# articles

feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116776
title: World’s Oldest Torrent Is Still Being Shared After 4,419 Days
uri: World-s-Oldest-Torrent-Is-Still-Being-Shared-After-4-419-Days
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/mKhdPjc7bBk/
content:
<p><img src="media/c2e9815a.matrix-ascii-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/matrix-ascii-small.jpg" alt="matrix-ascii-small" width="222" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-81131">BitTorrent is an excellent distribution mechanism, but for a file to live on at least one person has to keep sharing it. </p>
<p>This means that most torrents eventually die after the public loses interest. However, some torrents seem to live on forever. </p>
<p>More than <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/a-really-old-torrent/">ten years ago</a> TorrentFreak reported on a fan-made ASCII version of The Matrix, describing it as a really old torrent. This torrent had survived for 696 days, which was a rarity.</p>
<p>At the time BitTorrent had only a fraction of the users it has now so it was harder to keep them active. A lot of things have changed in the decade since, but the torrent in question is still going strong.</p>
<p>The torrent file of The Matrix ASCII was created more than 12 years ago (4,419 days) on December 20, 2003. Even though the original site is <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140212170839/http://onyx.chattanoogastate.edu/~jack/matrix">no longer online</a>, it still has 8 active seeders at the time of writing. </p>
<p>There are also people actively downloading the file, most likely after they found a copy of the release on one of the torrent sites where it <a href="https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ncr#q=filetype:torrent+%22The.Matrix-ASCII%22">remains available</a>. To the best of our knowledge, this means that The Matrix ASCII is the oldest torrent that’s still being actively shared.</p>
<p><center><strong>The.Matrix-ASCII screencap</strong><img src="media/2cecfe6c.matrix-ascii-large.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/matrix-ascii-large.jpg" alt="matrix-ascii-large" width="599" height="363" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-81132"></center></p>
<p>The 12-year-old release of The Matrix ASCII comes with a DVD cover and insert. While there are no accurate statistics available it is believed to have been downloaded by tens of thousands of people over its lifetime.</p>
<p>Perhaps worried that Hollywood wouldn’t appreciate the effort, the torrent includes a small disclaimer.</p>
<p>“This work is a parody. As such I do not believe that this DVD has any possibility of competing with the original in any market. It is not for sale,” the disclaimer reads.</p>
<p>Prospective downloaders have very little to worry about though. Warner Bros. is not known to go after this type of fan-art that’s created for non-commercial use and the creator has never been targeted either.</p>
<p>The people who’ve downloaded a copy of The Matrix have thus far responded mostly positively after watching the ASCII movie. That is, those who knew what to expect. Those looking for the original Matrix movie are less appreciative.</p>
<p>“Dude, tell me what to do with this Matrix ASCII, cause the picture is all green n stuff, can’t even see what’s going on. And, its in 4 VOB files, but why?” was the response of one unhappy downloader.</p>
<p>The fact that this torrent has been able to survive for so long is a testament to the resilience of BitTorrent. For us, The Matrix ASCII has become an iconic release and we&#8217;ll certainly keep an eye on how it fares in the future. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=mKhdPjc7bBk:7M_cZKeUGP4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=mKhdPjc7bBk:7M_cZKeUGP4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=mKhdPjc7bBk:7M_cZKeUGP4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/mKhdPjc7bBk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116699
title: Some Pirate Sites Have Little Respect For Their Users
uri: Some-Pirate-Sites-Have-Little-Respect-For-Their-Users
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/jtZNW7ZA9pk/
content:
<p><img src="media/0bf08826.face-palm.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/face-palm.jpg" alt="face-palm" width="200" height="133" class="alignright size-full wp-image-61200">During the past couple of years there has been a steady wave of reports claiming that so-called &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites are some of the worst offenders when it comes to hoisting junk, malware and viruses upon their users.</p>
<p>Usually commissioned or funded by entertainment industry groups, these reports often lead to a sense of déjà vu, with phrases such as &#8220;content theft&#8221; and &#8220;organized crime&#8221; painting an apocalyptic vision for anyone daring to use a torrent or streaming portal.</p>
<p>The stark warnings are somewhat ironic. As the movie, music and software industries continue their crusade to have mainstream advertisers boycott any site they have not authorized, file-sharing sites are increasingly forced into the advertising backwaters. This means that the chances of bad ads appearing in front of users is increasing.</p>
<p>Although it will never be said in public, anti-piracy groups are well aware of the importance of diminishing the user experience on pirate sites. If they&#8217;re difficult to access (web-blocking) and risky to use (dodgy ads), the free content on offer might not be so attractive. It&#8217;s cynical and also makes somewhat of a mockery of their efforts to &#8216;warn&#8217; about the dangers of using pirate sites.</p>
<p>But as with all things in life the proof of the pudding is in the eating and there are millions of file-sharers gobbling up content, enjoying the experience, not falling ill, and returning to sites day after day. That in itself suggests that the catastrophic impact suggested in various reports isn&#8217;t playing out in the real world.</p>
<p>However, it would be irresponsible to suggest that these industry reports are all absolute nonsense. While admittedly completely self-serving, several have raised very good points about the dubious quality of advertising appearing on various &#8216;pirate&#8217; portals.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a bitter pill but it needs to be said. While there are thousands that don&#8217;t, there are large numbers of pirate sites that fall way below the standards those who pay their bills deserve. Why some site operators sink to these levels isn&#8217;t always clear, but aggressive redirects, misleading advertising, fake virus warnings and malware are always unacceptable.</p>
<p><Center><img src="media/1e5baa6d.scam-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scam-1.png" alt="scam-1" width="628" height="462" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116788"></center></p>
<p>For some reason streaming sites seem to be among the main offenders and in the worst case scenarios they bombard the user with an endless stream of dubious advertising techniques that can only be of major annoyance to their visitors.While acknowledging the return they get from these ads is minimal (hence their volume), from a business perspective it seems baffling to use customers as things to be beaten into submission.</p>
<p>Unless sites really don&#8217;t care whether a user comes back again tomorrow or not, it makes absolutely no sense to treat them and their machines with disrespect. Of course, some popups, &#8216;direct download&#8217; buttons and affiliate sponsors are to be expected, but wouldn&#8217;t it be better to at least maintain some level of sanity?</p>
<p><center><img src="media/441aaded.scam-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scam-2.png" alt="scam-2" width="599" height="473" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116791"></center></p>
<p>Of course, one response to aggressive advertising is for users to become more aware of their ad blocking options. As a result they then join the growing ranks of users who not only use all the facilities of pirate sites without contributing a dime to their upkeep, but feel entirely justified in doing so. This raises another irony.</p>
<p>Some might question whether we should be surprised that people who obtain movies and music for free don&#8217;t want to contribute financially to pirate sites. But human nature is not that straightforward. There are droves of people who are not only happy to contribute to the health of a pirate site, but do so while supporting the likes of Netflix, Spotify and Steam.</p>
<p>In the end and when the entertainment industries finally sort themselves out, it will be a battle between those who treat their customers properly and those who have no idea. Release windowing expensive content over geo-blocked services is annoying, no doubt, but pirate sites laden with junk aren&#8217;t the solution.</p>
<p>Both sides need to treat their users with respect to maintain or increase market share. Let battle commence.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=jtZNW7ZA9pk:7pCi3T6n7ys:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=jtZNW7ZA9pk:7pCi3T6n7ys:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=jtZNW7ZA9pk:7pCi3T6n7ys:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/jtZNW7ZA9pk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116824
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 01/25/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-01-25-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/l13SagVbfKQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/727886e3.spectre11.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spectre11.jpg" alt="spectre1" width="300" height="174" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116829">This week we have two newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Spectre is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-the-week-011816/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridge_of_spies/">Spectre</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/">7.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_big_short/">The Big Short</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596363/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDlYm15ztK4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_revenant_2015/">The Revenant</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/">?.?</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_intern/">The Intern</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2361509/">7.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-DEy3mylCs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/black_mass_2015/">Black Mass</a> (Web-DL)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1355683/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE3e3hGF2jc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_martian/">The Martian</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659388/?">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej3ioOneTy8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_veil_2016/">The Veil</a></td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3533916/">5.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5BEJXgeWN8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridge_of_spies/">Bridge of Spies</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/">7.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_witch_hunter/">The Last Witch Hunter</a> (WEB-DL)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1618442/">6.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsuG2JUgs_8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/legend_2015/?search=legend">Legend</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3569230/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI3v6KfR9Mw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=l13SagVbfKQ:OvILa-6v4To:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=l13SagVbfKQ:OvILa-6v4To:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=l13SagVbfKQ:OvILa-6v4To:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/l13SagVbfKQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116822
title: Pirate Party Prosecuted For Operating a Pirate Site
uri: Pirate-Party-Prosecuted-For-Operating-a-Pirate-Site
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/33o3wRBc9Ck/
content:
<p><img src="media/d317dd86.czech-pp.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/czech-pp.jpg" alt="czech pp" width="140" height="122" class="alignright size-full wp-image-38128">As champions of less restrictive copyright law and advocates of greater online freedoms and privacy, the Pirate Party has stamped its mark on the online space in recent years.</p>
<p>As a niche political movement it has often taken a guerrilla approach to its activism, with strategies often designed to provoke a fierce response from perceived enemies.</p>
<p>In July 2011, the Czech division of the party did just that with a brave move designed to stir up sentiments against the <a href="http://www.cpufilm.cz/">Czech Anti-Piracy Union</a> who had targeted a 16-year-old accused of posting links to infringing material on his website</p>
<p>Under the slogan “Linking is not a Crime” the <a href="https://www.pirati.cz">Czech Pirate Party</a> launched its own movie download site. Tipnafilm.cz had an attractive layout with links to content plus movie covers, embedded trailers, and links to reviews on sites such as iMDb. A second site, Piratskefilmy.cz, carried 20,000 links to more than 5,800 movies.</p>
<p>“We challenge the Anti-Piracy Union to stop bullying the under-aged and to aim its preposterous claims at the Pirate Party,&#8221; the pirates said.</p>
<p>Declaring &#8220;open war&#8221; on the anti-piracy outfit, the Czech pirates later launched TV focused site Sledujuserialy.cz (I Watch TV Series). With the previous two sites faded away, it is this site that has finally elicited the response the pirates had longed hoped for.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/ac03610c.cz-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cz-1.png" alt="cz-1" width="650" height="303" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116831"></center></p>
<p>&#8220;A landmark political trial for Czech Internet is about to take place!&#8221; the party has just announced.</p>
<p>&#8220;On Thursday 21st January, the Czech pirate party was officially notified that it will be prosecuted in criminal court. The reason is their long-term political campaign &#8220;Linking is Not a Crime&#8221; in which the party ran a non-commerical website &#8216;sledujuserialy.cz&#8217; highlighting an absurd interpretation of copyright monopoly law with regard to the Internet.&#8221;</p>
<p>Although it has taken more than four years to come to fruition, it appears the pirates&#8217; plan progressed as predicted. Their taunting of the Czech Anti-Piracy Union resulted in the anti-piracy group filing a complaint with the police. The police are now prosecuting the Pirate Party over their TV piracy site.</p>
<p>Unusually for torrent site operators, the Pirate Party say they are glad they&#8217;re in trouble with the law.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The Pirate Party] welcomes the criminal case. Until now, the Czech Anti-Piracy Union has targeted only randomly chosen individuals with its bullying. The victims were in an unfair position as they faced expensive lawyers of lobby organisations which push the current repressive copyright monopoly regime. This time it&#8217;s different,&#8221; Czech Pirate Party chairman <a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luk%C3%A1%C5%A1_%C4%8Cernohorsk%C3%BD">Lukáš Černohorský</a> explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;Instead of teenagers, copyright industry lobbyists are now dealing with a political party which didn&#8217;t run the website for money but because of our conviction that linking is not and should not be a crime.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Party says it has been forced to take this action to fight the persecution of linking online, adding that sites including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube don&#8217;t face any action for doing the same, even though they operate their sites for-profit.</p>
<p>That being said, it&#8217;s unclear how Czech copyright law will draw a line between the party&#8217;s hand-curated TV show download site and user-generated content sites like YouTube, but finding out is clearly one of the party&#8217;s aims.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our goal is to change the copyright monopoly law so that people are not fined millions for sharing culture with their friends. However, until we achieve that, we will fight in courts over interpretation and enforcement of the law,&#8221; Černohorský concludes.</p>
<p>The Party says that in the coming days it will call on all organizations who care about the future of the Internet to join them in a massive demonstration against oppressive copyright regimes and recent proposals for increased online censorship and surveillance.</p>
<p>Pirate parties have a long history of supporting pirate sites, particularly The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>At times the Swedish Pirate Party famously hosted parts of The Pirate Bay&#8217;s infrastructure which put them on a collision course with authorities there. Over in the UK, the local Pirate party was threatened with a lawsuit from the music industry after refusing to take down its Pirate Bay proxy service. It <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-shuts-down-pirate-bay-proxy-after-legal-threats-121219/">eventually complied</a> in December 2012.</p>
<p>Most recently, last year the Norwegian Pirate Party <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-offers-dns-to-bypass-pirate-bay-blockade-150907/">announced</a> its own DNS service to bypass ISP censorship of The Pirate Bay. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=33o3wRBc9Ck:oFDQtxQcQx8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=33o3wRBc9Ck:oFDQtxQcQx8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=33o3wRBc9Ck:oFDQtxQcQx8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/33o3wRBc9Ck" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116834
title: “My Little Pony” Sued For Using a Pirated Font
uri: My-Little-Pony-Sued-For-Using-a-Pirated-Font
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/XWxq1Tp-PTw/
content:
<p><img src="media/da4497b5.mlp.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mlp.jpg" alt="mlp" width="275" height="225" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116848">Piracy comes in all shapes and sizes and even large multinationals can sometimes cross the line. </p>
<p>According to Font Brothers, American toy multinational Hasbro did so when it started to use the &#8220;<a href="http://www.fontbros.com/families/generation-b/styles/regular#">Generation B</a>&#8221; font for its My Little Pony products, without permission.</p>
<p>The Generation B font was created by Harold Lohner and is commercially exploited by Font Brothers. </p>
<p>One of the best known uses of the font is for the popular My Little Pony toys and videos. However, according to a complaint filed at a New York federal court Hasbro failed to obtain a proper license, so My Little Pony is using a pirated font. </p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant Hasbro has used or instructed others to use unauthorized copies of the Generation B Font in the creation of, but not limited to, all products, goods, merchandise, television and film properties, and advertising materials connected with the &#8216;My Little Pony&#8217; product line..,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant Hasbro has created unauthorized and infringing copies of the Generation B Font Software and impermissibly distributed the same to third parties,&#8221; it adds (<a href="media/14de4d1b.ponycomplaint.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ponycomplaint.pdf">pdf</a>).</p>
<p>Font Brothers claim that the font is being used across a wide variety of products and the company list <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/296573981/ponyev?secret_password=j6ElSgbF8hgAebCEzIxe">various examples</a>. </p>
<p>While small differences can sometimes be tricky to prove that an unauthorized font is used, in this case it is also used on <a href="http://mylittlepony.hasbro.com/en-us/ponies/applejack">Hasbro&#8217;s website</a>. The <a href="media/2419cbb8.fZareGg.png" data-original-source="http://i.imgur.com/fZareGg.png">stylesheet</a> of the website specifically mentions the Generation B and a copy of the font stored and distributed through Hasbro&#8217;s servers. </p>
<p><center><strong>My Little Pony website using the Generation B font</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/de99335c.mlp-generationb.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mlp-generationb.jpg" alt="mlp-generationb" width="600" height="300" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-116852"></center></p>
<p>In the complaint Font Brothers write that they contacted Hasbro about the infringing use, but the toy maker refused to license the font for My Little Pony products and merchandise. </p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant has refused to comply with Plaintiff’s reasonable request for appropriate software licensing fees given the services already rendered by Plaintiff’s GENERATION B type font software, despite several demands for such action.&#8221; </p>
<p>As a result, Minnesota-based Font Brothers are claiming substantial damages and requesting a jury trial to resolve the matter.</p>
<p>&#8220;Font Brothers has lost, and will continue to lose, substantial revenue from Defendant’s wrongful use, copying, distribution, and creation of unauthorized infringing works based upon the GENERATION B font software.&#8221;</p>
<p>Considering the scope of the alleged infringements, which affect pretty much the entire My Little Pony line, the potential damages run into the millions. In addition, Font Brothers demand the destruction of all products and material which utilize the infringing font.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=XWxq1Tp-PTw:EWc0WO4I0PM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=XWxq1Tp-PTw:EWc0WO4I0PM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=XWxq1Tp-PTw:EWc0WO4I0PM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/XWxq1Tp-PTw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116880
title: Russia’s RuTracker Blockade Has Just Seriously Backfired
uri: Russia-s-RuTracker-Blockade-Has-Just-Seriously-Backfired
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/RT9xVlaolkY/
content:
<p><img src="media/b0692145.rutracker1.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/rutracker1.jpg" width="250" height="95" class="alignright">In common with many countries around Europe, Russia believes that the way to bring Internet piracy to its knees is to block pirate sites at the ISP level. The theory is that Internet users will get tired of trying to circumvent blockades and will begin to spend money on movies and music instead.</p>
<p>In addition to targeting individual URLs indexing specific content, Russia is now engaged in so-called &#8220;eternal blockades&#8221;, the blocking of allegedly infringing websites at the ISP level on a permanent basis. Last week telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor announced the blocking of 13 sites (listed below), including the popular RuTor.org tracker.</p>
<p>But yesterday came the big one, with authorities confirming the permanent blockade of torrent site giant RuTracker. The huge site has experienced problems with rightsholders for many years, but during the past few months things have been slowly coming to a head.</p>
<p>Last October, with a permanent ban looming on the horizon, the site <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/should-rutracker-delete-320000-torrents-to-pacify-record-labels-151030/">mulled the deletion</a> of several hundred thousand torrents to pacify rightsholders. However, after polling its members the site decided to leave the torrents in place and accept the blockade.</p>
<p>Following separate action from book publishers and music labels including a subsidiary of Warner, a Moscow City Court order to permanently block the site came into force on January 12 and was carried out yesterday. But rather than the effect rightsholders had hoped for, the action signals the start of a new era for the site.</p>
<p>While undoubtedly a huge index of infringing content, RuTracker has long-standing agreements in place with many copyright holders to keep certain content off the site. This kept the content creators happy while easing some of the legal pressure from the tracker. However, RuTracker says that since they are now being completely blocked, the gloves are coming off.</p>
<p>&#8220;For many years our tracker has worked with rightsholders, in this respect many of their representatives were present on the site. They were free to cover all distribution protected under copyright law. In this regard, many releases were either banned or not recommended for distribution,&#8221; a staff member explained yesterday.</p>
<p>&#8220;But today we put an end to these agreements, as users of the Russian Federation are now blocked from accessing our tracker. Therefore rights holders did not want to continue their cooperation, which allows us to do more and not adhere to it.&#8221;</p>
<p>As a result, special accounts given to rightsholders to enable them to swiftly remove content have been downgraded to standard user status and members are now being informed to share whatever they like.</p>
<p>In the past this would&#8217;ve meant that only Russians would have greater access to content, but RuTracker has also opened up its previously members-only site to the general public. While English speakers still need Google translate to navigate the site, ominously it is also testing an <a href="https://en.rutracker.org/forum/index.php">English language version</a>.</p>
<p>Only making matters worse is that RuTracker <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rutracker-counters-lifetime-isp-ban-by-going-public-151109/">has removed</a> the so-called &#8216;private flag&#8217; from its torrents. This means that the site&#8217;s hundreds of thousands of active torrents should now be accessible via BitTorrent&#8217;s Distributed Hash Table (DHT), which opens up the content to a worldwide audience.</p>
<p>Of course, all of this is of limited use if people can&#8217;t access the site. As expected, however, people are already working hard to circumvent the blockades. While VPNs and proxies do the trick, a new site called <a href="http://dostup-rutracker.org/">Dostup-rutracker.org</a> now provides free plugins for all major browsers which transparently bypass the ISP bans.</p>
<p>And so far things are looking promising for the site. According to the owner of the site&#8217;s former domain, who says that he&#8217;s now just a regular user on RuTracker, as of yesterday more than half of the site&#8217;s users had already circumvented the blocks.</p>
<p>Only time will tell whether RuTracker will grow into an international giant, but it&#8217;s fair to say that thus far the ISP blockade has had very little success, quite the opposite in fact.</p>
<p><strong>Sites permanently blocked during the past week</strong></p>
<p>http://www.rutracker.org<br>
http://www.bobfilm.net<br>
http://www.dream-film.net<br>
http://www.kinokubik.com<br>
http://www.kinozal.tv<br>
http://www.kinobolt.ru<br>
http://www.rutor.org<br>
http://www.seedoff.net<br>
http://www.torrentor.net<br>
http://www.tushkan.net<br>
http://www.tvserial-online.net<br>
http://www.wood-film.ru<br>
http://www.kinovo.tv<br>
http://bigcinema.tv</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=RT9xVlaolkY:61TAlM4iWfc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=RT9xVlaolkY:61TAlM4iWfc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=RT9xVlaolkY:61TAlM4iWfc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/RT9xVlaolkY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116895
title: South American Pirates Transfer 789 Petabytes Per Year
uri: South-American-Pirates-Transfer-789-Petabytes-Per-Year
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/y9Otsoh99xE/
content:
<p><img src="media/7abb2d22.cassette.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cassette.jpg" alt="cassette" width="200" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-84245">Commissioned by the copyright TV industry group Alianza, research firm NetNames has just released a comprehensive report on the scope of online piracy in South America.</p>
<p>The study is a follow-up on the global &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/432-million-pirates-share-9567-petabytes-a-month-130917/">Sizing the Piracy Universe</a>&#8221; report released two years ago. It combines data from various sources to estimate the local piracy landscape.</p>
<p>Analyzing data from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, the report concludes that nearly half of the population has visited pirate sites or services in the period of a month.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of the approximately 222.3 million Internet users in South America, nearly 50%, or 110 million, accessed a site that distributed pirated audiovisual content by means of either a cyberlocker, peer-to-peer network or illegal IPTV streaming site,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p>Contrary to the worldwide picture, direct download sites receive more visitors and generate more bandwidth than peer-to-peer sharing such as BitTorrent. This may in part be due to lower Internet speeds, which are not optimal for P2P transfers.</p>
<p>Per year cyberlocker traffic accounts for more than half of all piracy traffic, 442 petabytes, compared to 265 petabytes of peer-to-peer traffic. NetNames also includes data for pirated live IPTV broadcasts, which adds another 82 petabytes. </p>
<p>In total the South American piracy landscape generates 789 petabytes per year. Or put differently, a whopping 2.3 million gigabytes per day.</p>
<p><center><br></br></center><center><img src="media/2b47e8ad.sapiracy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sapiracy.png" alt="sapiracy" width="583" height="490" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-116901"></center></p>
<p>While these bandwidth numbers may look impressive they <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/432-million-pirates-share-9567-petabytes-a-month-130917/">pale in comparison</a> to other regions. For example, NetNames previously found that piracy accounted for roughly 20,000 petabytes of bandwidth per year in North America, and a massive 26,000 petabytes in Europe.</p>
<p>NetNames notes that it is nonetheless a considerable proportion, since the local Internet infrastructure is underdeveloped, and warns that copyright holders may face even higher levels of piracy if Internet penetration and speeds increase. </p>
<p>The report is expected to serve as an important lobbying tool to convince local lawmakers to take steps to prevent copyright infringement. Michael Hartman, Senior Vice President of DIRECTV Latin America, believes it is key to raise awareness. </p>
<p>“Online piracy represents a significant threat to the protection of intellectual property rights,&#8221; Hartman says.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is the first step necessary to raise awareness of the problem. It will enable Alianza members to educate others about the problem and develop strategies to combat this form of piracy.&#8221; </p>
<p>The full NetNames report is available on the <a href="media/02d1d46f.NetnamesAlianzaReport012016.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.alianza.tv/files/NetnamesAlianzaReport012016.pdf">Alianza website</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=y9Otsoh99xE:QtAWvO1X-2k:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=y9Otsoh99xE:QtAWvO1X-2k:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=y9Otsoh99xE:QtAWvO1X-2k:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/y9Otsoh99xE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116905
title: Netflix Exempts U.S. Military Bases From Copyright Geo-Blocks
uri: Netflix-Exempts-U-S-Military-Bases-From-Copyright-Geo-Blocks
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/6T0_EO1vNqg/
content:
<p><img src="media/7893ef12.us-united-america-flag.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/us-united-america-flag.jpg" alt="us-united-america-flag" width="270" height="178" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116015">Earlier this month Netflix announced that it would increase its efforts to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-announces-crackdown-on-vpn-and-proxy-pirates-160114/">block subscribers</a> who circumvent geo-blockades.</p>
<p>This means that it will be harder to use VPN services and proxies to access Netflix content from other countries, as movie studios have requested.</p>
<p>With the application of commercial blacklist data Netflix blocks IP-addresses that are linked to such services. The announcement caused concern among many people who live and work abroad, including U.S. military personnel. </p>
<p>Many soldiers stationed in the Middle East and elsewhere use Netflix in combination with a VPN, to feel &#8216;at home.&#8217; Soon, this may no longer be possible, at least not for those who live off-base.</p>
<p>While Netflix is determined to take stronger action against VPN-pirates, the company also says that all U.S. military bases are exempt from blockades, Stars and Stripes <a href="http://www.stripes.com/news/netflix-attempt-to-block-vpns-could-affect-viewing-options-1.390052">reports</a></p>
<p>“Netflix always exempts U.S. military bases around the world. They will still be able to access the U.S. catalog,” Netflix spokesperson Anne Marie Squeo said.</p>
<p>This is an interesting decision, since most military bases abroad are not considered U.S. soil. Also, we are not aware of a similar treatment for other overseas workers or military bases of non-U.S. countries. </p>
<p>Still, for most soldiers this gesture is not enough, as they live off-base. </p>
<p>Jesse Fowler, a hospital corpsman stationed in Bahrain, says he&#8217;s not disappointed with the local offering of Netflix but relies on a VPN to access some shows that are not available.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;I’m mad if I can’t change where my Internet is so I can’t watch my own shows,” Fowler says.</p>
<p>This sentiment is shared by the Bahrain-stationed Navy counselor Eric Cutright. “My VPN hasn’t been blocked. But if it does, I will be pissed. Netflix Bahrain is trash,” he said.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak has kept a close eye on the recent developments and Netflix has indeed started to block more VPN providers. However, blocking all of them appears to be a difficult task, especially because several providers continue to add new IP-addresses.</p>
<p>Ironically, many soldiers may switch to piracy again when Netflix is no longer an option, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/us-military-bittorrent-users-targeted-by-mpaariaa-100118/">turning the clock back</a> half a decade. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=6T0_EO1vNqg:xVXu1tgAUjA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=6T0_EO1vNqg:xVXu1tgAUjA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=6T0_EO1vNqg:xVXu1tgAUjA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/6T0_EO1vNqg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116941
title: Wefre: Free YouTube / Spotify Mashup Set to Cause Waves
uri: Wefre-Free-YouTube-Spotify-Mashup-Set-to-Cause-Waves
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4z7OiRWmGt8/
content:
<p><img src="media/f74c79b9.wefre-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wefre-logo.png" alt="wefre-logo" width="220" height="165" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116968">One only has to look at Google&#8217;s Transparency Report to see how many apparently unauthorized music services exist on the web today. They&#8217;re a thorn in the sides of rightsholders and the DMCA notices sent out because of them run into the tens of millions.</p>
<p>Most are relatively thoughtless affairs that pull in music from anywhere it&#8217;s available, much of it from Russia &#8211; unlicensed and very much illegal. While free to access, the majority of unofficial sites don&#8217;t spend much time over user experience. The same cannot be said of a new service just launched out of Spain.</p>
<p>When one first accesses <a href="http://wefre.com/">Wefre.com</a> the site has an immediately familiar feel and it&#8217;s clear from the start that Spotify is its inspiration. One also gets the feeling that this service is going to cause disruption so think of this piece as less of a review and more of heads-up of things to come.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/7ff83010.wefre-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wefre-1.png" alt="wefre-1" width="650" height="375" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116950"></center></p>
<p>Wefre requires users to open an account but that&#8217;s as simple as providing a username and email address which at the time of writing isn&#8217;t checked as being valid. Nevertheless, the value of signing up becomes clear when testing Wefre out.</p>
<p>The first thing that becomes evident is the similarity between Wefre&#8217;s web-based interface and Spotify&#8217;s desktop software. Eschewing the black theme for an off-white affair, Wefre&#8217;s layout is extremely clear. For users of Spotify (who of course won&#8217;t need the service) it feels like home from home.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/99608452.wefre-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wefre-3.png" alt="wefre-3" width="650" height="412" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116952"></center></p>
<p>Wefre provides convenient links for popular albums, new releases, top 50 tracks and even popular genres, which unlike other third-party services makes it excellent for music discovery.</p>
<p>Just like with Spotify, skipping around tracks, selecting new albums and finding new content from related artists is a pretty seamless experience. Not only is the service lightning fast (yes, as quick as Spotify) it&#8217;s remarkably good to look at too.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/9c171a80.wefre-4.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wefre-4.png" alt="wefre-4" width="650" height="412" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116954"></center></p>
<p>Where many wannabe-Spotify services break down is their lack of support for doing anything creative with individual tracks beyond simply playing them. Wefre does not fall into the same trap. As can be seen in the image below, it offers a similar range of options to Spotify and even allows people to email their friends with links to a track.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/f4ba84ad.wefre-5.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wefre-5.png" alt="wefre-5" width="529" height="295" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116965"></center></p>
<p>Of course, it hasn&#8217;t been long since we <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aurous-promises-to-be-a-popcorn-time-for-music-150911/">first reported</a> on Aurous, the now defunct but similar service that was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-and-aurous-settle-piracy-lawsuit-for-3-million-151209/">battered into submission</a> by the RIAA. However, while Aurous was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aurous-gets-beaten-up-by-the-riaa-but-peace-is-near-151106/">criticized</a> for utilizing pirate music from unauthorized sources in the East, Wefre claims its content is from entirely legal sources.</p>
<p>Behind the scenes Wefre appears to be a clever YouTube / Spotify mashup which utilizes the APIs officially made available by both companies to create its own take on music presentation. According to Felix Ramallo at <a href="http://www.infotechnology.com/internet/Wefre-la-app-de-streaming-de-musica-gratuita-que-utiliza-a-YouTube-como-catalogo-20160126-0001.html">Infotechnology.com</a>, Wefre pulls music tracks from YouTube while utilizing the musical catalog of Spotify.</p>
<p>Wefre creator Boris Vera, who appears to be based in Tenerife, one of the Spanish Canary Islands, says his service is all above-board.</p>
<p>&#8220;YouTube and Spotify offer APIs for developers. We created Wefre fulfilling their terms,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;We offer legal services and we operate correctly under the terms of use. When you click on a song a YouTube video is actually playing in the background and thanks to the Spotify API for developers we can organize music, so Wefre does not store a single song,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>While Wefre currently works through a browser, the service has iOS and Android apps under development which are subject to a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/532960038/wefre-free-unlimited-music">Kickstarter campaign</a>. &#8220;Wefre is a new completely free music streaming service. All the music from your favorite artists on-demand and ad-free,&#8221; it reads.</p>
<p>Wefre doesn&#8217;t appear to have made the big mistakes Aurous did early on but history tells us that a service that works as well as this one is likely to attract the negative attentions of the labels. Indeed, the fact that Wefre&#8217;s music comes from YouTube probably won&#8217;t help it either. In the Aurous case, the RIAA said the following about content pulled from YouTube and Soundcloud.</p>
<p>“Plaintiffs have not authorized the streaming or downloading (copying) of their recorded music from websites except pursuant to agreements that control the terms on which such works are made available,” the RIAA said.</p>
<p>“Defendants can only cause such downloads to occur by circumventing the protections such sites have against such downloading and violating the sites’ terms of service that expressly prohibit such conduct.”</p>
<p>Whether the Wefre package as a whole will be enough to prompt the labels into action remains to be seen, but if it looks like Spotify and works like Spotify, it&#8217;s likely the labels will feel entitled to a piece of the action. We almost certainly haven&#8217;t heard the last of this one.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=4z7OiRWmGt8:w52kirOrg88:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=4z7OiRWmGt8:w52kirOrg88:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=4z7OiRWmGt8:w52kirOrg88:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/4z7OiRWmGt8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116936
title: Cox Should Expose Pirating Subscribers, Court Hears
uri: Cox-Should-Expose-Pirating-Subscribers-Court-Hears
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/69wMuLGOLhk/
content:
<p><img src="media/015f41e0.cox-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cox-logo.png" alt="cox-logo" width="200" height="99" class="alignright size-full wp-image-68146">Last month a Virginia federal jury ruled that Internet provider Cox Communications was responsible  for the copyright infringements of its subscribers.</p>
<p>The ISP was found guilty of willful contributory copyright infringement and must now pay music publisher BMG Rights Management <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-is-liable-for-pirating-subscribers-ordered-to-pay-25-million-151217/">$25 million in damages</a>.</p>
<p>BMG held the ISP responsible for tens of thousands of copyright infringements. During trial hearings it was revealed that tracking company Rightscorp downloaded more than 150,000 copies of their copyrighted works directly from Cox subscribers.</p>
<p>The verdict was a massive victory for the music company and a disaster for Cox, but the case is not over yet. </p>
<p>This week Cox renewed its motion for judgment as a matter of law, hoping to escape the jury verdict. Alternatively, the ISP wants the court to grant a new trial. </p>
<p>BMG opposes this motion and has submitted a request for a permanent injunction instead. According to the music publisher, Cox has failed to take any action to prevent further copyright infringements.</p>
<p>&#8220;Now, more than a month later, Cox’s network continues to be the site of massive, ongoing infringement of BMG’s copyrights. This ongoing infringement inflicts irreparable harm on BMG,&#8221; the music publisher writes. </p>
<p>When contacted on the matter, Cox&#8217;s legal counsel informed BMG that the ISP was still analyzing all aspects of its processes and procedures. However, the music publisher doesn&#8217;t want to wait any longer and has requested a permanent injunction from the court, ordering the Internet provider to take action. </p>
<p>Besides forwarding all future takedown notices to subscribers whose accounts are linked to copyright infringements, BMG also requests an overview of the actions Cox takes to prevent further infringements. </p>
<p>In addition, BMG also wants the personal details of all associated account holders, including their names, email addresses and phone numbers. </p>
<p><center><strong>The Proposed Injunction</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/92d7ecd4.bmginjunction.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bmginjunction.png" alt="bmginjunction" width="559" height="280" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-116942"></center></p>
