# articles

feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124501
title: ‘Just’ 5% of UK Internet Users are Hardcore Pirates
uri: Just-5-of-UK-Internet-Users-are-Hardcore-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Ri7rvti0Ztw/
content:
<p><a href="media/423936b7.ip-office.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ip-office.jpg"><img src="media/423936b7.ip-office.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ip-office.jpg" alt="ip-office" width="230" height="174" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124485" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/ip-office.jpg 230w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/ip-office-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 230px) 100vw, 230px"></a>In an effort to monitor the shifting habits of Internet pirates in the UK, the Intellectual Property Office has commissioned regular reports from the researchers at Kantar Media.</p>
<p>Originally commissioned by telecoms watchdog Ofcom and sponsored by the IPO back in 2012, the reports cover the consumption of both legal and illegal content by Internet users aged 12 and above. &#8220;Wave 6&#8221; was published this morning and covers the three-month period March to May 2016.</p>
<p>The headline figure is that around 15% of Internet users consumed at least one item of infringing content during the monitoring period, which equates to around 6.7 million people throughput the population.</p>
<p>However, when the study considered only Internet users who had actually consumed content online during the three-month period (rather than all Internet users regardless of consumption), the number of infringers jumped to 25%.</p>
<p>According to the study, the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) networks has decreased again this year, from 12% down to 10% among all Internet users and from 26% to 23% among those who admit to being infringers.</p>
<p>UTorrent remains the most popular &#8216;service&#8217; used to infringe, but usage is on the decline from 17% of infringers last year to 12% in 2016. The Pirate Bay sits one place behind with 11%.</p>
<p>Levels of infringement vary across content formats. The highest levels relate to audio, with 8% of all Internet users saying they obtain music from illegal sources. </p>
<p>&#8220;Music was by far the most-consumed content type, both digitally (355 million tracks) and physically  (88  million  tracks)  over  the  three-month  period. We  estimate that  78 million music tracks were accessed illegally online [during the monitoring period],&#8221; the researchers write.</p>
<p>Those are indeed big numbers but progress is being made. Estimated illegal consumption of music in the same period last year was more than 96 million tracks.</p>
<p>This year, around 7% of Internet users say they obtained TV shows from illegal sources, with movies in third place with 6%. While consumption of legal content has gone up, both figures represent a deteriorating piracy situation when compared to last year.</p>
<p>&#8220;[Legal consumption of] films showed an increase in volumes of just over 5 million and a more notable shift was seen for TV programmes of a 16 million increase over the last year,&#8221; the researchers note.</p>
<p>&#8220;These categories also both showed increases in the digital volumes of infringement with films now estimated at 24 million and TV programmes 27 million pieces of content.&#8221;</p>
<p>This year there are few surprises when it comes to people&#8217;s motivation to obtain content without paying for it.</p>
<p>&#8220;The most commonly cited reasons for infringing were because it is free (49%), convenient (45%) and quick (42%). Speed and convenience have both shown increases in 2016,&#8221; the researchers report.</p>
<p>Given the above, it&#8217;s straightforward to predict how infringers say they could be persuaded to pirate less.</p>
<p>Just under a quarter of infringers say that cheaper prices would help, while one in five say that content being made available legally would reduce their reliance on illicit sources.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the study also shows that non-service related solutions to deter pirates might not be particularly effective. Year on year, it appears that fewer Internet users are worried about oppressive anti-piracy measures.</p>
<p>&#8220;Responses to the threat of ISP letters suspending their accounts or restricting their internet speed have decreased again in 2016; the suspension of internet service in particular has fallen by a small proportions wave-on-wave, from 22% in the first wave, to 15% in 2015 and the current level of 11%,&#8221; the researchers write.</p>
<p>The headline figure of millions of citizens engaged in piracy certainly sounds like a lot but there are relatively few hardcore pirates in the UK.</p>
<p>Just 5% of all UK Internet users admit to exclusively obtaining content from illegal sources, meaning that the remainder who consume content are also happy to &#8220;do the right thing&#8221; via subscription or ad-supported services. That&#8217;s a very encouraging sign.</p>
<p>The full report can be downloaded here <em>(<a href="media/f89d73d9.OCI-tracker-6th-wave-March-May-2016.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/534571/OCI-tracker-6th-wave-March-May-2016.pdf">pdf</a>)</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Ri7rvti0Ztw:cQbAWUlpSMQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Ri7rvti0Ztw:cQbAWUlpSMQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Ri7rvti0Ztw:cQbAWUlpSMQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Ri7rvti0Ztw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124521
title: Kim Dotcom Hints at Second Coming of Megaupload
uri: Kim-Dotcom-Hints-at-Second-Coming-of-Megaupload
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zoBPQP8roAA/
content:
<p><a href="media/5b2669f1.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg"><img src="media/5b2669f1.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg" alt="dotcom-laptop" width="233" height="170" class="alignright size-full wp-image-76556"></a>With multiple legal cases underway in several jurisdictions, Kim Dotcom is undoubtedly a man with things on his mind.</p>
<p>In New Zealand, he&#8217;s fighting extradition to the United States. And in the United States he&#8217;s fighting a government that wants to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/if-extradited-how-might-kim-dotcom-be-treated-in-the-us-160627/">bring him to justice</a> on charges of copyright infringement, conspiracy, money laundering and racketeering.</p>
<p>After dramatically launching and then leaving his Mega file-hosting site following what appears to have been an acrimonious split, many believed that Dotcom had left the file-sharing space for good. But after a period of quiet, it now transpires that the lure of storing data has proven too much of a temptation for the businessman.</p>
<p>In a follow-up to previous <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-warns-mega-users-to-backup-their-files-160421/">criticism</a> of his former company, earlier today Dotcom took <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/750446076331646976">another shot</a> at Mega. That was quickly followed by a somewhat surprising announcement.</p>
<p>&#8220;A new site is in the making. 100gb free cloud storage,&#8221; Dotcom <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/750453272331169793">said</a>.</p>
<p>Intrigued, TorrentFreak spoke with Dotcom to find out more. Was he really planning to launch another file-sharing platform?</p>
<p>&#8220;I can say that this year I have set things in motion and a new cloud storage site is currently under development,&#8221; Dotcom confirmed.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m excited about the new innovations the site will contain.&#8221;</p>
<p>When pressed on specific features for the new platform, Dotcom said it was too early to go into details. However, we do know that the site will enable users to sync all of their devices and there will be no data transfer limits.</p>
<p>For the privacy-conscious, Dotcom also threw out another small bone, noting that the site will also feature on-the-fly encryption. Given the German&#8217;s attention to security in recent years, it wouldn&#8217;t be a surprise if additional features are added before launch.</p>
<p>&#8220;Eight years of knowledge and a long planning period went into this. It will be my best creation yet,&#8221; Dotcom told TF.</p>
<p>A potential launch date for the site hasn&#8217;t been confirmed but the Megaupload and Mega founder is currently teasing the hashtag #5thRaidAnniversary, suggesting that his new project will launch in January 2017, five years after the Megaupload raids.</p>
<p>Of course, we also asked Dotcom if he&#8217;d decided on a name for his new cloud-storage site. Typically he&#8217;s playing his cards close to his chest and leaving us to fill in the blanks, but he hinted that an old name with a big reputation might be making a comeback.</p>
<p>&#8220;The name of the new site will make people happy,&#8221; he told us.</p>
<p>TF will be getting a sneak peek at the site when it&#8217;s ready for launch but in the meantime, readers might be wondering what has happened to Dotcom&#8217;s censorship-resistant <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcoms-meganet-preps-jan-2016-crowdfunding-campaign-150610/">MegaNet project</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mobile networks and devices still have to catch up with my vision for MegaNet and it will probably not be before 2018 until a beta goes live,&#8221; Dotcom concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=zoBPQP8roAA:xG6eCvqpgl4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=zoBPQP8roAA:xG6eCvqpgl4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=zoBPQP8roAA:xG6eCvqpgl4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/zoBPQP8roAA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124541
title: UK Bill Introduces 10 Year Prison Sentence for Online Pirates
uri: UK-Bill-Introduces-10-Year-Prison-Sentence-for-Online-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Qrr3VQsESUw/
content:
<p><img src="media/4d28e669.uk-flag.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/uk-flag.jpg" alt="uk-flag" width="200" height="179" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86005">Last year the UK Government announced a plan to increase the maximum prison sentence for online copyright infringement <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/uk-wants-10-year-prison-sentence-for-online-pirates-150718/">to ten years</a>.</p>
<p>The current maximum of two years is not enough to deter infringers, lawmakers argued.</p>
<p>The plan followed a recommendation put forward in a study commissioned by the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) a few months earlier.</p>
<p>This study concluded that criminal sanctions for online copyright infringement could be increased to bring them into line with related offenses, such as counterfeiting.</p>
<p>Before implementing the changes the Government launched a public consultation, asking for comments and advice from the public. But, even though the vast majority of the responses urged the authorities <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/public-rejects-10-year-prison-term-for-online-piracy-160114/">not to up the prison term</a>, lawmakers decided otherwise.   </p>
<p>As a result, a new draft of the Digital Economy bill <a href="media/3f78d38c.17045.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2016-2017/0045/17045.pdf">published</a> this week extends the current prison term from two to ten years. The relevant part amends the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, and simply replaces the word two with ten.</p>
<p>The new bill was unveiled in Parliament yesterday where it passed its first reading. If adopted in its current form, it allows courts to hand out tougher sentences. </p>
<p><center><strong>The small but impactful change (3)</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/de13f4e2.digec.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/digec.png" alt="digec" width="598" height="221" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124554"></center></p>
<p>Copyright holders have lobbied for this update for a long time. According to them, harsher penalties are needed to deter people from committing large-scale copyright infringement, something the Government agrees with. </p>
<p>“The Government believes that a maximum sentence of 10 years allows the courts to apply an appropriate sentence to reflect the scale of the offending,&#8221; the Government explained previously, adding that the maximum sentence will only be applied in rare cases. </p>
<p>This means that casual file-sharers are not likely to end up in prison for a decade. However, organized groups that systematically offer pirated files, such as Scene or P2P release groups, are likely to be punished more harshly. </p>
<p>One of the motivations to up the sentence for online piracy is to bring it on par with counterfeiting. Interestingly, however, both were already equal when they were first adopted.</p>
<p>When the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act was first introduced both counterfeiting and piracy carried a maximum sentence of two years. Following industry calls the counterfeiting sentences were increased in 2002, and now the piracy side has followed the same path.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Qrr3VQsESUw:lmoZXqo6AUs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Qrr3VQsESUw:lmoZXqo6AUs:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Qrr3VQsESUw:lmoZXqo6AUs:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Qrr3VQsESUw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124440
title: FACT Rewards Cinema Workers For Stopping Piracy
uri: FACT-Rewards-Cinema-Workers-For-Stopping-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/E6033NsOsTM/
content:
<p><img src="media/43aed190.nomore1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/nomore1.jpg" width="250" height="150" class="alignright">The Federation Against Copyright Theft is perhaps the most well-known anti-piracy group in the UK and it regularly makes headlines for its work tackling both on-and-offline infringement.</p>
<p>In addition to monitoring unauthorized content that has already been uploaded to the Internet, part of FACT&#8217;s work in recent years has been to disrupt the activities of would-be pirates before online distribution is undertaken.</p>
<p>That has often meant acting on intelligence gathered from watermarks embedded in previously pirated (&#8216;cammed&#8217;) content, which enables outfits like FACT to predict where future cinema recordings might take place.</p>
<p>In addition, FACT works with cinema operators to ensure that staff are trained to spot suspicious activity that could indicate that an unauthorized recording or &#8216;camming&#8217; is underway. FACT sees these frontline workers as a valuable asset.</p>
<p>In recognition of their efforts, each year FACT holds a special ceremony during which it presents awards to cinema workers whose actions have prevented potential movie piracy. This year&#8217;s event, which was co-hosted with the Film Distributors’ Association (FDA), was held yesterday in London.</p>
<p>FACT reports that a total of 17 cinema staff received awards as part of the ‘Fight Film Theft’ program. Each received a cash prize of up to £500 and a certificate for helping to prevent piracy on a range of movies including Deadpool, The Jungle Book, and Angry Birds.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/6ef44ffc.cambusters-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cambusters-1.jpg"><img src="media/6ef44ffc.cambusters-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cambusters-1.jpg" alt="cambusters" width="650" height="418" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-124549"></a></center></p>
<p>The 17 cinema employees were involved in 17 &#8216;camming&#8217; incidents that took place in a broad range of locations, including London, Leeds, Hull, Sunderland and Glasgow.</p>
<p>All of the incidents were reported to the police. FACT has provided no additional detail on how many of the police attendances resulted in arrests or prosecutions. Nevertheless, the anti-piracy outfit is pleased with the results. </p>
<p>“Illegal recording is still the source of more than 90% of all pirated films and so our Fight Film Theft program with the FDA, is essential to protecting new releases and preventing criminal activity,&#8221; says FACT Director General Kieron Sharp.</p>
<p>While FACT has been front and center of movie anti-piracy enforcement in the UK for many years, it faces an uncertain future. In May, the major Hollywood studios announced that after thirty years working with FACT they would soon <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-withdraws-funding-for-uk-anti-piracy-group-fact-160524/">withdraw its funding</a>.</p>
<p>That leaves FACT with a 50% budget shortfall for 2017. No announcement has yet been made on how that deficit will be corrected. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=E6033NsOsTM:T9oedHrGSzc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=E6033NsOsTM:T9oedHrGSzc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=E6033NsOsTM:T9oedHrGSzc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/E6033NsOsTM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124543
title: UK ISPs Fail to Overturn Site Blocking Order
uri: UK-ISPs-Fail-to-Overturn-Site-Blocking-Order
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/A_OcSr8INVE/
content:
<p><a href="media/a48beb7d.stopstop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stopstop.jpg"><img src="media/a48beb7d.stopstop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stopstop.jpg" alt="stopstop" width="180" height="120" class="alignright size-full wp-image-81719"></a>Site blocking in the UK has become a hot topic after the world&#8217;s leading entertainment companies successfully applied for injunctions against many hundreds of &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites.</p>
<p>In response, Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A., which owns several well-known luxury brands including Cartier and Mont Blanc, decided to get in on the action.</p>
<p>In 2014, Richemont wrote to the UK’s leading ISPs – Sky, TalkTalk, BT, Virgin Media, EE and Telefonica/O2 – with a request to block several sites offering counterfeit products. In common with earlier cases involving The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents, the ISPs refused and the case went to court.</p>
<p>In October 2014, the High Court ruled <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/high-court-orders-isps-to-block-counterfeiting-websites-141017/">in favor of Richemont</a>, stating that counterfeit product sites must be blocked in the same manner as torrent and streaming portals.</p>
<p>Despite this being a trademark case, the judge found that he had jurisdiction to order an injunction and that the ISPs should pay for any blockades to be implemented.</p>
<p>In a statement, a Richemont spokesperson told TorrentFreak that the decision was a positive step. However, the matter was not over. While the ISPs seemed happy to accept the High Court&#8217;s decision in respect of &#8216;pirate&#8217; site blockades, they decided to contest the luxury brand injunction.</p>
<p>In their appeal, the ISPs complained that they are innocent parties and that the Court had no jurisdiction to hand down a blocking order. However, even in the event that it did have jurisdiction, the ISPs said that certain thresholds required for an injunction had not been met. </p>
<p>Continuing, the ISPs said that the judge had failed to apply the correct principles in deciding whether or not to hand down an order, and that the orders made were disproportionate. Finally, the judge should not have ordered the ISPs to foot the bill for blocking the infringing sites.</p>
<p>This week the Court of Appeal handed down its long awaited decision and it&#8217;s almost completely good news for the brand owners.</p>
<p>Dismissing the ISPs&#8217; appeal, the Court said that High Court did indeed have the power to issue the blocking injunctions and that all the legal thresholds for doing so had been met.</p>
<p>&#8220;Each of the target websites was directed to consumers in the United Kingdom and the operators of those sites were advertising and offering for sale counterfeits of the goods of one of the named claimants,&#8221; Justice Briggs <a href="http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2016/658.html">wrote</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;The [High Court] judge was entitled to make an order to try to prevent this happening for the third sentence of Article 11 of the Enforcement Directive and Article 8(3) of the Information Society Directive are concerned not only with measures aimed at bringing infringements of intellectual property rights to an end but also with measures aimed at preventing them.&#8221;</p>
<p>Interestingly, on the issue of who would pay for the site-blocking to be carried out, the Court of Appeal had some sympathy for the ISPs</p>
<p>&#8220;In my judgment the cost burden attributable to the implementation of a particular blocking order should fall upon the rightsholder making the application for it,&#8221; Justice Briggs wrote. </p>
<p>&#8220;In circumstances where valuable intangible rights of this kind need to be protected from abuse by others, I regard it as a natural incident of a business which consists of, or includes, the exploitation of such rights, to incur cost in their protection, to the extent that it cannot be reimbursed by appropriate orders against wrongdoers.&#8221;</p>
<p>But that doesn&#8217;t mean that the ISPs are completely off the hook. Justice Briggs said that while the ISPs wouldn&#8217;t have to pay the costs associated with implementing a blocking order, they would still have to foot the bill for &#8220;designing and installing the software with which to do so whenever ordered.&#8221;</p>
<p>Richemont lawyer Simon Baggs welcomed the decision.</p>
<p>&#8220;The court has recognized that often the best way for online unlawful activity to be stopped is for intermediaries such as ISPs to cut the Internet lifeblood that the websites need to trade,&#8221; Baggs said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Site blocking is a developing area in many jurisdictions globally and this judgment should further enable the growth of this important remedy.&#8221;</p>
<p>The ISPs still have the possibility of taking their case to the Supreme Court but no announcement has yet been made.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=A_OcSr8INVE:pPfG8D0jutU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=A_OcSr8INVE:pPfG8D0jutU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=A_OcSr8INVE:pPfG8D0jutU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/A_OcSr8INVE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124518
title: Phishing Scam Targets Game of Thrones Pirates
uri: Phishing-Scam-Targets-Game-of-Thrones-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/O2oi2YDi4iA/
content:
<p><img src="media/5f33ed04.scam1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scam1.jpg" alt="scam" width="225" height="152" class="alignright size-full wp-image-76894">Scammers have found a way to exploit copyright infringement notices for their own profit. </p>
<p>Posing as a well-known anti-piracy monitoring outfit representing major movie and TV companies, they&#8217;re sending numerous takedown notices to Internet providers. </p>
<p>We first noticed the phishing scam <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-phishing-scam-targets-u-s-isps-subscribers-160624/">last month</a> when a Cox subscriber was targeted, but at the time it was unclear how significant it was. </p>
<p>Since then, we have learned that the phishing expedition is not limited to the United States. Also, the scammers are actively targeting a variety of alleged movie and TV-show pirates.</p>
<p>Employees at several ISPs have contacted TorrentFreak with additional information over the past several weeks. This detail shows that the scheme is much broader than previously thought. </p>
<p>The notices in question are not being exclusively sent to U.S. ISPs. Internet providers in the UK and Australia have also received similar notifications. While some ISPs realize that it&#8217;s a scam, others have forwarded the notices to their customers. </p>
<p>After our first report the imposters changed the domain name they&#8217;re using to collect the settlements. In addition, they also began targeting other content including the season finale of HBO&#8217;s Game of Thrones. </p>
<p><center><strong>One of the phishing mails</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/5467b326.gotphishing.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gotphishing.png" alt="gotphishing" width="557" height="771" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124612"></center></p>
<p>In a professionally worded email, the account holder connected to an IP-address is accused of downloading a pirated copy of the popular TV show. If the recipient fails to settle the case for a few hundred dollars, the fake HBO says it might take legal action.</p>
<p>&#8220;You have 72 hours to access the settlement offer and settle online. If you fail to settle, the claim(s) will be referred to our attorneys for legal action. At that point the original settlement offer will no longer be an option and the amount will increase as a result of us having to involve our attorneys,&#8221; they write.</p>
<p>The emails are causing confusion at some ISPs as HBO and its piracy monitoring firm IP-Echelon <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hbo-warns-game-of-thrones-pirates-removes-torrents-160507/">do send takedown notices</a> to Game of Thrones pirates.  However, they have nothing to do with the threatening settlement requests. </p>
<p>“The notices are fake and not sent by us. It’s a phishing scam,” IP-Echelon informed TorrentFreak previously.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to an employee at a datacenter that was targeted by the phishing scam. The notices in question raised suspicion as not all reported IP-addresses were part of their network, but other than that they appeared to be real. </p>
<p>&#8220;They seemed believable at first because they were sending notices about customers who we are accustomed to seeing a high volume of torrenting complaints about,&#8221; the employee informed us. </p>
<p>Interestingly, this also suggests that the notices are not being sent to random addresses, and it may very well be that the scammers are scraping the IPs from real torrent swarms.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have a few VPN providers on our network and they get a lot of complaints from the real IP Echelon.  At first I thought IP Echelon renamed their service or got bought out. I do think they are monitoring P2P networks, not just making these up out of thin air,&#8221; the datacenter employee adds. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak approached HBO for additional information about the issue but the company did not respond to our inquiry. Other rightsholders which are being faked, including Lionsgate and Warner Bros, are also yet to comment.</p>
<p>According to IP-Echelon, U.S. law enforcement is currently looking into the matter. However, tracking down the source of phishing operations is usually quite hard. </p>
<p>In the meantime, both ISPs and subscribers should be extra cautious.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=O2oi2YDi4iA:c2cUkeQ_A_c:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=O2oi2YDi4iA:c2cUkeQ_A_c:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=O2oi2YDi4iA:c2cUkeQ_A_c:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/O2oi2YDi4iA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124630
title: Megaupload 2.0 to Launch With Original Megaupload User Database
uri: Megaupload-2-0-to-Launch-With-Original-Megaupload-User-Database
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/nRUjolKo8IU/
content:
<p><a href="media/9a9629f5.megaupload-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megaupload-logo.jpg"><img src="media/9a9629f5.megaupload-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megaupload-logo.jpg" alt="megaupload-logo" width="250" height="208" class="alignright size-full wp-image-95191"></a>Following a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-hints-at-second-coming-of-megaupload-160706/">few hints</a> earlier this week, it is now fully confirmed. Kim Dotcom will be launching a brand new file-sharing site with a familiar name.</p>
<p>Megaupload 2.0 is pencilled in for a January 2017 launch, an event that will coincide with the 2012 closure of the original Megaupload and the massive police raid on its operators.</p>
<p>Having successfully avoided the clutches of a hungry United States government for half a decade, this five-year anniversary is an important one for Dotcom, and it&#8217;s becoming clear he hopes to celebrate it with another poke in the eye for the Obama administration.</p>
<p>Details are few at this stage, but here&#8217;s what we know. Megaupload 2.0 will have 100gb of free storage. It will allow users to sync all of their devices and there will be no data transfer limits. On-the-fly encryption will be baked-in.</p>
<p>But while site features are important, what the original Megaupload had going for it was millions of loyal users. They were all made homeless and scattered when the site was shut down but according to Dotcom, there will be a future grand reunion.</p>
<p>Intriguingly, the serial entrepreneur says that Megaupload 2.0 will get a fantastic start in life. Rather than simply relying on word-of-mouth advertising to get going, his new venture will launch with the original Megaupload user database intact.</p>
<p>How Dotcom managed to preserve a copy of this data isn&#8217;t clear, but he says that each user account held within will get a foot up.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most Megaupload accounts will be reinstated with Premium privileges on the new Megaupload,&#8221; Dotcom <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/751166185215930368">announced</a> this morning.</p>
<p>If every one of those former Megaupload users hit the site on day one, that&#8217;s 100 million people needing attention. It&#8217;s unlikely that anywhere near that will come aboard, but just one or two percent would be a tremendous start.</p>
<p>But hosting files isn&#8217;t the only thing on Dotcom&#8217;s mind. His censorship-resistant <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcoms-meganet-preps-jan-2016-crowdfunding-campaign-150610/">MegaNet project</a> is still in development and although it&#8217;s not going to be ready until 2018 at the earliest, Dotcom says that Megaupload 2.0 will be a crucial component of that network.</p>
<p>&#8220;Megaupload 2.0 will be the launch platform for MegaNet. Let&#8217;s make sure that we have critical mass first. #100MillionUsers,&#8221; he <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/751195553740894208">said</a> this morning.</p>
<p>Dotcom clearly has much work to do and even flat-out will struggle to meet his January deadline. Still, he doesn&#8217;t intend to do it alone.</p>
<p>&#8220;To former Megaupload and current Mega employees. We welcome you with open arms. Mega App developers, we have a great deal for you. Ping me,&#8221; he <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/751172640761450496">wrote</a> a few hours ago.</p>
<p>So how will former Megaupload users know if they can use their old credentials to access the new site?</p>
<p>&#8220;Expect an email,&#8221; Dotcom concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=nRUjolKo8IU:GfrrKN1HzQE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=nRUjolKo8IU:GfrrKN1HzQE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=nRUjolKo8IU:GfrrKN1HzQE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/nRUjolKo8IU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124320
title: Fair Use Threatens Innovation, Copyright Holders Warn
uri: Fair-Use-Threatens-Innovation-Copyright-Holders-Warn
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/9TXSs7j6l4s/
content:
<p><img src="media/dbb74c88.aus.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg" alt="aus" width="250" height="159" class="alignright size-full wp-image-96798">Earlier this year the Australian Government&#8217;s <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/">Productivity Commission</a> released a Draft Report on Intellectual Property Arrangements, recommending various improvements to the country&#8217;s copyright policies.</p>
<p>The commission <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-gov-agency-endorses-vpn-use-to-reduce-piracy-160429/">suggested</a> allowing the use of VPNs to bypass geo-blocking efforts. In addition, the proposals include drastically lowering the copyright term, while also introducing fair use exceptions. </p>
<p>Various interested parties have since <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/intellectual-property#report">responded to the proposals</a>. As expected, copyright holders are not happy with the plans and some are outright offended by the recommendations. </p>
<p>For example, a coalition of Aussie TV and movie groups point out that the language being used reflects a &#8220;slanted, superficial and under-informed approach.&#8221; Similarly, two writers&#8217; guilds describe the draft report as an &#8220;attack on the livelihoods&#8221; of Australian creators.</p>
<p><center><strong>From the &#8220;offending&#8221; report</strong><br></br></center><Center><a href="media/e98df847.aussie-fair-use.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/aussie-fair-use.png" rel="attachment wp-att-121560"><img src="media/e98df847.aussie-fair-use.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/aussie-fair-use.png" alt="aussie-fair-use" width="443" height="503" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-121560"></a></center> </p>
<p>Several rightsholder groups argue that strong copyright protections are essential for the survival of their businesses. This includes a long copyright term of 70 years, as well as the ability to block access to content based on the location of a consumer.</p>
<p>In addition, many believe that fair use exceptions will do more harm than good. For example, music group IFPI warns that fair use will threaten innovation and create legal uncertainty.</p>
<p>&#8220;Licensing, not exceptions to copyright, drives innovation. Innovation is best achieved through licensing agreements between content owners and users, including technological innovators,&#8221; IFPI writes. </p>
<p>Copyright is the cornerstone of the music industry, according to IFPI, while fair use will mostly benefit outsiders who want to profit from the work of others. </p>
<p>&#8220;The music industry exists because of copyright. Copyright drives innovation and creativity, enables record companies to invest in artists and repertoire, and gives creators an income.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is no coincidence that those who champion the &#8216;flexibility&#8217; of fair use exceptions/defenses typically are those whose business models depend on unfettered access to copyright works.&#8221;</p>
<p>TV company Foxtel issues a similar warning about fair use. According to the Australian pay television company, it will directly damage the country&#8217;s creative industries.</p>
<p>&#8220;Fair use will introduce significant and unnecessary uncertainty into Australian law,&#8221; Foxtel writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;A fair use exception would be wide, vague and uncertain, while at the same time it would significantly erode the scope of copyright protection which is so critical in protecting investment in Australia‘s cultural industries.&#8221; </p>
<p>Foxtel also warns that third parties will exploit fair use exceptions at the expense of rightsholders. This will eventually hurt revenues and threaten the creation of new content.</p>
<p>&#8220;Fair use will have negative economic consequences and have a significant impact on creative output due to the associated uncertainties. Foxtel strongly believes that this type of reform will have a significant impact on creative outputs due to the uncertainties it will create,&#8221; the TV company adds. </p>
<p>But it&#8217;s not just major companies protesting against the proposed changes. The Australian Writers’ Guild also warns against fair use. </p>
<p>They believe that it will disadvantage their members, who don&#8217;t have the means to protect themselves against large corporations that could invoke fair use as a defense.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are particularly concerned about the uncertainty created by the introduction of fair use,&#8221; they write.</p>
<p>&#8220;It will contingent on scriptwriters, for example, to mount legal cases that their work has been infringed and is not subject to legitimate fair use by the respondent, who is likely to be a large corporation such as a news organization or search engine.&#8221; </p>
<p>While the copyright holders fiercely oppose fair use exceptions, others such as Google welcome it with open arms. According to Google, fears surrounding the uncertainty it would create are overblown. </p>
<p>Interestingly, Google cites none other than Hollywood&#8217;s anti-piracy group MPAA to make its case.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our members rely on the fair use doctrine every day when producing their movies and television shows – especially those that involve parody and news and documentary programs,&#8221; the MPAA <a href="http://www.mpaa.org/mpaa-and-fair-use-a-quick-history/#.V3zDNLh94sM">stated</a> previously.</p>
<p>The Government&#8217;s Productivity Commission will take the comments from various stakeholders into account before moving forward. The final report will be handed to the Government in August and published shortly after.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=9TXSs7j6l4s:whRc_gZHlGk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=9TXSs7j6l4s:whRc_gZHlGk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=9TXSs7j6l4s:whRc_gZHlGk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/9TXSs7j6l4s" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124657
title: Shock: Copyright ‘Bullies’ Can Be Negotiated With
uri: Shock-Copyright-Bullies-Can-Be-Negotiated-With
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/AQ9V0Yef0kc/
content:
<p><a href="media/34e023fb.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg"><img src="media/34e023fb.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="sadyoutube" width="275" height="196" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117196"></a>Seemingly every week there are horror stories of copyright holders abusing the DMCA in order to harass the little guy and suppress legitimate speech. It&#8217;s a problem that infuriates the masses, particularly on YouTube.</p>
<p>Early Friday, TorrentFreak was informed of a situation faced by a woman running <a href="http://emadion.it/en/">Emadion</a>, an Italy-based site dedicated to horror, the supernatural, and the bizarre.</p>
<p>Emadion is supported by a small <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfuWbFS-pJMPLsmuqM8lCRA">YouTube channel</a> which recently received notification that an uploaded video was infringing copyright. The details are enough to make smoke come out of any YouTuber&#8217;s ears.</p>
<p>The video in question features the infamous and harrowing 911 recording of a call which detailed a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_(chimpanzee)">horrific pet chimpanzee attack</a> that took place in the United States in 2009. </p>
<p>The Emadion channel operator had augmented the clip (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zB-uJh5tgs">warning: upsetting</a>) with Italian subtitles for the benefit of local viewers. However, Emadion quickly received a copyright claim from <a href="http://www.bestmusic.ro/">BestMusic Digital</a>, the representative of Romanian musician, Kazi Ploae si Specii, who claimed that the content was his.</p>
<p>Bemused, Emadion carried out some checks and found that the artist had uploaded a track titled &#8216;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqVhQtZY5HA">Valium</a>&#8216;. Sure enough, his track features a sample of the same 911 recording.</p>
<p>Believing that the copyright complaint was a mistake, Emadion filed a dispute with YouTube, but the response was not what they&#8217;d hoped for.</p>
<p>&#8220;After reviewing your notification, BestMusic Digital Distro has decided that the copyright infringement violation is still valid,&#8221; the notice read.</p>
<p>Furthermore, Emadion was advised that the 911 call video would now be monetized by the Romanian artist, alongside a warning of the implications of making a further unsuccessful appeal.</p>
<p>&#8220;You may appeal this decision, but if the author does not accept your appeal, you may receive a warning in your account,&#8221; YouTube advised.</p>
<p>Of course, any YouTube user would have a right to be worried by this notice. One dispute had already been rejected, why wouldn&#8217;t a second? </p>
<p>Concerned, a representative of Emadion contacted TF for advice. Could the 911 call really be copyrighted by this artist? In a word, doubtful. Connecticut, where the recording took place, treats 911 tapes as public records and makes them available online.</p>
<p>So, at this point the pitchforks were getting sharpened ready to deal with the aggressive copyright holder who was &#8216;bullying&#8217; the little guy into submission. With a critical article already underway, TF contacted BestMusic Digital for comment. Their response was unexpectedly quick, frank, and friendly.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have revised the track from the artist that you mentioned, deleted the track and removed the material from YouTube. It seems that the artist used that sample in his track and uploaded it to our system for the use of Content ID,&#8221; a company spokesperson advised.</p>
<p>&#8220;As standard when uploading tracks to our system for Content ID, artists accept the [terms and conditions] stating that they have full rights over the uploaded content. On the other hand, there are underground artists that don&#8217;t always do things by the book and this is how things like these happen.&#8221;</p>
<p>Within minutes a very happy Emadion confirmed that the complaint had been withdrawn and the threat of a strike lifted. A great result. However, one thing hadn&#8217;t quite been cleared up &#8211; why was Emadion&#8217;s dispute rejected?</p>
<p>&#8220;It was just an error on my part. I clicked the wrong button. I resolved it when I saw your email,&#8221; TF was told.</p>
<p>While tales of happily solved copyright disputes aren&#8217;t the usual fodder of these pages, hopefully this one will prove helpful.</p>
<p>YouTube&#8217;s dispute process is somewhat clinical, and communication through it can prove frustrating for users. However, it&#8217;s worth remembering that there are real human beings at the ends of these problems and as a result there&#8217;s an opportunity for discussion and negotiation, person to person.</p>
