# articles

feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=87977
title: Hadopi Recommends Super Injunctions to Keep Pirate Content Down
uri: Hadopi-Recommends-Super-Injunctions-to-Keep-Pirate-Content-Down
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zJF29g2gdUs/
content:
<p><a href="media/8474cc37.hadopilogo.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/hadopilogo.jpg"><img src="media/ac0922f3.hadopilogo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hadopilogo.jpg" alt="hadopilogo" width="180" height="80" class="alignright size-full wp-image-41298"></a>For an extended period anti-piracy agency HADOPI stayed in the news due to its responsibility for maintaining France&#8217;s controversial three-strikes anti-piracy scheme. While many of the big headlines have subsided, the authority is still tasked with dealing with an issue that simply refuses to go away.</p>
<p>Last July, Aurélie Filippetti, Minister of Culture and Communication, tasked Mireille Imbert-Quaretta, president of the Commission for Protection of Rights, to find solutions against large scale commerical piracy online, i.e against the sites and services offering music and movies for free.</p>
<p>The report, obtained by Les Echoes and scheduled to be handed over to the government today, envisions a multi-pronged approach to the issue.</p>
<p>&#8220;There is no single solution to fight against counterfeiting on the Internet,&#8221; warns Mireille Imbert-Quaretta (MIQ).</p>
<p>MIQ&#8217;s recommendations begin with what is now forming into somewhat of an industry standard tactic for dealing with &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites, that of hitting their finances. MIQ foresees a tightening of the noose around unauthorized sites by building cooperation among advertising players to restrict support for such domains. In addition it&#8217;s recommended that the same kind of agreements should be forged in order to cut off sites&#8217; access to payment processing facilities.</p>
<p>&#8220;These kinds of charters are intended to create a framework for the involvement of stakeholders in the advertising and online payment industries in the fight against infringement of copyright and neighboring rights on the Internet, and to put in place certain rules for their actions,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p>Another proposal foresees the creation of a master list of sites deemed to be engaged in &#8220;massive&#8221; breaches of copyright. While various lists of this nature already exist in several places around the world, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/city-of-london-police-launches-pirate-site-blacklist-for-advertisers-140331/">such as at City of London Police</a>, they have until now remained secret. MIQ recommends that the French list is made publicly available, for several key reasons.</p>
<p>- To update the public about the legality of sites online<br>
- To allow advertising and payment industry players to make informed decisions<br>
- For the reference of other potential intermediaries involved in the piracy eco-system</p>
<p>MIQ&#8217;s final recommendation will be of broad interest, especially if the French can do the seemingly impossible and actually pull it off.</p>
<p>&#8220;The copyright holders are faced with the constant recurrence of content and links they have already demand the withdrawal of,&#8221; the report reads.</p>
<p>To deal with this issue the final recommendation foresees the &#8220;creation of an order for extended withdrawal&#8221;, in other words a DMCA-style takedown notice that not only says &#8220;takedown&#8221;, but also &#8220;stay down&#8221;.</p>
<p>These notices would <a href="http://www.nextinpact.com/news/87471-comment-hadopi-veut-muscler-nettoyage-net.htm">oblige a host</a> to &#8220;stop and prevent, for a specified period, the reappearance of content that has been identified as constituting an infringement of copyright or related rights on the site.&#8221;</p>
<p>It&#8217;s suggested that these kinds of orders could be valid for up to six months but at least initially would only be directed at sites hosting actual files, not links to files such as in the case of BitTorrent indexes.</p>
<p>&#8220;These are all distinct responses gradually leading to the establishment of an effective action against websites taking advantage of a massive operation of counterfeiting,&#8221; the report concludes.</p>
<p>Time will tell how the government will respond but it seems likely that all proposals will be taken very seriously.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88011
title: US Expelled Saudi Students For Using Pirate Software, Official Says
uri: US-Expelled-Saudi-Students-For-Using-Pirate-Software-Official-Says
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/yZ7khDissTY/
content:
<p><a href="media/80feadc7.winpirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/winpirate.jpg"><img src="media/3fc55e1e.winpirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/winpirate.jpg" alt="winpirate" width="165" height="155" class="alignright size-full wp-image-48431"></a>When compared to most countries around the world, the United States has some of the toughest copyright laws around. While many countries view infringement as a relatively petty issue, in the U.S. custodial sentences are in place for many offenses.</p>
<p>Viewing local laws and attitudes as some of the best around, each year the USTR produces its Special 301 Report in which it criticizes trading partners for letting standards drop. This year there were just two Middle Eastern countries on the list &#8211; Lebanon and Kuwait &#8211; but according to a report in a Saudi Arabian newspaper, the U.S. isn&#8217;t afraid to flex its muscles against citizens of other allies in the region.</p>
<p>In an article published in the Makkah Daily Newspaper (<a href="http://www.makkahnewspaper.com/makkahNews/loacal/44750">Arabic</a>), it&#8217;s being claimed that after illegal software was found on their laptops, 34 Saudi students studying in the United States were disallowed from completing their studies.</p>
<p>Citing Rafiq bin Ibrahim Aqeeli, Director General of the General Administration of Copyright at the Ministry of Culture and Information, the newspaper says those same students were subsequently expelled from the United States, forcing them to complete their studies in another country.</p>
<p>And the claims don&#8217;t stop there. Citing the same government source, Makkah Daily reports that the U.S. also intercepted 40 Saudi tourists at the border with illegal software on their laptops, denied them entry, and sent them home. Australia had also deported three Saudi university students for the same reasons, Aqeeli said.</p>
<p>But despite the clear claims from the Saudi government, ejecting students from the country on copyright grounds seems like a hugely draconian response, even by U.S. standards. However, looking into Saudi Arabia&#8217;s recent responses to copyright infringement one can see a country sometimes taking harsher measures than those usually seen in the United States.</p>
<p>Three weeks ago the Saudi government reported on its anti-piracy activities for 2013. Rafiq bin Ibrahim Aqeeli said his inspectors had carried out 2,500 inspections at stores, service providers, plus businesses and corporate headquarters</p>
<p>More than 7,590 &#8220;violations&#8221; were identified, 667 of which were related to copyright. As a result several businesses were penalized with enforced temporary shutdowns ranging from 14 to 60 days, to a total of 3,562 days overall.</p>
<p>&#8220;Last year the offences varied between copies of books and intellectual works, audio-visual materials and computer programs, while other infringements included the use by corporate facilities of computer software without permits, receiving satellite feed via individual subscriptions, and violations by newspapers using images without the consent of the copyright owners,&#8221; Aqeeli <a href="http://www.tradearabia.com/news/MEDIA_256696.html">said</a>.</p>