<p>BMG does not state how it intends to use these personal details, but given its relationship with Rightscorp it&#8217;s likely that the associated subscribers may be contacted to pay a settlement fee. </p>
<p>The music publisher believes that the proposed injunction is fair, considering the alleged harm it continues to suffer from the mass infringements on Cox&#8217;s network. </p>
<p>&#8220;Requiring Cox to prevent further use of its network for infringement by specified infringers at identified IP addresses imposes no undue burden on Cox and is narrowly tailored to reduce the enormous and irreparable harm that BMG suffers from infringement over Cox’s network,&#8221; the company writes.</p>
<p>It is now up to Judge O&#8217;Grady to review the requests from both parties. </p>
<p>If he sides with BMG then Cox will have to share the personal details of potentially tens of thousands of subscribers. If Cox has its way the jury verdict may be moot, or alternatively there will be a new trial. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=69wMuLGOLhk:HrjIG-SY9Qg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=69wMuLGOLhk:HrjIG-SY9Qg:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=69wMuLGOLhk:HrjIG-SY9Qg:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/69wMuLGOLhk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117064
title: The Pirate Bay’s Mobile Domain Suspended By Registrar
uri: The-Pirate-Bay-s-Mobile-Domain-Suspended-By-Registrar
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/RgjnZVHZt6g/
content:
<p><img src="media/0e036607.pirate-bay.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-bay.jpg" width="200" height="207" class="alignright">After many years of virtual stagnation on the development front, during the summer of 2014 The Pirate Bay <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-launches-mobile-site-teases-expansions-140724/">announced</a> the launch of a new site.</p>
<p>Designed especially for mobile devices, TheMobileBay.org provided a new and clean interface rather than a simply scaled-down version of its existing site.</p>
<p>As can be seen in the image below, the new layout got rid of the clutter and made the site much more easy to navigate on phones and tablets.</p>
<p><center><strong>The new vs. old mobile look</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/1a34fb3c.tpb-mob-oldnew.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-mob-oldnew.jpg"><img src="media/1a34fb3c.tpb-mob-oldnew.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-mob-oldnew.jpg" alt="tpb-mob-oldnew" width="641" height="525" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-91490"></a></center></p>
<p>Since the launch of TheMobileBay.org 18 months ago users of mobile devices have been automatically diverted to this special version of The Pirate Bay. However, this week those diversions faltered and then completely broke down. The reason, once again, is that The Pirate Bay has lost yet another domain.</p>
<p>Like several other Pirate Bay domains in recent months, TheMobileBay.org has been suspended by its registrar. Back in December the site&#8217;s .LA, .GD, .MN and .VG domains were all listed as “clienthold” by registrar 1API GmbH, and now TheMobileBay.org has suffered the same fate.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/9a8b9181.tpb-mobile.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-mobile.png" alt="tpb-mobile" width="603" height="292" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117068"></center></p>
<p>As a result of these fresh domain troubles The Pirate Bay is currently not reachable by visiting TheMobileBay.org. Additionally, those visiting ThePirateBay.se can&#8217;t access it either, unless they instruct their browsers to access the desktop version of the site instead. Sadly even this has its drawbacks as it&#8217;s the old, mobile-unfriendly version of the site that loads.</p>
<p>While mobile users of the site will be variously denied access to the site or simply disappointed by a return to the old layout, the loss of TheMobileBay.org domain will be felt strongly in the UK. For reasons that remain unclear, since its launch The Mobile Bay has not been blocked by UK ISPs, meaning that users have been able to evade the High Court blockade won by rightsholders in 2013.</p>
<p>Considering The Pirate Bay’s standing it&#8217;s likely that a copyright holder complaint triggered the suspension of The Mobile Bay, but that hasn’t been officially confirmed.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=RgjnZVHZt6g:XVIpzvLVZdw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=RgjnZVHZt6g:XVIpzvLVZdw:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=RgjnZVHZt6g:XVIpzvLVZdw:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/RgjnZVHZt6g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117007
title: DVD Screener Piracy Could Be Stamped Out…But Not Yet
uri: DVD-Screener-Piracy-Could-Be-Stamped-Out-But-Not-Yet
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/b1o0y3Brc5A/
content:
<p>When perusing various file-sharing sites throughout the year it&#8217;s not uncommon to find posts which inquire when users can expect to find DVD screener copies of brand new films for illegal download.</p>
<p>Indeed, the practice is so common these days that when one types &#8220;when do dv&#8221; into Google the search engine helpfully autocompletes the question.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/6b47fa76.scr-google.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scr-google.png" alt="scr-google" width="600" height="130" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117019"></center></p>
<p>The point is that the leaking of DVD screeners online every year is all but guaranteed and there doesn&#8217;t appear to be a single thing that Hollywood can do about it. This past Christmas leaks descended into a massive <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-hateful-eight-and-the-revenant-leaked-online-151221/">free-for-all</a>, prompting angry industry executives to slam the attacks on their industry.</p>
<p>So assuming that most or all Hollywood executives really do believe that screener leaks <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dvd-screener-leaks-are-not-free-promotion-160113/">aren&#8217;t free promotion</a>, why after years of unrelenting leaks isn&#8217;t their security much better?</p>
<p>Well, according to <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/news/oscar-piracy-digital-screeners-1201667493/">Variety</a> it seems like a straightforward case of failing to adapt to the digital age, topped off with a fear of &#8211; wait for it &#8211; piracy.</p>
<p>The most obvious approach would be to stop sending out physical discs to Oscar voters, granting them access to streaming copies instead. However, according to the report studio executives are worried that providing multiple secure digital video delivery platforms will lead to confusion and even stop people from voting.</p>
<p>Perhaps the great irony here is that in comparison pirates have to jump through many hoops to get hold of leaked screeners online yet are able to do so in their millions, despite it not being part of their job. Viewing apathy is not part of the equation. Are awards voters really that disinterested in movies?</p>
<p>Apparently the MPAA is aware that forcing awards voters to use multiple video platforms could act as a deterrent to watching screeners so is reportedly working with an outside vendor to supply an app that will provide a single point of access.</p>
<p>Interestingly there is no such app available to the general public who are forced to subscribe to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-users-need-27-services-to-get-most-popular-films-report-finds-141208/">dozens of services</a> if they want access to all movies.</p>
<p>But things get really bizarre when one reads about the discussions surrounding potential platforms for the distribution of digital screeners. Prime Focus Technologies offers a service called <a href="http://www.primefocustechnologies.com/securescreener">SecureScreener</a> which it says eliminates the need for DVD copies.</p>
<p>&#8220;Have peace of mind with CLEAR’s Secure Player as it is unbreakable. It cleverly blocks any download attempt so you know your content is safe,&#8221; the company explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;And to top it, it offers high-quality viewing experience so your users don’t miss the DVD feel. No more wait for feedback – Access to information like who viewed, liked, shared, and downloaded your content at your fingertips, literally!&#8221;</p>
<p>The system even offers a double verification system involving a username and password combo backed up a special code sent to the designated viewer&#8217;s (voter&#8217;s) cell phone. But somewhat hilariously this is apparently too advanced for some awards voters.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some film reps are concerned that not all Academy voters have cell phones to receive text notification,&#8221; Variety reports.</p>
<p>But even for those that do, the studios are still concerned about <em>how</em> screeners will be viewed if delivered digitally.</p>
<p>Will voters watch the movie on a smartphone and lose the cinematic experience? will they watch on a tablet and miss out on a meticulously arranged soundtrack? One can hear Tarantino wringing his hands right now, torn between a pre-release of The Hateful Eight and an Ultra Panavision extravaganza being displayed on a 7&#8243; tablet.</p>
<p>So while millions of Hollywood&#8217;s customers are yearning for content to be delivered to them digitally in every possible way, the studios appear to be hamstrung by fears that industry voters &#8211; the people one might hope are on the cutting edge &#8211; can&#8217;t be universally trusted with anything more advanced than a DVD.</p>
<p>Of course, times will eventually change and following the DVD screener debacle of 2015, a greater urgency is definitely required to avoid a repeat in 2016/17 and beyond. Whatever happens though, it&#8217;s likely that the DVD screener has a few more years in it yet. And that will be great news for pirates.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HxLLGdByedU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=b1o0y3Brc5A:UIY7p_3V3B4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=b1o0y3Brc5A:UIY7p_3V3B4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=b1o0y3Brc5A:UIY7p_3V3B4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/b1o0y3Brc5A" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116972
title: “Piracy Harms” Are Now Part of U.S. Education Law
uri: Piracy-Harms-Are-Now-Part-of-U-S-Education-Law
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/QuFCiYNewKg/
content:
<p><img src="media/5db65235.obamaessa.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/obamaessa.png" alt="obamaessa" width="300" height="231" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116983">With bipartisan support, the Every Student Succeeds Act (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_Student_Succeeds_Act">ESSA</a>) became law late last year, outlining what U.S. public education policy looks like in the years to come. </p>
<p>One of the key changes to its predecessor is a stronger focus on technology. If fully funded, school districts can receive up to a billion dollars to spend on education technology. </p>
<p>What hasn&#8217;t been mentioned in any mainstream coverage, however, is that this technology part includes a piracy component. </p>
<p>It turns out that various entertainment industry lobby groups have kept a close eye on the bill. In its most recent <a href="http://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event=getFilingDetails&#038;filingID=ede98b23-17e9-49d0-a0ab-b24dc81c0d99&#038;filingTypeID=78">disclosure</a> the MPAA lists &#8220;content protection&#8221; as a <a href="media/c7888020.mpaalobby.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaalobby.png">lobbying topic</a> related to ESSA, and this hasn&#8217;t been in vain. </p>
<p>When reading through the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1177/text#toc-HC91D4FD276FB4108B55917663A8DAF2A">final text</a> we see several mentions of &#8220;piracy harms,&#8221; always related to education technology. For example, the available funds can be used for all sorts of educational training and development related to the &#8220;harms of copyright piracy&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;(i) effectively integrate technology into curricula and instruction (including education about the harms of copyright piracy),&#8221; one reference reads.</p>
<p><center><strong>Piracy harms&#8230;</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/08485002.essapiracy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/essapiracy.png" alt="essapiracy" width="589" height="220" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117029"></center></p>
<p>The law doesn&#8217;t go into detail on what the harms of online piracy are. This might turn into some interesting discussions down the road as academic studies show varying results. </p>
<p>The addition of the piracy related language is celebrated by the entertainment industries, including the MPAA-backed organization Creative Future. The group lists a thank you note <a href="http://creativefuture.org/thanks-for-essa/">on its website</a> allowing the public to forward the message to Congress. </p>
<p>&#8220;Congress did the right thing! [ESSA], which sets new educational standards for our country, ensures that teachers, parents, and staff who are learning about new technologies in order to instruct the next generation of digital citizens must also understand the harms associated with piracy.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;There is no better time to help students understand copyright than when they are learning how to use the Internet! Now, technology training for educators will also include this important pro-creativity message,&#8221; Creative Future adds.</p>
<p>In recent years the MPAA and RIAA have already started to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-and-riaa-to-teach-copyright-at-kindergartens-130918/">get involved</a> in copyright education. As part of the Center of Copyright Information they helped to create a new curriculum for California schools. </p>
<p>Initially the lesson materials were rather one-sided, lacking a proper mention of issues such as fair use and alternatives to standard copyright licenses. After a public outcry, this was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-and-riaa-teach-copyright-in-elementary-schools-now-with-fair-use-140906/">eventually changed</a> in an updated version of the lesson materials.</p>
<p>Continuing down this path, it&#8217;s expected that various copyright groups will now reach out to educators to assist them with training and education related to the harms of piracy.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=QuFCiYNewKg:qtkFJoGSBIM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=QuFCiYNewKg:qtkFJoGSBIM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=QuFCiYNewKg:qtkFJoGSBIM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/QuFCiYNewKg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117077
title: Copyright Infringing News Sites Raided and Shut Down
uri: Copyright-Infringing-News-Sites-Raided-and-Shut-Down
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LFgSPByHIBM/
content:
<p><img src="media/3d881413.spy.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spy.jpg" alt="spy" width="200" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-39770">Every year dozens of file-sharing websites are raided, blocked or otherwise attacked by authorities seeking to clamp down on the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content. With the entertainment industries the main driving force, protection of their content always gets the most attention.</p>
<p>However, developments now being reported by the Italian government shows that authorities are prepared to get tough with people aiming to make money off the back of other web-based content.</p>
<p>According to an announcement by the Guardia di Finanza (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardia_di_Finanza">GdF</a>), a law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance, coordinated national action has now been taken to prevent the unauthorized distribution of subscription editorial content.</p>
<p>Following an investigation carried out by the Special Unit for Broadcasting and Publishing, a number of individuals were identified as being responsible for the unauthorized publication of national and international newspapers and periodicals to the web without permission from rightsholders. In other words, news pirates.</p>
<p>The GdF says that following authorization from Rome Prosecutor&#8217;s office, &#8216;Operation Phoenix&#8217; targeted locations in Naples, Carbonia-Iglesias, Brescia, Rome, Frosinone and Turin. Five Italian nationals were arrested on suspicion of being behind a total of 15 websites offering pirated news content including digital copies of subscription newspapers.</p>
<p>Ten local websites were raided and shutdown while five websites based overseas were blocked by interfering with their DNS records. Various items of computer equipment were also seized.</p>
<p>According to the GdF the operation was made possible following the introduction of a new system developed by the leading national media groups which enables the tracking of digital copies online. It said that the same principles applied in file-sharing cases were utilized in the current investigation.</p>
<p>&#8220;The enforcement efforts put in place by the Guardia di Finanza were made even more effective thanks to the innovative method of investigation based on the principle of &#8216;Follow the Money&#8217;,&#8221; the GdF said.</p>
<p>The authorities say they were led to the suspects after tracking the financial resources that connect the operators of the pirate sites to the suppliers of the adverts that appeared on their platforms.</p>
<p>According to the GdF a recent study on what it terms &#8220;the Italian publishing crisis&#8221; revealed that piracy of editorial content resulted in lost sales amounting to 400,000 copies of news articles each day during 2014. It claims that a five-year decline in sales has led to 4,800 jobs being lost in the sector.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LFgSPByHIBM:D1QfRbbeljk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LFgSPByHIBM:D1QfRbbeljk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=LFgSPByHIBM:D1QfRbbeljk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/LFgSPByHIBM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117100
title: News Site Blocked By ISPs For Embedding YouTube Videos
uri: News-Site-Blocked-By-ISPs-For-Embedding-YouTube-Videos
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/QKScplHRYuo/
content:
<p><img src="media/07db73b3.stop-blocked.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stop-blocked.jpg" alt="stop-blocked" width="200" height="168" class="alignright size-full wp-image-72076">Blocking websites is in vogue for copyright holders all around Europe. They normally need to go to court to have allegedly-infringing sites blocked at the ISP level but in Portugal no such formality is required.</p>
<p>In recent months local Internet providers have already blocked <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/portugal-rapidly-voluntarily-blocks-dozens-more-pirate-sites-151107/">hundreds of websites</a> for allegedly linking to copyright infringing content. The action is the result of a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rapid-pirate-site-blocking-mechanism-introduced-by-portugal-150731/">voluntary arrangement</a> between the Ministry of Culture, the Association of Telecommunication Operators, and copyright holders including anti-piracy group MAPiNET.</p>
<p>The lack of judicial oversight has been a concern for activists ever since the introduction of the agreement. Now it appears their fears were not unfounded.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.josepvinaixa.com/">Ultimate Music</a> is a site operated by journalist and blogger Josep Vinaixa. He reports on entertainment industry news, such as track and album releases, and also embeds YouTube videos. In the image below one can see a typical piece which announces the launch of an album by Sigma and embeds an official Sigma video from YouTube.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/fe174a6e.umusic-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/umusic-1.png" alt="umusic-1" width="600" height="449" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117103"></center></p>
<p>Vinaixa works with international record labels who send him information about releases and even request that he embeds their videos in his site. However, local anti-piracy group MAPiNET believes that embedding YouTube videos is illegal unless Vinaixa&#8217;s website is licensed.</p>
<p>In an email from MAPiNET dated Dec 18 and shared with TorrentFreak, the anti-piracy outfit warns Vinaixa that he needs to &#8220;change his conduct&#8221; or face the consequences. <em>(broken English email quoted verbatim)</em></p>
<p>&#8220;On the past 30 of July we have celebrated a MoU with the Portuguese association of ISPs APRITEL, Portuguese Cultural inspection entity IGAC, and others,&#8221; the email states.</p>
<p>&#8220;On this MoU websites that have more than 500 copyright protected works or if 2/3 of his content is copyrighted material presented there with no authorization from the legal rights owner are eligible to be blocked by DNS in Portugal.</p>
<p>&#8220;If this website do not change its conduct within the next 24 hours we will make all the diligences to proceed with the DNS blocking request.&#8221;</p>
<p>Less than an hour later a bemused Vinaixa responded, asking MAPiNET what could possibly be wrong with writing about artists and embedding their official videos in his news articles.</p>
<p>&#8220;I really want to fix this because I don&#8217;t want any problem. I&#8217;m just promoting the new music releases,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>After receiving no response, Vinaixa&#8217;s site was blocked by ISPs in Portugal on Christmas Day. The message now seen by visitors is shown below.</p>
<p><center></h5>
<p>Credit: Revolucaodosbytes.pt</h5>
<p><img src="media/6a6f8d6f.um-blocked.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/um-blocked.png" alt="um-blocked" width="600" height="196" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117110"></center></p>
<p><em>(Translated: The site you want to access is blocked in the wake of compliance of a Entitdade Regulatory notification)</em></p>
<p>On December 29, Vinaixa wrote to MAPiNET again.</p>
<p>&#8220;You blocked my site in Portugal and you didn&#8217;t answer my message. I want to fix this and make my site available in Portugal again. Can you please tell me what I have to do?&#8221; he begged.</p>
<p>On January 5, 2016, Vinaixa received a reply but it was not what he&#8217;d been hoping for.</p>
<p>&#8220;According to the information we have gathered from the <a href="http://www.passmusica.org/">Portuguese Music Licensing Company</a> (PassMusica) and all music related Collective Management Entities, you have not submitted any licensing request for your site to operate in the Portuguese Territory,&#8221; MAPiNET explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;Having said that, we recommend you, as a first step, to obtain the correct licensing for your site to work properly and according to the Portuguese Legislation, and therefore we urge you to address the above mentioned entities.&#8221;</p>
<p>So, after being blocked by MAPiNET, Vinaixa turned to PassMusica for help.</p>
<p>&#8220;My website is a music site about new releases and future artists from all parts of the world. All the music / videos are from official channels like Youtube, Spotify, Soundcloud or Vevo,&#8221; Vinaixa told the licensing outfit.</p>
<p>&#8220;I do not understand what I could do wrong, for you to block my access throughout your country. I simply want to return to be operational in Portugal and fix something if there is something to fix. Thank you so much.&#8221;</p>
<p>Again, the response was disappointing.</p>
<p>&#8220;Further to your email, we can confirm that we have not received any licensing request from you in order to operate in Portugal. Furthermore, we also have information that you have not requested authorization [from] the Record Company to make the music videos and tracks available through your website, as all the platforms you&#8217;ve mentioned have requested,&#8221; PassMusica told Vinaixa.</p>
<p>&#8220;We appreciate that the music and all the videos are from official channels, but those channels have negotiated directly with the record companies in order to be able to make such usage of music, as we are sure you have not. Also, those channels, in their disclaimers do not authorize such utilization.&#8221;</p>
<p>But according to Vinaixa, that is nonsense.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/adb18e59.umusic-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/umusic-2.png" alt="umusic-2" width="600" height="503" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117115"></center></p>
<p>&#8220;Excuse me but that&#8217;s not true,&#8221; he told PassMusica earlier this month.</p>
<p>&#8220;All the labels from UK, Australia, USA and Spain send me the information about the releases from their artists and they want me to put all of the videos and audios (official link) on the site.&#8221;</p>
<p>Vinaixa told the licensing outfit he&#8217;s been working with the labels for three years and no one has ever complained. In fact, all he gets is thanks for his cooperation in promoting the labels&#8217; artists.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t understand why Portugal blocked me when all the other countries are working with me, the labels and the artists&#8217; advertising agencies. I just want to work properly as I have been doing around the world for 3 years. So you do not tell me I have no license, because I work closely with almost all the record labels.&#8221;</p>
<p>So for now Vinaixa and his site is in limbo while being treated like the dozens of hardcore pirate sites on MAPiNET&#8217;s register. They are no longer responding to his questions and Portuguese users are still unable to view his site.</p>
<p>According to a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hyperlinking-is-not-copyright-infringement-eu-court-rules-140213/">2014 decision</a> by the EU’s Court of Justice, if content is already freely available after being legally published and isn’t already subject to restrictions such as a subscription or pay wall, embedding is not a breach of EU law.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted MAPiNET on two occasions to hear its reasons for blocking Ultimate Music but the anti-piracy group did respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=QKScplHRYuo:vYyEJN2A7pc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=QKScplHRYuo:vYyEJN2A7pc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=QKScplHRYuo:vYyEJN2A7pc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/QKScplHRYuo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117081
title: U.S. Govt: Excessive Piracy Punishments Should Be Avoided
uri: U-S-Govt-Excessive-Piracy-Punishments-Should-Be-Avoided
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/HTRNzNDI3gw/
content:
<p><img src="media/7893ef12.us-united-america-flag.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/us-united-america-flag.jpg" alt="us-united-america-flag" width="270" height="178" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116015">Three years ago the Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force started to <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/185093419/Copyright-Green-Paper">explore</a> various ways that current copyright law could be improved. </p>
<p>Following extensive discussions and a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-and-riaa-urge-government-to-keep-high-fines-for-copyright-infringers-131118/">public consultation</a> process it finalized its recommendations this week, releasing a whitepaper (<a href="media/db8c2193.copyrightwhitepaper.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/copyrightwhitepaper.pdf">pdf</a>) with several concrete proposals. </p>
<p>One of the main topics covers the &#8216;penalties&#8217; for online piracy, which can currently reach $150,000 per copied work. These statutory damages can lead to excessive awards, as shown in two <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/woman-hit-with-192-million-fine-in-riaa-case-090619/">RIAA cases</a>. </p>
<p>The Task Force notes that the award amount doesn&#8217;t have to be lowered, as it may be appropriate as a deterrent for online piracy in extreme cases. However, steps should be taken against disproportionate punishments and copyright trolling. </p>
<p>&#8220;It is important to avoid excessive and inconsistent awards that risk encouraging disrespect for copyright law or chilling investment in innovation. And the abusive enforcement campaigns reported by commenters should not be tolerated,&#8221; the paper reads.</p>
<p>Instead of changing the maximum statutory damages the Task Force recommends an update to current legislation with a list of factors for courts and juries to consider when determining the amount of a damages award.</p>
<p>Possible factors include the financial situation of the defendant. Someone who&#8217;s unemployed should not pay the same amount in damages as a billion dollar company for the same offense.  </p>
<p>&#8220;The Task Force recognizes the concern that some awards of statutory damages can be far beyond the capacity of the defendant to pay &#8211; whether an individual or a start-up business. Requiring juries and judges to consider the defendant’s financial situation when assessing the level of the award will help address that concern,&#8221; the recommendation reads. </p>
<p>The value of the infringed work and the harm it causes the copyright holder should also be taken into account. This means that leaking a pre-release copy of a blockbuster movie should receive a higher punishment than sharing a B-film usually offered at a discount. </p>
<p>&#8220;An award that takes into account the likely heightened magnitude of harm to the market for a pre-release work may enable the copyright owner to receive a more appropriate level of compensation than an award of actual damages.&#8221; </p>
<p>Taking the value of the work into account may also help to deter copyright trolls, who generally sue people over adult content and other niche material. </p>
<p>&#8220;On the other hand, when the infringed work is of minimal commercial value, a lower award may be appropriate. This can help address concerns about holders of low-value copyrights … using the threat of statutory damages to turn litigation threats into a profit center,&#8221; the Task Force adds.</p>
<p>The paper further recognizes that the &#8220;abusive enforcement actions&#8221; of copyright trolls are harmful to the copyright system as well as the judicial system.</p>
<p>Some stakeholders suggested to tackle this problem by lowering the maximum of $150,000 in statutory damages, so copyright trolls can&#8217;t use it as a threat. However, the Task Force believes that the courts have other means to address these excesses, as they&#8217;ve done with  Righthaven and Prenda Law. </p>
<p>&#8220;The unfair tactics used by certain litigants should be curbed without cutting back a remedy that serves legitimate purposes of compensation and deterrence. The courts are well positioned to evaluate such tactics and have sanctioned counsel and parties who pursue baseless, reckless, or vexatious claims,&#8221; the paper reads. </p>
<p>The Government&#8217;s proposed changes don&#8217;t leave statutory damages completely untouched though. In cases of non-willful secondary liability of online services, the paper proposes to move away from the strict &#8220;per work&#8221; rule. </p>
<p>This means that a court may issue a lower damages award against a site or service if the number of infringed works is very high, which now automatically results in hundreds of millions in potential damages.</p>
<p>Overall the proposals are well-balanced. The whitepaper strikes a careful balance between proponents and opponents of decreased statutory damages, reflected in positive comments <a href="https://www.copyrightalliance.org/2016/01/copyright_alliance_issues_statement_department_commerce_white_paper_remixes_first_sale_and_0#.Vqsa1iorIsN">from</a> both <a href="https://www.publicknowledge.org/press-release/public-knowledge-welcomes-department-of-commerce-report-calling-for-copyright-reform">sides</a>. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=HTRNzNDI3gw:8dyAcMmGSls:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=HTRNzNDI3gw:8dyAcMmGSls:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=HTRNzNDI3gw:8dyAcMmGSls:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/HTRNzNDI3gw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117165
title: Steal This Show S01E05: P2P takes on Ebay
uri: Steal-This-Show-S01E05-P2P-takes-on-Ebay
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/mjUMwbO9Ock/
content:
<p><img src="media/585776e5.steal240.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/steal240.png" alt="steal240" width="200" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-113930"></a>In this episode we’re joined by&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/drwasho">Washington Sanchez</a>, co-founder of P2P marketplace <a href="https://openbazaar.org/">Open Bazaar</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/gubatron">Angel Leon</a>, founder of popular torrent client&nbsp;<a href="http://www.frostwire.com/">Frostwire</a> and OpenBazaar contributor. </p>
<p>This week we discuss Netflix and the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-announces-crackdown-on-vpn-and-proxy-pirates-160114/">use of VPNs</a> by its content-hungry customers to evade geoblocking; the increasingly businesslike and quite possibly criminal vibe from some large torrent sites; and the fact that Vladimir Putin&#8217;s Internet Adviser is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vladimir-putins-internet-adviser-owns-a-torrent-site-160119/">running</a> a filesharing site. </p>
<p>Finally, we delve into how Open Bazaar is creating a peer-to-peer network that will&nbsp;put the &#8220;d&#8221; in &#8220;decommerce&#8221;.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><a href="https://stealthisshow.com">Steal This Show</a> aims to release bi-weekly episodes featuring insiders discussing copyright and file-sharing news. It complements our regular reporting by adding more room for opinion, commentary and analysis. </p>
<p>The guests for our news discussions will vary and we&#8217;ll aim to introduce voices from different backgrounds and persuasions. In addition to news, STS will also produce features interviewing some of the great innovators and minds. </p>
<p><strong>Host:</strong> Jamie King</p>
<p><strong>Guests:</strong> <a href="https://twitter.com/drwasho">Washington Sanchez</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/gubatron">Angel Leon</a>.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="100%" height="180px" src="//stealthisshow.com/?lpe-frame=1&#038;lpe-season=1&#038;lpe-episode=5" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<p><strong>Produced </strong> <em>by </em>Jamie King<br>
<strong>Edited &#038; Mixed</strong> <em>by</em> Eric Bouthiller<br>
<strong>Original Music</strong> <em>by</em> David Triana<br>
<strong>Web Production</strong> <em>by</em> Siraje Amarniss</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=mjUMwbO9Ock:Be2Y3EOSg5U:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=mjUMwbO9Ock:Be2Y3EOSg5U:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=mjUMwbO9Ock:Be2Y3EOSg5U:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/mjUMwbO9Ock" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117013
title: Strike Torrent Search Goes Open Source, After RIAA Debacle
uri: Strike-Torrent-Search-Goes-Open-Source-After-RIAA-Debacle
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/iKVIqxzWvws/
content:
<p><img src="media/ea5cb76a.strikel.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/strikel.png" alt="strikel" width="267" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-114868">Last December, Aurous developer Andrew Sampson settled his legal dispute with the RIAA for a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-and-aurous-settle-piracy-lawsuit-for-3-million-151209/">massive $3 million</a>, according to the legal paperwork. </p>
<p>The legal trouble also affected another popular project <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/strike-public-tracker-dht-searches-presented-cleanly-150321/">Sampson ran</a>, the torrent search engine <a href="http://getstrike.net">Strike</a>. While it was not specifically  mentioned in the settlement agreement the Florida-based developer decided to pull the plug on this project too. </p>
<p>While the site has been offline for weeks, interest in the project hardly waned. Sampson informs TorrentFreak that over a million visitors still landed on the site, which served pages cached by CloudFlare. In addition, many external services called on the site&#8217;s defunct API. </p>
<p>This prompted the developer to <a href="https://github.com/StrikeOrg/strike-search">make the code available for others</a>, releasing it under an open source license. </p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to leave thousands of developers hanging; the API received over 25,000,000 unique requests a month, not to mention the millions of unique users we received every month,&#8221; Sampson tells us. </p>
<p>&#8220;I wanted to leave something, it may not be the prettiest thing, but the least I can do is extend an olive branch and give people a small tool set for hosting their own search engines.&#8221; </p>
<p>With the code anyone can set up a custom torrent search engine, replicating the Strike service. The only thing that&#8217;s missing are the actual torrent scrapers. After consulting his lawyers, Sampson decided not to make those public.</p>
<p>The past few weeks have been rough for the developer, who says he suffered mentally from his run-in with the RIAA. </p>
<p>&#8220;After dealing with this lawsuit I&#8217;m a bit taxed mentally, I hit a really low point for a while, depression kind of overwhelmed me, I lost a decade long friendship, a lot of my savings, I just became kind of bitter and angry,&#8221; Sampson notes.</p>
<p>However, he&#8217;s slowly starting to get a grip on reality again and is looking forward to working on new projects. While he still has a healthy interest in P2P and BitTorrent, he will stay away from anything remotely infringing. </p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d much rather focus my energy on work and building open source tools that don&#8217;t cross grey lines. It is a lot less stressful and feels great.&#8221;</p>
<p>The release of Strike&#8217;s source code offers the developer the closure he needs, so he can move on to other things. </p>
<p>Currently <a href="http://blog.getstrike.net/post/138192622233/were-moving-away-from-torrents-so-whats-next">he&#8217;s working on</a> a new project called Ulterius. This is an open source C# based framework that allows users to manage windows based systems from any HTML5 enabled browser.</p>
<p>&#8220;I received a lot of support from the community during this, I can only hope they like what I make next. I&#8217;m 20 years old, so I&#8217;m just getting started,&#8221; he concludes. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=iKVIqxzWvws:DdwV35_B5fo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=iKVIqxzWvws:DdwV35_B5fo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=iKVIqxzWvws:DdwV35_B5fo:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/iKVIqxzWvws" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117047
title: Pirate Party Risks Future to Protect Hyperlinks
uri: Pirate-Party-Risks-Future-to-Protect-Hyperlinks
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/k9Co-x1Bm7k/
content:
<p><img src="media/1a42013e.czech-pp.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/czech-pp.jpg" width="140" height="122" class="alignright">Over the years many people have put their necks on the line to defend what they believe to be right. Sadly, when things get out of control, some have even paid with their lives.</p>
<p>While copyright struggles are important, they are rarely a matter of life and death. Nevertheless, there are those who are prepared to make big sacrifices to defend citizens&#8217; rights to communicate freely online. Activists come in all shapes and sizes but within the file-sharing landscape few have been more daring than the world&#8217;s various Pirate parties.</p>
<p>Both the Swedish and UK Pirate parties have stepped up to defend and support The Pirate Bay in recent years and both have lived to tell the tale. However, members of the Czech Pirate Party are now staring down the barrel of a gun with their future at stake.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-prosecuted-for-operating-a-pirate-site-160125/">reported</a> earlier this week, the party is being <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-prosecuted-for-operating-a-pirate-site-160125/">prosecuted by the police</a> for running TV piracy site Sledujuserialy.cz (translated: I Watch TV Series). However, while most site operators try to avoid trouble, the chief of the party&#8217;s International Department says this conflict with the law was intentional.</p>
<p>&#8220;The original idea to create the web page came from outside. However, the former owners were threatened by ČPU (Czech Anti-Piracy Union) so they agreed to transfer control to us, since our party was ready to face the fight with ČPU,&#8221; Mikuláš Ferjenčík informs TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;We took patronage over the website in January 2013 in order to achieve a precedent similar to the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hyperlinking-is-not-copyright-infringement-eu-court-rules-140213/">Svensson case</a>, so our original intention was to initiate such a reaction.&#8221;</p>
<p>And a reaction is what the party got.</p>
<p>On Thursday 21st January the Czech pirates were officially notified that their party will be prosecuted in criminal court for running the site. They&#8217;re keen to point out that the site carried no copyrighted content on its servers but instead linked to TV series via embedded links.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/ac03610c.cz-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cz-1.png" alt="cz-1" width="650" height="303" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116831"></center></p>
<p>&#8220;Our intention is to create a precedent clearly confirming that a link is not a crime. No one shall be persecuted for referring to other&#8217;s web sites,&#8221; Ferjenčík says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Until now, mainly physical persons were criminalized by the Anti-Piracy Union. Their [targets&#8217;] positions were unfair since they often had no money to pay lawyers, so they often had to accept unfair extrajudicial settlements.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are capable of covering the necessary costs and we would like to publicly show that the Anti-Piracy Union&#8217;s legal position is not strong enough for such behavior.&#8221; </p>
<p>Ferjenčík informs TF that while the site&#8217;s domain was registered to the party, the identity of its administrators is being protected. So, in this case no individual is being targeted by the Anti-Piracy Union and no-one is going to jail. However, the party&#8217;s actions could have serious consequences if it all goes wrong.</p>
<p>&#8220;We might have to &#8216;refund the losses&#8217; (estimated to 5.5 millions CZK, around 200 thousand EUR). It is also possible that the Pirate Party could be dissolved as a legal entity. Fortunately, no physical person is in danger of being punished in any way,&#8221; Ferjenčík explains.</p>
<p>Despite the risks the party feels entirely justified in the position it has taken and stands by its decision to defend the hyperlink.</p>
<p>&#8220;Linking cannot be criminalized otherwise one would have to criminalize services like Google or Facebook and many others. It would break the Internet as we know it and it would result in huge damage to the whole economy,&#8221; Ferjenčík says.</p>
<p>Of course, the Pirate Party is a political entity and the current case will also have the effect of thrusting it into the spotlight. The timing couldn&#8217;t be better.</p>
<p>&#8220;The timing is very advantageous for us, since there will be regional elections during October 2016,&#8221; Ferjenčík concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=k9Co-x1Bm7k:Pgu-MgQSeQE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=k9Co-x1Bm7k:Pgu-MgQSeQE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=k9Co-x1Bm7k:Pgu-MgQSeQE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/k9Co-x1Bm7k" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116997
title: Completely Ignoring the DMCA an Option for Torrent Sites?