<p>It might not always work, but it has to be worth a shot.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AQ9V0Yef0kc:snqChGTzThY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AQ9V0Yef0kc:snqChGTzThY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=AQ9V0Yef0kc:snqChGTzThY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/AQ9V0Yef0kc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124614
title: Sony Pictures Tries to Censor Wikileaks With Dubious DMCA Notice
uri: Sony-Pictures-Tries-to-Censor-Wikileaks-With-Dubious-DMCA-Notice
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/jkSRIwkfX5E/
content:
<p><img src="media/943f68e2.wikileaks-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wikileaks-1.png" alt="wikileaks" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-124635">Last year Wikileaks published a <a href="https://wikileaks.org/sony/emails/">searchable database</a> of the emails and documents that were exposed following the Sony Pictures Entertainment hack.</p>
<p>Journalists had already picked out the most <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/leak-exposes-hollywoods-global-anti-piracy-strategy-141212/">juicy details</a> during the months before, but Wikileaks opened it up to the public. </p>
<p>This also allowed search engines such as Google to index all leaked emails, which made them even more widely accessible. </p>
<p>At Sony they were not happy with the exposé and one of the company&#8217;s top executives recently decided to take action.</p>
<p>A few days ago  <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-yankelevits-83822b1">Daniel Yankelevits</a>, Senior Vice President Legal Affairs at Sony Pictures, sent a <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/requests/3568132/">DMCA takedown request</a> to Google asking the search engine to censor Wikileaks&#8217; archive of the hacked emails. </p>
<p>Interestingly, this request appears to be personally motivated, as the only email highlighted is about Mr. Yankelevits himself.</p>
<p><center><strong>Google search for Daniel Yankelevits</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/16d08006.wikisalary.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wikisalary.png" alt="wikisalary" width="586" height="213" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124637"></center></p>
<p>In the email, the human resources department informs the company&#8217;s chief counsel Leah Weil that Yankelevits&#8217; salary will increase from $320,000 to $330,000, as his contract allows. </p>
<p>&#8220;Daniel’s contract provides for a discretionary annual increase on 3/1 and compensation has come back with a recommendation of 3.1% taking him from $320,000 to $330,000,&#8221; the email reads, asking Weil if she approves.</p>
<p>Sony Pictures&#8217; VP of Legal Affairs is not happy that his salary details are now out in the open. Not least because it appears at the top of Google&#8217;s search results for his name.</p>
<p><center><br></br></center><center><a href="media/1638e1a6.goodan.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/goodan.png"><img src="media/1638e1a6.goodan.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/goodan.png" alt="goodan" width="600" height="284" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124636"></a></center></p>
<p>While the desire to have this email scrubbed from the Internet is easily understood, using a copyright claim to achieve this is questionable.</p>
<p>First of all, the reason for the takedown request is that &#8220;it&#8217;s not right,&#8221; which is a rather meager motivation for the Senior Vice President Legal Affairs of such a large company.</p>
<p>&#8220;My salary is in Google due to Sony Hack <a href="https://wikileaks.org/sony/emails/emailid/103755">wikileaks.org/sony/emails/emailid/103755</a> please remove the above on your results page. It&#8217;s not right,&#8221; it reads.</p>
<p>Secondly, the DMCA notice itself is inaccurate and incomplete. </p>
<p>Technically, the takedown request asks Google to remove <a href="https://wikileaks.org/sony/emails">the homepage</a> of the leaked email archive, claiming that the email published by Wikileaks is the original content. In other words, even if Google did comply the email discussing the salary would remain online. </p>
<p>What raises the most eyebrows, however, is that the request is personally motivated and has very little to do with copyright. Yankelevits is neither the sender nor the recipient of the email, so even if copyright was an issue, the fact that his salary was exposed is totally irrelevant. </p>
<p>While Sony Pictures Entertainment is listed as the &#8220;copyright holder&#8221; in the DMCA notice, it&#8217;s unknown whether the company is aware of the takedown attempt.</p>
<p>Ironically, the takedown request is only destined to make matters worse for the Sony Pictures&#8217; legal executive. Google has refused to remove the email, so instead of covering it up, Yankelevits has put a big spotlight on his salary. A classic example of the Streisand Effect.  </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=jkSRIwkfX5E:UUuXUFxnCdY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=jkSRIwkfX5E:UUuXUFxnCdY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=jkSRIwkfX5E:UUuXUFxnCdY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/jkSRIwkfX5E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124596
title: Fake Pirate Movies Annoy Pirates & Anti-Pirates Alike
uri: Fake-Pirate-Movies-Annoy-Pirates-Anti-Pirates-Alike
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/jVY84RiC6Mg/
content:
<p><a href="media/23431dd4.fake.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fake.jpg"><img src="media/23431dd4.fake.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fake.jpg" alt="fake" width="190" height="126" class="alignright size-full wp-image-71690"></a>In case readers missed it, copyright holders are very unhappy with YouTube. In recent months the site has developed into a battleground over the DMCA and the entertainment industries&#8217; war with Google, with the record labels making most of the noise.</p>
<p>This week it was the MPAA&#8217;s turn to put more pressure on the site, this time by linking to an article published by filmmaker and anti-piracy advocate Ellen Seidler. As can be seen below, it implores YouTube to clean up its act.</p>
<p><center><br>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;Time for YouTube to get serious about cleaning up all the junk, spam and malware files on its site&quot; <a href="https://t.co/DsTwh3GYv7">https://t.co/DsTwh3GYv7</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/voxindie">@voxindie</a></p>
<p>&mdash; MPAA (@MPAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MPAA/status/750894133439524865">July 7, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center></p>
<p><a href="http://voxindie.org/ywhy-is-youtube-such-a-garbage-dump/">The piece</a> by Seidler is an interesting one, in that it criticizes YouTube for allowing people to upload fake movies that lead people to scammy sites.</p>
<p>In the unlikely event readers haven&#8217;t seen them, these fake movies are easily found by typing the name of almost any mainstream film into YouTube&#8217;s search box and adding the words &#8220;full movie&#8221;.</p>
<p>Once accessed, the videos nearly always instruct users to &#8216;click the link&#8217; below the video to access the full movie. These links rarely, if ever, lead to anything good, and especially not the movie people expect.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/5b1925e0.dead1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dead1.png"><img src="media/5b1925e0.dead1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dead1.png" alt="dead1" width="650" height="481" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-124621"></a></center></p>
<p>While Seidler&#8217;s post expresses concern over the dubious sites that YouTube users are sent to, it seems likely that her post is more broadly aimed at chipping away at YouTube&#8217;s credibility and reputation. Little doubt that the MPAA&#8217;s retweet had that in mind too.</p>
<p>However, taking a step back reveals a much more complex picture.</p>
<p>Seidler correctly notes that these fakes pollute YouTube&#8217;s results but she also reports a secondary problem &#8211; it makes her anti-piracy work much harder.</p>
<p>&#8220;When I search for copies of my film using my Content ID account, I have to wade through dozens of these fake uploads,&#8221; Seidler complains.</p>
<p>&#8220;Removing them is an incredibly time-consuming task as it seems YouTube has purposely chosen to make the Content ID dashboard as inconvenient as possible for users.&#8221;</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/b11754e7.fakes-11.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fakes-11.png"><img src="media/b11754e7.fakes-11.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fakes-11.png" alt="fakes-11" width="650" height="488" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-124622" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/fakes-11.png 650w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/fakes-11-200x150.png 200w" sizes="(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px"></a></center></p>
<p>Of course, this situation is bad for people like Seidler who are trying to protect their content but consider for a moment the tremendous negative effect on pirates.</p>
<p>For many years people were able to type a movie title into YouTube, filter out all clips less than 20 minutes long, and more often than not come up with a decent copy of the movie in question.</p>
<p>Well, no more.</p>
<p>Today, YouTube&#8217;s search results are a horrible place to attempt &#8216;full movie&#8217; piracy and that&#8217;s mostly down to the &#8216;full movie&#8217; scammers.</p>
<p>If anything, one might think that Hollywood would be at least marginally grateful for third-parties infecting would-be pirates with malware or getting them stuck in horrible subscription traps. That&#8217;s quality piracy deterrence right there.</p>
<p>Instead, Seidler suggests ways that YouTube could clean up its site, perhaps by detecting and removing these fakes with ContentID. Pirates would certainly appreciate that, but YouTube isn&#8217;t likely to oblige.</p>
<p>Proactively removing content in that manner would only invite calls for YouTube do the same for copyrighted content. Before long, the same calls would go out to Google in general, with big implications for its search business.</p>
<p>So for now, both Seidler and would-be pirates are going to have to put up with these fake movie operations. Anti-piracy people will have to figure it out for themselves, but the best advice for regular users is to never click on the links in &#8216;fake movie&#8217; YouTube descriptions.</p>
<p>Finally, Seidler raises the question of who is behind these scams. One of the outfits she names is TzarMedia.com, a site that has <a href="https://www.trustpilot.com/review/tzarmedia.com">hundreds of negative online reviews</a>. </p>
<p>The rabbit hole seems very, very deep on this one but there seems to be a <a href="https://jomediascam.wordpress.com/2016/04/27/jomedia-philip-keezer-ad-center-com/">recurring theme</a> for those with an urge to investigate further. It looks messy, really messy.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=jVY84RiC6Mg:8vdmKuS1-X4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=jVY84RiC6Mg:8vdmKuS1-X4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=jVY84RiC6Mg:8vdmKuS1-X4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/jVY84RiC6Mg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124524
title: NBC Universal Scores Patent to Detect and Target Pirates
uri: NBC-Universal-Scores-Patent-to-Detect-and-Target-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/MadVsWV8_iI/
content:
<p><img src="media/57ca8e27.nbcuni.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/nbcuni.png" alt="nbcuni" width="250" height="143" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124666">Despite the growing availability of legal services, unauthorized file-sharing remains one of the core threats for entertainment industry companies.</p>
<p>Over the past several years various anti-piracy tools have been deployed. Nonetheless, piracy is still very much alive today with hundreds of millions of people sharing infringing files every month.</p>
<p>While there&#8217;s no silver bullet to stop all piracy indefinitely, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBCUniversal">NBC Universal</a> scored a new patent this month which it believes may help. </p>
<p>Titled “Early Detection of High Volume Peer-To-Peer swarms,” one of the patent’s main goals is to detect and target instances of online piracy before the problem spreads.</p>
<p>The patent (<a href="media/eec8cca0.NBC-patent.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/NBC-patent.pdf">pdf</a>) describes P2P in general as something that can be positive, but is often abused.</p>
<p>&#8220;While the P2P infrastructure has many advantages, it also has led to abuses. Piracy of digital assets on peer-to-peer networks incurs losses by content owners estimated in billions of dollars annually.&#8221; </p>
<p>The high volume traffic generated by BitTorrent pirates also poses a problem for ISPs. Pirates tend to strain the network, the patent explains, which can become costly in terms of resources. </p>
<p>To address these issues NBC Universal proposes to monitor file-sharing swarms. Once a swarm exceeds a threshold of a certain number of users, alarm bells will ring so appropriate action can be taken.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/bd59d7cd.patuni.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/patuni.png" alt="patuni" width="600" height="633" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124669"></center></p>
<p>The patent summarizes the invention as &#8220;a system that provides for early identification of high risk swarms to enable a more proactive stance towards anti-piracy efforts.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;The early detection provides for enhanced anti-piracy efforts, improved allocation of network resources, and better business decision-making,&#8221; it adds.</p>
<p>For example, the swarm data can be used to provide real-time business intelligence, to be utilized for business advantages. In addition, the anti-piracy efforts can include takedown messages to ISPs, which are already quite common today. </p>
<p>Most controversial is the suggestion to use swarm data to limit or block file-sharing traffic. According to the patent, this may be useful for ISPs to save costs.</p>
<p>&#8220;Alternatively, the network provider may proceed to diminish or cap network resources once some limit of data activity is met. In certain aspects the processing for the high risk swarms also indicate the high volume swarms and allows for traffic shaping for the ISPs.&#8221;</p>
<p>While Net Neutrality advocates are not going to be pleased with such an implementation, technically the current FCC rules <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-net-neutrality-has-a-massive-copyright-loophole-150315/">allow ISPs to block file-sharing traffic</a> as long as it&#8217;s &#8220;unlawful&#8221;. </p>
<p>Still, it&#8217;s doubtful that NBC Universal&#8217;s parent company Comcast will tread down this path anytime soon. The company previously faced significant pushback when it <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/comcast-throttles-bittorrent-traffic-seeding-impossible/">actively throttled</a> BitTorrent traffic. </p>
<p>While there are some interesting suggestions and ideas in the patent, we have to admit that it feels a bit dated. </p>
<p>Perhaps that&#8217;s not a surprise since the application was submitted eight years ago. At the time, piracy monitoring technologies were relatively rare. Nowadays, however, it&#8217;s a multi-million dollar industry with dozens of companies. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=MadVsWV8_iI:Igm1obLhVAI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=MadVsWV8_iI:Igm1obLhVAI:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=MadVsWV8_iI:Igm1obLhVAI:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/MadVsWV8_iI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124286
title: BTDigg Shut Down Due to Torrent Spam, For Now
uri: BTDigg-Shut-Down-Due-to-Torrent-Spam-For-Now
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ZsIZUz2ialY/
content:
<p><img src="media/15a499fb.btdigglogo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/btdigglogo.png" alt="btdigglogo" width="250" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124704">Five years ago a new kind of torrent indexing site <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/btdigg-the-first-trackerless-torrent-search-engine-110223/">appeared online</a>. </p>
<p>Where most other sites rely on user uploads or pull their torrents from other sites, <a href="http://btdigg.org/">BTDigg</a> took a different approach by using DHT to find new content.</p>
<p>Since then the site has become a regular destination for many people. With millions of pageviews per month, BTDigg listed itself among the larger torrent sites on the web.</p>
<p>Despite being blocked by court order in the UK, the site hasn&#8217;t faced any significant setbacks. However, a few weeks ago this suddenly changed as the site became unreachable for unknown reasons. </p>
<p>With a lack of updates on social media, the prolonged downtime was a mystery. TorrentFreak contacted the site&#8217;s operators on several occasions but didn&#8217;t hear back, until a few hours ago. </p>
<p>In a brief statement the BTDigg team says that the site will remain shut down for the time being. However, the downtime might not last forever.</p>
<p>&#8220;We closed the site temporarily, but it&#8217;s not hard to return,&#8221; BTDigg&#8217;s operators informs us.</p>
<p>A continued flood of spam torrents is the main reason for the sudden disappearance according to the team. They hope to resolve this with an &#8216;artificial intelligence&#8217; that effectively filters out the problematic content, after which they plan to return.</p>
<p>&#8220;The main problem is &#8216;spam&#8217; torrents. When we finish creating an AI that filters spam, we&#8217;ll reopen the site,&#8221; BTDigg says.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/19c5faee.btdigg2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/btdigg2.png" alt="btdigg2" width="555" height="271" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124703"></center></p>
<p>This pending return is positive news for BTDigg users. However, with no concrete ETA for the comeback they will have to find their daily torrent fix elsewhere for the time being. </p>
<p>Also, while a full return is an option, there&#8217;s also a chance that the site will move on under new management.</p>
<p>BTDigg&#8217;s team informed TorrentFreak that they are considering selling the site&#8217;s source code and a year of support to a third party. What that means for the site&#8217;s future has yet to be seen. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ZsIZUz2ialY:Psq63FJfC9o:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ZsIZUz2ialY:Psq63FJfC9o:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=ZsIZUz2ialY:Psq63FJfC9o:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/ZsIZUz2ialY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124700
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 07/11/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-07-11-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/g5KkXJgTues/
content:
<p><img src="media/0c3bb7a8.warcrafts.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/warcrafts.jpg" alt="warcrafts" width="300" height="148" class="alignright size-full wp-image-123803">This week we have three newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Warcraft, which came out as a subbed HDrip this week, is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-062716/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/warcraft/">Warcraft</a> (subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803096/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhFMIRuHAL4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a></td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WWzgGyAH6Y">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/me_before_you/">Me Before You</a> (Subbed Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2674426/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W65ndip7MM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/independence_day_resurgence/">Independence Day: Resurgence</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1628841/">5.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbduDRH2m2M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_legend_of_tarzan/">The Legend of Tarzan</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0918940/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLmKio67pVQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_nice_guys/">The Nice Guys</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3799694">7.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyR-UqRom-c">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/finding_dory/">Finding Dory</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2277860">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLIy1K8kJPo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence/">Central Intelligence</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489889/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxEw3elSJ8M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_apocalypse/">X-Men: Apocalypse</a> (HDCam/TC)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385516/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jer8XjMrUB4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/barbershop_the_next_cut_2016/">Barbershop: The Next Cut</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3628584/">6.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2vPDGStL4k">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=g5KkXJgTues:JBLsYBIsmfY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=g5KkXJgTues:JBLsYBIsmfY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=g5KkXJgTues:JBLsYBIsmfY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/g5KkXJgTues" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124716
title: Romanian Govt. Seizes Leading Pirate Site Domain
uri: Romanian-Govt-Seizes-Leading-Pirate-Site-Domain
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/fIOrXTTHo68/
content:
<p><a href="media/a9bc8137.domainseized.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/domainseized.jpg"><img src="media/a9bc8137.domainseized.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/domainseized.jpg" alt="domainseized" width="240" height="130" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124719"></a>Over the past several years, many countries in mainly Western Europe have responded to pressure from US-based companies to act against Internet piracy.</p>
<p>In some cases, this has involved passing new legislation to make life harder for pirates but largely it has been left to national courts and informal industry-led stakeholders groups to decide how to deal with unauthorized distribution.</p>
<p>In Eastern Europe, anti-piracy activity is much more limited but now it appears that tough measures can be taken when the authorities see fit. According to reports coming out of Romania, the government has seized the domain of one of the country&#8217;s most popular streaming portals.</p>
<p>990.ro was among Romania&#8217;s top 100 most popular sites overall and looked like this before being shut down by the state.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/58def8cc.rom-seized1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rom-seized1.jpg"><img src="media/58def8cc.rom-seized1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rom-seized1.jpg" alt="rom-seized1" width="565" height="400" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-124717"></a></center></p>
<p>A TorrentFreak reader familiar with the site confirmed that 990.ro was one of the most popular locations for streaming video, TV shows in particular.</p>
<p>&#8220;Game of Thrones episodes were live within just a few hours after airing, complete with new (local) translations. This site was huge, you could almost watch any TV show on the planet and about 90% of the latest movies,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>For now, however, the show(s) won&#8217;t go on. Following action by the government, 990.ro&#8217;s domain is now under the control of the Ministry of Justice and displays the following message.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/ee1a2943.rom-seized.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rom-seized.jpg"><img src="media/ee1a2943.rom-seized.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rom-seized.jpg" alt="rom-seized" width="550" height="381" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-124718"></a></center></p>
<p>While no notice was given of this seizure, the action didn&#8217;t entirely come out of the blue. In 2012, Romania’s Audiovisual Council (CNA) reported more than 40 &#8216;pirate&#8217; movie and TV show websites to the police, demanding action to shut them down.</p>
<p>990.ro was among those reported. The list also included Vplay.ro, the largest site of its type at the time. That domain is also under the control of the Ministry of Justice. Many of the others mentioned have since shut down, moved to new domains and/or had old ones seized.</p>
<p>The action against 990.ro follows a similar crackdown carried out in June 2015 which received assistance from the FBI. Three sites were <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fbi-assists-overseas-pirate-movie-site-raids-150714/">shut down</a> then and several people were arrested.</p>
<p>Thus far there has been no reports of arrests following the latest domain seizure. However, more serious breaches of Romanian copyright law can be punishable by fines and jail sentences of up to four years.</p>
<p>Since 990.ro carried a lot of advertising, it wouldn&#8217;t be a surprise to hear that tax evasion and money laundering offenses are being investigated, just as they were following last year&#8217;s raids.</p>
<p>Local media initially <a href="http://metropotam.ro/La-zi/raspunsul-rol-dupa-suspendarea-site-ului-990-ro-art8993416185">reported</a> that 990.ro is owned by Romanian news and entertainment portal Romania Online but the company is now denying the allegations.</p>
<p>&#8220;The 990.ro site does not belong and has never belonged to the company ROL ONLINE NETWORK SA or any other companies in the group ROL.ro,&#8221; the company said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;990.ro site was one of the 145,232 customers of the FASTUPLOAD.ro free service that lets you store, transfer and viewing files. FASTUPLOAD.ro site is the largest Romanian storage services and file transfer and operates under Romanian law.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to ROL.ro&#8217;s <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/rol-ro-rol-online">Linkedin page</a>, ROL.ro is indeed affiliated with FASTUPLOAD but says that any liability lies with that company, not them.</p>
<p>A direct IP address for 990.ro has since ceased to function and there is no news of any return for the site.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=fIOrXTTHo68:U8jxfrWB_FA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=fIOrXTTHo68:U8jxfrWB_FA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=fIOrXTTHo68:U8jxfrWB_FA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/fIOrXTTHo68" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124725
title: VPN Provider PIA Exits Russia After Server Seizures
uri: VPN-Provider-PIA-Exits-Russia-After-Server-Seizures
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/08SuhnuodbM/
content:
<p><img src="media/01c0d2d5.spy.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/spy.jpg" width="200" height="177" class="alignright">In a digital world where surveillance and privacy invasions are becoming more commonplace, increasing numbers of Internet users are improving their online security.</p>
<p>As a result, in recent years there has been an explosion in people deploying privacy-enhancing tools <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-anonymous-review-160220/">such as VPNs</a>, which enable anyone to add an extra layer of protection against online snoops. </p>
<p>One of the most successful companies in this field is <a href="https://londontrustmedia.com/">London Trust Media</a>, the makers of the popular Private Internet Access (PIA) service. The company prides itself on its dedication to security and is possibly the only operator to have its strict no-logging claims <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-providers-no-logging-claims-tested-in-fbi-case-160312/">tested in public</a>.</p>
<p>But while a no-logging policy is an essential requirement for thousands of VPN customers, authorities in some regions see them as a threat. This morning, PIA is reporting a development in Russia which has left it with no other option than to leave the country.</p>
<p>In an email sent out to its users, PIA explains that due to the passing of a new law last year which requires Internet providers to hold logs of Internet traffic for up to a year, it has become a target for Russian authorities.</p>
<p>&#8220;We believe that due to the enforcement regime surrounding this new law, some of our Russian Servers (RU) were recently seized by Russian Authorities, without notice or any type of due process. We think it’s because we are the most outspoken and only verified no-log VPN provider,&#8221; PIA announced.</p>
<p>The law to which PIA refers was passed by Russia&#8217;s State Duma in July 2014 and enacted September 2015. It <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/russia-internet-privacy-laws-control-web">requires</a> that all web services store the user data of Russians within the country. This means that international companies could be forced to have a physical local presence, to which Russian authorities potentially have access.</p>
<p>While the deadline for compliance is technically September 2016, Private Internet Access says that given the server seizure and future privacy implications, it will no longer be doing business in the region.</p>
<p>&#8220;Upon learning of the [seizures], we immediately discontinued our Russian gateways and will no longer be doing business in the region,&#8221; the company says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Luckily, since we do not log any traffic or session data, period, no data has been compromised. Our users are, and will always be, private and secure.&#8221;</p>
<p>Even though PIA has assured its users that there is nothing to fear, some remain concerned over the seizures. To those individuals, PIA is offering additional assurances that it&#8217;s going the extra mile to ensure total security.</p>
<p>&#8220;To make it clear, the privacy and security of our users is our number one priority,&#8221; the company says.</p>
<p>&#8220;For preventative reasons, we are rotating all of our certificates. Furthermore, we’re updating our client applications with improved security measures to mitigate circumstances like this in the future, on top of what is already in place.&#8221;</p>
<p>If they haven&#8217;t already done so, users should update their PIA <a href="https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/client-support/">desktop clients</a> and Android apps to get the new upgrades.</p>
<p>In response to the Russian incident, PIA says it will take the opportunity to evaluate other countries and their policies.</p>
<p>&#8220;In any event, we are aware that there may be times that notice and due process are forgone. However, we do not log and are default secure against seizure,&#8221; the company concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=08SuhnuodbM:MTtJrYgJo4Y:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=08SuhnuodbM:MTtJrYgJo4Y:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=08SuhnuodbM:MTtJrYgJo4Y:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/08SuhnuodbM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124723
title: Sky Wins ‘Pirate’ Domain Name Dispute, Forgets to Take it Down
uri: Sky-Wins-Pirate-Domain-Name-Dispute-Forgets-to-Take-it-Down
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5uYlsUyvQKo/
content:
<p><img src="media/049adc7a.skylogo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/skylogo.png" alt="skylogo" width="222" height="129" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124729" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/skylogo.png 222w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/skylogo-220x129.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px">Pirate sports streaming sites are a thorn in the side of Sky, the UK&#8217;s largest pay TV provider.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s an impossible task to shut down these sites all at once, the company recently decided to take action against one that uses the Sky brand to advertise itself. </p>
<p>The site in question, Skysportslive.tv, has been online for several years offering free access to various sporting channels.</p>
<p>Earlier this year Sky ran out of patience. The company filed a complaint against the domain name owner at the World International Property Organization (<a href="http://www.wipo.int/">WIPO</a>), which has an arbitration panel to resolve domain name disputes. </p>
<p>In the complaint, Sky argued that the domain uses their trademark without permission, that the owner had no legitimate interest in the domain, and that the domain was registered in bad faith. </p>
<p>After a careful review, WIPO panelist Evan Brown <a href="http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/case.jsp?case=DTV2016-0001">sided with Sky</a>. The domain name owner, a Pakistan resident, failed to respond but according to Brown there is no indication that the site is destined for legal purposes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Respondent is not using and has not used, or made demonstrable preparations to use, the disputed domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services,&#8221; the panelist writes.</p>
<p>Instead, it is apparent that the use of the Sky trademark is intended to confuse visitors into believing that the site is legitimate.</p>
<p>&#8220;In this case, it is clear that the purpose of registering the disputed domain name was primarily to rely on the value of the Mark in order to confuse Internet users,&#8221; the decision ads. </p>
<p>All in all a good outcome for Sky, which gained control over the domain name several weeks ago as the WHOIS entry clearly shows. </p>
<p><center><strong>Sky now owns Skysportslive.tv</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/e6360912.skydomain.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/skydomain.png" alt="skydomain" width="569" height="357" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124746"></center></p>
<p>However, the company appears to have missed the most crucial part of the arbitration process. That is, updating the domain&#8217;s old nameservers after it won. </p>
<p>This means that today, even after several weeks have passed, the now Sky-owned domain is still pointing people to pirated streams. </p>
<p>Those who access the domain are forwarded to crichd.in, another pirate streaming site. Crichd.in uses pretty much the same layout as the original site and is operated by the same people. </p>
<p>Question is, can this sports streaming portal still be characterized as a pirate site if Sky is linking to it? </p>
<p><center><strong>Sky&#8217;s domain, linking to Crichd.in</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/91a4e1a7.crichd.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/crichd.jpg" alt="crichd" width="600" height="532" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-124728"></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=5uYlsUyvQKo:_Yv4kqUR584:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=5uYlsUyvQKo:_Yv4kqUR584:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=5uYlsUyvQKo:_Yv4kqUR584:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/5uYlsUyvQKo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124773
title: UK Forbids Gambling Services From Advertising on Pirate Sites
uri: UK-Forbids-Gambling-Services-From-Advertising-on-Pirate-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/M2fRL4_QFe0/
content:
<p><a href="media/9e41ae86.dice.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dice.jpg"><img src="media/9e41ae86.dice.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dice.jpg" alt="dice" width="240" height="187" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124795"></a>The vast majority of publicly available &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites rely on some kind of advertising to generate revenue. With millions of visitors per month, some are reported to make significant sums.</p>
<p>As a result, copyright holders have been investing considerable resources into initiatives that try to persuade advertisers to stop supporting them. If advertising is removed from these sites, they will cease to exist, entertainment companies argue.</p>
<p>But despite immense pressure on mainstream advertisers, it is still fairly common to be presented with gambling adverts when visiting unauthorized torrent and streaming portals. Just months ago, Bet365, Coral and Sky Bet in the UK were <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-blacklisted-by-600-advertising-companies-150919/">called out</a> over the practice.</p>
<p>However, it&#8217;s now clear that if UK gambling operators want to keep their valuable licenses clean, they will have to ensure there is no repeat of these mistakes.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/Home.aspx">Gambling Commission</a> is a government-sponsored body with a mandate to keep the gambling business clean in the UK. Its responsibilities include protecting children and other vulnerable people while ensuring that gambling is fair and open. It is also charged with keeping all aspects of crime out of gambling. </p>
<p>In September 2016, the Commission consulted on amendments <em>(<a href="media/6d5e5145.LCCP-crime-review-consultation-September-2015.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/pdf/Consultations/LCCP-crime-review-consultation-September-2015.pdf">pdf</a>)</em> to licensing conditions that would compel licensees to ensure that advertisements &#8220;placed by themselves and others&#8221; do not appear on websites providing unauthorized access to copyright content.</p>
<p>That consultation was published in May <em>(<a href="media/b791c8b8.Placing-digital-adverts-responsibly-consultation-May-2016.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/pdf/Consultations/Placing-digital-adverts-responsibly-consultation-May-2016.pdf">pdf</a>)</em> followed by a supplementary consultation this month. All respondents agreed in principle that gambling operators should not advertise on pirate sites but there was less consensus on how that could be achieved.</p>
<p>While not advertising directly is less of a problem, some respondents indicated that they use affiliates to place adverts on their behalf, so monitoring them all could prove difficult. Others noted that special software designed for the task might prove expensive.</p>
<p>Overall, however, the Gambling Commission says that something still needs to be done since ads for gambling companies continue to appear on pirate sites. </p>
<p>&#8220;Although adverts placed on such websites are not criminal in themselves, they contribute to funding the websites, and are therefore associating gambling with crime. They also frequently appear next to other adverts and links containing malware or viruses,&#8221; the Commission says.</p>
<p>As a result, the Commission is now taking action. Due to the perceived seriousness of the situation, the implementation of a &#8216;social code&#8217; often employed by the industry was rejected. Instead, a new licensing condition is being introduced which will require licensees to ensure that their marketing does not appear on pirate sites.  </p>
<p>Licensees will be free to choose which preventative measures they take but they are being advised to make use of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit&#8217;s &#8216;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/city-of-london-police-launches-pirate-site-blacklist-for-advertisers-140331/">Infringing Website List</a>&#8216;. Operators are also advised to tighten their agreements with affiliates, making it clear that &#8220;robust action&#8221; can be taken for any breaches. The use of proactive monitoring software is also advised.</p>
<p>There were some objections from operators, mostly concerning the difficulty of the task ahead, but help will be at hand. Licensees will able to draw on the experiences not only of PIPCU, but also the Federation Against Copyright Theft and the BPI.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have decided to implement the new licence condition requiring operators to take responsibility for preventing digital adverts advertising their brand from appearing on websites providing access to unauthorised content,&#8221; the Gambling Commission said in response to the consultation.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have taken account of respondents’ views and have amended the wording of the licence condition to make clear that in the case of third party advertising operators should implement all reasonable steps to prevent marketing appearing on such websites, and to react quickly and effectively if they do appear.&#8221;</p>
<p>The new licence condition (shown below) will be implemented in the autumn/fall.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/ffc171ea.gambling-commission.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gambling-commission.png"><img src="media/ffc171ea.gambling-commission.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gambling-commission.png" alt="gambling-commission" width="650" height="292" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-124792"></a></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=M2fRL4_QFe0:_f5qvsyAtZ4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=M2fRL4_QFe0:_f5qvsyAtZ4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=M2fRL4_QFe0:_f5qvsyAtZ4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/M2fRL4_QFe0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124865
title: Nintendo Cracks Down on Pokémon Go ‘Piracy’
uri: Nintendo-Cracks-Down-on-Pokémon-Go-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/MAuVTEM8CUA/
content:
<p><img src="media/f108cd33.poke.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/poke.jpg" alt="poke" width="250" height="203" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124911">The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Go">Pokémon Go</a> game is taking the world by storm, despite the fact that it&#8217;s not yet officially released in most countries.</p>
<p>The game came out in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States last week, and over the past few days Germany and the UK joined in.</p>
<p>However, that doesn&#8217;t mean people elsewhere can&#8217;t play it yet.</p>