<p>The Ministry of Culture and Information says it will collaborate with the Business Software Alliance (BSA) to crack down on software piracy in line with its stance on reducing the effect software piracy has on the local economy. Violators can look forward to imprisonment, heavy fines and being &#8220;defamed&#8221; by having their names published in local newspapers.</p>
<p>In April, the Saudi government confirmed it had <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/saudi-arabia-government-blocks-pirate-bay-140402/">blocked 22 domains</a>, including The Pirate Bay, on copyright grounds.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88000
title: “U.S. Prisons Play Pirated Movies to Inmates”
uri: U-S-Prisons-Play-Pirated-Movies-to-Inmates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/p_g7beMWMis/
content:
<p><a href="media/339209a8.jail.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/jail.jpg"><img src="media/9c39c603.jail.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/jail.jpg" alt="jail" width="222" height="148" class="alignright size-full wp-image-70302"></a>In 2010 Richard Humphrey was <a href="http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/April/10-crm-447.html">sentenced to 29 months in prison</a> for operating several pirate sites, including the popular USAWarez.com and USATorrents.com.</p>
<p>Earlier this year Humphrey, who is a well-known and controversial figure in the warez community in various roles, went back to jail after he violated his probation of an unrelated offense. This time he was sent to Lorain Correctional Institution in Ohio, where he was surprised to see that pirated copies of &#8220;Ride Along&#8221; and &#8220;Wolf of Wall Street&#8221; were being played for inmates. </p>
<p>According to Humphrey the movies were shown while they were still playing in theaters and had clear earmarks of being pirated copies. Baffled by this apparent display of deviant behavior by prison staff, Humphrey notified the Deputy Warden and the Warden about his complaint. </p>
<p>Below is a copy of the kite (written request) that was sent to Warden Clipper, who confirms the reported issue. &#8220;Your concerns have been addressed in the past but it appears that this activity is still taking place,&#8221; Clipper writes.</p>
<p><center><strong>The kite Humphrey sent</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/4b4be808.kite.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kite.jpg"><img src="media/4b4be808.kite.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kite.jpg" alt="kite" width="1000" height="750" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88002"></a></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak got in touch with Mr. Humphrey who is baffled that prison staff are committing the same kinds of crimes some of their inmates have been convicted for. This isn&#8217;t exactly the correctional influence one would expect from these institutions, Humphrey says.</p>
<p>&#8220;If people are going to prison for copyright infringement, prison mind you, where they are supposed to be paying their debt to society and rehabilitate for their crimes? How is it that the prison itself is showing pirated movies?&#8221; Humphrey says.  </p>
<p>&#8220;Why are people even being punished and sent to prison for rehabilitation when it&#8217;s clear that the system isn&#8217;t able to restrain itself from the same type of activity,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>After his release last week he contacted Warden Clipper again in a <a href="http://scrolldog.com/evidence-state-federal-copyright-infringement/">phone call</a> to follow-up on the issue. She reiterated that the complaint is being taken seriously and that the matter is being looked into. Clipper couldn&#8217;t say, however, whether the officer responsible has been questioned about the issue. </p>
<p>TF contacted Lorain Correctional Institution for a comment on the allegations and a spokesperson informed us that the issue is still being investigated. Thus far, however, no pirated materials have been uncovered. </p>
<p>&#8220;Please note that this matter is still under investigation. Warden Clipper received two kites from this inmate both of which she took seriously. No contraband has been found pertaining to this matter and nothing can substantiate this inmate&#8217;s claim,&#8221; we were told.  </p>
<p>&#8220;Due to Warden Clippers concern regarding copyrighted movies this investigation will remain ongoing. There have not been any other complaints from any other inmates or staff concerning this matter,&#8221; the spokesperson added.</p>
<p>Of course, other inmates are unlikely to complain about pirated movies, as they probably enjoy the free entertainment. For them it&#8217;s the only option to watch the latest blockbuster movies shortly after they premiere.</p>
<p>According to Humphrey, the Lorain Correctional Institution is not the only prison where pirated movies are shown to inmates. During his youth he was detained at Lorain County Juvenile Detention Center, where the same issues took place. </p>
<p>Looking back at his time there, Humphrey says this may have played a role in his fascination for piracy, which eventually led to him starting several pirate sites, and a subsequent 29 month stay in a federal prison. </p>
<p>According to Humphrey these probably aren&#8217;t isolated incidents that only occurred in these two institutions either. He believes that this is a broader issue apparent in all layers of society, prisons included.</p>
<p>Humphrey finally notes that the solution of the issue lies with the movie companies, not the infringers. He believes that the content producers should come up with affordable and good platforms so movie fans can watch their favorite movies in all formats as soon as they are released. </p>
<p>Until then, however, prisons should probably stay away from DVDrips, CAMs and Telesyncs.</p>
<p><center><strong>A message from Humphrey</strong><br></br></center><center><iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/95070058?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;color=ff0179" width="600" height="337" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88033
title: Nintendo Nukes Hugely Popular iOS Game Boy Emulator
uri: Nintendo-Nukes-Hugely-Popular-iOS-Game-Boy-Emulator
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/6mUEgJm7vXI/
content:
<p><a href="media/9f4824e4.nintendo1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/nintendo1.jpg"><img src="media/0895c222.nintendo1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/nintendo1.jpg" alt="nintendo" width="200" height="171" class="alignright size-full wp-image-65474"></a>Emulating old or defunct hardware to allow the playing of &#8216;retro&#8217; games is a growing activity fueled by nostalgia and ever-increasing processing power. Emulating old arcade games via software such as MAME has a fanatical following on PC but the rise of the smartphone and tablet has brought a whole new fanbase on board.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s now possible to emulate classic games on both iOS and Android devices, some via official apps and others via less authorized routes. Traditionally iOS has been the less flexible route due to the need for users to jailbreak their devices but in recent months the latest version of a Game Boy emulator has been tearing things up by allowing direct installation, no hacks needed.</p>
<p>GBA4iOS works very well indeed. The no-jailbreak installation on iPhone or iPad is achieved by exploiting a loophole in Apple’s Developer Enterprise Program and once in situ the user has access to countless games, accessible via an inbuilt browser and third party ROM sites. The latest version even has Dropbox integration.</p>
<p>The emulator is the brainchild of high-school student Riley Testut who back in February reported that the latest version of the software alone had achieved more than one million downloads. Now, however, the 18-year-old has the might of Nintendo of America to deal with.</p>
