright law by circumventing Linkverse&#8217;s technical protection measures.</p>
<p>&#8220;[This activity] is prohibited under 595a Copyright Act and triggers various counterclaims under copyright law. You are also aware that the addon you have programmed is used to circumvent monetization by my client,&#8221; the letter reads, translated from German. </p>
<p>Linkvertise has reached out to Universal Bypass before, asking it to stop its activities, but that didn&#8217;t work out. The most recent request is more strongly worded, however, and comes with a legal threat.</p>
<p>The letter demands that Universal Bypass stops interfering with Linkvertise URLs. Also, users should not be allowed to manually add a Linkvertise bypass script to the addon. On top of that, the entire GitHub repository should be removed as well. </p>
<p>If the developers comply, Linkvertise is willing to pay its own legal bills. If not, it will take legal action to enforce their demands and request compensation for all legal fees. </p>
<p>&#8220;You should appreciate this courtesy from my client, who gives you the opportunity to get out of this situation without prejudice, even though you recently let the first chance go untapped. He won&#8217;t give you another chance,&#8221; Linkvertise&#8217;s lawyer warns. </p>
<p>The deadline that was initially offered has already expired, but the developer didn&#8217;t budge. After all, Speckhals believes that his open-source software doesn&#8217;t violate any law.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think I violated their copyright in any way, but I&#8217;m also not a lawyer,&#8221; Speckhals informs us, adding that he hired an attorney to help fight off the legal pressure.</p>
<p>After the deadline expired Speckhals was given a new one, but the issue has already escalated. It is likely that Linkvertise will request an injunction, which the developer hopes to contest in court. To help pay his legal bill, <a href="https://twitter.com/Sainan_de/status/1251154330800893952">he has begun collecting donations</a> through Twitter. </p>
<p>The entire saga is reminiscent of another legal battle in Germany. Last year, German publisher <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/publisher-sues-adblock-plus-for-copyright-infringement-190411/">Alex Springer sued Adblock Plus</a> for copyright infringement claiming that adblockers endanger digital journalism.</p>
<p>With ad blocking being extremely prevalent, these cases could potentially have a much wider impact. The Universal Bypass developer is well aware of this and is not planning to back down anytime soon.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am planning to fight this until I get a favorable result,&#8221; Speckhals says. </p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185718
title: Major Movie Studios Obtain Blocking Injunction Against 115 ‘Pirate’ Domains
uri: 2020-04-22-
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FYQ7mZ_eVfQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/e49204f7.deniedblocked.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/deniedblocked.jpg"><img src="media/e49204f7.deniedblocked.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/deniedblocked.jpg" alt="" width="270" height="199" class="alignright size-full wp-image-143825" /></a>For several years, entertainment industry companies have been applying for blocking injunctions under Australian copyright law. According to them, having sites rendered inaccessible by consumer ISPs is an effective response to large-scale piracy.</p>
<p>This week yet another injunction process, involving a range of movie and TV show companies, came to its conclusion in the Federal Court.</p>
<p>Roadshow Films, Village Roadshow Films, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., and Netflix (the &#8216;MPA/Roadshow applicants&#8217;) <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpa-roadshow-led-coalition-file-major-pirate-site-blocking-application-191125/">previously claimed</a> that their copyrights, related to content including The Lego Movie, Toy Story, Spider-Man, Dunkirk, and Stranger Things, were being infringed on a wide range of unlicensed platforms.</p>
<p>Television Broadcasts Limited and TVBO Production Limited (the &#8216;TVB applicants&#8217;) alleged the same in respect of their Chinese television programs including Dead Wrong and Provocateur. Madman Anime (Madman) made similar claims over their film Tokyo Ghoul.</p>
<p>Together, they demanded that 86 &#8220;target online locations&#8221; should be blocked by 50 ISPs operated by Telstra, Optus, Vocus, TPG, and Vodafone under <a href="http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s115a.html">s115A of the Copyright Act 1968</a>.</p>
<p>Under that legislation, the Federal Court is able to grant an injunction to prevent access to an &#8220;online location&#8221; based outside Australia when it infringes or facilitates an infringement of copyright and has the same &#8220;primary purpose or primary effect.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Court found that the MPA/Roadshow and TVB applicants had standing to bring the action as owners and/or exclusive licensees of content. In respect of Madman, the Court found that despite no copyright owner being joined in the action, its status as an exclusive licensee was sufficient.</p>
<p>The range of sites targeted is broad, including streaming and download platforms, linking sites (including torrent sites), sites that offer software that allows streaming or downloads, subtitle archives, plus sites that offer proxy access to pirate sites.</p>
<p>Some notable inclusions are the community-resurrected KickassTorrents site operating from Katcr.co, plus some less authentic Kickass clones. Others, trading on familiar brands but unconnected to their namesakes, include 123movies, Primewire, CouchTuner, Putlocker, WatchFree, ProjectFreeTV, and YesMovies-style domains.</p>
<p>Further additions are getpopcorntime.is (a site offering a Popcorn Time software variant), subtitle download sites TVSubtitles.net and MSubs.net, plus Russian torrent giant Rutor.info and the China-focused btbtdy.me.</p>
<p>Efforts were made by the applicants to contact the operators of these platforms but according to the Court, just one responded. Sarah Florian, the supposed operator of Animelon.com, claimed to control a &#8220;non-profit educational entity that uses animated videos to provide a novel and fun way for users to learn the Japanese language.&#8221; The Court concluded, however, that Animelon.com &#8220;flagrantly facilitates the infringement of copyright.&#8221;</p>
<p>The nature of the other sites in the applications warranted discussion but were all determined to breach copyright law. According to the Court, in various ways they provide direct access or facilitate access to copyright works, including movies, TV shows, and subtitle files. This applies to the proxy and Popcorn Time sites too.</p>
<p>Noting that many of the sites are already blocked in other regions as a result of similar copyright injunctions, Justice Burley declared the platforms to be &#8220;flagrant&#8221; copyright infringers.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am satisfied, having regard to the content made available at the target online locations, that each either makes copyright works available online for transmission to users, or facilitates the infringement of copyright by making it easier for users to ascertain the existence or whereabouts of other online locations that themselves infringe or facilitate the infringement of copyright within section 115A(1)(a),&#8221; his order reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am also satisfied that the primary purpose or primary effect of the target online locations is to infringe, or facilitate the infringement of, copyright: s 115A(1)(b).&#8221;</p>
<p>The injunction granted by the Judge allows the applicants to make additions to the domain names, URLs and IP addresses listed in the original order, after the order has been made. This is to tackle countermeasures often implemented by target sites to evade blocking.</p>
<p>The process for this application has been adjusted in order for new instructions to be processed quickly, to reduce costs, and to ensure the objective of Australia&#8217;s blocking process isn&#8217;t frustrated, the Court adds.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is apparent that the legislative intention is to facilitate, in appropriate cases, a more expeditious and less expensive means by which orders may be amended. Importantly, parliament did not intend, and the orders I propose to make do not permit, the applicants to bring new target online locations within the scope of the orders,&#8221; Justice Burley notes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Rather, the applicants may only seek to bring within the scope of the orders new domain names, IP Addresses or URLs for the 86 target online locations which are in issue in these proceedings. Should the applicants wish to block access to a new target online location, a separate application will need to be brought.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>The injunction (Roadshow Films Pty Limited v Telstra Corporation Limited [2020] FCA 507) can be obtained <a href="https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2020/2020fca0507">here</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>The full list of domains to be blocked by the 50 ISP respondents reads as follows:</p>
<p>mrunlock.space<br />
mrunlock.red<br />
nocensor.surf<br />
nocensor.casa<br />
nocensor.fun<br />
unblockproject.pw<br />
unblockproject.icu<br />
unblockproject.info<br />
123unblock.space<br />
123unblock.fun<br />
unbl0ck.online<br />
123unblock.icu<br />
prox4you.club<br />
prox4you.pro<br />
prox4you.info<br />
unblocked.to<br />
prostylex.org<br />
torrents.io<br />
katcr.co<br />
katcr.to<br />
kikass.to<br />
kat.sx<br />
kickass.sx<br />
kickass1.to<br />
kat.ag<br />
ibit.to<br />
onionplay.eu<br />
onionplay-network.xyz<br />
onionplay.co<br />
proxyportal.org<br />
proxyportal.ws<br />
p30download.com<br />
torrentquest.com<br />
rutor.info<br />
btbtdy.me<br />
lookmovie.ag<br />
037hdd.com<br />
cuevana3.io<br />
cuevana3.co<br />
exsite24.pl<br />
downduck.com<br />
downloadha.com<br />
emotionvideo-tv.com<br />
movieon21.biz<br />
movieon21.xyz<br />
m6.modufree.net<br />
j20.hitjjal.com<br />
phim33.com<br />
tfp.is<br />
tvsubtitles.net<br />
msubs.net<br />
dytt8.net<br />
ttdytt.cc<br />
ttdytt.net<br />
fast-torrent.ru<br />
heroturko.net<br />
imovies.cc<br />
imovies.ge<br />
getpopcorntime.is<br />
toxicwap.com<br />
english-films.com<br />
topeuropix.net<br />
topeuropix.com<br />
poseidonhd.me<br />
poseidonhd.co<br />
anakbnet.com<br />
moviesjoy.net<br />
filmlicious.net<br />
proxybit.fun<br />
proxybit.pro<br />
123movies.love<br />
1primewire.com<br />
movies.cab<br />
putlocker.digital<br />
solarmoviefree.net<br />
solarmovie.net<br />
yifyddl.movie<br />
yify.yt<br />
yifymovietorrent.com<br />
ytsdownload.com<br />
movie4k.ag<br />
fmovies.org<br />
5movies.cloud<br />
couchtuner2.com<br />
couchtuner123.com<br />
couchtuner.watch<br />
couchtuner0.com<br />
2watchfree.me<br />
1watchfree.me<br />
putlockerstoworld2.com<br />
putlocker.actor<br />
rrys2019.com<br />
zmz2019.com<br />
m4ufree.tv<br />
them4ufree.info<br />
projectfreetv.xyz<br />
yesmovies.gg<br />
yesmovies.ai<br />
yesmovies.cloud<br />
99kubo.tv<br />
cayphim.net<br />
dramacool.video<br />
dramacool.movie<br />
gimy.tv<br />
kenh88.com<br />
yeuphimmoi.com<br />
anime-sharing.com<br />
tokyotosho.info<br />
animetosho.org<br />
animebam.net<br />
animebam.se<br />
animelon.com<br />
animejolt.com<br />
project-gxs.com<br />
eyeonanime.tv<br />
animehd47.com<br />
animereborn.io</em></p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185954
title: Football League’s Piracy Tracking Computer Now Helping to Beat COVID-19
uri: Football-League-s-Piracy-Tracking-Computer-Now-Helping-to-Beat-COVID
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/eozkOW06t5c/
content:
<p><img src="media/50e5d6ff.laliga.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/laliga.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="148" class="alignright size-full wp-image-185957" />With millions of fans all over the world, Spain’s football league &#8216;La Liga&#8217; is one of the most popular in the game.</p>
<p>Like other sports organizations, the organization has a dedicated anti-piracy team that actively tracks and reports unauthorized live streams. </p>
<p>In recent weeks, however, there haven&#8217;t been any live football games to protect. As in many other parts of the world, all <a href="https://www.laliga.com/en-GB">La Liga</a> matches have been put on hold to stop the coronavirus from spreading. </p>
<p>This means that many of La Liga&#8217;s antipiracy resources are unused. Not just personnel, but also a supercomputer with the nickname &#8216;Demogorgonin&#8217;, which is located at the League&#8217;s headquarters in Madrid. </p>
<p>The supercomputer in question is reported to be 4,232 times as powerful as regular desktop machines. Normally, it is used to track pirate live streams, but now it is mostly fighting COVID-19.</p>
<p>La Liga&#8217;s engineers and IT experts previously came up with the idea to lend out processing capacity to <a href="https://foldingathome.org/">Folding@home</a>, a distributed computing project that has been going for nearly two decades. With donated computer resources from all over the world, the project aids important medical research.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have engineers, IT experts, people who know the systems so well and they thought: &#8216;Look, we can hand this over, we haven&#8217;t got games every day &#8212; Barcelona aren&#8217;t on every day,'&#8221; La Liga technician Emilio <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/spanish-primera-division/story/4087160/la-liga-lending-their-super-computer-to-coronavirus-fight-from-piracy-tracking-to-disease-tracking">told ESPN</a>.</p>
<p>Initially, La Liga&#8217;s spare computer resources were used for cancer research, but this has now been switched to COVID-19.</p>
<p>&#8220;We were helping investigations into cancer. But then when all this happened, attention shifted and we handed it over to fight against coronavirus,&#8221; Emilio explained.</p>
<p>La Liga is not alone in this. At the start of the year there were 30,000 computers connected to the Folding@home network. This has now grown to more than a million, according to an <a href="https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2020/04/01/foldingathome-exaflop-coronavirus/">NVIDIA</a> report.</p>
<p>With all this computing power the researchers aim to better understand how COVID-19 virus proteins contribute to the disease, to hopefully help find useful remedies. This process has previously led to success with other diseases.</p>
<p>La Liga and all other participants should of course be applauded for their work. That also includes the <a href="https://stats.foldingathome.org/team/198185">German Pirate Party</a>, <a href="https://stats.foldingathome.org/team/152632">The Pirate Society</a>, <a href="https://stats.foldingathome.org/team/176029">Torrent Invites</a>, and many others.</p>
<p>In this case, copyright resources are usefully being redirected to help medical specialists. Unfortunately, however, the same can&#8217;t be said for all rightsholders. </p>
<p>Last week <a href="https://reason.com/video/hospital-technicians-ignore-copyright-law-to-fight-covid-19/">Reason</a> reported that biomedical technicians are actively ignoring copyright law to fix medical devices. </p>
<p>Manufacturers often don&#8217;t allow third parties to tinker with their products, which ignited all sorts of DIY crowdsourcing initiatives. A prime example is <a href="http://frankshospitalworkshop.com/">Franks&#8217;s Hospital Workshop</a>, which is operated by a technician from Tanzania. In recent weeks, his site has been overwhelmed with traffic.</p>
<p>To lift this pressure, iFixit started a <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/News/36354/help-us-crowdsource-repair-information-for-hospital-equipment">new initiative</a> to help gather manuals and other technical information about medical devices, which can save lives, especially now. </p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185639
title: YouTube Ripper ‘Yout.com’ Loses Site Blocking Case, Despite Putting Up a Defense
uri: YouTube-Ripper-Yout-com-Loses-Site-Blocking-Case-Despite-Puttin
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/HIaT88CGckA/
content:
<p><img src="media/3a388c4c.yout.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/yout.jpg" alt="" width="296" height="199" class="alignright size-full wp-image-185897" />In recent years website blocking has become one of the most widely-used anti-piracy enforcement mechanisms in the world.</p>
<p>The process was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/in-world-first-danish-court-rules-stream-ripping-site-illegal-180710/">pioneered in Denmark</a> over a decade ago and was optimized and expanded in the following years.</p>
<p>For example, all major ISPs signed a voluntary agreement to block a site when there&#8217;s a court order against one provider. Also, in 2018 the Scandinavian country became the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/in-world-first-danish-court-rules-stream-ripping-site-illegal-180710/">first country</a> to block so-called YouTube rippers. </p>
<p>Last summer <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/denmark-blocks-sci-hub-plus-streaming-torrent-youtube-ripping-sites-190926/">a new court order</a> was issued following a complaint from the anti-piracy group <a href="https://rettighedsalliancen.dk/">Rights Alliance</a>. This order targeted a new set of YouTube rippers, including Converto and MP3-YouTube. Interestingly, however, the court deferred the judgment against <a href="https://yout.com/">Yout.com</a>, which decided to intervene in the case.</p>
<p>This type of intervention is quite unusual. Blocking cases are generally between copyright holders and ISPs. Although the affected sites are notified, they generally don&#8217;t get involved. </p>
<p>Yout operator <a href="https://john.nader.mx/">John Nader</a> chose a different path, one that was already forecasted four years ago in an <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/4047sc/iam_john_nader_founder_of_youtcom_you_can_delete/">interview on Reddit</a>. Responding to potential copyright issues, Nader said the following.  </p>
<p>“You may be right, and I may not see the gravity of the situation I am in. But if I get to the point where this becomes an issue, I will fight for a cause I believe in, and I&#8217;m content with that.”</p>
<p><center><img src="media/39b48c50.nadermx.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nadermx.jpg" alt="" width="539" height="98" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185932" /></center></p>
<p>A few years later, Nader boarded a plane to Denmark, to defend his site, without a lawyer. This trip turned out to be in vain, as Rights Alliance provided Nader with the wrong date for the hearing, but the case went on. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/9fbbad82.nadertwitter.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nadertwitter.jpg" alt="" width="583" height="226" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185934" /></center></p>
<p>The Yout operator eventually hired a lawyer and defended his site in court. Among other things, he argued that Yout never stores any copyright-infringing content on its servers. It merely offers a &#8216;pipeline&#8217; to enable users to grab YouTube audio or video. </p>
<p>This stance was backed up by an extensive expert testimony from Luis Peter Wahl Knudsen, who works as a technical manager at the Danish software company Minuba.</p>
<p>&#8220;From the analysis of the source code for Yout.com’s recording function, it can be concluded that Yout.com does not contain any functionality which stores/saves content from media sources on Yout.com’s servers,&#8221; he informed the court last November. </p>
<p>Rights Alliance responded by presenting testimony from Georg Nolte, Google Germany&#8217;s Senior Legal Counsel. He stressed that downloading copies is prohibited in YouTube&#8217;s Terms of Service. </p>
<p>&#8220;In order to prevent unauthorized downloads on a technical level, YouTube implements so-called &#8216;cipher&#8217; technology to mitigate unauthorized access to YouTube content,&#8221; Nolte wrote, adding that this encryption was implemented to protect copyright holders.</p>
<p>Yout&#8217;s witness didn&#8217;t deny this but stressed that the technical protections are rather weak, reiterating once again that Yout doesn&#8217;t store any files. Rights Alliance, for its part, said that Nader was well aware of the potential copyright complications while pointing to the Reddit interview we mentioned earlier.</p>
<p>After reviewing the positions from both sides, the court agreed with Rights Alliance. In an order issued last month, Judge Kinna Eidem orders Internet provider Fibia to block Yout.com. </p>
<p>&#8220;The Court finds that Yout.com, by means of the method described, in breach of the exclusive rights held by the holder, is making protected works available to a new public by means of a new technical method whereby they are communicated to the public. </p>
<p>&#8220;The Court also finds that Yout.com, via its mode of operation, plays an essential role in the communication of protected works,&#8221; the order adds. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/c1e8babc.piracycrimeyout.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/piracycrimeyout.jpg" alt="" width="638" height="542" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185905" /></center> </p>
<p>According to Judge Eidem, Yout.com helps users to retrieve files from YouTube and store these on their computers. As such, it is classified as a “stream ripping service.” The defense argued that Yout.com should be seen as a recording tool, similar to Xbox Game Bar, but the court disagreed.</p>
<p>&#8220;This facilitation is not comparable to the recording functions found in e.g. Xbox Game Bar, whereby the users, in real-time, can record what is being played locally on the users’ own computer,&#8221; the order reads.</p>
<p>Judge Eidem also highlighted Google&#8217;s testimony, which makes it clear that users are not allowed to access protected YouTube videos. Yout.com, however, offers a tool to do just that, by circumvention the technical protection measures.</p>
<p>In addition to granting the blockade, Yout.com is also ordered to pay the legal feeds of Rights Alliance, which total roughly $4,350 (30,000 DKR). Nader&#8217;s request to be compensated for his pointless trip to Denmark was denied, however, as the defense failed to provide more details on the incurred costs.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to Nader, who is disappointed with the verdict but prefers not to comment on the matter at this time. Yout.com, meanwhile, is blocked by all major Danish ISPs now. </p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185909
title: Pirate IPTV Supplier Raided By Spain’s National Police, Seven Arrested
uri: Pirate-IPTV-Supplier-Raided-By-Spain-s-National-Police-Seven-Arrest
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/EDlJWfws3H8/
content:
<p><a href="media/a7c0897c.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg"><img src="media/a7c0897c.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg" alt="" width="234" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-135034" /></a>With pirate IPTV services still managing to capture the imaginations of people looking for a premium TV package at a fraction of the usual cost, authorities across Europe and the United States continue to crack down.</p>
<p>Spain has carried out <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-iptv-spanish-police-target-e1m-supplier-12-people-arrested-191119/">a number</a> of enforcement actions over the past several years and this week the country&#8217;s National Police added another scalp to its collection.</p>
<p>The investigation reportedly began in May 2019 following a criminal complaint filed by <a href="https://www.egeda-us.com/">EGEDA</a>, a non-profit association and collection society that manages the rights of audiovisual producers. The group sought police action against local supplier <a href="http://comprarcccam.es/">Comprarccam</a>, a pirate IPTV supplier that also appears to have offered <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_sharing">card-sharing</a> subscriptions.</p>
<p>According to a police report, initial inquiries determined that the group, which advertised and sold its services via a website and social networks, serviced at least 15,000 customers in Spain. Its two leaders were identified and then traced to the cities of Salamanca and Zamora.</p>
<p>The dismantling of the service was reportedly actioned in two phases, one during February which netted documentation and accounts and then a second during March. The operation ended with searches carried out on six locations, during which seven individuals were arrested in various areas of the country &#8211; two in Zamora and Salamanca, one in Córdoba, three in Valencia and another in Málaga.</p>
<p>The individuals were detained under suspicion of a range of offenses including intellectual property crimes and telecommunications fraud. During the raids, police seized numerous items of computer equipment and mobile phones, around 11,000 euros in cash, plus seven gold bars.</p>
<p>At the time of the searches, police also disconnected a total of 5,673 users from the pirate service, closed down the group&#8217;s website, and froze online payment and related bank accounts. </p>
<p><center><a href="media/7d02397c.comprarcccam-seized-e1587482006333.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/comprarcccam-seized-e1587482006333.png"><img src="media/7d02397c.comprarcccam-seized-e1587482006333.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/comprarcccam-seized-e1587482006333.png" alt="" width="650" height="910" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-185911" /></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;This is the most important operation of this type in Castilla y León [community in the north-west of the country] and one of the most important carried out to date in Spain,&#8221; the National Police said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;It has dealt a blow to the illegal distribution of audiovisual and television content throughout Spain through closed groups on social networks, which greatly hinder this type of investigation due to the anonymity that their use confer.</p>
<p>&#8220;Anonymity was increased due to the fact that the main instigators used the identities of third parties without their knowledge, to appear as the owners of the phones and accounts in the financial institutions they used.&#8221;</p>
<p>Police estimate that during the last year alone, the pirate IPTV operation cost rightsholders around 11.8 million euros in revenue, with the country&#8217;s treasury losing out on more than 3.14 million euros in taxes.</p>
<p>However, this appears to presume that all 15,000 subscribers would have paid around 800 euros a year to official suppliers for the same kind of service, had they not had access to a vastly cheaper offering that almost certainly gave them a broader range of content too. </p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186023
title: ‘Popcorn Time Kids’ Launches to Keep Children Occupied During COVID-19 Pandemic
uri: Popcorn-Time-Kids-Launches-to-Keep-Children-Occupied-During-COVI
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/C8cBe5YMwnE/
content:
<p><a href="media/ac12bf8c.popcornt.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/popcornt.png"><img src="media/ac12bf8c.popcornt.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/popcornt.png" alt="" width="237" height="106" class="alignright size-full wp-image-101106" /></a>With many countries now into their second month of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, people all around the world now consider entertainment platforms as essential services.</p>
<p>This week, for example, Netflix announced that it had signed up 15.77 million new subscribers during the last three months, more than double the 7 million it previously expected. Disney&#8217;s streaming platform Disney+ has also hit the jackpot, doubling its subscriber base to 50 million since February.</p>
<p>As one might expect, piracy levels have gone up too. Interest in pirate sites <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/coronavirus-lockdown-boosts-interest-in-pirate-sites-and-services-200316/">increased in March</a> and a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-and-filesharing-traffic-surges-amidst-covid-19-crisis-200408/">global surge</a> was evident in early April, increasing <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/covid-19-lockdowns-directly-impacted-torrent-download-numbers-in-several-countries-200413/">broadly in line</a> with countries&#8217; lockdown measures.</p>
<p>One of the many tools contributing to this surge is Popcorn Time. After storming the scene in 2014 and impressing with its ground-breaking Netflix-style interface, it drew an audience of millions. Since then improvements to its multiple variants have been incremental rather than ground-breaking but one Popcorn Time fork has now released <a href="https://getpopcorntime.is/kids.html">Popcorn Time Kids</a>, an app that only presents family-friendly content to the user.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/d37bff7b.popcorntimekidsss.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorntimekidsss.png"><img src="media/d37bff7b.popcorntimekidsss.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorntimekidsss.png" alt="" width="600" height="938" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186038" /></a></center></p>