<p>As the craze spread, so did the various pirated copies, which have been downloaded millions of times already. The Internet is littered with unauthorized Pokémon Go files and guides explaining how to install the game on various platforms. </p>
<p>To give an indication of how massive Pokémon Go piracy is, research from Similarweb <a href="https://www.similarweb.com/blog/pokemon-go-update">revealed</a> that as of yesterday 6.8% of all Android devices in Canada and the Netherlands had the game installed. </p>
<p>In fact, it&#8217;s safe to say that unauthorized copies are more popular than the official ones, for the time being.</p>
<p>The APK files for Android are shared widely on torrent sites. At The Pirate Bay, for example, it&#8217;s the most shared Android game by far. Even more impressive, it also sent <a href="media/9bf04e09.apkmirr.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/apkmirr.png">millions</a> of extra daily visitors to APKmirror.com, which hosts copies of the game as well.</p>
<p><center><strong>Most pirated Android games</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/821ed5cf.pokepirate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pokepirate.png"><img src="media/821ed5cf.pokepirate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pokepirate.png" alt="pokepirate" width="600" height="267" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124879"></a></center> </p>
<p>Nintendo is obviously not happy with this black market distribution. Although it doesn&#8217;t seem to hurt its stock value, the company is targeting the piracy issue behind the scenes. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak spotted several takedown requests on behalf of Nintendo that were sent to Google Blogspot and Google Search this week. The notices list various links to pirated copies of the game, asking Google to remove them. </p>
<p><center><strong>One of the <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/12641849">takedown notices</a></strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/ff09008a.pokedown.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pokedown.png" alt="pokedown" width="600" height="280" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124869"></center></p>
<p>Thus far the efforts have done little to stop the distribution. The files are still widely shared on torrent sites and various direct download services. The copies on APKmirror.com remain online as well. </p>
<p>In fact, it&#8217;s virtually impossible to stop a game that&#8217;s gone viral from being shared online. Even if it issues thousands of takedown requests, Nintendo won&#8217;t be able to catch &#8217;em all.</p>
<p>Nintendo probably has good reasons to roll Pokémon Go out gradually, but the best anti-piracy strategy is obviously to make the game available worldwide as quickly as possible. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=MAuVTEM8CUA:izcJPgvwcQw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=MAuVTEM8CUA:izcJPgvwcQw:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=MAuVTEM8CUA:izcJPgvwcQw:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/MAuVTEM8CUA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124803
title: Expanding Pirate Site Blocks Spark Censorship Fears
uri: Expanding-Pirate-Site-Blocks-Spark-Censorship-Fears
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/hUVRTVwc4mM/
content:
<p><img src="media/2759597c.blocked-censor.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/blocked-censor.jpg" alt="blocked-censor" width="250" height="170" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124850">Last year Norway joined the ranks of countries where ISPs are ordered to block access to websites on the behest of entertainment industry companies.</p>
<p>In a case started by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-sites-must-pay-legal-costs-of-own-blockade-court-rules-150902/">local court ordered</a> Internet providers to block users’ access to several large ‘pirate’ websites to deter online copyright infringement.</p>
<p>As is often the case with these type of blockades, the Hollywood movie studios didn&#8217;t stop at one attempt. They recently went back to court asking for an expansion that would target eight &#8220;pirate&#8221; streaming sites.</p>
<p>The court granted this request, and as a result WatchSeries, Putlocker, TUBE+, CouchTuner, Watch32, SolarMovie, ProjectFreeTV and Watch Free were <a href="http://www.digi.no/artikler/ny-internett-dom-far-partileder-til-a-se-rodt-nok-er-nok/349423">added</a> to the national blocklist. </p>
<p>Rune Ljøstad, Partner at the MPA&#8217;s lawfirm <a href="http://svw.no/">Simonsen Vogt Wiig</a>, is happy with the outcome which paves the way for similar blocking expansions in the future. </p>
<p>&#8220;Together, the decisions create a clear legal basis in Norway to block sites that make copyrighted works available to the public without permission,&#8221; Ljøstad says.</p>
<p>While Hollywood is understandably happy, the blocking efforts raise concerns as well. The local Pirate Party, which protested the initial blocks by launching a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-offers-dns-to-bypass-pirate-bay-blockade-150907/">censorship free DNS server</a>, fears a slippery blocking-slope that may lead to overbroad censorship.  </p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid that blocking sites will have a domino effect,&#8221; says <a href="https://twitter.com/talepirat">Tale Haukbjørk</a> Østrådal, leader of the <a href="https://www.piratpartiet.no">Norwegian Pirate Party</a>. </p>
<p>&#8220;If we block copyright infringement now, what will be the next thing our society accepts to block? The path from blocking torrent sites to censorship is short, and I do not wish to go down that path,&#8221; she adds.  </p>
<p>The Pirate Party sees blocking as a threat to democracy, as it&#8217;s a tool to filter and manipulate what information people can see.</p>
<p>&#8220;Censorship is toxic to a democracy. We need to keep the Internet free of censorship, because we need the Internet as a tool to make informed choices. A democracy is failing without informed citizens,&#8221; Østrådal notes.</p>
<p>There are alternatives to blocking, according to the Pirate&#8217;s leader. The entertainment industries should rethink their business models to compete with piracy, instead of trying to hide it.</p>
<p>&#8220;To find the best alternatives the entertainment industry must know why people are sharing, and change their business models. The question isn&#8217;t &#8216;How do we make people pay?&#8217;, it is &#8216;How do we let people pay and feel comfortable with our business model?'&#8221; </p>
<p>This means offering more content for a good price, without limitations or artificial boundaries. At the same time artists should use the Internet to connect with fans directly, cutting out the middle-man who profits from their work.</p>
<p>&#8220;Personally, I would love to tear down the whole entertainment industry and built it anew. The distributors were never the good guys. They have built an empire by making money from other people&#8217;s art,&#8221; Østrådal says. </p>
<p>&#8220;When we hear the word &#8216;artist&#8217;, we all think of a creative, poor person. It&#8217;s fucked up,&#8221; she adds.</p>
<p>The Pirate Party&#8217;s fears won&#8217;t stop Internet providers from complying with the most recent court order. </p>
<p>This means that the streaming sites in question are now a no-go zone. Whether the movie studios have concrete plans to expand the blocking efforts even further is unknown.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=hUVRTVwc4mM:l1AVwXPIn58:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=hUVRTVwc4mM:l1AVwXPIn58:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=hUVRTVwc4mM:l1AVwXPIn58:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/hUVRTVwc4mM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124842
title: Google Ends Lawsuit Against Mississippi AG Over Piracy Practices
uri: Google-Ends-Lawsuit-Against-Mississippi-AG-Over-Piracy-Practices
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4yphDRKUvYk/
content:
<p><a href="media/c6c36e0a.googlepop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/googlepop.jpg"><img src="media/c6c36e0a.googlepop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/googlepop.jpg" alt="googlepop" width="250" height="141" class="alignright size-full wp-image-106435"></a>For the past several years, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood has been pressuring Google to stop copyright infringing content and prescription medicines being made available in search results.</p>
<p>In November 2014, Hood issued an administrative subpoena which aimed to reveal inside information detailing Google&#8217;s efforts to curtail the appearance of illegal content in listings.</p>
<p>A month later and on the back of secrets revealed as part of the <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/google-mpaa-publicly-slam-each-other-over-piracy-141219/">Sony email leaks</a>, Google sued Hood&#8217;s office, claiming that the Attorney General was working with groups including the MPAA to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-takes-mpaa-to-court-over-secret-censorship-plans-150603/">undermine</a> its business.</p>
<p>Indeed, evidence produced in court filings showed Hood&#8217;s office being coached by lawyers at the MPAA, who in their &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-scolds-mpaas-cozy-anti-piracy-lobby-in-court-150701/">cozy relationship</a>&#8221; even went as far as helping with the drafting of letters aimed at pressuring Google over piracy.</p>
<p>In March 2015, a judge in the Southern District of Mississippi <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/google-gets-key-ruling-battle-785347">granted an injunction</a> to stop Hood&#8217;s investigation into Google, finding that &#8220;interference with Google’s judgment&#8230;would likely produce a chilling effect on Google’s protected speech.&#8221; Hood was also ordered not to bring any criminal or civil charges against the company.</p>
<p>However, in a blow to Google, just over a year later the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/04/court-appeals-vacates-injunction-against-mississippi-attorney-general-case-against">vacated</a> the ruling, noting that the federal judge&#8217;s decision to issue a preliminary injunction was made in error <em>(<a href="media/c65ea68e.15-60205-CV0.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/15/15-60205-CV0.pdf">pdf</a>)</em>.</p>
<p>While this meant that Hood was free to pursue the administrative subpoena, shortly after the Court of Appeals decision he sent a letter to the court withdrawing it. However, Hood wasn&#8217;t quite done, noting that Google still needed to preserve documents demanded under the subpoena, just in case they were needed in future.</p>
<p>In response, Google demanded a <a href="https://www.eff.org/document/google-v-hood-motion-panel-rehearing">rehearing</a> before the Fifth Circuit panel. That was denied but the panel issued a slightly <a href="http://www.bna.com/google-fight-mississippi-n57982072999/">modified opinion</a> which allowed Google to pursue a court ruling declaring that it can not be held liable for content posted by third parties.</p>
<p>But now, however, it appears that from conflict, some kind of peace has broken out. According to a court filing Wednesday, Google has backed down from its efforts to block Hood from investigating its copyright infringement and illegal content practices.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is hereby stipulated and agreed, by and between the parties to the above captioned action, by their undersigned counsel, that&#8230;&#8230;.all of the claims that have been asserted in this action are hereby dismissed without costs to any party,&#8221; the filing reads <em>(<a href="media/62ee7f2a.Google-Mississippi-20160713.pdf" data-original-source="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2993336/Google-Mississippi-20160713.pdf">pdf</a>)</em>.</p>
<p>The document, signed by lawyers representing both Google and Hood&#8217;s office, is short on detail and offers no clear explanation as to why Google decided to discontinue its complaint. However, it does suggest that some kind of agreement has been reached over the core issues at the heart of the dispute.</p>
<p>&#8220;[T]he Attorney General and Google endeavor to collaborate in addressing the harmful consequences of unlawful and/or dangerous online content,&#8221; the document reads.</p>
<p>While Google will be pleased with the outcome, the case was seen by some as a golden opportunity to see just how far Hood and the MPAA had collaborated on &#8216;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-google-can-see-emails-about-mpaas-secret-sopa-revival-150421/">Project Goliath</a>&#8216;. Now that an agreement of sorts has been reached, future revelations seem much less likely.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=4yphDRKUvYk:0GDuLq6zWNg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=4yphDRKUvYk:0GDuLq6zWNg:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=4yphDRKUvYk:0GDuLq6zWNg:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/4yphDRKUvYk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124807
title: Google: Punishing Pirate Sites in Search Results Works
uri: Google-Punishing-Pirate-Sites-in-Search-Results-Works
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-ZkLrRvF09c/
content:
<p><img src="media/f8e73451.googlefightspiracy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/googlefightspiracy.png" alt="googlefightspiracy" width="250" height="172" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124812">Over the past few years the entertainment industries have repeatedly asked Google to step up its game when it comes to its anti-piracy efforts.</p>
<p>These calls haven’t fallen on deaf ears and Google has slowly implemented various new anti-piracy measures in response.</p>
<p>Today, Google released an updated version of its “<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwxyRPFduTN2cl91LXJ0YjlYSjA/view">How Google Fights Piracy</a>” report. The company provides an overview of all the efforts it makes to combat piracy while countering some of the entertainment industry complaints.</p>
<p>One of the steps Google has taken in recent years aims to downrank the most egregious “pirate” sites.</p>
<p>To accomplish this, Google made changes to its core algorithms which <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-will-downrank-pirate-sites-starting-next-week-141018/">punish clear offenders</a>. Using the number of accurate DMCA requests as an indicator, these sites are now demoted in search results for certain key phrases.</p>
<p>Despite continuing critique from rightsholders, Google notes that this change has been very effective.</p>
<p>&#8220;This process has proven extremely effective. Immediately upon launching improvements to our demotion signal in 2014, one major torrent site acknowledged traffic from search engines had dropped by 50% within the first week,&#8221; Google writes, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/googles-new-downranking-hits-pirate-sites-hard-141023/">citing one of our articles</a>. </p>
<p>More recently, Google&#8217;s own findings confirmed this trend. As a result of the demotion policy, pirate sites lose the vast majority of their Google Search traffic.</p>
<p>&#8220;In May 2016, we found that demoted sites lost an average of 89% of their traffic from Google Search. These successes spur us to continue improving and refining the DMCA demotion signal.&#8221;</p>
<p>Despite this success, entertainment industry groups have recently called for a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-asks-government-to-facilitate-private-anti-piracy-deals-151020/">more rigorous response</a>. Ideally, they would like Google to remove the results from pirate sites entirely, and make sure that infringing links don&#8217;t reappear under a different URL. </p>
<p>However, Google doesn&#8217;t want to go this far. The company warns that removing entire sites is dangerous as it may lead to censorship of content that&#8217;s perfectly legal.</p>
<p>&#8220;Whole-site removal is ineffective and can easily result in the censorship of lawful material,&#8221; Google writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;Blogging sites, for example, contain millions of pages from hundreds of thousands of users, as do social networking sites, e-commerce sites, and cloud computing services. All can inadvertently contain material that is infringing.&#8221; </p>
<p>Similarly, Google doesn&#8217;t believe in a &#8220;takedown and staydown&#8221; approach, where the company would proactively filter search results for pirated content. This would be unfeasible and unnecessary, the company states. </p>
<p>&#8220;One problem is that there is no way to know whether something identified as infringing in one place and at one time is also unlawful when it appears at a different place and at a different time,&#8221; Google notes. </p>
<p>Instead, the company says that copyright holders should use the existing takedown procedure, and target new sites when they appear so these can be downranked as well. </p>
<p>Finally, Google stresses that search is not a major driver of traffic to pirate sites to begin with. Only a small fraction of users reach these sites through search engines.</p>
<p>While the company is willing to help alleviate the problem, search engines are not the only way to eradicate piracy.</p>
<p>&#8220;Search engines do not control what content is on the Web. There are more than 60 trillion web addresses on the internet, and there will always be new sites dedicated to making copyrighted works available as long as there is money to be made doing so.&#8221; </p>
<p>Instead of focusing on search, copyright holders should take a &#8220;follow the money&#8221; approach and make sure that pirate sites are cut off from their revenue sources, Google argues. </p>
<p>In addition, they shouldn&#8217;t forget to offer consumers plenty of legal alternatives to piracy.</p>
<p>Convincing the entertainment industries of its good intentions is easier said than done though. “This report looks a lot like “greenwash”,&#8221; says Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive of the music industry group BPI.</p>
<p>&#8220;Although we welcome the measures Google has taken so far, it is still one of the key enablers of piracy on the planet. Google has the resources and the tech expertise to do much more to get rid of the illegal content on its services,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=-ZkLrRvF09c:rhXv8lSSqXk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=-ZkLrRvF09c:rhXv8lSSqXk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=-ZkLrRvF09c:rhXv8lSSqXk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/-ZkLrRvF09c" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124868
title: VKontakte & Universal Music Close to Anti-Piracy Deal
uri: VKontakte-Universal-Music-Close-to-Anti-Piracy-Deal
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/mhK86tv63jg/
content:
<p><img src="media/19908c62.vk.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/vk.jpg" width="180" height="180" class="alignright">For many years, social networking giant vKontakte has been branded one of the world&#8217;s worst facilitators of copyright infringement.</p>
<p>The site, often dubbed &#8216;Russia&#8217;s Facebook&#8217;, has clashed with copyright holders everywhere, and has even found itself the subject of intense criticism from the U.S. Government.</p>
<p>One of vKontakte&#8217;s longest running disputes has been with Universal Music. Like several other recording labels, Universal has put the social network under intense pressure to curtail infringement on its platform.</p>
<p>Patience ran out two years ago when the label filed a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/major-record-labels-sue-russian-facebook-piracy-140403/">lawsuit</a> at the Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region Arbitration Court. Since then the case has flipped both ways, first with a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/russian-facebook-ordered-to-crack-down-on-piracy-150929/">partial victory</a> for the labels, then a Court of Appeal <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/universal-warner-defeated-in-vkontakte-piracy-battles-160304/">ruling</a> in favor of vKontakte.</p>
<p>After Universal <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/universal-music-appeals-vkontakte-piracy-lawsuit-160517/">filed</a> another appeal in May, the case looked like it might drag on, but according to a report from Russia&#8217;s <a href="http://www.vedomosti.ru/">Vedomosti</a>, peace is on the horizon.</p>
<p>Citing two sources within vKontakte parent company Mail.ru, the publication says that negotiations to strike a licensing deal with Universal are advanced and an announcement is imminent.</p>
<p>According to the insiders, the companies are in the &#8220;final stages&#8221; of approval and confirmation of the deal could arrive before the end of the week.</p>
<p>The scope of the licensing/anti-piracy deal appears to be broad, encompassing not only vKontakte but other Mail.ru ventures including Classmates (Odnoklassniki) and My World. These sites are the three most popular social networking platforms in Russia and where millions of tracks are downloaded for free.</p>
<p>So what&#8217;s in it for Universal? Currently, it appears that the record label is being guaranteed a minimum fee of $8m over three years. However, there is also a revenue sharing arrangement under discussion which could see Mail.ru companies make money when their users sign up for a premium music subscription package.</p>
<p>There is some speculation that an announcement could take place during this weekend&#8217;s <a href="http://www.radiorecord.ru/news/1401255-vk_fest2016">VK Fest music festival</a> but the sources <a href="http://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2016/07/13/648972-mailru-legalizovat-muziku">warn</a> there are still some legal complications to be ironed out.</p>
<p>In the event that confirmation of the deal is pushed back, the suggestion is that the parties could announce an &#8220;agreement of intent&#8221; instead, with the final details to be hammered out during the next few weeks.</p>
<p>If Universal does indeed sign on the dotted line, it will be in good company. Mail.ru already has annual licensing deals in place with Sony Music ($2m), Warner Music ($2.5m), distributor The Orchard, plus a handful of local publishers. Adding the world&#8217;s largest music company into the mix would largely complete the circle.</p>
<p>Assuming the Universal deal goes ahead, Mail.ru is initially expected to spend around $7m per year on music licensing, a huge amount considering that the entire Russian digital music market was worth just $23.5m in 2015. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=mhK86tv63jg:2towsT0canc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=mhK86tv63jg:2towsT0canc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=mhK86tv63jg:2towsT0canc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/mhK86tv63jg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124921
title: Steal This Show S01E13: Save P2P, Save The Internet!
uri: Steal-This-Show-S01E13-Save-P2P-Save-The-Internet
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/k170Qib29U8/
content:
<p><img src="media/bdfe7b85.stslogo1-e1448220349193.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stslogo1-e1448220349193.png" alt="stslogo" width="220" height="220" class="alignright size-full wp-image-113912">In this emergency episode of STEAL THIS SHOW, <a href="http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/about/people/thomas-lohninger">Thomas Lohninger</a> of <a href="https://savetheinternet.eu/en/">Save The Internet</a> and Holmes Wilson of <a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/">Fight For The Future</a> explain how practices like <em>traffic management</em>, <em>zero rating</em> and <em>specialised services</em> threaten P2P, VPNs and, more generally, our access to a free and open internet. </p>
<p><a href="https://savetheinternet.eu/en/">Click here</a> to have your voice heard before it&#8217;s too late!</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><a href="https://stealthisshow.com">Steal This Show</a> aims to release bi-weekly episodes featuring insiders discussing copyright and file-sharing news. It complements our regular reporting by adding more room for opinion, commentary and analysis. </p>
<p>The guests for our news discussions will vary and we&#8217;ll aim to introduce voices from different backgrounds and persuasions. In addition to news, STS will also produce features interviewing some of the great innovators and minds. </p>
<p><strong>Host:</strong> Jamie King</p>
<p><strong>Guests:</strong> Thomas Lohninger and Holmes Wilson</p>
<p><center><iframe width="100%" height="180px" src="//stealthisshow.com/?lpe-frame=1&#038;lpe-season=1&#038;lpe-episode=13" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<p><strong>Produced </strong> <em>by </em>Jamie King<br>
<strong>Edited &#038; Mixed</strong> <em>by</em> Riley Byrne<br>
<strong>Original Music</strong> <em>by</em> David Triana<br>
<strong>Web Production</strong> <em>by</em> Siraje Amarniss</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=k170Qib29U8:msvl5mjLVKc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=k170Qib29U8:msvl5mjLVKc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=k170Qib29U8:msvl5mjLVKc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/k170Qib29U8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124762
title: ‘Tor and Bitcoin Hinder Anti-Piracy Efforts’
uri: Tor-and-Bitcoin-Hinder-Anti-Piracy-Efforts
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/YD_LQ0OLFqA/
content:
<p><img src="media/ef1c23c4.euipo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/euipo.png" alt="euipo" width="250" height="77" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124768">To avoid enforcement efforts, pirate sites often go to extremes to hide themselves from rightsholders and authorities.  </p>
<p>Increasingly, this also means that they use various encryption technologies to increase their resilience and anonymity. </p>
<p>Several of these techniques are highlighted in a new report published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (<a href="https://euipo.europa.eu/">EUIPO</a>).</p>
<p>The report gives a broad overview of the business models that are used to illegally exploit intellectual property. This includes websites dedicated to counterfeit goods, but also online piracy hubs such as torrent sites and file-hosting platforms.</p>
<p>EUIPO hopes that mapping out these business models will help to counter the ongoing threat they face.</p>
<p>&#8220;The study will provide enhanced understanding to policymakers, civil society and private businesses. At the same time, it will help to identify and better understand the range of responses necessary to tackle the challenge of large scale online IPR infringements,&#8221; EUIPO notes.</p>
<p>According to the research, several infringing business models rely on encryption-based technologies. The Tor network and Bitcoin, for example, are repeatedly mentioned as part of this &#8220;shadow landscape&#8221;. </p>
<p>&#8220;It more and more relies on new encrypted technologies like the TOR browser and the Bitcoin virtual currency, which are employed by infringers of IPR to generate income and hide the proceeds of crime from the authorities,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p>According to the report, Bitcoin&#8217;s threat is that the transactions can&#8217;t be easily traced to a person or company. This is problematic, since copyright enforcement efforts are often based on a follow-the-money approach.</p>
<p>&#8220;There are no public records connecting Bitcoin wallet IDs with personal information of individuals. Because of these Bitcoin transactions are considered semi-anonymous,&#8221; EUIPO writes.</p>
<p>Similarly, sites and services that operate on the darknet, such as the Tor network, are harder to take down. Their domain names can&#8217;t be seized, for example, and darknet sites are not subject to ISP blockades.</p>
<p>&#8220;Through the use of TOR, a user’s Internet traffic is encrypted and routed in specific ways to achieve security and anonymity,&#8221; the report notes.</p>
<p>While the report doesn&#8217;t list any names, it describes various popular torrent, streaming and file-hosting sites. In one specific case, it mentions an e-book portal that operates exclusively on the darknet, generating revenue from Bitcoin donations. </p>
<p>Most traditional pirate sites still operate on the &#8216;open&#8217; Internet. However, several sites now allow users to donate Bitcoin and both The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents both have a dedicated darknet address as well.</p>
<p>EUIPO is clearly worried about these developments, but the group doesn&#8217;t advocate a ban of encryption-based services as they also have legitimate purposes. </p>
<p>However, it signals that these and other trends should be followed with interest, as they make it harder to tackle various forms of counterfeiting and piracy online. </p>
<p>As part of the efforts to cut back various forms of copyright infringement, EUIPO also announced a new partnership with Europol this week. The organizations <a href="https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/launch-ipc3-europe%E2%80%99s-response-intellectual-property-crime#_ftn2">launched</a> the Intellectual Property Crime Coordinated Coalition which aims to strengthen the fight against counterfeiting and piracy. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=YD_LQ0OLFqA:5CXkowjZAbc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=YD_LQ0OLFqA:5CXkowjZAbc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=YD_LQ0OLFqA:5CXkowjZAbc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/YD_LQ0OLFqA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124658
title: Photographers Take “Pirating” News Outlets to Court
uri: Photographers-Take-Pirating-News-Outlets-to-Court
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/hsRKb9honf0/
content:
<p><img src="media/703004d7.photo-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/photo-1.jpg" alt="photo" width="299" height="199" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124919">When it comes to online piracy most attention usually goes out to music, TV-shows and movies. However, photos are arguably the most-infringed works online.</p>
<p>While most photographers spend little time battling piracy, a few are willing to take the matter to federal court. </p>
<p>Recently we&#8217;ve seen a trend emerge on this front. A handful of independent photographers have teamed up with attorney Richard Liebowitz in order to demand damages from a variety of publishers, mostly prominent news outlets.  </p>
<p>One of the photographers taking a stand is Christopher Sadowski, who noticed his work being featured on Gizmodo.com and Gawker.com. Sadowski sued Gawker media for using his photo of an UBER car in two articles. In neither case he was rewarded or recognized for his work, the <a href="media/9e95de14.gawker.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gawker.pdf">complaint</a> alleges.</p>
<p>&#8220;Gawker did not license the Photograph from Plaintiff for its articles, nor did Gawker have Plaintiff’s permission or consent to publish the Photograph on its Websites. Upon information and belief, Gawker removed Sadowski’s gutter credit and did not attribute the Photograph to anyone.&#8221;</p>
<p>It&#8217;s unclear how the photo ended up on Gawker but the complaint states that it was properly licensed to The New York Post earlier. Gawker has yet to respond to the claims and at the time of writing the photo is still online.</p>
<p><center><strong>The allegedly infringing image on <a href="http://gizmodo.com/uber-drivers-in-california-will-be-considered-employees-1711956394">Gizmodo</a></strong><br></br></center><img src="media/df8e6434.gizpirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gizpirate.jpg" alt="gizpirate" width="600" height="421" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124931"><center></center></p>
<p>Sadowski is not alone as several lawsuits have also been filed on behalf of other photographers in recent weeks. For example, photographer <a href="http://johnmarshallmantel.com/">John Mantel</a> sued a <a href="media/3e5af822.verizonetal.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/verizonetal.pdf">variety of news publishers</a> including tech companies Verizon, AOL and Microsoft, for using his work without permission in news articles. </p>
<p>Similarly, Steve Sands launched lawsuits against IGN.com (Ziff Davis) and MTV.com, Steven Hirsch sued Heavy.com, Allesandro Masi took Yahoo.com to court and Angel Chevrestt went after CBS. And that&#8217;s just a small selection of the ongoing cases.</p>
<p><center><strong>Sands vs. Ziff Davis</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/cff71ed6.ziff.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ziff.jpg" alt="ziff" width="561" height="350" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124932"></center></p>
<p>In all cases, the publishers are accused of copyright infringement and the common theme is that the news outlets use photos in their articles without properly licensing them. Most of the time the photographers in question are not even credited.</p>
<p>None of the accused news outlets have been found liable yet, but it&#8217;s very likely that at least some of them are breaking the law. According to the defense attorney, these news outlets are clearly profiting from the work of his clients.</p>
<p>&#8220;Copyright infringement is an ongoing issue. Companies are using other people&#8217;s hard work and profiting off of it. It is important for photographers and the creative community to unite and stand up for their rights and protect their work,&#8221; Liebowitz tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>In the complaints the photographers all seek compensation, which could go up to $150,000 in statutory damages per work. It is expected, however, that most will be settled for a lower amount at some stage to avoid expensive litigation. </p>
<p>The costs involved with these cases is also one of the main reasons why photographers typically don&#8217;t file lawsuits. Starting a federal case with proper representation is quite costly, while the outcome is rather uncertain. </p>
<p>However, this may change soon. This week, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries introduced a new bill that will give rightsholders a cheaper option to pursue these cases. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/5757?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22HR+5757%22%5D%7D">CASE Act</a>, short for Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement, proposes a small claims court to resolve copyright disputes outside the federal courts. This means that legal costs will be significantly reduced. </p>
<p>This is not the first time that a small claims court for copyright issues has been proposed but this time the plan has significant backing from Professional Photographers of America, a trade organization with roughly 30,000 members</p>
<p>For now, however, Liebowitz and his client will have to take their cases to federal court. Considering the stream of new complaints being filed, this strategy may still pay off.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=hsRKb9honf0:aN994gJpg7U:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=hsRKb9honf0:aN994gJpg7U:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=hsRKb9honf0:aN994gJpg7U:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/hsRKb9honf0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124917
title: BitTorrent Users Present a Goldmine of Marketing Opportunities
uri: BitTorrent-Users-Present-a-Goldmine-of-Marketing-Opportunities
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3NuSIozXJ-Q/
content:
<p><a href="media/ded434f7.swarm1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/swarm1.jpg"><img src="media/ded434f7.swarm1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/swarm1.jpg" alt="swarm" width="190" height="98" class="alignright size-full wp-image-67641"></a>After years of aggressive litigation against hundreds of thousands of file-sharers, by now the message should be sinking in. Peer-to-peer networks, BitTorrent included, are very public and anyone with the know-how can look in.</p>
<p>Commonly, most of the people doing the monitoring have anti-piracy motives. Some aim to assess how much business may or may not be disappearing due to unauthorized sharing. Others spy with the sole intention of extracting cash settlements from users. US-based <a href="http://www.peerlogix.com/">Peerlogix</a> has a different agenda.</p>
<p>&#8220;We formed the company in 2013 out of a need of independent film studios. The types you see with $100k to maybe $1M budgets. We wanted to show them how to sell their films better,&#8221; says Peerlogix CEO and Co-founder William Gorfein.</p>
<p>With no chance of a Netflix deal, Gorfein says these studios often relied on sales to foreign countries that had a demand for American films.</p>
<p>&#8220;The problem is, these guys are artists, not analytics pros. Where would the movie be popular? Germany? South Korea? Because these guys typically didn’t have a clue, we felt there would be room for us to step in. We’d be the analysis side,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;A film would be released, we could see the countries it&#8217;s popular in, and we’d then make introductions to key people in international markets to help broker film distribution deals. That was the idea at least, and our business model was to make money on the analytics.&#8221;</p>
<p>In 2014, Peerlogix became a measurement company, similar to Nielsen and comScore, but one gathering data from BitTorrent networks, the only fully international means to obtain video and music content online.</p>
<p>&#8220;Going to plan a new tour for an up and coming artist? Let us use this information together to help plan the cities the artist should be in. Trying to produce and finance a movie for international markets? Let’s finally use this activity to see which A and B list actors are popular in foreign markets,&#8221; Gorfein says.</p>
<p>In the music sector, Peerlogix has undertaken digital advertising projects for <a href="http://neeraj.co/peerlogix/how-solve-biggest-problems-music-festivals">music festivals</a>, gathering consumption data from torrent swarms to improve sales.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our goal is to show artists that there’s an entire segment of fans they’re not reaching. That the demographics look great, and that extra tickets and merchandise can be sold as a result of reaching them,&#8221; Gorfein explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;Your YouTube efforts are garnering X ROI, your social media efforts are giving you Y ROI – but how about the fans on torrents? There are millions, so we’ve been showing artists that there’s an equivalent ROI that can be realized from torrenters (without lawsuits!) and that it’s a necessary strategy to incorporate.&#8221;</p>
<p>For those more interested in the mechanics, Peerlogix told us that they&#8217;re close to being able to monitor every publicly available torrent.</p>
<p>&#8220;As far as protocols go, this includes conventional tracker servers, DHT (and subsequent magnet links), and Peer Exchange (PEX). DHT, by and large, makes up the bulk of the incoming data we collect,&#8221; Gorfein says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The conventional tracker servers were the simplest to track and mine. We were able to get that ability launched and running after our first few months and with relative ease. DHT is far trickier.&#8221;</p>
<p>Once harvested, the data is crunched and shared with third party companies, typically agencies who target individuals with advertising on multiple platforms.</p>
<p>&#8220;Does a consumer products company want to advertise to all viewers of Modern Family on ABC? If so, they will need to incorporate the 20% of the viewers that choose to do so via torrents, and that’s where we come in,&#8221; Gorfein says.</p>
<p>In order to add value to their service, Peerlogix works with other companies to augment harvested torrent information with demographic and behavioral data. That has provided some valuable insights into the nature of BitTorrent users.</p>
<p>&#8220;A eureka moment occurred when we saw that the demographics behind torrent households are borderline incredible &#8211; well educated, large discretionary dollars to spend and tech-savvy,&#8221; Gorfein says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Did you know that homes watching Real Housewives on torrent also have high affinities for fishing? Or that downloaders of Tomb Raider have a 3.3x greater likelihood of watching Game of Thrones? Or that these same Tomb Raider players love the X-Men and Hunger Games series? Me neither but the numbers speak for themselves,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>Being monitored for advertising purposes is a daily occurrence for everyone using the Internet, whether that&#8217;s on the web or even BitTorrent. Not everyone likes it, but when a timely job opportunity lands on the mat <a href="http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/1239641.htm">due to the latter</a>, things might not be so bad.</p>
<p>More information on Peerlogix can be found <a href="http://www.peerlogix.com/">here</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=3NuSIozXJ-Q:jvwk7tuZnG8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=3NuSIozXJ-Q:jvwk7tuZnG8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=3NuSIozXJ-Q:jvwk7tuZnG8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/3NuSIozXJ-Q" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124894
title: Google Wipes Record Breaking Half Billion Pirate Links in 2016
uri: Google-Wipes-Record-Breaking-Half-Billion-Pirate-Links-in-2016
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/TXMPMqTG6XY/
content:
<p><a href="media/7c6b9504.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg"><img src="media/3a6fa524.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg" alt="google-bay" width="200" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21875"></a>Copyright holders continue to overload Google with DMCA takedown requests, targeting &#8220;pirate links&#8221; in the company&#8217;s search results.</p>
<p>In recent years the number of notices has exploded, breaking record after record. </p>
<p>Data analyzed by TorrentFreak reveals that Google recently received its 500 millionth takedown request of 2016.</p>
<p>The counter currently displays more than 523,000,000, which is yet another record. For comparison, last year it took almost <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-asked-remove-558-million-pirate-links-2015/">the entire year</a> to reach the same milestone. </p>
<p>If the numbers continue to go up at the same rate throughout the year, Google will process a billion allegedly infringing links during the whole of 2016, a staggering number.</p>