<p><a href="media/772ec730.gbalogo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gbalogo.jpg"><img src="media/772ec730.gbalogo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gbalogo.jpg" alt="gbalogo" width="180" height="166" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88040"></a>Up until a few hours ago GBA4iOS was hosted on Github, but now the gaming giant&#8217;s legal team has hit the code sharing website with a takedown for the popular emulator.</p>
<p>&#8220;We represent Nintendo of America Inc. (&#8220;Nintendo&#8221;) in copyright matters. Certain material posted on the web site located at www.gba4iosapp.com infringes copyrights owned by Nintendo. GitHub, Inc. is identified as the internet service provider for this web site and IP Address 192.30.252.153. This notice is provided pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 USC § 512,&#8221; the notice begins.</p>
<p>&#8220;Nintendo requests that GitHub, Inc. disable public access to the web site at www.gba4iosapp.com. This web site hosts a downloadable mobile application for iOS that provides users with access to unauthorized and illegal copies of Nintendo’s copyright-protected video games in violation of Nintendo’s exclusive rights.&#8221;</p>
<p>Nintendo signs off with a note that it would appreciate Github&#8217;s &#8220;expeditious removal&#8221; of all infringing content. Somewhat immediately, Github complied.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/5a5b898c.GBAgitgone.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/GBAgitgone.png" alt="GBAgitgone"></center></p>
<p>Riley Testus reports that while the emulator will continue to work, at least for now there will be <a href="https://twitter.com/rileytestut/status/466287727336763392">no new downloads</a>.</p>
<p>The teenager, who is very open with his identity online and is currently on an internship with <a href="http://www.bottlerocketapps.com/index.html">Bottle Rocket Apps</a>, has a new version with multi-player support in the pipeline but this action from Nintendo is bound to cast a huge shadow over that release. </p>
<p>Fighting it out with one of the world&#8217;s largest games companies at such a tender age is unlikely to end well, so if people have a copy of the software, archiving it now might be a wise decision. It could be the last one ever.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="650" height="366" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uxXU56QS3VE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88053
title: Encrypted Internet Traffic Surges in a Year, Research Shows
uri: Encrypted-Internet-Traffic-Surges-in-a-Year-Research-Shows
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/wrggbLioB_M/
content:
<p><a href="media/29b4878c.boxed.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/boxed.jpg"><img src="media/70f2a6a6.boxed.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/boxed.jpg" alt="boxed" width="222" height="178" class="alignright size-full wp-image-36576"></a>Over the years we have been following various reports on Internet traffic changes, mostly focusing on file-sharing traffic. </p>
<p>A new report <a href="https://www.sandvine.com/trends/global-internet-phenomena/">published by Sandvine</a> this morning sheds light on the most recent developments. As in previous years, the trend is one of BitTorrent losing its share of peak Internet traffic in the U.S. while continuing to grow in Europe. </p>
<p>However, there is a far more interesting trend hidden in the report, something which the traffic management company itself appears to have missed entirely. Comparing this year&#8217;s data to that of <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-accounts-for-35-of-all-upload-traffic-vpns-are-booming-130518/">last year</a> reveals that encrypted Internet traffic is booming.</p>
<p>The change is most pronounced in Europe where the percentage of encrypted Internet traffic during peak hours quadrupled from a measly 1.47% to 6.10% in a year. Since overall Internet traffic increased as well, the increase is even greater for the absolute bandwidth that&#8217;s consumed.</p>
<p><center><strong>Top 10 Peak Period Applications (Europe, Fixed Access)</strong></center><center><a href="media/69d3e95f.sandvine20141e.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sandvine20141e.png"><img src="media/69d3e95f.sandvine20141e.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sandvine20141e.png" alt="sandvine20141e" width="577" height="326" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88055"></a></center></p>
<p>In North America the percentage of encrypted Internet traffic during peak hours increased as well, from 2.29% early last year to 3.80% this year. </p>
<p>Keeping in mind that absolute Internet traffic increases between 20% and 40% each year the bandwidth consumed by encrypted traffic doubled in this period.</p>
<p><center><strong>Top 10 Peak Period Applications (North America, Fixed Access)</strong></center><center><a href="media/876ca9d1.sandvine20141.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sandvine20141.png"><img src="media/876ca9d1.sandvine20141.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sandvine20141.png" alt="sandvine20141" width="580" height="321" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88054"></a></center></p>
<p>The increase in encrypted traffic is a global phenomenon. In Latin America the share of bandwidth consumed by SSL shot up from 1.80% to 10.37% in a year. Also, a similar pattern emerges on mobile networks, where encrypted traffic is also booming. </p>
<p>The changes in encrypted traffic can be directly linked to the surveillance revelations of Edward Snowden. As a result, the number of users of <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">VPN services</a> and other anonymizers <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/nsa-spying-and-anti-piracy-laws-boost-demand-for-vpns-130824/">increased sharply</a>. In addition, Google and other web services turned on <a href="http://searchengineland.com/post-prism-google-secure-searches-172487">SSL by default</a>.</p>
<p>In previous years we revealed a similar trend among BitTorrent users, who increasingly searched for options to hide their download footprints in response to anti-piracy measures. A survey among Pirate Bay users, for example, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-users-long-for-anonymity-111021/">revealed</a> that 70% utilize a VPN or proxy, or are interested in doing so in the future.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see how these trends develop in the years to come. In any case, it&#8217;s clear that Internet services and their users are becoming more aware of their privacy online, which is generally a good development.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88072
title: Updated: Canadian Police Raid BitTorrent Tracker, Confiscate Server
uri: Canadian-Police-Raid-BitTorrent-Tracker-Confiscate-Server
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Z1rUkWLUfpY/
content:
<p><img src="media/af081baa.canada-pirate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/canada-pirate.png" width="225" height="113" class="alignright">If one would like to gauge the opinions of the world&#8217;s leading entertainment companies on Canadian attitudes towards BitTorrent sites, one only needs to look at this year&#8217;s International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) submission to the USTR.</p>
<p>“It is hard to avoid the conclusion that Canada remains a magnet for sites whose well-understood raison d’être is to facilitate and enable massive unauthorized downloading of pirated versions of feature films, TV shows, recorded music, entertainment software, and other copyright materials,” the IIPA <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/canada-pirate-site-magnet-140210/">wrote</a>.</p>
<p>These claims are actually the tip of a very large iceberg. It&#8217;s indeed true that some large public torrent sites are at least partly hosted on Canadian soil but mildly under the radar are also dozens of private tracker communities, many of which have happily operated from Canada for many, many years.</p>