<p>According to the team behind the app, they recently noticed a surge in demand, something they attribute to people being in quarantine.</p>
<p>&#8220;The amount of love and thankfulness we&#8217;ve received from our millions of users in recent weeks was overwhelming! And taking the risk of sounding corny &#8211; they really touched us. We understood suddenly how much this project meant not only to us, but to millions of people from all over the world,&#8221; a developer told TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;Out of all the enthusiastic responses, we received thousands(!) of emails from parents asking for something so obvious, a family-friendly version of Popcorn Time!&#8221;</p>
<p>The resulting Popcorn Time Kids software is essentially a version of the regular app but with filters that aim to remove all content unsuitable for the younger viewer.</p>
<p>&#8220;Popcorn Time Kids provides a more contained environment for kids and is designed to help parents and guardians keep their kids entertained as they spend most of their time at home. PT Kids library is filled with a variety of the best family-friendly movies and shows from the broader universe of content on Popcorn Time,&#8221; the team add.</p>
<p>While there have been Kodi-addons that have catered directly to a younger audience in the past, it is relatively unusual to see an app targeted directly at children. In a way, of course, the app seems designed to appeal to adults who might enjoy not having to keep worrying about the type of content their kids might be viewing.</p>
<p>Popcorn Time Kids will no doubt prove attractive to a certain subset of users but being BitTorrent-based, it comes with the usual caveats. While streaming copyrighted content can be illegal depending on jurisdiction, users will be uploading at the same time, an act that is illegal almost everywhere on the planet. The threat can be mitigated with a VPN but ensuring that stays on in the hands of a seven-year-old sounds like Russian roulette.</p>
<p>There can be little doubt that plenty of broke and perhaps now unemployed parents will find this kind of app attractive but there is no doubt that copyright holders will not. In many respects then, it&#8217;s business as usual, even in these remarkable times. </p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185874
title: YTS Agrees to a Million Dollars in Piracy Settlements and Remains Online
uri: YTS-Agrees-to-a-Million-Dollars-in-Piracy-Settlements-and-Remains-Onli
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3sUgDosJ3Wg/
content:
<p><img src="media/e916bb48.ytslogo.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/ytslogo.jpg" alt="" width="238" height="107" class="alignright size-full wp-image-185947" />Traditionally, when copyright holders go after pirate sites their main mission is to shut them down permanently. </p>
<p>This strategy has resulted in the demise of thousands of websites over the past decade or so.</p>
<p>In some cases these shutdowns are easy, only requiring a cease and desist order to be delivered to the owner&#8217;s home address. However, there are also prolonged legal battles, such as the one against isoHunt.</p>
<p>In Hawaii, a group of movie companies, tied to films such as &#8216;Hitman&#8217;s Bodyguard,&#8217; &#8216;Hunter Killer&#8217; and &#8216;Mechanic Resurrection,&#8217;  has taken a different path. They <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-companies-sue-yts-and-yify-site-operators-in-us-court-190527/">sued the operator of the popular torrent site YTS.mx last year</a> but are allowing the site to stay online, under certain conditions. </p>
<p>The tactic previously became public when attorney Kerry Culpepper <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrent-site-yts-settles-piracy-lawsuit-with-movie-company-but-stays-online-200102/">struck a deal</a> between YTS and other movie companies. This allowed YTS to stay online as long as it paid damages and made sure that their films were not listed at the torrent site.</p>
<p>Now, a group of seven related movie companies has agreed to a similar deal. In a consent judgment, signed at the Hawaii federal court a few days ago, the torrent site operators agreed to pay $150,000 to each company, which amounts to a total of $1,050,000 in damages. </p>
<p>The consent judgment lists a person named Senthil Vijay Segaran and the company Techmodo as the YTS operators. In addition to paying over $1 million in piracy damages, they also agreed to remove the torrents of the movie companies, and prevent these from being reuploaded.</p>
<p>While a monetary settlement is not unprecedented, it is worth mentioning that YTS is being allowed to continue to operate as usual. Aside from removing torrents that point to the seven movies, nothing appears to have changed. YTS still lists hundreds of other pirated movies. </p>
<p>This pragmatic stance may perhaps be the easy option for all involved. However, it does seem odd, especially considering the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-industry-praises-the-effectiveness-of-pirate-site-blocking-in-u-s-senate-200311/">recent anti-piracy push</a> from Millenium Media co-president Jonathan Yunger, who urged US Congress towards more stringent anti-piracy legislation.</p>
<p>&#8220;Piracy is an existential threat to our business and the livelihoods of all the individual creatives who work so hard to bring entertainment to audiences,&#8221; Yunger told Congress last month.  </p>
<p>This is worth mentioning since Yunger&#8217;s company produced many of the movies that are at the base of this lawsuit. In fact, most of the companies that signed a deal with YTS are affiliates of Millenium Media.</p>
<p><center><strong>YTS.mx today</strong><br /></center><center><img src="media/b407228c.yts2.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/yts2.jpg" alt="" width="620" height="468" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186059" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/yts2.jpg 972w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/yts2-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" /></center></p>
<p>The precise motivations are open to speculation, at least for now. However, we do know that these consent judgments are not the end of the story. At least not for YTS users. </p>
<p>After the first deal was announced a few months ago, the movie companies started <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/yts-settles-another-movie-piracy-lawsuit-while-more-users-get-sued-200127/">filing lawsuits against YTS users</a>. This <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-companies-sue-yts-users-including-one-who-hid-behind-a-vpn-200106/">included some who were using a VPN</a>. The associated complaints further included information that appeared to have come directly from the torrent site&#8217;s database. </p>
<p>So, it&#8217;s possible that the rightsholders received more from YTS than money alone. Details from the user database perhaps? That would be in line with earlier enforcement efforts, where the film companies obtained user information from the operator of the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-app-cotomovies-shuts-down-apologizes-and-exposes-users-190911/">piracy app CotoMovies</a>. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to the attorney of the movie companies this week who confirmed that YTS users are indeed at risk. However, in recent weeks, no new lawsuits have been filed as far as we can see.</p>
<p>We will keep a close eye on these and other cases to see if more details emerge. </p>
<p>In addition to the proposed consent judgment against YTS, the seven movie companies also agreed to a similar deal <a href="media/ab223943.manh-consent-judgment.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/manh-consent-judgment.pdf">with the operator of YIFYmovies.is</a>. This torrent site was considerably smaller and shut down months ago, however, the operator also agreed to pay $1,050,000 in damages, on paper.</p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>Here is a <a href="media/5098574c.yts-segaran-techmodo.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/yts-segaran-techmodo.pdf">copy of the consent judgment</a>, signed by the YTS operator as well as Venice PI LLC, MON LLC, Millennium Funding Inc., Bodyguard Productions Inc., TBV Productions LLC, UN4 Productions Inc., and Hunter Killer Productions Inc.<br />
</em></p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185941
title: Europol Says Pirate IPTV Services Are Upping Their Game During COVID-19
uri: Europol-Says-Pirate-IPTV-Services-Are-Upping-Their-Game-During-COVID-1
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/UjYvFubyMck/
content:
<p><a href="media/95b4e78e.europol.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/europol.jpg"><img src="media/95b4e78e.europol.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/europol.jpg" alt="" width="270" height="270" class="alignright size-full wp-image-180051" /></a>From a standing start just few short years ago, pirate IPTV services are now just a few clicks away for anyone determined to obtain a subscription.</p>
<p>Packages start at pocket-money prices of just a few dollars, euros, or pounds each month and in return, subscribers are treated to packages that can include up to thousands of otherwise premium channels, plus PPV events.</p>
<p>One of the big draws is live sporting events, which goes a long way to explaining why companies like the Premier League are determined to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/premier-league-wins-new-isp-piracy-blocking-order-190716/">disrupt IPTV providers</a>. However, during the more or less global coronavirus lockdown, sports are a major casualty, meaning that everyone from the Premier League to the NBA, NFL and UFC aren&#8217;t putting out any new content at all.</p>
<p>While this is a serious problem for the sports organizations and traditional broadcasters, this week EU law enforcement agency Europol inadvertently pointed out something that looks like a bit of an own goal. Due to the current restrictions, pirate IPTV services are apparently stepping up their game to ensure that subscribing to them remains attractive to the public at large.</p>
<p>In an advisory covering streaming but majoring on &#8216;pirate&#8217; IPTV, Europol warned that due to millions of people being locked down, many will turn to online entertainment outlets to cope with social isolation. If that choice involves an illegal service, consumers have at least a couple of things to look forward to.</p>
<p>&#8220;Criminals are quickly adapting their activities, offering high-quality stream[s] while legitimate providers have agreed to reduce stream quality due to EU broadband overload,&#8221; Europol writes.</p>
<p>This is an obvious reference to Netflix which agreed last month to reduce the bitrate of streams for 30 days in an effort to reduce the load on the Internet in Europe. Europol&#8217;s aim, it seems, is to portray pirate services as behaving irresponsibly towards the yet-to-emerge Internet capacity crisis. Counter-intuitively, however, it seems to suggest that if people want high-quality video, pirate sources are a good option.</p>
<p>While pirate suppliers could probably care less about available bandwidth, the vast majority of suppliers don&#8217;t provide content in anywhere near the highest quality available via Netflix. Certainly, true 4K streams are so rare as to seem non-existent, so the claim they&#8217;re using up too much bandwidth seems a little picky in the scheme of things.</p>
<p>Additionally, Europol goes on to inadvertently highlight another benefit of using pirate services &#8211; content choice. While mainstream subscription TV companies are struggling to fill in the gaps, especially those created by a lack of live sporting content, the EU law enforcement agency claims that pirate suppliers are actually upping their game by offering &#8220;more content variety to compensate [for] the lack of sport events.&#8221;</p>
<p>While both of these claims sound like reasons for people to take interest in pirate suppliers rather than stay away, Europol also balances things out with a number of warnings. These take the form of the standard caveats regularly cited by the entertainment industries, including malicious software infecting devices, &#8216;criminals&#8217; stealing payment credentials, and bank accounts getting compromised.</p>
<p>As is common with these types of warnings, the standard advice from Europol doesn&#8217;t highlight how these things happen or how they can be prevented. The agency simply states that people should stay away from pirate services which would work, as would staying off the Internet completely. However, with most (<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/IPTV/comments/g6ltnx/level_ent_entertainment_invoice_for_2200/">but not all</a>) users enjoying the benefits trouble-free, the warnings may not have much of an effect. That&#8217;s not to say that Europol doesn&#8217;t have some genuinely good advice in other areas though.</p>
<p>While there is no single piece of guidance that covers all streaming apps, the agency warns that people are probably better off not accessing &#8220;free IPTV platforms&#8221;. They don&#8217;t give a specific reason why but it is true that users could do worse than to consider how free IPTV services, usually supplied via apps, are funding their operations.</p>
<p>Much like free VPNs, there will be a cost somewhere, whether that&#8217;s intrusive or lots of advertising or, as Europol points out, potentially crypto-miners or other software that most people would prefer not to have on their machines. But sound advice from the law enforcement agency doesn&#8217;t stop there.</p>
<p>&#8220;Don’t share your phone number, email address or contact details with unofficial streaming platforms,&#8221; Europol <a href="https://www.europol.europa.eu/covid-19/covid-19-illegal-streaming">warns</a>.</p>
<p>While casual users might think that handing over such information is required, it shouldn&#8217;t be shared under any circumstances. Whether it&#8217;s a &#8216;reputable&#8217; pirate IPTV supplier or one seeking to monetize free streams, no supplier needs to know a user&#8217;s personal details.</p>
<p>Fake names, phone numbers, temporary email addresses and imaginary physical addresses are never a problem for &#8216;reputable&#8217; pirate suppliers because they have no interest in any of this information. Many use standard platforms that request it as part of the sign-up process but the information (email address aside) is never used to make contact or deliver goods.</p>
<p>Equally, providing fake details to a malicious third-party effectively gives them nothing, which is exactly what many savvy users already do with Internet-based services they are unsure of, whether that&#8217;s an IPTV provider or anything else for that matter.</p>
<p>Finally, Europol mentions something that cannot be disputed. While giving money to Netflix means that you will get precisely what you pay for, subscribing to pirate IPTV services directly or through a reseller is always a gamble. Either can disappear at any time taking subscribers&#8217; money with them and many do.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185862
title: Motion Picture Association Doubles Down on Push for US Pirate Site Blocking
uri: Motion-Picture-Association-Doubles-Down-on-Push-for-US-Pirate-Site-Blo
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/YJbRZuv58cU/
content:
<p><img src="media/a8e15f5d.stop-blocked.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/stop-blocked.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="168" class="alignright size-full wp-image-72076" />For a long time, pirate site blocking was regarded as a no-go topic in US politics.</p>
<p>This was a remnant of the SOPA defeat, which drove copyright holders to focus on blocking efforts in other countries instead, with success. </p>
<p>Now that nearly a decade has passed, momentum is changing.  After Canada became the first North American country to impose a pirate site blockade, the issue is now openly debated on the Hill. Just a few weeks ago, it was the main topic during a Senate <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/copyright-law-in-foreign-jurisdictions-how-are-other-countries-handling-digital-piracy">subcommittee hearing</a>.</p>
<p>This hearing was informative but also raised further questions from Senators Tillis, Coons, and Blumenthal, who asked participants to follow up in writing. Stan McCoy, President and Managing Director of the Motion Picture Association’s EMEA region, for example, was asked to go into the site-blocking issue in more detail.</p>
<p>His answers, which have now been published, are carefully worded but clearly suggest that &#8220;takedown notices&#8221; alone are not effective in stopping piracy. According to the MPA, the standard takedown procedure must be paired with site blocking.</p>
<p>&#8220;The lesson of our experience at the Motion Picture Association is that notice-and-takedown must be complimented [sic] by voluntary proactive measures and other legal tools, such as no-fault injunctive relief,&#8221; McCoy writes. </p>
<p>This experience comes from the various blocking efforts in other countries. These have shown that the process works without significantly affecting the availability of legal content.</p>
<p>[T]he experiences of numerous jurisdictions that have implemented site blocking to date demonstrate clearly that the remedy is highly effective and has posed no obstacle to innovation, nor has it adversely affected the internet and online services in those countries. </p>
<p>&#8220;Quite the contrary in fact: By curbing piracy, this remedy enhances the opportunity for legitimate services to flourish,&#8221; McCoy adds.</p>
<p>During the Senate hearing, it was stressed that site blocking is already an option in the US. Under DMCA section 512(j), copyright holders can request such an injunction, without making any changes to the current law. </p>
<p>At the time, MPA&#8217;s Stan McCoy said this was a “hypothetical remedy” that may not work, so Senator Tillis asked him to explain what the problem is. </p>
<p>In his response, McCoy writes that the MPA indeed believes that the relevant DMCA section allows courts to order pirate site blockades. However, the text of the law is not entirely clear on whether ISPs have to be held liable or not. </p>
<p>&#8220;[T]his provision suffers from some drafting ambiguity – including its location within the overall safe harbor regime – and has likely not been used due to concern by rightsholders that the provision might be interpreted as requiring a finding of liability on the part of the ISP,&#8221; McCoy responds. </p>
<p>According to some, this could be fixed by changing the provision to allow for so-called “no-fault” injunctions. However, the MPA understands that legislative change is not easy, so they are also looking for alternative legal options, while also trying to get ISPs and other intermediaries to cooperate voluntarily.</p>
<p>Throughout his answers, the MPA executive repeats that site blocking is an effective tool. In response to a question from Senator Coons, McCoy confirms that the US can implement a similar framework while providing adequate due process protections and without violating free speech rights.</p>
<p>&#8220;[M]any jurisdictions around the world that share a strong commitment to human rights, including freedom of speech, have implemented site blocking with due process safeguards appropriate to their legal systems,&#8221; McCoy writes. </p>
<p>The responses clearly show that the MPA is continuing to push US lawmakers to consider options for &#8216;no fault&#8217; site-blocking injunctions in the US. </p>
<p>The hearing and subsequent questions also included different opinions, however. As highlighted earlier, former Pirate Party MEP Julia Reda stressed that the availability of affordable legal options should be the priority. </p>
<p>More recently, Daphne Keller of Stanford University&#8217;s Cyber Policy Center cautioned senators that site blockades have led to negative consequences in other countries, and that foreign standards may prove to be problematic in the US.</p>
<p>&#8220;Whatever attempted safeguards may pass muster under European or international standards for protection of free expression, however, there will likely remain serious questions under the U.S.’s stringent constitutional standards,&#8221; <a href="media/fd690aee.Keller20Responses20to20QFRs.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Keller%20Responses%20to%20QFRs.pdf">Keller cautioned</a>.</p>
<p>As said before, these recent developments are a clear change compared to previous years, when the site-blocking topic was largely avoided. The question is whether this will result in any concrete legislative proposals.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186000
title: Anti-Piracy Outfit Looking For ‘Ethical Hacker’ to Reverse Engineer Pirate Technologies
uri: Anti-Piracy-Outfit-Looking-For-Ethical-Hacker-to-Reverse-Enginee
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/0REmoA7zaCg/
content:
<p><a href="media/a299d9ae.hackerhacked.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/hackerhacked.jpg"><img src="media/a299d9ae.hackerhacked.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/hackerhacked.jpg" alt="" width="278" height="189" class="alignright size-full wp-image-168637" /></a>The existence of many thousands of pirate-focused sites and applications available on the Internet today shows that there&#8217;s no shortage of skilled individuals interested in the piracy scene.</p>
<p>On the other hand, there&#8217;s also no shortage of copyright holders and anti-piracy groups keen to disrupt their activities using any means at their disposal. At least on the &#8216;battlefield&#8217;, these opposing parties are not entirely dissimilar, with a shared interest in piracy but always at the expense of the other.</p>
<p>An example can be found at Danish anti-piracy group Rights Alliance. While their arch-rivals are beavering away developing the next Popcorn Time, Kodi add-on, TV app, or YouTube-ripper, Rights Alliance wants to keep up with all of these developments so that strategies can be put in place to deal with them.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are dealing with an area that is always evolving and where the people behind the services we try to stop are creative and often very technically proficient. This places great demands on us, as we must proactively follow the latest trends in the online marketplace for illegal content sharing and adapt our activities accordingly,&#8221; a job listing posted this week explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;Here you will have a big role to play, as you need to keep an eye on the new technologies and help find solutions to obstruct their functionality and organize our enforcement strategy.&#8221;</p>
<p>The successful candidate will also be required to dissect &#8216;pirate&#8217; apps and the systems behind them. This is so the anti-piracy organization can present an analysis to law enforcement and in some cases, the courts.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of the other important tasks of the position will be to &#8216;reverse engineer&#8217; technology / computer programs so that the functionality can be described and explained to judges and authorities. In addition, there will be ample opportunity for programming of crawlers, plugins and other automation tools,&#8221; the <a href="https://rettighedsalliancen.dk/2020/04/23/rettighedsalliancen-soeger-kompetent-it-efterforsker/">listing</a> reads.</p>
<p>This is only part of the responsibilities for the position of IT Investigator, however. Leveraging data collected from publicly available sources, the candidate will be expected to unmask the often anonymous entities behind piracy tools and services, as well as those who use them to obtain copyrighted material.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our work requires a great deal of investigative efforts on various internet forums and platforms, and your work will therefore largely be to use OSINT and other investigative tools to describe the methods and uncover the identities behind the operators of platforms and people who illegally share our members&#8217; content,&#8221; Rights Alliance adds.</p>
<p>While the anti-piracy group says that an &#8220;ethical hacker&#8221; or computer scientist could have the necessary qualities for the job, there are numerous cases where former pirates have changed sides. So, for fun, we approached someone who previously built and ran a torrent site and tracker, to see if he could ever be tempted by a job offer from the &#8216;other side&#8217;.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m good thanks (lol) but you can see why someone like me might be a good fit. Some might balk at the idea but given the chance to do what we like and get paid for it in a new environment could be really interesting,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;My problem would come at the end watching someone in court because of my work so I&#8217;ll pass if you don&#8217;t mind. Anyway, I don&#8217;t want them Googling me.&#8221;</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185994
uri: Anti-Piracy-Lawyer-Offers-to-Withdraw-Twitter-Complaint-Against-Popcor
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Q55sIyqHWi8/
title:
Anti-Piracy Lawyer Offers to Withdraw Twitter Complaint Against Popcorn Time in Exchange for a Settlement

content:
<p><img src="media/51fd7e56.popcorn-butter.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-butter.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="196" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119416" />Earlier this month we reported that a popular Popcorn Time fork had its Twitter account suspended over an alleged trademark violation. </p>
<p>As it turned out, this was the work of Hawaiian anti-piracy lawyer Kerry Culpepper, who used the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/company-registers-yts-and-popcorn-time-trademarks-to-promote-legal-streaming-200407/">&#8220;Popcorn Time&#8221; trademark as ammunition</a>. </p>
<p>This trademark was recently registered by the attorney in name of the Hawaiian company &#8217;42 Ventures.&#8217; When we inquired about the reason for this peculiar move, the attorney&#8217;s answer was clear. </p>
<p>“42 has partnered with various content providers to deliver a platform of LEGAL streaming media. One or more of these providers have been providing content since 2009 under same or related trademark,” Culpepper said, adding that the company will continue to protect its rights in the future.</p>
<p>The content the company refers to can be found on Popcorntime4u.com, which links to content from the YouTube channel Popcorned Planet. The channel&#8217;s operator, Andy Signore, later informed us that he has a distribution deal with 42 Ventures, but he seemed to be unaware of the trademark issues.</p>
<p>It is safe to say that using a trademark as a tool to combat online piracy &#8211; using the name of a piracy app against itself &#8211; is quite unusual. However, this was just the beginning. It turns out that an even more bizarre discussion was taking place behind the scenes. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to the Popcorn Time operators who handed over a long chain of email communication they had with Mr. Culpepper at the beginning of April. This shows that the attorney was willing to &#8216;license&#8217; the trademark to the Popcorn Time team, and more.</p>
<p>It started when Popcorn Time complained about the trademark registration, threatening to file a complaint at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. The attorney responded to this, by offering Popcorn Time a license to use the trademark, under certain conditions.</p>
<p>In an email, Culpepper explained that he doesn&#8217;t only represent 42 Ventures but also other clients, including several movie companies, such as Millennium Films and Voltage Films. These copyright holders would like to have their films removed from Popcorn Time. </p>
<p>Popcorn Time replied that it was willing to remove the films. However, the license was a different issue. </p>
<p>The anti-piracy lawyer, however, framed the deal as a win-win and sweetened it by offering to drop the Twitter complaint. This meant that Popcorn Time could get their Twitter handle back, while the accounts of their competitors stayed down. In addition, Culpepper promised not to go after Popcorn Time&#8217;s domain name. </p>
<p>&#8220;If you agree to a license 42 Ventures will withdraw the complaint against your twitter handle or other social media account. The other popcorn time twitter handles will be removed so only yours would remain,&#8221; the attorney wrote. </p>
<p>&#8220;Also, 42 will not institute a domain dispute against your domain. Please let me know if you still refuse to pay for a license to 42,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/91809365.removefilms.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/removefilms.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="330" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186032" /></center></p>
<p>42 Ventures&#8217; licensing offer is intriguing, considering the earlier mentioned focus on “LEGAL streaming” and copyright enforcement. Popcorn Time also appeared to be interested. </p>