uri: Completely-Ignoring-the-DMCA-an-Option-for-Torrent-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/_USny76-tJY/
content:
<p>Any site offering a facility for users to upload content has to be aware that some of that material is likely to infringe on someone&#8217;s copyrights. For sites aiming to please the United States of America, that means having a registered DMCA agent, at the very least.</p>
<p>For sites further afield, Russia for example, the DMCA is of little concern, but that doesn&#8217;t absolve them from copyright responsibilities. This week and after years of friction, the Russian state finally ordered the blocking of RuTracker, the country&#8217;s most popular torrent site.</p>
<p>The decision prompted an interesting response from the site. Instead of honoring takedown notices from copyright holders, RuTracker downgraded all of the special accounts it had given to anti-piracy outfits, effectively revoking their ability to take any content down. The message was essentially this: We cooperated and you still blocked us &#8211; *&#038;$% you!</p>
<p>Of course, this attitude to copyright law is nothing new. The Pirate Bay has refused to take anything down on copyright grounds from day one and yet it remains up today. However, The Pirate Bay is a giant site with huge resources at its disposal, meaning that keeping the site going in spite of the law is a completely achievable task.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s common knowledge that TPB&#8217;s attitude has placed it on law enforcement radars, the same goes for dozens of other less aggressive sites too. All major torrent and streaming sites have been warned by the UK&#8217;s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit that they consider their operations to be criminal, and the High Court has been happy to order local ISPs to block them all.</p>
<p>So given that the police would arrest the operators of most sites given the right resources, what is actually the point of taking down any content at all? Why aren&#8217;t sites simply giving copyright holders the middle finger as RuTracker did this week?</p>
<p>Getting site admins to talk on this topic isn&#8217;t easy, but this week and on condition of anonymity, TF spoke with the operators of several sites who agreed to share their thoughts on DMCA-style compliance. It appears that while sites have a precarious position, keeping on the right side of civil law is an important part of staying online.</p>
<p>&#8220;We had an email from [PIPCU] but we also had letters from other anti-piracy agencies for years now. We&#8217;re too far in to close and if we did our record [with the copyright holders / authorities] won&#8217;t be cleaned anyway,&#8221; one site operator informs TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our main problem is to stay hosted so we obey [takedown notices] to keep our host out of trouble. We do that we stay online. That&#8217;s all he asks. It works for us but every few months we have to move. Hosts get tired of complaints.&#8221;</p>
<p>Another site operator told us that while takedown notices still come in, dealing with them is a futile exercise that does nothing to take pressure off the site.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s no point in taking down anything anymore,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;They now go after your server provider, domain registrar, domain reseller, domain NIC, mail hosting, DNS hosting and SSL provider, toilet paper supplier and even cocaine supplier. They go after whoever you can think of, even if you are compliant.&#8221; </p>
<p>But while there may be no point in expecting that dealing with DMCA notices will make life easier, one admin confirms that taking steps like those taken by RuTracker this week will eventually lead to problems.</p>
<p>&#8220;RuTracker will eventually run into issues with their server providers because A) They will be pushed hard from &#8216;someone&#8217;, B) The upstreams of their server providers will be pushed hard,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;They will be pushed hard because they stated &#8216;fuck you&#8217; to all MPAA/RIAA/etc.&#8221;</p>
<p>Generally, it seems that complying with the DMCA and its European equivalents is all about staying online. While some hosts appear to be less sensitive to the issue, most do not want to be dealing with endless complaints about copyright content not being taken down. After all, human patience has limits, whether the complaints received are justified or not.</p>
<p>The big question then is just how compliant sites are choosing to be. It&#8217;s common knowledge that sites like KickassTorrents and Torrentz comply with DMCA notices as a matter of course, the gaps in their search results and reports that torrents have been removed are a testament to that. Others (and it&#8217;s hard to say how many) now find it as important to be seen to be compliant to please their hosts.</p>
<p>Overall, it seems unlikely that many sites will publicly extend a middle finger to the DMCA, even though they know that complying with it does little to stop attacks on their infrastructure. It does keep them friendly with their hosts though, and while hosts may not like the hassle, they remain tolerant as long the balance between profit and time spent stays in the black.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=_USny76-tJY:MGqt-YCM7OE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=_USny76-tJY:MGqt-YCM7OE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=_USny76-tJY:MGqt-YCM7OE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/_USny76-tJY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117016
title: Today Show Sued Over Copyright Infringement
uri: Today-Show-Sued-Over-Copyright-Infringement
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Ds5K0qvCIkQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/4b231689.today.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/today.jpg" alt="today" width="300" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117120">Copyright is a double-edged sword, and those who sharpen one side often get cut by the other. </p>
<p>In recent years NBC Universal has fiercely protected its copyrights. The company <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/nbc-universal-warns-file-sharers-of-criminal-prosecution-130325/">warned file-sharers</a> of criminal prosecutions, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-taken-offline-by-swedish-authorities-090824/">pursued</a> The Pirate Bay in court, and even <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/nbc-universal-tries-censor-news-leaked-films-150301/">tried</a> to censor TorrentFreak with an inaccurate takedown notice.</p>
<p>This week, however, the company is on the receiving end of a copyright dispute. Photographer Alexander Stross filed a lawsuit at a Texas federal court accusing the Today Show of infringing his work through multiple venues. </p>
<p>In the complaint (<a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/297099607/Today-i-Rate?secret_password=GTlSPWKRFL0l7o4WYOSH">pdf</a>) Stross explains that a series of photos he took of micro houses in Texas gained mainstream new attention earlier this year. It was also covered in a segment of The Today Show, reaching an audience of millions of people. </p>
<p>However, the photos shown on air were used without permission from the photographer. In addition, one of the photos was posted in a tweet without attribution, which is <a href="https://twitter.com/todayshow/status/597736910170116096">still online today</a>.   </p>
<p>&#8220;The  same  day as  the  On-Air  Segment,  The  Today  Show &#8216;Tweeted&#8217; about the story – reproducing one of the Photographs, with no attribution at all,&#8221; the complaint states.</p>
<p>A day later this coverage was followed by an article on The Today Show website, again featuring the infringing photos. To make matters worse these were credited to a third party.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant ascribed a false and misleading credit to each Photograph stating &#8216;Courtesy of Matt Garcia Design,&#8217; as reflected below,&#8221; the complaint adds. </p>
<p><center><strong>Screenshot from the complaint</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/afd47f58.houdetodaytiny.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/houdetodaytiny.jpg" alt="houdetodaytiny" width="519" height="369" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117117"></center></p>
<p>In an attempt to resolve the matter Stross contacted The Today Show, notifying it about the incorrect credits. After he didn&#8217;t hear back for a month, he emailed again, but without a response. </p>
<p>Only after the photographer hired legal representation did a producer of the show reply, arguing that the architect of the houses gave permission to use the material. However, according to internal correspondence no permission was given at the time the material was used.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendant knowingly published the Photographs in the Web Article with a false and misleading credit to [the architect] – before it ever received anything from Garcia.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;When  contacted  by  counsel, Defendant  lied  about  the  source  of  the  Photographs, and  its  alleged  belief  that  it  had advance authorization to use them,&#8221; the complaint mentions.</p>
<p>Even more so, The Today Show knew that the credit was incorrect as it mentioned Stross as the author of the photos in the original segment. Nonetheless, they never contacted him to obtain permission. </p>
<p>According to Stross it is clear that The Today Show infringed on his copyrights and he demands both statutory and actual damages as compensation. </p>
<p>With eight photos in total the damages could reach a million dollars but of course, NBC Universal should be well aware of that already.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Ds5K0qvCIkQ:6n1JwiHVUS8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Ds5K0qvCIkQ:6n1JwiHVUS8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Ds5K0qvCIkQ:6n1JwiHVUS8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Ds5K0qvCIkQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117180
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 02/01/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-02-01-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/6CDstnqN00A/
content:
<p><a href="media/ac28f0f6.bigshort.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/bigshort.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-116243"><img src="media/a7dc8df6.bigshort.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bigshort.jpg" alt="bigshort" width="300" height="181" class="alignright size-full wp-image-116243"></a>This week we have four newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>The Big Short is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-012516/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_big_short/">The Big Short</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596363/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDlYm15ztK4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridge_of_spies/">Spectre</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/">7.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ride_along_2/">Ride Along 2</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2869728/">5.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWfmmwdCHTg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_revenant_2015/">The Revenant</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/">?.?</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_martian/">The Martian</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659388/?">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej3ioOneTy8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_intern/">The Intern</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2361509/">7.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-DEy3mylCs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/creed_2015/">Creed</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3076658/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ9OhBYjTds">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridge_of_spies/">Bridge of Spies</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/">7.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lazer_team/">Lazer Team</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3569230/">7.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI6DD6SulPQ">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sisters_2015/">Sisters</a> (Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1850457/">6.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPho_FUIlfE">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=6CDstnqN00A:Y2UUN9QruNg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=6CDstnqN00A:Y2UUN9QruNg:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=6CDstnqN00A:Y2UUN9QruNg:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/6CDstnqN00A" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117186
title: YouTube Is Not Liable for Pirating Users, Court Rules
uri: YouTube-Is-Not-Liable-for-Pirating-Users-Court-Rules
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/W1R6RdRwans/
content:
<p><a href="media/34e023fb.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117196"><img src="media/34e023fb.sadyoutube.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sadyoutube.jpg" alt="sadyoutube" width="275" height="196" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117196"></a>YouTube has been battling music rights group <a href="https://www.gema.de/">GEMA</a> in several court cases for more than half a decade.</p>
<p>In one of the most prominent cases the music group, which claims to represent 70,000 artists, argued that YouTube is liable for the content its users upload. </p>
<p>As such, the music group demanded Google’s video service to pay 0.375 euro cents per view for a selection of copyrighted music videos. </p>
<p>Before the weekend the Higher Regional Court of Munich announced its verdict in the case, resulting in a clear win for Google. According to the court YouTube is not liable for the infringing material uploaded by its users. </p>
<p>The verdict, which confirmed a ruling from a lower court last summer, comes as a disappointment to GEMA. The music rights group believes that services such as YouTube are profiting from piracy. </p>
<p>&#8220;Today&#8217;s decision is most regrettable. The court has obviously followed YouTube&#8217;s argument that it is only the uploaders who are responsible for the contents that are retrievable via the service,&#8221; <a href="http://www.cisac.org/Newsroom/Society-News/Higher-Regional-Court-Munich-OLG-Decides-Licensing-Duties-lie-with-the-Uploaders-not-YouTube">says</a> Tobias Holzmüller, GEMA&#8217;s General Counsel.</p>
<p>&#8220;We consider this to be wrong. Furthermore, the decision is not justified from an economic perspective, as it continues to enable YouTube to generate high advertising revenues without passing them on to musical authors,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>The court&#8217;s decision is in line with the safe harbor principle which holds that user-generated content services are automatically not responsible for the actions of their users. </p>
<p>However, in recent months various music industry groups have called on lawmakers to reconsider this position. The European music group IFPI, for example, argued that these sites and services must obtain proper licenses.  </p>
<p>In line with GEMA, IFPI chief executive Frances Moore previously called out YouTube for <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-games-copyright-law-to-avoid-license-fees-ifpi-says-150801/">not playing fair</a>, accusing it of benefiting from piracy. </p>
<p>“It is true that artists and record producers are not being paid fairly for the use of their music. This is because user upload platforms, such as SoundCloud and YouTube, are taking advantage of exemptions from copyright laws that simply should not apply to them,” Moore said.</p>
<p>“There should be clarification of the application of ‘safe harbors’ to make it explicit that services that distribute and monetize music do not benefit from them.”</p>
<p>GEMA says it&#8217;s reviewing the decision from the Higher Regional Court Munich, which it expects to appeal in the near future.  </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=W1R6RdRwans:L3vSZZ2j8Wg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=W1R6RdRwans:L3vSZZ2j8Wg:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=W1R6RdRwans:L3vSZZ2j8Wg:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/W1R6RdRwans" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117176
title: Homeless People Lose Internet Access Over Illegal Downloads
uri: Homeless-People-Lose-Internet-Access-Over-Illegal-Downloads
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LxNK5KHpI8Q/
content:
<p>In addition to providing shelter and sanitation facilities for homeless people, <a href="https://m.facebook.com/DignityVillage/info">Dignity Village</a> in Florida also provided its residents with free WiFi. This resource was invaluable for staying in touch with the outside world, attempting to find work and participate in training.</p>
<p>However, according to Jonathan DeCarmine, operations director of <a href="http://gracemarketplace.org">GRACE Marketplace</a>, a non-profit which coordinates homeless services in North Central Florida, residents and visitors no longer have access to the service.</p>
<p>“We were notified by our Internet service provider that there were people downloading things illegally, and if we didn’t put an end to that, they would turn off Internet to the entire property, which would keep us from being able to do business and provide services,” DeCarmine <a href="http://www.wuft.org/news/2016/01/31/why-gainesvilles-dignity-village-had-to-shut-off-its-wi-fi/">says</a>.</p>
<p>Apparently the illegal downloading continued, as did the complaints. This resulted in the Village feeling under pressure to safeguard its Internet connection.</p>
<p>“We had a couple complaints from our provider and notified everyone, ‘please don’t do this, we’ll end up losing the service,’ and it happened again, so our decision was to disable the Wi-Fi because we would be charged,” Theresa Lowe, executive director of the North Central Florida Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry, told <a href="http://www.wuft.org">WUFT</a>.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted Dignity Village for additional details but we are yet to receive a response. However it seems clear that their Internet service provider has received complaints from copyright holders about peer-to-peer file-sharing taking place in the Village.</p>
<p>These notices often contain scary language which suggest that people can be on the hook for $150,000 in statutory damages if file-sharing continues. It&#8217;s a terrifying prospect for a homeless shelter trying to make ends meet so one can sympathize with their decision to withdraw WiFi.</p>
<p>That being said, the actions of a minority may have spoiled it for everyone in Dignity Village and there can be no doubt that strongly worded threats from copyright holders have also played their part.</p>
<p>Furthermore, while they are complying with the law, the Village&#8217;s ISP should certainly be more sympathetic. While copyright infringement laws apply to all, the ISP should understand that like itself, Dignity Village is effectively a service provider too, albeit one that doesn&#8217;t have the resources to effectively police its users.</p>
<p>TF asked Dignity Village which content providers had been sending infringement notices and when we receive a response we&#8217;ll update this article accordingly. But in the meantime, here&#8217;s some food for thought. There are largely three groups of companies sending notices to Internet service providers in the United States.</p>
<p>The first are the major studios and record labels involved in the so-called &#8220;<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isps-and-rightsholders-extend-six-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-150903/">six strikes</a>&#8221; scheme. These companies send out large volumes of notices to connections which they claim are entirely residential. However, it&#8217;s unclear whether Dignity Village has a business or residential account with its Internet provider.</p>
<p>The second group involves rightsholders that aren&#8217;t part of the scheme. These target both residential and business users but do not ask for cash settlements or push aggressively for disconnections. However, these groups are known to pressure ISPs to take action against infringing accounts.</p>
<p>The third group are the copyright trolls, including companies like Rightscorp which not only demands cash but also aggressively seeks Internet account disconnections. Their emails to ISPs are designed to scare and with a recent victory over Cox <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-is-liable-for-pirating-subscribers-ordered-to-pay-25-million-151217/">under their belt</a>, the company is more emboldened than ever.</p>
<p>Either way, all three groups are having a chilling effect on the notion of providing free and open WiFi, with the residents of Dignity Village now feeling the effects most acutely.  Let&#8217;s not forget too, at this stage these are mere allegations of copyright infringement, no one has been convicted of anything.</p>
<p>Finally, while Dignity Village has to protect itself, the Internet service provider that dares to disconnect its service on a copyright infringement allegation would be a very brave one indeed. Furthermore, the entertainment industry companies making the copyright infringement claims Dignity Village&#8217;s ISP would be committing commercial suicide if it pursued any claim against a Village resident.</p>
<p>With that in mind it might well be safe to turn the WiFi back on, but that&#8217;s the Village&#8217;s decision alone.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LxNK5KHpI8Q:zQ05gghPAZM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LxNK5KHpI8Q:zQ05gghPAZM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=LxNK5KHpI8Q:zQ05gghPAZM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/LxNK5KHpI8Q" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=116966
title: Torrent Tracker Knocked Offline by ‘Faulty’ Takedown Requests
uri: Torrent-Tracker-Knocked-Offline-by-Faulty-Takedown-Requests
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/r7hUaKlsKhQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/ce09ad7f.opentracker.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/opentracker.png" rel="attachment wp-att-57349"><img src="media/4a01ccea.opentracker.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/opentracker.png" alt="opentracker" width="198" height="144" class="alignright size-full wp-image-57349"></a>At any given point in time, millions of people are sharing files via BitTorrent, transfers that are often coordinated by external torrent trackers.</p>
<p>Technically speaking a standalone tracker is similar to a DNS provider, it’s a ‘phone book’ which points people to content without knowing what it is. </p>
<p>The trackers themselves don&#8217;t host any files nor do they have a searchable index. However, that doesn&#8217;t mean that copyright holders will leave them alone.</p>
<p>Increasingly, trackers are asked to block infringing hashes from their service, which several do. This group includes the popular &#8220;Trackerfix&#8221; tracker. However, despite honoring removal requests the service got into trouble a few days ago. </p>
<p>The problems started with a wave of takedown requests sent by the Indian film production company Thirrupathi Brothers, which owns the rights to the Tamil movie Rajini Murugan.</p>
<p>The film company is not happy with a torrent being shared on the torrent site LimeTorrents so in order to stop it from being distributed Thirrupathi Brothers targeted a wide range of external trackers. </p>
<p>In a series of <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/images/indmca.txt">takedown notices</a> sent to a variety of trackers&#8217; internet services including CloudFlare, OVH, Private Layer, Plus Server, Velia, Host Europe, Godaddy and NetSAAP it demands an immediate shutdown of the infringing activity.</p>
<p>As a result of the series of requests, the Trackerfix tracker suffered several hours of downtime. </p>
<p><center><strong>Part of the takedown notice</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/501cda13.trackertakedown.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trackertakedown.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117220"><img src="media/501cda13.trackertakedown.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trackertakedown.png" alt="trackertakedown" width="562" height="660" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117220"></a></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke with the operator of the popular Trackerfix tracker who is fed up with the whole situation. Even though they had already blocked the hash from their service, the threatening language resulted in their hosting company pulling the plug. </p>
<p>The downtime lasted a few hours but was eventually resolved. What&#8217;s most problematic, according to the tracker operator, is that the notice itself is inaccurate and overbroad. </p>
<p>The email indeed appears to be missing parts and is confusing, to say the least. For one, it requests the takedown of several third-party torrent trackers for one infringing hash, out of the millions they track. </p>
<p>This is similar to requesting a DNS server to be taken down because it points people to The Pirate Bay. </p>
<p>&#8220;These torrents, videos, URL links are fraudulent/infringing material of the Tamil movie Rajini Murugan. The movie is illegally released around the web&#8230; want to stop fraudulent materials on web. The pirated videos are used your bittorrent tracker service for torrent fraudulent material transmission,&#8221; the broken English email reads. </p>
<p>In addition, the takedown notice references a combination of Dutch and U.S. regulations, even though several of the targeted companies are located outside of this jurisdiction.</p>
<p>&#8220;This letter is official notification under the Foundation for Internet Domain Registration in the Netherlands (SIDN) Dutch Copyright Act, protection of authors&#8217; rights [&#8230;] and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (&#8216;DMCA&#8217;), and I seek the removal of the aforementioned infringing material from your servers.&#8221; </p>
<p>At the time of writing the Trackerfix service is back online but the owner fears that he may have to search for a new hosting company if the takedown demands continue. </p>
<p>It&#8217;s not clear whether any of the other torrent trackers mentioned in the takedown requests were also pulled offline, but according to Trackerfix it&#8217;s certainly not getting easier to operate a torrent tracker.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=r7hUaKlsKhQ:VxPJCG4IP2k:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=r7hUaKlsKhQ:VxPJCG4IP2k:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=r7hUaKlsKhQ:VxPJCG4IP2k:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/r7hUaKlsKhQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117236
title: Torrents-Time Brings Popcorn Time to Any Windows Browser
uri: Torrents-Time-Brings-Popcorn-Time-to-Any-Windows-Browser
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/IFCY_e1Vo0o/
content:
<p><a href="media/75563943.popcornt.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/popcornt.png" rel="attachment wp-att-101106"><img src="media/3b9dbdf1.popcornt.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcornt.png" alt="popcornt" width="237" height="106" class="alignright size-full wp-image-101106"></a>There can be little doubt that in recent months the Popcorn Time phenomenon has been turned on its head, with <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-we-shut-down-ytsyify-and-popcorn-time-151103/">legal action by the MPAA</a> just one of the concept&#8217;s problems.</p>
<p>Since the breakup of the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-chaos-triggers-more-downtime-151023/">PopcornTime.io</a> team there has been much jockeying behind the scenes, with various groups trying to variously revitalize and take control of new forks and development. Very little of this activity has led to innovation.</p>
<p>However, while all of this has been underway the most popular remaining fork &#8211; <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-gives-users-anonymity-with-a-free-built-in-vpn-140607/">Popcorn-Time.se</a> &#8211; hasn&#8217;t been sitting on its laurels. While keeping out of the various squabbles, this fork has been quietly innovating in the background. Today we bring news of a development that has the potential to inject a whole new wave of enthusiasm into the format.</p>
<p><strong>Popcorn Time enters the browser</strong></p>
<p>Several times in the past year developers have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/browserpopcorn-shut-down-by-the-mpaa-151020/">launched sites</a> which appear to allow Popcorn Time to run in a browser. However, instead of utilizing the BitTorrent architecture that powers the Popcorn Time app, these simply grabbed content from swarms and delivered them to users via HTTP. With many thousands of users, bandwidth quickly ran out and most of these websites bit the dust.</p>
<p>A new third-party system already being utilized by the folks behind Popcorn-Time.se aims to do things differently and they have a demo site up to demonstrate their vision for the future. </p>
<p><center><a href="media/19f52123.popcorn-1x.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-1x.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117237"><img src="media/19f52123.popcorn-1x.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-1x.png" alt="popcorn-1x" width="650" height="420" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117237"></a></center></p>
<p>As can be seen from the image above, <a href="http://popcorntime-online.io/">Popcorntime-Online.io</a> looks very much like other browser-based versions of Popcorn Time. However, instead of delivering content to users via expensive HTTP, the site relies on a special plug-in called Torrents-Time which effectively embeds a torrent client into the browser.</p>
<p><strong>Torrents-Time</strong></p>
<p>Available for now on Windows 7 and above, the <a href="https://torrents-time.com/">Torrents-Time</a> plug-in allows Popcorntime-Online.io to embed Popcorn Time content in every major browser, although in fact any torrent video can be displayed.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Torrents Time plugin contains 2 parts: A torrent-client engine, based on the Libtorrent library and a video player which is completely 100% written by us, which utilizes FFmpeg. It encodes most of the known video formats,&#8221; the team informs TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;Regularly, you need to run a BitTorrent client to begin downloading a torrent. A torrent client built-in to the browser enables the downloading of the file referred to by the torrent with one click, with the torrent appearing on the HTML page. The user does not need to run a separate BitTorrent client.&#8221;</p>
<p>For those wondering how Torrents-Time obtains peers, the client can function with regular trackers and also utilizes PEX and DHT when necessary. The other key features of the Torrents-Time system are shown below.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/fe461fc5.popcorn-3x.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-3x.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117240"><img src="media/fe461fc5.popcorn-3x.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-3x.png" alt="popcorn-3x" width="650" height="279" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117240"></a></center></p>
<p>The claims of &#8216;instant&#8217; streaming couldn&#8217;t be matched in our early tests with videos taking up to a minute or two to buffer sufficiently to allow playback. However, once the initial wait was over the video appeared as promised with smooth delivery and decent audio. Multi-language subtitles complete the basic viewing package.</p>
<p><strong>VPN and casting</strong></p>
<p>The Torrents-Time service currently utilizes <a href="https://www.anonymousvpn.org/">Anonymous VPN</a> as its privacy provider. They claim to have a no logging policy. However, Torrents-Time say they are open to working with other suppliers too.</p>
<p>&#8220;We invite every VPN provider to contact us, as we appreciate that anonymity is one of the most important features for users&#8217; privacy,&#8221; they add.</p>
<p>There was a bug in the casting feature which meant we could not test it, but the team says an update will be launched in a few hours which will fix the issue. In the meantime, some tech specs for the geeks.</p>
<p>&#8220;The casting option integrates features including Chromecast, Airplay and DLNA. To implement these features we are using open source features like airplay-js&#8217; castv2-client, mdns-js, node-captions, node-ssdp, upnp-mediarenderer-client and chromecast-js,&#8221; the team explain.</p>
<p><strong>Torrents in the browser have been expected</strong></p>
<p>With the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/webtorrent-brings-bittorrent-to-the-web-impresses-netflix-151213/">impressive WebTorrent</a> waiting in the wings, browser-based BitTorrent streaming is a highly anticipated development and a much needed solution to resource-hungry HTTP transfers. With this in mind the debut of the Torrents-Time-powered site Popcorntime-Online.io is an important event.</p>
<p>Interestingly, however, another site appeared late 2015 offering similar functionality. <a href="http://popcorntorrents.com">PopcornTorrents.com</a> also embeds video in the browser but instead uses technology provided by Hola, details of which <a href="https://hola.org/player">can be found here</a>. Readers will remember Hola being in the news last year <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hola-vpn-sells-users-bandwidth-150528/">due to controversy</a> over the way the service operates.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s no suggestion whatsoever that Torrents-Time is involved in similar practices, but the service does aim to branch out commercially in different ways, as its <a href="https://publishers.torrents-time.com/account/login">notes to publishers</a> explain.</p>
<p><strong>A torrent-streaming website hydra?</strong></p>
<p>&#8220;By harnessing the incredible abilities of torrents, you can transform your website, in a matter of seconds to an amazing, simple to use streaming website! And by doing so, you will expose your website to new user segments, while massively increasing time on site and the number of user interactions on your website,&#8221; the company explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re starting a revolution in a field that has never been revolutionized before &#8211; the way download, streaming and torrents websites monetize their traffic! With Torrents Time you&#8217;ll be able to generate more revenue than with any PPI company or ad network, while maintaining a great, worthy relationship with your awesome users.&#8221;</p>
<p>If Torrents-Time lives up to its claims and gains traction as promised there could be a massive wave of easy-to-setup websites utilizing its technology in no time at all. Taking them all down could prove impossible. Time to get the popcorn out.</p>
<p>PopcornTime-Online can be viewed <a href="http://popcorntime-online.io/">here</a> (<a href="https://github.com/PopcornRepos/PopcornTimeOnline">Github</a>). Torrents-Time can be found <a href="http://torrents-time.com">here</a> (<a href="https://github.com/torrentsTime/embed">Github</a>)</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=IFCY_e1Vo0o:ED6ytmeiOR8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=IFCY_e1Vo0o:ED6ytmeiOR8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=IFCY_e1Vo0o:ED6ytmeiOR8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/IFCY_e1Vo0o" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117162
title: Fansubbers Take Anti-Piracy Group BREIN to Court
uri: Fansubbers-Take-Anti-Piracy-Group-BREIN-to-Court
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/W-MAk5VC1cc/
content:
<p><a href="media/88b1319f.free-subtitles.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/free-subtitles.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117263"><img src="media/88b1319f.free-subtitles.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/free-subtitles.jpg" alt="free-subtitles" width="250" height="137" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117263"></a>Fan-made subtitles are commonly created for two purposes – to let foreigners understand English-speaking entertainment or to provide the deaf with a way to comprehend audio.</p>
<p>Every day millions of people enjoy homemade subtitles but if it was up to some copyright holder groups, the websites offering these files would all cease to exist. </p>
<p>This has created a fair amount of tension between both sides and several subtitle websites have had to close shop as a result of this pressure. In the Netherlands, however, a group of subtitle fanatics has decided to go on the offensive. </p>
<p>A group of fansubbers united in the &#8220;<a href="http://www.dreamordonate.nl/422-laat-ondertitels-vrij">Free Subtitles Foundation</a>&#8221; (Stichting Laat Ondertitels Vrij &#8211; SLOV) and raised $15,000 over the past two years for a legal campaign against the local anti-piracy group BREIN, which is about to kick off.</p>
<p><a href="http://anti-piracy.nl/index.php">BREIN</a>, who represent the major Hollywood studios and various other film companies, has previously threatened legal action against subtitle sites on several occasions and the Free Subtitles Foundation hopes to bring an end to this. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted Camiel Beijer, the group&#8217;s lawyer, who informed us that the case revolves around two issues. </p>
<p>&#8220;The main question is whether the creation and publishing of film subtitles is an act only reserved to the maker of the film work in question,&#8221; Beijer says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The second issue concerns a review of the conduct of BREIN against people who create and reproduce subtitles. The Free Subtitles Foundation anticipates that a court verdicts will shed more light on these two themes.&#8221;</p>
<p>The foundation will send out the summons next week and believes that the case is essential for the future of fansubbing in the Netherlands. It hopes that the court will side with their view that the right to freedom of expression and information trumps copyright. </p>
<p>The fansubbers and BREIN have discussed their differences outside of court in the past but haven&#8217;t been able to come to terms. The anti-piracy group maintains that distributing subtitles on a large-scale, or distributing subtitles that can do relatively great damage, should not be permitted. </p>
<p>&#8220;Creating and distributing subtitles requires permission from the copyright holder,&#8221; BREIN chief Tim Kuik tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>BREIN stresses that there are exceptions where fansubbing is allowed, when a film is in the public domain for example. However, it believes that most subtitle sites create subtitles from pirated sources to make these accessible for the Dutch market.</p>
<p>&#8220;BREIN can not allow that copyright infringing subtitles are distributed when they harm its members, authors, rightsholders and all others who whose income depends on legal distribution of films and TV series,&#8221; Kuik notes.</p>
<p>For their part the Free Subtitles Foundation argues that BREIN shouldn&#8217;t be able to <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/nl/read/ondertitel-hobbyisten-slepen-brein-dit-voorjaar-voor-de-rechter">threaten subtitle makers</a> with high penalties and fines, without a clear legal basis.</p>
<p>The case between the fansubbers and BREIN is expected to be heard in court later this year.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=W-MAk5VC1cc:H7ztBZ2OAxE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=W-MAk5VC1cc:H7ztBZ2OAxE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=W-MAk5VC1cc:H7ztBZ2OAxE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/W-MAk5VC1cc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117259
title: 66% of Aussie Downloaders Also Pay For Netflix-like Services
uri: 66-of-Aussie-Downloaders-Also-Pay-For-Netflix-like-Services
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/XslXv8vqd0I/
content:
<p><a href="media/057c7f2e.netflix-logo.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-logo.png" rel="attachment wp-att-69714"><img src="media/b310fc7c.netflix-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-logo.png" alt="netflix-logo" width="200" height="121" class="alignright size-full wp-image-69714"></a>With billions in entertainment industry revenues reportedly at stake, it&#8217;s unsurprising that the piracy debate has become so polarized over the years. With millions of illegal downloads happening on a daily basis, emotions rarely run anything but high.</p>
<p>As a result lobbyists have placed the public into two distinct camps &#8211; those who pay for all of the media they consume and those who frequent pirate sites and contribute nothing to the artist-supporting economy. It&#8217;s a convenient demarcation that has allowed for the celebration of one subset and the demonization of the other.</p>
<p>However, for a long time it&#8217;s been increasingly obvious that the battle lines are a lot less black and white. In fact, with the advent of services like Netflix now being delivered on an almost global basis, there are even greater opportunities for pirates to be simultaneous legitimate consumers. Over in Australia there are yet more signs that this is the case.</p>
<p>Billed as &#8220;Australia’s respected and reliable national omnibus poll&#8221;, the <a href="http://www.essentialmedia.com.au/services/market-research-polling/">Essential Report</a> is published by Essential Research. The report tracks voting intention while asking questions about pressing social issues of the day. The sample is around 1000 citizens.</p>
<p>Among other things the latest edition touches on media consumption, both from official and unofficial sources. Australia is often painted as a country of pirates but the survey finds that the majority prefers to keep things on the straight and narrow.</p>
<p><strong>Downloading for free</strong></p>
<p>When respondents were asked if in anyone in their household downloads movies, music or television shows for free, 64% said that to their knowledge no one does. That percentage was steady across male and female respondents, with 63% and 64% respectively.</p>
<p>There was some variation across age groups though, with 65% of the 35-54 year-olds and just 49% of the 18-34 year old group saying no one downloads content for free.</p>
<p>Interestingly the headline 64% figure has remained relatively unchanged for the past several years. In October 2013 an identical percentage said that there were downloaders in their households, a figure that was marginally up on the 61% reported in May 2012.</p>
<p>When questioned, just over a quarter &#8211; 26% &#8211; said that people do indeed download content for free in their homes. There was a perhaps expected variation across the sexes  &#8211; 28% for men, 25% for women.</p>
<p>The age groups also provide few surprises, with the likelihood of people downloading falling as age increases. Around 39% of 18-34 year-olds said that there are downloaders in their homes, dropping to just 13% in the 55-year-old plus category.</p>
<p>The 26% of homes with free downloaders present is well down on the 32% reported in May 2012. However, there has been little change from the 27% reported in October 2013.</p>
<p><strong>Subscription services, Netflix etc</strong></p>
<p>Those surveyed were asked if anyone in their household subscribes to content streaming services such as Netflix or the more localized Foxtel. Overall an impressive 51% of respondents said someone in their house is a customer, with Foxtel coming out on top with 30% and Netflix in second place with 25%.</p>