<p>The overall impression is that Canada is one of the safest countries in which to put a file-sharing site, but developments yesterday cast a shadow over that notion.</p>
<p>With 10,000 members, Sparvar.org (Sparrows) was a reasonably sized private site. Aimed largely at a Swedish audience, Sparvar had enjoyed Canadian hosting on an IP address belonging to Montreal-based Netelligent Hosting Services, a company that has welcomed many similar sites in the past. Sometime in the past 24 hours, however, Sparvar disappeared from the Internet. </p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>Netelligent servers</h5>
<p><img src="media/a81b3da7.netelligent.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netelligent.jpg" alt="Neteligent"></center></p>
<p>Soon after a rumor began circulating that Sparvar had been raided by the police. That version of events has now been confirmed by Scandinavian anti-piracy outfit Rights Alliance.</p>
<p><em><strong>Update:</strong> Netelligent confirm action against Sparvar&#8217;s server, but deny any raid took place. See update below.</em></p>
<p>&#8220;Police in Canada have seized a server belonging to the illegal file-sharing service sparvar.org. Sparrows was a secret service with some 10 000 registered members. The server was located in Canada, but the activity was directed mainly against Sweden,&#8221; the anti-piracy group says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Behind the complaint stands Rights Alliance which has long been monitoring and documenting this business. The investigation is continuing with a focus on identifying the perpetrators. The seized server will be analyzed.&#8221;</p>
<p>The action against Sparvar shows that Rights Alliance have long memories. More than two years ago following <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-crackdown-police-raid-private-tracker-others-shut-down-120225/">their action</a> against private site Swepiracy, Rights Alliance warned of further action to come, specifically naming Sparvar as a target.</p>
<p>That the group can conduct its work across borders, especially into Canada where it was believed there was a more torrent friendly environment, will come as a surprise to the many other sites hosted there under similar circumstances.</p>
<p>Canada has been paying more attention to IP issues in recent years, enacting the Copyright Modernization Act in 2012 and subsequently introducing a bill designed to strengthen IP enforcement. Following these efforts the United States shifted Canada from the Priority Watch List to the standard Watch List in this year&#8217;s Special 301 Report. How much further Canada is prepared to go remains to be seen.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> TorrentFreak has been informed by Netelligent president Mohamed Salamé that the police action against Sparvar was carried out in an orderly cooperative fashion with authorities and was not the product of a raid.</p>
<p>&#8220;The fact of the matter is we are a datacenter hosting all sorts of customers downstream from us. And as long as there are no violations of our AUP, we take no actions against torrent sites which are still legal in Canada,&#8221; Salamé explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;We also don&#8217;t get &#8216;raids&#8217; as we have a very professional relationship with all agencies on the federal and provincial level to address the issues. And by professional relationship I mean that we do not just give out information or hardware just because they are law agencies. We make sure their requests are legitimate and that they have subpoenas, court orders, or warrants before complying with any of their demands.&#8221;</p>
<p>A separate source familiar with the case informs TorrentFreak that contrary to claims by Rights Alliance, no hardware was seized. It appears that a server was indeed cloned but that was in response to an official order to preserve data following a request by Swedish and Canadian authorities.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88103
title: Popcorn Time Users Get ‘Fined’ By Copyright Trolls
uri: Popcorn-Time-Users-Get-Fined-By-Copyright-Trolls
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/lVgLytmyijE/
content:
<p><a href="media/eca8c94b.popcorn-time.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-time.png"><img src="media/16c6d12b.popcorn-time.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-time.png" alt="popcorn-time" width="228" height="99" class="alignright size-full wp-image-84917"></a>After taking the Internet <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/open-source-torrent-streaming-a-netflix-for-pirates-140308/">by storm</a> earlier this year, Popcorn Time needs very little introduction. The subject of dozens of news articles, this application massively simplifies the viewing of videos online via a Netflix-style interface.</p>
<p>Even after several controversies, including <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-devs-drop-like-flies-but-no-one-will-talk-140420/">the retirement</a> of both the original team and the developers who subsequently took over the project, the software lives on in various forms.</p>
<p>One of the more successful variants, known as <a href="http://www.cuevana.tv/">Cuevana Storm</a>, is less known in English-speaking regions since it&#8217;s presented in Spanish. However, several users in Germany are now dealing with issues arising from its use.</p>
<p>Yesterday, German lawfirm <a href="https://ggr-law.com/">GGR Law</a> reported that three of its clients had received demands for cash settlements from the Waldorf Frommer law firm based on allegations of copyright infringement. However, during discussions all of the recipients insisted that they had never installed a BitTorrent client on their machines. Instead they had used only streaming services.</p>
<p>The use of unauthorized streaming sites came to the forefront in Germany during December 2013 when users of the RedTube site suddenly started receiving <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/panic-as-thousands-receive-fines-for-streaming-redtube-videos-131210/">settlement demands</a> from the U &#038; C lawfirm. That provoked a government announcement in January this year that viewing pirated streams <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/viewing-pirated-streams-is-not-illegal-german-govt-says-140109/">is not illegal</a>.</p>
<p>So are these latest settlement demands for 815 euros each just another attempt at illegally extorting cash following legal stream views? </p>
<p>Firstly and importantly, the letter recipients believed that the content in question had been accessed via streaming &#8211; certainly, nothing had been accessed via BitTorrent. However, this is where the confusion lies.</p>
<p>While the interfaces of Cuevana Storm / Popcorn time give the impression of server-to-client streaming (like YouTube), both have BitTorrent under the hood. This means that while streaming video to the inbuilt player, content is also being uploaded to other users, just as it would in any regular BitTorrent swarm.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the warnings from the Waldorf Frommer law firm, Cuevana.tv isn´t mentioned. Also it is not stated that this is a streaming warning letter,&#8221; <a href="http://www.infodocc.info/achtung-erste-streaming-abmahnungen-durch-waldorf-frommer/">GGR lawyer</a> Tobias Röttger told TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;The warning letter is the classic standard file-sharing warning letter, which the law firm Waldorf Frommer has used for some time. The culprit was accused of uploading the file via BitTorrent. I suspect that Waldorf Frommer don´t know that the download was made over Cuevana.tv.&#8221;</p>