<p>According to Google roughly 98% of the reported URLs are indeed removed. This means that half a billion links were stripped from search results this year alone. However, according to copyright holders, this is still not enough. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/4b25f916.googlenotices500m.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/googlenotices500m.png" alt="googlenotices500m" width="500" height="252" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-124960"></center></p>
<p>Entertainment industry groups such as the RIAA, BPI and MPAA have pointed out repeatedly that many files simply reappear under new URLs. </p>
<p>&#8220;It’s like ‘Groundhog Day’ for takedowns,” RIAA CEO Cary Sherman said previously.</p>
<p>This week Google addressed the issue in its updated &#8220;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwxyRPFduTN2cl91LXJ0YjlYSjA/view">How Google Fights Piracy</a>&#8221; report. In it, the company provides an overview of all the efforts it makes to combat piracy while countering some of the entertainment industry complaints.</p>
<p>According to Google, the increase shows that the system is working and the company notes that it takes less than six hours to remove content.</p>
<p>&#8220;The growing number of notices sent to Google by an increasing volume of different copyright owners and enforcement agents demonstrates the effectiveness and success of the notice-and-take-<br>
down system.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;As the internet continues to grow rapidly, and as new technologies make it cheaper and faster for copyright owners and enforcement agents to detect infringements online, we can expect these numbers to continue to increase,&#8221; Google adds.</p>
<p>Still, rightsholders are not impressed and continue to demand a tougher stance from Google when it comes to piracy. Shortly after Google released its report this week, BPI CEO Geoff Taylor already dismissed it.</p>
<p>“This report looks a lot like &#8216;greenwash&#8217;. Although we welcome the measures Google has taken so far, it is still one of the key enablers of piracy on the planet,&#8221; Taylor said.  </p>
<p>By now it has become clear that the entertainment industry groups and Google are not going to reach an agreement anytime soon. The issue has been going on for years now and both sides continue to make the same arguments. </p>
<p>Various industry are now hoping that the Government will intervene at some point. Whether that will happen has yet to be seen but in the meantime, rightsholders will continue to report millions of pirate links per day.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=TXMPMqTG6XY:ycsmvrvUQu8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=TXMPMqTG6XY:ycsmvrvUQu8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=TXMPMqTG6XY:ycsmvrvUQu8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/TXMPMqTG6XY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124999
title: Accused “Pirate” Questions Dallas Buyers Club’s Copyright Claim
uri: Accused-Pirate-Questions-Dallas-Buyers-Club-s-Copyright-Claim
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/YDHv9_rF0Ho/
content:
<p><img src="media/2381f8ad.dallas1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dallas1.jpg" alt="dallas" width="275" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-96710">Movie studio Voltage Pictures is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/downloaded-dallas-buyers-club-the-piracy-lawsuits-are-coming-140207/">no stranger</a> to suing BitTorrent users.</p>
<p>The company has filed lawsuits against alleged pirates in the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia, and is estimated to have made a lot of money doing so. </p>
<p>Most of these cases target downloaders of the Oscar-winning movie Dallas Buyers Club. Voltage Pictures is one of the production companies behind the film, but as is common in Hollywood, it&#8217;s not the sole rightsholder. </p>
<p>In fact, another company named &#8220;Dallas Buyers Club LLC&#8221; (DBC) has also filed dozens of cases against pirates. While one might think that both rightsholders are working in tandem, they are in fact fighting over the anti-piracy loot behind the scenes. </p>
<p>In a case DBC and Truth Entertainment filed against Voltage Pictures last year (<a href="media/1fc4a39c.318531997-CAND-15-cv-05537-Doc-42-9-1.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/318531997-CAND-15-cv-05537-Doc-42-9-1.pdf">pdf</a>), the latter is accused of various deceptive practices, including breach of contract and fraud. </p>
<p>The two plaintiffs suggest that Voltage has been holding back money from foreign proceeds. They further state that the production company hasn&#8217;t been open about its practices. </p>
<p>Aside from claims that money has gone missing, its anti-piracy methods are also under the spotlight. According to DBC, Voltage hasn&#8217;t provided any details on enforcement actions, nor has it shared any of the proceeds from its anti-piracy efforts. </p>
<p>&#8220;DBC entered into an Agreement with Voltage to act as its agent to enforce Anti-piracy actions against people who have illegally downloaded or otherwise obtained the ability to watch the movie without paying for the right to watch it,&#8221; the filing reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;The only updates DBC receives are thorough, mostly negative, media reports about the actions of Voltage around the World. DBC has not received any funds, reports, updates or any information from Voltage on the status numerous lawsuits filed around the World in the name of DBC.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>Where&#8217;s the anti-piracy bounty?</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/9e8d57cb.voltagedbc.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/voltagedbc.jpg" alt="voltagedbc" width="600" height="310" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125007"></center></p>
<p>While the paperwork doesn&#8217;t explicitly state that both parties agreed to share the anti-piracy bounty, the claims above suggest that this is the case. Most interesting, perhaps, is that it&#8217;s unclear whether all enforcement actions are ultimately driven by Voltage.</p>
<p>This confusing situation is casting doubt over the legitimacy of these piracy lawsuits, as <a href="https://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/2016/07/17/how-copyright-trolls-plunder-both-us-citizens-and-rights-holders/">FCT highlights</a>. This prompted Nicholas Ranallo, attorney for an accused &#8220;pirate&#8221;, to ask a California federal court for an extra safeguard.</p>
<p>Ranallo mentions that there is doubt over who owns the movie and he cites the legal battle between Dallas Buyers Club LLC, in whose name his defendant was sued, and Voltage. </p>
<p>&#8220;It is unclear what rights (if any) are actually held by Voltage Pictures or the suing entities, though it is abundantly clear that Voltage Pictures controls the litigation and keeps the proceeds collected on behalf of the purported plaintiffs,&#8221; Ranallo writes.</p>
<p>The amended complaint against the accused pirate identifies Dallas Buyers Club LLC as the owner, but the original complaint listed Truth LLC as such. Then again, the DVD cover and other material list Voltage as the copyright holder. </p>
<p>&#8220;Various advertising and promotional materials cast further doubt about the claims that Dallas Buyers Club LLC owns the relevant copyright(s), and reveal a myriad of entities that have, at one time or another, claimed copyright in the film.&#8221;    </p>
<p>As a safeguard, Ranallo asks the court to require Dallas Buyers Club to post a $50,000 bond (<a href="media/1fc4a39c.318531997-CAND-15-cv-05537-Doc-42-9-1.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/318531997-CAND-15-cv-05537-Doc-42-9-1.pdf">pdf</a>), to secure costs and attorney fees if the suspicions do indeed hold ground.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s not uncommon for several companies to have a stake in a single movie, it will be interesting to see if this case leads to more clarity over the rights they have to pursue a copyright claim in court. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=YDHv9_rF0Ho:fWz8mgBymlk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=YDHv9_rF0Ho:fWz8mgBymlk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=YDHv9_rF0Ho:fWz8mgBymlk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/YDHv9_rF0Ho" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124989
title: VKontakte & Universal Sign Anti-Piracy & Licensing Deal
uri: VKontakte-Universal-Sign-Anti-Piracy-Licensing-Deal
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/YxpMY12Tj4U/
content:
<p><img src="media/19908c62.vk.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/vk.jpg" width="180" height="180" class="alignright">After years of being branded one of the world&#8217;s worst Internet piracy facilitators, social networking giant vKontakte has taken a huge step towards fixing its reputation.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vkontakte-universal-music-close-to-anti-piracy-deal-160715/">predicated</a> last week, vKontakte owner Mail.ru has now signed a licensing agreement with Universal Music and United Music Agency which will see music and video content appear legally on the platform.</p>
<p>The deal also covers Mail.ru&#8217;s two other social networking platforms, Classmates (Odnoklassniki) and My World. Along with vKontakte, these sites are the three most popular social networking platforms in Russia.</p>
<p>With the agreement now signed, Mail.ru has licensing agreements in place with the three leading music rights groups &#8211; Universal Music Group (UMG), Warner Music and Sony Music. </p>
<p>In addition to allowing huge catalogs of music to appear on vKontakte legitimately, the Universal deal also puts to rest all copyright-related legal action between the companies. VKontakte has now settled its differences with all three music giants.</p>
<p>Details on the UMG deal are scarce, but Mail.ru says that its social network platforms will &#8220;test various monetization models jointly with other market players&#8221; to find the best solution for artists and fans.</p>
<p>Insiders familiar with the negotiations told Russian news outlet <a href="https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2016/07/18/649516-mailru-group-podpisala-litsenzionnii-dogovor-universal-music-group">Vedomosti</a> that Universal has received a &#8220;minimum guarantee&#8221; that it will generate around $8m over the next three years.</p>
<p>VKontakte CEO Boris Dobrodeyev welcomed the deal between the companies and expressed optimism for the future.</p>
<p>“Following extensive negotiations, we have agreed terms with all of the major music rights holders, enabling us to draw a line under this process. This is a historic moment and a new milestone in VKontakte’s history,&#8221; Dobrodeyev said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our constructive and mutually beneficial collaboration has put an end to earlier disputes with the record companies. Following the removal of legal barriers, we can now create new products based on VKontakte’s music service that users will value.”</p>
<p>Adrian Cheesley, Senior Vice President at Universal Music Group, said that the deal will ensure that artists will now be paid when their content is exploited on social networks.</p>
<p>&#8220;Music has tremendous value and we’re gratified to reach a commercial agreement that ensures UMG’s artists are fairly compensated for the use of their music,&#8221; Cheesley said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Russia is an important, and growing, market for UMG and with this important step we’re looking forward to developing more local artists, investing in growing the music scene and broadly licensing services.”</p>
<p>It is not yet clear how the terms of the licensing deal will affect how music is made available on vKontakte in future, but it&#8217;s likely it will be less of a free-for-all than it currently is. Music downloaded from vKontakte is an important fuelling element of the pirate content landscape so this is definitely something to watch in the weeks and months to come.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=YxpMY12Tj4U:QXYR0qviYrw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=YxpMY12Tj4U:QXYR0qviYrw:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=YxpMY12Tj4U:QXYR0qviYrw:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/YxpMY12Tj4U" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124984
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 07/18/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-07-18-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/eQX2D20Fp4w/
content:
<p><img src="media/01cefe30.centint.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/centint.jpg" alt="centint" width="300" height="176" class="alignright size-full wp-image-124991" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/centint.jpg 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/centint-220x130.jpg 220w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px">This week we have two newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Central Intelligence is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-071116/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence/">Central Intelligence</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489889/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxEw3elSJ8M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/warcraft/">Warcraft</a> (subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803096/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhFMIRuHAL4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_purge_election_year/">The Purge: Election Year</a> (subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4094724/">6.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXMp9fBomJw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_legend_of_tarzan/">The Legend of Tarzan</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0918940/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLmKio67pVQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a></td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WWzgGyAH6Y">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hardcore_henry/">Hardcore Henry</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3072482/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96EChBYVFhU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/finding_dory/">Finding Dory</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2277860">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLIy1K8kJPo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/me_before_you/">Me Before You</a> (Subbed Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2674426/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W65ndip7MM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/independence_day_resurgence/">Independence Day: Resurgence</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1628841/">5.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbduDRH2m2M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_apocalypse/">X-Men: Apocalypse</a> (HDCam/TC)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385516/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jer8XjMrUB4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=eQX2D20Fp4w:0y66tLzgAjY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=eQX2D20Fp4w:0y66tLzgAjY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=eQX2D20Fp4w:0y66tLzgAjY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/eQX2D20Fp4w" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124904
title: The Google Piracy Blame Game is Headache Inducing
uri: The-Google-Piracy-Blame-Game-is-Headache-Inducing
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/IhHBe7p0Hzk/
content:
<p><a href="media/3a6fa524.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg"><img src="media/3a6fa524.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg" alt="google-bay" width="200" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21875"></a>Music piracy in 2016 is a somewhat curious beast. Streaming platforms are readily accessible and the service provided by outfits like Spotify out-perform the vast majority of pirate sites.</p>
<p>With many legitimate platforms providing an ad-supported free tier, it&#8217;s even difficult to complain about the price. Still, some people prefer to pirate and this infuriates the labels, and understandably so. Sadly, however, their response is to blame people that have nothing to do with that infringement.</p>
<p>After being put under intense pressure by copyright holders, Google now feels obliged to let everyone know what measures it&#8217;s taking against this kind of piracy. This week it produced a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-punishing-pirate-sites-in-search-results-works-160713/">comprehensive report</a> covering every possible angle. Within minutes the record labels had responded, not with thanks, but with intence criticism.</p>
<p>On a personal level I&#8217;d like to think that Google is now pretty pissed off, and this is coming from someone who supports artists with subscriptions to Spotify, Deezer and Digitally Imported, and purchases from Beatport and Juno.</p>
<p>For the millionth time, Google does not engage in copyright infringement, yet faced with a problem they can&#8217;t solve on their own, the labels have adopted a strategy of painting Google as the villain. The contempt shown by the labels for a company that is already going way beyond what&#8217;s required of it under the law is quite unbelievable. </p>
<p>The maddening reality of it all really hits home when one reads a piece penned by the BPI&#8217;s Geoff Taylor and <a href="http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/googles-fight-piracy-alternative-version/">published</a> in MBW this week. It begins with complaints that Content ID doesn&#8217;t work as well as it should and he invites Google to up its game.</p>
<p>&#8220;Despite its amazing innovations in mapping the Earth and inventing driverless cars, Google hasn’t managed to implement a Content ID system that people can’t easily get around,&#8221; Taylor complains.</p>
<p>First, Google had no obligation to make Content ID at all but it did and now artists are $2bn better off. Second, people invent systems, people get around them, everyone knows that. But apparently, Google is partly to blame for that too.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course the fact that Google refuses to remove YouTube videos that show you exactly how to circumvent Content ID doesn’t help,&#8221; Taylor adds.</p>
<p>No, it&#8217;s not helpful, but what it does show is that Google isn&#8217;t prepared to stifle free speech, even if it does find it objectionable. Talking about circumventing Content ID is not a crime, nor a breach of YouTube&#8217;s terms and conditions. Those videos should stay up, no matter how annoying.</p>
<p>Also, it&#8217;s worth bearing in mind that when looking at any industry demands, history shows us that whatever is offered, it will never, ever be enough. Taylor&#8217;s piece demonstrates that with flying colors.</p>
<p>&#8220;Google should concentrate its formidable resources on making a Content ID system that is genuinely effective in protecting creators; <em>and then apply a similar proactive system to Google search and its other services</em>.&#8221;</p>
<p>Proactively censor existence of content on the web. Right. That should be both easy and completely problem free.</p>
<p>To be fair, it&#8217;s obvious why the music industry wants Google to go down this route, but the thought of any third party becoming permanent judge and jury over what we can and cannot see online is bewildering. And that&#8217;s ignoring the fact that Content ID works for material Google hosts. Applying that to content hosted elsewhere would be a minefield, if not impossible.</p>
<p>But it doesn&#8217;t stop there. Also bewildering is how the labels are trying to shame Google into paying them more.</p>
<p>&#8220;This isn’t strictly a piracy issue, but we can’t ignore the fact that YouTube pays 1/16th as much for each of its music users as competing services like Spotify,&#8221; Taylor writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;It’s time that Google started sharing a fair proportion of the value it derives from YouTube with creators.&#8221;</p>
<p>In any other marketplace people simply don&#8217;t do business with a company if they don&#8217;t like the prices being paid, but apparently the labels are being <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-says-youtube-is-running-a-dmca-protection-racket-160412/">held to ransom</a>.</p>
<p>That being said, since we&#8217;re playing this game of &#8220;fair proportions&#8221;, consider this. YouTube makes pretty much <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/viewers-dont-add-up-to-profit-for-youtube-1424897967">no money</a>. Does the BPI want a share of that?</p>
<p>But the complaint that is perhaps the most frustrating is that the BPI and others are still complaining that pirate sites are turning up in search results for music content.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s be clear, the most popular pirate sites do not turn up in the first results because they&#8217;re all being downranked by Google&#8217;s anti-piracy algorithm. This means that sites that most people have never heard of get pushed up the list, apparently above legitimate offerings.</p>
<p>That raises the preposterous notion that the people behind many of these bottom tier pirate sites have better SEO skills than the world&#8217;s biggest music companies. That being the case, someone needs a kick in the ass &#8211; and it&#8217;s not Google.</p>
<p>Finally, Taylor criticizes Google for not going after sites that rip audio content from YouTube videos and convert them to MP3s.</p>
<p>&#8220;Although such sites breach YouTube’s terms of service and seem to contradict its business model – by turning ad-supported transient streams into permanent copies – Google continues to point to these sites in autocomplete and to host YouTube videos showing how to use them,&#8221; he writes.</p>
<p>Again, the BPI is asking for censorship of content that simply isn&#8217;t illegal. But more than that it&#8217;s yet again demanding action from YouTube when it could take action itself. If these sites are illegal, why aren&#8217;t they being added to the UK&#8217;s national website blocking list, for example?</p>
<p>The problem with this continual assault on Google is that it&#8217;s not only tiresome but it largely misses the point. Google already does way more than the law requires yet it only has control over content hosted on YouTube. No matter what actions it takes, it simply cannot remove illicit content from the web, it can only make it a bit less visible.</p>
<p>Google can look after itself, but copyright holders should be extremely cautious of treating its many overtures with this level of contempt. One volunteer is worth ten pressed men and one can only guess at how much patience Google has left.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=IhHBe7p0Hzk:P_Ml0C_xH58:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=IhHBe7p0Hzk:P_Ml0C_xH58:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=IhHBe7p0Hzk:P_Ml0C_xH58:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/IhHBe7p0Hzk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125045
title: Court Orders Dotcom’s Megavideo to Pay $13.4m For TV Show Piracy
uri: Court-Orders-Dotcom-s-Megavideo-to-Pay-13-4m-For-TV-Show-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5EsZdFFU1Ac/
content:
<p><a href="media/3847bf70.megavideo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megavideo.jpg"><img src="media/3847bf70.megavideo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megavideo.jpg" alt="megavideo" width="240" height="133" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125061"></a>Kim Dotcom&#8217;s Megaupload empire was shuttered in 2012 with dramatic raids in New Zealand and legal action on several continents. Nevertheless, the drama continues.</p>
<p>The entrepreneur and his former colleagues are fighting on several fronts, including extradition cases in New Zealand plus pending copyright, racketeering and money laundering charges in the United States. Interestingly, another case has just emerged out of the shadows in Europe.</p>
<p>Megavideo, Megaupload&#8217;s sister site, was focused on storing videos uploaded by its users. Predictably, however, thousands of these videos were movies and TV shows, for which Megaupload users held no copyrights.</p>
<p>Some of that content belonged to TV company RTI (Reti Televisive Italiane), a subsidiary of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediaset">Mediaset</a>, the media giant founded by former Italian president Silvio Berlusconi. In an effort to have that content removed, in 2010 RTI says it contacted Megavideo with takedown requests, takedowns which the company failed to act upon.</p>
<p>This prompted RTI to take Megavideo to court, claiming that the video hosting platform had infringed its broadcasting rights and engaged in unfair competition. RTI asked the court to order Megavideo to take down the unauthorized content and award damages of more than $110m.</p>
<p>The unfair competition claim gained no traction but the Tribunale di Roma has just handed down its decision and its bad news for Megavideo.</p>
<p>The Court <a href="http://www.diritto.it/docs/38491-tribunale-di-roma-condanna-e-risarcimento-per-i-provider-che-commettono-illecito">found</a> that the Hong Kong-based video hosting platform illegally distributed more than 16,000 minutes of RTI programming and ordered it to pay the equivalent of $13.4m in damages, plus more than $60,000 in legal costs.</p>
<p>In Megavideo&#8217;s absence (the company did not defend itself), the Court considered whether the platform could enjoy safe harbor as a hosting provider.</p>
<p>Megavideo failed on a number of points, notably by organizing content into various categories, placing advertising based on the geo-locations of its users, and lifting viewing limitations on users after they paid a subscription.</p>
<p>But perhaps the most curious element of the case surrounds the takedown notices RTI sent to Megavideo back in 2010.</p>
<p>While most DMCA-style efforts must include an offending URL so that platforms are easily able to identify the content in question, RTI offered Megavideo no such luxury. The TV company simply advised the hosting platform that its TV shows were on the site and ordered it to take them down.</p>
<p>Strangely the Court found that this was enough information for Megavideo to act on the allegations of infringement. In a partial translation of the ruling, <a href="http://ipkitten.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/rome-court-of-first-instances-confirms.html">IPKitten</a> has the Court noting that &#8220;the information included in those takedown requests was sufficient to allow the defendant to take action to prevent the continuation of the infringement of [RTI&#8217;s] rights.&#8221;</p>
<p>Even in the absence of the takedowns, the Court added that &#8220;the defendant could easily and independently acquire knowledge of such infringements, both because of the notoriety of the TV programmes in question and the relevant broadcasting channels and, in particular, the presence RTI&#8217;s distinctive signs on all TV programmes&#8217; extracts.&#8221;</p>
<p>In the overall scheme of things the ruling probably represents a minor setback for Kim Dotcom, but the notion that copyright holders can send extremely general takedown requests to hosting platforms and expect them to take action is a worrying one that might not be supported under EU law.</p>
<p>Kim Dotcom did not immediately respond to our requests for comment.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=5EsZdFFU1Ac:3TzVJ07_qFY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=5EsZdFFU1Ac:3TzVJ07_qFY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=5EsZdFFU1Ac:3TzVJ07_qFY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/5EsZdFFU1Ac" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125011
title: Court: Google and Bing Don’t Have to Censor “Torrent” Searches
uri: Court-Google-and-Bing-Don-t-Have-to-Censor-Torrent-Searches
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kM-ep2Ome1c/
content:
<p><img src="media/3a6fa524.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg" alt="google-bay" width="200" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21875">For years, entertainment industry groups have been demanding that search engines do something about “pirate sites” showing up in their search results.</p>
<p>In France, this prompted music industry group <a href="http://www.snepmusique.com/">SNEP</a> to take the matter to court. Representing three local artists, they demanded automated search engine filters from both Google and Microsoft. </p>
<p>Before the High Court of Paris the music group argued that, when paired with the artist names, &#8220;torrent&#8221; related searches predominantly link to pirated content. </p>
<p>To counter this, they demanded a filter that would block results for these searches for the keyword &#8220;torrent,&#8221; as well as websites that include the same word in their domain name.</p>
<p>SNEP based its request on Article L336-2 of France’s intellectual property code, which states that “all appropriate measures&#8221; are permitted to prevent copyright infringement. The same article has been used before to force Google and Bing to make various other pirate sites <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-google-microsoft-yahoo-to-make-pirate-sites-disappear-131129/">disappear</a>.</p>
<p>However, in the present cases the High Court of Paris decided against the music industry group, <a href="http://www.nextinpact.com/news/100640-le-snep-condamne-pour-avoir-voulu-filtrer-mot-torrent-sur-bing-et-google.htm">Nextinpact</a> reports. </p>
<p>In their defense Microsoft had warned that the broad filtering system requested by the music group would be imprecise, disproportionate and inefficient, something the court agreed with. </p>
<p>While French law permits far-reaching anti-piracy measures, it also states that it&#8217;s necessary to preserve the rights of individual Internet users, such as freedom of expression and communication. An overbroad filtering scheme would go against this principle.</p>
<p>&#8220;SNEP&#8217;s requests are general, and pertain not to a specific site but to all websites accessible through the stated methods, without consideration for identifying or even determining the site&#8217;s content, on the premise that the term &#8216;Torrent&#8217; is necessarily associated with infringing content,&#8221; the Court writes in its order. </p>
<p>More specifically, the court notes that the word &#8220;torrent&#8221; has many legitimate uses, as does the BitTorrent protocol, which is a neutral communication technology. This means that blocking everything &#8220;torrent&#8221; related is likely to censor legal content as well.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yet [torrent] is primarily a common noun, with a meaning in French and in English; it also refers to a neutral communication protocol developed by the company Bittorrent that enables access to lawfully downloaded files.</p>
<p>&#8220;The requested measures are thus tantamount to general monitoring and may block access to lawful websites,&#8221; the High Court order adds.</p>
<p><center><strong>Part of the Bing order</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/0ab2dc01.snepgoo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/snepgoo.png" alt="snepgoo" width="600" height="357" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125043" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/snepgoo.png 620w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/snepgoo-220x130.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></center></p>
<p>The case against Google, which was similar in nature, also ended in favor of the search engine. The High Court dismissed this case on the grounds that it would only protect the interests of three artists, Kendji Girac, Shy’m and Christophe Willem. </p>
<p>For Article L336-2 to be invoked, the preventive anti-piracy measures have to protect a wider range of artists and rightsholders.</p>
<p>This means that both &#8220;torrent&#8221; filtering requests have not been rejected. Instead, the music group has been ordered to pay Microsoft and Bing 10,000 to cover legal fees and costs.</p>
<p>Interestingly, French media highlights that TorrentFreak would have been automatically censored if Google and Microsoft would have lost their case. After all, our URL includes the word torrent. </p>
<p>This means that a mere mention of the artists&#8217; names would have been enough to make an article disappear from the search results.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=kM-ep2Ome1c:np7W-KC6L_M:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=kM-ep2Ome1c:np7W-KC6L_M:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=kM-ep2Ome1c:np7W-KC6L_M:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/kM-ep2Ome1c" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125096
title: U.S. Government Sued for Software Piracy, Maker Claims $600m
uri: U-S-Government-Sued-for-Software-Piracy-Maker-Claims-600m
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/7iQOwgiXarA/
content:
<p><img src="media/4393c341.usnavy.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/usnavy.jpg" alt="usnavy" width="250" height="169" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125100">In recent years the U.S. Government has taken an aggressive stance towards copyright infringement, both at home and abroad.</p>
<p>However, that doesn&#8217;t mean that the Government always sticks to the rules, quite the contrary. In a recent lawsuit it stands accused of willful copyright infringement on a massive scale. </p>
<p>The case centers around &#8220;<a href="http://www.bitmanagement.com/products/interactive-3d-clients/bs-contact-geo">BS Contact Geo</a>,&#8221; a 3D virtual reality application developed by the German company Bitmanagement. The Navy was enthusiastic about the geographical modeling capabilities of the software and in 2011 and 2012 it agreed to license its use for 38 computers. </p>
<p>&#8220;Those individual PC-based licenses authorized the Navy to install BS Contact Geo on a total of just 38 computers for the purposes of testing, trial runs, and integration into Navy systems,&#8221; the software vendor states in the federal claims court complaint (<a href="media/6acb09b6.uspirates.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/uspirates.pdf">pdf</a>).</p>
<p>After testing the application for a while, both parties started negotiating the licensing of additional computers. However, before any deals were made, the software maker learned that the Navy had already installed it on over 100,000 computers.</p>
<p>According to emails Bitmanagement executives received in 2013, the software had been rolled onto at least 558,466 computers on the Navy’s network, without their permission. </p>
<p>&#8220;Even as it negotiated with Bitmanagement over the proposed large-scale licensing of its product, the Navy was simultaneously copying and installing that software, without Bitmanagement’s advance knowledge or authorization, on a massive scale,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>
<p>In addition, the Navy allegedly disabled the software that is supposed to track on how many computers the software is being used. This violation of the terms of service prevents the software vendor from stopping the unauthorized copying.</p>
<p>&#8220;To make matters worse, starting in 2014, the &#8216;Flexwrap&#8217; software intended to track the Navy’s use and duplication of BS Contact Geo on Navy computers was disabled,&#8221; the complaint explains.  </p>
<p>This change made it impossible for Bitmanagement to know the scope of the deployment and use of BS Contact Geo on unlicensed machines or to limit that use,&#8221; the company adds.</p>
<p>The software vendor says that the willful copyright infringement has caused injury to its business and rights. As a result, they&#8217;re now demanding compensation for the damage that was caused, to a total of nearly $600 million. </p>
<p>Installing BS Contact Geo onto a single PC cost roughly $1067 at the time, so Bitmanagement claims that it is entitled to at least $596,308,103 in unpaid licensing fees. </p>
<p>For comparison, that is more than the damages Kim Dotcom and Megaupload have caused copyright holders, according to the United States. And that case was billed <a href="https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/pressrel/press-releases/justice-department-charges-leaders-of-megaupload-with-widespread-online-copyright-infringement">by the FBI</a> as one of the &#8220;largest criminal copyright cases&#8221; in history.</p>
<p>Interestingly this is not the first time that the U.S. military has been &#8220;caught&#8221; pirating software. A few years ago it was accused of operating unlicensed logistics software, a case the Obama administration eventually settled for <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-caught-pirating-military-software-pays-50-million-to-settle-131127/">$50 million</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7iQOwgiXarA:788x_hqWv0M:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7iQOwgiXarA:788x_hqWv0M:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=7iQOwgiXarA:788x_hqWv0M:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/7iQOwgiXarA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125088
title: Megavideo Lawyer Slams TV Piracy Court Ruling
uri: Megavideo-Lawyer-Slams-TV-Piracy-Court-Ruling
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/M8V0i2kKP1g/
content:
<p><a href="media/3847bf70.megavideo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megavideo.jpg"><img src="media/3847bf70.megavideo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megavideo.jpg" alt="megavideo" width="240" height="133" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125061"></a>While Kim Dotcom&#8217;s Megaupload has been the focus of thousands of headlines over the past half decade, the tech entrepreneur also had many other successful ventures in his portfolio.</p>
<p>Among them was Megavideo, a file-hosting service that allowed users to upload video in much the same way as YouTube does today. The ad-supported platform was free to use for any video up to 72 minutes in length, with content of longer duration requiring a subscription to watch in full without waits.</p>
<p>Megavideo disappeared in 2012 following the raids on Megaupload but that didn&#8217;t stop Italian TV outfit RTI (Reti Televisive Italiane) suing for copyright infringement. As reported yesterday, a Rome court has just ordered Megavideo <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-dotcoms-megavideo-to-pay-13-4m-for-tv-show-piracy-160719/">to pay $13.4m in damages</a> after the company reportedly failed to respond to takedown notices.</p>
<p>However, the decision is an extremely unusual one. In Megavideo&#8217;s absence the court found that the copyright holder&#8217;s takedown notices (which listed only TV show titles and contained no URLs) were sufficient for Megavideo to take action. The court also found that video categorization and ad placement undermined Megavideo&#8217;s safe harbor.</p>
<p>Speaking with TorrentFreak, Megaupload/Megavideo lawyer Ira Rothken says that the ruling represents a real cause for concern for other companies operating in the same sector.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Rome court apparently ruled on this Megavideo case in a default context, unknown to us, and the result is unworkable caselaw on ISP secondary copyright liability,&#8221; Rothken explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;The court used user-generated categorization and garden variety ads like those found on YouTube and other mainstream cloud sites as adverse factors. Without categories and ads there likely could be no user-generated content sites.&#8221;</p>
<p>But unsurprisingly it&#8217;s the issue of the URL-free takedown notices that attracts the most attention. In the United States and across Europe, it&#8217;s an accepted norm that takedown notices must be specific about the content to be removed. That the Italian court decided otherwise presents a real danger for service providers.</p>
<p>&#8220;It was not explained in the Rome ruling why the copyright owners couldn&#8217;t provide URLs in the takedown notices and no burden analysis based on competent evidence was done by the Court,&#8221; Rothken says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Rome Court&#8217;s ruling not requiring specific URLs in cloud takedown notices contradicts US caselaw in the United States in cases which permit ISPs to ignore takedown requests that do not contain a specific link.&#8221;</p>
<p>Rothken points out that in US courts the burden is on copyright holders to police their works online and that service providers are not responsible for deciding what is and is not infringing.</p>
<p>&#8220;The ISP has no duty to investigate and providing only a title without a URL would require investigation and the making of ad hoc copyright assessments,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>But that&#8217;s exactly what Megavideo would have had to do in the scenario outlined by the court. Without specific URLs being provided in takedown requests, Megavideo would have been left to trawl its databases for titles of videos that contained the same or similar words cited by copyright holders, a notoriously inaccurate method of detecting infringing content.</p>
<p>&#8220;Under the Rome Court&#8217;s &#8216;no URL&#8217; requirement, some enterprising plaintiff can do a takedown notice for some video clips called &#8220;the Greek wedding&#8221; with no URL provided and no one will know what Greek wedding clips they are referring to,&#8221; Rothken says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Worse, to disambiguate the takedown request the ISP would need a legal copy of the alleged video for comparison purposes obtainable through no court-described method.&#8221;</p>
<p>However, even in the event that the original video was successfully obtained from the copyright holder, matters would not be straightforward.</p>
<p>&#8220;The ISP would need a warehouse full of folks that would need to watch the target video and thousands of cloud-stored videos and make ad hoc assessments on infringements versus third-party works versus fair use versus licensed uses to avoid overbroad deletions or copyright lawsuits,&#8221; Rothken warns.</p>
<p>Aside from the obviously curious details of the ruling, it&#8217;s a little surprising that other companies invested in the sector, YouTube for instance, haven&#8217;t become involved in a case that appears to have implications for them. Nevertheless, the court has spoken and Rothken says that its ruling poses a real cause for concern.</p>
<p>&#8220;This type of secondary infringement rule if allowed to stand arguably violates EU freedom of expression and copyright-related treaties, amongst other things,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=M8V0i2kKP1g:OScBtQdBUQs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=M8V0i2kKP1g:OScBtQdBUQs:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=M8V0i2kKP1g:OScBtQdBUQs:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/M8V0i2kKP1g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125155
title: Can KickassTorrents Make a Comeback?