<p>In respect of Netflix there is a considerable variation across the age groups, with 47% of 18-34 year-olds and just 8% of 55+ year-olds subscribing to the service. But perhaps the most interesting figures are those which demonstrate how many subscribers to legitimate services are also downloading content for free.</p>
<p>According to the survey, 36% of households with Netflix subscriptions also partake in content which they don&#8217;t pay for. However, when all streaming subscriptions are factored in a significant 66% of households who pay for their media are also obtaining content online for free.</p>
<p>These figures are another indication of how dangerous it is to demonize downloaders when they&#8217;re also some of the industry&#8217;s best customers. They also show the current popularity of Netflix but whether growth will persist in the wake of the recent <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-announces-crackdown-on-vpn-and-proxy-pirates-160114/">VPN crackdown</a> will remain to be seen.</p>
<p>The report can be downloaded <a href="media/887e81bc.essential_report_160202.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.essentialvision.com.au/documents/essential_report_160202.pdf">here</a> <em>(pdf)</em>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=XslXv8vqd0I:gcs0ziXIguU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=XslXv8vqd0I:gcs0ziXIguU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=XslXv8vqd0I:gcs0ziXIguU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/XslXv8vqd0I" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117308
title: Google Targets Fake ‘Download’ and ‘Play’ Buttons
uri: Google-Targets-Fake-Download-and-Play-Buttons
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/RtoTfhe_xhs/
content:
<p><a href="media/92386930.fake-buttons.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fake-buttons.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117313"><img src="media/92386930.fake-buttons.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fake-buttons.png" alt="fake-buttons" width="200" height="152" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117313"></a>The aim on most file-sharing and streaming sites is for users to either download or play content, whether that&#8217;s the former to their hard drive or the latter in a YouTube-style window.</p>
<p>It should be straightforward but all too often users are presented with an array of buttons, all of which claim to either &#8216;download&#8217; or &#8216;play&#8217; when in reality only one actually does anything useful. In conjunction with suspect advertisers, it appears that some site operators are happy to send users down a rabbit hole of frustration.</p>
<p>Users pressing the wrong buttons (and there are millions of them) often end up on dodgy sites pushing unwanted software or offering get rich quick schemes, subscription traps, or worse. But now, thanks to Google, their prevalence might be somewhat curtailed on file-sharing sites and other popular locations such as Facebook.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/1f4768c3.fake-but-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fake-but-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117315"><img src="media/1f4768c3.fake-but-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fake-but-1.png" alt="fake-but-1" width="320" height="49" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117315"></a></center></p>
<p>According to a new announcement from the company titled &#8216;No More Deceptive Download Buttons&#8217;, Google says it will expand its eight-year-old Safe Browsing initiative to target some of the problems highlighted above.</p>
<p>&#8220;You may have encountered social engineering in a deceptive download button, or an image ad that falsely claims your system is out of date. Today, we’re expanding Safe Browsing protection to protect you from such deceptive embedded content, like social engineering ads,&#8221; the company says.</p>
<p>Those receiving protection from Google and its Chrome browser will be presented with a message similar to the one below.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/89b0b587.deceptive-google.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/deceptive-google.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117320"><img src="media/89b0b587.deceptive-google.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/deceptive-google.png" alt="deceptive-google" width="600" height="375" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117320"></a></center></p>
<p>In order to qualify as part of a social engineering attack, content embedded in webpages must demonstrate a key feature &#8211; an attempt to lure the user into a false sense of security by masquerading as something they would ordinarily trust.</p>
<p>For example, content falling foul of Google&#8217;s rules would be that which acts or feels like a user&#8217;s own device or web browser, or even pretends to be part of the website the user is on. Content that tries to trick the user into doing something it would only normally do for a trusted third-party (such as sharing a password or calling tech support) will also be targeted.</p>
<p><a href="media/d5769a52.fake-flash.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fake-flash.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117311"><img src="media/d5769a52.fake-flash.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fake-flash.png" alt="fake-flash" width="230" height="192" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117311"></a>In our <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/some-pirate-sites-have-little-respect-for-their-users-160124/">recent article</a> detailing sites that employ some of these practices, we highlighted those that mislead the user into thinking they need to update software (such as Flash or a media player) to play a video.</p>
<p>Google says that these kinds of techniques will also become a target for its systems.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our fight against unwanted software and social engineering is still just beginning,&#8221; Google <a href="https://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/no-more-deceptive-download-buttons.html">explains</a>. &#8220;We&#8217;ll continue to improve Google&#8217;s Safe Browsing protection to help more people stay safe online.&#8221;</p>
<p>In 2015 Google took action against major torrent sites on at least two key occasions, once in <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/chrome-blocks-major-torrent-sites-over-harmful-programs-150710/">July</a> and again in <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/chrome-and-firefox-block-kickasstorrents-over-harmful-programs-151009/">October</a>. The warning messages were triggered by Google’s “<a href="https://www.google.com/intl/en/about/company/unwanted-software-policy.html">Unwanted Software</a>” scanner which flags websites that pose a potential danger to visitors. The issues were remedied when the sites weeded out some bad advertisers.</p>
<p>Google&#8217;s campaign will not just affect file-sharing sites though. The same kinds of techniques are being used all over the web and the tech giant hopes to get involved no matter where they appear.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=RtoTfhe_xhs:iuIKjbFBrd4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=RtoTfhe_xhs:iuIKjbFBrd4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=RtoTfhe_xhs:iuIKjbFBrd4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/RtoTfhe_xhs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117292
title: MPAA Takes Over Popcorn Time Domain
uri: MPAA-Takes-Over-Popcorn-Time-Domain
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/m8kpm1N669c/
content:
<p><a href="media/75563943.popcornt.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/popcornt.png" rel="attachment wp-att-101106"><img src="media/3b9dbdf1.popcornt.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcornt.png" alt="popcornt" width="237" height="106" class="alignright size-full wp-image-101106"></a>Late last year the main Popcorn Time fork, operating from the PopcornTime.io domain name, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-chaos-triggers-more-downtime-151023/">shut down</a> its website unexpectedly.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-we-shut-down-ytsyify-and-popcorn-time-151103/">MPAA took credit</a> for the fall announcing that it had filed a lawsuit against several of the developers in Canada. In response to these legal threats several key developers backed out.</p>
<p>Since the initial announcement there haven&#8217;t been any official updates on the case. TorrentFreak learned, however, that several of the accused developers have been negotiating a deal to settle the dispute out of court. </p>
<p>This week came the first public signs that the case is indeed moving towards a resolution. On Tuesday the PopcornTime.io domain changed ownership from Popcorn Time developer and defendant David Lemarier, to the MPAA. </p>
<p>This means that Hollywood is now officially in control of what was once the most popular Popcorn Time domain.</p>
<p><center><strong>Whois Popcorntime.io</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/0b69b643.popio.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popio.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117294"><img src="media/0b69b643.popio.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popio.png" alt="popio" width="489" height="218" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117294"></a></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to the MPAA and Lemarier for more details several days ago, but both have yet to reply. The other defendants we contacted preferred not to comment on the case.  </p>
<p>From the information we were able to gather in recent weeks it appears that the movie studios prefer a settlement over a full court battle. Perhaps to save costs, perhaps to avoid attracting more attention to the Popcorn Time phenomenon.</p>
<p>This would be similar to how they approached their case against YIFY/TYS, which was arguable the most prominent piracy group of the past half decade. However, instead of taking the operator to court the movie studios quickly arranged an<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/yts-yify-signs-unprecedented-settlement-with-mpaa-151105/"> out of court settlement</a>. </p>
<p>With the PopcornTime.io domain now in the hands of the MPAA it is safe to conclude that this fork is not coming back. </p>
<p>Previously the software&#8217;s developers maintained that they were not involved in any infringing activity. Theoretically, some of the accused may still choose to put up a fight but considering the recent developments this has become less likely.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, several other Popcorn Time forks continue to operate, launching new features and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrents-time-brings-popcorn-time-to-any-windows-browser-160202/">services</a> as if nothing ever changed.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=m8kpm1N669c:Ajzqsjq2CCc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=m8kpm1N669c:Ajzqsjq2CCc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=m8kpm1N669c:Ajzqsjq2CCc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/m8kpm1N669c" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117395
title: PayPal Starts Banning VPN and SmartDNS Services
uri: PayPal-Starts-Banning-VPN-and-SmartDNS-Services
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/EBjQ6vUXBlE/
content:
<p><img src="media/feee0104.paypaldenied.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/paypaldenied.jpg" alt="paypaldenied" width="180" height="115" class="alignright size-full wp-image-53701">PayPal is widely known for their aggressive stance towards <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/paypal-demands-invites-to-private-bittorrent-trackers-130108/">BitTorrent sites</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/paypal-bans-usenet-providers-over-piracy-concerns-121121/">Usenet providers</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/paypal-bans-major-file-hosting-services-over-piracy-concerns-120710/">file-hosting</a> services, but VPN, proxy and SmartDNS providers might now suffer the same fate too.</p>
<p>This week PayPal stopped accepting payments for a company that provides VPN and SmartDNS tools, stating that these may facilitate copyright infringement. </p>
<p>So-called &#8220;unblocker&#8221; tools can be used to bypass geo-filtering blockades which Netflix and other video platforms have in place. </p>
<p>According to the message PayPal sent to <a href="http://unotelly.com/">UnoTelly</a> and possibly others, these services are against the company&#8217;s policies because they help users to bypass copyright restrictions. </p>
<p>&#8220;Under the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy, PayPal may not be used to send or receive payments for items that infringe or violate any copyright, trademark, right of publicity or privacy, or any other proprietary right under the laws of any jurisdiction,&#8221; PayPal&#8217;s email reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;This includes transactions for any device or technological measure that descrambles a scrambled work, decrypts an encrypted work or otherwise avoids, bypasses, removes, deactivates or impairs a technological measure without the authority of the copyright owner.&#8221;</p>
<p>PayPal informs the affected business(es) that their accounts have been permanently limited and that this decision can&#8217;t be appealed. This means that they have to switch to other payment processing providers. </p>
<p>UnoTelly informs TorrentFreak that the decision came as a shock, without any type of prior notice. The company is disappointed and sees the move as a direct attack on open and unrestricted Internet access.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are disappointed at PayPal&#8217;s unilateral action and the way it acted without prior warning. We provide both DNS resolution and secure VPN services. Our services are network relays that connect people around the world,&#8221; UnoTelly&#8217;s Nicholas Lin says.</p>
<p>Under PayPal&#8217;s policy every VPN and SmartDNS service is at risk of losing its PayPal account. However, it seems likely that the company will mainly take action against companies that market themselves as an &#8220;unblocker&#8221; service. </p>
<p>UnoTelly, for example, specifically <a href="http://help.unotelly.com/support/solutions/articles/9424-what-is-unodns-">mentions</a> its ability to bypass geo-blocks imposed by streaming sites such as Netflix and Hulu. </p>
<p>PayPal&#8217;s actions are not an isolated incident. They come a few weeks after Netflix started to increase <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-announces-crackdown-on-vpn-and-proxy-pirates-160114/">its crackdown</a> on VPN services and other unblockers, as requested by copyright holders. It would be no surprise if copyright holders are also behind PayPal&#8217;s recent move. </p>
<p>&#8212;-</p>
<p><strong>PayPal&#8217;s email:</strong></p>
<p><center><a href="media/3b152bcf.paypal.email-vpndns.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/paypal.email-vpndns.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117406"><img src="media/3b152bcf.paypal.email-vpndns.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/paypal.email-vpndns.png" alt="paypal.email-vpndns" width="532" height="841" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117406"></a></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=EBjQ6vUXBlE:PCaKh9rsT9s:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=EBjQ6vUXBlE:PCaKh9rsT9s:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=EBjQ6vUXBlE:PCaKh9rsT9s:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/EBjQ6vUXBlE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117452
title: Movie Industry Demands €1.2 Billion Piracy Damages from Dutch Govt
uri: Movie-Industry-Demands-1-2-Billion-Piracy-Damages-from-Dutch-Govt
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/t-ezZlmdJCM/
content:
<p><a href="media/cf654c6a.piratekay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/piratekay.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-108106"><img src="media/0fe8e43a.piratekay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratekay.jpg" alt="piratekay" width="275" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108106"></a>Compared to many other countries around the world, pirating movies and TV-shows is hugely popular in the Netherlands.</p>
<p>Up to a third of the population is estimated to download and stream copyrighted content without paying for it.</p>
<p>This high percentage is not surprising as the Netherlands has traditionally been a relative safe haven for pirates. Downloading movies without permission was not punishable by law until the European Court of Justice spoke out against the tolerant stance <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-netherlands-must-outlaw-downloading-eu-court-rules-140410/">two years ago</a>.</p>
<p>As a result the Dutch government quickly outlawed unauthorized downloading. However, breaking the habits of a large section of the population will take more than that and local piracy rates still remain high.</p>
<p>This has prompted Dutch filmmakers and distributors to hold the Government responsible and they&#8217;re now demanding compensation for the piracy losses they claim to have suffered.</p>
<p>In a letter sent to Secretary of State for Justice, Klaas Dijkhoff, a coalition of film industry companies claim 1.2 billion euros ($1.34 billion) to compensate for damages dating back to 2004.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Dutch State has maintained for years that copying from illegal sources was allowed. The result was that an entire generation of consumers believes that downloading without paying for it is simply allowed,&#8221; the filmmakers write (via <a href="http://tweakers.net/nieuws/107947/nederlandse-filmindustrie-wil-1-komma-2-miljard-euro-van-staat-om-piraterij.html">Tweakers</a>). </p>
<p>&#8220;Through this letter we hold the Dutch government liable for the damage. We want the Dutch State to take responsibility for its unlawful legislation and the resulting damage,&#8221; they add. </p>
<p>The companies base their billion euro claim on <a href="http://tweakers.net/nieuws/96724/zeventig-procent-nederlandse-downloaders-zegt-gedrag-te-veranderen-bij-verbod.html">research</a> from Considerati, which estimates the losses at 78 million euros per year. Including rent that comes to a total of 1.2 billion euros.</p>
<p>However, according to the movie companies the losses may amount to more.</p>
<p>&#8220;The actual damage is expected to be even higher. Recent figures show that the revenue from video-on-demand have dropped off massively in 2014 and 2015, compared to 2013,&#8221; the letter adds.</p>
<p>Among other things, the movie companies suggest using the damages for various anti-piracy campaigns. In addition, they suggest stronger enforcement against copyright infringers.</p>
<p>The Dutch government has until later this month to respond or else the movie industry companies will take legal steps. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=t-ezZlmdJCM:0pOSWDU396o:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=t-ezZlmdJCM:0pOSWDU396o:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=t-ezZlmdJCM:0pOSWDU396o:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/t-ezZlmdJCM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117392
title: Pirate Bay Transforms into The World’s Biggest Streaming Site
uri: Pirate-Bay-Transforms-into-The-World-s-Biggest-Streaming-Site
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/poJH0e5gd6E/
content:
<p><a href="media/fd06f581.pirate-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-bay.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-53470"><img src="media/2a43984f.pirate-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-bay.jpg" alt="pirate bay" width="200" height="207" class="alignright size-full wp-image-53470"></a>Earlier this week a new piece of software debuted alongside promises to revolutionize how people use torrents.</p>
<p>Covered in our <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrents-time-brings-popcorn-time-to-any-windows-browser-160202/">earlier article</a>, Torrents-Time is a browser plug-in for Windows and Mac that allows people to view torrents embedded in a webpage and without need for an external torrent client.</p>
<p>The Torrents-Time team promised that their technology could transform any website into a simple to use streaming portal. Indeed, the first public application was <a href="http://popcorntime-online.io/">Popcorntime-Online.io</a>, a browser-based edition of Popcorn Time that for the first time used peer-to-peer transfers rather than resource hungry HTTP.</p>
<p>But just days later and a new and even more powerful partner has emerged.</p>
<p>Last evening The Pirate Bay became the first general torrent index to utilize Torrents-Time technology. The site has now placed Torrents-Time links next to all of its video torrents, meaning that users with the plug-in can watch videos on The Pirate Bay without using a stand-alone torrent client or even leaving the page.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/9d7d54d8.tpb-tt-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-tt-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117432"><img src="media/9d7d54d8.tpb-tt-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-tt-1.png" alt="tpb-tt-1" width="550" height="302" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117432"></a></center></p>
<p>As illustrated in the image above the Torrents-Time links are labeled &#8216;Stream It! (BETA)&#8217;. Once clicked the user is given the chance (if he hasn&#8217;t done so already) to install the software. From there a popup window appears containing a video player. Clicking the &#8216;play&#8217; button delivers an advert to buy a VPN which warns that IP addresses are exposed.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/d2e93258.tpb-tt-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-tt-2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117435"><img src="media/d2e93258.tpb-tt-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-tt-2.png" alt="tpb-tt-2" width="550" height="241" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117435"></a></center></p>
<p>At this point users have the option to subscribe to a VPN for a period ranging from a day to a year or, if they prefer, they can click the &#8216;close&#8217; button in the right hand corner of the advert to skip. At this point the software uses trackers, DHT and PEX in order to find other peers with the required content.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/357a7c0c.tpb-tt-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-tt-3.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117439"><img src="media/357a7c0c.tpb-tt-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-tt-3.png" alt="tpb-tt-3" width="550" height="233" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117439"></a></center></p>
<p>Once a number of peers have been found and enough content has been buffered, playback can begin. The player is a basic but functional affair, with the addition of subtitling and casting features for those with Chromecast, Airplay and DNLA devices to hand.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/1dece6a5.tpb-tt-4.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-tt-4.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117441"><img src="media/1dece6a5.tpb-tt-4.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-tt-4.png" alt="tpb-tt-4" width="550" height="264" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117441"></a></center></p>
<p>With The Pirate Bay jumping on board, Torrents-Time has received a huge shot in the arm and will probably enjoy some decent revenues too. For its part, TPB has transformed from the world&#8217;s second largest torrent site (KAT has that crown for now) into the world&#8217;s largest streaming portal.</p>
<p>The question now is when and if other torrent sites will find the Torrents-Time package attractive enough to jump on board.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Torrentproject.se, Videomax.is and Online.porntime.ws will soon feature Torrents-Time functionality. And according to the team, KickassTorrents will also join the club this Sunday or Monday.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are certain that in no time we&#8217;ll be embedded in all torrent sites who care to move-on with this evolution,&#8221; the Torrents-Time team informs TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;We will allow everybody to watch any movie they wish from torrent sites who embed us, when they want, without having to store someone&#8217;s file on their hard disk. It&#8217;s &#8216;watching together&#8217; or &#8216;Co-Watch&#8217; technology, made possible by Torrents Time.&#8221;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=poJH0e5gd6E:45C01sNTJEI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=poJH0e5gd6E:45C01sNTJEI:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=poJH0e5gd6E:45C01sNTJEI:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/poJH0e5gd6E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117390
title: Pirate Group Suspends New Cracks to Measure Impact on Sales
uri: Pirate-Group-Suspends-New-Cracks-to-Measure-Impact-on-Sales
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Qj2Wkk-dIq0/
content:
<p><a href="media/c1913e42.bird-sis.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bird-sis.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117401"><img src="media/c1913e42.bird-sis.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bird-sis.jpg" alt="bird-sis" width="172" height="168" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117401"></a>One of the hottest topics in the game piracy scene in late 2015 surrounded the Avalanche Studios/Square Enix title Just Cause 3.</p>
<p>Released on December 1, 2015, pirates were eager to get their hands on the game for free. However, JC3 is protected by the latest iteration of Denuvo, an anti-tamper technology developed by Denuvo Software Solutions GmbH. Denuvo is not DRM per se, but acts as a secondary encryption system protecting underlying DRM products.</p>
<p>All eyes had been on notorious Chinese game cracking group/forum 3DM to come up with the goods but last month the group delivered <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/no-more-pirate-games-in-two-years-group-warns-160106/">a killer blow</a> to its fans.</p>
<p>According to the leader of the group, the very public ‘Bird Sister’ (also known as Phoenix), the game was proving extremely difficult to crack. In fact, Bird Sister said that current anti-piracy technology is becoming so good that in two years there might not be pirated games anymore.</p>
<p>One month on from those words and Just Cause 3 still hasn&#8217;t been cracked and today brings even more bad news for those hoping to obtain the best gaming titles for free. Taking to her personal blog once more, Bird Sister has just announced an immediate end to the cracking activities of 3DM.</p>
<p>&#8220;We just had an internal meeting. Starting at the Chinese New Year, 3DM will not crack any single-player games,&#8221; Bird Sister says.</p>
<p>For those wondering, the Chinese New Year is next Monday, February 8.</p>
<p>&#8220;Cracks by overseas warez groups will still get posted on the [3DM] forum, and we will actively deal with these,&#8221; the group&#8217;s leader adds.</p>
<p>It is not entirely clear what &#8220;actively deal with&#8221; means, but the suggestion is that these cracks will not be allowed on the 3DM BBS/forum.</p>
<p><center><strong>Bird Sister</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/55a92ee3.birdsister.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/birdsister.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117427"><img src="media/55a92ee3.birdsister.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/birdsister.jpg" alt="birdsister" width="600" height="387" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117427"></a></center></p>
<p>What is perhaps most interesting, however, is the group&#8217;s apparent reasoning for ceasing their cracking activities. Denuvo was previously cited as a headache for the group but this time around that technology isn&#8217;t mentioned. </p>
<p>Instead, 3DM essentially indicates they&#8217;re taking part in an experiment to see how the lack of cracks affects the legitimate market.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll take a look at the situation in a year&#8217;s time to see if genuine sales have grown,&#8221; Bird Sister says.</p>
<p>There can be little doubt that the effective withdrawal of 3DM from the piracy market will be received as a huge blow to the group&#8217;s fans internationally who have come to rely on it for their pirate fix. There is a modicum of good news for the Chinese though, since 3DM will still work on translating and localizing games for its internal market.</p>
<p>The announcement comes on the heels of yesterday&#8217;s earnings report from Square Enix, the company behind Just Cause 3 and fellow Denuvo-protected (and also yet to be cracked) title Rise of the Tomb Raider.</p>
<p>Square Enix of America and Europe CEO Phil Rogers said both games had enjoyed &#8220;<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/square-enix-profits-surge-thanks-to-mobile-and-pc-/1100-6434488/">solid starts</a>&#8221; but stopped short of revealing sales stats.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Qj2Wkk-dIq0:_BSNl9Cs98I:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=Qj2Wkk-dIq0:_BSNl9Cs98I:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=Qj2Wkk-dIq0:_BSNl9Cs98I:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/Qj2Wkk-dIq0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117329
title: Anti-Piracy Company Explores New Ways to Convert Pirates
uri: Anti-Piracy-Company-Explores-New-Ways-to-Convert-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/TCx5rZX-eO0/
content:
<p><a href="media/f190e14f.muso-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/muso-logo.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117344"><img src="media/842baf3d.muso-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/muso-logo.jpg" alt="muso-logo" width="210" height="96" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117344"></a>This week anti-piracy outfit MUSO announced the launch of a new component to its portfolio of content protection solutions. Titled &#8216;Retune&#8217; the package aims to enable rights holders to directly market and sell their content to piracy-engaged audiences.</p>
<p>In a world dominated by companies specializing in simply taking down content, shutting down sites and even suing end users, the possibility of a more creative approach to piracy issues piqued our interest. TorrentFreak caught up with MUSO to find out more.</p>
<p>&#8220;Retune is an automated direct-to-fan platform delivering a positive on-brand message directly from the rights owner to audience. It’s about giving fans a better, more compelling offer, right at the moment they’re engaged to seek it out via piracy networks,&#8221; Chief Commercial Officer Christopher Elkins informs TF.</p>
<p>But of course, getting the attention of pirates and potential pirates on their home turf can be notoriously tricky and certainly more easily said than done. So how does MUSO aim to connect with these potential customers? </p>
<p>&#8220;However that audience is behaving within the piracy system, via search engine results, streaming or direct download piracy websites, social media or P2P, Retune aims to engage them &#8211; using piracy as the delivery system to re-direct attention to pre-sale, previews, streaming, local listings or live events,&#8221; Elkins explains.</p>
<p>The company isn&#8217;t revealing everything at this stage but there are certainly opportunities to capture &#8216;pirate&#8217; eyes in search results via Google ads, for example. Equally, it&#8217;s also possible to inject ads into streaming and direct download sites. Some might even be persuaded to replace links to pirate content with those pointing to official sites, a technique that has been tried before. </p>
<p>In any event, it appears MUSO is happy to seek attention wherever it can.</p>
<p>&#8220;Retune is designed to interact anywhere in that journey, from the initial specific keyword searches, and directly on piracy-focused websites, rights owner-controlled Retune pages, blogs and within message board forums directly,&#8221; Elkins says.</p>
<p>By treating pirates as fans more than foes, MUSO says it hopes to direct these potential customers to licensed channels such as Spotify and iTunes. Equally, its Retune platform will help rightsholders update users about new content, promotional material, and the availability of additional products such as concert tickets. Ultimately, however, rightsholders will have the choice of which direction to go.</p>
<p>&#8220;An incredibly exciting challenge for rights holders is in exploring how best to serve this audience at that moment of engagement, to give them a better and more compelling experience for the long-term,&#8221; the company says.</p>
<p>Once MUSO has the interest of these new customers it appears to want to engage them more deeply over time through what it describes as an &#8216;optional remarketing advertisement system&#8217;.</p>
<p>&#8220;The [Retune] platform allows rights owners to integrate their own 3rd party remarketing services to collect and retain cookies anonymously for future marketing possibilities,&#8221; Elkins explains.</p>
<p>Finally, it will come as no surprise that regular DMCA-style takedowns are part of the Retune package. MUSO not only sees these as a mechanism enabling customers to compete with piracy but also one crucial for increasing visibility of the various components within its Retune package. </p>
<p>&#8220;Anti-piracy has become an essential first step for any rights owner or creative individual in ensuring their content is seen and appreciated by the widest possible audience in the right way, so that they’re able to build and foster a direct relationship with that audience,&#8221; Elkins says. </p>
<p>&#8220;Takedowns enable rights owners to compete with and devalue the piracy market, so removing infringing content and search results is hugely important for Retune content to gain maximum exposure in supporting and complementing the rights owner’s existing websites and portals.&#8221;</p>
<p>More information on Retune can be found <a href="https://www.muso.com/retune/">here</a> and if readers encounter the platform in the wild, please feel free to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/contact/">relay your experiences</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=TCx5rZX-eO0:Y_nDRMIKg5c:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=TCx5rZX-eO0:Y_nDRMIKg5c:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=TCx5rZX-eO0:Y_nDRMIKg5c:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/TCx5rZX-eO0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117300
title: Labels Target RuTracker Domain as Blocking Fails to Stop Site
uri: Labels-Target-RuTracker-Domain-as-Blocking-Fails-to-Stop-Site
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/7QeVMDADFrU/
content:
<p><a href="media/b1cb7277.rutracker1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/rutracker1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-55533"><img src="media/a96f2ae8.rutracker1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rutracker1.jpg" alt="rutracker" width="250" height="95" class="alignright size-full wp-image-55533"></a>After years of problems with local and international rightsholders, leading Russian torrent site RuTracker received a serious blow last month. Following a ruling from the Moscow Court, the site was blocked by local Internet service providers.</p>
<p>Almost immediately the situation became more complex. In response to this aggressive action, RuTracker <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/russias-rutracker-blockade-has-just-seriously-backfired-160126/">broke off cooperation</a> with copyright holders who had previously been allowed to remove infringing content from the site.</p>
<p>&#8220;Today we put an end to these agreements, as users of the Russian Federation are now blocked from accessing our tracker. Therefore rights holders did not want to continue their cooperation, which allows us to do more and not adhere to it,” the site said in a statement.</p>
<p>Of course, the site still had the blocking to contend with. RuTracker had been coaching its users for months on how any blockade could be bypassed so the eventual lockout was not unexpected. However, while local copyright holders hoped their efforts would fatally damage the site&#8217;s visitor numbers, the blockade has been less effective than planned.</p>
<p>Stats obtained by <a href="http://www.vedomosti.ru">Vedomosti</a> reveal that two days after the blockade was put in place, visitors to RuTracker from Russia were down 33%. However, the numbers of visitors to the site from countries outside the Russian Federation increased significantly, a change consistent with people using proxies and VPNs to access the site. Overall, total visitors to the site fell by just 13%.</p>
<p>While the blockade certainly won&#8217;t help the site long-term, copyright holders believe it is actually proving more effective, with their claims centering around a traffic drop of around 30%. Nevertheless, they&#8217;re already standing by to deliver another blow.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://izvestia.ru/news/603186">Izvestia</a>, record labels including Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music will now investigate ways to neutralize RuTracker&#8217;s domain. Leonid Agronov, Director General of the National Federation of Music Industry (NFMI), said his group is consulting with lawyers to decide the best course of action.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our lawyers will choose a way to do it that is most convenient. For example, through the courts. We&#8217;ll choose where it&#8217;s cheaper and faster,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>For their part, RuTracker don&#8217;t see an attack on their domain as being successful.</p>
<p>&#8220;We see no reason for problems with the RuTracker.org domain, it is registered in accordance with the rules of the registrar and the domain owner information is verified and confirmed,&#8221; the site said.</p>
<p>But despite this confidence, efforts to attack site domains are gathering pace. An announcement on the website of the Association for the Protection of Copyright on the Internet (AZAPO) proposes amendments to Russian copyright law which would allow for the pre-trial suspension of domain names.</p>
<p>&#8220;AZAPO proposes&#8230;that if a site does not show its owner information, or it is not supported by its WHOIS information, rights holders should have the right to require the pre-trial blocking of the whole site, not just the pages on which there are disputed works,&#8221; the group <a href="http://azapi.ru/news/onenews/157">said</a>.</p>
<p>While for many Russia might seem far away, it&#8217;s certainly a battleground to watch. Initially slow out of the blocks, Russia is now increasingly quick to introduce new and aggressive anti-piracy measures. However, this enthusiasm is matched by site operators and their users who are prepared to do whatever is necessary to retain access to free content.</p>
<p>This battle is far from over.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7QeVMDADFrU:-nnOCiudKUM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7QeVMDADFrU:-nnOCiudKUM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=7QeVMDADFrU:-nnOCiudKUM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/7QeVMDADFrU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117286
title: God Can Stop Piracy, Research Finds
uri: God-Can-Stop-Piracy-Research-Finds
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/9cwDNC9zXF8/
content:
<p><a href="media/2fd73c5e.freeman.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/freeman.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117356"><img src="media/2fd73c5e.freeman.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/freeman.jpg" alt="freeman" width="275" height="215" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117356"></a>&#8220;Thou shalt not steal&#8221; is one of the Ten Commandments many Christians hold in high regard. </p>
<p>However, the general public generally doesn&#8217;t view piracy as outright stealing. In fact, many people see piracy as morally justified. </p>
<p>To examine this contradiction more closely, a new study (<a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15332969.2015.1112172">paywall</a>) published by researchers from Australia looked at the relationship is between religious attitudes and piracy.</p>
<p>The study was conducted among members of a Christian mega-church in Indonesia who were divided into various categories, based on the strength of their religion. The results shed an interesting light on how piracy and religion interact. </p>
<p>The first interesting result is that people&#8217;s attitudes towards piracy correlate with how religious they are. That is, people who are more religious have less favorable opinions about digital piracy. </p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230; consistent with our expectation, it was found that the highly religious respondents have a stronger attitude against digital piracy than those who are less religious,&#8221; the paper reads. </p>
<p>The questions above covered general attitudes towards piracy. For example, that it hurts the music industry or that it&#8217;s against the law. A second set of questions focused on actual behavioral change. </p>
<p>Here, the same people were asked whether they would be less likely to pirate if X told them to. The X differed per question ranging from their pastor, friends, religion to God himself. </p>
<p>The responses to these questions are quite revealing, showing that only God himself can make a strong impact on people&#8217;s piracy habits.</p>
<p>&#8220;Among the four referents (pastor, friends, religion, God) included in this study, only God was the referent with the strongest influence that could discourage respondents from buying pirated media,&#8221; the researchers report.</p>
<p>While God can impact the behavior of less, moderately and highly religious people, he has the strongest impact on the latter. Interestingly, however, even highly religious people won&#8217;t change their behavior if their pastor or religion tells them to.</p>
<p>&#8220;No significant differences were found in items relating to &#8216;religion&#8217; and &#8216;my pastor,&#8217; implying that respondents’ motivation to comply with these referents are not influenced by the extent of their religiosity.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to the researchers the effect can be explained by the fact that many people don&#8217;t view piracy as unethical. This is reflected in previous research as well as their study, which found that respondents generally don&#8217;t see digital piracy behavior as sinful.</p>
<p>&#8220;Previous studies found that those who are actively involved in digital piracy do not view piracy as being illegal or unethical and only 10% of American teenagers believe that digital piracy is morally wrong,&#8221; the researchers write. </p>
<p>To address this, the researchers suggest &#8220;instilling moral values about digital piracy&#8221; at a very young age.</p>
<p>&#8220;Religious institutions, in cooperation with educational institutions, could work together to communicate a strong message against digital piracy,&#8221; the researchers propose in their paper.</p>
<p>Copyright holders will appreciate the suggestion, and they are already working on educating young kids early on, both in the U.S and the UK. </p>