<p>The above illustrates why it is extremely important for people to have at least a cursory understanding of how software on their machine operates. Streaming video server-to-client or server-to-web browser is either legal or at the least non-detectable in most Western countries. Uploading content to others without permission is generally illegal.</p>
<p>For some the difference between the two will only be discovered after receiving a fine for hundreds or maybe thousands of dollars.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88090
title: Music Industry Demands Pirate Bay Blockade in France
uri: Music-Industry-Demands-Pirate-Bay-Blockade-in-France
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/WmTidVcgrCY/
content:
<p><a href="media/2a43984f.pirate-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-bay.jpg"><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>The Pirate Bay is without doubt one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countries_blocking_access_to_The_Pirate_Bay">most censored</a> websites on the Internet. </p>
<p>Courts all around the world have ordered Internet providers to block subscriber access to the torrent site, and this list continues to expand. </p>
<p>Today, news broke that the French Civil Society of Phonographic Producers has filed for an injunction to prevent ISPs from providing access to The Pirate Bay website and more than hundred of its dedicated proxy sites. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.nextinpact.com/news/87548-france-majors-disque-reclament-blocage-the-pirate-bay.htm">NextINpact</a> reports that the music association, backed by the major movie studios, filed a request in February. The French Internet providers Bouygues, Free, Orange and SFR have since been informed about the court proceedings. </p>
<p>The complaint is based on a provision of the Hadopi law which allows copyright holders to request measures from third-party services to prevent or stop copyright infringements. </p>
<p>Previously, a similar request resulted in <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/court-may-order-google-to-censor-torrent-rapidshare-and-megaupload-120718/">a court order</a> requiring Google to censor the search terms &#8216;Torrent&#8217;, &#8216;RapidShare&#8217; and &#8216;Megaupload&#8217; from its Instant and Autocomplete services. The court argued that Google indirectly facilitates copyright infringement by failing to filter these terms. </p>
<p>Late last year another court order required Google, Bing and Yahoo <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-google-microsoft-yahoo-to-make-pirate-sites-disappear-131129/">to remove</a> 16 video streaming sites from their search results on similar grounds. For now, it is still unclear whether the current legal action to block The Pirate Bay is only targeted at Internet providers, or if search engines are covered as well. </p>
<p>The music labels have clearly learned from the blocking efforts in other countries, where proxy sites quickly picked up the slack. The record labels hope to prevent this from happening in France by listing all the Pirate Bay proxies they could find. Of course, it only takes one uncensored proxy to bypass the measures.</p>
<p>Whether the French blockade, if granted, will be successful remains to be seen.  There are still plenty of alternatives and circumvention tools available. This includes TPB&#8217;s own <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-releases-pirate-browser-to-thwart-censorship-130810/">PirateBrowser</a> which has been downloaded millions of times since <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-releases-pirate-browser-to-thwart-censorship-130810/">its release</a> last summer.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88034
title: Publisher Targets University Researchers for “Pirating” Their Own Articles
uri: Publisher-Targets-University-Researchers-for-Pirating-Their-Own
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/0XUUMVmZOvo/
content:
<p><a href="media/b997f7ba.copyright-branded.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/copyright-branded.jpg"><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>One of the core pillars of academic research is sharing. By letting other researchers know what you do, ideas are criticized, improved upon and extended. </p>
<p>Unfortunately it’s not always easy for academics to share their work. Most of the top publications are being monetized by major publishers, which means that they are locked behind a paywall that&#8217;s not open to the public. </p>
<p>To make their work easier to access, many researchers host copies of their work on their personal profiles, usually hosted by their university. Interestingly, however, this usually means that they are committing copyright infringement. </p>
<p>This is because most of the top publications ask the authors, who work for free, to sign away all their copyrights if they want their paper to be published. </p>
<p>While many journals allow this type of limited non-commercial infringement by the authors, the American Society of Civil Engineers (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_Civil_Engineers#Journals">ASCE</a>) clearly doesn&#8217;t. The professional association publishes dozens of journals and during the past few weeks began a crack down on &#8220;pirating&#8221; researchers.</p>
<p>The publisher has hired the piracy protection firm <a href="http://www.digimarc.com/guardian">Digimarc</a> to police the internet for articles that are posted in the wild. As a result, universities all across the globe were targeted with takedown notices, which were <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/owners/59203/American-Society-of-Civil-Engineers-ASCE/">also sent to Google</a> in some cases. </p>
<p>The list of rogue researchers is long, and includes professors from MIT, Stanford, Northwestern University, University of Washington, UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin–Madison and many international universities.</p>
<p>In the takedown notices Digimarc writes that the publisher has authorized their company &#8220;to send DMCA Takedown notices to infringers that illegally post or sell ASCE content.&#8221; In other words, ASCE is branding their own authors as pirates because they&#8217;re sharing the own work. Below is an example of a takedown notice for a paper written by <a href="http://stanford.edu/~borja/">Ronaldo Borja</a>, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford.</p>
<p><center><strong>ASCE takedown notice</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/cccda7f8.article-takedown.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/article-takedown.png"><img src="media/cccda7f8.article-takedown.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/article-takedown.png" alt="article-takedown" width="774" height="311" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88052"></a></center></p>
<p>In this case the article is still available on the Stanford website, and Google has also refused to take it out of their search results. The same is true for articles published on the websites of MIT and UC Berkeley. However, there are other universities which have indeed disabled access to the articles in question. </p>
<p>Several articles posted on the websites of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Texas <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/requests/1152139/">have disappeared</a>, for example. University of Michigan Professor Radoslaw Michalowski also <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/requests/1160537/">removed</a> an article that was linked from his <a href="http://www-personal.umich.edu/~rlmich/publications/index.html">list of publications</a>. </p>
<p>The question remains whether ASCE is wise to target their own authors, and the universities who pay them. After all, the publisher relies on these very people to keep its journals filled. In any case, it&#8217;s a sad state of affairs for these researchers to put years of hard work into their articles, only to be told they can&#8217;t share them with the world.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88140
title: Hollywood Wins $2.2m Damages in Piracy Case That Refused to Die