<p>When the developers asked what this license would cost, Culpepper replied that it depends on the app&#8217;s monthly earnings. This would be $500 a month at most, according to the developers.</p>
<p>The lawyer responded that a typical license fee would usually be tens of thousands of dollars, and opted to settle the matter with a &#8220;covenant not to sue.&#8221; That would cost Popcorn Time $4,900. </p>
<p>&#8220;I propose a payment of $4,900 for covenant of 42 not to sue and to let you have your twitter profile,&#8221; he wrote, later adding that an agreement was being drafted and that money can be transferred to a <a href="https://www.blockchain.com/btc/address/1Aewddo4AKQzyZxojCwwVq73bN5PYpGtse">Bitcoin address</a>. </p>
<p>Not much later the agreement, seen in full by TorrentFreak, did indeed arrive. It doesn&#8217;t include a licensing deal but spells out other terms, including a promise to keep the settlement amount confidential, and the covenant not to sue. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/8c27d197.settlement.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/settlement.jpg" alt="" width="642" height="66" class="alignright size-full wp-image-186035" /></center></p>
<p>Under the terms, 42 Ventures agrees not to sue Popcorn Time as long as it doesn&#8217;t violate US copyright law [which seems meaningless]. In addition, the company stresses that it doesn&#8217;t give &#8220;any opinion on the legality of Infringers’website or related operations.&#8221;</p>
<p>As promised, 42 Ventures will also withdraw its complaint at Twitter and agrees not to file any domain disputes over popcorntime.app and popcorntime.sh.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the agreement doesn&#8217;t mention that Popcorn Time is required to remove any torrents, not even those that point to movies of the attorney&#8217;s clients. That said, the agreement is only valid if Popcorn Time doesn&#8217;t violate US copyright law, something that wasn&#8217;t made explicitly clear in the email communication.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/6dcbe0dd.dispute-twitter.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dispute-twitter.jpg" alt="" width="616" height="132" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186034" /></center></p>
<p>Today, several weeks have passed but the Bitcoin address remains empty. The Popcorn Time team decided not to sign the agreement. </p>
<p>&#8220;We were unable to get the money,&#8221; Popcorn Time informs us. Another complication was that VPN.ht, one of the app&#8217;s sponsors, wasn&#8217;t happy with the proposed agreement and the demands of the lawyer.</p>
<p>As a result, Popcorn Time&#8217;s Twitter account remains suspended. It is possible that Culpepper will eventually file a domain dispute over the Popcorn Time domains, or even a copyright infringement lawsuit.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak also spoke to Culpepper, who confirms that he offered to settle the trademark issue. According to the attorney, Popcorn Time indeed stopped responding after he requested more details regarding the link between the app and VPN.ht.</p>
<p>The attorney also said that he recently requested GitHub to remove the Popcorn Time repository. For now, however, that&#8217;s <a href="https://github.com/popcorn-official/">still online</a>. </p>
<p>Without taking any sides here, it will definitely be interesting to see this email chain and the proposed agreement being brought up in court. Given the circumstances and the unique situation, we have a feeling that the fingers of some attorneys are itching already. </p>
<p>Get the popcorn ready&#8230;</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186092
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 04/27/20
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-04-27-20
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/yyhL3zGVueE/
content:
<p>This week we have two<img src="media/0878f31b.extraction.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/extraction.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-186094" /> newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Extraction is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the articles of the recent weekly movie download charts.</p>
<h5>This week&#8217;s most downloaded movies are:</h5>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Movie Rank</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>Rank <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-the-week-on-bittorrent-04-20-20/">last week</a></strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie name</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Most downloaded movies via torrents</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8936646/">Extraction</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8936646/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6P3nI6VnlY">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0983946/">Fantasy Island</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0983946/">4.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6O30nJ02PU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(10)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634106/">Bloodshot</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634106/">5.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOUVVDWdXbo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502397/">Bad Boys for Life</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502397/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKCj3XuPG8M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9139586/">Arkansas</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9139586/">?.?</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBR_FDFpggU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9086228/">Gretel &#038; Hansel</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9086228/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZblQLhKcZQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8367814/">The Gentlemen</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8367814/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ify9S7hj480">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6587640/">Trolls World Tour</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6587640/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08AExF6dETA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/">Sonic The Hedgehog</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szby7ZHLnkA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076298/">IP Man 4</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076298/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNaIewXwLHs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186057
title: Covid-19 Measures Boosted Visits to Film Piracy Sites by Over 50%, New Data Show
uri: Covid-19-Measures-Boosted-Visits-to-Film-Piracy-Sites-by-Over-50-New
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qXUfv66-ris/
content:
<p><img src="media/3d5a45b0.pirateflag.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirateflag.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="174" class="alignright size-full wp-image-175547" />The coronavirus pandemic has led to unprecedented changes in how people live their lives. </p>
<p>These changes are visible in all parts of society as well as all corners of the Internet. This includes pirate sites. </p>
<p>One of the earliest effects we reported was the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/yts-releases-pirated-copy-of-contagion-movie-following-coronavirus-surge-200309/">increased interest in the movie Contagion</a>, a decade-old classic which depicts a worldwide virus outbreak. Mid-March, the first signs revealed an <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/coronavirus-lockdown-boosts-interest-in-pirate-sites-and-services-200316/">increased interest in pirate sites and services</a> in severely affected regions.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, we completed this picture with a detailed dataset of BitTorrent traffic. This showed that <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/covid-19-lockdowns-directly-impacted-torrent-download-numbers-in-several-countries-200413/">torrent traffic spiked</a> in many countries when lockdown measures were put in place.</p>
<p>Today, UK piracy tracking company <a href="http://muso.com">MUSO</a> adds to these findings. The company continuously monitors the number of visits to pirate sites across various categories. According to their data, visits to film piracy sites increased significantly from the end of February to the and of March.</p>
<p>The table below shows an overview of the increase in visits to film piracy sites from the last seven days of February to the last seven days of March. This shows that the increase in traffic is clearly visible around the world. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/39991066.musoco.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/musoco.png" alt="" width="600" height="411" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186110" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/musoco.png 1600w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/musoco-1536x1052.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></center></p>
<p>Italy and Spain, two of the most widely affected countries, are both in the top three. However, an uptick in visits is also observed in other regions where lockdown measures were introduced. </p>
<p>MUSO shared some additional data with TorrentFreak which shows that traffic to software piracy sites also rose. The effect is less pronounced than with film piracy, but it&#8217;s still a sizable 41% and 32% for Italy and Spain respectively. </p>
<p>The piracy tracking company doesn&#8217;t separately report data on TV piracy, but it found that the increase is less pronounced there. This is in part due to the effect that this includes visits to live sports streaming sites. These numbers have tanked because there are virtually no live events.</p>
<p>&#8220;MUSO measured a drop of -49.10% in global visits to live sport piracy domains,&#8221; MUSO CEO Andy Chatterley tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;When looking at daily trends from February to March you can see a clear drop in visits over the weekend spikes as live sports has ceased across the world. When tracking individual piracy domains that distribute recorded content we see an upward trend in visits, we expect this to continue into April.&#8221;</p>
<p>Overall, the data reported by MUSO are in line with earlier observations. The effects on various piracy channels very much mimic the increase in other consumption methods, such as legal streaming.</p>
<p>“Piracy or unlicensed consumption trends are closely linked to paid-for or licensed content. So, just as Netflix has seen large subscriber gains, we have seen a significant spike in visits to film piracy sites,&#8221; Chatterley says. </p>
<p>MUSO will continue to look at how these trends develop over time. It will be particularly interesting to see if there are any lasting changes in piracy behavior, or if everything will eventually return to normal.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186129
title: Telegram Piracy Channels Face Blocking After Italian Prosecutor Issues Emergency Order
uri: Telegram-Piracy-Channels-Face-Blocking-After-Italian-Prosecutor-Issues
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Metaajmf16o/
content:
<p><a href="media/f7af8c3c.telegram-1.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/telegram-1.png"><img src="media/f7af8c3c.telegram-1.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/telegram-1.png" alt="" width="276" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-177800" /></a>Instant messenging platform Telegram has an estimated 400 million users who use the service to communicate on an limitless number of topics. It is also used for piracy purposes, which has resulted in criticism from copyright holders.</p>
<p>In Italy, significant pressure has been building following complaints from the Federation of Newspaper Publishers (FIEG). According to the association, a sample of 10 Telegram channels, that are specifically used for the illicit distribution of newspapers, have around 580,000 users obtaining copyrighted content without permission.</p>
<p>&#8220;The estimate of the losses suffered by publishing companies is alarming,&#8221; FIEG President Andrea Riffeser Monti <a href="http://www.fieg.it/salastampa_item.asp?sta_id=1322">complained</a> earlier this month.</p>
<p>&#8220;In a highly conservative hypothesis, we estimate €670 thousand per day, approximately €250 million per year: a figure which I trust that the sector authority wants to intervene against firmly and promptly.&#8221;</p>
<p>In light of soaring illicit consumption during the coronavirus pandemic, FIEG said that it had asked local telecoms watchdog AGCOM, which has site-blocking powers, to take &#8220;exemplary and urgent measures&#8221; against Telegram, which stands accused of not doing enough to tackle piracy. It is a position supported by the European Newspaper Publishers&#8217; Association (ENPA).</p>
<p>&#8220;We asked AGCOM for an exemplary measure because we think that the authority has this power but it also has a duty: one cannot witness a daily illegal act, the circulation of copies of newspapers fraudulently,&#8221; ENPA President Carlo Perrone <a href="https://www.repubblica.it/economia/2020/04/16/news/perrone_i_ladri_di_giornali_rubano_anche_la_democrazia_-254141240/">told</a> local media this month.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is a lack of respect for the work of thousands of serious journalists as well as restricting citizens&#8217; rights to be informed.&#8221;</p>
<p>The problem is complex, however. Telegram is based in Russia where even the Russian government, with all its determination, hasn&#8217;t been able to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/russias-encryption-war-1-8m-google-amazon-ips-blocked-to-silence-telegram-180417/">block Telegram effectively</a>. Nevertheless, the Italian publishers have been pushing ahead, demanding an intervention in proportion to the economic damages their members are said to be suffering.</p>
<p>Late last week, in response to building pressure from the publishers, AGCOM said it had examined an application from FIEG which demanded that either all pirated copies of its members&#8217; works should be removed from Telegram channels or the platform should be completely blocked. According to AGCOM, it entered into urgent discussion with Telegram which resulted in the platform deleting seven of the eight channels initially reported by FIEG.</p>
<p>The announcement came with words of caution, however. While reiterating that it is committed to protecting copyrights, AGCOM clarified that its interventions can only take place within the limits of relevant local regulations. When violations take place overseas, matters become more complex.</p>
<p>&#8220;When the violation occurs on the channels of a site located outside the national territory, as in the case of Telegram, the Authority can only turn to the Italian providers that provide internet access, ordering them to proceed to disable access to the entire site. It is not possible to order selective removal of only illegal content, as this would involve the use of filtering techniques that the Court of European justice has found incompatible with Union law,&#8221; AGCOM wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the current state of legislation, a possible indiscriminate blocking measure of access to all Telegram channels &#8211; such as the one requested by the FIEG &#8211; appears to lack the necessary requirement.&#8221;</p>
<p>A key factor here is that AGCOM acts as a regulator and as such has limited powers. The Postal and Communications Police and the Guardia di Finanza law enforcement agency, on the other hand, can pursue cases more aggressively. So, while expressing &#8220;satisfaction&#8221; at the closure of the seven Telegram channels, FIEG said it would also be using those law enforcement avenues to protect its members&#8217; rights.</p>
<p>This morning it became evident that the screw was being tightened further. According to a report from <a href="https://bari.repubblica.it/cronaca/2020/04/27/news/copie_pirata_dei_quotidiani_procura_di_bari_sequestra_canali_telegram-254999695/">La Repubblica</a>, officers of the Economic and Financial Police Unit of the Guardia di Finanza of Bari arrived at AGCOM&#8217;s headquarters in Rome to notify the agency of an unprecedented &#8220;emergency preventative seizure order&#8221; signed by Deputy Prosecutor Roberto Rossi. This, the publication said, &#8220;marked a point of no return in the war on piracy.&#8221;</p>
<p>The prosecutor&#8217;s case centers around complaints to Telegram over a series of copyright infringement offenses committed by yet-to-be-identified individuals.</p>
<p>&#8220;They distributed, transmitted and disseminated in PDF format, magazines, newspapers and books (copyright protected assets), after having illegally acquired them through abusive access to the computer system (or in any case with illegal subtraction from legitimate holders), tens of thousands of files,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p>In tandem are allegations that alongside the copyright infringement offenses, money laundering is taking place, a crime that can result in a sentence of up to 12 years. the Bari prosecutor&#8217;s office states that Telegram has never wanted to assist in identifying the offenders nor disable access to their channels. </p>
<p>As a result, the financial police have been given a mandate to close 19 Telegram channels said to be involved in mass infringement of various publications&#8217; copyrights. However, in the event that Telegram fails to cooperate, local Internet service providers could be required to block access to the channels or, if that is not possible, the entire Telegram service in Italy.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186156
title: Massive & Unprecedented Security Breach Takes Usenet Providers Offline
uri: Massive-Unprecedented-Security-Breach-Takes-Usenet-Providers-Offline
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/1UwFw0DlMD8/
content:
<p><a href="media/a299d9ae.hackerhacked.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/hackerhacked.jpg"><img src="media/a299d9ae.hackerhacked.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/hackerhacked.jpg" alt="" width="278" height="189" class="alignright size-full wp-image-168637" /></a>While the majority of people seeking movies, TV shows, music and other content obtain access via BitTorrent or streaming sources, huge numbers still use the newsgroups, otherwise known as Usenet.</p>
<p>In basic terms, the Usenet system is comprised of thousands of servers around the world where users can post discussions or content, otherwise known as binaries. These banks of servers share this information with other banks, allowing the data to propagate around the world. Having its roots in 1979, it is one of the oldest methods still around to share files on a large scale.</p>
<p>While most Usenet use flies under the radar these days, huge volumes of data are shared on a daily basis. To access this content, users can subscribe to Usenet providers which, for a fee, supply Usenet login credentials allowing often metered access to the &#8216;newsgroups&#8217;. This weekend, however, signs of trouble became evident.</p>
<p>In a post on Obload, a web-based German-language Usenet discussion forum, an administrator alerted users to a serious situation involving the Momentum Usenet client, a software tool used to access Usenet. According to <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/g8ld10/momentum_usenetclient_may_be_malware/">research</a> carried out by a user called &#8216;Tensai&#8217;, Momentum &#8211; a relative new-comer to the Usenet scene &#8211; not only facilitates access to Usenet but also swipes Usenet users&#8217; login credentials and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZB">NZB data</a> and uploads it to a site called <a href="https://newzbee.org/">Newzbee</a>.</p>
<p>The immediate advice was to stop using Momentum and since users have to enter their Usenet providers&#8217; username and password into Momentum to have it work, immediately change their passwords at their Usenet provider. If true, and to put things another way, this situation is akin to users using a third-party application to access Netflix then have that application steal their Netflix username and password.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted both Momentum and Newzbee on Monday but neither responded to our requests for comment. However, at the same time and quite unusually, another major development was breaking in the Usenet space.</p>
<p>On <a href="https://www.usenet1.de/usenext-usenet-nl-momentum-plus-gigaflat-offline">Usenet1</a>, a site dedicated to Usenet matters, a post revealed that several major Usenet providers and tool operators were experiencing &#8220;massive problems&#8221;. They included UseNext, Usenet.nl, Gigaflat, plus HolmeZ.com and Momentum Plus, the latter two sites being directly connected to the Momentum client.</p>
<p>Checking UseNext&#8217;s and Usenet.nl&#8217;s portals revealed both to be completely offline, which is extremely rare for such high-profile suppliers of Usenet access. With the latter reporting nothing, the former has now issued a major security advisory to its substantial customer base.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unauthorized persons have accessed our infrastructure via a security hole in a partner company. We are currently analyzing what damage may have occurred. For security reasons, all systems are currently offline,&#8221; the company said in a statement.</p>
<p>At the time of writing there is no clear evidence to link the alleged misconduct of the Momentum client with the downtime at major Usenet providers. However, that two serious events have occurred almost simultaneously has set alarm bells ringing and for UseNext, which listed Momentum as a preferred Usenet client on its site (before it was taken down), the implications appear extremely serious.</p>
<p>&#8220;There could be a risk that attackers could gain access to your account information. Your name, billing address, payment data such as IBAN and account number and other data that we have processed to carry out your contract are potentially affected. Accessing your bank details puts you at risk of becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft,&#8221; the company warns.</p>
<p>While UseNext is advising its users to change their passwords, the ability to do so on UseNext.de doesn&#8217;t exist as the site is down. However, there are bigger problems too. If users have duplicated passwords on other sites, they may also be compromised.</p>
<p>&#8220;Change your account passwords immediately. Most important are the accounts that are needed to restore other accounts or passwords. If you also use these passwords for other sites, you should change them there too,&#8221; UseNext advises.</p>
<p>&#8220;Check the settings of your accounts (e.g. automatic forwarding of messages). Any changes indicate unauthorized access. Correct the settings if necessary. If you find that someone is using your identity, please notify the provider of the affected account immediately and have the account blocked.</p>
<p>&#8220;Also let friends know about possible identity theft. As of now, watch out for suspicious debits on your accounts. Check your inbox for fraudulent phishing emails. Do not click on any links that appear suspicious to you, but report them,&#8221; UseNext adds.</p>
<p>UseNext says it has reported the matter to the authorities but in the meantime, its service will remain down until the company can determine the scale of the breach. Users can contact the company for information via a <a href="http://usenext.de/">dedicated hotline</a>.</p>
<p>For now, and at least until the makers of the Momentum client issue a statement, the general advice is to stop using the client and consider any Usenet credentials entered into the software as compromised, including the related Usenet provider accounts. And any other services where passwords were duplicated, of course.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=185654
title: Piracy Should be Tackled With ‘Carrot and Stick’ USPTO Paper Suggests
uri: Piracy-Should-be-Tackled-With-Carrot-and-Stick-USPTO-Paper-Sugge
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/8S2KpL9dNDE/
content:
<p><img src="media/a34c6170.cassettapemusic.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/cassettapemusic.png" alt="" width="276" height="152" class="alignright size-full wp-image-175024" />Over the past years, hundreds of academic piracy studies have been published, all focusing on their own unique angle. </p>
<p>This resulted in a vast body of research that, with some skilled cherry-picking, can support pretty much any argument. </p>
<p>While the individual papers all contribute to the understanding of the piracy ecosystem and how this affects the entertainment industries, the results are often hard to translate into policy. </p>
<p>In an effort to obtain a broader perspective, last year the US Patent and Trade Office (<a href="https://www.uspto.gov/">USPTO</a>) put out a proposal for a broad piracy landscape study. This project was awarded to a group of researchers from Chapman University and Carnegie Mellon University, who released their working paper this month.</p>
<p>The study doesn&#8217;t research any new topics, but it does a good job of summarizing the existing findings and draws some strong conclusions, uniting opposing views. </p>
<p>In public piracy discussions, you often have two sides. The first, often the rightsholders, stress that stricter enforcement measures are needed. The other side, however, believes that affordable and accessible legal options are the cure to piracy. </p>
<p>The USPTO paper addresses both and concludes that no side is entirely wrong or right.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our analysis of the academic literature on anti-piracy strategies shows that firms can reduce piracy by making legal content more available and more appealing,&#8221; the researchers write.</p>
<p>&#8220;Strategies such as making legal content available on convenient digital channels or reducing the release windows between different releases of the same product are both effective at changing consumption of pirated content.&#8221;</p>
<p>Having great legal options alone is not the full answer though. Research has shown that this reduces piracy by 25 percent at most. While this is substantial, there is more that can be done. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/3b2eb0a7.uspto-study.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/uspto-study.jpg" alt="" width="622" height="480" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186180" /></center></p>
<p>This is where the enforcement side comes in. According to the researchers, the majority of the academic papers show that piracy results in some losses for rightsholders. Enforcement measures can help to limit these losses. </p>
<p>However, the researchers highlight that not all enforcement efforts work well. Blocking a single pirate site, for example, is not believed to be effective. The same is true for stringent anti-piracy laws that are barely enforced.</p>
<p>Strict enforcement works even better when there&#8217;s risk involved. This includes the risk of getting caught, but also the risk of running into malware, which may explain the wave of malware-related warnings we&#8217;ve seen from copyright holders recently. </p>
<p>But, even when hundreds of pirate sites are blocked and piracy is seen as very risky, legal options should not be ignored. In fact, the researchers suggest that a combination of attractive legal options (carrot) and good enforcement measures (stick) probably works best.</p>
<p>&#8220;Making pirated content harder to find is likely to have a larger impact on consumer choice if legal content is readily available in a timely fashion than if the content that consumers want to enjoy is difficult to find on legal channels or is not available until long after it becomes available through piracy,&#8221; the paper reads.</p>
<p>This theory also applies in the other direction.  </p>
<p>&#8220;Similarly, making legal content available on convenient legal services is likely to have a stronger impact on consumer behavior if piracy is perceived as a costly, inconvenient, or risky alternative.&#8221; </p>
<p>The overall conclusion is that the combination of a carrot and stick is the way forward. In other words, pairing the most effective enforcement efforts with the most attractive legal offerings is the optimal anti-piracy strategy.</p>
<p>&#8220;[T]he most natural conclusion one can draw from the peer-reviewed literature is that the combination of firm strategies to make high-quality legal content readily available and easy to use, and government and private actions to reduce the appeal of pirated content, is the most effective way to reduce piracy’s impact on legal markets.&#8221;</p>
<p>While this appears to be a sensible conclusion, this approach is yet to be studied in detail so will be an area for future academic research.</p>
<p>The paper also highlights some further shortcomings of the existing literature. For example, many studies were conducted during a time when most people bought media, while most entertainment consumption is subscription-based now.</p>