uri: Can-KickassTorrents-Make-a-Comeback
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/DbC4Iyc0uwQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/75141223.kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png" alt="kickasstorrents_500x500" width="250" height="250" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-96995" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-150x150.png 150w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px">Founded in 2009, KickassTorrents (KAT) grew out to become the largest torrent site on the Internet with millions of visitors a day. </p>
<p>As a result, copyright holders and law enforcement have taken aim at the site in recent years. This resulted in several ISP blockades around the world, but yesterday <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">the big hit came</a> when the site&#8217;s alleged founder was arrested in Poland.</p>
<p>Soon after the news was made public KAT disappeared, leaving its users without their favorite site. The question that&#8217;s on many people&#8217;s minds right now is whether the site will make a Pirate Bay-style comeback. </p>
<p>While it&#8217;s impossible to answer this question with certainty, the odds can be more carefully weighed by taking a closer look at the events that led up to the bust and what may follow.  </p>
<p>First off, KickassTorrents is now down across all the site&#8217;s official domain names. This downtime seems to be voluntary in part, as the authorities haven&#8217;t seized the servers. Also, several domains are still in the hands of the KAT-team.</p>
<p>That said, the criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Chicago does reveal that KAT has been heavily compromised (<a href="media/6ac3c045.KAT-complaint.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/KAT-complaint.pdf">pdf</a>). </p>
<p>According to the feds, Artem Vaulin, a 30-year-old from Ukraine, is the key player behind the site. Over the years, he obfuscated his connections to the site, but several security holes eventually revealed his identity. </p>
<p>With help from several companies in the United States and abroad, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent Jared Der-Yeghiayan identifies the Ukrainian as the driving force behind the site. </p>
<p>The oldest traces to Vaulin are the WHOIS records for various domains, registered in his name early 2009. </p>
<p>&#8220;A review of historical Whois information for KAT&#8230;.identified that it was registered on or about January 19, 2009, to Artem Vaulin with an address located in Kharkiv, Ukraine,&#8221; the affidavit reads. </p>
<p>This matches with records obtained from domain registrar GoDaddy, which indicate that Vaulin purchased three KAT-related domain names around the same time.</p>
<p>The agent further uncovered that the alleged KAT founder used an email address with the nickname &#8220;tirm.&#8221; The same name was listed as KAT&#8217;s &#8220;owner&#8221; on the site’s “People” page in the early days, but was eventually removed in 2011.</p>
<p><center><strong>Tirm on KAT&#8217;s people page</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/079c3cd4.KATpeople.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/KATpeople.jpg" alt="KATpeople" width="539" height="298" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125160"></center></p>
<p>The HSI agent also looked at several messages posted on KAT, which suggest that &#8220;tirm&#8221; was actively involved in operating the site.</p>
<p>&#8220;As part of this investigation, I also reviewed historical messages posted  by tirm, KAT’s purported &#8216;Owner.&#8217; These postings and others indicate that tirm was actively engaged in the early running of KAT in addition to being listed as an administrator and the website’s owner,&#8221; the HSI agent writes.</p>
<p>Assisted by Apple and Facebook the feds were then able to strengthen the link between Vaulin, tirm, and his involvement in the site. </p>
<p>Facebook, for example, handed over IP-address logs from the KAT fanpage. With help from Apple, the investigator was then able to cross-reference this with an IP-address Vaulin used for an iTunes transaction. </p>
<p>&#8220;Records provided by Apple showed that tirm@me.com conducted an iTunes transaction using IP Address 109.86.226.203 on or about July 31, 2015. The same IP Address was used on the same day to login into the KAT Facebook Account.&#8221; </p>
<p>In addition, Apple appears to have handed over private email conversations which reference KAT, dating back several years. These emails also mention a &#8220;kickasstorrent payment,&#8221; which is believed to be revenue related.</p>
<p>&#8220;I identified a number of emails in the tirm@me.com account relating to Vaulin’s operation of KAT. In particular, between on or about June 8, 2010, and on or about September 3, 2010,&#8221; the HSI agent writes.</p>
<p>More recent records show that an IP-address linked to KAT&#8217;s Facebook page was also used to access Vaulin’s Coinbase account, suggesting that the Bitcoin wallet also assisted in the investigation.</p>
<p>&#8220;Notably, IP address 78.108.178.77 accessed the KAT Facebook Account about a dozen times in September and October 2015. This same IP Address was used to login to Vaulin’s Coinbase account 47 times between on or about January 28, 2014, through on or about November 13, 2014.&#8221; </p>
<p>As for the business side, the complaint mentions a variety of ad payments, suggesting that KAT made over a dozen million dollars in revenue per year. </p>
<p>It also identifies the company Cryptoneat as KAT&#8217;s front. The Cryptoneat.com domain was registered by Vaulin and LinkedIn lists several employees of the company who were involved in the early development of the site.</p>
<p>&#8220;Many of the employees found on LinkedIn who present themselves as working for Cryptoneat are the same employees who received assignments from Vaulin in the KAT alert emails,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>
<p>Interestingly, none of the other employees are identified or charged.</p>
<p>To gather further information on the money side, the feds also orchestrated an undercover operation where they posed as an advertiser. This revealed details of several bank accounts, with one receiving over $28 million in just eight months.</p>
<p>&#8220;Those records reflect that the Subject Account received a total of approximately €28,411,357 in deposits between on or about August 28, 2015, and on or about March 10, 2016.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>Bank account</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/d2d3bfcc.bankkat.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bankkat.png" alt="bankkat" width="525" height="155" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125164"></center></p>
<p>Finally, and crucially, the investigators issued a warrant directed at the Canadian webhost of KickassTorrents. This was one of the biggest scores as it provided them with full copies of KAT&#8217;s hard drives, including the email server.</p>
<p>&#8220;I observed [&#8230;] that they were all running the same Linux Gentoo operating system, and that they contained files with user information, SSH access logs, and other information, including a file titled &#8216;passwd&#8217; located in the &#8216;etc&#8217; directory,&#8221; the HSI agent writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;I also located numerous files associated with KAT, including directories and logs associated to their name servers, emails and other files,&#8221; he adds. </p>
<p>Considering all the information U.S. law enforcement has in its possession, it&#8217;s doubtful that KAT will resume its old operation anytime soon. </p>
<p>Technically it won&#8217;t be hard to orchestrate a Pirate Bay-style comeback, as there are probably some backups available. However, now that the site has been heavily compromised and an ongoing criminal investigation is underway, it would be a risky endeavor. </p>
<p>Similarly, uploaders and users may also worry about what information the authorities have in their possession. The complaint cites private messages that were sent through KAT, suggesting that the authorities have access to a significant amount of data. </p>
<p>While regular users are unlikely to be targeted, the information may provide useful for future investigations into large-scale uploaders. More clarity on this, the site&#8217;s future, and what it means for the torrent ecosystem, is expected to become evident when the dust settles.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=DbC4Iyc0uwQ:7t-MSipu8XQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=DbC4Iyc0uwQ:7t-MSipu8XQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=DbC4Iyc0uwQ:7t-MSipu8XQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/DbC4Iyc0uwQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125140
title: Feds Seize KickassTorrents Domains, Arrest Owner
uri: Feds-Seize-KickassTorrents-Domains-Arrest-Owner
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/pmsQxM24uM4/
content:
<p><img src="media/75141223.kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png" alt="kickasstorrents_500x500" width="250" height="250" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-96995" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-150x150.png 150w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px">With millions of unique visitors per day KickassTorrents (KAT) has become the most-used torrent site on the Internet, beating even The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>Today, however, the site has run into a significant roadblock after U.S. authorities announced the arrest of the site&#8217;s alleged owner. </p>
<p>The 30-year-old Artem Vaulin, from Ukraine, was arrested today in Poland from where the United States has requested his extradition.</p>
<p>In a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, the owner is charged with conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and two counts of criminal copyright infringement.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/e404e2c9.katcomplaint.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/katcomplaint.png" alt="katcomplaint" width="600" height="489" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125147"></center></p>
<p>The complaint further reveals that the feds posed as an advertiser, which revealed a bank account associated with the site. </p>
<p>It also shows that Apple handed over personal details of Vaulin after the investigator cross-referenced an IP-address used for an iTunes transaction with an IP-address that was used to login to KAT&#8217;s Facebook account.</p>
<p>&#8220;Records provided by Apple showed that tirm@me.com conducted an iTunes transaction using IP Address 109.86.226.203 on or about July 31, 2015. The same IP Address was used on the same day to login into the KAT Facebook,&#8221; the complaint reads. </p>
<p>In addition to the arrest in Poland, the court also granted the seizure of a bank account associated with KickassTorrents, as well as several of the site&#8217;s domain names. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-authorities-charge-owner-most-visited-illegal-file-sharing-website-copyright-infringement">Commenting</a> on the announcement, Assistant Attorney General Caldwell said that KickassTorrents helped to distribute over $1 billion in pirated files.</p>
<p>“Vaulin is charged with running today’s most visited illegal file-sharing website, responsible for unlawfully distributing well over $1 billion of copyrighted materials.”</p>
<p>“In an effort to evade law enforcement, Vaulin allegedly relied on servers located in countries around the world and moved his domains due to repeated seizures and civil lawsuits.  His arrest in Poland, however, demonstrates again that cybercriminals can run, but they cannot hide from justice.”</p>
<p>KAT&#8217;s .com and .tv domains are expected to be seized soon by Verisign. For the main Kat.cr domain and several others, seizure warrants will be sent to the respective authorities under the MLAT treaty.</p>
<p>At the time of writing the main domain name Kat.cr has trouble loading, but various proxies still appear to work. KAT&#8217;s <a href="https://kastatus.com/">status page</a> doesn&#8217;t list any issues, but we assume that this will be updated shortly. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak has reached out to the KAT team for a comment on the news and what it means for the site&#8217;s future, but we have yet to hear back. </p>
<p><strong>Breaking story, in-depth updates will follow.</strong></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=pmsQxM24uM4:5IT24OB19w0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=pmsQxM24uM4:5IT24OB19w0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=pmsQxM24uM4:5IT24OB19w0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/pmsQxM24uM4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125162
title: Solarmovie Disappears Following KAT Shutdown
uri: Solarmovie-Disappears-Following-KAT-Shutdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/De1pfYNItx0/
content:
<p><a href="media/e426f241.solarmovie1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/solarmovie1.jpg"><img src="media/e426f241.solarmovie1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/solarmovie1.jpg" alt="solarmovie" width="208" height="89" class="alignright size-full wp-image-91151"></a>In the most dramatic turn of events since the raid of The Pirate Bay in December 2014, KickassTorrents went dark yesterday.</p>
<p>Previously the world&#8217;s largest torrent site, KAT <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">shut down</a> following the arrest of its alleged founder. Artem Vaulin, a 30-year-old from Ukraine, was arrested in Poland after his entire operation had been <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/can-kickasstorrents-make-a-comeback-160721/">well and truly compromised</a> by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).</p>
<p>When large sites are raided it is common for other sites in a similar niche to consider their positions. This phenomenon was illustrated perfectly when the 2012 raids on Megaupload resulted in sites such as BTjunkie taking the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/btjunkie-shuts-down-for-good-120206/">decision to shut down</a>.</p>
<p>At this point, most other torrent sites seem fairly stable but there appears to have been at least one &#8216;pirate&#8217; casualty following yesterday&#8217;s drama.</p>
<p>For many years, Solarmovie has been one of the most visible and visited &#8216;pirate&#8217; streaming portals. Like many others, the site has had its fair share of domain issues, starting out at .COM and more recently ending up at .PH. However, sometime during the past few hours, Solarmovie disappeared.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/81f97cc1.solar-large.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/solar-large.png"><img src="media/81f97cc1.solar-large.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/solar-large.png" alt="solar-large" width="650" height="427" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125183"></a></center></p>
<p>No official announcement concerning the site&#8217;s fate has been made but it&#8217;s clear from the criminal complaint filed against KickassTorrents that Artem Vaulin had close connections to Solarmovie.</p>
<p>As reported yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security obtained a copy of KickassTorrents&#8217; servers from its Canadian host and also gained access to the site&#8217;s servers in Chicago. While conducting his inquiries, the Special Agent handling the case spotted an email address for the person responsible for renting KAT&#8217;s servers.</p>
<p>Further investigation of Vaulin&#8217;s Apple email account showed the Ukrainian corresponding with this person back in 2010.</p>
<p>&#8220;The subject of the email was &#8216;US Server&#8217; and stated: &#8216;Hello, here is access to the new server&#8217; followed by a private and public IP address located in Washington DC, along with the user name &#8216;root&#8217; and a password,&#8221; the complaint reveals.</p>
<p>Perhaps tellingly, the IP address provided by this individual to Vaulin was found to have hosted Solarmovie.com from August 2010 through to April 2011. Furthermore, up until just last month, the IP address was just one away from an IP address used to host KickassTorrents.</p>
<p>&#8220;As of on or about June 27, 2016, one of the IP addresses hosting solarmovie.ph was one IP address away (185.47.10.11) from an IP address that was being used to host KAT (185.47.10.12 and 185.47.10.13),&#8221; the complaint adds.</p>
<p>While none of the above is proof alone that Vaulin was, for example, the owner of Solarmovie, it&#8217;s clear that at some point he at least had some connections with the site or its operator.</p>
<p>On the other hand, in torrent and streaming circles it&#8217;s common for people to use services already being used by others they know and trust, so that might provide an explanation for the recent IP address proximity.</p>
<p>In any event, last night&#8217;s shutdown of Solarmovie probably indicates that the heat in the kitchen has become just a little too much. Expect more fallout in the days to come.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=De1pfYNItx0:KyZsiCUGx5E:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=De1pfYNItx0:KyZsiCUGx5E:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=De1pfYNItx0:KyZsiCUGx5E:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/De1pfYNItx0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125220
title: KickassTorrents Mirrors and Imposters Spring into Action
uri: KickassTorrents-Mirrors-and-Imposters-Spring-into-Action
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3f151x_Z-os/
content:
<p>With an active community and millions of regular visitors, KickassTorrents has been the most used torrent site for quite some time. </p>
<p>This ended abruptly earlier this week, following the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">arrest of its alleged founder</a> in Poland. A criminal complaint from the U.S. Government revealed that entire operation had been <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/can-kickasstorrents-make-a-comeback-160721/">compromised</a> by the Department of Homeland Security.</p>
<p>Starting a few hours ago, the first Kickass domain was signed over to the U.S. authorities. Others are expected to follow during the days to come. </p>
<p><a href="http://kickass.to/">Kickass.to</a> now displays a seizure notice, which means that the associated domain registry was quick to respond to the U.S. warrant. People who visit the Kickass.to address today will see the following banner, specifically tailored for KAT.</p>
<p><center><strong>KAT&#8217;s seizure banner</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/daec0b71.psh_fullsize_distr.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/psh_fullsize_distr.jpg"><img src="media/daec0b71.psh_fullsize_distr.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/psh_fullsize_distr.jpg" alt="psh_fullsize_distr" width="600" height="450" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125228" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/psh_fullsize_distr.jpg 1158w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/psh_fullsize_distr-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a></center></p>
<p>As expected, the U.S. authorities are not the only ones to &#8216;lift&#8217; KAT&#8217;s logo, many others are doing the same, but for a different reason. </p>
<p>Shortly after KAT went offline dozens of people began promoting mirrors and copies of the site. Some are just trying to keep lost files accessible, but there&#8217;s also a group trying to take over the brand, similar to the efforts seen following <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/yts-ag-wants-to-be-the-new-yify-on-popular-torrent-sites-151113/">YIFY&#8217;s demise</a>. </p>
<p>For example, the operator of Kickass.la sent an email to several reporters promoting a new KAT address. In a follow-up, we were told that the site is an &#8220;official backup,&#8221; and that a copy of the database is in their possession.</p>
<p>However, the site appears to be little more than a partial copy and the person behind it later admitted that they are not related to KAT. </p>
<p>Only adding to the confusion are the many other copies and alternatives claiming to be the official resurrection of KAT. Some even advertise themselves as such, but most have been available for a longer time as proxy/mirror sites. </p>
<p>Kickasstorrents.to, for example, has been around for a long time, hosting cached pages of the original site. The latter is also true for others, such as Dxtorrent.com. But in any case, there is no true backup with freshly added content available.</p>
<p>Another mirror that has been widely discussed is kickasstorrents.website (which is NOT a project of Isohunt.to, as some reports suggest).</p>
<p>Unlike others, the people behind this site are very clear about the fact that they are not related to the original KAT team. Their copy currently lists torrent files from the past one and a half years, but like other mirrors it doesn&#8217;t have a working forum or upload functionality. </p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not perfect but if users need to save and archive something it&#8217;s time. We don&#8217;t know how long it can last, but at least it&#8217;s something,&#8221; the site&#8217;s operator told TorrentFreak. </p>
<p>The people behind the site, who describe themselves as a group of individuals who stand for freedom of the Internet, also launched a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/https-www-justice-gov-free-artem-vaulin">petition on Change.org</a> calling for the release of KAT&#8217;s alleged owner Artem Vaulin. </p>
<p>&#8220;We are protesting against violent attack on our right to share information and arrest of Kat.cr founder Artem Vaulin. Our freedom to share is the human right which Artem Vaulin has been providing to millions of users from all over the world,&#8221; they say. </p>
<p>While a notable effort, the banner promoting the cause appears to show a photo of an entirely different Artem Vaulin. The image was removed from the petition after we pointed this out, but it&#8217;s <a href="media/4fc1cf93.Screenshot_4.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Screenshot_4.png">still present</a> in the manifesto at the time of writing and being shared in news articles and <a href="https://twitter.com/Passivemarqus/status/756310276681658368">on social media</a>. </p>
<p>What is clear is that former KAT users are grasping at straws to get their old community back. While mirrors and copies do look like their old home, without a working forum and new content they don&#8217;t provide much of an alternative. </p>
<p>For now, people are probably better off not trusting any &#8220;KAT resurrection&#8221; claims. The chance of getting your password stolen is higher than finding a site with a true backup of the user database.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=3f151x_Z-os:bQxGNAsQfdM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=3f151x_Z-os:bQxGNAsQfdM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=3f151x_Z-os:bQxGNAsQfdM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/3f151x_Z-os" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125127
title: Digital Citizens Slam Cloudflare For Enabling Piracy & Malware
uri: Digital-Citizens-Slam-Cloudflare-For-Enabling-Piracy-Malware
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/NPVhmx4WGs4/
content:
<p>For the past several years, one of the key educational strategies of entertainment industry companies has been to cast doubt on the credibility of so-called &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites.</p>
<p>Previously there have been efforts to suggest that site operators make huge profits at the expense of artists who get nothing, but there are other recurring themes, mostly centered around fear.</p>
<p>One of the most prominent is that pirate sites are dangerous places to visit, with users finding themselves infected with viruses and malware while being subjected to phishing attacks.</p>
<p>This increasingly well-worn approach has just been revisited by consumer interest group <a href="http://www.digitalcitizensalliance.org">Digital Citizens Alliance</a> (DCA). In a new report titled &#8216;Enabling Malware&#8217;, the Hollywood-affiliated group calls out United States-based companies for helping pirate site operators &#8220;bait consumers and steal their personal information.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;When you think of Internet crime, you probably imagine shadowy<br>
individuals  operating  in  Eastern  Europe,  China  or  Russia  who  come up with devious plans to steal your identity, trick you into turning  over  financial  information  or  peddling  counterfeits  or stolen content. And you would be right,&#8221; DCA begin.</p>
<p>&#8220;But while many online criminals are based overseas, and often beyond the reach of U.S. prosecutors, they are aided by North American technology companies  that  ensure  that  overseas  operators’  lifeline to the public – their websites – are available.&#8221;</p>
<p>DCA has examined the malware issue on pirate sites on previous occasions but this time around their attention turns to local service providers, including hosting platform Hawk Host and CDN company Cloudflare who (in)directly provide services to pirate sites.</p>
<p>&#8220;Are these companies doing anything illegal? No more than the landlord of an apartment isn’t doing anything illegal by renting to a drug dealer who has sellers showing up day and night,&#8221; DCA writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;But just like that landlord, more often than not these companies either look the other way or just don’t want to know.&#8221;</p>
<p>Faced with an investigative dead-end when it comes to tracing the operators of pirate sites, DCA criticizes Cloudflare for providing a service which effectively shields the true location of such platforms.</p>
<p>&#8220;In order to utilize CloudFlare’s CDN, DNS, and other protection services customers have to run all of their website traffic through the CloudFlare network. The end result of doing so is masked hosting information,&#8221; DCA reports.</p>
<p>&#8220;Instead of  the  actual  hosting  provider,  IP  address,  domain  name  server,  etc., a Whois search provides the information for CloudFlare’s network.&#8221; </p>
<p>To illustrate its point, DCA points to a pirate domain which presents itself as the famous Putlocker site but is actually a third-party clone operating from the dubious URL, Putlockerr.ac.</p>
<p>&#8220;From  websites  such  as  putlockerr.ac  consumers are tricked into downloading malware. For example, when a consumer clicks to watch a movie, they are sent to a new screen in which they  are  told  their  video  player  is  out  of  date  and  they  must  update  it. The  update,  Digital  Citizens’  researchers  found,  is  the  malware  delivery mechanism.&#8221;</p>
<p>There&#8217;s little doubt that some of these low-level sites are in the malware game so DCA&#8217;s research is almost certainly sound. However, just like their colleagues at the MPAA and RIAA who regularly shift responsibility to Google, DCA lays the blame on Cloudflare, a more easily pinpointed target than a pirate site operator.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, Cloudflare isn&#8217;t particularly interested in getting involved in the online content-policing business.</p>
<p>“CloudFlare’s service protects and accelerates websites and applications. Because CloudFlare is not a host, we cannot control or remove customer content from the Internet,&#8221; the company said in a response to the report.</p>
<p><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-punishing-pirate-sites-in-search-results-works-160713/">In common with Google</a>, Cloudflare also says it makes efforts to stop the spread of malware but due to the nature of its business it is unable to physically remove content from the Internet.</p>
<p>&#8220;CloudFlare leaves the removal of online content to law enforcement agencies and complies with any legal requests made by  the  authorities,&#8221; the company notes.</p>
<p>&#8220;If  we  believe  that  one  of  our  customers’  websites  is  distributing  malware,  CloudFlare  will  post  an  interstitial  page  that  warns site visitors and asks them if they would like to proceed despite the warning. This practice follows established industry norms.”</p>
<p>Finally, while DCA says it has the safety of Internet users at heart, its <a href="http://www.digitalcitizensalliance.org/cac/alliance/content.aspx?page=enablingmalware">malware report</a> misses a great opportunity. Aside from criticizing companies like Cloudflare for not doing enough, it offers zero practical anti-malware advice to consumers.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=NPVhmx4WGs4:xdzSr5YCP_Q:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=NPVhmx4WGs4:xdzSr5YCP_Q:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=NPVhmx4WGs4:xdzSr5YCP_Q:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/NPVhmx4WGs4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125187
title: KickassTorrents’ Connections to the US Doomed the Site
uri: KickassTorrents-Connections-to-the-US-Doomed-the-Site
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/K3FC92F4o8Q/
content:
<p><a href="media/5a6ca898.kat.JPG" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kat.JPG"><img src="media/5a6ca898.kat.JPG" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kat.JPG" alt="kat" width="215" height="144" class="alignright size-full wp-image-19182"></a>To the huge disappointment of millions of BitTorrent users, KickassTorrents disappeared this week following an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security in the United States.</p>
<p>With a huge hole now present at the top of the torrent landscape, other sites plus interested groups and individuals will be considering their options. Step up their game and take over the top slot? Cautiously maintain the status quo? Or pull out altogether&#8230;</p>
<p>Make no mistake, this is a game of great reward, matched only by the risk. If the DHS complaint is to be believed, Kickass made dozens of millions of euros, enough to tempt even the nerviest of individuals. But while that might attract some, is avoiding detection almost impossible these days?</p>
<p>The complaint against KAT shows that while not inevitable, it&#8217;s becoming increasingly difficult. It also shows that carelessness plays a huge part in undermining security and that mistakes made by others in the past are always worth paying attention to.</p>
<p><strong>Servers in the United States</strong></p>
<p>Perhaps most tellingly, in the first instance KAT failed to learn from the &#8216;mistakes&#8217; made by Megaupload. While the cases are somewhat dissimilar, both entities chose to have a US presence for at least some of their servers. This allowed US authorities to get involved. Not a great start.</p>
<p>&#8220;[Since 2008], KAT has relied on a network of computer servers around the world to operate, including computer servers located in Chicago, Illinois,&#8221; the complaint against the site reads.</p>
<p>The Chicago server weren&#8217;t trivial either.</p>
<p>&#8220;According to a reverse DNS search conducted by the hosting company on or about May 5, 2015, that server was the mail client &#8216;mail.kat.ph&#8217;.&#8221;</p>
<p>Torrent site mail servers. In the United States. What could go possibly go wrong?</p>
<p>In a word? Everything. In January 2016, DHS obtained a search warrant and cloned the Chicago servers. Somewhat unsurprisingly this gifted investigating agent Jared Der-Yeghiayan (the same guy who infiltrated Silk Road) valuable information.</p>
<p>&#8220;I located multiple files that contained unique user information, access logs, and other information. These files include a file titled &#8216;passwd&#8217; located in the &#8216;etc&#8217; directory, which was last accessed on or about January 13, 2016, and which identified the users who had access to the operating system,&#8221; Der-Yeghiayan said.  </p>
<p><strong>Servers in Canada</strong></p>
<p>KAT also ran several servers hosted with Montreal-based Netelligent Hosting Services. There too, KAT was vulnerable.</p>
<p>In response to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request, in April 2016 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police obtained business records associated with KAT&#8217;s account and made forensic images of the torrent site&#8217;s hard drives.</p>
<p>Why KAT chose Netelligent isn&#8217;t clear, but the site should have been aware that the hosting company would be forced to comply with law enforcement requests. After all, it had happened <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/how-sweden-gained-access-to-a-canada-hosted-torrent-site-140517/">at least once before</a> in a case involving Swedish torrent site, Sparvar.</p>
<p><strong>Mistakes at the beginning</strong></p>
<p>When pirate sites first launch, few admins expect them to become world leaders. If they did, they&#8217;d probably approach things a little differently at the start. In KAT&#8217;s case, alleged founder Artem Vaulin registered several of the site&#8217;s domains in his own name, information that was happily handed to the DHS by US-based hosting company GoDaddy.</p>
<p>Vaulin also used a Gmail account, operated by US-based Google. The complaint doesn&#8217;t explicitly say that Google handed over information, but it&#8217;s a distinct possibility. In any event, an email sent from that account in 2009 provided a helpful bridge to investigators.</p>
<p>&#8220;I changed my gmail. now it’s admin@kickasstorrents.com,&#8221; it read.</p>
<p>Forging further connections from his private email accounts to those operated from KAT, in 2012 Vaulin sent &#8216;test&#8217; emails from KAT email addresses to his Apple address. This, HSI said, signaled the point that Vaulin began using KAT emails for business.</p>
<p><strong>No time to relax, even socially</strong></p>
<p>In addition to using an email account operated by US-based Apple, (in which HSI found Vaulin&#8217;s passport and driver&#8217;s license details, plus his banking info), the Ukranian also had an iTunes account.</p>
<p>Purchases he made there were logged by Apple, down to the IP address. Then, thanks to information provided by US-based Facebook (notice the recurring Stateside theme?), HSI were able to match that same IP address against a login to KAT&#8217;s Facebook page.</p>
<p><strong>Anonymous Bitcoin &#8211; not quite</strong></p>
<p>If the irony of the legitimate iTunes purchases didn&#8217;t quite hit the spot, the notion that Bitcoin could land someone in trouble should tick all the boxes. According to the complaint, US-based Bitcoin exchange Coinbase handed over information on Vaulin&#8217;s business to HSI.</p>
<p>&#8220;Records received from the bitcoin exchange company Coinbase revealed that the KAT Bitcoin Donation Address sent bitcoins it received to a user’s account maintained at Coinbase. This account was identified as belonging to Artem Vaulin located in Kharkov, Ukraine,&#8221; it reads.</p>
<p><strong>Final thoughts</strong></p>
<p>For a site that the US Government had always insisted was operating overseas, KickassTorrents clearly had a huge number of United States connections. This appears to have made the investigation much more simple than it would have been had the site and its owner had maintained a presence solely in Eastern Europe.</p>
<p>Why the site chose to maintain these connections despite the risks might never be answered, but history has shown us time and again that US-based sites are not only vulnerable but also open to the wrath of the US Government. With decades of prison time at stake, that is clearly bad news.</p>
<p>But for now at least, Vaulin is being detained in Poland, waiting to hear of his fate. Whether or not he&#8217;ll quickly be sent to the United States is unclear, but it seems unlikely that a massively prolonged Kim Dotcom-style extradition battle is on the agenda. A smaller one might be, however.</p>
<p>While the shutdown of KAT and the arrest of its owner came out of the blue, the writing has always been on the wall. The shutdown is just one of several momentous &#8216;pirate&#8217; events in the past 18 months including the closure (and resurrection) of The Pirate Bay, the dismantling of the main <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-we-shut-down-ytsyify-and-popcorn-time-151103/">Popcorn Time fork</a>, and the end of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/yify-yts-shuts-down-the-end-of-a-piracy-icon-151030/">YTS/YIFY</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=K3FC92F4o8Q:labwfuSoiJU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=K3FC92F4o8Q:labwfuSoiJU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=K3FC92F4o8Q:labwfuSoiJU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/K3FC92F4o8Q" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=124189
title: isoHunt Founder Settles with Music Industry for $66 Million
uri: isoHunt-Founder-Settles-with-Music-Industry-for-66-Million
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/XwwGlOv0-qk/
content:
<p><img src="media/a9abc63f.isohunt-fredom.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/isohunt-fredom.jpg" alt="isohunt-fredom" width="225" height="124" class="alignright size-full wp-image-81831">After years of legal battles, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IsoHunt">isoHunt</a> and its founder <a href="https://twitter.com/garyfung">Gary Fung</a> are free at last. </p>
<p>Today, Fung announced that he has settled the last remaining lawsuit with <a href="http://musiccanada.com/">Music Canada</a>, formerly known as the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).</p>
<p>&#8220;After 10 long years, I’m happy to announce the end of isoHunt’s and my lawsuits,&#8221; Fung says, noting that he now owes the Canadian music group $66 million. </p>
<p>The multi-million dollar agreement follows an earlier settlement with the MPAA, for <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isohunt-shuts-down-after-110-million-settlement-with-the-mpaa-131017/">$110 million</a>, on paper. While most site owners would be devastated, Fung has long moved beyond that phase and responds rather sarcastically.</p>
<p>&#8220;And I want to congratulate both Hollywood and CRIA on their victories, in letting me off with fines of $110m and $66m, respectively. Thank you!&#8221; he <a href="https://medium.com/@garyfung/">notes</a>, adding that he&#8217;s &#8220;free at last&#8221;.</p>
<p>The consent order (<a href="media/519f3297.A-vs-IsoHunt-Requisition-for-Consent-Order-and-Consent-Order.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/317561606-CRIA-vs-IsoHunt-Requisition-for-Consent-Order-and-Consent-Order.pdf">pdf</a>) signed by the Supreme Court of British Columbia prohibits isoHunt&#8217;s founder from operating any file-sharing site in the future. </p>
<p>It further requires Fung to pay damages of $55 million and another $10 million in aggravated punitive damages. The final million dollars is issued to cover the costs of the lawsuit. </p>
<p>Although isoHunt shut down 2013, it took more than two years for the last case to be finalized. The dispute initially began in the last decennium, when the Canadian music industry went after several prominent torrent sites.</p>
<p>In May 2008, isoHunt received a Cease and Desist letter from the CRIA in which they demanded that isoHunt founder Gary Fung should take the site offline. If Fung didn’t comply, the CRIA said it would pursue legal action, and demand $20,000 for each sound recording the site has infringed.</p>
<p>A similar tactic worked against Demonoid, but the isoHunt founder didn’t back down so easily. Instead, he himself filed a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isohunt-sues-the-cria-to-legalize-bittorrent-sites-080905/">lawsuit against the CRIA</a> asking the court to declare the site legal.</p>
<p>That didn&#8217;t work out as isoHunt&#8217;s founder had planned, and several years later the tables have been turned entirely, with the defeat now becoming final.</p>
<p>While the outcome won&#8217;t change anything about isoHunt&#8217;s demise, Fung is proud that he was always able to shield its users from the various copyright groups attacking it. No identifiable user data was shared at any point.</p>
<p>Fung is also happy for the support the site&#8217;s users have given him over the years.</p>
<p>&#8220;I can proudly conclude that I’ve kept my word regarding users’ privacy above. To isoHunt’s avid users, it’s worth repeating since I shutdown isoHunt in 2013, that you have my sincerest thanks for your continued support,&#8221; Fung notes. </p>
<p>&#8220;Me and my staff could not have done it for more than 10 years without you, and that’s an eternity in internet time. It was an interesting and challenging journey for me to say the least, and the most profound business learning experience I could not expect.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Canadian entrepreneur can now close the isoHunt book for good and move on to new ventures. One of the projects he just announced is a mobile search tool called &#8220;App to Automate Googling&#8221; AAG for which he <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_ZPrwgcLay5TJSpmjikpqNyM68K50DEI8Ef8ue74yxI/viewform">invites alpha testers</a>.  </p>
<p>The original <a href="http://isohunt.com">isoHunt</a> site now redirects to MPAA&#8217;s &#8220;legal&#8221; search engine WhereToWatch. However, the name and design lives on via the clone site <a href="https://isohunt.to/">IsoHunt.to</a>, which still draws millions of visitors per month &#8211; frustrating for the MPAA and Music Canada.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=XwwGlOv0-qk:KvMzNe6G0Kk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=XwwGlOv0-qk:KvMzNe6G0Kk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=XwwGlOv0-qk:KvMzNe6G0Kk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/XwwGlOv0-qk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125133
title: VKontakte CEO: Time to Remove Us From ‘Pirate’ Blacklists
uri: VKontakte-CEO-Time-to-Remove-Us-From-Pirate-Blacklists
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/aCWgsCP8tOw/
content:
<p><img src="media/19908c62.vk.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/vk.jpg" width="180" height="180" class="alignright">After years of being branded one of the world’s worst Internet piracy facilitators, last week social networking giant vKontakte took another important step towards making peace with rightsholders.</p>
<p>Parent company Mail.ru <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vkontakt-universal-sign-anti-piracy-licensing-deal-160718/">signed a licensing agreement</a> with Universal Music and United Music Agency which will see music and video content appear legally on vKontakte, Classmates (Odnoklassniki) and My World, the three most-visited social networking sites in Russia.</p>
<p>With all copyright-related disputes now settled with Universal Music, the deal effectively transforms bitter conflict into cooperation, opening up opportunities for music sales development in a notoriously difficult region.</p>
<p>To find out more about the deal, this week TF caught up with VKontakte CEO Boris Dobrodeyev, who told us he&#8217;s optimistic for the future.</p>
<p><strong>TF:</strong> Can you explain how the music licensing system with Universal Music will work?<br>
&nbsp;<br>
<strong>BD:</strong> In accordance with the terms of the agreement, we cannot disclose the specific licensing provisions. However, we can say that the licensing agreements cover use of content on existing and planned new services on all of Mail.Ru Group’s social networks: VKontakte, Odnoklassniki and My World. </p>
<p><strong>TF:</strong> What happens to the thousands/millions of &#8216;pirate&#8217; tracks that are stored already on VKontakte? Do these effectively become legal or will Universal Music be supplying new content?<br>
&nbsp;<br>
<strong>BD:</strong> The term “piracy” is not applicable to User Generated Content (UGC) services. Our position, which we have successfully defended in legal disputes, is that we do not distribute pirate content.</p>
<p>VKontakte’s content is user-generated, and so the rights holders’ requests were directed to them. From our side, we do everything that we can to protect the rights of the holders and remove content that violates their ownership rights.</p>
<p>Now that VKontake has signed the respective agreements with the major music companies, it is implementing substantial measures to identify the ownership of user content on the basis of the original files provided by the rights holders. VKontakte’s new services will be created using original content from the labels (including Warner, Sony and Universal).</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>Boris Dobrodeyev, VKontakte CEO</h5>
<p><a href="media/2d3faed9.Boris-Dobrodeyev.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Boris-Dobrodeyev.jpg"><img src="media/2d3faed9.Boris-Dobrodeyev.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Boris-Dobrodeyev.jpg" alt="Boris Dobrodeyev" width="600" height="400" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125251"></a></center></p>
<p><strong>TF:</strong> Is VKontakte obliged to end all music piracy on its platform now, or just for the recoding labels it has struck a deal with?<br>
&nbsp;<br>
<strong>BD:</strong> We would reiterate that the term “piracy” is not correct when talking about UGC services. Following significant efforts to license music content, the overwhelming majority of music by global artists on VK is completely legal. </p>
<p>With regard to music rights holders that have not yet signed an agreement with VK, at the very least they are able to use the existing procedures and technology in place to remove content and prevent it from being re-uploaded. It goes without saying that we also intend to sign corresponding agreements with these other rights holders in the near future.</p>
<p>We would add that many users and artists voluntarily upload their own music to VK in order to increase their popularity.</p>
<p><strong>TF:</strong> Will fingerprinting technology or any other anti-piracy measures implemented?<br>
&nbsp;<br>
<strong>BD:</strong> Yes, we intend to use a unique content identification system, which we developed in-house, and is similar to the technologies used in Audible Magic and Gracenote Content ID.</p>