uri: Hollywood-Wins-2-2m-Damages-in-Piracy-Case-That-Refused-to-Die
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ov8soXpmgLk/
content:
<p><img src="media/32cbee81.mpa.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpa.jpg" width="180" height="117" class="alignright">The MPA&#8217;s historical case against Usenet indexing site Newzbin was important on several levels, not least that it encompassed the first successful High Court injunction to have a site blocked at the ISP level.</p>
<p>It all began with a complaint from the studios in 2008, followed in 2009 by legal action. A year later Newzbin was <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/high-court-finds-newzbin-liable-for-copyright-infringement-100329/">found guilty</a> of copyright infringement and soon collapsed under its £230,000 ($386,300) debt to the Motion Picture Association (MPA).</p>
<p>Shortly after and without a penny paid to the MPA, the site resurrected in the form of Newzbin2, an act which further infuriated the studios. Eventually Newzbin2 also <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/newzbin2-the-mpaas-usenet-enemy-1-calls-it-quits-121129/">shut down</a>, partly because receiving money from users had became impossible after the MPA sued Kthxbai Ltd, the site&#8217;s payment processor.</p>
<p>And here&#8217;s why the case refused to die.</p>
<p>In 2012 it was revealed that Kthxbai’s sole director was David Harris, a barrister who defended Newzbin in the site&#8217;s original trial but had stepped down when it was discovered that he was actually the owner of Newzbin.</p>
<p>Not only did the MPA then go after Kthxbai and Harris, they also targeted the NZB Foundation, a Panamanian company that owned Harris’ home, and Motors for Movies Limited, a company that owned Harris’ McLaren car.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/0f02bf7a.mclaren1bmod.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mclaren1bmod.jpg" alt="McLaren"></center></p>
<p>The MPA said that the £230,000 they were owed from the original Newzbin case was hidden away in these offshore companies. Harris denied that, adding that the NZB Foundation was a legitimate entity created with copyright reform and Usenet R&#038;D in mind.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the MPA said that Harris and former Newzbin operator Chris Elsworth were behind the transfer of source code and databases from the collapsed Newzbin 1 to new kid on the block, Newzbin 2. Thickening the mix further still, the MPA claimed that Harris was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/newzbin-resurrection-interview-with-the-mysterious-mr-white-100529/">none other than Mr White</a>, the shadowy operator/spokesman of the Newzbin2 site.</p>
<p>But despite the big allegations the MPA&#8217;s first major bite against Harris and the offshore companies came to nothing. Last year a judge in the High Court <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-wont-get-piracy-profits-from-usenet-site-high-court-rules-130206/">ruled</a> that the the studios were not entitled to the profits Newzbin2 had generated from piracy.</p>
<p>Following this ruling, Harris says that Newzbin 1&#8242;s Chris Elsworth settled with the studios (Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, Warner, Paramount, Disney and Columbia), providing them with behind-the-scenes evidence in the process.</p>
<p>&#8220;Elsworth was once a co-defendant but cut a deal with the MPA on grounds he provide evidence against me,&#8221; Harris told TF.</p>
<p>The MPA were clearly going to run to the bitter end with their case and today they reached their goal. In a judgment handed down a few moments ago, David Harris was found liable for the copyright infringing acts of both Newzbin1 and Newzbin2, as well as conspiring to injure the interests of the Hollywood studios by unlawful means.</p>
<p>As a result, Harris is ordered to pay £1.3m ($2.2m) by May 30, 2014.</p>
<p>&#8220;I’m naturally very disappointed with the judgment of the High Court if not entirely surprised. I am examining grounds of appeal and I maintain that I have done nothing wrong,&#8221; Harris tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p><a href="media/f60cc596.newzbin.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/newzbin.jpg"><img src="media/64c296be.newzbin.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/newzbin.jpg" alt="newzbin" width="170" height="170" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21122"></a>&#8220;The verdict was based on secret IRC conversation logs produced by Chris Elsworth, the previous operator of Newzbin1. Elsworth was once a co-defendant but who betrayed me to cut a deal with the MPA. I maintain those logs were tampered with.&#8221;</p>
<p>Harris said that when he took over Newzbin1 his intention was to transform it into a service that was no longer &#8220;wildly unlawful&#8221; but one that would still be attractive to users. He also stands by his actions in processing payments for Newzbin2.</p>
<p>&#8220;Notwithstanding the judgment of the court it remains my view that Newzbin2 operated lawfully as did my own payment company which took Newzbin2 subscription payments. I am fully convinced I was legally and morally entitled to act as I did,&#8221; Harris explains.</p>
<p>Despite the big ruling against him, Harris says he remains committed to the ideals of Newzbin and still has plans for the site&#8217;s former users.</p>
<p>&#8220;I intend to rebuild that community and to develop services for them; but given the consistent history of legal defeats we’ve had those services will have to be carefully designed, with good independent legal advice, to ensure that there are no future legal risks to me,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>One project Harris <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/hounded-by-hollywood-disbarred-pirate-site-lawyer-preps-nsa-proof-email-130928/">previously outlined</a> was a NSA/GCHQ proof email service. Further announcements on that front will be published on <a href="http://geeklawyer.wordpress.com.">Harris&#8217; blog</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Encryptedmail">Twitter</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88179
title: Pirate Bay’s Anti-Censorship Browser Clocks 5,000,000 Downloads
uri: Pirate-Bay-s-Anti-Censorship-Browser-Clocks-5-000-000-Downloads
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/amv3pX_DKus/
content:
<p><a href="media/22d0d132.piratebrowser.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/piratebrowser.jpg"><img src="media/85793bea.piratebrowser.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratebrowser.jpg" alt="piratebrowser" width="222" height="96" class="alignright size-full wp-image-75268"></a>In celebration of its 10th anniversary last August, The Pirate Bay presented a gift to its users &#8211; the PirateBrowser.</p>
<p>Since The Pirate Bay is censored in countries all around the world, many users have to jump through hoops to access it. <a href="http://piratebrowser.com/">The PirateBrowser</a> software allows people to bypass these restrictions, without having to use a proxy site or other circumvention tool. </p>
<p>The browser is based on Firefox and utilizes the Tor network to obfuscate people&#8217;s locations. It is meant purely as a tool to circumvent censorship and unlike the Tor browser it doesn’t provide any anonymity for its users.</p>
<p>The browser idea clearly appealed to a wide audience with the number of downloads going through the roof right from the start. </p>
<p>Recently, PirateBrowser achieved a new milestone. The Pirate Bay team informs TorrentFreak that more than five million people have downloaded a copy of the tool from the official website. That&#8217;s an average of more than half a million downloads per month.</p>
<p>Since its first release there haven&#8217;t been any additions to the software, but this will change in the coming weeks. The Pirate Bay team will push out an update soon with upgraded versions of the software. In addition, the new release will have support for social media sites, to serve users in countries where these services are restricted or blocked.</p>