<p>Traditional anti-piracy efforts also continue, including a planned campaign featuring none other than <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/morgan-freeman-movie-pirates-have-tiny-useless-penises-141214/">Morgan Freeman</a>, who coincidentally played God in a few movies and is currently working on a <a href="http://deadline.com/2016/01/the-story-of-god-morgan-freeman-national-geographic-channel-1201677380/">documentary series</a> featuring the Almighty. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=9cwDNC9zXF8:eY_gr0zLNOE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=9cwDNC9zXF8:eY_gr0zLNOE:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=9cwDNC9zXF8:eY_gr0zLNOE:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/9cwDNC9zXF8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117473
title: Creative Commons Torpedoes Copyright Industry Lies
uri: Creative-Commons-Torpedoes-Copyright-Industry-Lies
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/xOtiAflzrHw/
content:
<p><a href="media/7cd16454.creaco.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/creaco.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117476"><img src="media/7cd16454.creaco.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/creaco.jpg" alt="creaco" width="250" height="131" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117476"></a>The copyright industry has long repeated the claim to politicians that the copyright monopoly is necessary for any culture to be created at all, to the point where politicians actually believe this nonsense. Actually, their &#8216;lie&#8217; is divided into two parts:</p>
<p>The first falsehood is that authors, makers, and inventors must be paid for anything to be created at all. This lie is actually rather obscene coming from an industry which has deliberately created structures that make sure 99.99% of musicians never see a single cent in royalties: 99% of good musicians are never signed by a label, and of those who are, 99% never see a cent in royalties. So it&#8217;s quite obscene arguing that culture must be paid for, when this very industry makes sure that less than one artist in ten thousand get any money for their art.</p>
<p>The second lie is that the only way for artists to make any money is to give the copyright industry an absolute private governmentally-sanctioned distribution monopoly, the copyright monopoly, that takes precedence over any kind of innovation, technology, and civil liberties. This is an equally obscene lie: all research shows that artists make more money than ever since the advent of file sharing, but the sales-per-copy is down the drain. The fact that the parasitic middlemen are hurting is the best news ever for artists, who get a much larger piece of the pie. Of course, the copyright industry &#8211; the parasitic middlemen in question &#8211; insist on pretending their interests are aligned with those of the artist, which they never were.</p>
<p>Therefore, in believing these two lies combined, politicians grant this private governmentally-sanctioned monopoly &#8211; the copyright monopoly &#8211; in the belief that such a harmful monopoly is necessary for culture to exist in society. (Just to illustrate what kind of blatant nonsense this is, all archeological digs have been rich in various expressions of culture. We create as a species because we can&#8217;t exist in a society and not express culture &#8211; it&#8217;s because of our fundamental wiring: not because of a harmful monopoly.)</p>
<p>So what could act as conclusive proof that these lies are, well, lies?</p>
<p>Creative Commons.</p>
<p>In the construct of Creative Commons, you have placed the power over this monopoly with the authors and makers themselves, rather with the parasitic middlemen. And the interesting observation is, that once you do, millions of creators renounce their <em>already-awarded</em> harmful monopolies for a number of reasons &#8211; because they make more money that way, because they prefer to create culture that way, or because it&#8217;s the moral thing to do.</p>
<p>Once you point out that the actual people who create are renouncing their <em>already-awarded</em> monopolies, and are doing so by the <em>millions</em> &#8211; actually, more than an estimated <em>one billion</em> works of art according to the Creative Commons organization &#8211; the entire web of lies falls apart.</p>
<p>The copyright monopoly isn&#8217;t necessary for culture to exist. It was always tailored to benefit the parasitic middlemen. And these middlemen have tried their damndest to prevent actual artists from seeing any of the money.</p>
<p>Now, you could argue that specific expressions of culture couldn&#8217;t exist. You&#8217;d be easily disproven &#8211; for example, most multimillion-dollar blockbusters make their investment back on opening weekend, far before any digital copy exists as a torrent. Besides, why would you prop up and lock in a specific form of culture with a harmful monopoly, when forms of culture have always evolved with humanity?</p>
<p><center>
<div class="alignfull" style="border:2px solid #3F3F3F;width:100%;padding:15px;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:4px;margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:10px;border-radius:10px">
<h3 style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px">
<div style="float:right;height:130px;width:39px;margin-left:20px;margin-right:10px"><img src="media/98818a80.Rick_Falkvinge_39x130.jpg" data-original-source="http://falkvinge.net/wp-content/themes/WpNewspaper/images/falkvinge/Rick_Falkvinge_39x130.jpg" style="border:none;-moz-box-shadow:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none" class="quimby_search_image"></div>
<p><span style="color:#3F3F3F;font-size:125%">About The</span> <span style="color:#FF3C78;font-size:125%">Author</span></p>
</h3>
<p style="font-family:PTSansRegular,Arial,Sans-Serif;font-weight:400;line-height:150%;margin-bottom:14px"><small>Rick Falkvinge is a regular columnist on TorrentFreak, sharing his thoughts every other week. He is the founder of the Swedish and first Pirate Party, a whisky aficionado, and a low-altitude motorcycle pilot. His blog at <a href="http://falkvinge.net">falkvinge.net</a> focuses on information policy.</small></p>
<div style="float:right;position:relative;top:-12px">
<p><small>Book Falkvinge <a href="http://falkvinge.net/keynotes/">as speaker</a>?</small></p>
</div>
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/Falkvinge" class="twitter-follow-button">Follow @Falkvinge</a></p>
</div>
<p></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xOtiAflzrHw:tGlva8LmsXY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=xOtiAflzrHw:tGlva8LmsXY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=xOtiAflzrHw:tGlva8LmsXY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/xOtiAflzrHw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117468
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 02/08/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-02-08-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/84o0Txtc77s/
content:
<p><a href="media/57b251cc.ridealong.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ridealong.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117470"><img src="media/57b251cc.ridealong.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ridealong.jpg" alt="ridealong" width="300" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117470"></a>This week we have three newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Ride Along 2 is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-012516/">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>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ride_along_2/">Ride Along 2</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2869728/">5.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWfmmwdCHTg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_big_short/">The Big Short</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596363/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDlYm15ztK4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridge_of_spies/">Spectre</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/">7.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_revenant_2015/">The Revenant</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/">?.?</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda_3/">Kung Fu Panda 3</a> (Telesync)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267968/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGPPfZIvtCw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_martian/">The Martian</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659388/?">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej3ioOneTy8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/creed_2015/">Creed</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3076658/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ9OhBYjTds">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/steve_jobs_2015/">Steve Jobs</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2080374/">7.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufMgQNCXy_M">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_intern/">The Intern</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2361509/">7.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-DEy3mylCs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_good_dinosaur/">The Good Dinosaur</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979388/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-RgquKVTPE">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=84o0Txtc77s:pcy3Xs6kXKY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=84o0Txtc77s:pcy3Xs6kXKY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=84o0Txtc77s:pcy3Xs6kXKY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/84o0Txtc77s" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117492
title: Hollywood Dealt With, Showbox Provokes Record Labels
uri: Hollywood-Dealt-With-Showbox-Provokes-Record-Labels
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/7kdUkooSc2U/
content:
<p><a href="media/8f095c72.showbox-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-logo.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117504"><img src="media/8f095c72.showbox-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-logo.png" alt="showbox-logo" width="220" height="212" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117504"></a>In a &#8216;pirate&#8217; world consumed by web-streaming, BitTorrent and software such as Popcorn Time, there&#8217;s no doubt that desktop users are spoiled for choice.</p>
<p>However, for users of the Android system there is a seriously powerful beast that&#8217;s been gaining traction for some time now, one that not only downloads from both BitTorrent networks and direct sources but also presents the results in a tidy Netflix-style interface.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>Showbox &#8211; tablet edition</h5>
<p><a href="media/595ec85a.showbox-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117494"><img src="media/595ec85a.showbox-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-1.png" alt="showbox-1" width="600" height="363" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117494"></a></center></p>
<p>While <a href="http://showboxappdownload.com/">Showbox</a> hasn&#8217;t been endlessly reported in the media in the way that Popcorn Time has, the software is already in use on hundreds of thousands &#8211; probably millions &#8211; of tablet and cellphone devices. And, since it also runs on Windows emulators such as Bluestacks, it&#8217;s likely that thousands of desktop installations exist too.</p>
<p>But more recently Showbox has become a much-installed package on countless set-top devices, including but not limited to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/did-pirates-clean-out-amazon-fire-tv-stock-in-the-uk-151229/">Amazon&#8217;s Fire Stick</a>, bringing all the latest movies and TV shows into the home with a minimum of fuss. Since Showbox can stream from non-P2P sources too (it defaults to that, in fact), it offers a decent level of anonymity too. All that has led to a boost in popularity on a similar curve to that enjoyed by Popcorn Time.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/34c69315.showbox-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117500"><img src="media/34c69315.showbox-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-2.png" alt="showbox-2" width="600" height="325" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117500"></a></center></p>
<p>With all the latest movies and TV shows at hand to either stream or download (with a choice of qualities and subtitles thrown in for good measure) Showbox is definitely on the radars of the Hollywood studios. But for reasons that aren&#8217;t entirely clear, little appears to have been done about the software. Certainly, there has been no Popcorn Time <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-takes-over-popcorn-time-domain-160204/">legal response</a> to speak of.</p>
<p>Whether that has played a part in the software&#8217;s latest development is unclear but during the past few days Showbox added a controversial new feature that&#8217;s likely to infuriate not only Hollywood but also the world&#8217;s major record labels. The latest version (v4.51) now has the ability to stream and download music.</p>
<p>Present for now only when run on a cellphone device, Showbox&#8217;s music menu is illustrated on the left of the image below. A small sample of its popular music section appears on the right.</p>
<p><a href="media/4e6d3bb7.showbox-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-3.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117508"><img src="media/4e6d3bb7.showbox-3.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-3.png" alt="showbox-3" width="600" height="516" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117508"></a></p>
<p>Without a detailed network analysis (we&#8217;ll leave that to others) it&#8217;s unclear where Showbox is pulling content from. However, it&#8217;s certainly possible that Russian social network vKontakte is playing a part as it has previously with movies and TV shows.</p>
<p>Either way, the catalog of content appears to be pretty deep, featuring both fresh content and plenty of classics from the archives. Its built-in media player is an obvious inclusion and users will be pleased by the addition of a playlist creator and a means to share content with friends.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/8bc41835.showbox-4.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-4.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117510"><img src="media/8bc41835.showbox-4.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-4.png" alt="showbox-4" width="600" height="516" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117510"></a></center></p>
<p>While Showbox is certainly not available from Google Play or Amazon (it must be sideloaded by the user) the eagle-eyed will have noticed the advert for Amazon in one of the images above. In fact, advertising for mainstream products and services appears regularly when viewing Showbox, often as pre-run videos when running the tablet version, for example.</p>
<p>In fact this morning when carrying out tests it appears that the South African government was dropping a few coins in the collection box, with adverts for tourists to come and enjoy a holiday in the country. Shortly after the British government was contributing too, with a 30 second video slot recruiting for the armed services.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/84fe2534.showbox-advert.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-advert.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117511"><img src="media/84fe2534.showbox-advert.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/showbox-advert.png" alt="showbox-advert" width="600" height="375" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117511"></a></center></p>
<p>Showbox is certainly a powerhouse when it comes to streaming video content and now that it&#8217;s entered the music field too, there are few (if any) applications that can compete with it. The music section is lacking the finesse of Spotify though, but the developers reiterate the service is only in beta so there could be more to come.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7kdUkooSc2U:g1S-qQE9RkY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7kdUkooSc2U:g1S-qQE9RkY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=7kdUkooSc2U:g1S-qQE9RkY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/7kdUkooSc2U" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117069
title: Beware: Piracy Defense Lawyers Can Be “Trolls” Too
uri: Beware-Piracy-Defense-Lawyers-Can-Be-Trolls-Too
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gsvHHBSVRaM/
content:
<p><a href="media/67ffec03.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-108977"><img src="media/17a592c8.trollsign.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/trollsign.jpg" alt="trollsign" width="250" height="167" class="alignright size-full wp-image-108977"></a>Lawsuits against file-sharers are commonplace in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of people have been accused in <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-lawsuits-dominated-by-just-three-movie-companies-150301/">recent years</a>, most after using standard BitTorrent clients.</p>
<p>The cases barely make the news anymore but for copyright holders and law firms they are still big business, with many cases ending in out of court settlements.</p>
<p>As is the case in any legal dispute, lawyers from both sides can profit. The ones representing the copyright holders usually get rewarded with attorney fees and a piece of the settlement award, and those on the other side get paid for the defense. </p>
<p>To many, the attorneys representing the alleged pirates are seen as &#8220;the good guys.&#8221; However, several insiders believe that not all attorneys have the best interests of their clients at heart. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke with defense lawyer <a href="https://twitter.com/houstonlawy3r">Robert Cashman</a>, who has represented many accused pirates over the past five years. He recently sounded the <a href="https://torrentlawyer.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/beware-of-high-volume-based-settlement-factory-attorney-copyright-trolls/">alarm bell</a> warning people about attorneys whose main motivation is earning a few bucks.</p>
<p>Cashman is one of the attorneys who comes <a href="https://www.eff.org/issues/file-sharing/subpoena-defense">recommended by the EFF</a>. While many defense attorneys are indeed a great help, there are also several who run a &#8220;settlement factory&#8221; by settling cases on a routine basis, with minimal investment. </p>
<p>&#8220;The &#8216;settlement factory&#8217; attorney problem began years ago, even when there were only 20 of us on the EFF&#8217;s subpoena defense list,&#8221; Cashman says.</p>
<p>While Cashman confronted several colleagues with his observations, the problem still exists and got worse over time.</p>
<p>&#8220;They run a volume-based business where in a number of cases, they have hired multiple attorneys to take calls for their firm as a result to some Google AdWords or online marketing program they just spent who knows how much to attract these &#8216;leads&#8217;.&#8221;  </p>
<p>&#8220;The attorneys they hire are tasked with convincing a person who filled out their online web form to settle the claims against them, even when settling is not in the best interests of the client,&#8221; Cashman adds.  </p>
<p>In addition to active advertising campaigns, these attorneys also approach defendants who have already retained counsel elsewhere, encouraging them to go for them as a cheaper option. </p>
<p>According to Cashman the &#8220;settlement factory&#8221; attorneys are able to offer their services cheaply, because they spend minimal time on the cases and run a volume-based business. While this may result in lower legal fees, it might not help an eventual settlement. </p>
<p>Cashman previously confronted a colleague he was mentoring for selling his services short and received a telling reply.</p>
<p>&#8220;He explained to me that he actually only spent a few MINUTES on each case because he already prearranged with the plaintiff attorney to settle claims for a certain amount using their boilerplate contract, and thus $300 for him was a windfall.&#8221;</p>
<p>The main problem is that instead of looking at the unique aspects of every case, settlement factories often agree to higher settlement amounts, driving up the &#8216;price&#8217; for everyone.</p>
<p>&#8220;The result is that because these attorneys are willing to pay higher prices when settling cases, they &#8220;drive up&#8221; the prices for all of us other attorneys who are trying to negotiate for a significantly lower amount,&#8221; Cashman notes.</p>
<p>Instead of actually looking for ways to negotiate a lower settlement, exploring viable defenses, or considering other individual characteristics, they go for a quick solution.</p>
<p>&#8220;The client is getting served on a golden platter to the copyright trolls who are extorting money from them, and it is the very attorneys in whom they are placing their trust who are allowing them to be cheated,&#8221; Cashman says.  </p>
<p>At the end of the day the defendant is poorly represented, must pay a higher settlement, while driving up the settlement amounts for other defendants in the process.</p>
<p>In part, Cashman&#8217;s plea is in his own interest. He runs a business as well and needs to make a profit. So when colleagues get all the work at a cheaper rate, that hurts business. </p>
<p>However, he believes that every attorney should still serve the client to the best of his ability, and the settlement factory attorneys only seem to make matters worse. </p>
<p>&#8220;The goal of the defense attorney should not simply be profit off of the problem, but to take steps to make the lawsuits go away in the first place,&#8221; Cashman concludes</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=gsvHHBSVRaM:Hl4ixO0jRv0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=gsvHHBSVRaM:Hl4ixO0jRv0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=gsvHHBSVRaM:Hl4ixO0jRv0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/gsvHHBSVRaM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117541
title: Hollywood Wants to Shut Down Pirate Bay’s Streaming Technology
uri: Hollywood-Wants-to-Shut-Down-Pirate-Bay-s-Streaming-Technology
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LTjAiFAf7ps/
content:
<p><a href="media/94d3418e.torrents-time.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrents-time.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117545"><img src="media/94d3418e.torrents-time.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrents-time.jpg" alt="torrents-time" width="220" height="101" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117545"></a>Just one week ago a new piece of software hit the file-sharing scene. Utilizing BitTorrent under the hood, Torrents-Time aims to bring embedded streaming functionality to any torrent index.</p>
<p>The first project to utilize the software was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrents-time-brings-popcorn-time-to-any-windows-browser-160202/">Popcorn-Time.io</a>, a browser-based version of Popcorn Time employing peer-to-peer transfers.</p>
<p>Just days later and The Pirate Bay had jumped on board, placing links to Torrents-Time on all of its video torrents and effectively transforming the notorious site into the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-transforms-into-the-worlds-biggest-streaming-site-160205/">world&#8217;s largest streaming portal</a> overnight.</p>
<p>The development attracted a lot of attention so it will come as no surprise that Torrents-Time is already on Hollywood&#8217;s radar. That manifested itself in direct attention from Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN, who have now issued Torrents-Time with its first legal threat.</p>
<p>&#8220;BREIN issued a cease and desist letter to us on the grounds that it&#8217;s a known fact that Torrents Time is facilitating the distribution of infringing content,&#8221; the Torrents-Time team informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>In its letter to the group behind TT, BREIN is certainly forceful in its assertion that the software is illegal.</p>
<p>&#8220;By offering Torrents Time, which is primarily engaged in the facilitating, enabling and participating in the making available of infringing files, according to the law and jurisprudence of The Netherlands you are acting unlawful and infringe the copyrights and neighboring rights of others, including the rights holders whose interests are represented by BREIN,&#8221; lawyer Pieter Haringsma writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;This causes extensive damage to rights holders for which you &#8211; and all others involved with the management of the site &#8211; are liable. In the interest of and on behalf of the rights holders represented by BREIN, we request that you cease and desist the distribution of Torrents Time immediately.&#8221;</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/193d0530.torrents-time-large.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrents-time-large.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117565"><img src="media/193d0530.torrents-time-large.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrents-time-large.png" alt="torrents-time-large" width="600" height="333" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117565"></a></center></p>
<p>BREIN&#8217;s involvement indicates that Torrents-Time (TT) has connections to the Netherlands, a situation confirmed by its developers.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Dutch connection is due to our website being hosted on a server residing in the Netherlands,&#8221; TT informs TF.</p>
<p>Indeed, Torrents-Time is currently hosted at LeaseWeb, a major Dutch-based service provider that has been embroiled in many file-sharing related legal battles in the past. And, according to BREIN, if TT refuse to comply LeaseWeb will be sucked into this complaint too.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you do not comply in full with our demands set out in the above, we will contact your Hosting Internet Service Provider and request again for the immediate removal of the website from the Internet and for your name and address details. Under the law of The Netherlands your provider is obliged to comply with these demands,&#8221; Haringsma continues.</p>
<p>&#8220;We will of course hold you liable for all (further) incurred costs including legal fees. These costs can be substantial. Given the circumstances at hand, the courts of The Netherlands have jurisdiction over this matter.&#8221;</p>
<p>This style of approach to Torrents-Time is pretty standard for BREIN which routinely issues threats to local service providers who generally comply by shutting torrent sites down. However, this situation is perhaps not as straightforward as it first appears.</p>
<p>While there is an argument to be had over the way Torrents-Time is being promoted on sites like The Pirate Bay, at its core it is simply a software client and it is for the software&#8217;s users to decide whether they use it for legal or illegal purposes. None of this is lost on the Torrents-Time legal team who have responded extremely aggressively to BREIN&#8217;s claims and even question the anti-piracy group&#8217;s validity.</p>
<p>&#8220;From the outset, please be informed that my clients deny all the suppositions and assumptions in your letter, including the fact that BREIN represents right holders and that you are qualified to take action on behalf of an un-named un-identified entities,&#8221; TT begins.</p>
<p>&#8220;In your letter, you take the liberty of accusing my Clients of distributing an &#8216;illegal application&#8217;. We deny that allegation, as being un-substantiated, false and illegal in itself, under the laws of the Netherlands.</p>
<p>&#8220;No court has ever ruled that Torrents Time breaches any right of any sort, including copyrights and neighboring rights, for two main reasons: One: It was published less than 3 days ago, and two: It was carefully crafted not to do anything whatsoever so as to breach copyright or neighboring rights.</p>
<p>&#8220;In accordance with the technical details referred to me by my Clients&#8217; engineers and software specialist, I am confident that the outcome of a court proceeding against my Clients&#8217; Torrent Time will end with a ruling against anyone who challenges the legality of Torrents Time,&#8221; TT&#8217;s legal team adds.</p>
<p>And then the tone of the response to BREIN changes, from stating facts to Torrents-Time making threats of their own.</p>
<p>&#8220;You are therefore advised to seriously re-think you cease and desist demand and advise my Clients that you withdraw your demands. You are also hereby warned not to attempt to take action against any third party who utilizes Torrents Time or hosts it or co-operates therewith in any other manner,&#8221; the response warns.</p>
<p>&#8220;Failing to comply with my demands herein will prove itself as enormously costly to your organization and its members and could lead to criminal proceedings against yourself, on the grounds of illegal threats and extortion, the consequences of which I&#8217;m sure you are very well aware of.&#8221;</p>
<p>It is extremely unlikely that BREIN will heed the advice offered by Torrents-Time so an approach to LeaseWeb to take their site down will happen soon, if it hasn&#8217;t already. TorrentFreak asked BREIN how Torrents-Time differs from any other torrent client but we are yet to receive a response. Maybe that will be an argument they&#8217;ll continue with LeaseWeb during the days to come.</p>
<p>&#8220;As we believe that the complaint is an illegal act of blackmail, we will resist and fight back. We have taken legal advice and will take whatever steps are best for us,&#8221; the Torrents-Time team concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LTjAiFAf7ps:Mx0Yqe7pnF4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LTjAiFAf7ps:Mx0Yqe7pnF4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=LTjAiFAf7ps:Mx0Yqe7pnF4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/LTjAiFAf7ps" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117579
title: Kim Dotcom’s Extradition Appeal Set For August
uri: Kim-Dotcom-s-Extradition-Appeal-Set-For-August
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4e05OHCmqmE/
content:
<p><a href="media/57d13949.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-76556"><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>Following an extradition hearing lasting several weeks, in December a New Zealand District Court judge ruled that Kim Dotcom and his colleagues <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-can-be-extradited-to-the-united-states-judge-rules-151223/">can be extradited</a> to the United States to face criminal charges.</p>
<p>As the former operators of now-defunct file-sharing site Megaupload, Dotcom and colleagues Mathias Ortmann, Finn Batato and Bram van der Kolk are accused of crimes including copyright infringement, conspiracy, money laundering and racketeering</p>
<p>Following Judge Dawson&#8217;s decision, Dotcom immediately announced an appeal.</p>
<p>While it probably suits Dotcom for the process to be as drawn out as possible, United States authorities would like to get their hands on the Megaupload founder sooner rather than later. To that end they appeared in the High Court in Auckland today asking for the appeal to be pushed through as a matter of urgency.</p>
<p>Justice Asher <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/296076/us-requests-fast-track-for-dotcom-case">denied</a> the request and scheduled the hearing for August 29. The appeal itself is expected to last several weeks, extending well into October 2016.</p>
<p>This, according to Asher, should allow him to render his decision before Christmas, but even that won&#8217;t mark the end of the road. In comments to TF in December, Dotcom explained the stages of the process.</p>
<p>“The appeal route is High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court. 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,” he told TF.</p>
<p>The legal system <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&#038;objectid=11586421">moves slowly</a> so it&#8217;s likely that Dotcom &#8211; whatever the outcome &#8211; will still be enjoying the beauty of New Zealand well into 2017.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=4e05OHCmqmE:KqjRaacX2WQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=4e05OHCmqmE:KqjRaacX2WQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=4e05OHCmqmE:KqjRaacX2WQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/4e05OHCmqmE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117588
title: KAT Adds Torrent Streaming: Expect Bloodshed, Tech Devs Warn
uri: KAT-Adds-Torrent-Streaming-Expect-Bloodshed-Tech-Devs-Warn
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/AzQ7lq1vck0/
content:
<p><a href="media/ce5293c1.kat.JPG" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/kat.JPG" rel="attachment wp-att-19182"><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>Last week saw the launch of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/torrents-time-brings-popcorn-time-to-any-windows-browser-160202/">Torrents-Time</a>, software for Windows and Mac that allows people to view torrents embedded in a webpage and without need for an external torrent client.</p>
<p>Initially the technology was employed by Popcorntime-Online.io, a browser-based edition of Popcorn Time that for the first time used peer-to-peer transfers rather than resource hungry HTTP. </p>
<p>Then, just a couple of days later, The Pirate Bay became the first general torrent index to utilize the Torrents-Time software, meaning that users are now able to watch videos embedded in The Pirate Bay. Torrents-Time is appealing to torrent site operators because it enables them to generate extra revenue through an embedded VPN advertisement.</p>
<p>Today we can report that KickassTorrents has implemented the same feature, making it not only the world&#8217;s largest torrent site, but also the largest streaming portal too. However, while the process is pretty straightforward on Pirate Bay (users simply have to press a button marked &#8216;stream it&#8217;), things are a bit more confusing on KAT.</p>
<p>First of all, members of KAT who are actively logged into the site cannot see the feature. It&#8217;s only visible to non-members, something that usually only takes place with ads. And indeed, the KAT team confirmed to TorrentFreak that they are categorizing this as an advert.</p>
<p>Also, two sets of &#8216;streaming&#8217; buttons exist on KAT. One relates to the Torrents-Time feature, the other does not.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/ca11ff5f.kat-tt1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kat-tt1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117590"><img src="media/ca11ff5f.kat-tt1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kat-tt1.png" alt="kat-tt1" width="600" height="329" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117590"></a></center></p>
<p>The obvious &#8216;Stream Torrent&#8217; button (next to the &#8216;Download Torrent&#8217; button) is not the Torrents-Time feature and actually links to another service we have no official information on. It&#8217;s a big download in comparison and is almost certainly ad-related as well. For those interested in reading more, <a href="https://kat.cr/community/show/solved-what-stream-torrent/">discussion here</a>.</p>
<p>The Torrents-Time feature is actually the big black &#8216;play&#8217; button situated under the &#8216;Main&#8217; tab for each torrent. It functions in the same way as The Pirate Bay&#8217;s implementation, via a popup window carrying the same video controls.</p>
<p>&#8220;Kickass Torrents (Kat.cr), the biggest torrent site on Earth have embedded Torrents Time as of NOW,&#8221; the Torrents-Time (TT) team told TF in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;We launched last week and in a few days changed forever the way people use the treasures found through torrents sites, directly from their browser. It means that from today on, any user who is able to use Facebook can enjoy almost any movie or TV show that was created in this world.&#8221;</p>
<p>However, while the TT are optimistic, they also caution that problems lie on the horizon for this disruptive technology.</p>
<p>&#8220;Torrents Time is revolutionizing the world of torrents, here and now. Because it&#8217;s a revolution, you can expect a bloodshed, like the fate of all revolutions. We already managed to get a cease and desist letter from BREIN,&#8221; the team explain.</p>
<p>TF reported on the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-wants-to-shut-down-pirate-bays-streaming-technology-160209/">BREIN complaint</a> earlier today.</p>
<p>&#8220;Because it&#8217;s the people&#8217;s revolution, a network of hundreds of millions of people who wish to consume Free Content, the people will prevail and the illegal harassment by the film and TV producers industry who claim that P2P ruins their business model will be defeated, by the people,&#8221; TT continue.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a false claim driven only by their sheer greed. P2P does not come instead of going to the cinema, watching cable or satellite, paying for VOD, buying a disk or a piece of merchandise. With P2P we make the world smaller, a people&#8217;s village where all the neighbors can watch together the staff they like.</p>
<p>&#8220;Torrents Time is not a pirate&#8217;s tool. It&#8217;s cool and it&#8217;s legal. We are certain it will improve the world,&#8221; they conclude.</p>
<p>Torrents-Time say that several other large torrent sites are also considering coming on board but some who asked not to be named have informed TF that for now they&#8217;ll be sitting on the fence to see how things go. Not all are excited by the prospect of &#8216;bloodshed&#8217;, at least for now.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> 1337x.to informs TorrentFreak that they have added Torrents-Time as well. </p>
<p>&#8220;We always try to keep our users happy, streaming is another way to use torrents. At this moment we do show a VPN message that Torrents-Time has, however with or without revenue we would have implemented this since it is a great solution.&#8221;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AzQ7lq1vck0:1IbHUVeCeCQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AzQ7lq1vck0:1IbHUVeCeCQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=AzQ7lq1vck0:1IbHUVeCeCQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/AzQ7lq1vck0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117538
title: Canada Is a Hotbed for Online Piracy, Rightsholders Claim
uri: Canada-Is-a-Hotbed-for-Online-Piracy-Rightsholders-Claim
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/DW09yvL7u2U/
content:
<p><a href="media/4d2ce87e.canada.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/canada.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-60888"><img src="media/c89c2205.canada.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/canada.jpg" alt="canada" width="222" height="165" class="alignright size-full wp-image-60888"></a>The International Intellectual Property Alliance (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Intellectual_Property_Alliance">IIPA</a>) has just published its latest submission to the U.S. Government, providing an overview of countries it believes should better protect the interests of the copyright industry.</p>
<p>The IIPA, which includes a wide range of copyright groups including the MPAA, RIAA, BSA and ESA, has listed its complaints against a whole host of countries. As in previous years, Canada was discussed in detail with the recommendation to put it on the 2016 Special 301 ‘watch list.’</p>
<p>Like previous years, the rightsholders&#8217; group points out that many of the top pirate sites have connections to Canada, labeling it as a safe haven for online piracy. </p>
<p>&#8220;Canada still has far to go to rectify its reputation as a safe haven for Internet pirates. Indeed, a number of the world’s most popular Internet sources dedicated to online theft of copyright material retain connections to Canada,&#8221; IIPA writes. </p>
<p>The group highlights KickassTorrents as one of the prime offenders but also mentions other sites and services including Sumotorrent.sx, Seedpeer.eu,  Zippyshare.com, Tuebl.com and Solarmovie.is.</p>
<p>&#8220;This includes the biggest BitTorrent site in the world in terms of visitors and popularity, Kat.cr, along with the various other incarnations that the so-called &#8216;Kick Ass Torrents&#8217; operation has assumed in its domain-hopping peregrinations over the past eight years.&#8221;</p>
<p>In addition, the IIPA signals a relatively new  group of infringing services with ties to Canada, including Popcorn Time, which run on people&#8217;s desktop computers but are also sold pre-loaded onto set-top boxes.</p>
<p>&#8220;A disturbing recent trend is the emergence of stand-alone BitTorrent applications that employ an attractive, user-friendly interface that enables users to illegally stream and download infringing movies and TV programs,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p>There is also some positive new to report. Two years ago Canada adopted the Copyright Modernization Act, and according to the IIPA a new provision (<a href="http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-42/page-8.html#docCont">27, 2.3</a>) helped to target the Canadian developers behind the popular PopornTime.io fork. </p>
<p>&#8220;In October 2015, a Canadian Federal Court issued a sweeping injunction against the Canadian developers of PopcornTime,&#8221; IIPA writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;The court relied, in part, on claims that the defendants had provided services primarily for the purpose of enabling acts of copyright infringement, in violation of the newly enacted provision,&#8221; the group adds.</p>
<p>Still, the new copyright act doesn&#8217;t go far enough according to the copyright holders, and new legislation is required to address ongoing problems. </p>
<p>&#8220;In other respects, however, the Copyright Modernization Act simply fails to respond adequately to the challenge of online piracy,&#8221; the IIPA notes. </p>
<p>Canada’s new “notice and notice” system, through which ISPs are obliged to warn pirating subscribers, is not very effective, they claim. Especially when there are no consequences for subscribers who continue to pirate.  </p>
<p>In addition, they point out that Canadian law lacks a “notice-and-takedown” regime where hosting companies can be held liable if they fail to disable access to pirated material. </p>
<p>The IIPA believes that in the current legal environment online pirates, even those who fall into the criminal category, can roam free. The U.S. Government should therefore keep Canada on the &#8220;watch list,&#8221; encouraging it to change its laws.</p>
<p>&#8220;The consistent absence of any criminal enforcement in Canada against even the most blatant forms of online theft complete the picture of a system that is still not up to the challenge,&#8221; the IIPA writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;Canada should review the effectiveness of its current regime, and consider alternatives to remedy its shortcomings and the current lack of incentives to stimulate full inter-industry cooperation against online piracy,&#8221; they add.</p>
<p>The IIPA’s full 2016 Special 301 recommendation report is <a href="http://www.iipa.com/special301.html">available here</a>. This also includes assessments for more than a dozen other countries, including Brazil, China, India, Russia, Switzerland and Ukraine.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=DW09yvL7u2U:SyiTDJsFHgU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=DW09yvL7u2U:SyiTDJsFHgU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=DW09yvL7u2U:SyiTDJsFHgU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/DW09yvL7u2U" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117532
title: Non-Existent ‘Pirate Site’ Added to National Blocklist
uri: Non-Existent-Pirate-Site-Added-to-National-Blocklist
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/k7xEe6VInYs/
content:
<p><a href="media/5ceed422.stop-blocked.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/stop-blocked.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-72076"><img src="media/07db73b3.stop-blocked.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stop-blocked.jpg" alt="stop-blocked" width="200" height="168" class="alignright size-full wp-image-72076"></a>In recent months Portuguese Internet providers have started to block <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/portugal-rapidly-voluntarily-blocks-dozens-more-pirate-sites-151107/">hundreds of websites</a> that allegedly link to copyright infringing content.</p>
<p>The voluntary blocking regime was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/rapid-pirate-site-blocking-mechanism-introduced-by-portugal-150731/">formalized last summer</a> through an agreement between several parties including the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Telecommunication Operators.</p>
<p>The agreement allows copyright holders to add new pirate sites without any intervention or oversight from a court, something which has now led to some <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/news-site-blocked-by-isps-for-embedding-youtube-videos-160129/">unusual blocks</a> in recent weeks.</p>
<p>Aside from barring sites on questionable grounds, it appears that a simple typo can also get a website blocked. A few days ago a local news site <a href="http://abertoatedemadrugada.com/2016/02/igac-ja-bloqueia-dominios-quem-nem.html">spotted</a> that one of the blocked domains is Forummaximus.net, which didn&#8217;t even exist at the time it was added.</p>
<p>Copyright holders were probably trying to block Forum-maximus.net, with a hyphen, but somewhere in the process someone made a mistake. </p>
<p><center><strong>Forummaximus.net Not registered</strong> (image <a href="http://abertoatedemadrugada.com/2016/02/igac-ja-bloqueia-dominios-quem-nem.html">via</a>)<br></br></center><center><a href="media/1040b9cb.ptblock.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ptblock.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117549"><img src="media/1040b9cb.ptblock.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ptblock.jpg" alt="ptblock" width="550" height="371" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117549"></a></center></p>
<p>As a result, Portugal&#8217;s blocklist included a domain that wasn&#8217;t even registered at the time. After the news broke someone eventually <a href="http://Forummaximus.net">registered the URL</a>, but without any infringing purposes it seems. </p>
<p>Still, visitors who try to reach the newly registered domain get the following error message (translated):</p>
<p>“The site that you’re trying to reach was blocked due to an order from the Regulator Agency.”</p>
<p><center><a href="media/06c8e604.ZBMaCLm.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ZBMaCLm.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117553"><img src="media/06c8e604.ZBMaCLm.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ZBMaCLm.png" alt="ZBMaCLm" width="596" height="153" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117553"></a></center></p>
<p>At the time of writing the correct site has been blocked as well, but the &#8216;typo&#8217; error has yet to be corrected. </p>
<p>In this case the collateral damage is limited. However, it&#8217;s worrying that the lack of oversight from a court or third party organization can result in non-existent domain names being blocked.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a fine example of how slippery the blocking slope can get.   </p>
<p>TorrentFreak has reached out to local anti-piracy group MAPINET, who investigate the sites that are reported, to find out more about what went wrong. Thus far we haven&#8217;t heard back. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=k7xEe6VInYs:A1CGpx1CVaY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=k7xEe6VInYs:A1CGpx1CVaY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=k7xEe6VInYs:A1CGpx1CVaY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/k7xEe6VInYs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117624
title: Warner Pays $14 Million For Illegitimate “Happy Birthday” Claims
uri: Warner-Pays-14-Million-For-Illegitimate-Happy-Birthday-Claims
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/M5V0eOfezt8/
content:
<p><a href="media/b997f7ba.copyright-branded.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-branded.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-56211"><img src="media/db7b975c.copyright-branded.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-branded.jpg" alt="copyright-branded" width="250" height="164" class="alignright size-full wp-image-56211"></a>Happy Birthday is one of the best known songs worldwide and up until a few months ago Warner/Chappell music claimed to own the rights. </p>
<p>The melody was originally written before 1893 by sisters Mildred and Patty Hill, but the rights to the song were later transferred to Summy Co., which was eventually acquired by Warner/Chappell.</p>
<p>For decades, Warner continued to demand licensing fees from filmmakers, artists and other people who used the song in public, generating an estimated $2 million annually.</p>
<p>However, in 2013 a group of artists including musician Rupa Marya <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday_to_You#2013_lawsuit">sued Warner’s music division</a> claiming that the company doesn’t hold the rights to the song. Aside from missing agreements, the filmmakers argued that it’s not clear what the true origins of the song are.</p>
<p>Before even reaching a trial, Judge George King awarded a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/happy-birthday-enters-public-domain-judge-rules-copyright-invalid-150923/">groundbreaking victory </a>to the plaintiffs last fall. After a careful review of several agreements the court concluded that there is no evidence that the Hill sisters ever transferred their rights to Summy Co.</p>
<p>As a result Warner saw no other option than to settle the case. The settlement was announced last December and this week the terms were made public. </p>
<p>Under the terms (<a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/298839595/Happy-Settlements">pdf</a>) Warner agrees to create a $14 million settlement fund to compensate persons who paid Warner/Chappell Music or one of its predecessors licensing fees for Happy Birthday, since 1949.</p>
<p>In addition, Warner officially declares not to own any rights to the song.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants and Intervenors agree that, upon the Final Settlement Date, they will relinquish their ownership claims to the Song and all their rights to the Song,&#8221; the agreement reads.</p>
<p>Warner further agrees not to oppose a request from the artists to officially enter the Happy Birthday song into the public domain. </p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants and Intervenors will not oppose Plaintiffs’ request that the Final Judgment and Order include a declaratory judgment that, as of the Final Settlement Date, the Song will be in the public domain,&#8221; it reads.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/e2abc0e5.settlehappy.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/settlehappy.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117636"><img src="media/e2abc0e5.settlehappy.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/settlehappy.jpg" alt="settlehappy" width="600" height="222" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117636"></a></center></p>
<p><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150922/18242832337/judge-says-copyright-warner-chappell-doesnt-hold-copyright-happy-birthday-not-that-public-domain.shtml">Technically</a>, Happy Birthday is now an orphan work which means that an unknown party could still step up to claim ownership. However, Warner/Chappell and the artists are both unaware of any outstanding copyright claims.</p>
<p>While $14 million is a significant amount, it&#8217;s relatively low considering that Warner probably made dozens of millions more from the song over the past 66 years.</p>
<p>The settlement marks the end of one of the most prominent copyright disputes in recent history. It also means that everyone is free to sing Happy Birthday in public, without having to look over their shoulders. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=M5V0eOfezt8:bKsIOX15d_o:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=M5V0eOfezt8:bKsIOX15d_o:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=M5V0eOfezt8:bKsIOX15d_o:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/M5V0eOfezt8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117620
title: Dallas Buyers Club Gives Up Chasing Pirates in Australia
uri: Dallas-Buyers-Club-Gives-Up-Chasing-Pirates-in-Australia
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/pnmq1YPogz4/
content:
<p><img src="media/78231829.dallas.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/dallas.jpg" width="180" height="180" class="alignright">The company behind the movie Dallas Buyers Club (DBC) is known not only for making movies, but also by its ancillary business of chasing down alleged Internet pirates in order to force a cash settlement from them.</p>
<p>In several countries the company has been collecting hundreds to thousands of dollars from each of their &#8216;Joe Public&#8217; targets but its efforts to do so in Australia have been <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dallas-buyers-club-ruling-devastates-copyright-trolling-down-under-150814/">beset with problems</a>.</p>
<p>Through its legal representatives Dallas Buyers Club have now admitted that their battle to obtain the identities of more than 4,700 Aussie Internet subscribers is over.</p>
<p>Michael Bradley, the managing partner of DBC LLC law firm Marque Lawyers, told <a href="http://www.itnews.com.au/news/dbc-gives-up-on-iinet-piracy-case-414920">iTNews</a> that <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/judge-throws-out-aussie-dallas-buyers-club-piracy-case-151216/">tomorrow&#8217;s deadline</a> for DBC to make a further application to the court would pass without a submission.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s certainly a disappointing outcome for [Dallas Buyers Club]. It doesn&#8217;t do anything to mitigate the infringement that&#8217;s going on &#8211; it&#8217;s not a particularly satisfactory outcome from that point of view,&#8221; Bradley said.</p>
<p>But for those familiar with these cases, mitigating infringement is not the primary aim of DBC.</p>
<p>The company wanted to extract settlements from 4,726 Internet account holders but due to its activities elsewhere, Justice Perram was suspicious that the movie outfit would engage in so-called &#8220;speculative invoicing&#8221;.</p>
<p>To stop that from happening the Judge ordered the payment of a huge AUS$600,000 bond but the company decided not to pay. Ultimately, Dallas Buyers Club failed to convince the court that it would restrain its activities and keep promises not to demand high settlements from Internet account holders.</p>
<p>While the development is a huge blow to DBC and a significant win for Internet subscribers in Australia, it doesn&#8217;t necessarily restrain other companies from attempting to sue alleged pirates in the future. </p>
<p>&#8220;That might happen. But if the circumstances and the context of that are close to this one, then you&#8217;d expect the same outcome,&#8221; Bradley said.</p>
<p>Another element that significantly hampered DBC was the fact that it was based overseas, hence the large bond requirement set by the court. Bradley told iTNews that Australia-based rightsholders might face fewer obstacles.</p>
<p>&#8220;I suppose if a distributor who was local wanted to have a try, then they presumably wouldn&#8217;t face the same difficulty with security. You might get a different outcome,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>Bradley also suggests that if rightsholders went after individual infringers one at a time then there probably wouldn&#8217;t be so much scrutiny by the courts. But of course, DBC is in the business of getting large settlements from large numbers of people, so that approach probably wouldn&#8217;t make much sense from a commercial standpoint.</p>
<p>And make no mistake. This was a purely commercial exercise and when the sums didn&#8217;t add up, DBC decided to throw in the towel. Whether they will continue their efforts elsewhere will remain to be seen but new territories have the potential to cause new problems, so sticking to what they know could be the most likely course of action.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=pnmq1YPogz4:k7TDbWrU__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=pnmq1YPogz4:k7TDbWrU__w:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=pnmq1YPogz4:k7TDbWrU__w:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/pnmq1YPogz4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117615
title: Inside MPAA’s Piracy Deal With the Donuts Domain Registry
uri: Inside-MPAA-s-Piracy-Deal-With-the-Donuts-Domain-Registry
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/oGPceP5NnUM/
content:
<p><a href="media/1b5440c0.mpaa-logo1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-logo1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-36694"><img src="media/394b6768.mpaa-logo1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-logo1.jpg" alt="mpaa-logo" width="200" height="112" class="alignright size-full wp-image-36694"></a>Domain name registry <a href="http://www.donuts.domains">Donuts</a> describes itself as &#8220;the largest operator of new domain name extensions&#8221; and it certainly has some <a href="http://www.donuts.domains/services/domain-names">interesting ones</a> under its belt.</p>
<p>In addition to future classics such as .EMAIL, .COMPANY and .GURU, Donuts also has more light-hearted options available including .FAIL and .WTF.</p>
<p>However, with a current registration volume that has just surpassed 900 domains, the gTLD of most interest to Hollywood (except .TAX, perhaps) is .MOVIE.</p>
<p>With this in mind it will come as no surprise that the MPAA has been building bridges with Donuts in order to keep .MOVIE clean while avoiding the nightmare scenario of ThePirateBay.MOVIE gaining traction with millions of Internet pirates.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h4>Still available&#8230;&#8230;at a price</h5>
<p><a href="media/29aed16b.tpb-movie.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-movie.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117628"><img src="media/29aed16b.tpb-movie.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-movie.png" alt="tpb-movie" width="600" height="175" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117628"></a></center></p>
<p>To that end, the MPAA and Donuts have just announced a voluntary agreement to ensure that domains under the control of the registry aren&#8217;t engaged in Internet piracy.</p>
<p>Under the agreement the MPAA will be granted “Trusted Notifier” status, i.e. it will become the definitive authority on what is considered a large-scale piracy website. Sites that are subsequently found to be breaching Donuts&#8217; terms and conditions will either have their domains suspended or put on hold.</p>
<p>“This is a groundbreaking partnership and one we’re proud to undertake,” says Donuts Co-Founder and Executive Vice President Jon Nevett.</p>
<p>“Donuts, as the operator of .MOVIE, .THEATER, .COMPANY and almost 200 other domain extensions, is committed to a healthy domain name environment and this is another step toward a safe and secure namespace.”</p>
<p>While praising Donuts for its cooperation, MPAA chief Chris Dodd took the opportunity to show that it&#8217;s indeed possible for Hollywood and technology companies to reach voluntary agreement on piracy-related matters, without intervention from the law.</p>
<p>“This agreement demonstrates that the tech community and content creators can work together on voluntary initiatives to help ensure vibrant, legal digital marketplaces that benefit all members of the online ecosystem,” Dodd said.</p>
<p>So how will the deal work in practice? TF obtained a copy of the plan which begins with the assumption that the MPAA will act with integrity.</p>
<p><strong>The agreement</strong></p>
<p>&#8220;Donuts will treat referrals from the MPAA expeditiously and with a presumption of credibility,&#8221; it begins.</p>
<p>From there the MPAA is required to fulfill several criteria, including that any complaint filed with Donuts is authorized by its members. The movie industry group is then expected to provide evidence of &#8220;clear and pervasive copyright infringement&#8221; on the domain in question while indicating which laws have been violated.</p>
<p>However, before contacting Donuts the MPAA will have to do additional preparatory work, including alerting both the site&#8217;s registrar and hosting provider to the alleged problems. While providing Donuts with the details of the discussions, the MPAA will be required to indicate why these failed to stop the alleged infringement.</p>
<p><strong>Human-only complaints</strong></p>
<p>Perhaps wary of the carpet-bombing approach employed by many DMCA complaint companies around the world today, Donuts is insisting that any reports of infringement filed by the MPAA are not based on machine-generated complaints.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The MPAA&#8217;s referral will contain] confirmation that the referral was subject to careful human review and not submitted solely based on automated Internet scanning or scraping services,&#8221; the plan reads.</p>
<p><strong>WHOIS</strong></p>
<p>It is extremely common for &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites to operate with falsified WHOIS information &#8211; after all, who wants to guide a lawyer to their front door? To that end Donuts will accept complaints from the MPAA when the group feels a domain&#8217;s records contain &#8220;false or misleading information&#8221;.</p>
<p><strong>Checks</strong></p>
<p>In addition to dealing with the MPAA&#8217;s complaints &#8220;on an expedited basis&#8221; (while determining a course of action within 10 business days), Donuts says it will coordinate with applicable registrars and/or registrants and set deadlines for them to respond to the allegations.</p>
<p>However, if Donuts has any &#8220;concerns or questions&#8221; regarding the scope or nature of the alleged infringement (or has received alternative instructions from law enforcement), the registry will give the MPAA the opportunity to &#8220;supplement or amend&#8221; its referral.</p>
<p><strong>Suspension</strong></p>
<p>Once Donuts is happy that the MPAA has a valid complaint, it will move onto the next and final stage.</p>
<p>&#8220;If Donuts is satisfied that the domain clearly is devoted to clear and pervasive copyright infringement, Donuts may, in its discretion and as permitted under its Acceptable Use and Anti-Abuse Policy, suspend, terminate, or place the domain on registry lock, hold, or similar status as it determines necessary to mitigate the infringement,&#8221; the company notes.</p>
<p><strong>The future</strong></p>
<p>In his statement the MPAA&#8217;s Chris Dodd praised Donuts for &#8220;their leadership&#8221; and his timing could hardly be better.</p>
<p>The Domain Name Association will hold its first <a href="http://www.thedna.org/event/hdi-summit/">Healthy Domains Initiative summit</a> in Seattle today and the MPAA will be hoping that other registries will see the Donuts agreement as something to aspire to. It certainly ticks all the right boxes and could prove a potent weapon in the fight against piracy.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=oGPceP5NnUM:ESuZqNfOMV4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=oGPceP5NnUM:ESuZqNfOMV4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=oGPceP5NnUM:ESuZqNfOMV4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/oGPceP5NnUM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117661
title: Hang on…..3DM Now Suggest They’ve Cracked Denuvo
uri: Hang-on-3DM-Now-Suggest-They-ve-Cracked-Denuvo
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qFSJz6liJaI/
content:
<p><img src="media/23f4665b.bird-sis.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/bird-sis.jpg" width="172" height="168" class="alignright">Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of video games players around the world obtain their fix from pirate sources. It&#8217;s been that way for more than 30 years, only the numbers have grown over time.</p>
<p>However, in the &#8216;old days&#8217; people could do most of their copying at home, with a couple of cassette decks or software to shift data between 5.25&#8243; floppy disks. But times have changed and although piracy still exists, people now largely rely on a tiny number of so-called &#8216;cracking&#8217; experts to break copy protection for them.</p>
<p>One of those groups is Chinese outfit 3DM who in recent years have delighted pirate gamers with free copies of some of the world&#8217;s greatest titles. Technology companies have always done their best to thwart groups like 3DM and earlier this year came the most promising news to date.</p>
<p>Out of the blue, 3DM announced that the latest iteration of the infamous Denuvo anti-tamper technology had proven so resistant that in a couple of years PC games <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/no-more-pirate-games-in-two-years-group-warns-160106/">piracy might become non-existent</a>.</p>
<p>Then, just a couple of weeks later, 3DM put the icing on the cake when they announced that in order to let the official games market breathe, they would be <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-group-suspends-new-cracks-to-measure-impact-on-sales-160206/">taking a year off</a> from cracking games.</p>
<p>With games producers everywhere super excited at the prospect of a market free from the nuisance of 3DM, optimism of a boosted-revenue future was high. However, while it seems 3DM can deliver surprise gifts with one hand, apparently they can just as easily take them away with the other.</p>
<p>According to a new announcement by the group&#8217;s almost rock-star-famous leader, 3DM have decided they are not quite done. Apparently, growing speculation that the group aren&#8217;t up to the job of cracking Denuvo has provided them with new inspiration to prove the masses wrong.</p>
<p>&#8220;3DM will soon announce that we have a solution to the latest Denuvo encryption used on games including &#8216;FIFA 16&#8217;, &#8216;Just Cause 3&#8217;, and &#8216;Tomb Raider: The Rise&#8217;,&#8221; 3DM leader Bird Sister just announced.</p>
<p><center><strong>Bird Sister</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/55a92ee3.birdsister.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/birdsister.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117427"><img src="media/55a92ee3.birdsister.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/birdsister.jpg" alt="birdsister" width="600" height="387" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117427"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;We [made this announcement] because a lot of players believe we have abandoned cracking due to technical problems, but we will prove it is not the case,&#8221; Bird Sister continues.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have not yet been stumped [by protection measures].&#8221;</p>
<p>Although this announcement flies in the face of some of 3DM&#8217;s earlier comments, the news will be received with disappointment by games developers and publishers, not to mention the team at Denuvo. 3DM had been leading the charge on Denuvo-protected titles so a break could&#8217;ve given valuable breathing space.</p>
<p>But that said, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and until pirates have tasted the joys of a fully cracked Just Cause 3, their appetites will remain in full force. In other words they&#8217;ll believe this game has been cracked when they actually play it at home &#8211; thus far there is no sign of a release.</p>
<p>Interestingly, should cracked copies eventually arrive at the hands of 3DM, the group won&#8217;t be taking the credit. A somewhat counter-productive comment by Bird Sister indicates that 3DM will not take the usual path on release since they don&#8217;t want to attract too much attention.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course, this will not be a high-profile or official 3DM release,&#8221; she concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=qFSJz6liJaI:3WV84nwaH20:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=qFSJz6liJaI:3WV84nwaH20:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=qFSJz6liJaI:3WV84nwaH20:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/qFSJz6liJaI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117697
title: U.S. Copyright Law Forces Wikimedia to Remove “Public Domain” Anne Frank Diary
uri: U-S-Copyright-Law-Forces-Wikimedia-to-Remove-Public-Domain-Anne
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/QGfj4NUnhkY/
content:
<p><a href="media/fbd1fb8e.anne.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/anne.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117702"><img src="media/fbd1fb8e.anne.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/anne.png" alt="anne" width="200" height="225" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117702"></a>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diary_of_a_Young_Girl">Diary of Anne Frank</a> is one of the best known literary works in history, written by a young Dutch girl hiding from the Nazis during World War II. </p>
<p>Anne Frank died in 1945 which means that the book was elevated into the public domain in the Netherlands on January 1, 2016, 70 years after her death.</p>
<p>Despite some <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anne-frank-scandal-an-underreported-copyright-monopoly-abuse-151115/">dispute</a> over its copyright status, several copies of the book have been published online. Also at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikisource">Wikisource</a>, a digital library of free texts maintained by the Wikimedia Foundation, which also operates Wikipedia. </p>
<p>However, since this week Anne Frank&#8217;s diary is <a href="https://nl.wikisource.org/wiki/Het_Achterhuis_(Anne_Frank)">no longer available</a>, as U.S. copyright law dictates that works are protected for 95 years from date of publication.</p>
<p>Jacob Rogers, Legal Counsel for the Wikimedia Foundation, labels the removal as an overreach of U.S. copyright law but believes that they have no other option than to comply. </p>
<p>&#8220;Today, in an unfortunate example of the overreach of the United States’ current copyright law, the Wikimedia Foundation removed the Dutch-language text of The Diary of a Young Girl,&#8221; Rogers notes.</p>
<p>&#8220;We took this action to comply with the United States’ Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), as we believe the diary is still under US copyright protection under the law as it is currently written,&#8221; he adds. </p>
<p>The Wikimedia Foundation did not receive a takedown request for the book. Instead, it responded to email discussions that were sent to the organization. Based on these emails the foundation has either &#8220;actual&#8221; or &#8220;red flag&#8221; knowledge that the book was hosted on its servers. </p>
<p>Since the servers fall under the U.S. jurisdiction local copyright law applied, meaning that the book remains in copyright for 95 years after publication. </p>
<p>As a result Wikimedia is not allowed to host a copy of the book before 2042. While the organization has complied with U.S. law it&#8217;s not happy with the decision and calls for shorter copyright terms.</p>
<p>&#8220;Nevertheless, our removal serves as an excellent example of why the law should be changed to prevent repeated extensions of copyright terms, an issue that has plagued our communities for years,&#8221; Rogers writes.</p>
<p>Despite the voluntary removal by the Wikimedia Foundation, the Dutch version of Anne Frank&#8217;s diary remains widely available elsewhere. The Internet Archive still <a href="https://archive.org/details/anne-frank">hosts a copy</a>, as does pretty much every torrent site.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=QGfj4NUnhkY:66nKpihHwE0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=QGfj4NUnhkY:66nKpihHwE0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=QGfj4NUnhkY:66nKpihHwE0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/QGfj4NUnhkY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117740
title: 82-Year-Old Great-Grandmother is a Pirate, Trolls Say
uri: 82-Year-Old-Great-Grandmother-is-a-Pirate-Trolls-Say
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/nsqCb0AiCew/
content:
<p><a href="media/abffda08.oldpirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/oldpirate.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-102818"><img src="media/37efc713.oldpirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/oldpirate.jpg" alt="oldpirate" width="160" height="175" class="alignright size-full wp-image-102818"></a>In September 2014, TorrentFreak became aware of a UK court case between TCYK LLP and Internet service provider Sky.</p>
<p>TCYK stands for The Company You Keep and is the title of a film of the same name directed and starring Robert Redford who appears alongside Susan Sarandon and Shia LeBeouf.</p>
<p>After presenting evidence to the court, TCYK LLP were granted an order which forced Sky to hand over the names and addresses of subscribers alleged to have downloaded the movie without permission.</p>
<p>In March 2015, Sky <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sky-will-hand-over-customer-data-in-movie-piracy-case-150310/">began warning</a> its customers they were being targeted.</p>
<p>By last summer Sky customers were receiving accusations of Internet piracy through the post followed by letters <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sky-customers-receive-new-movie-piracy-threat-letters-150713/">demanding hundreds of pounds</a> in compensation.</p>
<p>Having targeted the bill payer (the only person they have the name of) TCYK indicated in their letter that they had no proof that a specific person had committed the offense. If the bill payer didn&#8217;t do anything wrong, they should say who did, TCYK indicated somewhat optimistically.</p>
<p>But just like all of these companies employing a carpet-bombing approach to copyright enforcement, things were bound to go wrong for TCYK at some point. Thanks to the BBC we can how see how embarrassing things can get.</p>
<p>Sheila Drew lives in the Black Country, a previously industrial area in the heart of the West Midlands. She&#8217;s an 82-year-old pensioner and TCYK are currently pressuring her to pay a £600 fine after claiming her Internet connection was used to download The Company You Keep.</p>
<p>According to an initial letter sent to Sheila by TCYK in November 2015, the alleged infringement took place on April 25, 2013, some two years and six months earlier. Of course, remembering that far back for anyone would be a considerable feat of memory but for an octogenarian one might expect even more difficulty.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, TCYK have persisted with their allegations and have just sent Sheila a second letter. She still denies their claims.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m upset to have been accused of something I didn&#8217;t do&#8230; how many other people has this happened to?&#8221; she told the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-35504596">BBC</a>.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s unclear whether TCYK will have both the decency and common sense to nip this PR disaster in the bud. But for Michael Coyle, a solicitor advocate at <a href="http://lawdit.co.uk">Lawdit Solicitors</a> in Southampton, these kinds of allegations are nothing new.</p>
<p>Speaking with TF last evening Coyle said that these kinds of allegations are &#8220;typical of the scam&#8221; and as a result he&#8217;s being inundated with requests from people like Sheila seeking to defend themselves.</p>
<p>A few months ago Coyle began defending people in return for a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/received-a-piracy-letter-uk-solicitor-will-defend-you-for-free-150320/">charitable donation</a> but now charges less than £100 to deal with a case from start to finish.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve raised some £20k for charity and have some 350-400 clients, having also spoken to twice that many,&#8221; Coyle informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve started to charge £75 plus vat just to cover costs but it still makes the whole aspect ridiculous.&#8221;</p>
<p>But while criticizing the companies engaged in so-called &#8220;speculative invoicing&#8221;, Coyle also says that court orders which enable thousands of Internet subscribers to be targeted in this fashion are also part of the problem.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s probably too late to complain but it does highlight the harm and wide scale abuses caused by large volume IP address disclosures,&#8221; Coyle concludes.</p>
<p>But for now there is absolutely no sign that courts are prepared to reign in the activities of copyright trolls in the UK. The best people can hope for is that the &#8220;speculative invoicing&#8221; business model collapses under the strain of people refusing to pay, but that will take strength from those being targeted and trolls can be very threatening.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=nsqCb0AiCew:HqVM4GUFxJs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=nsqCb0AiCew:HqVM4GUFxJs:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=nsqCb0AiCew:HqVM4GUFxJs:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/nsqCb0AiCew" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117769
title: Torrents-Time Faces Security Concerns
uri: Torrents-Time-Faces-Security-Concerns
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/puMejit9m1E/
content:
<p><a href="media/a29722d6.torrents-time.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/torrents-time.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117545"><img src="media/94d3418e.torrents-time.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrents-time.jpg" alt="torrents-time" width="220" height="101" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117545"></a>Over the past two weeks <a href="https://torrents-time.com/">Torrents-Time</a> has made headlines on hundreds of news sites. </p>
<p>While streaming torrents is nothing new, it quickly reached a mainstream audience when several of the largest torrent sites <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kat-adds-torrent-streaming-expect-bloodshed-tech-devs-warn-160209/">adopted</a> the technology. </p>
<p>Earlier this week TorrentFreak learned that the implementation hadn&#8217;t gone flawlessly on all sites. For example, The Pirate Bay is now vulnerable to XSS attacks.</p>
<p>This allows outsiders to execute code on the site, as shown by <a href="media/28269f7b.xsstpob.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/xsstpob.png">this example</a>.</p>
<p>While Torrents-Time isn&#8217;t necessarily to blame for this issue, the software&#8217;s popularity also prompted some developers to look for other possible security concerns in the application. </p>
<p>Aurous and Strike developer Andrew Sampson took the software apart and <a href="http://blog.andrew.im/post/139084882590/torrents-time-security-issues">summarized</a> several findings on his personal website, ultimately characterizing Torrents-Time as unsafe.</p>
<p>Among other things, the software is accused of running as root on OSX, leaking private information, and making it possible for outsiders to launch torrents without the user&#8217;s knowledge. </p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s like leaving your door open, if not worse, giving a complete stranger the keys to your house, with no background check and blindly trusting them,&#8221; Sampson tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>While some of the issues are indeed causing concern, Torrents-Time&#8217;s developers counter that several reports contain incorrect statements and half-truths. </p>
<p>The XSS vulnerability was triggered by The Pirate Bay&#8217;s implementation, they say, and some of the privacy issues being highlighted apply to most sites and services.</p>
<p>Torrents-Time does acknowledge that it was possible for third parties to start torrents without the user&#8217;s knowledge. This will be fixed in an automatic update later today, after which users have to grant explicit permission. </p>
<p>It&#8217;s also true that Torrents-Time has root access on OSX, but according to the Torrents-Time team this is required to integrate the VPN service. </p>
<p>Torrents-Time&#8217;s full response to Sampson&#8217;s article is <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/images/TT-response.txt">available here</a>. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, Torrents-Time is also receiving pushback from other angles. AVG is now <a href="media/28269f7b.xsstpob.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/xsstpob.png">categorizing</a> the application <a href="http://www.avgthreatlabs.com/ww-en/virus-and-malware-information/info/downloader/">as Adware</a>, which is a false positive according to the developers. In addition ad-blockers briefly flagged the streaming links on The Pirate Bay, but this is no longer the case now.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the developers are confident that they can deliver a quality product. </p>
<p>&#8220;We are more than eager to have an efficient and safe product. We undertake to rectify any flaw and deal with any threat to users and sites alike,&#8221; the Torrents-Time team informs us.</p>
<p>Perhaps it&#8217;s a no-brainer, but users visiting torrent sites should always proceed with care and with Torrents-Time the situation is no different.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=puMejit9m1E:bXZZ0h6hvK0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=puMejit9m1E:bXZZ0h6hvK0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=puMejit9m1E:bXZZ0h6hvK0:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/puMejit9m1E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117748
title: uTorrent Debuts Ad-Free Client for $4.95 Per Year
uri: uTorrent-Debuts-Ad-Free-Client-for-4-95-Per-Year
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/lpgp9JEVd1c/
content:
<p><a href="media/3b80c447.utorrent-logo-new.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/utorrent-logo-new.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-55606"><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"></a>With well over 150 million active users a month <a href="http://utorrent.com">uTorrent</a> is by far the most used BitTorrent client around.</p>
<p>The application generates income by bundling software “offers” during the install process and through in-app banner advertising.</p>
<p>The banner advertisements are relatively new. Parent company BitTorrent Inc. decided to include these in 2012 in order to increase its revenues, causing uproar among some of its users.</p>
<p>This week the company has reintroduced an ad-free version of its uTorrent client. In addition to the free ad-supported version there&#8217;s now a paid client as well, for which users are <a href="http://www.utorrent.com/#comp-tbl">charged $4.95 per year</a>.</p>
<p>Through a paid subscription users can support the developers directly without constantly being subjected to advertising.</p>
<p>&#8220;We’ve been busy experimenting with new ways to improve uTorrent for our users while financially supporting the amazing team that works every day to make uTorrent free for millions of people around the world,&#8221; BitTorrent&#8217;s Jordy Berson notes.</p>
<p><center><strong>uTorrent versions</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/a4ec2b04.utorrent-options.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/utorrent-options.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117759"><img src="media/a4ec2b04.utorrent-options.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/utorrent-options.jpg" alt="utorrent-options" width="600" height="398" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117759"></a></center></p>
<p>The $4.95 version doesn&#8217;t come with any of the advanced features that are available in the 19.95 Pro version, but is considerably cheaper.</p>
<p>&#8220;This gives users the option of avoiding any and all ads in the client. It’s exciting to us because it gives users the ability to avoid advertising at 25% of the cost that it used to be – about 5 dollars a year instead of 20 dollars,&#8221; Berson <a href="http://blog.utorrent.com/2016/02/11/introducing-4-95-ad-free-%CE%BCtorrent/">says</a>.</p>
<p>The price setting is definitely reasonable for an application that millions of people use on a daily basis. However, not all BitTorrent users are eager to pay for the products they consume. </p>
<p>But instead of pirating a copy of uTorrent, these users can also <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/remove-utorrent-ads-in-one-click-with-pimp-my-utorrent-150215/">disable the advertisements</a> in the free version of the client, for now at least. The uTorrent team hasn&#8217;t said whether this will change in the future.</p>
<p>The release of the paid tier is part of uTorrent&#8217;s efforts to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/utorrent-hints-move-toward-paid-subscriptions-150823/">move away</a> from invasive advertisements and bundled software, which led to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/new-utorrent-release-breaks-ties-with-bitcoin-miner-150413/">bad PR</a> in the past. </p>
<p>“We’ve never been satisfied with this revenue model. It requires compromises that detract from a premium user experience. We want to find a model that adds value to our product and our users. We want to find a better way,” the uTorrent team previously said.</p>
<p>Time will tell whether a paid subscription is the way to go. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=lpgp9JEVd1c:DronFTedRow:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=lpgp9JEVd1c:DronFTedRow:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=lpgp9JEVd1c:DronFTedRow:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/lpgp9JEVd1c" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117681
title: Court Orders Web-Blocking Monitoring Site To Be Blocked
uri: Court-Orders-Web-Blocking-Monitoring-Site-To-Be-Blocked
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/U8ZcYGajgH8/
content:
<p><img src="media/114a07a1.stopstop.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/stopstop.jpg" width="180" height="120" class="alignright">When it comes to blocking websites, Russia is becoming somewhat of a world leader. Although not in the same league as China, the country blocks thousands of websites on grounds ranging from copyright infringement to the publication of extremist material, suicide discussion and the promotion of illegal drugs.</p>
<p>The scale of the censorship is closely monitored by local website Roscomsvoboda. More commonly recognized by its Western-friendly URL <a href="http://rublacklist.net/">RuBlacklist.net</a>, the project advocates freedom on the Internet, monitors and publishes data on blockades, and provides assistance to Internet users and site operators who are wrongfully subjected to restrictions.</p>
<p>Sadly, however, the website&#8217;s work has now become the source of its own problems. By this weekend and like thousands of other sites before it, RuBlacklist will become blocked by the very government mechanism it aims to expose.</p>
<p>The imminent blocking became apparent on Wednesday when RuBlacklist&#8217;s webhost was advised by government telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor that a URL on the monitoring group&#8217;s website had been placed on Russia&#8217;s banned websites register.</p>
<p>The URL in question, <a href="http://rublacklist.net/bypass/">rublacklist.net/bypass/</a>, offers advice and information on how Russian citizens can use <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">VPNs</a>, proxies, TOR and The Pirate Bay’s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bays-anti-censorship-browser-clocks-1-million-downloads-131019/">Pirate Browser</a> to circumvent blockades.</p>