<p>We will work together with the rights holders to continuously improve this technology in line with the development of the IT industry in general.</p>
<p><strong>Moving forward</strong></p>
<p>Of course, after years of copyright disputes vKontakte&#8217;s reputation in the United States has been somewhat sullied, largely due to rightsholders lobbying the United States Trade Representative to add the site to its Notorious Markets list. Dobrodeyev informs TF that it&#8217;s now time to move forward.</p>
<p>&#8220;We certainly hope that VKontakte will be removed from &#8216;piracy&#8217; lists following the settlements and taking into account the enormous amount of work that the network has undertaken in this area,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>Mail.ru and its subsidiaries now have licensing agreements in place with the three leading recording labels – Universal Music Group (UMG), Warner Music and Sony Music. Together they&#8217;ll hope to make inroads and indeed profit from a difficult and largely untapped Russian music market.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=aCWgsCP8tOw:ciVoKLHBiOQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=aCWgsCP8tOw:ciVoKLHBiOQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=aCWgsCP8tOw:ciVoKLHBiOQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/aCWgsCP8tOw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125200
title: KAT Takedown Triggers Traffic Spike at Torrent Sites
uri: KAT-Takedown-Triggers-Traffic-Spike-at-Torrent-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/l17pNiA88K8/
content:
<p><img src="media/75141223.kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png" alt="kickasstorrents_500x500" width="250" height="250" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-96995" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-300x300.png 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500-150x150.png 150w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x500.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px">With millions of unique visitors per day KickassTorrents (KAT) was the largest file-sharing site in the world.</p>
<p>In fact, shortly before <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">the site went offline</a> it was the 69th most-visited site on the entire Internet, beating Craigslist, Alibaba and the BBC.</p>
<p>Today, however, the site is still offline and there haven&#8217;t been any signs of an imminent comeback. This means that KAT&#8217;s millions of users have to find a new home to get their daily torrent fix. </p>
<p>The Pirate Bay appears to be one of the prime alternatives. The notorious torrent site has been operating steadily recently, aside from some occasional downtime, and is still seen by many as the Godfather of all torrent sites.</p>
<p>At the end of 2014 many Pirate Bay users moved to KAT, when the site suffered more than a month of downtime. To get the latest torrents and discuss the latest developments, among other things. Now many KAT users are likely to switch in the other direction.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke with TPB staff member Spud17, who has seen some increase in forum traffic in recent days. She says they will welcome homeless torrenters with open arms.</p>
<p>&#8220;When both TPB and its forum went down, we had overwhelming support from KAT users on their forum, and our staff were able to keep the communities updated on important news and announcements thanks to the help and messages of support we received.</p>
<p>&#8220;Reciprocation is only right and we hope KAT staff will keep us informed of any official news/announcements so that we can help to inform,&#8221; Spud17 adds. </p>
<p>As for the future, the TPB staffer believes that the KAT community is strong enough to survive one way or another.</p>
<p>&#8220;Personally, I think KAT will be back, their community is too strong to just fizzle out, much like the TPB community seeking refuge on IRC meant it stayed together during downtime, I&#8217;m sure the KAT community will keep the faith,&#8221; Spud17 notes. </p>
<p>Another refuge for KAT users is ExtraTorrent, which was already the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">third largest torrent site</a> before the KAT takedown. TorrentFreak spoke to an operator of the site who said that they&#8217;re seeing a significant traffic spike. </p>
<p>&#8220;So far we got 200% signup, and 300% traffic increase at ExtraTorrent,&#8221; ET&#8217;s SaM told us a day after KAT went down. </p>
<p>Similar to KAT, ExtraTorrent has an active community and forums, which makes it one of the most natural alternatives.</p>
<p>Despite the traffic boost, ExtraTorrent&#8217;s operator is not happy to see another site going down. However, he is not willing to throw in the towel and believes that the &#8220;torrent community&#8221; will survive this setback. </p>
<p>&#8220;It is sad to see an iconic site go this way, and it shows how the torrent community is targeted by all means. But, I guess torrenting will prevail and this doesn&#8217;t mean the death or end of this era,&#8221; SaM says. </p>
<p>Another operator of one of the top torrent sites, who spoke with us on condition of anonymity, reports a traffic increase as well, albeit a small one. The site in question targets a different audience, which may explain the limited effect. </p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re seeing a small traffic increase, but then again we were never the KAT type of site. So KAT&#8217;s users will not move to us,&#8221; the operator says.  </p>
<p>Despite from the traffic spikes, some torrent sites were adversely affected this week. The popular torrent caching service Torcache.net went offline at the same time KAT did, which is likely related. </p>
<p>As a result, torrents on 1337x.to, Monova and other sites that use the same service are not loading at the moment. Time will tell if and how these events are connected.</p>
<p>It is safe to say, however, that the KAT downtime has had a significant effect on the torrent community. But as history has shown time and time again, it&#8217;s doubtful that it will stop many people from sharing files in the long run. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=l17pNiA88K8:1R-piAoUz-w:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=l17pNiA88K8:1R-piAoUz-w:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=l17pNiA88K8:1R-piAoUz-w:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/l17pNiA88K8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125301
title: 20th Century Fox Accuses Kim Dotcom of Asset Freeze Breach
uri: 20th-Century-Fox-Accuses-Kim-Dotcom-of-Asset-Freeze-Breach
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ccuPgeT476g/
content:
<p><a href="media/5b2669f1.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg"><img src="media/5b2669f1.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg" alt="dotcom-laptop" width="233" height="170" class="alignright size-full wp-image-76556"></a>In the early days of 2012, Kim Dotcom was the operator of arguably the most successful file-hosting site the world had ever seen. With 50 million daily users, Megaupload seemed to be an unstoppable juggernaut. Three weeks later it was all over.</p>
<p>As law enforcement officers raided the company and its operators in multiple locations, authorities were seeking to freeze Kim Dotcom&#8217;s considerable assets. Dozens of millions of dollars were seized in multiple jurisdictions, including locally in New Zealand.</p>
<p>Since then, Dotcom and his legal team have engaged in frequent battles to have funds released so that the businessman can go about his life. On the whole, the New Zealand courts have been receptive, and over the past several years have granted Dotcom access to considerable sums of money.</p>
<p>Now, however, one of his main legal adversaries has accused Dotcom of breaching the terms of the asset freeze imposed in 2012. Speaking in the New Zealand High Court, a lawyer for 20th Century Fox said that Dotcom had taken a loan from his lawyers on behalf of a trust for his children.</p>
<p>Speaking for the studio, lawyer Matt Sumpter said the NZ$220,000 (US$154,000) loan amounted to contempt of court, RadioNZ <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/309391/dotcom-'breached-asset-freeze'-film-studio">reports</a>.</p>
<p>However, Kim Dotcom&#8217;s lawyer Ron Mansfield argued that the loan was a new asset that was not covered by the original freezing order and represented an increase in his clients&#8217;sassets, not a reduction.</p>
<p>Dotcom has been free to generate new income since the raid on his home but has been required to obtain permission to access seized assets. Last year he said that an allowance of US$15,000 per month was proving a struggle.</p>
<p>That led to a court <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-awarded-millions-plus-128k-per-month-expenses-150502s/">awarding</a> him $128K per month to live on, including $60K for mansion rent, $25,600 to cover staff and security, plus $11,300 for grocery and other expenses.</p>
<p>However, in recent months he <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&#038;objectid=11541744">left</a> his famous mansion for a slightly more modest waterfront penthouse at <a href="http://www.princeswharfapartment.co.nz/">Princes Wharf</a>, a move which should have positively impacted his living expenses.</p>
<p>Since his departure, Dotcom&#8217;s rented mansion has <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/308306/kim-dotcom-auckland-mansion-sells">since been sold</a> for an undisclosed sum. The asking price was NZ$35m (US$24.4m).</p>
<p>But even with the mansion behind him, Dotcom&#8217;s battles continue. </p>
<p>Following an extradition hearing lasting several weeks, last December a New Zealand District Court judge <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-can-be-extradited-to-the-united-states-judge-rules-151223/">ruled</a> that Dotcom and his former Megaupload colleagues can be extradited to the United States to face charges of copyright infringement, conspiracy, money laundering and racketeering.</p>
<p>Dotcom immediately <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcoms-extradition-appeal-set-for-august-160209/">filed an appeal</a>. That hearing is now scheduled to take place in just over a month&#8217;s time and is expected to last several weeks.</p>
<p>As always, Dotcom will put up a spirited fight but even a defeat at this stage won&#8217;t mark the end of the road.</p>
<p>“The appeal route is High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court,&#8221; Dotcom previously told TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;If I lose, it goes to a decision by Minister of Justice, then to a High Court judicial review of the Minister’s decision. Then it’s the end of the road.&#8221;</p>
<p>The process will span extremely interesting times over in the United States, as the spotlight falls on the presidential election and the Obama administration which Dotcom blames for the demise of Megaupload. As a result, Dotcom is happy to stir things up, most recently in a series of Tweets this morning.</p>
<p><center><br>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">What if HC email server was hacked? What if all deleted HC emails are released on October 26th? Happy Birthday? <a href="https://t.co/KyDsMtvwuw">https://t.co/KyDsMtvwuw</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/757434616764436480">July 25, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center></p>
<p><Center><br>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dear Hillary, when you are retiring this year call Chris Dodd and thank him. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/boomerang?src=hash">#boomerang</a><a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton">@HillaryClinton</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MPAA">@MPAA</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/757422940258316289">July 25, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ccuPgeT476g:ESwHd_t0bAk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=ccuPgeT476g:ESwHd_t0bAk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=ccuPgeT476g:ESwHd_t0bAk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/ccuPgeT476g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125297
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 07/25/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-07-25-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3K_Tbq2iiZk/
content:
<p><img src="media/472d3290.xmenapo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/xmenapo.jpg" alt="xmenapo" width="300" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-122802">This week we have three newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>X-Men: Apocalypse, which came out as HDRip with Korean subtitles, is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-071816/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(10)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_apocalypse/">X-Men: Apocalypse</a> (Subbed HDRip) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385516/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jer8XjMrUB4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence/">Central Intelligence</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489889/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxEw3elSJ8M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_the_killing_joke/">Batman: The Killing Joke</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4853102">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeNi4PfNMqI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/warcraft/">Warcraft</a> (subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803096/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhFMIRuHAL4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_purge_election_year/">The Purge: Election Year</a> (subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4094724/">6.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXMp9fBomJw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ghostbusters_2016/">Ghostbusters</a> (TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1289401/">5.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3ugHP-yZXw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a></td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WWzgGyAH6Y">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_secret_life_of_pets/">The Secret Life of Pets</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2709768/">6.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-80SGWfEjM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_legend_of_tarzan/">The Legend of Tarzan</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0918940/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLmKio67pVQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/independence_day_resurgence/">Independence Day: Resurgence</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1628841/">5.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbduDRH2m2M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=3K_Tbq2iiZk:j1fgpc86DzA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=3K_Tbq2iiZk:j1fgpc86DzA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=3K_Tbq2iiZk:j1fgpc86DzA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/3K_Tbq2iiZk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125345
title: Court Orders News Site Blocked Following Article Piracy
uri: Court-Orders-News-Site-Blocked-Following-Article-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/p9DAH5X82PU/
content:
<p><a href="media/aaff7a10.news-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/news-small.jpg"><img src="media/aaff7a10.news-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/news-small.jpg" alt="news-small" width="240" height="146" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125354"></a>While countries like China have a dubious reputation for online censorship, millions of Internet users are now reluctantly becoming accustomed to sites being blocked on copyright grounds.</p>
<p>The practice is present in scattered countries across Europe but is most prevalent <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-pirate-site-blocking-whack-a-mole-continues-160429/">in the UK</a> where more than a thousand sites are now being rendered inaccessible by regular means.</p>
<p>Most of the complaints originate from traditional copyright holders such as movie, TV show and recording labels, but a new threat has just emerged in Russia for the very first time.</p>
<p>Launched in 1999, <a href="http://gazeta.ru">Gazeta.ru</a> is one of Russia&#8217;s leading Internet news resources and the 68th most-visited site overall. The platform enjoys an impressive 11 million readers each month but like many others it claims to have a problem with people republishing its content without permission.</p>
<p>Back in March, Gazeta <a href="https://www.gazeta.ru/lifestyle/style/2016/03/a_8107937.shtml">published an article</a> about tourism in Azerbaijan. The piece was popular with Gazeta readers but other commercial outfits were also attracted to the content. One of them, Story-media.ru, later reproduced the Gazeta article in full, without obtaining permission from the copyright holder. </p>
<p>In the world of news this is hardly a rare event. Many outlets find their articles being reproduced elsewhere on the Internet without permission and within seconds of publication. However, Gazeta decided that enough was enough and decided to fight back.</p>
<p>Using the same copyright complaints system that has been used countless times by movie studios and record labels since its 2013 introduction, Gazeta filed a case at the Moscow City Court.</p>
<p>Categorizing the tourism article as a &#8220;literary work&#8221; (literary works were added to Russia&#8217;s anti-piracy law last May), Gazeta owner <a href="https://rambler-co.ru/en">Rambler &#038; Co</a> demanded action against Story-media.ru for the unauthorized reproduction of its copyright work.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2016/07/21/650001-smi-antipiratskim-zakonom">Vedomosti</a>, lawyers for Rambler &#038; Co argued that the company &#8220;consistently fights the illegal placement of [copyrighted] content&#8221; and since the operators of Story-media.ru hide their identities (WHOIS is anonymous), the site should be blocked.</p>
<p>The Moscow City Court found the argument persuasive and in response ordered Russian ISPs to immediately block Story-media.ru. The court order describes the injunction as &#8220;an interim measure&#8221; designed to protect the &#8220;intellectual rights to the literary work.&#8221;</p>
<p>While plenty of torrent, streaming and linking sites have been blocked under the same process, this is believed to be the first use of Russia&#8217;s anti-piracy law to block a news resource following a complaint from a publisher over a written article.</p>
<p>Gazeta has previously taken action against a site that published an infographic without permission, resulting in the block of media site go2life.net, Vedomosti reports.</p>
<p>Story-media.ru now needs to respond to the Gazeta complaint but it is unclear whether it will do so. The site is currently offline.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=p9DAH5X82PU:dfWiqz7MWLY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=p9DAH5X82PU:dfWiqz7MWLY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=p9DAH5X82PU:dfWiqz7MWLY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/p9DAH5X82PU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125313
title: KickassTorrents Community Resurrects, Without Torrents
uri: KickassTorrents-Community-Resurrects-Without-Torrents
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/wEp9w3p5w1c/
content:
<p><img src="media/2279eece.kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png" alt="kickasstorrents_500x500" width="250" height="250" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-99785" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-150x150.png 150w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px">With an active community and millions of regular visitors, KickassTorrents was much more than a site to leech the latest torrents from. Many considered it to be their virtual home.</p>
<p>This ended abruptly last week, following the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">arrest of its alleged founder</a> in Poland. A criminal complaint from the U.S. Government revealed that the entire operation had been <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/can-kickasstorrents-make-a-comeback-160721/">compromised</a> by the Department of Homeland Security.</p>
<p>Although not all domain names and servers were seized, the site quickly disappeared and after nearly a week there is still no sign of life. At least, not at the original site.</p>
<p>Over the past few days, several members of the KAT team have regrouped in an effort to get the community part of the site back up. Since then they have launched <a href="https://katcr.co/">Katcr.co</a>, which hosts a forum where several staffers are present. </p>
<p>Speaking on behalf of the KAT-team that&#8217;s left, Mr.Black says that the criminal investigation won&#8217;t be the end of the community.</p>
<p>&#8220;We need to remember that Kickass Torrents is not simply about uploading, the heart and soul of KAT is our members, which are family and family is important as we all know. Nothing can ever take that away and no matter what happens we will not let our community down.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;We guarantee that KAT will continue in one form or another and we will come back stronger than ever,&#8221; Mr.Black adds.</p>
<p>The forum, created by Mr.Prairi3DoG, has already gathered thousands of visitors over the past few days and continues to grow. While many of the original team members are present, it doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean that the original site will be restored as well. </p>
<p><center><strong>KAT forum</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/892e6f88.katcomun.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/katcomun.jpg" alt="katcomun" width="600" height="473" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125325"></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak has learned that remaining &#8220;KAT team&#8221; doesn&#8217;t have access to the original code. They are mainly people who kept the site clean and in order, in the role of moderator or administrator, and who have no contact with the alleged site owner.</p>
<p>However, if the &#8220;owners&#8221; of the site would like to make a comeback, they will have the support of the KAT team that&#8217;s now trying to keep the community alive.</p>
<p>&#8220;Should the business owners choose to revive KAT then they will have our full support,&#8221; Mr.Black says. </p>
<p>He further notes that the site was taken down &#8220;under dubious circumstances&#8221; and calls the charges against the alleged operator &#8220;murky&#8221; at best. &#8220;No copyrighted material was ever stored on Kickass Torrents and the site was fully DMCA compliant,&#8221; Mr.Black says.</p>
<p><center><strong>KAT spirit is <a href="https://katcr.co/community/index.php?topic=345.msg2983#msg2983">still alive</a></strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/3bad0a7a.katfor.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/katfor.jpg" alt="katfor" width="600" height="450" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125323" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/katfor.jpg 600w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/katfor-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></center></p>
<p>For now, the forum will give estranged KAT users a place to get together once again. However, many are also still looking for alternatives, with various <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-mirrors-and-imposters-spring-into-action-160722/">KAT mirrors</a> growing in popularity. </p>
<p>The KAT team has noticed this as well, but warns that none of these are connected to the old team, urging people to proceed with caution.</p>
<p>&#8220;Please be aware that there is no legitimate fully-working KAT site available so be cautious and never attempt to login to any fake sites that may appear online,&#8221; Mr.Black warns. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the alleged operator of KickassTorrents faces extradition to the United States. As far as we know he still remains in Poland, but the authorities haven&#8217;t announced any new information since last week, while the court case remains sealed.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=wEp9w3p5w1c:MR94hWjCDMk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=wEp9w3p5w1c:MR94hWjCDMk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=wEp9w3p5w1c:MR94hWjCDMk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/wEp9w3p5w1c" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125335
title: Pirate Bay Founder: The ‘Piracy’ Scene Needs Innovation
uri: Pirate-Bay-Founder-The-Piracy-Scene-Needs-Innovation
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/sY-XFcHui_c/
content:
<p><img src="media/1ceafd41.peter-sunde2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/peter-sunde2.jpg" alt="peter-sunde" width="225" height="225" class="alignright size-full wp-image-85601" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/peter-sunde2.jpg 225w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/peter-sunde2-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px">Last week the alleged<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/"> owner of KickassTorrents (KAT) was arrested</a> in Poland, where he faces an extradition request from the United States. </p>
<p>The news came as a shock to many of the site&#8217;s users and also had a profound impact on the torrent ecosystem at large, particularly in the short term. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak discusses the events and repercussions with several experts on a <a href="/steal-this-show-s01e14-kickasstorrents-down">special episode of Steal This Show</a>. Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde is one of the guests, and he finds it quite odd that the long arm of the United States can reach deep into Europe.</p>
<p>&#8220;For me, it&#8217;s weird that Poland is arresting someone on the orders of the United States where the person has not been,&#8221; Sunde says.  </p>
<p>&#8220;I have an issue with a country having that much power. I don&#8217;t care if it&#8217;s the United States, Russia or whatever, but one country shouldn&#8217;t be able to just grab people from anywhere in the world just because they do something on the Internet. That&#8217;s insanity.&#8221;</p>
<p>Sunde and the other Pirate Bay founders had their own criminal prosecution in Sweden several years ago, for which they all served jail time. Their case was also spurred on by U.S. influence, he believes, but it was prosecuted on their home turf instead. </p>
<p>Legalities aside, Peter Sunde believes that the shutdown of KAT shows how vulnerable the torrent ecosystem is. The majority of users rely on a very small group of torrent sites, which are all major targets for law enforcement. </p>
<p>A more distributed system would be much better, according to Pirate Bay&#8217;s founder. </p>
<p>&#8220;I think maybe people now understand that we shouldn&#8217;t just have a few sites. Because everything depends on these sites. That&#8217;s the thing I always wanted, a large hybrid of lots of smaller sites instead of one big target like KickassTorrents or Pirate Bay.&#8221; </p>
<p>Just setting up basic mirrors isn&#8217;t going to cut it in this case. At the moment there are still dozens of KAT copies online, but since they don&#8217;t have access to the backend of the original site, uploaders can&#8217;t use their accounts. </p>
<p>Also, many smaller torrent sites were relying on KAT&#8217;s database of torrents, and these have been faced with a similar problem since last week. A lack of new content.</p>
<p>&#8220;If one of the big sites goes down a lot of smaller sites are hit as well because they are just a copy of the original database. We need lots of sites that federate all the data instead of having to depend on the higher-ups,&#8221; Sunde notes. </p>
<p>So what&#8217;s the alternative? According to Pirate Bay&#8217;s founder, more innovation and decentralization is required.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/b226f382.ipfs.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipfs.png" alt="ipfs" width="557" height="254" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125362"></center></p>
<p>There are already plenty of new technologies that could make torrent sites more decentralized. <a href="https://zeronet.io/">Zeronet</a> and <a href="https://ipfs.io/">IPFS</a>, for example. However, according to Sunde the large torrent sites such as TPB don&#8217;t really have the urge to innovate. </p>
<p>&#8220;IPFS is really good and if everyone started using that instead it would be great. It would be working perfectly with less centralization. The problem is that the big sites like TPB and KAT are not really good at using new technology.&#8221;</p>
<p>Without a userbase these new technologies don&#8217;t catch on, so that keeps the current status quo intact. The only way to change this is by bringing in something fresh, Sunde says. </p>
<p>&#8220;If you look at the big sites, name one of them that has an up-to-date user experience or uses new technology at all. It&#8217;s the same shit that&#8217;s been around for 10, 15 years. There is no innovation whatsoever that&#8217;s visible on these sites.</p>
<p>&#8220;We need new voices, new people, new activists and new ideologies in the piracy scene,&#8221; Sunde adds.</p>
<p>Millions of people now rely on TPB and KAT to just be there for them. However, that makes the ecosystem very vulnerable without any incentive to innovate. This is why Sunde <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/shut-down-the-pirate-bay-founder-says-130708/">and others</a> who were involved early, wanted to shut down the site on its 10th anniversary. To make room for something better.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been saying for years that I want The Pirate Bay to shut down, and now with KickassTorrents being shut down I hope this will actually inspire people to do something fresh, innovative and something new.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;To be honest, it&#8217;s not really hard to run a torrent site, or set one up,&#8221; Sunde says.</p>
<p>&#8212;-</p>
<p><em>You can hear more from Peter Sunde in the <a href="https://stealthisshow.com/s01e14/">latest episode of Steal This Show</a> (not all comments cited here appear in the episode), which was published earlier today. The episode also features isoHunt founder Gary Fung and U.S. Pirate Party founder Andrew Norton.</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=sY-XFcHui_c:e1M0p1I5yYo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=sY-XFcHui_c:e1M0p1I5yYo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=sY-XFcHui_c:e1M0p1I5yYo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/sY-XFcHui_c" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125347
title: Steal This Show S01E14: KickassTorrents Down!
uri: Steal-This-Show-S01E14-KickassTorrents-Down
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gPriEcp08J0/
content:
<p><img src="media/bdfe7b85.stslogo1-e1448220349193.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stslogo1-e1448220349193.png" alt="stslogo" width="200" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-113912">The <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">alleged owner of KickassTorrents was arrested last week</a>, to be extradited from Poland to the United States. The site &#8211; at least the original version &#8211; remains offline.</p>
<p>In this episode of STEAL THIS SHOW, we invite <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sunde">Peter Sunde</a>, co-founder of The Pirate Bay, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Norton_(Pirate_Party)">Andrew Norton</a>, US Pirate Party chairman, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IsoHunt">Gary Fung</a>, founder of isoHunt, to discuss this critical event, its significance for the torrent community, and implications for the world of P2P. </p>
<p>We discuss the propriety of extraordinary rendition for copyright crime, the question of how much money pirates are really making, and how the anti-P2P agenda is leading to further decentralisation. Kickass Torrents, we learn, is just one head of the <a href="media/d2b9fdd9.d20Hydra20-20Sailors20Slaves20Commoners20and20the20Hidden20H.pdf" data-original-source="https://libcom.org/files/Linebaugh%20and%20Rediker%20-%20The%20Many-Headed%20Hydra%20-%20Sailors,%20Slaves,%20Commoners,%20and%20the%20Hidden%20H.pdf">many-headed hydra</a>.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><a href="https://stealthisshow.com">Steal This Show</a> aims to release bi-weekly episodes featuring insiders discussing copyright and file-sharing news. It complements our regular reporting by adding more room for opinion, commentary and analysis. </p>
<p>The guests for our news discussions will vary and we&#8217;ll aim to introduce voices from different backgrounds and persuasions. In addition to news, STS will also produce features interviewing some of the great innovators and minds. </p>
<p><strong>Host:</strong> Jamie King</p>
<p><strong>Guests:</strong> Peter Sunde, Gary Fung and Andrew Norton. </p>
<p><center><iframe width="100%" height="180px" src="//stealthisshow.com/?lpe-frame=1&#038;lpe-season=1&#038;lpe-episode=14" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<p><strong>Produced </strong> <em>by </em>Jamie King<br>
<strong>Edited &#038; Mixed</strong> <em>by</em> Riley Byrne<br>
<strong>Original Music</strong> <em>by</em> David Triana<br>
<strong>Web Production</strong> <em>by</em> Siraje Amarniss</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=gPriEcp08J0:_Bph8n1Mvo0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=gPriEcp08J0:_Bph8n1Mvo0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=gPriEcp08J0:_Bph8n1Mvo0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/gPriEcp08J0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125367
title: Openload Domain Suspended By Namecheap
uri: Openload-Domain-Suspended-By-Namecheap
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/vdXmp-mOIm8/
content:
<p><a href="media/318f6a20.namecheap.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/namecheap.png"><img src="media/318f6a20.namecheap.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/namecheap.png" alt="namecheap" width="237" height="97" class="alignright size-full wp-image-107544"></a>Copyright holders know that one of the most effective ways to hinder a file-sharing site is to attack its domain. As a result, various strategies have emerged to deprive owners of their use.</p>
<p>Those methods range from a basic complaint to registrars over incomplete or inaccurate WHOIS entries, to the more complex seizing of domains via the legal system.</p>
<p>The amount of time spent on enforcement is often comparable with the quality of the end results. WHOIS information is quickly fixed but domains ordered seized by a judge tend to stay that way forever.</p>
<p>Interestingly, a situation now faced by a leading file-hosting site might lie somewhere in the middle.</p>
<p>Openload is one of the most-used file-hosting platforms on the Internet, with more traffic than 4shared, Rapidgator and Uploaded. It has a worldwide Alexa rank of 402 and millions of visitors every week but yesterday a wrench was thrown into the works.</p>
<p>Around 18:22 Monday, Openload&#8217;s .co domain was suspended by its registrar Namecheap. As can be seen in the entry below, the reason is reported as &#8220;abuse&#8221;.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/768041ab.openload-namecheap.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/openload-namecheap.png"><img src="media/768041ab.openload-namecheap.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/openload-namecheap.png" alt="openload-namecheap" width="600" height="475" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125382"></a></center></p>
<p>Namecheap passed our request for comment to its legal department who have yet to formally respond. However, we were able to contact the operator of Openload who confirmed that there had been an alleged breach of Namecheap&#8217;s Terms of Service.</p>
<p>&#8220;Namecheap suspended our domain for abuse according to their TOS,&#8221; Openload&#8217;s operator told TF. &#8220;Basically, they just said that they received too many DMCA reports.&#8221;</p>
<p>It is fairly unusual for a domain registrar to be targeted with so many copyright complaints since they are traditionally directed at the site itself, its webhost, or both. In this case, however, Namecheap appears to have been overwhelmed.</p>
<p>To get an idea of potential scale, in less than a year Google has received in excess of 450,000 DMCA <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/domains/openload.co/">complaints</a> against Openload&#8217;s .co and .io domains.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/cb6937a2.openload-google.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/openload-google.png"><img src="media/cb6937a2.openload-google.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/openload-google.png" alt="openload-google" width="600" height="246" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125383"></a></center></p>
<p>The range of entertainment companies involved is broad, from the RIAA, Netflix and Warner Bros, to various Japanese anime distributors. Indeed, a large proportion of Openload&#8217;s traffic hails from Japan.</p>
<p>That being said, Openload says it is DMCA-compliant and processes complaints in a timely fashion.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The complaints received by Namecheap] were of course all taken down within 6-24 hours, but the number of notices is too much for them,&#8221; the site told us.</p>
<p>Copyright holders do have other options though. In addition to inviting complaints via a standard web form, Openload also offers a takedown tool.</p>
<p>&#8220;Openload is anxious to optimize the process of taking down files that violate copyright. Therefore Openload is offering a takedown API,&#8221; the site says.</p>
<p>But while takedowns are important, Openload does have a feature that tends to irritate copyright holders &#8211; paying uploaders for the amount of downloads they generate.</p>
<p>&#8220;We pay a fixed amount per 10,000 downloads/streams. Each payment amount per download/stream depends on the country the actions comes from,&#8221; the site explains on its rewards page.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/8f1141b5.openload-rewards.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/openload-rewards.png"><img src="media/8f1141b5.openload-rewards.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/openload-rewards.png" alt="openload-rewards" width="600" height="293" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125384"></a></center></p>
<p>Of course, YouTube also pays uploaders for the amount of traffic they generate but copyright holders have traditionally drawn a line in the sand when the same is offered by Openload-type hosting sites. The U.S. Department of Justice indictment against Megaupload famously paints a loosely similar scheme in a very dim light.</p>
<p>For now, Openload has lost control of its main Openload.co domain but the site is back up and running at <a href="https://oload.co/">Oload.co</a>, a domain that was purchased last night following Namecheap&#8217;s suspension.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our site is reachable via oload.co which is actually a kind of read-only site. All features will return on the new domain during the next hours,&#8221; Openload&#8217;s operator concludes.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Openload&#8217;s original domain suspension has been lifted by Namecheap. The company is yet to respond to our request for comment.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=vdXmp-mOIm8:Xgtu4F1aC1g:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=vdXmp-mOIm8:Xgtu4F1aC1g:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=vdXmp-mOIm8:Xgtu4F1aC1g:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/vdXmp-mOIm8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125365
title: Streaming Sites Dominate Movie and TV-Show Piracy
uri: Streaming-Sites-Dominate-Movie-and-TV-Show-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/AFjlLSuczYs/
content:
<p><img src="media/468f0769.streamingkey.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/streamingkey.jpg" alt="streamingkey" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125426">A decade ago online video streaming was still a relatively new phenomenon. YouTube had just celebrated its first anniversary and Netflix hadn&#8217;t even rolled out its streaming service. </p>
<p>The piracy landscape also looked quite different at the time. Streaming sites were pretty much non-existent and the vast majority of all movie and TV-show piracy was torrent related. </p>
<p>This has drastically changed in recent years. According to a new report published by piracy tracking outfit <a href="https://www.muso.com/">MUSO</a>, streaming sites have taken over as the prime source of video piracy.</p>
<p>New figures released publicly this week are part of the company&#8217;s annual report, which shows that nearly three quarters of all movie and TV-show traffic now goes to streaming sites. </p>
<p>The data from MUSO covers visits to 14,000 of the largest global piracy websites from 226 countries. In total, the company recorded 141 billion visits to pirate sites last year. </p>
<p>More than half of these visits relate to video piracy, which includes movies and TV-shows. The vast majority of these, 57.84 billion (74%), are visits to pirate streaming sites. </p>
<p>According to MUSO, there is a clear transition away from P2P sites and services to streaming. This can in part be explained by improved Internet connectivity across the globe.</p>
<p>Despite the availability of legal services, the United States tops the list of video pirates, representing 12% of total traffic, which is good for nearly 10 billion visits. </p>
<p>Torrent site traffic is slowly declining, for video content at least. Roughly 17% of the traffic went to torrent sites, and MUSO reported a clear downward trend during 2015. Direct download sites account for 8% of video piracy visits, which is relatively stable.</p>
<p>The data further reveals that both streaming pirates and torrent users predominantly use desktop machines to visit these sites, 72 and 77 percent respectively. This means that mobile piracy remains relatively small. </p>
<p><center><strong>Visits to streaming sites by device</strong> (Muso.com)<br></br></center><center><img src="media/21da017f.musostream.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/musostream.png" alt="musostream" width="512" height="311" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125422"></center></p>
<p>The movie and TV-show figures are in line with the overall trend MUSO revealed earlier, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirates-switch-from-torrents-to-streaming-and-download-sites-160426/">where pirates move away from torrent sites</a> to other distribution platforms. </p>
<p>“Piracy audiences are becoming better connected, more tech savvy, and know what they want, which is why so many of them have chosen to stream infringing content, rather than download it illegally,” MUSO’s CCO Christopher Elkins says.</p>
<p>Overall, MUSO&#8217;s report concludes that the piracy ecosystem is rapidly changing. It will be interesting to see how the reported traffic trends develop during the years to come.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AFjlLSuczYs:R3_iShRqBgU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AFjlLSuczYs:R3_iShRqBgU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=AFjlLSuczYs:R3_iShRqBgU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/AFjlLSuczYs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125408
title: James Cameron: Theater Experience Key to Containing Piracy
uri: James-Cameron-Theater-Experience-Key-to-Containing-Piracy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/fq5o35C472Y/
content:
<p><a href="media/e8607ca5.james-cameron.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/james-cameron.jpg"><img src="media/e8607ca5.james-cameron.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/james-cameron.jpg" alt="james cameron" width="250" height="178" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125410"></a>With blockbusters including Avatar, Titanic, Terminator (1&#038;2) and Aliens under his belt, James Cameron is without doubt one of the most successful and respected filmmakers of modern times.</p>
<p>While promoting the 30th anniversary of “Aliens” at Comic-Con last week, Cameron and his wife Gale Anne Hurd (who produced the movie) spoke to <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/news/james-cameron-gale-anne-hurd-virtual-reality-screening-room-1201822498/">Variety</a> on a number of movie industry issues.</p>
<p>Among them were the potentially intertwined topics of Napster co-founder Sean Parker&#8217;s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/napster-founder-offer-new-movies-at-home-for-50-per-shot-160310/">Screening Room project</a> and, of course, the thorny debate over Internet piracy.</p>
<p>While Screening Room sounds exciting to some, Cameron does not share the sentiment. He believes that having first-run movies in the home will stop people heading off to the cinema, the place where filmmakers can really showcase their art and take the fight to piracy.</p>
<p>&#8220;The biggest hedge against piracy is still the sanctity of the viewing experience in a movie theater — when it comes to movies,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;With &#8216;The Walking Dead&#8217; or something like that, that’s not what you’re selling, but if we’re talking about movies and theatrical exhibition, keeping it great, making it a special experience, is still the biggest hedge against [piracy].&#8221;</p>
<p>Interestingly, Cameron also says that even if piracy somehow became legal and download speeds were drastically improved, viewing content outside the theatrical setting would still come up short.</p>