<p>While not mentioned in the paper, increased fragmentation in the legal streaming landscape may not be the best way forward, as it can drive people towards piracy sites. </p>
<p>Another area that hasn&#8217;t been researched in detail is the effect of piracy on live streaming, including sports. These are all opportunities for future research.  </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of the <a href="media/252005fc.SSRN-id3577670.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/SSRN-id3577670.pdf">USPTO working paper</a> titled <em>Piracy Landscape Study: Analysis of Existing and Emerging Research Relevant to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Enforcement of Commercial-Scale Piracy</em>, is <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3577670">available here</a>.</em></p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186192
title: Woman Who Sold Access to Pirated Books on Dropbox Handed Suspended Sentence
uri: Woman-Who-Sold-Access-to-Pirated-Books-on-Dropbox-Handed-Suspended-Sen
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5Tg8AZIXlIg/
content:
<p><a href="media/49119ef8.e-books.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/e-books.jpg"><img src="media/49119ef8.e-books.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/e-books.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-26365" /></a>Regular eBooks are among the cheapest items of digital content available to buy today but due to their cost, the underground market for academic textbooks continues to thrive.</p>
<p>Pirated textbooks are relatively easy to find on the open web and via dedicated pirate sites. However, some people are creating their own libraries in an effort to make money, offering online access to such material in exchange for a fee.</p>
<p>Danish anti-piracy outfit Rights Alliance (Rettighedsalliancen) has been homing on these for-profit pirates for some time and this week reported another success in a local court.</p>
<p>According to the group, which acts on behalf of a wide range of copyright holders, publishers included, routine monitoring for pirated content drew its attention to an advert placed on Den Blå Avis (The Blue Newspaper), Denmark’s largest buying and selling site.</p>
<p>For a fee of 20 kronor (US$2.91) it offered access to 115 digital copies of books usually sold by publishers including Gyldendal, Lindhardt and Ringhof, University of Southern Denmark, and Social Literature. The books were conveniently stored on Dropbox, with customers able to download them with minimum fuss.</p>
<p>With assistance from local police, Rights Alliance was able to have the advert quickly removed but also managed to identify the seller, a woman from the Vanløse district of Copenhagen. The group said that the woman admitted to the unlawful distribution of the content, which included books dedicated to physiotherapy.</p>
<p>This week her fate was decided by a court in Nykøbing Falster, which reopened for business on Monday after a closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. Following a guilty plea, the court handed down a suspended sentence of 20 days in prison accompanied by a financial confiscation order. </p>
<p>The decision is being welcomed by Rights Alliance chief Maria Fredenslund who notes that such offenses carried out by individuals can have serious consequences, including police involvement and a criminal record.</p>
<p>“It is crucial that the police move quickly in these cases, as the extent of illegal activities can quickly increase if the rumor about the possibilities for free books spreads among students. Although it may seem innocent to copy a textbook and sell it to other students, it has serious consequences in a systematic way,” Fredenslund says.</p>
<p>The case and sentencing appear broadly similar to one <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ebook-pirate-fined-handed-20-day-suspended-sentence-191010/">previously reported</a> by TF during October 2019. In that matter, a 26-year-old student also advertised illegal access to textbooks via the Blue Newspaper and was subsequently tracked down by Rights Alliance with assistance from the police.</p>
<p>While he sold access to books for a much higher fee (between US$12.50 and US$88.00) the Court of Fredericksberg handed down an identical 20-day suspended prison sentence plus a confiscation order. The man also entered into a settlement agreement with Rights Alliance. In 2019, another man tracked down by Rights Alliance in a similar case received a 30-day suspended sentence.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186144
title: The Pirate Bay Has Made it Harder to Find Stuff
uri: The-Pirate-Bay-Has-Made-it-Harder-to-Find-Stuff
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/aFKF6UuoOeM/
content:
<p><img src="media/d4dd039c.thepirate-e1470829181981.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/thepirate-e1470829181981.jpg" alt="" width="242" height="226" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116122" />After more than a month of downtime, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bays-main-domain-returns-after-month-of-downtime-200411/">The Pirate Bay&#8217;s .org domain started working</a> again recently. </p>
<p>This was good news for the site&#8217;s millions of users, but the comeback has resulted in some frustrations as well. </p>
<p>As previously reported, the site&#8217;s operator &#8211; also known as Winston &#8211; used the downtime to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-uses-downtime-to-rewrite-some-code-200323/">rewrite some code</a>. While these changes appear to be minimal at first sight, the site&#8217;s usability hasn&#8217;t improved. Some even wonder whether something had gone horribly wrong. </p>
<p>One of the most frequently reported issues is that torrents appear to be missing. This isn&#8217;t immediately obvious to a casual visitor, but the more demanding ones can&#8217;t seem to find everything they&#8217;re looking for. </p>
<p>The Pirate Bay has changed the way search results are pulled from the database. This now goes through an API hosted at Bayapi.org. This API doesn&#8217;t always return full results. In fact, there seems to be a limit of a hundred results, presented on a single page.</p>
<p>This restriction is fine when someone&#8217;s looking for a very specific torrent, but not for broader searches. </p>
<p>The same limits also apply to the site&#8217;s general navigation across categories. The software, video, and audio sections all show just one page. There is no option to browse through more pages. </p>
<p>The good news for Pirate Bay users is that all torrent links are still in the database, as far as we can see. However, they may be required to use more targeted search phrases to find what they&#8217;re looking for. </p>
<p>Although casual browsing through various pages of results is no longer possible, there is a partial workaround though, as pointed out in the <a href="https://pirates-forum.org/">Pirate Bay forums</a>. Users can find the next pages in the category results by adding :1, :2 or even :99. That trick doesn&#8217;t appear to work for regular searches, however.</p>
<p>Other stuff remains missing as well if we compare <a href="media/4318ac6b.tpbnew8.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tpbnew8.jpg">the new homepage</a> with the old one, shown below.  </p>
<p><center><img src="media/d4e26ff5.tpboldcop2.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tpboldcop2.jpg" alt="" width="622" height="476" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186275" /></center></p>
<p>A quick glance shows that the official blog has disappeared, for example. The &#8216;doodle&#8217; page has gone too, and the same is true for the RSS feeds, the usage policy, <a href="https://pirates-forum.org/Thread-Problem-with-downloading-tpb-dump-files-archive">the daily dumps</a>, and the famous &#8220;How do I download&#8221; explainer.</p>
<p>And as if that wasn&#8217;t enough, the Kopimi icon &#8211; one of Pirate Bay&#8217;s hallmarks &#8211; is no longer featured either. </p>
<p>All the changes, including a domain Whois update where the registrant is now hidden, have fueled conspiracy theories. These originate from a small minority and speculate that The Pirate Bay has changed owners, or that something more nefarious is going on. </p>
<p>We have been no proof that this is the case. A more likely scenario, in our opinion, is that the code changes were implemented without proper testing and care. And that they serve a technical need, rather than an increased user experience. </p>
<p>That theory is just a theory of course, but it&#8217;s no secret that the full attention of the operator may not be with the site. After all, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-closes-registrations-due-to-spam-flood-190606/">user registrations have also been closed</a> for almost a year, a measure that was taken to patch a technical problem.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to a staffer who admits that not everything is functioning as it should. However, they can&#8217;t do much either and have to wait until &#8220;Winston&#8221; springs into action. That could take a few days, or weeks, or&#8230;</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186308
title: German Anti-Piracy Outfit GVU Files For Bankruptcy, Despite Many Historic Victories
uri: German-Anti-Piracy-Outfit-GVU-Files-For-Bankruptcy-Despite-Many-Histo
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/xnDjEirNBPs/
content:
<p><a href="media/df1d0641.moneybanned.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/moneybanned.jpg"><img src="media/df1d0641.moneybanned.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/moneybanned.jpg" alt="" width="270" height="256" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86198" /></a>While the vast majority of movie and TV show piracy occurs on the Internet today, back in the mid 1980s it was VHS and Betamax tapes causing headaches for copyright holders.</p>
<p>Desperate to rein in what then-MPAA head Jack Valenti described as the Bostom Strangler of the movie industry, the video cassette recorder (VCR) found rivals on both sides of the Atlantic. In Germany, that role fell to Gesellschaft zur Verfolgung von Urheberrechtsverletzungen (GVU), the Society for the Prosecution of Copyright Infringement.</p>
<p>Between 1985 and 2010, GVU grew to become a major anti-piracy force in Germany. Boasting around 50 members, including the major Hollywood studios, music industry groups and video games companies, GVU&#8217;s reputation was certainly on the up. In 2011 it played its biggest role yet as a key player in the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kino-to-raided-in-massive-police-operation-admins-arrested-110608/">Europe-wide raids targeting Kino.to</a>, one of Germany&#8217;s most infamous piracy portals, and the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kinox-to-operator-sentenced-to-40-months-in-prison-151217/">prosecutions</a> that followed.</p>
<p>Since then GVU has been involved in various <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kinox-to-operator-sentenced-to-40-months-in-prison-151217/">major actions</a>, including against the alleged operators of Kinox.to, a site that stepped in following the demise of Kino.to. In 2014, GVU upped the ante again with an investigation and subsequent anti-piracy operation targeting pirate linking forum Boerse.bz during which a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/german-police-raid-121-homes-in-pirate-site-crackdown-141104/">reported</a> 121 homes were raided.</p>
<p>Even beyond then, GVU kept its foot on the gas. In 2019 and following a GVU-led investigation, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/german-police-raid-121-homes-in-pirate-site-crackdown-141104/">two men were jailed</a> for a total of 66 months for running a Usenet portal and during the same year, the anti-piracy group was the driving force behind the operation that <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/police-raids-shut-down-share-online-biz-germanys-largest-file-hoster-191017/">took down Share-Online.biz</a>, Germany&#8217;s largest file-hosting site.</p>
<p>In the background, however, all was not well at GVU. In 2018, the MPAA (now MPA) <a href="https://tarnkappe.info/gvu-verliert-groessten-geldgeber-mpa-steigt-aus-2/">withdrew</a> its significant funding from GVU. The move wasn&#8217;t entirely unexpected as two years earlier the Hollywood group had <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-withdraws-funding-for-uk-anti-piracy-group-fact-160524/">withdrawn funding</a> for the UK&#8217;s Federation Against Copyright Theft, instead choosing to pursue its copyright-infringing adversaries via the nascent Alliance For Creativity and Entertainment.</p>
<p>Danger signs became more obvious at the end of March 2020 when German news outlet Tarnkappe <a href="https://tarnkappe.info/gvu-wird-ihre-operative-taetigkeit-demnaechst-einstellen/">received news</a> from several sources that GVU was in trouble and might even cease to exist in the near future. Despite repeated attempts, GVU had effectively become unreachable and this week, the anti-piracy group&#8217;s fate was confirmed.</p>
<p>According to a <a href="https://verbraucherschutzforum.berlin/2020-04-01/gvu-gesellschaft-zur-verfolgung-von-urheberrechtsverletzungen-e-v-insolvenzeroeffnung-209231">posting</a> on the Berlin Consumer Protection forum, an insolvent GVU filed for bankruptcy at the start of April, appointing a Berlin lawyer as an insolvency administrator.</p>
<p>While the loss of the Hollywood studios as major financiers of GVU would&#8217;ve come as an extreme blow to the organization, Tarnkappe <a href="https://tarnkappe.info/gvu-gesellschaft-zur-verfolgung-von-urheberrechtsverletzungen-e-v-hat-insolvenz-beantragt/">speculates</a> that GVU&#8217;s focus on criminal cases was a key factor in rendering the outfit financially unviable.</p>
<p>While the cases pursued by GVU were sometimes dramatic, even historically so, they always took a long time to come to fruition and with no enforcement in the civil realm to bring in settlements and similar types of revenue, the writing was already on the wall when a more powerful and versatile ACE began to make waves all over the Internet.</p>
<p>Indeed, on what would&#8217;ve been GVU&#8217;s exclusive stomping ground, ACE recently shut down several German-based piracy giants including <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/openload-and-others-taken-down-by-anti-piracy-alliance-ace-191031/">Openload, Steamango and VeryStream</a>, all with civil settlements that fell outside of GVU&#8217;s remit.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186336
title: Amazon Joins Pirate Bay and FMovies on US Govt’s “Notorious” Markets List
uri: Amazon-Joins-Pirate-Bay-and-FMovies-on-US-Govt-s-Notorious-Mar
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/E04K-FlJLD4/
content:
<p><img src="media/f350a6f0.ustrb.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/ustrb.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="172" class="alignright size-full wp-image-132637" />Every year the United States Trade Representative (USTR) publishes an updated list of its “Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets.”</p>
<p>Drawing on input from copyright holders, the report includes a non-exclusive overview of sites and services that are believed to be involved in piracy or counterfeiting.</p>
<p>The targets traditionally include popular piracy portals such as well known torrent sites, cyberlockers, and streaming portals. However, in recent years we have also seen domain registrars, hosting companies, and advertisers thrown into the mix. </p>
<p>That is also the case this year. As expected, the USTR mentions cyberlockers such as 1fichier and Uploaded, streaming portals including FMovies, and the torrent sites RARBG, Rutracker, The Pirate Bay, and 1337x.</p>
<p>The latter site is a new addition, of which there are a few. BestBuyIPTV, for example, which sells access to pirate IPTV services, and the streaming site Cimaclub.com, which is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/local-pirate-sites-are-thriving-around-the-world-200118/">very popular in Saudi Arabia</a>.</p>
<p>The most surprising new additions are in another league, however. For the first time ever, the USTR has listed an advertising company as a notorious market. The report calls out Propeller Ads for its role in funding piracy websites and spreading malware.</p>
<p>&#8220;Right holders identify Propeller Ads as providing significant advertising revenue for many popular torrent sites, cyberlockers, and other pirate websites. Propeller Ads has also been linked to serious &#8216;malvertising&#8217; operations whereby malware is distributed through online advertisements,&#8221; USTR writes.</p>
<p>The malware angle plays an important role, as it&#8217;s the USTR&#8217;s special focus this year. The report cites a broad list of articles that highlight the malware risks on pirate sites. However, it also references a TorrentFreak <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rampant-kodi-malware-itstime-to-either-put-up-or-shut-up-190610">article</a> that describes some of these claims as overblown.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a significant step for the USTR to add an advertising company to the report, but this is largely overshadowed by Amazon&#8217;s surprise appearance. </p>
<p>As a US-based company, Amazon.com can&#8217;t be listed as a notorious market, because this list is exclusively meant for foreign actors. However, the USTR bypassed this restriction by calling out Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, and Amazon.in.</p>
<p>The world&#8217;s largest online retailer is being labeled a notorious market because it reportedly provides a platform for copyright infringers, counterfeiters to be precise. While that is true for many online retailers, Amazon&#8217;s response to these infringers has apparently been below par.</p>
<p>The USTR mentions that copyright holders complain that sellers are not vetted, that the removal process is burdensome, while the counterfeiting problem continues to grow. Amazon should change its policies to address these issues.</p>
<p>&#8220;[Rightsholders] ask that Amazon take additional actions to address their concerns, including by collecting sufficient information from sellers to prevent repeat infringers from creating multiple storefronts on the platforms, making detailed information about the real seller of a product obvious to consumers and right holders,&#8221; the USTR writes.</p>
<p>Responding to the listing, an Amazon spokesperson characterized the company&#8217;s inclusion as being part of a personal vendetta of the Trump administration against the company.</p>
<p>&#8220;This purely political act is another example of the administration using the U.S. government to advance a personal vendetta against Amazon,&#8221; the company <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/29/trump-administration-amazon-foreign-websites-220766">informed</a> Politico. </p>
<p>Vendetta or not, Amazon was reported to the Government by the American Apparel &#038; Footwear Association, which specifically asked for a listing of the foreign Amazon domains.</p>
<p>Amazon is not the only online retailer that&#8217;s listed. The US Government also sees the Chinese platform Taobao, India&#8217;s Snapdeal, and the Indonesian store Tokopedia as notorious platforms. </p>
<p>Below we have compiled a full list of all the online sites and services that are mentioned. Although some harsh language is used, the USTR stresses that its overview doesn&#8217;t &#8220;make findings of legal violations&#8221; and that these are merely &#8220;illustrative.&#8221;</p>
<p>Most importantly, perhaps, the report is used to send a clear warning to the sites and companies involved, suggesting that it might be a good idea to implement some changes. That&#8217;s not likely to impress sites such as The Pirate Bay, but others may be more susceptible.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><em>A copy of the USTR’s 2019 overview of notorious markets (published yesterday) is available <a href="media/8407f4af.19_Review_of_Notorious_Markets_for_Counterfeiting_and_Piracy.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/2019_Review_of_Notorious_Markets_for_Counterfeiting_and_Piracy.pdf">here (pdf)</a>. The full list of highlighted online sites/service, including those focused on counterfeiting, is as follows:</p>
<p>-1337x.to<br />
-1Fichier.com<br />
-Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, and Amazon.in<br />
-Bestbuyiptv.com<br />
-Bukalapak.com<br />
-Carousell.com<br />
-Chomikuj.pl<br />
-Cimaclub.com<br />
-DHgate.com<br />
-Dytt8.net<br />
-FlokiNET<br />
-Flvto.biz and 2Conv.com<br />
-FMovies.is<br />
-Hosting Concepts B.V.<br />
-MP3juices.cc<br />
-Mp3va.com<br />
-Mpgh.net<br />
-Newalbumreleases.net<br />
-Phimmoi.net<br />
-Pinduoduo.com<br />
-Private Layer Hosted Sites<br />
-Propellerads.com<br />
-Rapidgator.net<br />
-RARBG.to<br />
-Rutracker.org<br />
-Sci-Hub and LibGen<br />
-Seasonvar.ru<br />
-Shopee.sg<br />
-Snapdeal.com<br />
-Taobao.com<br />
-Thepiratebay.org<br />
-Tokopedia.com<br />
-Torrentz2.eu<br />
-Turbobit.net<br />
-Uploaded.net<br />
-Uptobox.com<br />
-VK.com<br />
-Warmane.com</em></p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186339
title: Pirated ‘DVD Screeners’ Will be History After Next Year’s Oscars
uri: Pirated-DVD-Screeners-Will-be-History-After-Next-Year-s-Oscars
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/cDuLE46slMQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/8725ddde.dvdscr2020.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dvdscr2020.jpg" alt="" width="295" height="144" class="alignright size-full wp-image-186355" />The Oscars is the most watched awards show of the year. It&#8217;s widely covered in the press and highly anticipated by movie fans.</p>
<p>In the weeks leading up to the awards ceremony, movie pirates also have something to be excited about: screener leaks. </p>
<p>Many Oscar screeners, which are sent to Academy members as part of the voting process, end up in the hands of pirates. When that happens, the leaked screeners are typically shared by millions of people. </p>
<p>The leaks are often tagged &#8220;DVDscr,&#8221; referring to the DVD screener source format which is still in use. While streaming screeners have become more and more common, tens of thousands of physical screener copies are still sent out via mail.</p>
<p>This year, plenty of discs will be shipped too but, after the upcoming Oscars ceremony, that will be a thing of the past. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this week that physical screeners will no longer be allowed in 2021. </p>
<p>&#8220;[T]he 93rd Awards season will be the final year DVD screeners will be allowed to be distributed; these mailings will be discontinued starting in 2021 for the 94th Academy Awards,&#8221; the Academy writes.  </p>
<p>The Oscars follow the same path <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/replacing-dvd-screeners-with-online-versions-wont-stop-pirates-190126/">as the Emmys</a>, which already made the switch this year. According to the Academy, the transition is part of its sustainability efforts. This also includes a ban on physical music CDs, hard copies of screenplays, paper invites, and other things that possibly hurt the environment.</p>
<p>Banning physical screeners will indeed be much more sustainable. Manufacturing tens of thousands of discs and shipping these all over the country takes up more resources than sharing a link to an online screener. As an added benefit, it also saves the studios a lot of money. </p>
<p>Piracy is not mentioned by the Academy but the transition does mean that the infamous &#8216;DVDscr&#8217; tag will eventually be obsolete for Oscar screeners. That marks the end of an era. </p>
<p>Whether piracy was considered as a factor at all remains a guess. Some insiders believe that digital screeners are easier to protect and therefore more secure, but that is up for debate. </p>
<p>There may be fewer leak opportunities in the distribution process, but it&#8217;s common knowledge that streaming platforms can be easily compromised. In fact, we have already seen several screeners being leaked from online sources. This was corroborated by pirate release group EVO last year.</p>
<p>“We had access to digital screeners and they are indeed easy to leak. The DRM on it is a joke. We had an account last year with three screeners on it and they were pretty much MP4 ready to encode,” the EVO team informed us at the time.</p>
<p>Whether streaming or physical screeners are more secure ultimately depends on the type of protection measures that are implemented for each. The safest conclusion, for now, is that piracy will likely remain a problem no matter what the distribution platform is. </p>
<p>Two years from now, we&#8217;ll likely know more. During the upcoming season, however, there will likely several &#8216;DVDscr&#8217; leaks again.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186386
title: Watch Tower Sues Journalists For Millions in Copyright Infringement Damages
uri: Watch-Tower-Sues-Journalists-For-Millions-in-Copyright-Infringement-Da
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/H88x1-WiWmk/
content:
<p><a href="media/eaf48e81.pray.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pray.png"><img src="media/eaf48e81.pray.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pray.png" alt="" width="270" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-183550" /></a>The Jehovah&#8217;s Witness religious group is perhaps best known for knocking on doors to recruit new followers to the faith. When it comes to their promotional videos and documents, however, the organization takes a very different approach.</p>
<p>As reported recently, people who post their <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/jehovahs-witness-body-uses-dmca-to-subpoena-youtube-for-apostates-identity-200308/">videos to YouTube</a>, for example, can find themselves on the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/watchtower-dmca-subpoena-case-hots-up-as-anonymous-objector-gains-traction-200407/">wrong end</a> of a copyright lawsuit. On Thursday, that&#8217;s what happened to journalists Ryan McKnight and Ethan Gregory Dodge, who together founded <a href="https://www.truthandtransparency.org/">Truth &#038; Transparency</a> (TTF), a site with a mission to provide &#8220;religious accountability through impact journalism&#8221;. </p>
<p>According to a lawsuit filed in a New York district court by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the supervising body and publisher for the Jehovah’s Witness religious group, the pair committed massive copyright infringement for illegally distributing Watch Tower&#8217;s &#8220;motion picture&#8221; works.</p>
<p>The complaint alleges that in mid-2018, Watch Tower discovered that 487 of its &#8220;copyrighted literary works&#8221; had been posted by the defendants on FaithLeaks.org, a site presented in a Wikileaks-style format. Late December 2018, Watch Tower demanded that the works be taken down, alleging breaches of copyright. The defendants reportedly refused to remove the content, claiming fair use under the Copyright Act.</p>
<p>Then, in May 2019, Watch Tower learned that &#8220;74 motion pictures&#8221; to which it holds the copyrights had been uploaded to RuTube.ru, a Russia-based YouTube-like platform. Watch Tower sent takedown notices to RuTube which resulted in the videos being removed. Shortly after, however, it&#8217;s alleged that McKnight and Dodge re-uploaded the videos to FaithLeaks where they remain available today.</p>
<p>Watch Tower points to a May 2019 article <a href="https://www.truthandtransparency.org/news/2019/05/29/2019-jehovahs-witness-convention-videos-published-again-after-successful-takedown-request/">published</a> on TruthandTransparency.org in which the defendants &#8220;boasted not only about their past infringements and refusals to comply with Watch Tower’s efforts to enforce its copyrights, but also about these new infringements, leaving no doubt as to Defendants’ willfulness.&#8221;</p>
<p>The article in question suggests that the videos, apparently recordings of conventions to which the public was invited, were indeed uploaded by the defendants, to elicit commentary and critique from observers. The article further notes that Watch Tower was approached for comment on the event but failed to respond. Albeit several months later, it has now.</p>
<p>In a complaint that details every video and alleged infringements one by one, there are repeated allegations that the defendants &#8220;unlawfully copied, reproduced, publicly displayed, publicly performed and distributed&#8221; Watch Tower’s videos, in their entirety and without alteration. Dozens of pages of evidence later, the religious group reaches its conclusion.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants McKnight and Dodge personally participated in, and supervised and directed, the infringing acts described above. Indeed, they personally conceived of, and directed and approved all key aspects of, TTF’s infringing activities. They were the moving force behind those infringing acts,&#8221; it reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;The acts of Defendants described above were committed without the permission, license or consent of Watch Tower. Upon information and belief, the acts of Defendants described above were committed with knowledge or in reckless disregard of Watch Tower’s exclusive rights in the Watch Tower videos.</p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiff, accordingly, seeks injunctive relief and statutory damages for willful copyright infringement.&#8221; </p>