<p>Another new feature will be to have lists of blocked sites per country, so users are only redirected through a proxy site when it&#8217;s needed.</p>
<p>In a separate and even more ambitious effort the team also continues the development of a special BitTorrent-powered application, which <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/how-the-pirate-bay-plans-to-beat-censorship-for-good-140105/">lets users store and distribute The Pirate Bay</a> and other websites on their own computers. Instead of bypassing external censors, the new tool will create its own P2P network through which sites can be accessed without restrictions.</p>
<p>This &#8220;p2p browser&#8221; should be able to keep The Pirate Bay operational, even if the site itself is pulled offline. There is currently no estimated release date set for this second project, but it will take a few more months of development at minimum.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88121
title: This Is How The UK Piracy Warnings Will Work
uri: This-Is-How-The-UK-Piracy-Warnings-Will-Work
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Zj0S48xua3c/
content:
<p><a href="media/db3bd45e.pirate-card.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-card.jpg"><img src="media/c579e316.pirate-card.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-card.jpg" alt="pirate-card" width="250" height="210" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86520"></a>In an effort to curb online piracy, the movie and music industries have <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/uk-isps-agree-to-send-out-music-movie-piracy-warnings-140509/">reached an agreement</a> with the UK&#8217;s leading ISPs to send warnings to alleged copyright infringers.</p>
<p>Thus far details on the proposed system have been scarce, leading to the wildest assumptions and in some cases a core misunderstanding of how the process will work. </p>
<p>Earlier this week, for example, the CEO of a smaller UK Internet provider said that he will <a href="http://www.thejournal.co.uk/business/business-news/odyssey-systems-hits-out-new-7104285">refuse</a> to join the program as ISPs shouldn&#8217;t be compelled to monitor everything their customers do. Others fear that they may receive a warning for downloading an MP3 from a file-hosting site, or for streaming a copyrighted YouTube video. </p>
<p>All of the above have nothing to do with the proposed measures.</p>
<p>To clear up some of the confusion TorrentFreak spoke to a source closely involved in the Vcap system. We were informed that Vcap will be part of a larger campaign to inform the public about copyright issues. For this reason, the warnings, or alerts rather, will focus on educating people about how they can access content legally, much like the scheme currently operating in the U.S.</p>
<p>The four ISPs who are confirmed to be involved in Vcap are BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media, but other providers could join in at a later stage. Below we have summarized how the Vcap program is expected to work, including several new details.  </p>
<h2>What will be monitored?</h2>
<p>According to information obtained by TorrentFreak the Vcap system will <strong>only apply to P2P file-sharing</strong>. In theory this means that the focus will be almost exclusively on BitTorrent, as other P2P networks have relatively low user bases. </p>
<p>Consequently, those who use Usenet providers or file-hosting services such as 4Shared, RapidShare and Hotfile are not at risk. The same is true for those who use streaming sites. In other words, the Vcap program only covers part of all online piracy. </p>
<h2>Will all P2P file-sharers receive a warning?</h2>
<p>TorrentFreak has learned that not all P2P file-sharers will receive a warning. The system will focus on people whose Internet accounts have been used to share copyrighted material more than once. This is different from the U.S. model where people get an alert after the first offense. </p>
<p>The <strong>focus on repeat infringers</strong> is a logical choice since there are millions of file-sharers in the UK and the copyright holders and ISPs have agreed to cap the warnings at 2.5 million over three years.</p>
<h2>Who will be monitoring these copyright infringements?</h2>
<p>While ISPs take part in the scheme, they will not monitor subscribers&#8217; file-sharing activities. The <strong>tracking will be done by a third party company</strong>. The most likely candidate is MarkMonitor (Dtecnet) who are also the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-anti-piracy-system-gets-new-evidence-review-130817/">technology partner</a> for the U.S. Copyright Alert System. </p>
<p>This tracking company collects IP-addresses from BitTorrent swarms and sends its findings directly to the Internet providers. The lists with infringing IP-addresses are not shared with the record labels, movie studios or other third parties.</p>
<p>Each ISP will keep a database of the alleged infringers and send them appropriate warnings. If the ISPs get approval from the Information Commissioner’s Office, recorded infringements will be stored for a year after which they will be deleted.</p>
<h2>Will any Internet accounts be disconnected?</h2>
<p>There are <strong>no disconnections or mitigation measures</strong> for repeat infringers under the Vcap program. Alleged file-sharers will get up to four warnings and all subsequent offenses will be ignored.</p>
<p>The source we spoke with clarified that it&#8217;s not the intention of Vcap to stop the most hardcore file-sharers. The program is mostly focused on educating casual infringers about the legal alternatives to piracy.</p>
<h2>Can the monitoring be circumvented?</h2>
<p>The answer to the previous questions already shows that users have plenty of options to bypass the program. They can simply switch to other means of downloading, but there are more alternatives. </p>
<p>BitTorrent users could <strong>hide their IP-addresses</strong> through proxy services and VPNs for example. After the U.S. Copyright Alert Program launched last year there was a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-boosts-demand-for-bittorrent-vpns-and-proxies-130311/">huge increase</a> in demand for these kind of anonymity services.</p>
<h2>So how scary is the Vcap anti-piracy plan?</h2>
<p>While we can&#8217;t say anything too conclusive, it appears that the main purpose is to inform casual infringers about their inappropriate behavior. The focus lies on education, although the warnings also serve as a deterrent by pointing out that people are not anonymous. For some this may be enough to switch to legal alternatives. </p>
<p>All in all the proposed measures are fairly reasonable, especially compared to other countries where fines and internet connections are on the table. Whether it will be successful is an entirely different question of course, and one which will only be answered when the first results come in. </p>
<p>Finally, it&#8217;s worth noting that if Vcap fails it&#8217;s not automatically a win for the pirates. A few months ago the Government <a href="media/3945e35c.945.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmcumeds/945/945.pdf">promised to</a> &#8220;bring the Digital Economy Act into force as soon as practicable,&#8221; which will result in more stringent anti-piracy measures.  </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88210
title: How Sweden Gained Access to a Canada-Hosted Torrent Site
uri: How-Sweden-Gained-Access-to-a-Canada-Hosted-Torrent-Site
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/s5E6M7lJL_4/
content:
<p><img src="media/af081baa.canada-pirate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/canada-pirate.png" width="225" height="113" class="alignright">Earlier this week tips coming into TorrentFreak suggested that a relatively small torrent site known as Sparvar had come <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/canadian-police-raid-bittorrent-tracker-confiscate-server-140514/">under the scrutiny</a> of the police. Sure enough, the site subsequently went offline.</p>