<p>&#8220;You’re still watching [movies] on a small platform, and it’s not that social experience,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>The notion that innovation is the key to dealing with piracy is a belief that Cameron has held for a number of years.</p>
<p>Back in 2010 the filmmaker was basking in the glory of Avatar making more than $2.6 billion at the box office, despite pirate copies being available online. The sci-fi movie later went on to become the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-all-time-111012/">most pirated movie</a> of all time, and the <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/">most successful</a> too.</p>
<p>But without offering something different, something unique, the movie industry could face the same threat as the music industry did, Cameron warns.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just collectively the industry needs to know if we fail at creating a premium immersive experience in the theater, then the Napster-like downloading phenomenon will destroy the industry,&#8221; Cameron says.</p>
<p>&#8220;You won’t be able to afford to make a movie like &#8216;Avatar&#8217; or &#8216;Transformers&#8217; or &#8216;Captain America&#8217; or any of these big films. The economics will no longer make sense. And you simply won’t have them in any format or platform.&#8221;</p>
<p>But while Cameron talks innovation, his producer wife <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gale_Anne_Hurd">Gale Anne Hurd</a> cautions that those sharing content online might be doing so with rose-tinted glasses.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8216;File Sharing&#8217; sounds like a good thing. It’s file stealing,&#8221; she told Variety.</p>
<p>&#8220;I’ve just seen the figures — there’s money to be made in it and that’s not what people are thinking about. If they go to a torrent site or whatever, [the site&#8217;s operators] are making money through advertising.&#8221;</p>
<p>While that isn&#8217;t anything new to most file-sharers, Hurd also attacks the driving force behind many sharing platforms &#8211; the community&#8217;s idea that by uploading content to peers they&#8217;re spreading the enjoyment.</p>
<p>&#8220;So it’s not like, &#8216;Oh, your friend is helping you out&#8217;,&#8221; she says.</p>
<p>&#8220;There’s billions that people are making. The more that’s siphoned away because people are like, &#8216;Oh, I’ll just wait and I’ll stream it and I don’t even have to pay to stream it from a legitimate source,&#8217; that is making it so much tougher on the exhibitors,&#8221; Hurd concludes.</p>
<p>Only time will tell whether projects such as Screening Room will be able to co-exist with the theatrical experience. If done well, however, both should be able to chip away at piracy &#8211; if the forecasts of Cameron and Fanning are to be believed.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=fq5o35C472Y:NgoBb7iWxeE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=fq5o35C472Y:NgoBb7iWxeE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=fq5o35C472Y:NgoBb7iWxeE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/fq5o35C472Y" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125505
title: KickassTorrents’ Alleged Owner Retains Kim Dotcom’s Lawyer
uri: KickassTorrents-Alleged-Owner-Retains-Kim-Dotcom-s-Lawyer
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kSTuwSYNidg/
content:
<p><img src="media/2279eece.kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png" alt="kickasstorrents_500x500" width="222" height="222" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-99785" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-150x150.png 150w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px">Last week Polish law enforcement officers arrested Artem Vaulin, the alleged founder of KickassTorrents.</p>
<p><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">The arrest</a> resulted in the shutdown of the site, which came as a shock to millions of KAT users and the torrent community at large. </p>
<p>The Polish authorities acted on a criminal complaint from the U.S. Government. In the indictment, the 30-year-old Ukrainian is charged with criminal copyright infringement and money laundering. </p>
<p>These charges are similar to those lodged against Megaupload and Kim Dotcom. With this in mind, it doesn&#8217;t come as a surprise that Vaulin has decided to retain the same lawyer. </p>
<p>Ira Rothken confirmed to TorrentFreak that he will lead Vaulin&#8217;s defense working in collaboration with local counsel. Besides his familiarity with criminal copyright charges, Rothken also knows the ins and outs of torrent sites, as he previously represented isoHunt in a civil case. </p>
<p>While it&#8217;s still early days, Rothken believes that they have strong arguments to have the criminal complaint dismissed. </p>
<p>&#8220;We believe the US criminal complaint lacks merit. Torrent sites and trackers are devoid of any content files. If any infringement occurs it happens offsite and leaves Kickasstorrents behind,&#8221; Rothken informs TorrentFreak.  </p>
<p>&#8220;This type of copyright theory is known as secondary copyright infringement and there is no United States criminal statute for secondary copyright infringement &#8211; that type of theory is at most a civil liability issue.&#8221; </p>
<p>The same arguments are also being raised in the Megaupload case, which is still pending after nearly half a decade. </p>
<p><center><strong>Rothken and Kim Dotcom</strong> (<a href="http://www.techfirm.com/photo-gallery/single-gallery/17526637">credit</a>)<br></br><img src="media/62e176c7.rothkendotcom.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rothkendotcom.jpg" alt="rothkendotcom" width="600" height="450" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125513" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/rothkendotcom.jpg 600w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/rothkendotcom-200x150.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></center><center></center></p>
<p>Last December a New Zealand District Court judge <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-can-be-extradited-to-the-united-states-judge-rules-151223/">ruled</a> that Dotcom and his former Megaupload colleagues can be extradited to the United States. This decision was immediately <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcoms-extradition-appeal-set-for-august-160209/">appealed</a> and a new series of hearings is scheduled to take place in a few weeks.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/07/kim-dotcoms-lawyer-will-also-represent-alleged-kickasstorrents-founder/">noted by ARS</a>, who first reported the news, Vaulin remains in  a Warsaw jail pending his extradition request. However, Rothken hopes that the alleged owner of KickassTorrents will be able to fight his extradition outside of jail. </p>
<p>&#8220;We are working with local Polish counsel to try to get Artem out of the Warsaw jail so he can assist with his defense,&#8221; Rothken tells us. </p>
<p>The KickassTorrents website, meanwhile, is still offline. Although there are numerous mirrors available, it is unlikely that it will come back in the near future. </p>
<p>The KAT &#8220;community,&#8221; however, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-community-resurrects-without-torrents-160725/">has been revived</a> and remains active. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=kSTuwSYNidg:zyf25ayoe-M:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=kSTuwSYNidg:zyf25ayoe-M:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=kSTuwSYNidg:zyf25ayoe-M:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/kSTuwSYNidg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125444
title: Photographer Files $1bn Copyright Claim Against Getty Images
uri: Photographer-Files-1bn-Copyright-Claim-Against-Getty-Images
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/SV95SwfVZBY/
content:
<p><a href="media/dd7a5dc4.getty.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/getty.jpg"><img src="media/dd7a5dc4.getty.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/getty.jpg" alt="getty" width="240" height="132" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125456"></a>Seattle-based Getty Images is an American agency controlling an archive of dozens of millions of stock images. After paying the company an appropriate fee, customers are given the right to use Getty&#8217;s images in their own publications.</p>
<p>Like many copyright holders, Getty is extremely aggressive in protecting its rights. The company scans the web in search of instances where people have used its images without obtaining an appropriate license and pursues the alleged infringer for money.</p>
<p>What follows is a typical copyright-troll operation. Those supposedly using content without permission receive a scary letter from Getty agents warning that all kinds of terrible things might happen if Getty decides to take the case to court. All this can be avoided, however, if the supposed image pirate pays a cash settlement.</p>
<p>One such letter was received in December 2015 by the <a href="http://www.thisisamericafoundation.org/">This is America! Foundation</a>, a non-profit set up by <a href="http://www.carolhighsmithamerica.com/">Carol Highsmith</a>, a long-established US-based photographer.</p>
<p>Penned by a company calling itself License Compliance Services (LCS) on behalf of Getty-affiliated <a href="http://www.alamy.com/">Alamy</a>, the letter got straight to the point.</p>
<p>“We have seen that an image or image(s) represented by Alamy has  been used for online use by your company. According  to  Alamy’s records your company doesn’t have a valid license for use of the image(s),&#8221; the letter began.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>The allegedly infringing image</h5>
<p><a href="media/3f16b394.shuttle.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/shuttle.png"><img src="media/3f16b394.shuttle.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/shuttle.png" alt="shuttle" width="600" height="398" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125450"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;Although  this  infringement  might  have been unintentional, use of an image without a valid license is considered copyright infringement in   violation of   the   Copyright   Act,   Title   17,   United States   Code.   This copyright   law entitles Alamy to seek compensation for any license infringement.”</p>
<p>The company demanded $120 to settle the dispute, which admittedly isn&#8217;t a huge amount. However, the case contained a series of devastating flaws, not least that the photograph in question was taken by Carol Highsmith herself. But it gets worse.</p>
<p>During a near half-hour telephone conversation with LCS, Highsmith began by explaining that she is the author of the image. However, she also revealed that she had donated this and thousands of other images to the Library  of  Congress and makes them available to the public to reproduce and display for free.</p>
<p>In the dying days of December 2015, Highsmith received confirmation from LCS that the case against her had been dropped. However, Getty and Alamy clearly hadn&#8217;t got the message. Amazingly, the companies were also making available more than 18,000 of Highsmith&#8217;s other photographs on their websites.</p>
<p>In a lawsuit filed July 25 in a New York District Court, Highsmith&#8217;s lawyers make their position clear.</p>
<p>&#8220;Nowhere on its website does Getty identify Ms. Highsmith as the sole author of the Highsmith Photos. Likewise, nowhere on its  website does  Getty  identify  Ms.  Highsmith  as  the copyright owner of the work,&#8221; they write.</p>
<p>&#8220;Instead, Getty  misrepresents  the  terms  and  conditions  of  using  the  Highsmith Photos by falsely claiming a user must buy a copyright license from Getty in order to have the right to use the Highsmith Photos.&#8221;</p>
<p>In some cases Getty was demanding $575 for use of just one of Highsmith&#8217;s images, despite the photographer making the content freely available to the public. Worse still, the company has also been sending out settlement demands to people who used the images legally on their websites.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Defendants have apparently misappropriated Ms. Highsmith’s generous gift to  the  American  people,&#8221; the lawsuit reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;The  Defendants are  not  only  unlawfully  charging licensing  fees  to people and organizations  who  were  already  authorized  to reproduce  and  display the  donated photographs for free,  but are  falsely  and  fraudulently  holding themselves  out  as  the  exclusive copyright owner and threatening individuals and companies with copyright infringement lawsuits that the Defendants could not actually lawfully pursue.&#8221;</p>
<p>As a result, the tables are now turned, with Getty on the receiving end of a settlement demand. For using her images without permission, Highsmith says that Getty is liable for statutory damages of up to $468,875,000.</p>
<p>However, since Getty lost another copyright case (Morel v. Getty) within the last three years, Highsmith believes that the court has the power to treble the statutory damages. In this case up to a cool $1 billion.</p>
<p>Considering Getty&#8217;s holier-than-thou position when it comes to infringement, thousands will be cheering Highsmith on to victory. In the meantime, check out her work, it&#8217;s <a href="http://www.carolhighsmithamerica.com/">something really special</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=SV95SwfVZBY:uzT09JXaBn8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=SV95SwfVZBY:uzT09JXaBn8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=SV95SwfVZBY:uzT09JXaBn8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/SV95SwfVZBY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125535
title: Movie Studios ‘Take Down’ Popular KAT Mirror
uri: Movie-Studios-Take-Down-Popular-KAT-Mirror
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/I3kcngPybrQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/2279eece.kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png" alt="kickasstorrents_500x500" width="222" height="222" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-99785" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-300x300.png 300w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001-150x150.png 150w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/kickasstorrents_500x5001.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px">More than a week has passed since KickassTorrents (KAT) was shut down by the U.S. Government, following <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">the arrest </a>of the site&#8217;s alleged owner. </p>
<p>Soon after the official site went offline various <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-mirrors-and-imposters-spring-into-action-160722/">mirrors and copies</a> were launched to take its place. While none of these sites have anything to do with the original site, they do attract hundreds of thousands of users. </p>
<p>One of the more popular mirrors is KAT.am. The site was featured in several news reports with some suggesting that it&#8217;s an official reincarnation of the original KickassTorrents site. </p>
<p>While that is certainly not true, the instant success of this &#8216;copyKAT&#8217; was enough to get Hollywood worried. Especially because its operator also started to add new torrents to the site.</p>
<p>It therefore came as no surprise that the Motion Picture Association, representing Hollywood&#8217;s major studios, sent KAT.am&#8217;s owner a stark warning. </p>
<p>&#8220;This Notice requires you to immediately (within 24 hours) take effective measures to end and prevent further copyright infringement. All opportunities provided by the Website to download, stream or otherwise obtain access to the Entertainment Content should be disabled permanently,&#8221; MPA&#8217;s email reads.</p>
<p> <center><strong>Part of MPA&#8217;s mail</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/e9a12325.katmirrormail.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/katmirrormail.png" alt="katmirrormail" width="550" height="355" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125547"></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to operator of the mirror, who informed us that he has no intention of backing down. However, he noted that the MPA(A) pressure did lead to a suspension of the domain name. </p>
<p>&#8220;The MPAA coordinated with the Armenian registry and got the domain deleted,&#8221; KAT.am&#8217;s operator said. &#8220;We are making continuous attempts to bring it back, utilizing all the legal channels available.&#8221;</p>
<p>At the time of writing KAT.am remains offline. However, the mirror has already launched two new domains, kickass.cd and kickass.mx, from where it continues to operate.</p>
<p><center><strong>KAT?</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/5492e626.katmirror.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/katmirror.png" alt="katmirror" width="595" height="175" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125546"></center></p>
<p>Operating a KAT mirror is not without risk, given the fact that the original site is the target of a criminal investigation by the U.S. Government. That doesn&#8217;t seem to bother the operator in question though.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are not worried, because if it&#8217;s not us, someone else will keep the game running. If not the alleged owner, it can be us. If we are not there, still there will surely be someone else. This never ends,&#8221; he tells us. </p>
<p>For some KAT users the &#8220;mirror&#8221; situation is rather confusing. They believe that the mirrors are somehow connected to the original site and some may attempt to login, which isn&#8217;t possible as these sites don&#8217;t have a copy of the user database.</p>
<p>Login attempts are risky, as some rogue mirrors may harvest personal information for nefarious purposes. Previously, the original <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-community-resurrects-without-torrents-160725/">KAT community team warned</a> against such mirrors, urging former users to avoid these sites. </p>
<p>The operator of the former KAT.am mirror says that his site is completely safe. He&#8217;s also considering adding a notice to clarify that it is not related to the original KAT, to clarify the situation. </p>
<p>That said, just like those who operate the mirrors, former KAT users should consider themselves warned too.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=I3kcngPybrQ:FuUfTL7JinU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=I3kcngPybrQ:FuUfTL7JinU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=I3kcngPybrQ:FuUfTL7JinU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/I3kcngPybrQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125501
title: Sony Sued For Not Protecting Leaked Movie From Pirates
uri: Sony-Sued-For-Not-Protecting-Leaked-Movie-From-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/soZ9hZ8fa04/
content:
<p><img src="media/e3124135.sony.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/sony.png" width="180" height="180" class="alignright">November 2014 was one of the darkest months in the history of Sony Pictures. After being hacked by a group calling themselves the &#8216;Guardians of Peace&#8217;, masses of sensitive internal information was leaked online.</p>
<p>In addition to thousands of emails sent between key Sony staff, several movies were also <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sony-movies-leak-online-after-hack-attack-141129/">leaked online</a>. They included Still Alice, Mr Turner, Annie, Fury and the unreleased movie <a href="https://twloha.com/">To Write Love on Her Arms</a>.</p>
<p>This week, more than 18 months after the hack, the owner of the latter title sued Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions in a Florida court. In its complaint, Possibility Pictures says that Sony failed to meet contractual obligations which required the company to protect the movie from pirates.</p>
<p>Noting that Possibility spent $3.38m producing the movie, the company says that the hack resulted from an &#8220;entirely foreseeable and avoidable failure of internal security&#8221; following many earlier security incidents at Sony.</p>
<p>&#8220;SPE has been a longstanding and frequent target for hackers, but it apparently made a conscious and deliberate business decision to accept both the risk of losses and the actual losses of being hacked,&#8221; the complaint (<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3000781-Possibility.html">first posted</a> by HWR) reads.</p>
<p>Possibility says that due to Sony&#8217;s negligence the movie was leaked four months ahead of its official release. Then, due to its appearance on multiple pirate sites, the audience demand for the title was &#8220;destroyed&#8221;. </p>
<p>&#8220;While the total number of illegal downloads is unknown and unknowable, it is far more than likely [that the final tally is] many, many times the nearly 20,000 downloads recorded in just six days [following the leak],&#8221; the company adds.</p>
<p>Furthermore, in the wake of the leak, Sony allegedly &#8220;lost all interest&#8221; in promoting and marketing the movie and paid no further distribution revenues to Possibility beyond an initial $800,000 advance. As a result, Possibility claims that it is almost $2.6m out of pocket versus production costs.</p>
<p>To support its claim, Possibility highlights a section of its distribution agreement with Sony titled &#8220;Anti-Piracy Authorization&#8221;. The company says that the text shows that Sony was obliged to &#8220;protect the movie worldwide&#8221; using &#8220;appropriate technical measures or other techniques&#8221; to assist efforts to &#8220;remove, disable or otherwise prevent&#8221; unauthorized versions of the movie being pirated on the Internet.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/bef59918.sony-auth.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sony-auth.png"><img src="media/bef59918.sony-auth.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sony-auth.png" alt="sony-auth" width="611" height="249" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125529"></a></center></p>
<p>No doubt the lawyers will argue over the meaning and scope of the section but thus far Sony is clear. In July 2016 discussions with Possibility Pictures, Sony insisted that it had &#8220;no obligation&#8230;.to take any anti-piracy measures whatsoever.&#8221;</p>
<p>It&#8217;s certainly rare for a company like Sony to be accused of not doing enough to prevent piracy, so this case should be an interesting one to watch.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=soZ9hZ8fa04:VAe0YZqiKgY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=soZ9hZ8fa04:VAe0YZqiKgY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=soZ9hZ8fa04:VAe0YZqiKgY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/soZ9hZ8fa04" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125475
title: Mr. Robot ‘Plugs’ uTorrent and Pirate Release Groups
uri: Mr-Robot-Plugs-uTorrent-and-Pirate-Release-Groups
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/dRrq4JVXCXI/
content:
<p><img src="media/6c0ecf43.fsoc.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fsoc.png" alt="fsoc" width="250" height="158" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125533">Earlier this month the second season of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Robot_(TV_series)">Mr. Robot</a> premiered. </p>
<p>The TV-show, which portrays and appeals to a subculture of nerds, hacktivists, hackers and technology insiders, has become an instant cult hit. </p>
<p>Aside from classic hacker groups, the makers of the show were <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-creator-of-mr-robot-explains-its-hacktivist-and-cult-roots">inspired by The Pirate Bay founders</a>. Last year Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail admitted that the main character Elliot is in part modeled after the illustrious trio.</p>
<p>In addition, Mr. Robot also includes various nods and easter eggs for the technology inclined. For example, the first episode of the second season included <a href="https://0x41.no/mr-robot-s02e01-easter-egg/">an online trail</a> for people to follow in the real world.</p>
<p>In the most recent episode, pirates were saluted during a short scene. Without giving away any spoilers, the main character Elliot was shown playing a pirated movie via his PLEX media server.</p>
<p>The movie in question, The Careful Massacre of the Bourgeoisie, is &#8220;fake&#8221; but that&#8217;s not true for the other pirate references displayed. </p>
<p><center><strong>uTorrent / PLEX and pirate groups</strong> (<a href="media/b86f9f3a.robotutorr.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/robotutorr.jpg">large</a>)<br></br></center><center><a href="media/b86f9f3a.robotutorr.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/robotutorr.jpg"><img src="media/b86f9f3a.robotutorr.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/robotutorr.jpg" alt="robotutorr" width="600" height="338" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125485"></a></center></p>
<p>As the screenshot above shows, Elliot uses a recent version of the popular BitTorrent client uTorrent, showing a house ad for an upgrade to uTorrent Plus. </p>
<p>In the &#8220;movies&#8221; folder, which is also shown, we can see various other movies complete with release group tags such as YIFY, PRiSTiNE, DiPSHiT, RARBG and CRiTERiON. </p>
<p>It is safe to say that these were not included by accident but as a nod towards the pirates in the audience. The same can be said for the iconic FBI warning that&#8217;s shown when the movie starts playing.</p>
<p><center><strong>FBI warning</strong> (<a href="media/6f9c0c49.robotfbi.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/robotfbi.jpg">large</a>)<br></br></center><center><a href="media/6f9c0c49.robotfbi.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/robotfbi.jpg"><img src="media/6f9c0c49.robotfbi.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/robotfbi.jpg" alt="robotfbi" width="600" height="338" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125483"></a></center></p>
<p>The mention didn&#8217;t go unnoticed by the pirate groups in question. We reached out to YIFY, who quit after running into legal trouble last year, and he appreciates the mention. </p>
<p>&#8220;Makes me feel like a little bit of a &#8216;bad ass&#8217;, even though it&#8217;s a pretty minor thing in the show still a cheeky smile came about,&#8221; YIFY told TF.  </p>
<p>&#8220;I do like the fact that the producers of Mr Robot specifically do try to get an accurate reflection of today&#8217;s real world online.&#8221;</p>
<p>While the names of the pirate groups are indeed accurate, there may be room for improvement. A member of another release group pictured in the episode, who commented on condition of anonymity, questioned Elliot&#8217;s BitTorrent client preference.  </p>
<p>&#8220;I find it hard to believe that the main character in the show &#8211; a pro hacker &#8211; is using a non-open source software to download or stream his torrents,&#8221; the group member said.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=dRrq4JVXCXI:QNyc-1PJLXo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=dRrq4JVXCXI:QNyc-1PJLXo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=dRrq4JVXCXI:QNyc-1PJLXo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/dRrq4JVXCXI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125439
title: Warner Bros Targets Popular Streaming Subreddit
uri: Warner-Bros-Targets-Popular-Streaming-Subreddit
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/r5I96P9xIbo/
content:
<p><img src="media/35045417.redditp.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/redditp.png" alt="redditp" width="250" height="186" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125451" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/redditp.png 250w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/redditp-200x150.png 200w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px">Online pirates are increasingly <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/streaming-sites-dominate-movie-and-tv-show-piracy-160727/">turning to streaming sites</a> to watch the latest TV-shows and blockbusters. </p>
<p>Aside from going to these sites directly, there are also dedicated communities where people help each other to find high-quality copies of recent releases. </p>
<p>The popular social networking service Reddit is one of these places. The site has various &#8220;subreddits&#8221; dedicated to streaming the latest entertainment, often from unauthorized sources. </p>
<p>Hollywood is not happy with this type of sharing and this week Warner Bros took action against <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/BestOfStreamingVideo">BestOfStreamingVideo</a>, a popular subreddit with 45,838 readers who are interested in &#8220;free&#8221; entertainment. </p>
<p>In a DMCA takedown <a href="https://lumendatabase.org/notices/12724284">notice</a> the movie studio accuses the subreddit of infringing the copyrights of the popular 2015 movie Interstellar. A link to a pirated copy on videorev.cc was added two days ago, and Warner Bros now wants it to disappear.</p>
<p>The notice in question was not sent to Reddit, but Google, who was asked to remove the main subreddit page from its search results. Google, however, decided not to comply with the request which means that the page remains present in its search results. </p>
<p><center><strong>Interstellar on /r/BestOfStreamingVideo</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/23867458.interstellar.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/interstellar.png" alt="interstellar" width="600" height="323" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125448"></center></p>
<p>One of the reasons for Google&#8217;s refusal may be that the request is too broad, as it doesn&#8217;t list the main URL of the Reddit submission. Alternatively, the company may have decided that Reddit is better off handling takedown requests for their own platform.</p>
<p>In any case, the moderators of BestOfStreamingVideo are happy with the result. Moderator xosfear tells us that they simply offer a platform for users to share links, and that they don&#8217;t control what&#8217;s added. </p>
<p>&#8220;The sub was made as a way for our users to share streaming video, and as Reddit is a platform for free speech it is out of our control as to what our users post,&#8221; xosfear tells us.</p>
<p>Instead of sending takedown requests, the moderator believes Warner Bros would be better off focusing its efforts on building a centralized platform where movie fans can watch all of its movies for a fair price.</p>
<p>&#8220;In my opinion, if Warner Brothers spent all the time and money they spent on trying to control piracy on building a centralized platform for users to own their own movie library for a cost-effective price, they would make millions,&#8221; xosfear says. </p>
<p>&#8220;Look at what Steam has done for Valve and video game piracy. Of course, that would mean co-operating with other movie studios, and I doubt they would put aside their greed to do that.&#8221;</p>
<p>It&#8217;s unclear whether Warner Bros has also asked Reddit itself to take down the subreddit. For now, the subreddit remains online, including the link to the pirated copy of Interstellar.</p>
<p>Interestingly this is not the first time that the BestOfStreamingVideo has been targeted. In 2014 movie studio LionsGate <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/lionsgate-targets-reddit-over-christmas-movie-piracy-141206/">sent a similar takedown request</a>, also without result.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=r5I96P9xIbo:f63wNO3MwuU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=r5I96P9xIbo:f63wNO3MwuU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=r5I96P9xIbo:f63wNO3MwuU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/r5I96P9xIbo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125401
title: Anti-Piracy Group Reveals Personal Details of Counter-Notice Senders
uri: Anti-Piracy-Group-Reveals-Personal-Details-of-Counter-Notice-Senders
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/xvD9RLaoVVI/
content:
<p><a href="media/98f98ea3.remove-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/remove-small.jpg"><img src="media/98f98ea3.remove-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/remove-small.jpg" alt="remove-small" width="250" height="161" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125495"></a>Over the past few years, transparency reports have become more and more common. Many big Internet companies publish them on an annual basis to keep the public informed about requests for user data or content takedowns.</p>
<p>One of the largest archives is maintained at <a href="https://lumendatabase.org/">Lumen Database</a> and contains millions of DMCA notices received by companies including Google, Twitter, WordPress and Reddit.</p>
<p>Typically these notices contain the name of the complainant, the title of the content, the URLs where it can be found, and other non-sensitive information. Nevertheless, their publication is still unpopular with some.</p>
<p>In 2014, when Lumen was known as Chilling Effects, the archive was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/chillingeffects-dmca-archive-is-repugnant-copyright-group-says-140316/">described</a> as &#8220;repugnant&#8221; by then Copyright Alliance CEO Sandra Aistars.</p>
<p>&#8220;[T]he site unfairly maligns artists and creators using the legal process created by Section 512 [of the DMCA] as proponents of censorship,” she said.</p>
<p>While Lumen insists that is not the case, the project still has its enemies. Thanks to the transparency it brings, the work of anti-piracy outfits is made more public. This is an irritant to some, a notion that was made clear this week when US-based <a href="http://www.removeyourmedia.com/">Remove Your Media</a> took <a href="https://twitter.com/removepiracy/status/758021143370489856">to Twitter</a> to announce a new project. </p>
<p><center><a href="media/0e778ca5.removemedia1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/removemedia1.png"><img src="media/0e778ca5.removemedia1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/removemedia1.png" alt="removemedia1" width="600" height="474" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125494"></a></center></p>
<p>As the tweet shows, Remove Your Media has launched its own transparency report which details the counter-notices filed by people it has filed DMCA notices against.</p>
<p>However, while Lumen Database goes to some lengths to protect the personal details (company names aside) of the people who send DMCA notices, Remove Your Media offers no such courtesy.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/efd4f13e.remove-counter.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/remove-counter.png"><img src="media/efd4f13e.remove-counter.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/remove-counter.png" alt="remove-counter" width="600" height="421" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125496"></a></center></p>
<p>As can be seen from the screenshot above, the company publishes names, addresses, email address and even personal telephone/cellphone numbers of counter-notice senders. Given the tone of the tweet directed towards Lumen (transparency &#8220;works both ways now&#8221;), it seems reasonable to presume this is a deliberately provocative move.</p>
<p>What&#8217;s more, in practical terms the <a href="http://removeyourmediallc.tumblr.com/">report</a> is hopeless. The counter-notices published so far don&#8217;t contain any information that might allow the public to understand the complaints or whether they&#8217;re justified. It&#8217;s simply a list of names and other personal details plus a link to the copyright holder involved, no content details are provided.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted Remove Your Media for comment on the aims of the just-launched database but received no response. However, some of those targeted by the company were happy to contribute.</p>
<p>&#8220;I run a website called <a href="http://fanart.tv/">fanart.tv</a> which is community of fans submitting artwork for their favorite media,&#8221; site operator &#8216;Kode&#8217; told TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are in effect offering free promotion for artists / tv shows / movies and making them look as good as possible.&#8221;</p>
<p>Kode told us that he believes the original complaint that triggered the counter-notice might be related to one of three YouTube videos that are already more than four years old.</p>
<p>&#8220;To be honest, it&#8217;s all a bit confusing as I only very vaguely remember submitting a YouTube counter-notice, and i&#8217;m pretty sure it wasn&#8217;t even this year. I&#8217;m trying to find out where I would see the details of it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Strangely, in correspondence with FanArt.tv around a year ago, Remove Your Media promised to whitelist the site from takedowns after acknowledging that there was no issue with its activities. Why the company has chosen to go back on its word now is a mystery.</p>
<p>But while Kode took his personal contact details being outed somewhat in his stride, others were not so relaxed.</p>
<p>&#8220;What the hell??? I never gave permission for this, and I doubt anyone else did either. This is illegal. I&#8217;ve reported the blog,&#8221; another told TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;I really don&#8217;t know [what this is about]. I have a YouTube account where I used to make [anime videos] years ago but there is no action against them. My account is fine. I don&#8217;t recognise the name [Remove Your Media]. As far as I&#8217;m concerned it&#8217;s BS. And even if they are taking action, my details should not have been published.&#8221;</p>
<p>TF is aware that Remove Your Media adopted an aggressive stance against people who sent false DMCA counter-notices in the past, so this move isn&#8217;t a complete surprise.</p>
<p>However, if the aim of the report really is transparency, the company should consider publishing its original DMCA complaint alongside a lightly redacted counter-notice. That will allow people to evaluate the credibility (or otherwise) of both claims.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xvD9RLaoVVI:ImnscYFsv10:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xvD9RLaoVVI:ImnscYFsv10:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=xvD9RLaoVVI:ImnscYFsv10:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/xvD9RLaoVVI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125469
title: Peter Sunde’s Pirate Innovation Dream Won’t Happen Anytime Soon
uri: Peter-Sunde-s-Pirate-Innovation-Dream-Won-t-Happen-Anytime-Soon
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/xf1YLZReGQ0/
content:
<p><a href="media/1ceafd41.peter-sunde2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/peter-sunde2.jpg"><img src="media/1ceafd41.peter-sunde2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/peter-sunde2.jpg" alt="peter-sunde" width="225" height="225" class="alignright size-full wp-image-85601" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/peter-sunde2.jpg 225w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/peter-sunde2-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px"></a>Every time a major torrent site goes down, millions of people mourn the loss. Last week, when the owner of KickassTorrents <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">was arrested in Poland</a>, was no exception.</p>
<p>Following events like these, several repeat questions come to the forefront. Will the site come back? Will there be a replacement? How can other torrent sites avoid the same fate?</p>
<p>While the first two questions mostly originate from users, the latter is perhaps the most important in terms of the torrent scene in general. After all, if people don&#8217;t learn from history, how can they stop it repeating itself? And if it does indeed repeat, how much more damage can the scene take?</p>
<p>In response to the KAT shutdown, this week Peter Sunde called for action. Speaking on the <a href="https://stealthisshow.com/s01e14/">Steal This Show podcast</a>, the Pirate Bay co-founder said that innovation, decentralization, and cooperation is needed to safeguard the future of piracy.</p>
<p>&#8220;If one of the big sites goes down a lot of smaller sites are hit as well because they are just a copy of the original database. We need lots of sites that federate all the data instead of having to depend on the higher-ups,” Sunde <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-founder-piracy-scene-needs-innovation-160726/">said</a>.</p>
<p>But just how likely is it that Sunde&#8217;s dream will come true? To find out, TorrentFreak spoke with some large and long-standing smaller players in the torrent scene.</p>
<p>The operator of one major site outlined many perceived weaknesses in the way that sites operate and provided some interesting thoughts on how these issues might be fixed. Interestingly, he doesn&#8217;t believe that decentralization is the key, instead preferring a &#8220;network-over-network&#8221; model for both server operation and downloads.</p>
<p>&#8220;Decentralization is not the key here. A network-over-network is. Decentralization means no back-updates and [issues with advertising],&#8221; he explains. </p>
<p>&#8220;Instead, imagine a private network running on the normal internet. You connect to a node, which joins you into a VPN-like network. Like TOR, but you don&#8217;t actually use the users to push the traffic.&#8221;</p>
<p>The site operator also went into considerable detail about other aspects, particularly in respect of preserving the security of users with a similar &#8220;network-over-network&#8221; model. However, overcoming technical issues doesn&#8217;t appear to be the main stumbling block. Instead, there&#8217;s a problem with cooperation.</p>
<p>&#8220;You have to understand that torrents are no longer the answer to these type of threats. Sure you can upgrade everything related to torrents to a more secure and better way of usage by promoting to users how they should use you through your new type of network etc, but at some point the protocol should upgrade,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, unless there is an agreement from at least three major sites, none of the requirements to push this new system to enough users will be done. There is currently no agreement to do anything between any torrent site.&#8221;</p>
<p>And it appears that even in the wake of KAT&#8217;s demise, there is still no momentum to innovate.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The major sites] are not interested in building a non-raidable, permanent domain system for users. They are not interested in a new protocol. No one works with anyone. They simply don&#8217;t care,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Only [one major site, redacted] expressed some basic interest, but that&#8217;s only if all [other sites] agree. Which will never happen?&#8221;</p>
<p>In parallel, TF spoke with some site operators further down the chain but anyone hoping for some good news there will be pretty disappointed. While most agreed that doing something innovative would be a positive thing, most expressed a combination of pessimism and apathy.</p>
<p>&#8220;I find it hard enough to work with my own staff, so working with several other sites will not be possible I&#8217;m sure,&#8221; one said. &#8220;My site is a dictatorship (LOL) so I don&#8217;t need others outside telling me what I must do.&#8221;</p>
<p>Another admin, who operates two sites in the private scene, said that even building trust across sites will be an almost impossible task.</p>
<p>&#8220;It won&#8217;t happen. Why should any sysop trust [other sysops]? Who are they? I don&#8217;t know who they are. They don&#8217;t know who I am. And do you think that the bigger sites will agree to what smaller sites say? No. They will keep their [dominant] position and keep the best pie for themselves no matter what great system someone can make. I would. Who wouldn&#8217;t?&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Generally, however, the overall feeling is that while there&#8217;s always a threat, things aren&#8217;t quite that bad yet. TF asked when people might feel compelled to do something dramatic. The answer seems to be &#8220;when people really have to.&#8221;</p>
<p>That notion is shared by Peter Sunde. He&#8217;s repeatedly called for the closure of The Pirate Bay to spark innovation but the closure of KickassTorrents alone (which was a bigger site) failed to have the desired effect. Maybe it will take another really big bombshell to finally provoke people into action but until then it seems unlikely that much will happen.</p>
<p>In the meantime, however, most of the people we spoke with were enthusiastic about the potential offered by <a href="https://zeronet.io/">Zeronet</a> and <a href="https://ipfs.io/">IPFS</a>. In the absence of any coordinated effort, perhaps <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/play-p2p-impossible-shutdown-160301/">the future is already here</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xf1YLZReGQ0:X0OI4enpf7Y:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xf1YLZReGQ0:X0OI4enpf7Y:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=xf1YLZReGQ0:X0OI4enpf7Y:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/xf1YLZReGQ0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125120
title: uTorrent Quietly Ditches Rating and Comment Features
uri: uTorrent-Quietly-Ditches-Rating-and-Comment-Features
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/BObO3n-MBIE/
content:
<p><img src="media/f1b12f99.utorrent-logo-new.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/utorrent-logo-new.jpg" alt="utorrent-logo-new" width="222" height="148" class="alignright size-full wp-image-55606">With more than 150 million active users a month, uTorrent remains the leading torrent client, by far.</p>
<p>Despite its popularity, the introduction of new features has stalled in recent years. In fact, some of the more prominent changes date back five years, when uTorrent launched its long awaited 3.0 <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/utorrent-gets-chatty-with-milestone-3-0-release-110623/">version</a>.</p>