<p>Given that damages for willful copyright infringement can reach $150,000 per infringed work, McKnight and Dodge are facing a potentially massive damages claim running to millions of dollars. Additionally, Watch Tower is demanding the removal of the videos and an injunction which prevents infringement of its copyrights moving forward.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak approached both McKnight and Dodge for comment on but at this time, the journalists declined.</p>
<p><em>The complaint, filed in a New York district court, can be found <a href="media/6db50fea.-03366-Watch-Tower-v-truth-and-transparency-complaint-200430.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/1-20-cv-03366-Watch-Tower-v-truth-and-transparency-complaint-200430.pdf">here</a> (pdf)</em></p>
<p><em>Image credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/praying-god-christianity-belief-2179326/">Pixabay</a></em></p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also have an annual <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">VPN</a> review.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186251
title: Nites.tv Mystery Solved as MPA Takes Over Domain of ‘Viral’ Pirate Site
uri: Nites-tv-Mystery-Solved-as-MPA-Takes-Over-Domain-of-Viral-Pirate
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/0etwebxkrcA/
content:
<p><a href="media/2823eabd.nites-tv-logo-e1587372970818.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nites-tv-logo-e1587372970818.png"><img src="media/2823eabd.nites-tv-logo-e1587372970818.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nites-tv-logo-e1587372970818.png" alt="" width="270" height="151" class="alignright size-full wp-image-185695" /></a>Any pirate movie or TV show site operating on the Internet today at any scale can eventually expect to find copyright holders breathing down their neck.</p>
<p>Aside from the thousands and in some cases millions of DMCA takedown notices filed with Google aimed at disappearing their platforms from search results, site operators can also find themselves targeted more personally. For the past couple of years that attention has increasingly come from ACE, the Alliance For Creativity and Entertainment.</p>
<p>Compromised of dozens of leading content companies, distributors and broadcasters and headed up by the Motion Picture Association, ACE is now the most potent anti-piracy coalition on the planet. With massive resources at its disposal, ACE has filed and won lawsuits against several streaming operations and in many cases, has had piracy-focused platforms capitulate following the mere threat of force.</p>
<p>In the weeks leading up to mid-April, streaming site Nites.tv suddenly started getting a lot of attention in the press. Quite why this happened seemingly out of nowhere remains unclear but several publications noted a social media campaign promoting the streaming platform. With a large library of movies and TV shows and a happy userbase, things appeared on the up but within days, Nites.tv was no more.</p>
<p>As previously <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/nites-tv-suddenly-goes-viral-apparently-gets-seized-by-ace-but-questions-remain-200420/">reported by TF</a>, the Nites.tv domain suddenly started redirecting to the ACE anti-piracy portal. However, the apparent &#8216;seizure&#8217; bore none of the usual behind-the-scenes technical hallmarks usually associated with an ACE/MPA takeover.</p>
<p>But if nothing else, Nites.tv seemed spooked. Instead of the usual promotional messages on Twitter, the site&#8217;s operators suddenly surprised their followers, changing their tone in a single tweet.</p>
<p>&#8220;We take copyright violations very seriously and will vigorously protect the rights of legal copyright owners. For that we decided to shut down our services. We are working on other ways to show you good content in a legal way,&#8221; the platform <a href="https://twitter.com/TvNites/status/1252441618289881088">announced</a>.</p>
<p>The domain diversion to ACE and the tweet certainly suggested that trouble was afoot but at no point did Nites.tv reference the anti-piracy group, a position maintained today. However, this week it was all but confirmed that ACE had jumped in to shut Nites.tv down, when its domain was transferred to the Motion Picture Association.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/efb3acd4.nites-domain-e1588162897568.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nites-domain-e1588162897568.png"><img src="media/efb3acd4.nites-domain-e1588162897568.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nites-domain-e1588162897568.png" alt="" width="600" height="363" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186264" /></a></center></p>
<p>In common with the majority of domains registered in the name of the MPA, the domain registrar is now MarkMonitor, the brand protection company that works with the MPA and other companies to protect them from piracy, fraud and cybersquatting. The details are an exact match for other domains taken over by the MPA/ACE and suggest that beyond a reasonable doubt, ACE threats were the reason for Nites.tv&#8217;s sudden closure.</p>
<p>The only missing piece of the puzzle is that most &#8216;pirate&#8217; domains seized by the MPA (or, more accurately, transferred) are quickly switched to nameservers operated by the Hollywood group. In Nites&#8217; case, that didn&#8217;t happen until a day or two ago but with that now established, the seizure is complete.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186136
title: YouTube Rippers and Record Labels Clash in US Appeals Court
uri: YouTube-Rippers-and-Record-Labels-Clash-in-US-Appeals-Court
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/OuWne4ukaCs/
content:
<p><img src="media/9c98c266.flvto-2.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/flvto-2.png" alt="" width="277" height="175" class="alignright size-full wp-image-167641" />In 2018, a group of prominent record labels <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/major-labels-sue-more-youtube-ripper-sites-180806/">filed a piracy lawsuit</a> against two very popular YouTube rippers, FLVTO.biz and 2conv.com.</p>
<p>The labels, including Universal, Warner Bros, and Sony, hoped that the legal pressure would shut the sites down, but this plan backfired. At least in the short term.</p>
<p>The Russian operator of the sites, Tofig Kurbanov, fought back with a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-ripper-slams-record-labels-over-absurdity-and-amnesia-181027/">motion to dismiss</a>. He argued that the Virginia federal court lacked personal jurisdiction as he operated the sites from abroad and didn&#8217;t target or interact with US users.</p>
<p>The district court agreed with this assessment. In a verdict released early last year, Judge Claude M. Hilton <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-ripper-wins-dismissal-of-record-labels-us-piracy-lawsuit-190123/">dismissed the case</a>. The Court carefully reviewed how the sites operated and found no evidence that they purposefully targeted either Virginia or the United States.</p>
<p>The record labels and the RIAA were disappointed with the outcome and swiftly announced an appeal. The landmark verdict also raised the interest of other groups, including the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-fears-that-stream-ripper-verdict-will-serve-as-roadmap-for-foreign-pirates-190322/">Motion Picture Association</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eff-backs-stream-rippers-in-legal-battle-against-record-labels-190419/">EFF</a>, which both filed amicus briefs, supporting the opposing sides. </p>
<p>After several months had passed, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held a remote oral hearing this week, giving both sides the opportunity to share their arguments. </p>
<p>First up was Ian Heath Gershengorn, attorney for the record labels, who described FLVTO.biz and 2conv.com as sites that help millions of people to infringe the copyrights of his clients.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants operate wildly popular websites that engage in and facilitate massive infringement of plaintiffs U.S. copyrights in the United States. The United States is defendant&#8217;s third-biggest market, and each year defendants make handsome profits by sending hundreds of millions of infringing music files to their U.S. users,&#8221; he said. </p>
<p>This is no different than copies of hundreds of millions of vinyl records or CDs, the attorney informed the judges. The record labels believe that the district court made a grave mistake by ruling that it doesn&#8217;t have jurisdiction, one that provides &#8220;a roadmap&#8221; for pirate sites to &#8220;operate with impunity.&#8221; </p>
<p>According to the music companies, the lower court&#8217;s judgment should be overturned for various reasons. This includes the sheer volume of the infringements, the interactive characteristics of the sites, their commercial advertising agreements, and the sites&#8217; failure to block US visitors.</p>
<p>In addition, their attorney points out that the sites had a registered DMCA agent listed at the US Copyright Office, which shows that he subjected himself to US law.</p>
<p>&#8220;The only point and I guess the principle point of that DMCA agent is to invoke the protections of the DMCA, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. And so they have literally invoked the protections of U.S. law. The district court concluded otherwise,&#8221; Gershengorn said.</p>
<p>The attorney for FLVTO.biz and 2conv.com, Evan Fray-Witzer, has a completely different take on the case. He told the judges that the district court was right and that his client should not be dragged into a US lawsuit.</p>
<p>He describes Tofig Kurbanov as a Russian citizen from a small city in southern Russia who has never traveled to the United States and hasn&#8217;t done any business there. Kurbanov simply made a site that allows users to download audio from YouTube, which the attorney equates to a modern-day version of a tape recorder. </p>
<p>&#8220;Mr. Kurbanov created two Web sites, which he has operated entirely and exclusively from Russia. These Web sites, your honor, are the modern-day equivalent of an old fashioned tape recorder,&#8221; Fray-Witzer said. </p>
<p>Much of the discussion revolved around the interpretation of current personal jurisdiction precedents and how these apply to this case. That includes the advertisements that third parties placed on the site, the availability of the site in the US, and the absence of any geo-blocking restrictions. </p>
<p>The attorney stressed that Kurbanov simply made his websites available worldwide and did nothing to target the US specifically. He doesn&#8217;t decide which ads are served where, and what users do with the sites is up to them.</p>
<p>On top of that, he pointed out that the site has many different uses. This includes the option to download free lectures for offline use.</p>
<p>&#8220;And that&#8217;s really, I think, probably the best case argument here. Mr. Kurbanov has done nothing to target the United States. The websites are content-neutral,&#8221; Fray-Witzer said.</p>
<p>While the sites have a DMCA agent the attorney argues that they are not bound by the DMCA, which the site&#8217;s terms of service clearly state. In addition, he argues that registering a DMCA agent doesn&#8217;t automatically mean that a site subjects itself to US jurisdiction.</p>
<p>At the and of the hearing the microphone went back to the music companies&#8217; attorney who, among other things, wasn&#8217;t convinced by the other side&#8217;s arguments. This includes the tape recorder analogy. </p>
<p>&#8220;If you had an old fashioned tape recorder and you recorded hundreds of millions of songs and then you sent those out to users across the world, including more than 100 million in the United States, yes, you would be subject to jurisdiction in the United States for that misuse and abuse of your tape recorder,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>The music companies hope that the appeal court will agree. If not, then the US may have little recourse to deal with foreign pirates sites going forward.</p>
<p>&#8220;Then this court has created the recipe for infringement that every pirate Web site will adapt and it will eviscerate the U.S. copyright laws. That is not the purpose of personal jurisdiction. And it&#8217;s a perversion of due process,&#8221; the music companies&#8217; attorney concluded. </p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186254
title: Denmark Blocked 141 Pirate Sites in 2019 But Pirates Are Bypassing The System
uri: Denmark-Blocked-141-Pirate-Sites-in-2019-But-Pirates-Are-Bypassing-The
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/jQ1OKzWlsfw/
content:
<p><a href="media/e49204f7.deniedblocked.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/deniedblocked.jpg"><img src="media/e49204f7.deniedblocked.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/deniedblocked.jpg" alt="" width="270" height="199" class="alignright size-full wp-image-143825" /></a>Site-blocking to disrupt copyright infringement now takes place in dozens of countries around the world, with its supposed benefits currently being <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/motion-picture-association-doubles-down-on-push-for-us-pirate-site-blocking-200425/">aggressively promoted</a> to lawmakers in the United States.</p>
<p>Having been pioneered in the country more than a decade ago, site-blocking is old news in Denmark but is still one of the preferred methods to reduce access to &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites. Indeed, according to a report published by leading anti-piracy group Rights Alliance, during 2019 alone it managed to have 141 sites blocked by the majority of ISPs in the country.</p>
<p>In tandem with other anti-piracy initiatives, this appears to have had a drastic effect on local visits to pirate sites. According to the group, in 2018 Danes visited pirate sites 239 million times yet in 2019, that figure was down to 146 million, an impressive 40 percent drop.</p>
<p>When copyright groups measure the effectiveness of blockades it&#8217;s worth noting that they often measure traffic levels to the domains that have been blocked. When nearly all ISPs in a country participate in blocking, which is the case in Denmark, there will quite clearly be a reduction in visits to those specific domains. But that doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean that people aren&#8217;t still using them or, indeed, alternative platforms.</p>
<p>Indeed, Rights Alliance (RA) notes that despite the reductions in traffic to &#8216;pirate&#8217; domains, a recent study revealed that the number of pirates in Denmark hasn&#8217;t reduced at all.</p>
<p>&#8220;According to Mediavision&#8217;s annual user behavior survey in the Nordic countries, the proportion of Danish 15 to 74-year-olds who download or stream movies and TV series is stable at 10 percent, which it has been since 2016. This corresponds to approximately 450,000 Danes using illegal sites annually,&#8221; RA notes.</p>
<p>&#8220;An explanation of the decreased number of visits, but the stable number of users, we partly attribute to the blocking effect, but other causal explanations are also available. Namely, the Mediavision study points out the Danes&#8217; use of so-called VPN connections and the use of alternative DNS providers that allow the blocking to be bypassed.&#8221;</p>
<p>When questioned for the survey, 17% of Danish Internet users said they use a VPN. However, when the subset of self-confessed pirates were asked the same question, 44% admitted to using a VPN to access pirated movies. According to RA, this indicates that VPNs are widely used by pirates so the 40% drop in traffic to pirate sites could be overstated.</p>
<p>&#8220;The study thus shows that VPN connections are very widespread among those who stream and download illegally so their use of illegal websites is not included in the aforementioned 146 million visits. The figure may actually be higher,&#8221; RA adds.</p>
<p>The problem is replicated when looking at how Danish ISPs block their subscribers&#8217; access to pirate sites. Court orders allow them to block by interfering with DNS but users are apparently well aware that if they switch to a DNS provider that isn&#8217;t run by their ISP but by OpenDNS or Google, for example, blocking can be bypassed.</p>
<p>&#8220;[S]o-called alternative DNS providers are also being used by more Danes who illegally download or stream movies and TV series than the general population,&#8221; RA reports.</p>
<p>&#8220;Ten percent of Danes who do not stream or download illegally have heard of alternative DNS providers, and out of them, 35 percent use them. If you look at the Danes who stream and download illegally, 23 percent have knowledge of DNS providers and as many as 97 percent use them.&#8221;</p>
<p>The end result is that despite widespread blocking and a headline drop in traffic to pirate sites, the number of pirate consumers remains stable, apparently undeterred by the measures. So the big question remains: what can be done to further reduce piracy levels?</p>
<p>On the blocking front, RA is pushing the concept of so-called &#8216;trusted notifiers&#8217;, i.e organizations or groups that have access to a streamlined blocking mechanism, preferably handled by a single court dealing with IP crime. Also on the table is potential action by SØIK, the State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime, which could require ISPs to block sites without a court process.</p>
<p>In respect of enforcement, Rights Alliance says that it has also identified a number of individuals who have &#8220;made extensive use of illegal services.&#8221; Data about them and their activities has been passed to the IP Task Force at SØIK but what will become of those referrals remains unclear.</p>
<p><em>The full report can be found <a href="media/e2c7706a.RettighedsAlliancen-C3A5rsrapport-2019.pdf" data-original-source="https://rettighedsalliancen.dk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/RettighedsAlliancen-%C3%A5rsrapport-2019.pdf">here</a> (Danish, pdf)</em></p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186286
title: Charter Must Share Personal Info of Pirating Subscribers With Record Labels
uri: Charter-Must-Share-Personal-Info-of-Pirating-Subscribers-With-Record-L
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/20_hEP3R0VA/
content:
<p><img src="media/74ccf2fd.charter.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/charter.png" alt="" width="277" height="151" class="alignright size-full wp-image-170114" />Every day, ISPs send thousands of copyright infringement notices to subscribers, informing them that their connections have been used to download pirated content. </p>
<p>These warnings have long been without consequences. However, copyright holders in the US are working hard to change that. </p>
<p>The major record labels filed several lawsuits against ISPs for failing to terminate repeat infringers. These are serious claims, as became apparent from a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-is-liable-for-pirating-subscribers-hit-with-1-billion-damages-verdict-191220/">billion-dollar damages judgment</a> against Cox not too long ago.  </p>
<p>Charter Communications is currently <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/music-companies-sue-charter-for-turning-a-blind-eye-to-piracy-190326/">caught up in a similar lawsuit</a>. The company, which has millions of subscribers, endured a setback last month when its motion to dismiss the vicarious copyright infringement claims was dismissed. </p>
<p>This week there is more bad news. As part of the discovery process, the music companies asked Charter to hand over the personal information of roughly 11,000 subscribers who received infringement notices. The ISP refused to do so, but the music companies insisted. </p>
<p>To break this stalemate, the court asked special master Regina Rodriguez to decide over the issue. This week she released her order, which is somewhat of a compromise. </p>
<p>Charter argued that handing over the personal details would cause piracy issues. In addition, it would be a burdensome process as the California Consumer Privacy Act requires the ISP to notify all these customers to allow them to respond.</p>
<p>In her <a href="media/ca97931e.discovery-disputes-order.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/discovery-disputes-order.pdf">order (pdf)</a>, Rodriguez agrees that this would indeed be burdensome, also for the court. </p>
<p>&#8220;While the information may be relevant, the notification of 11,000+ customers, and the potential legal challenges flowing therefrom, would be burdensome to the parties as well as to the courts,&#8221; she writes.</p>
<p>As a solution, she suggested limiting the hand over of personal information to a small subset of alleged pirates. Both parties were asked to agree on how large this sample would be, which resulted in the following compromise.</p>
<p>Charter is required to share the personal details of all commercial subscribers who received notices, 638 in total. In addition, the ISP must also share information on the 112 subscribers who received the most notices, as well as the 38 subscribers who reached out to Charter about the notices.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/096950b0.PII-proposal.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/PII-proposal.png" alt="" width="600" height="263" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186414" /></center></p>
<p>The music companies also requested DHCP logs from Charter to link copyright infringement notices to particular subscribers. The ISP countered that the logs would not be sufficient to do this, but admitted that querying its internal systems would make it possible. This request was also granted by the court.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant is ordered to produce information sufficient for Plaintiffs to match the IP addresses contained in infringement notices served on Charter with particular subscribers,&#8221; Rodriguez ordered. </p>
<p>The full order lists several other requirements and also includes some good news for the ISP. For example, it asked for a full harddrive with evidence from the anti-piracy company MarkMonitor, which the music companies used to track the infringing activity.</p>
<p>MarkMonitor shared this information, but only with the music companies. These are now required to share everything, including all metadata, with the ISP. </p>
<p>&#8220;The Plaintiffs inserted themselves into the dispute when they accepted the production from MarkMonitor, and they cannot now attempt to sidestep their assumed obligation to produce accurate information,&#8221; the order reads.</p>
<p>How the record labels plan to use the subscriber information to assist their case against Charter is not entirely clear. It is possible, however, that they will reach out to some alleged infringers to gather further evidence against the ISP. </p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186453
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 05/04/20
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-05-04-20
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2LnjPU4cjbE/
content:
<p><img src="media/0878f31b.extraction.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/extraction.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-186094" />This week we have two newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Extraction is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the articles of the recent weekly movie download charts.</p>
<h5>This week&#8217;s most downloaded movies are:</h5>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Movie Rank</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>Rank <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-the-week-on-bittorrent-04-27-20/">last week</a></strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie name</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Most downloaded movies via torrents</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8936646/">Extraction</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8936646/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6P3nI6VnlY">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/">Sonic The Hedgehog</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szby7ZHLnkA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7713068/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Birds of Prey</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7713068/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3HbbzHK5Mc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0983946/">Fantasy Island</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0983946/">4.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6O30nJ02PU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634106/">Bloodshot</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634106/">5.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOUVVDWdXbo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502397/">Bad Boys for Life</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502397/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKCj3XuPG8M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9086228/">Gretel &#038; Hansel</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9086228/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZblQLhKcZQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9139586/">The Lodge</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9139586/">?.?</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBR_FDFpggU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8367814/">The Gentlemen</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8367814/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ify9S7hj480">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7504726/">The Call of the Wild</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7504726/">6.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1LG9So2ZBk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186481
title: Massive Private Torrent Site Filelist.ro Has Domain Seized Due to Criminal Investigation
uri: Massive-Private-Torrent-Site-Filelist-ro-Has-Domain-Seized-Due-to-Crim
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/cKL3x7pYyXs/
content:
<p><a href="media/5af99cb5.filelist-e1588578487484.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/filelist-e1588578487484.png"><img src="media/5af99cb5.filelist-e1588578487484.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/filelist-e1588578487484.png" alt="" width="270" height="231" class="alignright size-full wp-image-186485" /></a>The vast majority of BitTorrent users on the Internet today download their torrents from &#8216;public&#8217; sites. These are platforms such as The Pirate Bay, RARBG and YTS, that anyone can access without pre-conditions.</p>
<p>Sitting under the surface, however, are &#8216;private&#8217; trackers which can only be accessed by users who have signed up for a membership.</p>
<p>Private trackers offer more tightly curated collections of every type of content imaginable, often accompanied by systems that enforce strict sharing. These have the aim of ensuring that everyone contributes to the site in some way, thus producing improved download speeds. As a result, membership is considered a privilege by many.</p>
<p>Most private trackers are smaller than their public counterparts but some buck the trend. An excellent example is Romania-based Filelist.ro, which currently boasts more than a million members who, according to SimilarWeb stats, made between 7.5 million and 10 million monthly visits this year.</p>
<p>Filelist was founded way back in 2007, celebrated its 12th birthday last December, and is frequented by users from all over the world thanks to its largely English-language interface. Now, however, trouble is on the horizon.</p>
<p>After the site&#8217;s main domain (Filelist.ro) became inaccessible, the usual rumors about raids and similar events began to circulate. Early reports suggested that the domain may have been seized but actions of this type are relatively rare in Romania so were initially passed off as rumor by some, despite the site&#8217;s administrators previously informing users that a move to Filelist.io was underway.</p>
<p>It is now clear the site is facing a criminal investigation.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/968e323c.filelist-seized.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/filelist-seized.png"><img src="media/968e323c.filelist-seized.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/filelist-seized.png" alt="" width="600" height="719" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186493" /></a></center></p>
<p>While a seizure image on the site&#8217;s former homepage is enough to raise the alarm, the domain&#8217;s underlying technical details reveal that the domain has indeed been seized.</p>
<p>After being registered in August 2007, the domain now uses the nameservers of mpublic.ro, Romania&#8217;s Public Ministry which is comprised of various prosecutor&#8217;s offices and together with the courts represents the country&#8217;s judicial authority.</p>
<p>The notice reveals that the seizure took place as part of a criminal investigation being overseen by the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the highest court in the land. A statement issued by the site&#8217;s operators indicates they are in the dark about the seizure so initially delayed making an announcement hoping further information would become available.</p>