<p>This advice appears to have irked authorities, prompting a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-vpn-tor-proxy-advice-site-to-be-blocked-150530/">court process</a> against the site that began in the first half of 2015. However, while the courts want the circumvention advice URL banned, it is standard practice in Russia to block URLs and IP addresses, meaning that RuBlocklist will be blocked in its entirety.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, RuBlocklist are not giving up. Last year the group filed an appeal with the Krasnodar Regional Court which did discuss the case but notably without representatives from the site being present. That effort failed so now the site will push forward again, all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have collected a number of expert opinions, including from representatives of government agencies and industry organizations, which explain that the information we distribute on [the URL in question] cannot be banned in Russia and does not violate the current legislation of our country,&#8221; the site <a href="http://rublacklist.net/14551/">explains</a>.</p>
<p>RuBlacklist says they&#8217;re convinced that the information they disseminate via their resource is not only in compliance with the laws of Russia, but also in the public interest.</p>
<p>&#8220;All the information that we publish is socially important. We conduct an open monitoring of the legislation regulating the sphere of the Internet, information technology, media, and the media, follow the practice of its enforcement and publish relevant news. We also publish analytical, statistical and expert materials into the public domain for free distribution,&#8221; RuBlacklist continues.</p>
<p>&#8220;In addition, our team provides legal assistance to Internet users, website owners, bloggers and journalists, who believe that their rights have been violated in the Internet space.&#8221;</p>
<p>While RuBlacklist being blocked is somewhat ironic in itself, their situation is drawing attention to the very issues at the core of the site&#8217;s mission. According to the site around 96% of the sites currently blocked in Russia are victims of blanket IP address blocking, something the site itself will now be subjected to.</p>
<p>&#8220;Perhaps [the blocking of RuBlacklist] is even a good thing, if we are able through the higher courts to confirm the right of any Internet resource to inform Internet users of the methods they can use to restore their constitutional rights in the network space,&#8221; the site says.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, this will only happen if the court makes a fair decision based on the laws of the Russian Federation, and not the private opinion of the local prosecutor, who we would advise to take a closer look at the relevant regulations governing the online space.&#8221;</p>
<p>Only time will tell whether RuBlacklist will be able to continue its mission as before but in the meantime the project&#8217;s cause will receive much-needed attention, even if the site itself will only be available via proxy.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=U8ZcYGajgH8:ifwzpV7SFts:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=U8ZcYGajgH8:ifwzpV7SFts:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=U8ZcYGajgH8:ifwzpV7SFts:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/U8ZcYGajgH8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117675
title: Hollywood Escalates “DVD Ripping” Case to International Incident
uri: Hollywood-Escalates-DVD-Ripping-Case-to-International-Incident
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/cEshRqbPfK8/
content:
<p><a href="media/b98d99f9.slysoft.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/slysoft.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-86305"><img src="media/ee020f78.slysoft.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/slysoft.jpg" alt="slysoft" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86305" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/slysoft-150x150.jpg 150w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/slysoft.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px"></a><a href="http://www.aacsla.com/home">AACS</a>, the decryption licensing outfit founded by a group of movie studios and technology partners including Warner Bros, Disney, Microsoft and Intel, has targeted several DRM-circumvention tools in recent years.</p>
<p>The company sued the makers of popular DVD ripping software DVDFab in the U.S and also went after the Antigua-based company SlySoft, known for its <a href="http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvd.html">AnyDVD software</a>.</p>
<p>The latter case was first referred to the criminal enforcement authorities in 2007, and after seven years of proceedings it resulted in a clear win for the licensing company.</p>
<p>An Antiguan court found Slysoft owner Giancarla Bettini <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/slysoft-dvd-ripper-owner-found-guilty-in-criminal-action-140403/">guilty</a> of six charges under the 2003 Copyright Act and ordered him to pay a fine of $5,000 per offense. Failure to pay would result in a six months in jail for each offense.</p>
<p>However, despite this positive outcome not much changed. SlySoft&#8217;s owner immediately filed an appeal which effectively put the convictions on hold. After two years the appeal has yet to begin and AnyDVD remains widely available. </p>
<p>In what appears to be a last-ditch effort, AACS is now asking the United States Trade Representative to take on the matter. The licensing company is asking the Government to place Antigua on its copyright <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_301_Report">Priority Watch List</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Circumvention through programs such as SlySoft’s AnyDVD HD is a source for widespread, large-scale and commercial copyright infringement by users located in the United States, as well as Antigua &#038; Barbuda, and many other countries,&#8221; AACS writes (<a href="media/a6a7abfb.AACS_LA_2016_Special_301_Review_Comment.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/AACS_LA_2016_Special_301_Review_Comment.pdf">pdf</a>). </p>
<p>&#8220;Such circumvention also harms the legitimate consumer electronics and information technology companies that build compliant content playback devices that &#8216;play by the rules&#8217;.” </p>
<p>In the letter AACS describes its efforts to address the matter through the Antiguan legal system, but notes that the earlier conviction failed to resolve the problem. </p>
<p>&#8220;SlySoft has continued to operate on essentially the same basis as before the conviction, with no interruption of its &#8216;business&#8217; and no relief for AACS LA and the content companies whose movies are the subject of SlySoft’s circumvention activities,&#8221; the group writes. </p>
<p>According to AACS the DVD ripping software has been downloaded by &#8220;tens of thousands of individuals&#8221; over the past two years, while categorizing the harm it&#8217;s done as &#8220;extremely high.&#8221;</p>
<p>Placing Antigua on the Priority Watch List is a logical next step, according to AACS, which will put pressure on the Caribbean island and permit the parties involved to carefully investigate the matter.</p>
<p>&#8220;AACS LA respectfully requests that the USTR place Antigua on its Priority Watch List, which will permit AACS LA and the USTR’s Office to evaluate Antigua’s activities in the coming months, including its prosecution of SlySoft and its founder.&#8221;</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not common for a single court case to escalate into an &#8220;international incident&#8221; so it&#8217;s not clear whether the U.S. Government will take on the recommendation.   </p>
<p>That said, this is not the first trade dispute between Antigua and the United States. </p>
<p>In 2005 the WTO ruled that the US refusal to let Antiguan gambling companies access their market violated free-trade, as domestic companies were allowed to operate freely. In 2007 the WTO went a step further and granted Antigua the right to suspend U.S. copyrights up to $21 million annually.</p>
<p>In response Antigua opted to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/antigua-government-set-to-launch-pirate-website-to-punish-united-states-130124/">start their own pirate site</a>, with <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/antiguas-legal-pirate-site-authorized-by-the-world-trade-organization-130128/">permission</a> from the World Trade Organization. This pirate site never saw the light of day and both countries are reportedly still working on a resolution.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cEshRqbPfK8:9q3XjAdGoJU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cEshRqbPfK8:9q3XjAdGoJU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=cEshRqbPfK8:9q3XjAdGoJU:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/cEshRqbPfK8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117520
title: $38 Script Spawns Dozens of Free Spotify-Like Sites
uri: 38-Script-Spawns-Dozens-of-Free-Spotify-Like-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/MvUCZW7uGUw/
content:
<p><a href="media/18899ff4.youtubify-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubify-small.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117725"><img src="media/18899ff4.youtubify-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubify-small.jpg" alt="youtubify-small" width="220" height="137" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117725"></a>When an Argentinian <a href="http://www.infotechnology.com">news site</a> tipped us off about a new streaming platform last month, first impressions were good.</p>
<p>Wefre (now defunct) was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/wefre-a-youtube-spotify-mashup-set-to-cause-waves-160127/">beautifully presented</a> and managed to provide the user with a Spotify-like streaming service for free.</p>
<p>Admittedly lots of other sites try to do similar things but with all the artwork, albums, playlist features and embedded videos in one place, Wefre seemed pretty unique. However, following a tip from a reader it soon became evident that nothing could be further from the truth.</p>
<p><strong>Instant music site</strong></p>
<p>Although our tipster didn&#8217;t name it, TF was informed that Wefre was the product of a new script so we set about tracking it down. We eventually found it for sale on the <a href="http://codecanyon.net">CodeCanyon</a> marketplace where it made its debut in November.</p>
<p>Called YouTubify (YouTube/Spotify combined), the script allows almost anyone to set up a free Spotify-like service with a minimum of fuss.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>YouTubify &#8211; YouTube/Spotify Mashup Script</h5>
<p><a href="media/fe71f326.youtubify.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubify.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117723"><img src="media/fe71f326.youtubify.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubify.jpg" alt="youtubify" width="600" height="256" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117723"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;Youtubify allows you to create your own music streaming website in minutes with no coding knowledge,&#8221; the <a href="http://codecanyon.net/item/youtubify-youtube-music-engine/13616699?s_rank=1">sales pitch</a> reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;It has an impressive feature set that rivals and even surpasses other biggest streaming services on the market.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to figures presented on CodeCanyon, YouTubify has been sold 310 times on that platform alone, which raises the possibility of there being hundreds of YouTubify &#8216;clone&#8217; sites on the Internet today, Wefre being just one of them.</p>
<p>Indeed, further investigation revealed <a href="https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=%22new+releases%22+%22popular+genres%22+%22popular+albums%22+%22top+50%22">dozens of similar sites</a>, all with their own style of presentation and color schemes and little addons here and there. But the fact remains that every single one was borne from exactly the same script costing just $38.00.</p>
<p>Aside from the fact that the script makes streaming site ownership so easy (potential legal issues aside, of course), for casual users there&#8217;s also the opportunity to look behind the scenes.</p>
<p>CodeCanyon provides a <a href="http://codecanyon.net/item/youtubify-youtube-music-engine/full_screen_preview/13616699">live demo</a> of the platform in action and those logging in with the username: &#8216;admin@admin.com&#8217; and the password: &#8216;admin&#8217; can check out what it&#8217;s like to operate one of these sites from the inside.</p>
<p>While the admin panel could do with some tidying up, it looks very straightforward to use and even provides the user with an opportunity to monetize their site by injecting ads. However, there&#8217;s no getting away from the fact that this is the &#8216;coding&#8217; equivalent of painting by numbers and is unlikely to bring any long-term reward for the experienced site operator.</p>
<p>But if instant music site ownership isn&#8217;t your thing, there other options too. The author of YouTubify also has some other products up his sleeve, a few of which are clearly aimed at the file-sharing market.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s <a href="http://codecanyon.net/item/bedrive-file-sharing-and-cloud-storage/12700384?s_rank=2">BeDrive</a> &#8211; a script while allows users to create their own file-sharing and cloud storage site &#8220;in minutes with no coding knowledge.&#8221;</p>
<p>Also available is <a href="http://codecanyon.net/item/mtdb-ultimate-movietv-database/6447206?s_rank=10">MTDb</a>, a similar script which in conjunction with another <a href="http://codecanyon.net/item/mtdb-streaming-plugin/8166552?s_rank=8">plug-in</a> allows the creation of a &#8220;fully functional&#8221; movies and TV show streaming site. We haven&#8217;t tested it but that sounds like a pretty big claim. (<a href="http://streaming.vebto.com/movies/4089-antman">demo here</a>).</p>
<p>These products do appear interesting at first view but whether they will encourage innovation will remain to be seen. It has to be noted though that most private trackers started off life as a pre-made script but were then developed by their owners into something unique and in many cases extremely powerful.</p>
<p>This doesn&#8217;t feel like that kind of scenario to be honest, but stranger things have happened.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=MvUCZW7uGUw:1tgTh6SmKBI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=MvUCZW7uGUw:1tgTh6SmKBI:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=MvUCZW7uGUw:1tgTh6SmKBI:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/MvUCZW7uGUw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117495
title: U.S. ISPs and Rightsholders Work on Improved Anti-Piracy Measures
uri: U-S-ISPs-and-Rightsholders-Work-on-Improved-Anti-Piracy-Measures
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/AnPWY4An4HM/
content:
<p><a href="media/bf524f61.pirate-running.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-running.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-78717"><img src="media/f2bfe741.pirate-running.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-running.jpg" alt="pirate-running" width="222" height="204" class="alignright size-full wp-image-78717"></a>During the summer of 2011 the MPAA and RIAA teamed up with five major Internet providers in the United States, announcing their a plan to “educate” BitTorrent pirates.</p>
<p>The parties launched the Center for Copyright Information (<a href="http://www.copyrightinformation.org/">CCI</a>) and agreed on a system through which Internet account holders are warned if their connections are used to download pirated content. </p>
<p>After five or six warnings ISPs take a variety of repressive measures, including bandwidth throttling and temporary disconnections.</p>
<p>The system has been in place for several years now and last summer the agreement was set to expire. However, the CCI informs TorrentFreak that the program will continue and earlier this month it was extended again until March 22. </p>
<p>This is a relatively short extension, suggesting that the parties are close to a new agreement. However, CCI was not able to confirm this.</p>
<p>&#8220;While this extension is shorter than prior extensions, it is still a matter of routine business that will allow us to maintain the program as we work together to refine the system,&#8221; a spokesperson informed us.</p>
<p><center></center><center><a href="media/deb43254.cciext.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cciext.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117506"><img src="media/deb43254.cciext.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cciext.jpg" alt="cciext" width="600" height="338" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117506"></a></center></p>
<p>The negotiations have been ongoing for months so it&#8217;s clear that the new deal will include some changes. We can only speculate what these are, but it would be no surprise if the MPAA and RIAA have asked for more serious consequences for repeat infringers. </p>
<p>Under the current system a user will no longer receive any warnings after the 6th copyright alert, and permanent disconnections are not part of the program. </p>
<p>This made sense five years ago when the original terms were negotiated. However, just a few weeks ago Cox Communications was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-is-liable-for-pirating-subscribers-ordered-to-pay-25-million-151217/">held liable</a> for pirating customers because they failed to terminate their accounts, which puts the old agreement in a new light. </p>
<p>There has also been explicit critique from some copyright holders. A few months ago several independent movies studios <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-is-a-sham-filmmaker-say-150513/">called for an end</a> to the &#8220;six strikes&#8221; scheme, describing it as an ineffective &#8220;sham&#8221;.</p>
<p>According to the movie studios the copyright alerts are highly ineffective because only a small fraction of the piracy notices are forwarded to the Internet providers.</p>
<p>Time will tell whether any of the upcoming changes will address these concerns. </p>
<p>For CCI, however, the core task remains educating consumers and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-anti-piracy-warnings-double-year-140830/">shifting norms and behavior</a>, pointing them towards legal sites and services.</p>
<p>&#8220;The members of CCI are committed to this voluntary effort to educate consumers about copyright and how they can access and enjoy digital content. We are proof positive that collaboration can work, and we are excited about the future of the organization,” CCI&#8217;s spokesperson says.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AnPWY4An4HM:7yq2TpXEOFc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=AnPWY4An4HM:7yq2TpXEOFc:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=AnPWY4An4HM:7yq2TpXEOFc:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/AnPWY4An4HM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117821
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 02/15/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-02-15-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/w0onbUc7MjY/
content:
<p><a href="media/aac22242.creed1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/creed1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117823"><img src="media/aac22242.creed1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/creed1.jpg" alt="creed1" width="290" height="156" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117823"></a>This week we have one newcomer in our chart. </p>
<p>Creed, which came out as BluRay rip this week, is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-020816/">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>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/creed_2015/">Creed</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3076658/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ9OhBYjTds">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ride_along_2/">Ride Along 2</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2869728/">5.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWfmmwdCHTg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_big_short/">The Big Short</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596363/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDlYm15ztK4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spectre_2015/">Spectre</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/">7.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(10)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_good_dinosaur/">The Good Dinosaur</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979388/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-RgquKVTPE">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_revenant_2015/">The Revenant</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/">?.?</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_forest_2016/">The Forest</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3387542/">5.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hW8hUcXR-A">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_martian/">The Martian</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659388/?">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej3ioOneTy8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda_3/">Kung Fu Panda 3</a> (Telesync)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267968/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGPPfZIvtCw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_intern/">The Intern</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2361509/">7.4</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-DEy3mylCs">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=w0onbUc7MjY:Sr4Qtq1Xtck:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=w0onbUc7MjY:Sr4Qtq1Xtck:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=w0onbUc7MjY:Sr4Qtq1Xtck:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/w0onbUc7MjY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117828
title: Kodi Announces Legal Action to Smash Piracy Links
uri: Kodi-Announces-Legal-Action-to-Smash-Piracy-Links
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/r7nnqzZMUiE/
content:
<p><img src="media/ff9d3591.kodilogo.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/kodilogo.jpg" width="250" height="100" class="alignright">Over the past several years the <a href="http://kodi.tv/">Kodi media player</a> has grown to become one of the most-used pieces of software through which people can stream, download and otherwise obtain copyright infringing content.</p>
<p>While millions have heard of BitTorrent, living rooms around the world are now more likely to have a device running Kodi, largely due to how easily the software is run on smart-enabled TVs.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the companies behind both BitTorrent and Kodi have a similar problem. Through the actions of their users, both sets of developers are up to their necks in piracy-related news and both would prefer not to be since neither has done anything illegal.</p>
<p>BitTorrent Inc. has made huge efforts on the PR front to try and educate the masses, with limited effect. Now <a href="http://kodi.tv/">Team Kodi</a> say they will do the same but if the early signs are a prediction of the future, this will be a tough challenge.</p>
<p><strong>The problem in a nutshell</strong></p>
<p>Kodi is just a media player, it carries no content. However, Kodi has the ability to run third party plugins that in many instances make infringing content available to the user. So, when people load Kodi with plugins recommended by a friend and then see the latest movies listed, they believe that Kodi &#8211; and the people behind Kodi &#8211; are the ones providing them with the movies.</p>
<p>Needless to say, for Team Kodi this is a huge problem. Not only are they already wrongly associated with huge amounts of infringing activity, the installed addons often break or do not function as advertised. When users get problems they head off to the Kodi forums and vent &#8211; to entirely the wrong people.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/fd4d0b9a.kodi-piracy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kodi-piracy.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117839"><img src="media/fd4d0b9a.kodi-piracy.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kodi-piracy.png" alt="kodi-piracy" width="491" height="160" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117839"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;Every day a new user shows up on the Kodi forum, totally unaware that the free movies they’re watching have been pirated and surprised to discover that Kodi itself isn’t providing those movies,&#8221; says XBMC Foundation President and Kodi Product Manager Nathan Betzen.</p>
<p>But while those who install Kodi on their own machines and obtain the addons themselves probably understand that Team Kodi isn&#8217;t to blame for their piracy, there are countless thousands &#8211; maybe millions &#8211; of people out there who are entirely clueless.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s because they are buying hardware devices from places such as eBay and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/did-pirates-clean-out-amazon-fire-tv-stock-in-the-uk-151229/">Amazon</a> with Kodi ready set-up with potentially infringing <a href="http://www.tvaddons.ag/">third party addons</a>.</p>
<p>More often than not, these products are advertised as &#8220;fully loaded&#8221; and less subtly as &#8220;Powered by Kodi&#8221;. The latter infuriates Team Kodi, especially when the devices fail to operate as promised.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/aa9b3bb7.kodi-piracy1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kodi-piracy1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117842"><img src="media/aa9b3bb7.kodi-piracy1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kodi-piracy1.png" alt="kodi-piracy1" width="600" height="246" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117842"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;There have been a wave of sellers who decided to make a quick buck modifying Kodi, installing broken piracy add-ons, advertising that Kodi let’s you watch free movies and TV, and then vanishing when the user buys the box and finds out that the add-on they were sold on was a crummy, constantly breaking mess,&#8221; Betzen explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;These sellers are dragging users into the world of piracy without their knowledge and at the same time convincing new users that Kodi is a buggy mess, because they never differentiate Kodi from 3rd party add-ons.&#8221;</p>
<p>By now there are millions of Kodi users and although its difficult if not impossible to put numbers on them, it&#8217;s probably fair to assume that the majority are using the software for piracy. So what can the Kodi team possibly do?</p>
<p><strong>Bring out the trademark banhammer</strong></p>
<p>Well, the team has a plan which involves dissociating the Kodi name from infringing acts. The XBMC Foundation owns the <a href="http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&#038;state=4801:til73m.4.2">&#8216;Kodi&#8217; trademark</a> and is legally entitled to chase down people who use it without permission.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/2db69693.kodi-trademark.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kodi-trademark.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117846"><img src="media/2db69693.kodi-trademark.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kodi-trademark.png" alt="kodi-trademark" width="600" height="255" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117846"></a></center></p>
<p>They <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/xbmckodi-targets-piracy-promoting-ebay-sellers-141101/">announced an intention</a> to do so in 2014 but it appears things have gotten so bad since that core Kodi developers have threatened to quit unless something more aggressive is done.</p>
<p>&#8220;This means we will issue trademark takedown notices anywhere we think the likelihood for confusion is high. If you are selling a box on your website designed to trick users into thinking broken add-ons come from us and work perfectly, so you can make a buck, we’re going to do everything we can to stop you,&#8221; Betzen warns.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you are making a video in which you claim to be a Kodi developer or Kodi team member or you are just using the Kodi name while assuring users that some pirate add-on is totally legal and isn’t going to break next week, we will do everything we can to take you down.&#8221;</p>
<p>That&#8217;s right. Team Kodi aren&#8217;t just going to target sellers of piracy-configured boxes, but even people putting up YouTube videos that use the Kodi trademark without permission.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most of all, we are tired of a thousand different salesmen and Youtubers making money off ruining our name. And there are even more people out there seeking to make a quick buck by selling ads on videos about getting free movies and TV while using Kodi in their channel name to make their content seem official, as if those videos are coming from us.&#8221;</p>
<p>There has already been vigorous debate in the Kodi forums over how far the team will be prepared to go, with suggestions that even people monetizing &#8220;Kodi tips&#8221; could become a target.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/87c91f79.kodi-piracy2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kodi-piracy2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117844"><img src="media/87c91f79.kodi-piracy2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kodi-piracy2.png" alt="kodi-piracy2" width="600" height="531" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117844"></a></center></p>
<p>Only time will tell how this will play out, but the Kodi team are under no illusions that this is a huge task. To that end they&#8217;re <a href="http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=259387">enrolling supporters</a> to help them with their trademark offensive against both sellers and YouTubers.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you see somebody selling a box that’s &#8216;fully loaded&#8217; or comes with the phrase &#8216;Free movies and TV with Kodi,&#8217; please, ask them to stop. And let us know. It’s OK to sell a vanilla Kodi box. It’s OK to sell a fully loaded box that doesn’t have Kodi installed or fully rebrands Kodi to something else entirely. It is not OK to sell a fully loaded Kodi box,&#8221; the team clarify.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you see a Youtuber using the Kodi logo as part of his channel, constantly marketing Kodi as a source of free movies, ask him to stop pretending to be us and dragging our name through the muck. And, of course, let us know. Who knows, maybe the Youtuber has no idea that he or she is causing so many problems and a conversation might solve them.&#8221;</p>
<p>Interestingly, while Team Kodi are clearly sick of being connected to piracy, they aren&#8217;t actually condemning what the user does.</p>
<p>&#8220;Team Kodi maintains an officially neutral stance on what users do with their own software. Kodi is open source software, and as long as the GPL is followed, you are welcome to do with it as you like,&#8221; Betzen explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;So while we don’t love this use of Kodi, as long as you know what illegal and potentially dangerous things you are getting yourself into and accept the fact that the Team will not be providing you with any support, then you are welcome to do what you like.&#8221;</p>
<p>There&#8217;s no doubt that the Kodi team has a mountain to climb and at this point it seems unlikely they will ever truly get to the top. That being said, it will be interesting to see them try as this is a unique situation that few have ever faced before.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=r7nnqzZMUiE:r-SdTTHucr8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=r7nnqzZMUiE:r-SdTTHucr8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=r7nnqzZMUiE:r-SdTTHucr8:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/r7nnqzZMUiE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117833
title: Cox Refuses to Spy on Subscribers to Catch Pirates
uri: Cox-Refuses-to-Spy-on-Subscribers-to-Catch-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/7rH5R8Z2o_o/
content:
<p><a href="media/1082974f.cox-logo.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cox-logo.png" rel="attachment wp-att-68146"><img src="media/015f41e0.cox-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cox-logo.png" alt="cox-logo" width="200" height="99" class="alignright size-full wp-image-68146"></a>Last December a Virginia federal jury ruled that Internet provider Cox Communications was responsible  for the copyright infringements of its subscribers.</p>
<p>The ISP was found guilty of willful contributory copyright infringement and must pay music publisher BMG Rights Management <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-is-liable-for-pirating-subscribers-ordered-to-pay-25-million-151217/">$25 million in damages</a>.</p>
<p>The verdict was a massive victory for the music company and a disaster for Cox, but the case is not closed yet. </p>
<p>A few weeks ago BMG <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/cox-should-expose-pirating-subscribers-court-hears-160127/">asked the court</a> to issue a permanent injunction against Cox Communications, requiring the Internet provider to terminate the accounts of pirating subscribers and share their details with the copyright holder. </p>
<p>In addition BMG wants the Internet provider to take further action to prevent infringements on its network. While the company remained vague on the specifics, it mentioned the option of using invasive <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_packet_inspection">deep packet inspection</a> technology.</p>
<p>Last Friday, Cox filed a reply pointing out why BMG&#8217;s demands go too far, rejecting the suggestion of broad spying and account termination without due process. </p>
<p>&#8220;To the extent the injunction requires either termination or surveillance, it imposes undue hardships on Cox, both because the order is vague and because it imposes disproportionate, intrusive, and punitive measures against households and businesses with no due process,&#8221; Cox writes (<a href="media/ce37af0b.Coxopp1.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/Coxopp1.pdf">pdf</a>).</p>
<p>For one, Cox believes that the proposed injunction is vague. It doesn&#8217;t specify what a repeat infringer is and ignores false positives or other complicating situations.  </p>
<p>&#8220;What if, for example, the subscriber’s computer was infected with malware, the user’s network password was stolen, or a neighbor or guest accessed the user’s account? BMG’s motion and proposed order are silent on these critical questions,&#8221; Cox writes.</p>
<p>The Internet provider also rejects the mass-surveillance suggestion. Aside from it being a privacy violation, Cox says it can&#8217;t identify and block individual files its subscribers send. </p>
<p>While some measures can be taken to detect overall BitTorrent traffic, its tools can&#8217;t easily pinpoint pirated content flowing through its network. </p>
<p>&#8220;The evidence at trial showed that Cox cannot use deep packet inspection or other tools to police its users’ activities because surveillance to detect the contents of user transmissions is likely illegal,&#8221; Cox writes.  </p>
<p>&#8220;The evidence showed that Cox does not track where users go on the Internet; that Cox does not know what content passes over its system, and that Cox cannot identify, much less block, which files a subscriber accesses or shares using BitTorrent,&#8221; they add.</p>
<p>The spying element is not the only privacy invasion, according to Cox. The copyright holder also asked for the injunction to require the ISP to hand over the personal details of copyright infringers. </p>
<p>Cox notes that this request clearly violates the DMCA. In addition, it threatens the public interest by exposing personal details of subscribers to an &#8220;abuser&#8221; such as the piracy settlement outfit Rightscorp. </p>
<p>&#8220;BMG’s proposed injunction threatens the public interest. It blindly punishes consumers by terminating their Internet access based on mere accusations, invading their privacy, and forcing them into a relationship with known abuser Rightscorp.&#8221;</p>
<p>Taking the above into account, Cox is asking the court to deny the proposed injunction, or limit it so it would not require any monitoring or the handing over of private subscriber details. </p>
<p>The court will now review the request from both sides and is expected to rule on the matter during the weeks to come. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7rH5R8Z2o_o:w39tgImRLG4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=7rH5R8Z2o_o:w39tgImRLG4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=7rH5R8Z2o_o:w39tgImRLG4:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/7rH5R8Z2o_o" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117875
title: Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo Sparks Piracy Craze
uri: Kanye-West-s-The-Life-of-Pablo-Sparks-Piracy-Craze
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/89RUhzCi0pU/
content:
<p><a href="media/4907b68d.lifeofpablo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/lifeofpablo.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117879"><img src="media/4907b68d.lifeofpablo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/lifeofpablo.jpg" alt="lifeofpablo" width="250" height="194" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117879"></a>Kanye West has been dominating the news this week with a <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/14/entertainment/kanye-west-life-of-pablo-snl-feat/">combination</a> of absurd statements and the release of his new album The Life of Pablo. </p>
<p>In a surprise move West released <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_of_Pablo">his album</a> exclusively on Tidal and his personal website. This limited availability angered many fans who refuse to sign up for an expensive monthly subscription.</p>
<p>And even those who signed up for Tidal had issues getting their hands on the album. Tidal&#8217;s support desk has been flooded with complains from people who failed to receive a copy due to issues with the service&#8217;s payment system. </p>
<p>Then, a few hours ago, Kanye West fueled the controversy by claiming that his latest album will never be for sale.</p>
<p>&#8220;My album will never never never be on Apple. And it will never be for sale&#8230; You can only get it on Tidal,&#8221; he wrote. </p>
<p><center><strong>Not for sale</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/c248353a.kanyesale.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kanyesale.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117876"><img src="media/c248353a.kanyesale.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kanyesale.png" alt="kanyesale" width="563" height="158" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117876"></a></center></p>
<p>Kanye&#8217;s statement received a lot of pushback from fans, several of whom had already noticed the various unauthorized copies of The Life of Pablo that have been floating around on the Internet. </p>
<p>Soon after the album was released pirated copies started to populate many torrent and direct download sites, something many people on social media were quick to point out.</p>
<p><center><strong>Arrr</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/f29aed93.kanyebay.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kanyebay.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117877"><img src="media/f29aed93.kanyebay.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kanyebay.png" alt="kanyebay" width="563" height="294" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117877"></a></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak has been keeping a close eye on the popularity of the album on BitTorrent and after the first day an estimated 500,000 people have already grabbed a copy. </p>
<p>The album is currently leading The Pirate Bay&#8217;s list of most shared music torrents by a landslide. At the time of writing close to 10,000 people were sharing a copy of the most popular torrent simultaneously, something we haven&#8217;t seen with a music release before.</p>
<p>Aside from torrent sites, the album is also being widely distributed on various direct download services and hosting sites, increasing the overall piracy numbers even further. </p>
<p><center><strong>The Life of Pablo</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/e151b6c5.pablo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pablo.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117885"><img src="media/e151b6c5.pablo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pablo.png" alt="pablo" width="600" height="236" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117885"></a></center></p>
<p>The Life of Pablo was a highly anticipated album which would have resulted in a lot of piracy anyway, but it&#8217;s safe to say that the limited release boosted these numbers significantly. </p>
<p>On the flip side, Tidal most likely received tends of thousands of new subscribers, so it&#8217;s hard to draw any strong conclusions in terms of revenue. But perhaps Mark Zuckerberg <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/kanye-west-wants-a-1-billion-from-facebooks-mark-zuckerberg-2016-02-15">can jump in</a> if the results are disappointing.</p>
<p>Thus far Kanye hasn&#8217;t commented on the piracy issue, but the RIAA is <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/11838280">working hard</a> to take links to pirated content down. Many of the torrents that were uploaded yesterday have been <a href="media/230002bd.GOrkhFI.png" data-original-source="http://i.imgur.com/GOrkhFI.png">removed</a>, but these are soon replaced by new ones.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=89RUhzCi0pU:lpdFvfF1mRM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=89RUhzCi0pU:lpdFvfF1mRM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=89RUhzCi0pU:lpdFvfF1mRM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/89RUhzCi0pU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117909
title: Steal This Show S01E06: Revolutionizing Hollywood
uri: Steal-This-Show-S01E06-Revolutionizing-Hollywood
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/486yVew3qRg/
content:
<p><img src="media/585776e5.steal240.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/steal240.png" alt="steal240" width="200" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-113930"></a>This special episode&nbsp;features <a href="http://www.lanceweiler.com/">Lance Weiler</a> – writer, director &amp; experience designer. Lance is the creator of movies&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Broadcast_(film)">The Last Broadcast</a> (1998) and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439194/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Head Trauma</a> (2005).&nbsp;<em>WIRED</em> magazine named him &#8216;one of 25 people helping to re-invent entertainment and change the face of Hollywood.&#8217; </p>
<p>As well as zooming through&nbsp;Lance&#8217;s career, Jamie and Lance discuss how digital distribution revolutionized indie filmmaking, while filmmakers resisted it; how&nbsp;Lance sees piracy as a positive; the challenges for discovery and attention when everyone&#8217;s a creator; and how to hijack Sherlock Holmes.</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>Guess:</strong> <a href="http://www.lanceweiler.com/">Lance Weiler</a>.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="100%" height="180px" src="//stealthisshow.com/?lpe-frame=1&#038;lpe-season=1&#038;lpe-episode=6" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<p><strong>Produced </strong> <em>by </em>Jamie King<br>