<p>Among other things, this release introduced a commenting and rating feature. This allowed users to rate the quality of torrents and discuss their contents from within the application. </p>
<p>Both the comments and ratings were shared via trackers, which means that they were not centrally stored but distributed among peers, just like the download itself. </p>
<p>“µTorrent 3.0 adds an extension message for distributing comments within the swarm. All clients that support this extension message store all comments they have seen, per torrent,” uTorrent&#8217;s engineering team informed TorrentFreak at the time.</p>
<p>A handy addition, which was appreciated and used by millions of users in recent years. However, out of nowhere, the uTorrent team has decided to ditch the feature in their latest versions. </p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>uTorrent comments and ratings</h5>
<p><img src="media/4d9851a2.utorrent-comment-rating.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/utorrent-comment-rating.jpg" alt="utorrent"></center></p>
<p>While it&#8217;s up to uTorrent&#8217;s parent company BitTorrent Inc. to decide what to do with their client, it&#8217;s at least a bit odd that users haven&#8217;t been informed about the change. There is no mention in the release log of the stable version either.</p>
<p>The only reference we could find was listed in the release log for the beta version a few weeks ago. </p>
<p>Hoping to find out more about the motivation to retire the feature we contacted BitTorrent Inc a few days ago, but thus far without response. The company doesn&#8217;t seem very keen to speak about uTorrent, as our inquiries about the hacked forum also remained unanswered.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>Disable Rating</h5>
<p><img src="media/2939dbe3.disablerating.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/disablerating.png" alt="disablerating" width="549" height="130" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125124"></center></p>
<p>The above leaves us with no other option than to speculate about the mysterious removal. Perhaps BitTorrent Inc. decided that the feature was no longer relevant, or maybe the system was flooded by spam comments?</p>
<p>On the other hand, perhaps there&#8217;s a legal reason why the company doesn&#8217;t want users to rate and discuss potentially infringing content from within the client?</p>
<p>Without an official comment from BitTorrent we&#8217;ll never know what the true reason is. It&#8217;s clear, however, that users who want to comment can no longer do so from the uTorrent application itself.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=BObO3n-MBIE:xMrga2rSeRc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=BObO3n-MBIE:xMrga2rSeRc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=BObO3n-MBIE:xMrga2rSeRc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/BObO3n-MBIE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125579
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 08/01/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-08-01-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/S4ZpMXmJg60/
content:
<p><img src="media/302a3480.indepen.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/indepen.jpg" alt="indepen" width="300" height="184" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125580">This week we have three newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Independence Day: Resurgence, which came out as HDRip with Korean subtitles, is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are Web-DL/Webrip/HDRip/BDrip/DVDrip unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-071816/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(10)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/independence_day_resurgence/">Independence Day: Resurgence</a> (Subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1628841/">5.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbduDRH2m2M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_nice_guys/">The Nice Guys</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3799694/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyR-UqRom-c">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_the_killing_joke/">Batman: The Killing Joke</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4853102">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeNi4PfNMqI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_apocalypse/">X-Men: Apocalypse</a> (Subbed HDRip) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385516/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jer8XjMrUB4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/warcraft/">Warcraft</a> (subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803096/">7.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhFMIRuHAL4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence/">Central Intelligence</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489889/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxEw3elSJ8M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_secret_life_of_pets/">The Secret Life of Pets</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2709768/">6.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-80SGWfEjM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jason_bourne/">Jason Bourne</a> (CAM)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4196776/">7.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v71ce1Dqqns">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_angry_birds_movie/">The Angry Birds Movie</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1985949/">6.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U2DKKqxHgE">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_purge_election_year/">The Purge: Election Year</a> (subbed HDRip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4094724/">6.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXMp9fBomJw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=S4ZpMXmJg60:Fox_KGviLis:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=S4ZpMXmJg60:Fox_KGviLis:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=S4ZpMXmJg60:Fox_KGviLis:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/S4ZpMXmJg60" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125575
title: Getty Images Bites Back in $1 Billion Copyright Dispute
uri: Getty-Images-Bites-Back-in-1-Billion-Copyright-Dispute
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Gc9Bn4xnFAM/
content:
<p><a href="media/dd7a5dc4.getty.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/getty.jpg"><img src="media/dd7a5dc4.getty.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/getty.jpg" alt="getty" width="240" height="132" class="alignright size-full wp-image-125456"></a>As <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/photographer-files-1bn-copyright-claim-against-getty-images-160728/">reported</a> last week, US-based photographer Carol Highsmith is locked in dispute with stock-imaging giant Getty Images.</p>
<p>The dispute began last year when Highsmith&#8217;s <a href="http://www.thisisamericafoundation.org/">This is America! Foundation</a> received a threatening letter from a company calling itself License Compliance Services (LCS).</p>
<p>Sent on behalf of Getty-affiliated <a href="http://www.alamy.com/">Alamy</a> it warned that Highsmith&#8217;s use <em>of her own photograph</em> was a breach of the company&#8217;s licensing terms for the content. The matter could be settled for $120, the letter said.</p>
<p>While the cash demand was later dropped, Highsmith discovered that Getty and Alamy were offering more than 18,000 of her other photographs on their websites. Highsmith had previously placed the images in the public domain but noted that Getty was misrepresenting them by stating that users must buy a copyright license from the company to use them.</p>
<p>The resulting $1 billion dollar lawsuit against Getty made the headlines last week but unusually the imaging company has now chosen to make a public statement in advance of filing a response in court.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are reviewing the complaint. We believe it is based on a number of misconceptions, which we hope to rectify with the plaintiff as soon as possible. If that is not possible, we will defend ourselves vigorously,&#8221; the company says.</p>
<p>While this suggests that Getty might be prepared to come to an arrangement with Highsmith, the wording makes it clear the company is also prepared for a fight. According to Getty, it has done nothing wrong, and the fact that Highsmith placed her content in the public domain supports that position.</p>
<p>&#8220;The content in question has been part of the public domain for many years. It is standard practice for image libraries to distribute and provide access to public domain content, and it is important to note that distributing and providing access to public domain content is different to asserting copyright ownership of it,&#8221; the company adds.</p>
<p>Highsmith&#8217;s complaint, which was filed last Monday in a New York District Court, begs to differ.</p>
<p>“The Defendants are not only unlawfully charging licensing fees to people and organizations who were already authorized to reproduce and display the donated photographs for free, but are falsely and fraudulently holding themselves out as the exclusive copyright owner and threatening individuals and companies with copyright infringement lawsuits that the Defendants could not actually lawfully pursue,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>
<p>Getty doesn&#8217;t directly address the copyright-trolling aspect of the dispute, other than to shift the responsibility of that to Alamy and LCS, the companies that sent the original $120 claim to Highsmith.</p>
<p>&#8220;LCS works on behalf of content creators and distributors to protect them against the unauthorized use of their work. In this instance, LCS pursued an infringement on behalf of its customer, Alamy. Any enquiries regarding that matter should be directed to Alamy,&#8221; Getty notes.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, as soon as the plaintiff contacted LCS, LCS acted swiftly to cease its pursuit with respect to the image provided by Alamy and notified Alamy it would not pursue this content.&#8221;</p>
<p>That anyone, anywhere, has a business model which involves sending out threatening letters to people using public domain images is worrying and clearly what inspired Highsmith&#8217;s lawsuit.</p>
<p>However, both Getty and Alamy are more than capable of putting up an extremely spirited defense, especially when a billion dollars is on the table.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Gc9Bn4xnFAM:ITgwqRWK4tE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Gc9Bn4xnFAM:ITgwqRWK4tE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Gc9Bn4xnFAM:ITgwqRWK4tE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Gc9Bn4xnFAM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125479
title: Europe Has The Highest Online Piracy Rates, By Far
uri: Europe-Has-The-Highest-Online-Piracy-Rates-By-Far
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/3MKlGhLbC68/
content:
<p><img src="media/23e20654.europe-flag.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/europe-flag.png" alt="europe-flag" width="222" height="146" class="alignright size-full wp-image-79290">Despite the growing availability of legal options, online piracy remains rampant. Every day pirate sites are visited hundreds of millions of times.</p>
<p>Piracy tracking outfit <a href="https://www.muso.com/">MUSO</a> has <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/streaming-sites-dominate-movie-and-tv-show-piracy-160727/">documented the piracy landscape</a> with data from 14,000 of the largest global piracy sites. In total, the company recorded 141 billion visits to pirate sites last year alone.</p>
<p>But where are these pirates coming from?</p>
<p>In absolute numbers the United States clearly comes out on top. With nearly 10 billion visits to streaming portals and over 3 billion to torrent sites, the U.S. beats all other countries. </p>
<p>Perhaps not a surprise, as the U.S. is one of the largest countries in the world with a high Internet penetration. Things get more interesting, however, when we look at the piracy rate based on the number of Internet users around the world. </p>
<p>Data MUSO exclusively shared with TorrentFreak, shows that different countries float to the top when the Internet population is taken into account. </p>
<p>A comparison of the top 50 countries with the most piracy traffic shows that Europe in particular has a persistent piracy problem. In fact, all of the 10 countries with the highest online piracy rates are in Europe.  </p>
<p>Latvia comes out on top with a massive 46% of the Internet users visiting pirate sites, followed by Bulgaria, Lithuania, Croatia, Spain and Greece. The top 10 piracy havens is completed by Serbia, Ireland, Romania and Sweden. </p>
<p>The first non-European country in the list is Australia, with a piracy rate of 16%, followed by Israel. Canada is the first North American country, located in the middle of the bunch, with a piracy rate of 11%. </p>
<p>When taking the size of the Internet population into account, the United States is actually one of the countries with the lowest piracy rates, just under 5%. The UK also has a modest piracy rate with nearly 8%. </p>
<p>Most surprising, perhaps, is the low piracy rate in Germany, where less than 2% of the Internet population are considered to be &#8220;pirates.&#8221; Vietnam closes the list with just over 1%.</p>
<p>The dataset includes visits to both international and local pirate sites, and MUSO believes that it&#8217;s an accurate overview of the global piracy landscape. The current list is based on data from 2015 and it will be interesting to see if these rankings will change over time. </p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><em>Below is the top 50 in reverse order. China, Japan and Korea were excluded as MUSO didn’t have sufficient sites representing these countries to accurately include them.</em></p>
<p><center><br>
<h4>Top 50 pirate countries by relative piracy rank.</h4>
<p></center></p>
<p><center><img src="media/98ffb08d.country1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/country1.png" alt="country1" width="551" height="323" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125593" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/country1.png 551w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/country1-220x130.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 551px) 100vw, 551px"></center><br>
<center><img src="media/7e984928.country2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/country2.png" alt="country2" width="551" height="322" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125597" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/country2.png 551w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/country2-220x130.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 551px) 100vw, 551px"></center><br>
<center><img src="media/1c4f4378.country3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/country3.png" alt="country3" width="551" height="322" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125596" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/country3.png 551w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/country3-220x130.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 551px) 100vw, 551px"></center><br>
<center><img src="media/c62b428c.country4.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/country4.png" alt="country4" width="551" height="323" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125595" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/country4.png 551w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/country4-220x130.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 551px) 100vw, 551px"></center><br>
<center><img src="media/d500b048.country5.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/country5.png" alt="country5" width="552" height="324" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125594" srcset="https://torrentfreak.com/images/country5.png 552w, https://torrentfreak.com/images/country5-220x130.png 220w" sizes="(max-width: 552px) 100vw, 552px"></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=3MKlGhLbC68:ltRjzov6-q8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=3MKlGhLbC68:ltRjzov6-q8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=3MKlGhLbC68:ltRjzov6-q8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/3MKlGhLbC68" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125629
title: ISP: We’re Not The Internet Piracy Police
uri: ISP-We-re-Not-The-Internet-Piracy-Police
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kw9kuZHTFuA/
content:
<p><img src="media/eba4c6a8.piratkeyb.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratkeyb.png" alt="piratkeyb" width="275" height="194" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108110">Around the world copyright holder groups are lobbying for increased efforts to combat online piracy. </p>
<p>The situation is no different in Sweden, where the <a href="http://blackmarketwatch.org/">Black Market Watch</a> group just published a <a href="media/b1c4150d.Illegal_fildelning160724.pdf" data-original-source="http://blackmarketwatch.org/home/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Illegal_fildelning160724.pdf">report</a> calling for increased cooperation from stakeholders such as advertisers and ISPs.</p>
<p>In an opinion piece for <a href="http://www.dn.se/debatt/operatorerna-maste-tvingas-att-agera-mot-stolder-pa-natet/">DN</a>, Internet providers are accused of handsomely profiting from their inaction, generating an estimated 2.5 billion Swedish krona ($230 million) from piracy.</p>
<p>&#8220;According to our calculations, revenue for Swedish Internet providers potentially exceeds two-and-a-half billion kronor a year, much more than the pirate sites earn,&#8221; Black Market Watch co-founder Karl Lallerstedt writes, together with the report&#8217;s co-author Waldemar Ingdahl.</p>
<p>They argue that Internet providers are in a unique position to prevent copyright infringement, as they can see what their users do online and have the means to block websites.</p>
<p>Speaking with <a href="http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.662737/operatorer-tjanar-piratkopiering">IDG</a>, Jon Karlung, CEO of Internet provider <a href="https://www.bahnhof.se/#">Bahnhof</a>, refutes these calls and discredits the profit claims as lobbyist nonsense.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is pure nonsense, there is no truth in it. This is the work of their business lobbyists who want to put more responsibility on us. Our task is to ensure an internet with free movement, not playing cops,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>Ideally, rightholders would like to see a series of measures being introduced to combat copyright infringement. This includes easier domain name seizures, increased anti-piracy efforts from law enforcement and ISPs, plus better education about the risks of piracy. </p>
<p>According to Karlung, Bahnhof already does enough to alert subscribers about unsafe sites. It is also happy to assist law enforcement but the company doesn&#8217;t see itself proactively policing its network to catch pirates.</p>
<p>&#8220;We inform users about unsafe sites today, and we will continue to do so without copyright holders instructing us what to do,&#8221; Karlung says.</p>
<p>&#8220;If there is merit to the Swedish legislation, we will help the police if they can show in a documented manner that the servers are being used for illegal activities. But it is not our job to act, they themselves must identify the type of activities.&#8221; </p>
<p>The copyright holder requests go directly against one of the core goals of the company &#8211; protecting the privacy of its subscribers. In recent years the Internet provider has fought hard to guarantee this right.</p>
<p>Bahnhof has been a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/swedish-isps-obstruct-new-anti-piracy-legislation-090427/">major opponent</a> of extensive data retention requirements, launched a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/isp-provides-free-vpn-to-protect-customer-privacy-141117/">free VPN</a> to its users, and recently vowed to protect subscribers from a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/isp-vows-to-prevent-users-from-a-piracy-witch-hunt-160422/">looming</a> copyright troll invasion.</p>
<p>Given the above, it&#8217;s unlikely that rightsholders can expect much voluntary cooperation from Bahnhof. </p>
<p>This stance doesn&#8217;t come as a surprise, and the report suggests that rightsholders should demand new legislation from Swedish lawmakers to force ISPs and other stakeholders into action. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=kw9kuZHTFuA:pZWyt14xHJA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=kw9kuZHTFuA:pZWyt14xHJA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=kw9kuZHTFuA:pZWyt14xHJA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/kw9kuZHTFuA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125659
title: Report: Operating Systems Should Actively Block Pirated Downloads
uri: Report-Operating-Systems-Should-Actively-Block-Pirated-Downloads
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/xBzaBZXu5Rw/
content:
<p><img src="media/b4f20436.microsoft-pirate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/microsoft-pirate.png" alt="microsoft-pirate" width="225" height="137" class="alignright size-full wp-image-51663">When Windows 10 was launched last year, rumors spread that the operating system was equipped with a built-in piracy kill switch. </p>
<p>According to some reports, this would allow Microsoft to nuke all torrents downloaded from The Pirate Bay, and more. A scary outlook, but also a massive exaggeration, for now. </p>
<p>The controversy originated from a single line in Microsoft’s Service Agreement which allows the company to download software updates and configuration changes that may prevent people from “playing counterfeit games.”</p>
<p>Technically this allows Microsoft to block people from playing pirated games across Windows 10 and other services, but thus far there is no indication that this is happening.</p>
<p>However, this week the issue was highlighted again in a report published by Black Market Watch and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, which made several <a href="media/b1c4150d.Illegal_fildelning160724.pdf" data-original-source="http://blackmarketwatch.org/home/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Illegal_fildelning160724.pdf">recommendations</a> on how online piracy could be tackled in Sweden. </p>
<p>While most of the media attention focused on the role of ISPs, there is an even more controversial proposal that has been largely overlooked. According to the report, pirated content should be banned on the operating system level.</p>
<p>&#8220;Other players that possess the potential ability to limit piracy are the companies that own the major operating systems which control computers and mobile devices such as Apple, Google and Microsoft,&#8221; one of the main conclusions reads. </p>
<p>&#8220;The producers of operating systems should be encouraged, or regulated, for example, to block downloads of copyright infringing material,&#8221; the report adds. </p>
<p>The report references last year&#8217;s Windows 10 controversy, noting that these concerns were great enough for some <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrent-trackers-ban-windows-10-over-privacy-concerns-150822/">torrent sites to block users</a> with the new operating system.</p>
<p>While Sweden doesn&#8217;t have enough influence to make an impact on these global software manufacturers, applying pressure through the international community and trade groups may have some effect.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sweden&#8217;s ability to influence this as a single state is small, but it can take action through the EU and the international community. Copyright holders can also play a role in promoting this through international industry associations,&#8221; the report notes. </p>
<p>For now, it&#8217;s unlikely that the plan will become reality in the near future. </p>
<p>Yesterday, Swedish ISP Bahnhof responded to the report by saying that it doesn&#8217;t want to act as <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isp-were-not-the-internet-piracy-police-160802/">piracy police</a>, and Apple, Google and Microsoft are not going to be happy with this role either.</p>
<p>However, it&#8217;s clear that anti-piracy proposals are getting more extreme year after year. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xBzaBZXu5Rw:tWC8g68_JaA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xBzaBZXu5Rw:tWC8g68_JaA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=xBzaBZXu5Rw:tWC8g68_JaA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/xBzaBZXu5Rw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125694
title: Atlantic Records Subpoenas Reddit to Identify Music Leaker
uri: Atlantic-Records-Subpoenas-Reddit-to-Identify-Music-Leaker
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/RAp2H2ERk-c/
content:
<p><a href="media/625b75a6.cofeeleak1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cofeeleak1.jpg"><img src="media/625b75a6.cofeeleak1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cofeeleak1.jpg" alt="cofeeleak" width="180" height="207" class="alignright size-full wp-image-18717"></a>Music gets uploaded to the Internet every minute of every day, much to the irritation of recording labels. Largely these uploads are dealt with via takedown notices but occasionally there is a desire to track down the individual behind the unauthorized distribution.</p>
<p>One such case currently before the Supreme Court of the State of New York sees Atlantic Recording Corporation trying to obtain the identity of a person who uploaded some of their copyrighted content to the Internet in June.</p>
<p>The complaint concerns the track &#8216;Heathens&#8217; by the platinum-certified band Twenty One Pilots. </p>
<p>&#8220;Prior to June 15, 2016, Atlantic had provided access to a digital copy of Heathens only to an extremely limited number of individuals,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;These individuals included members of 21 Pilots, their manager, Atlantic and [record label] Fueled by Ramen executives and members of Atlantic’s radio field staff. In each such case, the individual was barred from distributing the recording until the scheduled release date of June 24, 2016.&#8221;</p>
<p>Atlantic says that all of its employees who were aware of the impending release were &#8220;contractually obligated and/or under a fiduciary obligation&#8221; not to disclose its existence until June 24. However, things didn&#8217;t go to plan.</p>
<p>On or around June 15, someone with early access to the track posted it to a file-hosting service called <a href="http://dropfile.to">Dropfile.to</a>. Following that upload it&#8217;s alleged that the poster then advertised the track for download on Reddit.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Poster posted a link to the file he or she uploaded to Dropfile.to to the Twenty One Pilots subreddit (a publicly accessible message board, hosted by Reddit Inc.), with the title “[Leak] New Song – ‘Heathens”,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/6853f2b7.heathens-leak.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/heathens-leak.png"><img src="media/6853f2b7.heathens-leak.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/heathens-leak.png" alt="heathens-leak" width="600" height="255" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125703"></a></center></p>
<p>As illustrated in the image above, the Reddit thread was indeed started on June 15 and can <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/twentyonepilots/comments/4oa475/leak_new_song_heathens/">still be found</a> today. It was posted by a user calling him/herself “twentyoneheathens.”</p>
<p>That user account is still on Reddit but its solitary purpose appears to have been the advertise the availability of the track on Dropfile. No other actions are registered <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/twentyoneheathens/submitted/">against the account</a>, a hindrance to anyone trying to find out who is behind it.</p>
<p>After becoming aware of the leak, Atlantic says it tried to stop distribution but had minimal success.</p>
<p>&#8220;Upon becoming aware of the Posting, Atlantic attempted to have the illegally distributed copies of Heathens removed from the Internet. Despite expending significant effort and funds in this attempt, the removal efforts were ultimately unsuccessful in curtailing further widespread distribution,&#8221; the label says.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak has been able to confirm a fairly broad takedown campaign which began with <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/12464936">RIAA action</a> on June 16. From there, the UK&#8217;s BPI appears to have <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/12633605">taken over</a>, sending hundreds of takedowns to Google referencing dozens of sites.</p>
<p>Fighting a losing battle, Atlantic took the decision to release the track on June 16, the day after its leak online and well ahead of its planned August 5 album debut. The track had been scheduled to appear on “Suicide Squad: The Album” this week to coincide with the release of the movie of the same name.</p>
<p>Atlantic says this early release frustrated its marketing efforts, something which directly hit sales.</p>
<p>&#8220;Following the June 16, 2016, release, sales of the Heathens single, which were unsupported by Atlantic’s carefully-planned marketing strategy, failed to reach predicted levels, causing substantial harm to Atlantic in the form of lost single and album sales revenue,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>
<p>So now, as expected, Atlantic is on the warpath. In its complaint the company asks the Court to force Reddit to hand over the information, IP addresses included, it holds on the person who uploaded the link to the track.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/2f88ca69.red-leak.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/red-leak.png"><img src="media/2f88ca69.red-leak.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/red-leak.png" alt="red-leak" width="600" height="97" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-125715"></a></center></p>
<p>Suspecting that Atlantic would also try to get information from Dropfile, TorrentFreak contacted the site&#8217;s operator for comment. He informs us that the label hasn&#8217;t made contact with him.</p>
<p>&#8220;[This news] comes as a surprise to me, we have not heard from anyone about it prior to this,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;I guess that Atlantic Records figured out it will be easier to get the poster&#8217;s data from Reddit or they will use official authorities to contact us in that matter (which might take months).&#8221;</p>
<p>Further complicating any retrieval of data from Dropfile are the site&#8217;s logging policies.</p>
<p>&#8220;Dropfile is a simple service for anonymous sharing of files that need to be placed online only temporarily,&#8221; the site <a href="https://dropfile.to/about">explains</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;We keep no logs on our side whatsoever. We don&#8217;t use cookies, any kind of traffic tracking (Google Analytics), social media buttons that could track you (Facebook, Twitter) and have no ads that could track you.&#8221;</p>
<p>Furthermore, Dropfile is located in Slovakia where there is no mandatory requirement <a href="http://www.dsl.sk/article.php?article=15501">to log visitor data</a>.</p>
<p>From Atlantic&#8217;s complaint, it seems clear the label is expecting the culprit to be close to home.</p>
<p>&#8220;If the Poster is not an Atlantic employee, then he or she likely obtained the Recording from an Atlantic employee, who would have breached his or her contract and/or fiduciary duties to Atlantic by providing the Poster access to the Recording. Atlantic is unaware of the true identity of the Poster and is unable to ascertain that information from any source other than Reddit,&#8221; the label adds.</p>
<p>It seems likely that Reddit will comply with the subpoena but only time will tell whether it will lead to the leaker. The original track uploaded to Dropfile has <a href="https://dropfile.to/xosVb5R">now expired</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Files are physically removed from servers after 24 hours from their upload or when reported. After that, we have no clue what the file was. And we never knew who uploaded it,&#8221; Dropfile concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=RAp2H2ERk-c:stOgYPPwZqY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=RAp2H2ERk-c:stOgYPPwZqY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=RAp2H2ERk-c:stOgYPPwZqY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/RAp2H2ERk-c" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125613
title: KAT Shutdown Aftermath: iTorrents Aims to Replace Torcache
uri: KAT-Shutdown-Aftermath-iTorrents-Aims-to-Replace-Torcache
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/di7VEMdB010/
content:
<p><img src="media/59d6682b.download-keyboard.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/download-keyboard.jpg" alt="download-keyboard" width="200" height="138" class="alignright size-full wp-image-73383">Two weeks ago Polish law enforcement officers <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-kickasstorrents-domains-charge-owner-160720/">arrested</a> Artem Vaulin, the alleged owner of KickassTorrents.</p>
<p>The arrest resulted in the shutdown of the site, which came as a shock to millions of KAT users and the torrent community at large.</p>
<p>Out of nowhere, the largest torrent index disappeared and there are no signs that it&#8217;s coming back anytime soon. <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kat-takedown-triggers-traffic-spike-at-torrent-sites-160724/">The same is true</a> for the torrent hosting platform Torcache.net, which KAT actively used. </p>
<p>While there are no official links between the two sites, it seems likely that Torcache was taken down following KAT&#8217;s troubles. This means that it will probably remain offline for the time being. </p>
<p>This has caused trouble for several other torrent sites which also relied on Torcache, such as 1337x.to and Monova. </p>
<p>As is often the case, however, when one service disappears several others are ready to take its place. The situation is no different here, as <a href="http://itorrents.org/">iTorrents.org</a> is already advertising itself as a Torcache replacement. </p>
<p>Mimicking the same layout, which was first pioneered by <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrage-worlds-first-torrent-storage-service-090806/">Torrage</a>, another defunct service, iTorrents offers a dedicated torrent storage platform. </p>
<p><center><strong>iTorrents.org</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/b45e1410.itorrents.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/itorrents.png" alt="itorrents" width="600" height="363" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-125673"></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to the operator of iTorrents.org, who also manages LimeTorrents.cc and TorrentDownloads.me. He says that 1337x.to has come on board already and he invites other torrent sites to join as well.</p>
<p>&#8220;Currently 1337x and our own sites are using itorrents.org. I hope more webmasters start using it soon,&#8221; he says. </p>
<p>In addition to 1337x, several KAT mirrors have also switched to iTorrents to replace the non-functional Torcache links. </p>
<p>iTorrents was officially launched earlier this year when the operator found out that Torcache was blocked in several countries. He is now planning to upgrade the server, so the service can cope with the increase in traffic. </p>
<p>There are some other smaller torrent caches available as well, such as thetorrent.org, but iTorrents appears to be the leading one for now.</p>
<p>While iTorrents may be able to replace Torcache, the aftermath of the KAT shutdown is still being felt by many of its former users. </p>
<p>For many people, KickassTorrents <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-community-resurrects-without-torrents-160725/">was a community above all else</a>, and a harddrive full of torrents isn&#8217;t going to replace that. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=di7VEMdB010:EvA0CXfNQBU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=di7VEMdB010:EvA0CXfNQBU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=di7VEMdB010:EvA0CXfNQBU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/di7VEMdB010" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125623
title: Court Rules Whole Site Blocking Justifiable in Piracy Fight
uri: Court-Rules-Whole-Site-Blocking-Justifiable-in-Piracy-Fight
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5hY2ZIbhlP8/
content:
<p><a href="media/cdc4bfca.attackpage-stopman.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/attackpage-stopman.png"><img src="media/cdc4bfca.attackpage-stopman.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/attackpage-stopman.png" alt="attackpage stopsign" width="99" height="99" class="alignright size-full wp-image-63482"></a>Forcing Internet service providers to block access to &#8216;pirate&#8217; content is one of the preferred methods of copyright holders dealing with online infringement.</p>
<p>How that should be carried out in practice is a matter for debate. In most cases thus far, sites that carry or index a large proportion of infringing content have been targeted by legal action, with rights holders arguing that whole domains should be blocked by ISPs.</p>
<p>In other cases, arguments have been made for pinpoint action against specific URLs, although this clearly has its problems. URLs are easily removed or replaced, and entertainment companies would much rather take out a whole domain for good instead of playing a game of cat and mouse.</p>
<p>Over in India, this debate has been playing out in a case involving Star India Pvt Ltd, an entertainment company owned by 21st Century Fox. Back in 2014, Star filed a complaint against more than 70 websites that were preparing to stream copyrighted sports broadcasts without permission.</p>
<p>The Delhi High Court considered the merits of the case and sided with Star, ordering local Internet service providers to block 73 websites which contained the specific URLs listed in the complaint.</p>
<p>However, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (<a href="http://deity.gov.in/">DEIT</a>) filed an appeal early 2015, opposing the positioning of the government in the middle of a private copyright dispute and arguing that whole sites should not remain blocked once the events in question had concluded. The public should not be denied access to content that does not infringe Star&#8217;s rights, lawyers for the government added.</p>
<p>In March 2016, the Delhi High Court sided with the government, ruling that in the interests of free access to information only specific URLs carrying or linking to infringing content should be blocked. Star immediately filed another appeal, with success.</p>
<p>In a decision handed down last Friday, the High Court found that blocking entire sites engaged in large volumes of infringement is a justified course of action for copyright holders.</p>
<p>&#8220;In relation to websites which have hardly any lawful business and which are in entirety or to a large extent indulging in piracy, merely blocking a URL where the infringing content is located not an effective solution,&#8221; the Court ruled.</p>
<p>The Court found that dozens of sites carried up to 2,000 infringing URLs, each linking to cricket matches to which Star owned the rights. Blocking each one individually would prove an arduous task.</p>
<p>&#8220;It would be a gargantuan task for [Star] to keep on identifying each offending URL and especially keeping in view that as and when the respondent identifies the URL and it is blocked by the ISP, the rogue website, within seconds can change the URL thereby frustrating the very act of blocking the URL,” the Court&#8217;s added.</p>
<p>However, in instances where sites contain infringing URLs but are not &#8220;entirely or to a large extent indulging in piracy&#8221;, requests can be made to block only the URLs in question.</p>
<p>In respect of the assertion by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology that government departments shouldn&#8217;t become involved in private copyright disputes, the Court <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/delhi-high-court-wants-websites-steaming-pirated-content-banned-2948459/">found</a> that it is the “duty of the government” to “assist in the enforcement of court orders.&#8221;</p>
<p>Star India <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Delhi-HC-upholds-blocking-for-pirate-websites/articleshow/53487503.cms">welcomed</a> the decision.</p>
<p>&#8220;We believe that this landmark judgment will have a positive impact as it creates a fair balance between rights owners and public interest allowing for rights owners to more efficiently protect their rights against outright rogue or pirate websites that blatantly infringe copyright and contain large extent of infringing content,&#8221; the company&#8217;s legal team said.</p>
<p>Whether this ruling will prompt a new wave of blocking requests remains to be seen but that seems the most likely outcome.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=5hY2ZIbhlP8:-pWoMrIn8ck:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=5hY2ZIbhlP8:-pWoMrIn8ck:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=5hY2ZIbhlP8:-pWoMrIn8ck:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/5hY2ZIbhlP8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=125750
title: MPAA Anti-Piracy Cutbacks Lead to “Bullying” Lawsuit
uri: MPAA-Anti-Piracy-Cutbacks-Lead-to-Bullying-Lawsuit
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2oNMIcU7bsI/
content:
<p><a href="media/32cbee81.mpa.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpa.jpg"><img src="media/32cbee81.mpa.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpa.jpg" alt="mpa" width="180" height="117" class="alignright size-full wp-image-77324"></a>The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft was viewed by many as the country&#8217;s leading anti-piracy outfit. Financed by the major Hollywood studios, AFACT was front and center of most major copyright battles Down Under since its inception in 2004.</p>
<p>Perhaps most notably, AFACT was the group that spearheaded the prolonged and ultimately unsuccessful legal action that aimed to force local ISP iiNet to disconnect Internet users for alleged piracy.</p>
<p>For several years, AFACT was headed up by Neil Gane, a former Hong Kong Police Inspector who had worked with the MPAA against piracy across Asia. In 2014, when AFACT became known by the more friendly name of the Australian Screen Association (<a href="http://screenassociation.com.au/">ASA</a>), Gane left the organization to return to Hong Kong.</p>
<p>There Gane headed up the newly created Asia Pacific Internet Centre (APIC), a regional anti-piracy, policy, research and training hub for the Motion Picture Association (MPA) Asia Pacific.</p>
<p>Gane was replaced as head of ASA/AFACT by Mark Day, a former regional legal counsel at the MPA and the group&#8217;s main representative in China. Between 2001 and 2009, Day oversaw multiple criminal and civil cases prosecuted by MPA members.</p>
<p>Now, however, Day&#8217;s career at the ASA appears to be over. After just a year in his new role, Day was fired from the top job. In response, he&#8217;s now suing his former employer and former AFACT chief Neil Gane for allegedly doing so illegally.</p>
<p>According to court papers filed in Federal Court and first reported by <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace-relations/hollywood-lobby-group-australian-screen-association-group-sued-for-discrimination-20160803-gqklu0.html">SMH</a>, in 2015 the MPAA made a decision to significantly reduce ASA&#8217;s budget.</p>
<p>In response, ASA director Mike Ellis, a veteran of the MPA and its Asia Pacific president, decided to dismiss Day in November 2015 to take over the position himself. Day was on sick leave at the time.</p>
<p>Day later fought back, claiming through his lawyer that he&#8217;d been working in a hostile workplace and had been the victim of bullying. He&#8217;s now suing the ASA, Mike Ellis and Neil Gane, for discrimination and punishing him for exercising his workplace rights.</p>
<p>According to SMH, Day is seeking compensation for economic loss, psychological injury, pain, suffering, humiliation, and damage to his professional reputation.</p>
<p>While Day&#8217;s lawsuit could yield some interesting facts about the anti-piracy operations of the MPA, the dismissal of the former ASA boss in the face of MPAA cuts is the broader story.</p>
<p>As revealed in May this year, the MPAA is also set to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-withdraws-funding-for-uk-anti-piracy-group-fact-160524/">withdraw funding</a> from the UK&#8217;s Federation Against Copyright Theft before the end of 2016, ending a 30-year relationship with the group.</p>
<p>Local funding for FACT was withdrawn in favor of financing larger regional hubs with a wider remit, in FACT&#8217;s case the MPA’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) hub in Brussels.</p>
<p>In ASA&#8217;s case, it&#8217;s clear that the MPA has decided that its recently-formed Asia Pacific Internet Centre (APIC) will be its regional anti-piracy powerhouse and where its local funding will be concentrated in future.</p>
<p>The MPA&#8217;s regional hubs are said to offer the studios “a nimble local presence and a direct relationship with local law enforcement.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the MPAA&#8217;s head office remains in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=2oNMIcU7bsI:0_5MdbaglFk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=2oNMIcU7bsI:0_5MdbaglFk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=2oNMIcU7bsI:0_5MdbaglFk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/2oNMIcU7bsI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