<p>It appears they knew something was wrong almost a month ago, when they announced that the site&#8217;s filelist.ro and flro.org domains would begin redirecting to a new domain, filelist.io. That new domain was registered on April 6, 2020.</p>
<p>The authorities in Romania are yet to issue a statement about the seizure but according to an announcement by Filelist&#8217;s operators just as the weekend was set to begin, users of the site have no need to be concerned.</p>
<p>&#8220;Since the beginning of this site measures have been taken to protect users. Meaning that, even if by one method or another the authorities seize the server, there are multiple protection and encryption systems to prevent access to the database and/or other files,&#8221; they wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;We care very much about the security and anonymity of our users. No personal data is stored on the server anyway. No allegations have been brought to our attention and we will continue to fight for the right of our users to free speech and communication.&#8221;</p>
<p>That Filelist is operating from its new domain seems a fairly clear indication that the tracker&#8217;s server has not been seized. However, the existence of a criminal investigation is not good news for its operators or users.</p>
<p>No one but Filelist&#8217;s operators can know what type of security measures have been put in place to protect user data but private trackers are known for collating lots of information about their members as part of their efforts to ensure that sharing polices are tightly adhered to.</p>
<p>As highlighted in the USTR&#8217;s latest <a href="media/cdc8c717.2020_Special_301_Report.pdf" data-original-source="https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2020_Special_301_Report.pdf">Special 301 Report</a>, Romania kept its place on the Watch List this year, with the agency noting that online and broadcast piracy remains a &#8220;challenging enforcement issue&#8221; in a country &#8220;lacking effective enforcement&#8221;. Filelist was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/amazon-joins-pirate-bay-and-fmovies-on-us-govts-notorious-markets-list-200430/">not reported</a> in the USTR&#8217;s overview of Notorious Markets, however.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186431
title: US Government ‘Blacklists’ The Wrong Domain as a Pirate Site, Again
uri: US-Government-Blacklists-The-Wrong-Domain-as-a-Pirate-Site-Agai
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FKIVqxf6iJw/
content:
<p><img src="media/e83705f4.fmovieslogo.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/fmovieslogo.jpg" alt="" width="234" height="162" class="alignright size-full wp-image-129787" />Last week, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued its latest “Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets.”</p>
<p>The overview of piracy-connected sites and services is put together with help from copyright holders and is used to motivate the targets and foreign authorities to take action. </p>
<p>This year&#8217;s list has drawn widespread coverage in the news as it targeted <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/amazon-joins-pirate-bay-and-fmovies-on-us-govts-notorious-markets-list-200430/">Amazon&#8217;s foreign domain names</a>, which were named in the same breath as The Pirate Bay, Uploaded, and Fmovies. </p>
<p>While this certainly deserved to be highlighted, there is another issue worth pointing out. As it turns out, the USTR&#8217;s list contains a vital mistake, as it lists the wrong domain for the pirate streaming site Fmovies.</p>
<p>This is how the most recent notorious markets report describes Fmovies: </p>
<p>&#8220;According to right holders, Fmovies allegedly streams unauthorized movies and TV shows directly to computer desktops or through IPTV apps on illicit streaming devices. The continued listing of Fmovies in the NML demonstrates the ongoing challenges of streaming piracy.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><img src="media/e40c2f0f.fmovies-ustr.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/fmovies-ustr.png" alt="Fmovies USTR listing 2020 inaccurate" width="613" height="201" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186487" /></center></p>
<p>While there isn&#8217;t anything wrong with this description, the USTR calls out Fmovies.is as the main domain. However, this domain name is not linked to the pirate streaming site, and it hasn&#8217;t been for a few years.</p>
<p>Fmovies.is is currently owned by UK company Marshall Domains LTD, which specializes in buying domain names. These domains are typically bought in an auction after the original owner allows them to expire, and are monetized by the company in various ways.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to the owner, David Marshall, who informs us that he bought the Fmovies.is domain in 2018. Not in an auction this time, but he registered it normally as it was simply available, likely after an earlier listing was deleted.</p>
<p>The domain name previously belonged to the &#8216;pirate site&#8217; Fmovies but Marshall stays far away from anything piracy-related and simply uses an advertisement feed to monetize the type-in traffic.</p>
<p>&#8220;Like all my domain purchases, the goal is to take advantage of the type-in traffic it still receives by parking it with a domain parking company and monetizing the traffic,&#8221; Marshall says.</p>
<p>Marshall doesn&#8217;t believe that the listing will impact the value of his domain. In theory, however, it could have a significant impact as the &#8220;notorious&#8221; tag generally makes domains a top enforcement priority.</p>
<p>In this case, there is little to enforce and a quick visit to the Fmovies.is domain makes that clear. That also makes it even stranger that it ended up on the USTR&#8217;s blacklist. </p>
<p>The US Government can technically hide behind the MPA, which reported the Fmovies.is domain name, but then again it may be a good idea to double-check these reports before announcing them to the world. Especially because it&#8217;s not the first time this happened. </p>
<p>In 2016 the USTR made a similar error when it added the wrong <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-government-brands-the-wrong-putlocker-as-pirate-site-161224/">Putlocker domain to its list of notorious sites</a>. This domain was also owned by Marshall&#8217;s company. The Government never apologized or corrected the error. </p>
<p>Despite the repeated mistakes, Marshall is quite understanding. After all, his whole business is built around people making domain name typos and errors.</p>
<p>&#8220;To be honest, I think it would be a very easy mistake to make on their part as some of the domains are confusingly similar,&#8221; he tells TorrentFreak. &#8220;The similarity to other domains/websites is intentional on my part as my goal is to monetise any type-in traffic that would otherwise be going to waste.&#8221; </p>
<p>The USTR is also in good company. When the European Union published its very <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/oops-eu-piracy-watchlist-includes-a-perfectly-legal-site/">first blacklist of &#8216;Counterfeit and Piracy&#8217; domains</a> it also made several mistakes. These included the listing of non-pirate targets such as 1channel.ch, again owned by Marshall Domains.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186607
title: MPA Suggests Github Could Be Held Liable For Popcorn Time’s Copyright Infringements
uri: MPA-Suggests-Github-Could-Be-Held-Liable-For-Popcorn-Time-s-Copyrigh
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/GjXQF9qLp00/
content:
<p><a href="media/68dde2a6.mpaamerica.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaamerica.png"><img src="media/68dde2a6.mpaamerica.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaamerica.png" alt="" width="212" height="205" class="alignright size-full wp-image-177349" /></a>As the organization heading up the major Hollywood studios and more recently Netflix, the Motion Picture Association is continually engaged in a battle to prevent infringing content reaching the masses.</p>
<p>The job is both massive and diverse, from filing lawsuits against allegedly-infringing sites and services to filing millions of DMCA notices to have content disappeared from search engines. Somewhere in the middle sits the latest effort to disrupt the activities of the world-famous Popcorn Time app.</p>
<p>As the so-called &#8216;Netflix For Pirates&#8217;, Popcorn Time needs little introduction. Starting out as a single project, it has now spread into multiple forks, each taking a variant of the project in a slightly different direction under various development teams. At least in some cases and to a certain extent, that development takes place on Github, the code repository owned by Microsoft.</p>
<p>Given its size, Github receives relatively few copyright complaints but when it does, they mostly target specific content that directly infringes someone&#8217;s copyrights, i.e an exact copy of someone&#8217;s code or leaked databases, for example. However, a notice just filed by the MPA takes a slightly different approach.</p>
<p>The complaint, filed under the DMCA, is dated May 1, 2020, begins by referencing an earlier complaint filed by the MPA on March 21, 2020, of which there is no obvious record on Github&#8217;s site. In this new and amended form, the MPA requests Github&#8217;s &#8220;assistance&#8221; to deal with the &#8220;extensive copyright infringement of motion pictures and television programs that is occurring by virtue of the operation and further development of the Popcorn Time repositories&#8230;&#8221;</p>
<p>The complaint targets two URLs, one containing a repository for the Popcorn desktop application and another concerned with its API. An exhibit, which hasn&#8217;t been published by Github, reportedly contains screenshots of &#8220;copyrighted works&#8221; (movies and TV shows) that are owned or controlled by the MPA and are &#8220;being infringed by the project.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Exhibit A is provided as a representative sample of the infringements being committed as a result of the operation of the Project and to demonstrate the readily apparent nature of the massive infringement occurring via the Project,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;The list is not intended to suggest that the identified infringements are the only ones occurring via the Project. Having been informed, through the representative examples, of the nature and scope of infringements occurring through the Project, we hope that you will act appropriately to address all infringement by the Project, not merely the identified representative examples.&#8221;</p>
<p>This is where things start to get a little more complex. The MPA isn&#8217;t claiming that the code carried on Github is their work and in direct breach of their copyright (the MPA didn&#8217;t write the code and has no direct claim over it in that sense) but that the code as developed enables people who download software that infringes the copyrights of its members.</p>
<p>Specifically, the MPA highlights four modules in the repositories (image below), which are designed to utilize the features of other third-party sites (including torrent platforms) thereby presenting links to infringing content in the Popcorn Time software, when it is run on a user&#8217;s machine.</p>
<p>&#8220;[T]he attached file tilted &#8216;GitHub-Code&#8217; which shows code hosted on GitHub that provides links to pirate sites, pirate APIs, and pirate torrent trackers used to access infringing copies of motion pictures and television shows that are scraped by the Popcorn Time app to provide access to the infringing content that users are looking for.</p>
<p>&#8220;The identified files and code are preconfigured to find and provide infringing copies of our Members’ film and tv content to Popcorn Time users in violation of copyright law,&#8221; the MPA&#8217;s complaint reads.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/22296f06.popcorn-git-mpa-e1588667373805.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-git-mpa-e1588667373805.png"><img src="media/22296f06.popcorn-git-mpa-e1588667373805.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-git-mpa-e1588667373805.png" alt="" width="600" height="124" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186620" /></a></center></p>
<p>Requesting Github&#8217;s &#8220;immediate assistance&#8221; in stopping its customer’s &#8220;unauthorized activity&#8221;, the MPA then cites a specific element of the DMCA, namely 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3)(A)(ii). This is a reference to the requirement that for a complaint to be processed, the complainant should identify the copyrighted work that has been infringed or, in the case that multiple works have been infringed, provide a &#8220;representative list of such works at that site.&#8221;</p>
<p>This is interesting because not only does the MPA hold no copyrights in respect of the actual copyright code inside Popcorn Time, none of the movies or TV shows listed by the MPA are present in the Github repositories listed in the complaint. The MPA also asks Github to consider its repeat infringer policy in respect of Popcorn Time but then cites another area of law that can raise a sweat under the right circumstances.</p>
<p>&#8220;Moreover, the Project in question hosts software that is distributed and used to infringe on the MPA Member Studios’ copyrights. See Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. v. Grokster Ltd., 545 U.S. 913, 940 n.13 (2005) (&#8216;the distribution of a product can itself give rise to liability where evidence shows that the distributor intended and encouraged the product to be used to infringe&#8217;),&#8221; the group adds.</p>
<p>The Grokster decision was handed down in 2005 <em>(<a href="media/2531b402.2005_Grokster.pdf" data-original-source="https://cyber.harvard.edu/people/tfisher/cx/2005_Grokster.pdf">pdf</a>)</em> by the United States Supreme Court and held that Grokster and Streamcast (the maker of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morpheus_(software)">Morpheus</a> P2P software) could be sued for inducing copyright infringement.</p>
<p>Whether Github (the distributor in this case) &#8220;intends or encourages&#8221; the use of Popcorn Time for infringing purposes could be a matter for intense debate but given that it&#8217;s now clearly on notice of what the software does and how it achieves its goals, Github has taken the decision (clearly after discussion with the MPA, given the &#8216;amended&#8217; nature of the current complaint) to remove the Popcorn Time repositories in question.</p>
<p>The MPA previously filed a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpa-targets-pirate-app-teatv-asks-github-to-consider-repeat-infringer-policy-200222/">similar complaint</a> with Github over the Popcorn-like software TeaTV, which resulted in that repository being taken down. That too was actioned following discussion with the MPA, with Github seemingly having offered the movie group &#8220;guidance&#8221; on how to structure its complaint.</p>
<p>But while TeaTV went down without a fight, Popcorn Time has already indicated a willingness to fight back. In a counter-complaint filed with Github last night, a Popcorn Time representative contests the notice on the grounds that the MPA owns none of the team&#8217;s code.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes, I am the content owner. All code are owned by Popcorn Time Team as you can see commits,&#8221; it reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;[We want to] dispute the notice. The code is 100 % ours and do not contain any copyright material please check again [sic].&#8221;</p>
<p>As a result of this counter-complaint, the Popcorn Time team has now consented to the jurisdiction of either the Federal District Court for wherever they are located (unlikely to be in the United States) or the Northern District of California where GitHub is located, should the matter escalate.</p>
<p>For now, however, the repositories are down and it seems unlikely that Github will reinstate them, at least to their standing before the takedown.</p>
<p><em>The MPA&#8217;s complaint and the counter-complaint from Popcorn Time can be found <a href="https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/master/2020/05/2020-05-01-MPA.md">here</a> and <a href="https://github.com/github/dmca/commit/91d5b5715f1c50877652e2c64e51bb652906a431">here</a></em></p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186614
title: US Removes Switzerland From ‘Pirate WatchList’
uri: US-Removes-Switzerland-From-Pirate-WatchList
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/7x2LzuAMxEQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/fdb97802.swissknife.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/swissknife.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="175" class="alignright size-full wp-image-163731" />Every year the US Trade Representative publishes a new update of its Special 301 Report, highlighting countries that fail to live up to U.S copyright protection standards.</p>
<p>The annual overview is meant to urge foreign governments to improve policy and legislation in favor of US copyright holders. </p>
<p>This process has been an effective diplomatic tool and helped to kickstart copyright reforms around the globe. This was also the goal when the US added Switzerland to the Special 301 Watch List <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-labels-switzerland-an-internet-piracy-haven-160428/">in 2016</a>. </p>
<p>At the time, the US explained that it had decided to add Switzerland because of its lacking copyright protection and enforcement measures. Particularly problematic was the so-called Logistep decision, where the Supreme Court banned copyright holders from harvesting the IP addresses of file-sharers due to privacy concerns.</p>
<p>The Swiss Government was not deaf to these complaints. Over the past years, it worked hard on an <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/swiss-copyright-law-downloading-stays-legal-no-site-blocking/">updated version of its copyright law</a> which went into effect this April. As requested, this also addresses the piracy tracking ban. </p>
<p>Under Switzerland&#8217;s revised copyright law, copyright holders are now allowed to process personal data, including IP-addresses, to prosecute alleged copyright infringers. </p>
<p>In addition, the new legislation also requires Internet services to remove infringing content from their platforms and prevent that same content from reappearing. Failure to comply will result in prosecution. This ‘stay down’ requirement aims to make it harder for rogue websites to host their services in Switzerland.</p>
<p>Earlier this year the Swiss Government sent an update on its progress to the USTR, urging the US to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/switzerland-urges-us-to-remove-pirate-watchlist-200228/">take the country off its piracy Watch List</a>. While copyright holders argued that this would come too soon, the USTR honored the request, as became apparent a few days ago.</p>
<p>&#8220;Switzerland is removed from the Watch List due to long-awaited amendments to the Swiss Copyright Act,&#8221; the USTR writes in its latest 301 Report. &#8220;The amendments address specific difficulties in its system of online copyright protection and enforcement.&#8221; </p>
<p>The USTR notes that this is an important step forward. At the same time, however, it cautions Switzerland that the US will continue to monitor the European country for other potential copyright hurdles. </p>
<p>&#8220;This is an important step after many years of engagement, and the United States will carefully monitor the implementation, interpretation, and effectiveness of the newly enacted legislation,&#8221; the USTR writes, mentioning that some concerns remain. </p>
<p>Indeed, while the USTR &#8216;rewarded&#8217; Switzerland for its progress, several copyright holder groups believe its removal from the list has come too soon. They asked for ISP blocking of pirate sites but the Swiss Government rejected the proposal after it failed to get enough support in Parliament.</p>
<p>In addition, downloading and streaming copyright-infringing movies and music for personal use will also remain unpunished in Switzerland. Copyright holders hoped that this would change, but it was not addressed in the amended copyright law.</p>
<p>The USTR says that it will keep an eye on these issues but for now Switzerland has been removed from the Watch List. The same is also true for Greece, Costa Rica and Jamaica, which all made considerable progress according to the US.</p>
<p>The same can&#8217;t be said for a host of other countries, including Canada. While the US and Canada signed a new trade agreement, the USTR remains &#8220;deeply troubled&#8221; about the policy of its northern neighbor, especially the education exception in its copyright law </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of the USTR&#8217;s full 2020 Special 301 Report is <a href="media/cdc8c717.2020_Special_301_Report.pdf" data-original-source="https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2020_Special_301_Report.pdf">available here (pdf)</a></em></p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186514
title: RIAA’s Misuse of the DMCA Can’t Go Unpunished, Spinrilla Tells Court
uri: RIAA-s-Misuse-of-the-DMCA-Can-t-Go-Unpunished-Spinrilla-Tells-Cou
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gGHVX0Kv3u0/
content:
<p><img src="media/f3007a1f.spinrilla-1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/spinrilla-1.jpg" alt="" width="297" height="160" class="alignright size-full wp-image-186661" />In March, popular hip-hop mixtape service Spinrilla filed a lawsuit against the RIAA.</p>
<p>Spinrilla accused the music industry group of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mixtape-service-sues-riaa-for-sending-false-takedown-notices-200322/">sending inaccurate DMCA takedown notices</a> that waste resources and harm the site’s goodwill and reputation.</p>
<p>The mixtape platform said the RIAA was using automated text-based searches instead of actually listening to tracks. As a result, the group allegedly reported non-infringing content. These inaccurate notices put Spinrilla users at risk of having their accounts terminated.</p>
<p>The RIAA swiftly responded to these allegations, assuring the court that it <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-denies-false-takedown-allegations-asks-court-to-dismiss-case-200331/">had the best intentions</a>. The example of a &#8216;faulty&#8217; takedown notice Spinrilla listed in the complaint was a legitimate claim and was sent in good faith, it countered.  </p>
<p>On top of that, the music group said that Spinrilla had no case because the alleged DMCA abuse would only be relevant if the site removed the contested music track. That didn&#8217;t happen, as Spinrilla refused to take action. As such, the RIAA asked the court to dismiss the case. </p>
<p>This week, the mixtape site urged a federal court in Atlanta to prevent this from happening. It argues that the RIAA&#8217;s anti-piracy notices are &#8220;overzealous&#8221; as they and other service providers are asked &#8220;to remove content that is not infringing.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant and its members’ dislike of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s takedown notice process is notorious,&#8221; Spinrilla adds. &#8220;They claim the process is unfair because it forces them into a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. But their dislike of the process doesn&#8217;t mean they can ignore or abuse the process.&#8221; </p>
<p>According to Spinrilla, the RIAA &#8220;brags&#8221; about sending tens of millions of takedown notices. However, the mixtape site believes many of these are grounded in error-prone text searches. </p>
<p>In its motion to dismiss, the RIAA argued that this case was about just one audio file. However, Spinrilla clarifies that the complaint applies to all takedown notices sent in 2019 and 2020, which identify numerous allegedly infringing audio files.</p>
<p>The music group&#8217;s defense that Spinrilla has no valid claim because it didn&#8217;t remove the contested music track is contested as well. According to the mixtape site, this argument relies on a too narrow interpretation of the DMCA.</p>
<p>&#8220;Under Defendant’s interpretation it can escape Section 512(f) liability because Spinrilla expends the time and monetary resources to investigate those notices and prudently decides not to remove clearly non-infringing files.&#8221; </p>
<p>This narrow interpretation would contradict the intention of lawmakers, who drafted the DMCA to deter false takedown claims as these would harm services providers and Internet users, Spinrilla argues.</p>
<p>&#8220;Congress would not have passed a law that could be so easily exploited by organizations such as the RIAA that as part of their &#8216;mission&#8217; is to send millions of takedown notices to service providers such as Spinrilla,&#8221; the mixtape site informs the court.</p>
<p>And even if the narrow interpretation holds up, the case should continue as Spinrilla also requests an injunction to prevent future false takedown notices, it argues. </p>
<p>The matter is now in the hands of the court which will have to decide whether the case will move forward or not. Meanwhile, the separate copyright infringement lawsuit <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-labels-sue-hip-hop-mixtape-download-site-spinrilla-170206/">several RIAA labels filed against Spinrilla</a> continues as well. </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of Spinrilla&#8217;s opposition brief is <a href="media/be3f1bef.spinoppo.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/spinoppo.pdf">available here (pdf)</a>.</em></p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186698
title: Jetflicks Streaming Site Founder Wants Evidence Suppressed, US Govt. Says No Way
uri: Jetflicks-Streaming-Site-Founder-Wants-Evidence-Suppressed-US-Govt-S
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/xVnWYcYmtY0/
content:
<p><a href="media/b48c012a.usdoj.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/usdoj.jpg"><img src="media/b48c012a.usdoj.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/usdoj.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="240" class="alignright size-full wp-image-91397" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/usdoj.jpg 190w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/usdoj-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" /></a>In August 2019, eight men were <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/eight-men-behind-two-us-pirate-streaming-services-charged-by-grand-jury-190828/">indicted by a grand jury</a> for conspiring to violate criminal copyright law by running “two of the largest&#8221; pirate streaming services in the United States.</p>
<p>Kristopher Lee Dallmann, Darryl Julius Polo, Douglas M. Courson, Felipe Garcia, Jared Edwards Jaurequi, Peter H. Huber, Yoany Vaillant, and Luis Angel Villarino were the alleged operators of Jetflicks, an unlicensed subscription-based TV show service with a library running to an alleged 183,000 episodes.</p>
<p>Polo, who also ran another service called iStreamitAll, pleaded guilty to copyright infringement and money laundering charges last year. Jetflicks programmer Luis Angel Villarino pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement. The case against Dallmann, the alleged founder of Jetflicks, is proving less straightforward.</p>
<p>In a motion to suppress statements and evidence filed in April, Dallmann&#8217;s attorney describes the raids that targeted the Jetflicks founder and his husband, Jared Edwards, at neighboring properties in Las Vegas on November 16, 2017. The FBI removed Dallmann and Edwards at &#8220;gunpoint&#8221; and detained them as &#8220;agents ransacked the homes.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;At no time was Mr. Dallmann informed that he was free to leave, nor was he provided a copy of the warrants granting the FBI authority to search his home and rental property. He feared for his own safety and the safety of his husband,&#8221; the motion reads.</p>
<p>After securing the suspects&#8217; cell phones, an FBI agent reportedly asked Dallmann to unlock his, with an &#8220;armed SWAT officer&#8221; informing him he was not to touch the device but should write down the code for the FBI agents to use.</p>
<p>&#8220;At this point, considering that he felt threatened and obligated to comply with the FBI, and was unsure of his rights, Mr. Dallmann asked the FBI agents if he could call a lawyer. An FBI agent told Mr. Dallmann that a lawyer was &#8216;unnecessary&#8217; and would just &#8216;complicate&#8217; things,&#8221; the motion continues, adding this was a violation of Dallmann&#8217;s Sixth Amendment right to counsel.</p>
<p>Reportedly feeling powerless and under duress, Dallmann handed over the code. The FBI then asked to interview Dallmann and Edwards separately, apparently putting them under pressure to cooperate or face potentially severe consequences later on. According to Dallmann&#8217;s attorney, the FBI then obtained an agreement from Dallmann and Edwards to sign away their Miranda rights.</p>
<p>Under interrogation, Dallmann reportedly felt he had no other choice than to answer the FBI&#8217;s questions and incriminate himself. This included a statement that he had been advised by counsel in 2008 on how to operate his streaming operation within the law. This document, which had been seized by the FBI during the raid, was labeled &#8220;privileged&#8221; and according to the motion was outside the scope of the warrant.</p>