<strong>Edited &#038; Mixed</strong> <em>by</em> Eric Bouthiller<br>
<strong>Original Music</strong> <em>by</em> David Triana<br>
<strong>Web Production</strong> <em>by</em> Siraje Amarniss</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=486yVew3qRg:dZk2iu3uMjs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=486yVew3qRg:dZk2iu3uMjs:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=486yVew3qRg:dZk2iu3uMjs:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/486yVew3qRg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117900
title: Singapore Court Orders Country’s First Pirate Site Blockade
uri: Singapore-Court-Orders-Country-s-First-Pirate-Site-Blockade
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/hGpHi_GMkXc/
content:
<p><a href="media/43cbfef5.solarmovie1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/solarmovie1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-91151"><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>Blocking websites with the assistance of Internet service providers has emerged as one of the preferred methods of rightsholders seeking to reduce online infringement.</p>
<p>The practice is endorsed by both the music industry <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-research-blocking-the-pirate-bay-works-so-140828/">and Hollywood</a>, with MPAA chief Chris Dodd giving the practice his <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-pirate-site-blockades-140613/">personal blessing</a>.</p>
<p>In the summer of 2014, Singapore <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/singapore-passes-pirate-bay-blocking-anti-piracy-law-140708/">passed amendments</a> to its Copyright Act and later that year they became law, allowing the country to join the growing list of countries prepared to block sites at the ISP level. </p>
<p>It was expected that sites would be blocked fairly quickly but progress has been slow, with no sites blocked in 2015. However, according to a <a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/solarmovieph-is-first-piracy-website-to-be-blocked-under-amended-copyright-act">report</a> in local media, that will soon change.</p>
<p>Last Thursday, Singapore&#8217;s High Court ordered local ISPs including Singtel, StarHub and M1 to disable access to SolarMovie.ph, a website offering links to mainly pirate movies. According to Alexa, SolarMovie has a world traffic rank of 1,500.</p>
<p>The move was welcomed by Mike Ellis, the MPA&#8217;s Asia-Pacific president and managing director.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is important that the creative industries are able to work via Singapore&#8217;s High Court to take a reasonable step forward to limit content theft,&#8221; Ellis said. </p>
<p>&#8220;Piracy websites not only stifle the growth of legal online platforms for movies and television shows, they may also pose a risk of malware infection.&#8221;</p>
<p>It was originally believed that The Pirate Bay would be the first site to be blocked by Singapore but that site may be in a batch of domains being dealt with separately by IFPI.</p>
<p>In January 2015 the music group <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/ifpi-targets-pirate-domains-with-new-site-blocking-law-150113/">suggested</a> it would collect evidence against The Pirate Bay with a view to getting it blocked, but at the time the site was still down following the December 2014 raid that took the site offline for two months.</p>
<p>IFPI previously said it would initially target three to five sites in Singapore, so expect developments on that front in the weeks and months to come.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=hGpHi_GMkXc:ccaBQ6hYFqQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=hGpHi_GMkXc:ccaBQ6hYFqQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=hGpHi_GMkXc:ccaBQ6hYFqQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/hGpHi_GMkXc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117873
title: Kids’ ‘Frozen’ Show Canceled After Disney Refuses Music License
uri: Kids-Frozen-Show-Canceled-After-Disney-Refuses-Music-License
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/cx1G-nY5uY4/
content:
<p>After hearing songs from the hit show Frozen on a continuous loop since its release in 2013, millions of parents must long for the day when their kids find something else to take its place.</p>
<p>But while adults wish that their offspring would just let it go, it&#8217;s still preferable to hearing kids crying and/or complaining during this week&#8217;s half term break in the UK. But that&#8217;s exactly what a couple of thousand adults have to look forward to thanks to a licensing screw up and the inflexible folks at Disney.</p>
<p>Tomorrow night at the Heywood Civic Centre in Manchester, the Frozen tribute show &#8216;Freezing – An Icy Adventure&#8217; was set to entertain kids from all over the region but a dispute over copyright means that the show has been completely canceled.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/b43a45da.freezing-big.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/freezing-big.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117884"><img src="media/b43a45da.freezing-big.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/freezing-big.png" alt="freezing-big" width="500" height="346" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117884"></a></center></p>
<p>Disney&#8217;s lawyers contacted the venue to inform the production that they hadn&#8217;t obtained the correct licensing, something which came as a shock.</p>
<p>Promoter Carl Tebbutt told the <a href="http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/frozen-disney-heywood-show-cancelled-10896700">MEN</a> that the production believed it was covered under the licensing agreement they have with the PRS (<a href="http://www.prsformusic.com/Pages/default.aspx">Performing Rights Society</a>) under whose control creators get paid for public performances.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a reasonable assumption as PRS cover the vast majority of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/licences-to-play-music-in-a-theatre">licensing in the UK</a>. However, Disney bosses told the production that their content is not handled by PRS.</p>
<p>It took TF a while to find the relevant paperwork (<a href="media/c0457faa.PRS_Theatre20and20Variety20Booklet_011215.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.prsformusic.com/users/businessesandliveevents/livevenuesevents/theatre/Documents/PRS_Theatre%20and%20Variety%20Booklet_011215.pdf">pdf</a>) but sure enough, Disney is one of a handful of notable exclusions.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/c5c8611f.prs-exclusions.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/prs-exclusions.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117887"><img src="media/c5c8611f.prs-exclusions.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/prs-exclusions.png" alt="prs-exclusions" width="550" height="826" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117887"></a></center></p>
<p>So considering the combination of a genuine mix up, the huge resources that have gone into the production and thousands of disappointed kids, Disney were prepared to grant the production a temporary license, right? Not a chance.</p>
<p><center><br>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Freezing &#8211; An Icy Adventure</p>
<p>CANCELLED DUE TO LEGAL COMPLICATIONS</p>
<p>If you have tickets please contact box office immediately<br>0300 303 8633</p>
<p>&mdash; Heywood Civic Centre (@HeywoodCivic) <a href="https://twitter.com/HeywoodCivic/status/699229255662706688">February 15, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center></p>
<p>“It’s all one big misunderstanding,&#8221; Tebbutt told MEN.</p>
<p>“We thought that we were covered for use of the songs by the usual PRS payment but after being approached by the Disney legal representatives this appears to be not the case.</p>
<p>“Rather than risk legal action we regrettably have had to cancel the shows.”</p>
<p>Although directed more at the United States, Disney <a href="http://disneytheatricallicensing.com">has a website</a> dedicated to providing information on how to obtain a performance license for its content and the company has the entire thing on lockdown. Anyone intending to perform even a small element of a show needs to have a license for the whole thing, even if they don&#8217;t intend to charge admission.</p>
<p>And those thinking of adding a little artistic re-interpretation can think again. Any deviance from Disney&#8217;s provided script, music and lyrics is banned and those that ignore the rules can have their licenses withdrawn.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the event that changes are made, your license may be revoked and you will lose the rights to perform the show at all. Please remember that when you acquire a license, you are agreeing to use your artistic vision to bring the show to life as the authors originally conceived it,&#8221; the site reads.</p>
<p>Parents wanting to record their kids&#8217; performances must pay up front too.</p>
<p>&#8220;A school or organization must obtain a video license from [Disney licensing] before any individual records the production. Otherwise, video recording under all circumstances is prohibited,&#8221; Disney explains.</p>
<p>In fact, Disney is so precious over every piece of its content that even &#8216;right-click&#8217; and &#8216;copy&#8217; is disabled on its website. That&#8217;s easily circumvented by choosing &#8216;copy&#8217; from the browser menu instead but there will be no such short-cuts for the children of Manchester tomorrow night. And they Were So Close too.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cx1G-nY5uY4:51kda2g4pAk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cx1G-nY5uY4:51kda2g4pAk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=cx1G-nY5uY4:51kda2g4pAk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/cx1G-nY5uY4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117919
title: MPAA-Hunted Popcorn Time Makes Surprise ‘Comeback’
uri: MPAA-Hunted-Popcorn-Time-Makes-Surprise-Comeback
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/yqzZ4t7Soag/
content:
<p><a href="media/522cd0a1.hydrapop.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hydrapop.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117921"><img src="media/522cd0a1.hydrapop.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hydrapop.png" alt="hydrapop" width="277" height="164" class="alignright size-full wp-image-117921" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hydrapop-220x130.png 220w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/hydrapop.png 277w" sizes="(max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px"></a>Late last year the main Popcorn Time fork, operating from the PopcornTime.io domain name, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-chaos-triggers-more-downtime-151023/">shut down its website</a> unexpectedly.</p>
<p>The MPAA took credit for the fall announcing that it had <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-we-shut-down-ytsyify-and-popcorn-time-151103/">filed a lawsuit</a> against several of the developers in Canada. In response to these legal threats several key developers backed out.</p>
<p>Since the initial announcement there hasn’t been much news about the project. However, that changed a few hours ago. </p>
<p>It began when the outdated versions of the PopcornTime.io fork received a surprise update, noting that &#8220;Hail Hydra&#8221; was installed. Following this update the application became fully operational again without any significant issues. </p>
<p>The main changes in the new version appear to be that it&#8217;s based on the code from Popcorn Time&#8217;s &#8216;legal&#8217; spin-off <a href="http://butterproject.org/">Butter</a> and that it no longer promotes the VPN service VPN.ht.</p>
<p>Soon after the update there was additional confirmation of a &#8216;comeback.&#8217; The official <a href="https://github.com/popcorn-official/popcorn-desktop">GitHub repository</a> was updated with a new working version and now points to <a href="https://popcorntime.sh">PopcornTime.sh</a> as the new home, as does the <a href="https://twitter.com/popcorntimetv">official Twitter</a> account.</p>
<p><center><strong>PopcornTime.io&#8217;s former Twitter account</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/1126ca3d.popcomtweet.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcomtweet.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117924"><img src="media/1126ca3d.popcomtweet.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcomtweet.png" alt="popcomtweet" width="589" height="322" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117924"></a></center></p>
<p>The MPAA is not going to be happy with the surprise return, but indirectly they did take part in it. The code used to update the old application used the <a href="https://its.pt/update3.json">Its.pt domain name</a> (<a href="media/8625b9b5.hGgiEdf.png" data-original-source="http://i.imgur.com/hGgiEdf.png">mirror</a>). </p>
<p>This domain uses four nameservers (<a href="media/54c2cc91.its.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/its.png">ptn.sh, ptn.re. ptn.wf and ptm.pm</a>) which are all <a href="http://whois.domaintools.com/ptn.re">controlled and owned</a> by the MPAA. The MPAA obtained these domains as a result of the legal action in Canada and could have updated them.</p>
<p>The MPAA probably isn&#8217;t behind the comeback, but who is? TorrentFreak spoke with most key members of the old Popcorntime.io team, some of who were sued by the MPAA, and all deny being behind it.</p>
<p>Popcorn Time developer Wally, who also founded the VPN.ht service, previously told us that he was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-times-alive-full-comeback-in-the-works-151117/">working on a comeback</a>. He is one of the members of the core team that wasn&#8217;t sued by the MPAA, although his name was mentioned in the complaint. </p>
<p>However, when asked about the current comeback Wally denied all involvement.</p>
<p>What&#8217;s clear is that the new PopcornTime version is signed with the same private keys as the previous .io fork, keys that belong to the PopcornTime.io project. </p>
<p>After going around in circles it appears that no one is willing to take credit for the return. Perhaps wise, as the MPAA will be watching the developments closely. At the same time, however, this mystery may also be a bit uneasy for the software&#8217;s users.</p>
<p>While some may see it as a victory the comeback also adds to an increasingly complex Popcorn Time web. With several forks and new domain names popping up, shutting down and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PopcornTimeCommunity/photos/a.471777199687012.1073741828.471746569690075/474158069448925/?type=1&#038;theater">targeting each other</a> in recent months, it has been hard to keep up. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=yqzZ4t7Soag:DWqw9Pk8ClA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=yqzZ4t7Soag:DWqw9Pk8ClA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=yqzZ4t7Soag:DWqw9Pk8ClA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/yqzZ4t7Soag" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117946
title: KickassTorrents User Ordered to Stop Pirating or Face Fines
uri: KickassTorrents-User-Ordered-to-Stop-Pirating-or-Face-Fines
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/cPYKlfvTVko/
content:
<p><img src="media/dec198ac.KAT.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/KAT.png" width="278" height="155" class="alignright">Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN has been a thorn in the side of Internet pirates for many years, largely targeting sites and services to reduce content availability.</p>
<p>BREIN claims to have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/brein-takes-343-pirate-sites-offline-warns-uploaders-160109/">taken down</a> more than 340 sites in 2015, including 96 streaming platforms and 63 torrent indexes. However, for 2016 the anti-piracy outfit has committed to a strategy that makes things a little more personal for downloaders.</p>
<p>In recent months BREIN has made several announcements relating to its pursuit of individual file-sharers, particularly those at the more serious end of the scale. Think those that <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/brein-does-a-deal-with-kickass-and-pirate-bay-uploader-151205/">upload a lot of content</a> to torrent sites, rather than more casual downloaders (although BREIN isn&#8217;t ruling that out).</p>
<p>Today BREIN announced its latest target, a prolific uploader to KickassTorrents (KAT), the world&#8217;s largest torrent site. Instead of tackling the individual head on, BREIN headed to court to obtain an order that would forbid him from continuing his sharing activities.</p>
<p>Known online by the alias &#8220;<a href="https://kat.cr/user/reinrox/">Reinrox</a>&#8220;, the individual allegedly uploaded around 105 torrents to KAT, half of which were popular music videos from the likes of Adele, Robin Schulz and Meghan Trainor. The remainder included songs from the Top 40, several films (including Rocky 1 to 5) and complete TV series such as CSI:Miami.</p>
<p>In court papers BREIN identified Reinrox by his real name and explained that overall he had been responsible for infringing the copyrights of &#8220;many hundreds&#8221; of titles, many of which belong to BREIN&#8217;s clients.</p>
<p>Stressing the damage being caused by the Kickass user&#8217;s activities, BREIN asked the court for action to bring the infringement to an end.</p>
<p>&#8220;Given the scale of infringement&#8230;.BREIN has well-founded fear that the respondent will continue his conduct, whether or not through another website or under another alias,&#8221; the anti-piracy group said.</p>
<p>BREIN indicated that an order issued by the court for Reinrox to cease and desist under threat of a large fine would hopefully bring an end to the matter. Interestingly, BREIN said that in its experience an <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_parte">ex parte</a></em> order yields better compliance than issuing a summons to an alleged infringer.</p>
<p>&#8220;An <em>ex parte</em> court order reinforced with a penalty gives those whose rights have been violated the greatest possible assurance that this will not happen again,&#8221; BREIN told the court, adding that an early decision would put an end to Reinrox&#8217;s activities which &#8220;continue unabated every day without the rights holders being compensated in any way.&#8221;</p>
<p>BREIN said that as long as the uploaded torrents remained live on KickassTorrents its clients would continue to suffer &#8220;substantial and irreparable damage&#8221;. This, alongside the threat of Reinrox uploading more content, justified a swift solution.</p>
<p>&#8220;The nature, severity and repetitive nature of the infringements committed by the respondent justify this order being granted immediately given without the respondent being heard,&#8221; BREIN said.</p>
<p>The court agreed, granting BREIN the order it required and ordering Reinrox to cease and desist within 24 hours of being notified of the decision. As can be seen from the image below, that had an immediate effect on his KickassTorrents account which was deleted two weeks ago.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/90251475.brein-delete.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/brein-delete.png" rel="attachment wp-att-117961"><img src="media/90251475.brein-delete.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/brein-delete.png" alt="brein-delete" width="498" height="317" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-117961"></a></center></p>
<p>While it appears Reinrox intends to comply with the ruling from the court (BREIN says that an agreement has been signed), the Dutchman faces significant penalties should he change his mind. Court documents (<a href="media/24732cb9.t201420januari20201620IEF201569520Stichting20Brein20tegen20R.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.ie-forum.nl/backoffice/uploads/file/Vzr_%20Rechtbank%20Zeeland-West-Brabant%2014%20januari%202016,%20IEF%2015695%20(Stichting%20Brein%20tegen%20R).pdf">pdf</a>) indicate a fine of 2,000 euros per day for any breach, up to a maximum of 50,000 euros.</p>
<p>The ruling is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-group-stops-prolific-kickasstorrents-uploader-151127/">almost identical</a> to one handed down last November against another KickassTorrents user said so have uploaded around 750 torrents and the signs suggest it won&#8217;t be the last.</p>
<p>BREIN previously indicated that this kind of legal action would become a feature of its activities in 2016 after deploying special software to help with the task.</p>
<p>“The system is registered with the Dutch data protection authority (CBP) which has issued a certified statement after examination the legality for the processing of personal data in this system by BREIN,” the group said.</p>
<p>Those caught by BREIN will be required to sign a cease and desist agreement and pay a contribution towards costs and damages, which currently amount to around 12,500 euros.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cPYKlfvTVko:jyvSOIvoduk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=cPYKlfvTVko:jyvSOIvoduk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=cPYKlfvTVko:jyvSOIvoduk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/cPYKlfvTVko" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117953
title: YouTube Copyright Complaint Kills Harvard Professor’s Copyright Lecture (Update)
uri: YouTube-Copyright-Complaint-Kills-Harvard-Professor-s-Copyright-Lect
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/au3K9VkrBu8/
content:
<p><a href="media/c0ea239b.youtubeface.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/youtubeface.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-107705"><img src="media/a5365da2.youtubeface.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youtubeface.jpg" alt="youtubeface" width="222" height="158" class="alignright size-full wp-image-107705"></a>Week in and week out automated bots detect and report millions of alleged copyright infringements, which are then processed by the receiving site without a human ever looking at them.</p>
<p>Unfortunately this process is far from flawless, resulting in many false and inaccurate takedown requests.</p>
<p>For regular Internet users YouTube’s Content-ID is particularly problematic. We highlighted this issue <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtubes-content-id-piracy-filter-wreaks-havoc-110908/">a few years ago</a> but in recent months <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVqFAMOtwaI">opposition</a> has been swelling. </p>
<p>Google recognizes the problems and recently offered to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-pays-users-legal-bills-to-defend-fair-use-151120/">pay the legal bills</a> of several people who argued that their removed videos are protected by &#8216;fair use&#8217; legislation. However, this has had little impact on the Content-ID system which still flags a lot of legal content. </p>
<p>Most recently, Harvard Law professor <a href="http://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/directory/10270/Fisher">William Fisher</a> had one of his courses pulled from YouTube <a href="https://twitter.com/presroi/status/698190623464099841">following</a> a takedown request submitted by Sony Music. Ironically, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GGE_ToREPw">the video</a> in question has the rather fitting title: &#8220;The Subject Matter of Copyright: Music.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><strong>The video in question</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/52d8b989.youremove.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youremove.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-117955"><img src="media/52d8b989.youremove.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/youremove.jpg" alt="youremove" width="600" height="615" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117955"></a></center></p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160214/08293233599/sony-music-issues-takedown-copyright-lecture-about-music-copyrights-harvard-law-professor.shtml">pointed out</a> by Techdirt, the course is still available on the <a href="http://copyx.org/lectures/">CopyrightX</a> project website. A more detailed look shows that it does indeed include some music clips, all covers of Jimi Hendrix&#8217;s Little Wing.</p>
<p>None of the tracks, which include covers by Joe Cocker, Santana and Stevie Ray Vaughan, are played in full. Instead, Fisher highlights small segments ranging from 15 to roughly 40 seconds. </p>
<p>Given the educational nature of the clip, this would be an excellent example of fair use. However, the video in question was flagged and subsequently removed from public view by YouTube&#8217;s system. </p>
<p>The &#8216;takedown&#8217; is likely to be an automated one, but that doesn&#8217;t make it less of an issue. There appears to be very little oversight of YouTube takedowns, if any, and with more copyright holders joining the Content-ID program the problems may get worse. </p>
<p>Perhaps Professor Fisher could make a case out of this. His colleague Lawrence Lessig did the same a few years ago, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/lawrence-lessig-wins-damages-for-bogus-youtube-takedown-140228/">with success</a>, and apparently Google is interested in picking up the legal fees.</p>
<p>Ultimately, however, YouTube should consider giving its publishers more tools to counter inaccurate requests. As long as a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/youtube-flags-cat-purring-as-copyright-infringing-music-150211/">cat purring</a> is still flagged as copyright infringement, there&#8217;s plenty of room for improvement. </p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> The video in question is now accessible again. It was unavailable for more than a day, but apparently the mistake was corrected after it was pointed out in public.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=au3K9VkrBu8:HFnok7RGapQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=au3K9VkrBu8:HFnok7RGapQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=au3K9VkrBu8:HFnok7RGapQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/au3K9VkrBu8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117994
title: Aussie Site Blocking Imminent But Three Strikes Abandoned
uri: Aussie-Site-Blocking-Imminent-But-Three-Strikes-Abandoned
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/38jiB-xBb4U/
content:
<p><a href="media/c5e87d4f.aus.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-96798"><img src="media/dbb74c88.aus.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg" alt="aus" width="250" height="159" class="alignright size-full wp-image-96798"></a>The issue of online piracy is a political hot-potato in dozens of regions around the world but few developed countries have received as much attention as Australia.</p>
<p>Historically treated as second-class citizens when it comes to official content availability and pricing, Australians have frequently been labeled some of the world&#8217;s worst pirates, a stigma that has attracted much attention from United States entertainment companies.</p>
<p>To that end Australia has faced a huge effort to introduce two key anti-piracy mechanisms. On the one hand Hollywood studios, led by local entertainment outfit Village Roadshow, have campaigned for the introduction of web blockades against the likes of The Pirate Bay and other unauthorized media distribution sites.</p>
<p>On the other, entertainment companies of all flavors have lobbied hard for a so-called &#8220;three strikes&#8221; warning scheme that would see regular Internet users monitored by anti-piracy companies and then sent escalating warning notices by their respective Internet service providers.</p>
<p>Today there is news on both fronts and for Aussie file-sharers there is cause for both disappointment and cautious celebration.</p>
<p><strong>Site blocking</strong></p>
<p>Site blocking, which has been gaining traction in numerous other countries, is moving ahead at pace. Village Roadshow and local TV giant Foxtel have confirmed separate actions in the Federal Court to block several pirate sites.</p>
<p>Village Roadshow and partners Warner Bros, Universal, Paramount, Sony, Disney and 21st Century Fox are teaming up to target streaming portal Solarmovie, a site which is already blocked in the UK and has just been the subject of legal action <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/singapore-court-orders-countrys-first-pirate-site-blockade-160216/">in Singapore.</a></p>
<p>Foxtel&#8217;s complaint targets four other sites including (no surprises) The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>“These websites already have a lot of malware and other dangers associated with them and as the big ones like solarmovie.ph are knocked own it will be hard for them to get back up again quickly,” <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/village-roadshow-declares-war-on-piracy-site/news-story">says</a> Village Roadshow co-chief executive Graham Burke.</p>
<p>If their applications to the Federal Court are successful, local Internet service providers will be required to block the sites so that their subscribers are unable to access them by regular means.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-18/village-roadshow-launches-legal-action-to-block-piracy-website/7176688">ABC</a>, rightsholders and four or five of the country&#8217;s largest ISPs have been in negotiations for some time over how blockades will be implemented.</p>
<p>DNS blocking / <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS_spoofing">cache poisoning</a> is reportedly being requested by rights holders. Since it is also the method preferred by the Communications Alliance which represents most of the country&#8217;s Internet service providers, it&#8217;s likely blocking will move forward on that basis.</p>
<p>That could mean, however, that users of DNS systems not involved in the blocking system will be able to circumvent blockades in much they same way they currently avoid geo-restrictions put in place by Netflix. Furthermore, DNS blocking is entirely defeated by use of a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">decent VPN</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Three strikes</strong></p>
<p>While many Aussies will be disappointed that their favorite sites are likely to be picked off and blocked in the coming months, there is something for individual file-sharers to cautiously celebrate.</p>
<p>After years of negotiations it looked almost inevitable that a so-called &#8220;three strikes&#8221; scheme would be implemented Down Under. The system would involve pirates being monitored and notified of their behavior via escalating warning notices, with legal action being the final step. </p>
<p>However, in somewhat of a surprise announcement Village Roadshow&#8217;s Graham Burke  has informed <a href="http://www.cnet.com/au/news/three-strikes-out-manual-anti-piracy-scheme-shelved-over-prohibitive-costs/">CNET</a> that the plans have been shelved.</p>
<p>&#8220;We reached the conclusion after having an independent audit firm evaluate the cost of sending out the notices, and we concluded that it was too much of an imposition to ask the ISPs, and also from our own point of view, the amount it would cost. So we decided not to push it forward,&#8221; he said. </p>
<p>Given the years of negotiations, government involvement, not to mention the trauma caused by the ill-fated iiNet legal action that <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/iinet-isp-not-liable-for-bittorrent-piracy-high-court-rules-120420/">came to a close</a> in 2012, the turnaround is nothing short of spectacular. However, that the basis for the back-tracking is cost-based is no surprise whatsoever.</p>
<p>&#8220;At the moment, [the warning system] is manual,&#8221; Burke said. &#8220;And it&#8217;s just so labor intense, that it&#8217;s somewhere in the vicinity of $16 to $20 per notice, which is prohibitive. You might as well give people a DVD.&#8221;</p>
<p>But while costs are too high at the moment, it appears a more cost-effective automated system is somewhere on the horizon. Burke won&#8217;t say when it will appear, but he predicts that when it&#8217;s firing on all cylinders it would bring the costs of notices down to a few cents each.</p>
<p>While rightsholders should be expected to have another bite of the cherry in the not too distant future on the warning front, in the meantime Aussie pirates will have relative freedom to go about their business. The Dallas Buyers Club case has <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dallas-buyers-club-gives-up-chasing-pirates-in-australia-160210/">also collapsed</a>, so it could be sometime before trolls raise their heads in the region. That leaves companies like Village Roadshow appealing to the public&#8217;s better nature.</p>
<p>“We are going to be mounting a massive campaign to reinforce the fact (to the public) that piracy is not a victimless crime and we have to continue to provide content in a timely way and at affordable prices,” Burke said.</p>
<p>Whether the studios manage to achieve both &#8216;timely&#8217; and &#8216;affordable&#8217; will be for the public to decide in the months to come. Most are not convinced thus far.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=38jiB-xBb4U:_Ge1gw0EAsM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=38jiB-xBb4U:_Ge1gw0EAsM:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=38jiB-xBb4U:_Ge1gw0EAsM:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/38jiB-xBb4U" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118004
title: Kanye West Delares War on The Pirate Bay
uri: Kanye-West-Delares-War-on-The-Pirate-Bay
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LLvtdWE5g5g/
content:
<p><a href="media/7df14b69.kanye.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kanye.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-118005"><img src="media/7df14b69.kanye.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kanye.jpg" alt="kanye" width="222" height="234" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118005"></a>A few days ago Kanye West released The Life of Pablo. The album subsequently ended up on <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kanye-wests-the-life-of-pablo-piracy-160216/">various pirate sites</a> where it was quickly downloaded by hundreds of thousands of fans. </p>
<p>A lot of media attention has focused on The Pirate Bay, where it is still listed as the <a href="media/a0bcb766.fqPVXtE.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fqPVXtE.png">most popular music download</a>, with thousands of people actively sharing the tracks.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the news also reached Kanye West himself, who is reportedly furious that he has potentially lost millions of dollars due to the leak. He sees The Pirate Bay as one of the main culprits and is now considering taking the notorious pirate site to court.</p>
<p>“Kanye is going to meet with his legal team to discuss the possibilities of starting legal action against torrent site Pirate Bay,” a source <a href="http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/02/17/kanye-west-angry-album-leaked-online-life-of-pablo-being-pirated/">informed</a> HollywoodLife.</p>
<p>“He’s going to talk to his lawyers and see where he stands, and hopefully Tidal will partner up with him in any legal proceedings because it was supposed to be an exclusive release.”</p>
<p>The Pirate Bay is not new to being the target of legal action. The site&#8217;s original founders stood trial in Sweden and late 2014 a new investigation into the site was opened after a raid on a local datacenter. </p>
<p>However, The Pirate Bay (TPB) is still around today and the current staff members are not impressed by Kanye West as a person, or worried about another legal battle.</p>
<p>&#8220;Kanye West is a blithering twat who has an incredible sense of self-importance. Even diehard fans are saying his new album sucks balls, but as for Mr. West suing TPB, good luck Kanye!&#8221; TPB staff member Spud17 informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our legal department will be waiting,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>Needless to say, the TPB team has no intention of removing the album from the site. They have a clear policy not to remove any copyright-infringing material. The only files that are regularly deleted are those that link to spam or viruses.</p>
<p>Kanye, meanwhile, has reportedly been hard to be around and is determined to have someone pay for the damage he&#8217;s suffered.</p>
<p>&#8220;He’s touchy, angry and feels like his material was stolen. He hates the idea of people not paying for his music and feels someone needs to be held accountable for that,” the HollywoodLife source said. </p>
<p>Theoretically Kanye can sue The Pirate Bay in court and win the case. However, it is unlikely that anyone associated with the site will respond, so any potential damages that are awarded will be hard to cash in. </p>
<p>To a certain degree the unusually high piracy numbers can be attributed to the album&#8217;s exclusive release on the streaming service Tidal. Many fans don&#8217;t want to be tied to an expensive subscription, and even those who paid up had problems getting a copy. </p>
<p>Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde, who is no longer actively involved in the site, has had plenty of run-ins with copyright holders in the past, He says that West should be happy that people are going to the trouble of checking out his music in the first place. </p>
<p>&#8220;The album was only released on Tidal, so I’m impressed it got leaked anyhow since fewer people pass by there than at Fort Knox. He should be happy someone cares enough to listen to it, so that they signed up for an account to stream the low quality music you get at Tidal,&#8221; Sunde says. </p>
<p>If Kanye does indeed move forward with a lawsuit he joins the company of several other artists who tried before, including the late <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/michael-jackson-to-take-on-the-pirate-bay-080516/">Michael Jackson, UB40</a>, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/prince-to-take-on-the-pirate-bay-071111/">Prince</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/village-people-hire-web-sheriff-080215/">The Village People</a>.  </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LLvtdWE5g5g:WBHrWwI2NcY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=LLvtdWE5g5g:WBHrWwI2NcY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=LLvtdWE5g5g:WBHrWwI2NcY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/LLvtdWE5g5g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118064
title: ‘Pirate’ Site Targeted By Aussie Blockade Refutes Studio Claims
uri: Pirate-Site-Targeted-By-Aussie-Blockade-Refutes-Studio-Claims
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/_zYzpyLTP-s/
content:
<p>News that rightsholders have taken legal action to have several prominent &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-site-blocking-imminent-but-three-strikes-abandoned-160218/">blocked at the ISP level</a> in Australia did not come as a surprise.</p>
<p>Following changes to the law last year it was always presumed that local TV and Hollywood-affiliated studios would take full advantage of the legislation in order to reduce the number of Internet subscribers being able to access unauthorized content.</p>
<p><strong>Village Roadshow and Hollywood vs SolarMovie</strong></p>
<p>This morning further details became available on two separate actions. The first was filed by entertainment outfit Village Roadshow supported by Disney, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Columbia, Universal and Warner Bros.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2715422-Application-Village.html">action</a> names Telstra and 49 other local Internet service providers as respondents and contains demands for them to block a streaming portal called Solarmovie plus several of its domains including SolarMovie.ph, .is, .com and .eu.</p>
<p>Also listed are four IP addresses currently used by the site but the application indicates that the studios want to be able to block additional IPs and domains should the site begin to move around. The studios have requested both DNS and IP address blocking &#8220;plus any alternative technical means&#8221; as agreed in writing with the ISPs.</p>
<p>Future potential visitors to SolarMovie will be greeted with a special landing page which informs Internet subscribers that the page has been blocked following a court order. The page will be hosted by the studios will enable them to track the number of visitors to the site and even their IP addresses.</p>
<p>The application also states that should ISPs become aware that any URL or IP address is no longer being used for infringement, they will no longer be required to block it. Furthermore, if ISPs temporarily fail to block SolarMovie due to technical issues, they will not be in breach of the order.</p>
<p>Also of interest is a clause which allows SolarMovie to file an application to have the blockade lifted. There&#8217;s no sign yet of that happening but TorrentFreak has spoken with the site&#8217;s operator who says he&#8217;s surprised at all the attention.</p>
<p>&#8220;I’m actually surprised that Solarmovie has gained so much attention,&#8221; he informs TF.</p>
<p>In comments yesterday Graham Burke, the co-chief executive of Village Roadshow, described SolarMovie as &#8220;a particularly vicious bunch of thieves&#8221; but its operator rejects that assertion.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s definitely not the biggest linking site available [SolarMovie is ranked #1,500 by Alexa] and it strictly follows the DMCA at least,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>Burke also said the site was &#8220;making illicit millions&#8221; with &#8220;disgusting advertising&#8221;, adding that there were &#8220;sexual ads&#8221; on the platform. SolarMovie rejects that too.</p>
<p>&#8220;No sexual ads are allowed on the site for sure. Furthermore, logged in users don&#8217;t see any ads at all,&#8221; the site&#8217;s operator says.</p>
<p><strong>Foxtel vs The Pirate Bay, Torrentz, TorrentHound and IsoHunt</strong></p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2715408-Application-Foxtel.html">application</a> filed by Foxtel is largely the same as the one filed by the studios and targets the sites listed above. The respondents are 17 local ISPs including iiNet, Telstra and Optus, and requires that each company&#8217;s subsidiaries also carry out blocking.</p>
<p>In common with the Village Roadshow application, DNS and IP address blocking is requested for The Pirate Bay, Torrentz, TorrentHound and IsoHunt but expands significantly with the addition of many alternative domains, mirrors, clones and proxies.</p>
<p>For The Pirate Bay alone the TV outfit demands a blockade of 37 separate domains and even more IP addresses. For Torrentz there are 11 domains and almost four times as many IP addresses listed, with TorrentHound and isoHunt weighing in at eight and five domains respectively.</p>
<p>Again, visitors to the sites will be redirected to a landing page and there are no penalties should ISPs have to temporarily suspend blocking due to technical issues. The application as it stands does not request that site operators should have the right of appeal.</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>Since the text of both applications has been negotiated with the ISPs, it&#8217;s expected that they will pass largely unamended and rubber-stamped by the court. The applications will then essentially become a template for future actions of which there will be many in the months and years to come.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=_zYzpyLTP-s:pVyXpec3HBQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=_zYzpyLTP-s:pVyXpec3HBQ:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=_zYzpyLTP-s:pVyXpec3HBQ:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/_zYzpyLTP-s" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