<p>As a result of the above, Dallmann&#8217;s attorney argues that all of Dallmann&#8217;s statements were rendered involuntarily as part of a &#8220;coerced custodial interrogation&#8221; and should, along with the contents of his cell phone, be suppressed.</p>
<p>&#8220;Upon entering the house and removing Mr. Dallmann at gunpoint, Mr. Dallmann was effectively taken into custody and detained. Consequently, Mr. Dallmann’s subsequent interview was a custodial interrogation,&#8221; the motion states, adding that the &#8220;privileged&#8221; document Dallmann received from counsel in 2008 (and his discussion of it) should also be suppressed.</p>
<p>&#8220;[Th]e agents continued the interview without the presence of an attorney and grilled Mr. Dallmann to further discuss privileged information. Mr. Dallmann felt that his compliance was not optional. As Mr. Dallmann’s right to an attorney had been denied, this disclosure should never have been made, cannot constitute a waiver of the attorney-client privilege in the document, and should be suppressed,&#8221; Dallmann&#8217;s attorney adds.</p>
<p>But of course, there are two sides to every story and the US Government couldn&#8217;t disagree more.</p>
<p>&#8220;The search began with a number of FBI agents approaching the front door of the residence at which Dallmann and Jaurequi [aka Edwards] lived, knocking on the door, and announcing their presence. There was no SWAT team,&#8221; the Government&#8217;s response reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;Either Dallmann or Jaurequi answered the door. Ultimately, both men exited the house in their underwear and stood in the front yard for five to ten minutes with Special Agent Lynch, who never drew his gun or restrained them.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to the FBI, an agent told Dallmann and Jaurequi [Edwards] that they were not under arrest, not detained, and free to leave but both chose to stay at the house and &#8220;seemed eager&#8221; to tell their side of the story.</p>
<p>&#8220;Dallmann was not taken into custody, detained, or coerced, and his statements were plainly voluntary, and his assertions to the contrary contradict the evidence in the case and that which the government expects to adduce at any hearing,&#8221; the response notes.</p>
<p>&#8220;The agents did not put any pressure on Dallmann or Jaurequi and they seemed very cooperative. Special Agent Shakespear described the situation as cordial. According to Special Agent Shakespear, Dallmann held his dog on his lap for part of the interview and also showed agents the chickens that he kept outside the house.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Government denies the pair were denied their rights, noting that two blank forms with a Miranda warning were placed on a table for them to read and then sign, if they understood each Miranda right.</p>
<p>&#8220;At the end, Special Agent Lynch asked them if they waived each right, and, if they did, to sign the forms. Both Dallmann and Jaurequi signed the forms acknowledging and waiving each of the rights and consenting to the interview.&#8221; The image below shows the document signed by Dallmann.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/ea06d1c3.dallman-miranda-e1588774645964.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dallman-miranda-e1588774645964.png"><img src="media/ea06d1c3.dallman-miranda-e1588774645964.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dallman-miranda-e1588774645964.png" alt="" width="600" height="711" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186709" /></a></center></p>
<p>The response then repeats <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-govt-massive-jetflicks-pirate-site-was-disguised-as-aviation-service-200213/">previously reported</a> information regarding the alleged creation of Jetflicks. It also covers the legal document Dallmann received in 2008 and was seized during the raid in 2017 &#8211; with his permission, according to the Government.</p>
<p>&#8220;Dallmann then said that he paid $3,000 to an attorney for legal advice on what he could and could not do to operate Jetflicks’ streaming services. According to Dallmann, the attorney gave him three categories within which he could operate,&#8221; the response reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;Dallmann described one category as covering the following situation: if you have content someone does not like, they will ask you to remove it; they can only sue if you do not remove it. Dallmann volunteered that the memorandum detailing the three categories would be among records seized by FBI that day.</p>
<p>&#8220;Dallmann consented to the search and seizure of the memorandum,&#8221; it continues.</p>
<p>&#8220;He volunteered information about the memorandum to the agents (who knew nothing about it before the search), described it in detail, said that he requested the memorandum and it was written for him, stated that agents would seize it, and even showed them where it was, namely, in a file cabinet in his home office.&#8221;</p>
<p>In respect of the cell phone issue, the Government insists that Dallmann didn&#8217;t ask for an attorney at the time he handed over its passcode and consented to a search, and didn&#8217;t ask for an attorney before or after he provided consent.</p>
<p>A 12-page reply from Dallmann&#8217;s attorney contests the Government&#8217;s assertions, noting that when Dallmann and Edwards spotted a line of FBI agents outside and were grabbed and forced to sit on a curb wearing nothing but their underwear, they were not free to leave. Equally so when Dallmann&#8217;s movements were restricted when back in the house, a visit that lasted 11 hours during which he never ate and his rights weren&#8217;t explained to him.</p>
<p>&#8220;He was never explained his rights, no officer read him any Miranda warnings, and he was not given adequate time to review the document he was forced to sign. A hearing and determination of credibility are clearly necessary for the Court to make a factual determination on this issue,&#8221; the reply adds.</p>
<p>Finally, a snippet from the interview with Dallmann published by the Government reveals that in 2008, when Netflix was still mailing DVDs to its customers, an apparently enthusiastic Dallmann approached the now-massive streaming service with his idea to stream content to its clients.</p>
<p>&#8220;Dallmann stated that he has an email from someone at Netflix stating they weren&#8217;t interested in his streaming idea,&#8221; it reads.</p>
<p><em>The documents filed by Dallmann&#8217;s attorney and the Government can be found here (<a href="media/6690bda0.dallmanarrest0.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dallmanarrest0.pdf">1</a>,<a href="media/a7111d02.dallmannrespogov.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dallmannrespogov.pdf">2</a>,<a href="media/feaf2f40.dallmannrespogovex.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dallmannrespogovex.pdf">3</a>,<a href="media/4ee98f38.dallmanarrest.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dallmanarrest.pdf">4</a> pdf)</em></p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186726
title: MPA and Amazon Ask Github to Suspend Kodi Add-On Developer’s Account
uri: MPA-and-Amazon-Ask-Github-to-Suspend-Kodi-Add-On-Developer-s-Account
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qraGU8uPUCs/
content:
<p><a href="media/68dde2a6.mpaamerica.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaamerica.png"><img src="media/68dde2a6.mpaamerica.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaamerica.png" alt="" width="212" height="205" class="alignright size-full wp-image-177349" /></a>Following a massive surge in interest over the past several years, Kodi remains the platform of choice for millions of people looking to access movies and TV shows for free.</p>
<p>In its standard form, the Kodi software is entirely legal but when augmented with third-party add-ons, it turns into a piracy powerhouse.</p>
<p>As a result, the developers of Kodi are legally in the clear but the same cannot be said for the developers of the countless add-ons designed for the express purpose of finding, accessing, and delivering infringing content. The MPA and like-minded companies are in a constant battle to disrupt their activities, sometimes ending up in court to achieve those goals.</p>
<p>Some of these actions are heavily publicized but others maintain a lower profile. In February 2018, a developer known online as &#8216;Blamo&#8217; (aka &#8216;Mr. Blamo&#8217;) <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-kodi-addon-devs-distributors-told-to-cease-and-desist-180214/">revealed</a> that he, in common with several of his counterparts, had been threatened by content companies. From there the trail went cold but according to a complaint filed against Github this week, legal action in Canada followed.</p>
<p>On September 7, 2018, a dozen companies including the studios of the MPA/MPA-Canada plus Amazon and Netflix launched a copyright infringement lawsuit at Canada&#8217;s Federal Court against an individual &#8220;doing business&#8221; as Mr. Blamo.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the context of that action, our clients alleged that [Blamo] notably developed, hosted, promoted and distributed infringing add-ons for the Kodi media center, which provided unauthorized access to motion pictures and television content for which the copyright is owned by our clients,&#8221; the MPA writes.</p>
<p>According to Federal Court <a href="https://www.ippractice.ca/file-browser/?fileno=T-1633-18">records</a>, Blamo did not mount any kind of defense so as a result, the matter was decided in his absence. On January 15, 2019, the Federal Court handed down a final judgment, including a declaration of infringement and a permanent injunction.</p>
<p>&#8220;The permanent injunction enjoins and restrains [Blamo] from, inter alia, hosting, distributing or promoting infringing Kodi add-ons and their repositories, including notably the &#8216;Blamo&#8217; repository and the &#8216;Chocolate Salty Balls&#8217; infringing add-ons,&#8221; the MPA adds.</p>
<p>The problem here is that, according to the MPA and associated companies, Blamo has a Github account where it is claimed he continues to &#8220;host and distribute infringing Kodi add-ons and their repository, including notably the Chocolate Salty Balls infringing add-on and the Blamo repository.&#8221; This, the MPA says, amounts to contempt of court.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/33a6e609.blamo-github-e1588842570992.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/blamo-github-e1588842570992.png"><img src="media/33a6e609.blamo-github-e1588842570992.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/blamo-github-e1588842570992.png" alt="" width="600" height="198" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186762" /></a></center></p>
<p>What&#8217;s particularly interesting here, however, is that the MPA isn&#8217;t asking for the specified URLs to be deleted. Instead, it asks for Blamo&#8217;s entire Github account to be deactivated instead. According to the studios they wrote to Blamo, most recently on December 19, 2019, to request that he &#8220;cease his infringing activities&#8221; but that correspondence apparently fell on deaf ears.</p>
<p>&#8220;We request that GitHub, Inc. (&#8216;GitHub&#8217;) suspend the account github.com/MrBlamo6969 (the &#8216;Account&#8217;). The Account is used by its operator to engage in ongoing acts of copyright infringement in contravention of an Order of the Federal Court (Canada) issued on January 15, 2019, which amounts to contempt of Court by the Account’s operator,&#8221; the MPA&#8217;s <a href="https://github.com/github/dmca/commit/99ce5e0ede8f6707d2d7527b4b780d73ce262f8b">complaint</a> reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;We therefore request that GitHub immediately suspends the Account to preserve our clients’ rights and ensure that the letter and spirit of the final Judgment of the Federal Court are respected.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><a href="media/18ea59c0.blamo-repo-git-e1588843281218.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/blamo-repo-git-e1588843281218.png"><img src="media/18ea59c0.blamo-repo-git-e1588843281218.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/blamo-repo-git-e1588843281218.png" alt="" width="600" height="453" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186763" /></a></center></p>
<p>As the image above shows, Github declined to delete the <a href="https://github.com/MrBlamo6969">entire account</a> as requested. However, it has deleted the first two URLs listed in the MPA&#8217;s complaint, URLs that contained the content specifically covered by the injunction handed down by the Federal Court in Canada.</p>
<p>Whether that will be the end of the matter remains unclear but at least from a functional perspective, Github does appear to have acted in the &#8216;spirit&#8217; of the court order.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186403
title: Google ‘Showcases’ YTS and YIFY Movie Releases in Search Results
uri: Google-Showcases-YTS-and-YIFY-Movie-Releases-in-Search-Results
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5PacfWSrTQo/
content:
<p><img src="media/8f6c3950.googlepiratebay.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/googlepiratebay.png" alt="" width="267" height="257" class="alignright size-full wp-image-128445" />To help hundreds of millions of people find what they search for, Google has implemented some nifty features over the years. </p>
<p>A search for a movie title, for example, doesn&#8217;t only return the most relevant websites. It also comes with &#8216;snippets&#8217; that show detailed information about the film, including review score and showtimes, when available. </p>
<p>Another Google feature is the movie reel. A search for &#8220;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&#038;q=disney+films">Disney Films</a>&#8221; returns a carousel of Disney produced titles, and the same is true for other studios and platforms such as Netflix. This trick even works for release years and movie genres. </p>
<p><center>&#8220;Disney Movies&#8221;</center><br /><center><img src="media/42732b50.disneyreel.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/disneyreel.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="272" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186747" /></center></p>
<p>These features are all powered by Google&#8217;s advanced algorithms which tend to be very accurate and effective. The search results are appealing to most users and we assume that the movie studios are happy with them too. The more exposure, the better, after all. </p>
<p>That said, there may be some uses for the movie carousel that Hollywood will be less pleased with. As it turns out, it also works for several piracy-related searches. </p>
<p>For example, when we search for YIFY and YTS movies, we see a featured list of movies that were released by the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">popular torrent site</a>. While these posters don&#8217;t link to any torrents, the torrent site&#8217;s domain name is at the top of the search results. </p>
<p><center>&#8220;Movies YTS&#8221;</center><br /><center><img src="media/f4d99f0f.yts-movie-reel.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/yts-movie-reel.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="359" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186748" /></center></p>
<p>This result makes sense, as YTS is a movie distributor. However, it certainly doesn&#8217;t have the rights to share these films in public. </p>
<p>It appears that the movie titles and posters are somehow being scraped from the YTS website as the posters do indeed match up YTS torrent releases. The best illustration is the missing poster for Angel Has Fallen. YTS removed that film from its site <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/yts-settles-another-movie-piracy-lawsuit-while-more-users-get-sued-200127/">as part of a copyright settlement</a>.  </p>
<p>The results may differ depending on one&#8217;s setup and configuration but we confirmed that the feature works in various settings. Also, it&#8217;s not limited to YTS and YIFY either. A search for &#8220;Fmovies films&#8221; returns a similar reel. </p>
<p><center>&#8220;Fmovies Films&#8221;</center><br /><center><img src="media/4a9c3d31.fmovies-reel.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/fmovies-reel.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="271" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186749" /></center></p>
<p>As mentioned, the posters don&#8217;t link to any infringing content. Clicking on them simply brings up more movie details. That said, it&#8217;s pretty unusual that pirate releases are highlighted at all. </p>
<p>That also applies to Google&#8217;s list of &#8220;pirated movies,&#8221; which shows up as a &#8216;related search&#8217; for some terms that are linked to piracy. </p>
<p><center>&#8220;Pirated Movies&#8221;</center><br /><center><img src="media/c5b3c3dd.piratedmovies8.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/piratedmovies8.jpg" alt="" width="483" height="162" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186750" /></center></p>
<p>Clicking on those posters actually links to a search for the movie title with the keyword &#8220;pirated.&#8221; A few years ago that would point to pirate sites, but those have been scrubbed from the top search results now.</p>
<p>Finally, for those who were hoping that this would also work for The Pirate Bay, we have to disappoint. Instead of a reel of Pirate Bay releases, Google just features <a href="media/26810f39.pirate-baym-movies.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-baym-movies.jpg">three films that mention The Pirate Bay</a>. </p>
<p>This isn&#8217;t the first time that Google&#8217;s algorithms have delivered an unexpected piracy twist. A few years ago, movie <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-promotes-pirate-movie-ratings-in-search-snippet-160531/">ratings from pirate sites</a> showed up in Google&#8217;s search snippets, accidentally promoting pirate releases. These soon disappeared after the faux pas was made public.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186778
title: Nintendo Lawyers File Copyright Complaints Against Super Mario 64 PC Port
uri: Nintendo-Lawyers-File-Copyright-Complaints-Against-Super-Mario-64-PC-P
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-ctFswSWHxs/
content:
<p><a href="media/cbd32d66.supermario64.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/supermario64.png"><img src="media/cbd32d66.supermario64.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/supermario64.png" alt="" width="273" height="276" class="alignright size-full wp-image-186781" /></a>All the way back in 1996, the world of videogaming witnessed a massive event. Edge, the most adult, cerebral video game magazine available at the time, reviewed the Nintendo 64 title Super Mario 64 and gave it an unprecedented 10/10.</p>
<p>In today&#8217;s world where games publications saturate the Internet, it&#8217;s difficult to state the importance of that moment. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_(magazine)">Edge</a>, without exception, had previously found fault with every other game ever reviewed and when other publications gave out 7/10 scores for average titles, Edge stubbornly refused to give a middling game any more than 50% approval.</p>
<p>That was 24 years ago and despite the massive technological changes witnessed during the last quarter-century, the warmth gamers feel towards Super Mario 64 has only grown. That&#8217;s why there were few dry eyes in the house when a fan-made PC port of the legendary title hit the Internet last weekend.</p>
<p>&#8220;The fan-made port, which was first shared on social media sites this weekend, was made possible by a 2019 recompilation project which saw fans reverse engineer the game’s source code,&#8221; <a href="https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/a-full-mario-64-pc-port-has-been-released/">wrote</a> VGC, which first reported the news.</p>
<p>Unlike the emulated versions of SM64 that preceded it, this was a full-blown DirectX 12 port that enabled 4K resolutions, support for ultra-widescreen monitors, plus gameplay facilitated by modern interfaces such as the Xbox One controller. But while modern gamers and historians bathed in the sunshine of this N64 classic, many realized that dark clouds would eventually appear on the horizon.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/7d40551a.sm64pc-ss.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sm64pc-ss.png"><img src="media/7d40551a.sm64pc-ss.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sm64pc-ss.png" alt="" width="600" height="450" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186818" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sm64pc-ss.png 600w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/sm64pc-ss-200x150.png 200w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a></center></p>
<p>Perhaps more than any other videogame company in existence today, Nintendo has become associated with a determination to vigorously defend its intellectual property rights and it didn&#8217;t take long for this PC-powered title to land on its radar. Despite most discussion forums such as Reddit suppressing links to the game&#8217;s executable, it soon began to disappear from file-hosting sites.</p>
<p>The action, at least in part, was taken by US-based law firm Wildwood Law Group LLC, a company known to work with Nintendo in its efforts to suppress the availability of modding tools and products. One of its complaints filed with Google this week and obtained by TorrentFreak reads as follows:</p>
<p>&#8220;The copyrighted work is Nintendo’s Super Mario 64 video game, including the audio-visual work, software, and fictional character depictions covered by U.S. Copyright Reg. No. PA[REDACTED],&#8221; the notice reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;The reported file contains an unauthorized derivative work based on Nintendo&#8217;s copyrighted work.&#8221;</p>
<p>While the registration number has been redacted in the complaint, the copyright registration number is almost certainly PA0000788138. That was also referenced in a complaint filed by Nintendo against Cloudflare in 2015 when the gaming company was attempting to remove a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/nintendo-nukes-fan-made-super-mario-64-hd-1503131/">browser-based version of Super Mario 64</a> from the Internet.</p>
<p>At the time of writing, at least one of the recent complaints filed by Nintendo&#8217;s law firm has curiously failed to take down the content in question. We obviously won&#8217;t link to it here but the SM64 PC-port executable is very much alive on the targeted Google Drive URL, as the image below shows.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/47738a27.mario-gdrive.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/mario-gdrive.png"><img src="media/47738a27.mario-gdrive.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/mario-gdrive.png" alt="" width="603" height="454" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186792" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/mario-gdrive.png 603w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/mario-gdrive-200x150.png 200w" sizes="(max-width: 603px) 100vw, 603px" /></a></center></p>
<p>Other locations haven&#8217;t been so lucky, however. Copies uploaded to various file-hosting sites have now been removed and several Reddit posts linking to the game have been deleted too. Fans have been sharing hash values of the files though, which can still yield results with the right search techniques.</p>
<p>Attempting to spoil the fun for those who&#8217;d simply like to see the game in action, Nintendo has also been targeting YouTube videos featuring the title running on PC. One example, titled &#8220;[ Gameplay ] Super Mario 64 &#8211; DX12 PC Port &#8211; 4K&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfK-1C_ZQIo&#038;feature=youtu.be">was deleted</a> following a copyright complaint, as the image below shows.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/20ed9a72.mario-youtube-e1588859959252.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/mario-youtube-e1588859959252.png"><img src="media/20ed9a72.mario-youtube-e1588859959252.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/mario-youtube-e1588859959252.png" alt="" width="600" height="389" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186801" /></a></center></p>
<p>In other news, Nintendo suffered a <a href="https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-has-reportedly-suffered-a-significant-legacy-console-leak/">significant data leak</a> this week which included the original Nintendo 64&#8217;s source code, among a trove of other data. The twist here is that according to sources familiar with the Super Mario 64 PC port, that data was leaked too and wasn&#8217;t yet scheduled for public consumption.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186862
title: Torrent Traffic Surpasses Netflix in Europe, Middle East and Africa
uri: Torrent-Traffic-Surpasses-Netflix-in-Europe-Middle-East-and-Africa
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/79yD3xe3Kuo/
content:
<p><img src="media/f65773c3.popcorn-1330014_640-1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-1330014_640-1.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="184" class="alignright size-full wp-image-185068" />The Covid-19 pandemic reshaped society in many ways. This is also noticeable in Internet traffic statistics.</p>
<p>Earlier research has shown that, following lockdown measures, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/covid-19-lockdowns-directly-impacted-torrent-download-numbers-in-several-countries-200413/">torrent traffic spiked in many countries</a>. However, it was unknown how this surge in usage compared to other traffic patterns. </p>
<p>Canadian broadband management company <a href="https://www.sandvine.com/">Sandvine</a> aims to fill this gap. </p>
<p>For over a decade, Sandvine has published data on the relative market share of various services. <img src="media/216b9ba3.sandglobal.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sandglobal.jpg" alt="" width="232" height="428" class="alignright size-full wp-image-186865" /> The most recent report reveals some dramatic changes that can largely be attributed to the coronavirus measures. </p>
<p>Globally, video streaming is dominating. YouTube nearly doubled its market share to 15.94%. At the same time, the traffic share of Netflix and BitTorrent went down to 11.42% and 5.23% respectively. </p>
<p>This is relative, so it doesn&#8217;t mean that there is less traffic generated by these latter two categories. Absolute traffic has increased across the board, up almost 40% compared to the start of the year, but YouTube simply grew harder. </p>
<p>When we look at the total traffic share per application in various regions, some interesting patterns emerge. Torrent traffic share is not dropping everywhere. On the contrary, it increased its market share in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). </p>
<p>In fact, Sandvine&#8217;s data show that BitTorrent traffic has outpaced Netflix in the EMEA. It&#8217;s now third in line after YouTube and HTTP, with Netflix coming in fourth place.</p>
<p>Both BitTorrent and Netflix increased their traffic share in the EMEA region, but BitTorrent grew faster. <img src="media/a8fc09ce.sandemea.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sandemea.jpg" alt="" width="229" height="426" class="alignright size-full wp-image-186866" />It increased from 5.26% in 2019, to 8.38% now. Again, that&#8217;s all relative, so in absolute terms, traffic has more than doubled.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s worth noting, however, that Netflix and other streaming services have scaled down their resolution during the pandemic. This means that they would have grown more otherwise. </p>
<p>While torrent traffic is clearly a winner in the EMEA region, the same can&#8217;t be said for the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region. In the Americas, torrent traffic is miles behind Netflix, not even listed in the top 10.</p>
<p>In the Asia-Pacific region, torrent traffic lost a lot of its share, plunging from 7.58% in 2019 to 4.47% now. YouTube is the lead there after more than doubling its traffic share to 18.30%.</p>
<p>The overall conclusion from the report is that consumption patterns on the Internet have shifted radically. Video streaming, in particular through YouTube, has a dominating traffic share. BitTorrent traffic, on the other hand, has grown in some regions and dropped in others. </p>
<p><em>&#8212;</p>
<p>A copy of the full the Global Internet Phenomena Report COVID-19 Spotlight is available at the <a href="https://www.sandvine.com/">Sandvine website</a></em></p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186704
title: Most Pirate Bay Users Stay Away From the Site After ISP Blockades
uri: Most-Pirate-Bay-Users-Stay-Away-From-the-Site-After-ISP-Blockades
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/1llIJL4K7RM/
content:
<p><img src="media/bcbe9ba7.baynowhere.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/baynowhere.jpg" alt="" width="256" height="193" class="alignright size-full wp-image-186839" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/baynowhere.jpg 512w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/baynowhere-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px" />Following court orders and site blocking regimes worldwide, The Pirate Bay is blocked in dozens of countries. </p>
<p>The effectiveness of these measures is often a topic of debate.</p>
<p>Copyright holders frequently argue that blocking works, showing that traffic to targeted sites is plunging. However, opponents argue that these blocks are easily circumvented, noting that people find workarounds or other pirate sources. </p>
<p>For example, if thepiratebay.org doesn&#8217;t work, they can use a VPN to access the site, or pick one of the many Pirate Bay proxies that are freely available. </p>
<p>In response to this, so-called &#8216;dynamic&#8217; blocking orders have become more common. These are blocking orders that allow rightsholders to continuously update the blocklist by adding new URLs and removing ones that no longer need to be blocked. </p>
<p>This is also the case in the Netherlands, where the court ordered ISPs to block the popular torrent site. Although this decision is not final yet, the measures have proven to be very effective according to local anti-piracy group <a href="https://stichtingbrein.nl/">BREIN</a>. </p>
<p>BREIN director Tim Kuik informed TorrentFreak this week that 181 separate Pirate Bay domains are currently blocked. Most of these are not operated by The Pirate Bay team, but by third parties.</p>
<p>The anti-piracy group hasn&#8217;t published the list, but Dutch ISP Xs4all <a href="https://www.xs4all.nl/geblokkeerd/">maintains a list</a> of IP-addresses and domains that have been added and removed over the years. This list is not always 100% up-to-date but shows the wide range of domains that are targeted. </p>
<p>This includes mostly proxy sites, but also Pirate Bay-linked subdomains from <a href="https://onion.link/">Onion.link</a>, which is a service that provides access to sites on the Dark Web outside the Tor network. </p>
<p>The big question is whether these blocking efforts are effective. While they are certainly not perfect, Kuik believes that blockades work. </p>
<p>In a survey, which research organization Kantar prepared for BREIN late last year, nearly 20,000 Dutch respondents were asked about their Pirate Bay browsing habits. It revealed that 80% stopped using the site after the blockades were implemented. </p>
<p>That&#8217;s indeed a big number and much more telling than previous reports in other countries which merely showed that visits to the blocked domains dropped.</p>
<p>However, questions remain as well. For example, did these people stop pirating entirely, or did they simply move to Pirate Bay alternatives?</p>
<p>Academic research shows that the latter is certainly an option. In a series of studies on the effect of UK court orders, researcher <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2612063">Brett Danaher and his colleagues</a> found that blocking a single website <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-block-doesnt-boost-sales-research-shows-150604/">has little effect</a>, as people simply move to other sites that are still available. </p>
<p>Only when other websites were blocked as well do piracy rates start to drop while legal consumption increases. </p>
<p>In the Netherlands, the blocking efforts are currently limited to just one site. This would suggest that they are not as effective at all. At least not in the broader piracy ecosystem. </p>
<p>Then again, that&#8217;s not a great legal argument to stop blocking. On the contrary, BREIN will likely use the aforementioned research to request more site blockades, if the Pirate Bay blocks are upheld in court.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186651
title: HydraX.net ‘Google Drive Streaming Proxy’ Traffic Being Sent to ACE Anti-Piracy Coalition
uri: HydraX-net-Google-Drive-Streaming-Proxy-Traffic-Being-Sent-to-AC
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qU9w6qCeOog/
content:
<p><a href="media/fdb4ba62.streamingkey.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/streamingkey.jpg"><img src="media/fdb4ba62.streamingkey.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/streamingkey.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125426" /></a>The Alliance For Creativity and Entertainment, the global anti-piracy coalition boasting the major Hollywood studios, Netflix, and dozens of other key entertainment players, is well known for taking down piracy-linked services.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/set-tv-operator-and-manager-must-pay-millions-in-piracy-damages-191130/">addition</a> to several <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-top-19-most-significant-piracy-shutdowns-of-2019-191228/">high-profile lawsuits</a>, ACE also takes less well-publicized action <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ace-coalition-seizes-four-more-pirate-iptv-domains-200322/">behind the scenes</a>, shutting down everything from IPTV providers to streaming services without any announcements at all. Today we can report on the strange behavior of a platform sending lots of traffic to ACE&#8217;s site.</p>
<p>HydraX.net was/is a service that allowed people to upload videos to the service, via a Google Drive account, for example. A recent posting by the platform on Facebook suggested that the platform offered unlimited free storage of video files up to 4.5GB and in return, users were given a direct link via an API and were able to embed videos on their own websites using an iFrame.</p>
<p>It seems pretty clear that the service has been utilized by webmasters to serve pirated movies and TV shows to the public.</p>
<p>Pricing schemes offered by HydraX in 2019 suggested that users could embed its player for free but would then be served ads on the embedded videos and wouldn&#8217;t have access to the API. The premium plan was touted at $1 for 30,000 plays.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/a4b72783.hydrax-ss1-e1588755587676.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/hydrax-ss1-e1588755587676.png"><img src="media/a4b72783.hydrax-ss1-e1588755587676.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/hydrax-ss1-e1588755587676.png" alt="" width="600" height="221" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186665" /></a></center></p>
<p>Until recently and according to a Facebook posting, API access was charged at $0.02 per video view, up to a maximum charge of $500 per month. In early February there was another revision, with the API price adjusted to $1 per 5,000 video views. However, just a week later the premium service was reportedly withdrawn, with HydraX stating that its API wasn&#8217;t stable.</p>
<p>Noting that users could switch to its free iFrame embedding service instead, HydraX&#8217;s operators (who appear to be linked to Vietnam) also made an interesting statement in respect of copyright infringement.</p>
<p>&#8220;For keep Hydrax continue running, please accept DMCA request and take down all violation video [sic],&#8221; it read.</p>
<p>On May 2, 2020, HydraX told its users that it had updated its player, adding a new picture-in-picture option. However, at the time of writing, something strange is happening at the self-proclaimed &#8220;Proxy CDN Service&#8221; that says it hosts no content on its own servers. </p>
<p>People visiting HydraX links <em>directly</em> can no longer automatically expect to see movies or TV shows. While the main Hydrax.net domain appears to be functioning as normal, attempts to access content from <a href="https://hydrax.net/watch">hydrax.net/watchXXXXXXXXXXXX</a> URLs are now greeted with a swift redirection to the website of the Alliance For Creativity and Entertainment.</p>
<p>The familiar graphic, which counts down and advises that a website has been shut down for copyright infringement, isn&#8217;t present. Instead, the video links simply redirect to the ACE portal and, as the image from SimilarWeb shows, the effects are already pretty dramatic.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/29432b29.hydrax-traffic-e1588756395649.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/hydrax-traffic-e1588756395649.png"><img src="media/29432b29.hydrax-traffic-e1588756395649.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/hydrax-traffic-e1588756395649.png" alt="" width="600" height="313" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186666" /></a></center></p>
<p>While we have no intimate knowledge of its behind-the-scenes operations, this seems to be a service designed, at least in part, to monetize Google Drive storage and protect pirated content from being taken down. Whether that&#8217;s the reason for the ACE redirections is up for debate though because several things don&#8217;t add up.</p>
<p>While there appear to be signs that ACE might be responsible for the bizarre behavior of the HydraX service, a source familiar with HydraX informs TF that when the links in question are embedded in a website (rather than visited directly), the videos (wherever they are hosted) appear as normal. That raises the possibility that HydraX has put this &#8216;system&#8217; in place itself, perhaps to deter people from avoiding its ad-supported video player.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, ACE routinely ignores any request for comment on live investigations, so finding out more from them is impossible. HydraX hasn&#8217;t made any statement either and its email address bounces, which doesn&#8217;t help things. Nevertheless and all things considered, redirecting traffic to ACE by choice seems like a very strange course of action for any platform and is unlikely to go unnoticed.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186770
title: Opentrackr Coordinates Millions of Torrent Downloads on an Old Dell Server
uri: Opentrackr-Coordinates-Millions-of-Torrent-Downloads-on-an-Old-Dell-S
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/StTq8ooWQmw/
content:
<p><img src="media/83e36845.opentracker.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/opentracker.png" alt="" width="198" height="144" class="alignright size-full wp-image-57349" />Millions of people around the world download torrents on a daily basis. While they are familiar with torrent sites and clients, the significance of trackers is rarely considered. </p>
<p>Technically speaking, trackers coordinate the transfers between people. You tell the tracker what parts of a file you need and which ones you have. It then uses this information to connect you to the right peers. </p>
<p>The most-used public trackers are operated independently from torrent sites. They don&#8217;t host any files but simply serve as a constantly updating phone book. By doing so, they have a critical role in the ecosystem. </p>
<p>To find out more about what&#8217;s involved in operating a site like that we reached out to Bart, the operator of <a href="https://opentrackr.org/">Opentrackr</a>, which is one of the largest open trackers currently active.</p>
<p>Opentrackr was launched in 2015, mostly out of frustration. As other trackers were disappearing &#8211; often due to legal pressure &#8211; Bart decided to take matters into his own hands. His goal was to start a content-neutral tracker that would adhere to the law.</p>
<p>&#8220;I started the tracker in 2015 when I became frustrated by how many torrents no longer contained any working trackers,&#8221; Bart tells us. </p>
<p>&#8220;I was thinking, why not make a tracker that does try to follow the law to the best of its ability? A tracker that would not need to disappear due to the pressure of copyright holders?&#8221;</p>
<p>Not much later, the tracker was online. Like many other torrent trackers, Opentrackr uses the open-source <a href="http://erdgeist.org/arts/software/opentracker/">OpenTracker software</a>. This is known to be very efficient and can handle millions of peers without having to invest in expensive resources.</p>
<p>&#8220;Surprisingly, it took less equipment than I was originally expecting! The tracker process uses about 6GB of RAM at the moment and more than half of the time the CPU is idle,&#8221; Bart says. </p>
<p>To give that some more context, Opentrackr is hosted on a 10-year-old server. A Dell R410, to be precise, which is running two Intel L5640 CPUs.</p>
<p>The hardware requirements may be modest, but the same can&#8217;t be said for the bandwidth usage. On a typical day, the tracker consumes four terabytes of bandwidth. This, despite the fact that the majority of the torrent connections use the efficient UDP protocol.</p>
<p>Over the past years, there haven&#8217;t been any dramatic changes in the number of users. It appears to be trending up, however. This is also visible on Opentrackr&#8217;s public statistics page.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/3a935c52.opentrackrstats.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/opentrackrstats.jpg" alt="" width="631" height="397" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-186785" /></center></p>
<p>At the moment, the tracker coordinates the traffic of roughly 10 million torrents, 35 million seeders, and 25 million peers. All this traffic is good for roughly 200,000 connections per second, day in and day out. </p>
<p>Bart has no idea who uses the tracker and what they share. However, to avoid legal problems he decided early on to accept takedown requests for hashes. When these are blocked, users can&#8217;t share the linked file through the tracker. </p>
<p>Although the tracker doesn&#8217;t host anything itself, the operator sees it as a gesture of goodwill. Also, he wouldn&#8217;t have the time or money to fight over this in court.</p>
<p>&#8220;I decided that accepting takedown requests for hashes of copyrighted works would be the best, this ensures the tracker isn&#8217;t likely going to be taken down for anything copyright related. Because of this, I hope and assume OpenTrackr will survive as long as BitTorrent stays relevant,&#8221; Bart says.</p>
<p>&#8220;But to be honest, I don&#8217;t understand why companies bother with it, in a very oversimplified way I am just a phonebook. But instead of people, there are hashes and instead of phone numbers, there are IP addresses.&#8221;</p>
<p>In response to notices, Opentrackr has removed a few thousand hashes, as its <a href="https://opentrackr.org/transparency.html">transparency report</a> shows. That pales in comparison to the millions of torrents that are tracked. </p>
<p>These takedown notices are usually pretty formal, but there are unusual ones as well. That includes a request from an adult content producer, which sent some interesting screenshots of the editing process as proof of ownership. </p>
<p>&#8220;I can tell you they were definitely NSFW haha. It was a change from the legal documents or just plain hash lists I usually receive from copyright holders,&#8221; Bart notes.</p>
<p>As for the future, Opentrackr plans to keep on operating as long as there&#8217;s a need. Technically, decentralized solutions such as DHT and PEX can do roughly the same job. However, trackers are generally faster and more efficient, especially for less popular torrents.</p>
<p>&#8220;Its effect on popular torrents is smaller but the peer and seed counts can still function as a popularity indicator. This is a bit harder to collect using DHT. It&#8217;s a relatively simple, robust, and efficient protocol,&#8221; Bart concludes. </p>
<p>Opentrackr is mostly a hobby project and Bart pays all costs out of his own pocket. However, he launched a <a href="https://www.patreon.com/opentrackr">Patreon campaign</a> a few months ago in case people want to support the cause.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186611
title: Anti-Piracy Coalition ACE Takes Down Two More IPTV Providers
uri: Anti-Piracy-Coalition-ACE-Takes-Down-Two-More-IPTV-Providers
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/nroWzZK6ZCA/
content:
<p><a href="media/a7c0897c.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg"><img src="media/a7c0897c.iptv.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/iptv.jpg" alt="" width="234" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-135034" /></a>In years gone by, major movie and TV show companies would regularly team up under the umbrella of the Motion Picture Association of America to take action against pirate sites and services.</p>
<p>While that&#8217;s still the case today, the MPA (as it&#8217;s now known) is now heading up the Alliance For Creativity and Entertainment, a global anti-piracy coalition featuring a who&#8217;s who of global content companies. This means that ACE members&#8217; interests can be handled in a centralized way, tackling platforms that often infringe many of the group&#8217;s rights.</p>
<p>ACE has taken a particular interest in &#8216;pirate&#8217; IPTV providers and we can now confirm that another two have fallen after being targeted by the group&#8217;s lawyers.</p>
<p><a href="https://tkotv.stream/">T.KO TV </a>appears to have been one of the many resellers of IPTV packages flooding the Internet today. Boasting around 3,200 channels, the supplier offered subscription access to premium TV backed up by &#8220;award-winning customer service,&#8221; words that are rarely associated with anything in the piracy world.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/bff2fd28.tkotv-e1588945686872.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tkotv-e1588945686872.png"><img src="media/bff2fd28.tkotv-e1588945686872.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/tkotv-e1588945686872.png" alt="" width="600" height="445" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186882" /></a></center></p>
<p>Whatever was going on at T.KO, whether that was flawless pirate streaming or scooping up awards for making pirate streamers happy, the show is now over. While the service previously sported <a href="https://vimeo.com/user6090482">a big fist</a> on its Vimeo channel, the big fist of ACE has now shut the operation down. And, like so many similar operations, its domain is now owned, operated, and redirected by the MPA.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a very similar story for DripTV, aka Drip Hosting. Where once there were offers of thousands of channels at a bargain price, the main domain of the provider now flashes up the <a href="http://driptv.stream">ACE countdown warning</a> before diverting to its familiar anti-piracy portal.</p>
<p>According to Whois records the domain was first registered April 9, 2019 but on April 23, 2020, just over a year later, it joined the MPA&#8217;s growing list of seized domains.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/4d55738a.driptv-e1588946628333.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/driptv-e1588946628333.png"><img src="media/4d55738a.driptv-e1588946628333.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/driptv-e1588946628333.png" alt="" width="600" height="354" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-186885" /></a></center></p>
<p>There will be some who will question the effectiveness of ACE spending time taking down some of this low-hanging fruit but as the domains mount up, together they represent many thousands of former IPTV subscribers who have now lost their money or, at the very least, have to find a new supplier.</p>
<p>If nothing else, ACE&#8217;s seizures will help to undermine confidence in the market and might also spook a few other suppliers too.</p>
<p>With noticeably more enforcement, it seems that IPTV is getting a little messier overall and in some cases, less accessible too. With sellers disappearing to Discord channels rather than easily targeted websites, the barrier to entry is slowly being pushed a tiny bit higher every few months. ACE will hope it&#8217;s soon out of reach for the average punter.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186926
title: Top 10 Most Torrented Movies of The Week on BitTorrent – 05/11/20
uri: Top-10-Most-Torrented-Movies-of-The-Week-on-BitTorrent-05-11-20
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/SvZwKPMLvtU/
content:
<p><img src="media/1d33f67b.justice-league.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/justice-league.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="159" class="alignright size-full wp-image-186929" />The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. </p>
<p>These torrent download statistics are meant to provide further insight into the piracy trends. All data are gathered from public resources.</p>
<p>This week we have two newcomers in our chart and the animation movie &#8220;Justice League Dark: Apokolips War&#8221; is the most downloaded movie. The Sequel to Justice League Dark, which is distributed by Warner, was officially released as a digital download on May 5. Soon after, it appeared on various pirate sites.</p>
<p><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the articles of the recent weekly movie download charts.</p>
<h5>This week&#8217;s most downloaded movies are:</h5>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Movie Rank</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>Rank <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-the-week-on-bittorrent-05-04-20/">last week</a></strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie name</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Most downloaded movies via torrents</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11079148/">Justice League Dark: Apokolips War</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11079148/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnCkn5xD2jg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8936646/">Extraction</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8936646/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6P3nI6VnlY">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/">Sonic The Hedgehog</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3794354/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szby7ZHLnkA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502397/">Bad Boys for Life</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502397/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKCj3XuPG8M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7713068/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Birds of Prey</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7713068/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3HbbzHK5Mc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8972256/">Greed</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8972256/">5.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yfvbPCj-z4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0983946/">Fantasy Island</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0983946/">4.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6O30nJ02PU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9214832/">Emma</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9214832/">6.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsOwj0PR5Sk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8367814/">The Gentlemen</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8367814/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ify9S7hj480">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634106/">Bloodshot</a> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634106/">5.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOUVVDWdXbo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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feed_id: https://torrentfreak.com/?p=186910
title: Court Fines YouTuber For Posting IPTV Piracy Tutorials
uri: Court-Fines-YouTuber-For-Posting-IPTV-Piracy-Tutorials
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/EWq6rJI8fko/
content:
<p><a href="media/72389cbc.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg"><img src="media/72389cbc.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="196" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117196" /></a>As of 2019, YouTube was playing host to 31 million channels, with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-subscribed_YouTube_channels">most popular</a> specializing in music, entertainment and sports.</p>
<p>A growing number also dedicate themselves to &#8216;how-to&#8217; or tutorial videos, which aim to help viewers improve their skills on everything from cookery and car maintenance to more niche pastimes such as &#8216;life-hacks&#8217; and lock picking.</p>
<p>For one YouTuber in Brazil, the decision to help people obtain premium TV channels from illegal sources has now backfired.</p>
<p>Operated by Bruno Gustavo Januário, the &#8216;Jorge Dejorge&#8217; channel is packed with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/tvhdmais/videos">technology-focused videos</a> offering reviews, unboxing videos, tips and tutorials, most of which are entirely non-problematic. However, a decision to publish advice on how to obtain TV channels via pirate IPTV services attracted the attention of <a href="http://www.abta.org.br/">ABTA</a>, the powerful Brazilian Pay TV Association.</p>
<p>ABTA, which represents the main cable TV and channel operators in the country, including Globosat, Sky, NBC Universal, Fox and Discovery, filed a lawsuit against Bruno Gustavo claiming that his instructional videos infringed their rights.</p>
<p>In his response, the channel owner described himself as an &#8220;ordinary person&#8221; with a YouTube channel and denied that he&#8217;d named any of the TV operators in his videos. In any event, he argued, they were informative in nature and did not aim to instruct people on how to break the law. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, in April 2018 a judge at a São Paulo court handed down an order that required hosting and search companies, including Google, to remove the videos in question and Bruno Gustavo was told to stop publishing such content in the future. Failure to comply would result in a fine equivalent to US$1,740 for each offense.</p>
<p>However, according to a <a href="https://g1.globo.com/sp/sao-paulo/noticia/2020/05/06/tj-de-sp-condena-canal-no-youtube-que-ensina-a-acessar-tv-por-assinatura-a-indenizar-emissoras.ghtml">Globo</a> report, the judge held back from compensating the TV companies as he believed their trademarks had not been infringed.</p>
<p>This resulted in an appeal from both sides to the Court of Justice of São Paulo which was heard in April 2020. In its ruling, the Court found that the operator of the Jorge Dejorge channel must pay compensation to ABTA for breaching its members&#8217; rights with his &#8220;fraudulent&#8221; videos.</p>
<p>The Court found that the videos improperly reproduced the channels&#8217; trademarks, infringed their copyrights, and amounted to unfair competition against ABTA&#8217;s members.</p>
<p>The exact compensation amount is yet to be determined but the Court says that since the illegal content was first published in February 2017, 10% of any revenues earned by the channel since then must be handed over to the TV companies.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is certain the defendant benefited [financially] during the period in which he released the videos. This is because it is common knowledge that companies such as YouTube and Facebook, as well as their advertisers, remunerate members who obtain large volumes of followers and views&#8221;, the decision obtained by Globo reads.</p>
<p>The Jorge Dejorge operator must also pay R$50,000 (US$8,721) in compensation to the broadcasters adjusted for interest at the rate of 1% per month from the publishing of the first content in February 2017. In addition, the defendant was ordered not to publish any more content that infringes on the rights of the pay-TV stations and was told to pay the costs of the lawsuit plus attorney fees.</p>
<p>&#8220;We hope that large digital media companies will adopt a more responsive posture in relation to the publication of illegal content on their platforms. We are all responsible for preventing and combating illicit acts and crimes practiced on the Internet,&#8221; commented ABTA president Oscar Simões.</p>
<p>The matter is not over yet, however. Bruno Gustavo&#8217;s legal team say they will appeal to the Superior Court of Justice (Superior Tribunal de Justiça), the highest appellate court in Brazil, arguing that the judge in the first instance &#8220;made a more coherent assessment&#8221; in denying compensation to the TV companies.</p>
<p>This isn&#8217;t the first ruling of its type in Brazil. In 2017, a court <a href="https://revistapegn.globo.com/Negocios/noticia/2017/12/pegn-youtuber-e-condenado-por-ensinar-acesso-ilegal-a-canais-por-assinatura.html">convicted</a> the operator of the Café Tecnológico YouTube channel for publishing tutorials on how to access pay-TV channels illegally. In 2018, the appeal <a href="https://gizmodo.uol.com.br/tjsp-youtuber-pirataria-canais-tv/">was denied</a>.</p>
<p>While this ruling is specific to Brazil, YouTube is awash with tutorials explaining how viewers can access pirate TV services all over the world.</p>
<p>In more recent times, savvy YouTube channel operators have been more cautious in the way these videos are presented, in particular by avoiding the inclusion of live video from the channels in question. However, the inclusion of trademarks in the form of channel logos remains commonplace and could potentially provide an avenue for future legal action.</p>
<p>From: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2020-200105/">torrent sites</a> and more. We also help you to find the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-keep-you-anonymous-in-2019/">best anonymous VPN</a>.</p>
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