<p>Problems had been building for more than two years. Swedish anti-piracy group Rights Alliance (Antipiratbyran) had built up an interest in Sparvar, a site directed at a largely Swedish audience. In early 2012 following action against a private site known as Swepiracy, Rights Alliance warned that Sparvar was on their list of targets.</p>
<p>Until this week, however, Sparvar had been hosted in Canada with Montreal-based Netelligent Hosting Services. For some time it had been presumed that hosting a torrent site is Canada is legal, a notion that was recently backed up by Netelligent president Mohamed Salamé.</p>
<p>&#8220;[As] long as there are no violations of our [acceptable use policy], we take no actions against torrent sites which are still legal in Canada,” Salamé told TF.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) still took action against Sparvar. How did this come to pass?</p>
<p>A source familiar with the case who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity told TorrentFreak that Netelligent was served with a data preservation order by the RCMP who were working together with authorities in Sweden.</p>
<p>In the first instance Netelligent were gagged from informing their client about the investigation, presumably so that no data could be tampered with. Netelligent was then sent a hard drive by the RCMP for the purposes of making a copy of the Sparvar server. This was to be handed over to their authorities.</p>
<p>We&#8217;re led to believe that Netelligent put up a fight to protect their customer&#8217;s privacy but in the end they were left with no choice but to comply with the orders. And here&#8217;s why.</p>
<p>MLAT, or Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty agreements, enable countries to gather, share and exchange information in order to enforce the law. Since 2001, Canada has had an MLAT with Sweden and since there was a criminal investigation underway in Sweden against Sparvar, Canada and Netelligent were legally obligated to provide assistance in the case.</p>
<p>So what does this mean for other sites hosted in Canada? Well, according to our source anyone running a site should be aware of the countries that Canada has MLAT agreements with, just in case another country decides to launch a case.</p>
<p>Those countries can be found <a href="http://www.oas.org/juridico/mla/en/can/en_can-mla-gen-liste.html ">here</a> but they include everyone from the United States to Australia, from China to Russia, and many countries across Europe including the UK, Netherlands, Spain, Poland, France and Italy.</p>
<p>Finally, our source informs us that while cooperation in criminal cases has obviously been requested before, to the extent of his knowledge this is the first time that a torrent site has been a target.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88223
title: Piracy ‘Whistleblower’ to Remain Anonymous, Court Rules
uri: Piracy-Whistleblower-to-Remain-Anonymous-Court-Rules
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/W1o1q1uVM-g/
content:
<p>In 2010, Universal Music Group (UMG) sued Grooveshark owners Escape Media in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, claiming that the company infringed their copyrights by storing and subsequently distributing tracks to which UMG holds the copyrights.</p>
<p>In 2011, news site Digital Music News (DMN) published an article which contained claims from a member of a rock band that Grooveshark had illegally hosted the band’s music and refused to take it down when notified. The article attracted around 100 comments from DMN readers, one of whom claimed to be an employee of Escape Media.</p>
<p>The commenter, who posted under the name &#8220;Visitor&#8221;, claimed that he had regularly received “direct orders from the top” at Escape to upload music to Grooveshark&#8217;s servers. Worse still, &#8220;Visitor&#8221; claimed that the company would not fully remove infringing content, even if artists or music labels complained.</p>
<p>These allegations were viewed as problematic by Escape since in order for a service provider to gain immunity under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), it must remove copyrighted material once it becomes aware that an infringement has taken place.</p>
<p>So, in an effort to unmask this supposed employee of theirs, in January 2012 Escape served a subpoena on Digital Music News in order to obtain &#8220;Visitor&#8217;s&#8221; identity. After DMN refused to comply, in March 2012 Escape petitioned the Los Angeles Superior Court for enforcement. DMN was subsequently ordered to comply but promptly filed an appeal.</p>
<p>DMN argued that unmasking &#8220;Visitor&#8221; would not lead to the discovery of evidence admissible in UMG&#8217;s New York lawsuit against Escape (identifying information about &#8220;Visitor&#8221; had all been deleted) and that enforcement of the subpoena would infringe on the First Amendment rights of both DMN and &#8220;Visitor&#8221;.</p>
<p>Ultimately the court decided that since Escape had presented a prima facie case that &#8220;Visitor&#8217;s&#8221; comments were libelous, no First Amendment protection was available. DMN was ordered to comply with the subpoena and provide a copy of its server to Escape. DMN copied the servers but lodged an appeal in attempt to avoid handing them over.</p>
<p>This week the Court of Appeal of the State of California handed down its decision and it&#8217;s bad news for Escape.</p>
<p>Escape had argued that proving &#8220;Visitor&#8217;s&#8221; comments to be false would help them show that the company did not supervise direct infringement of UMG&#8217;s copyrights. The Court rejected Escape&#8217;s basis for needing access to &#8220;Visitor&#8217;s&#8221; identity stating that this &#8220;out-of-court quarrel is of no consequence to the determination of UMG’s lawsuit.&#8221;</p>
<p>Escape enjoyed no success on the privacy front either.</p>
<p>&#8220;Even if Visitor’s identifying information was reasonably calculated to lead to<br>
admissible evidence, his or her right to privacy under the California Constitution would outweigh Escape’s need for the information,&#8221; the Court said.</p>
<p>&#8220;That interest begins with Visitor’s need for a venue from which to be heard without fear of interference or suppression. Visitor’s anonymity also frees him or her from fear of retaliation, an even more compelling interest if Visitor truly is an Escape employee, as represented, because exposure could endanger not only his or her privacy but also livelihood.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Court concluded with a summary of its opinion as to the value of &#8220;Visitor&#8217;s&#8221; comments.</p>
<p>&#8220;Visitor has done nothing more than provide commentary about an ongoing public dispute in a forum that could hardly be more obscure — the busy online comments section of a digital trade newspaper,&#8221; the Court wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;Such commentary has become ubiquitous on the Internet and is widely perceived to carry no indicium of reliability and little weight. We will not lightly lend the subpoena power of the courts to prove, in essence, that Someone Is Wrong On The Internet.&#8221;</p>
<p>With that the Court of Appeal ordered the trial court to vacate its order enforcing the subpoena and thereby protecting &#8220;Visitor&#8217;s&#8221; privacy.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88246
title: The Connection Between The Copyright Industry And The NSA
uri: The-Connection-Between-The-Copyright-Industry-And-The-NSA
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bkb9GGM70VQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/6bfc8224.cameraspy.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cameraspy.jpg"><img src="media/f408e481.cameraspy.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cameraspy.jpg" alt="cameraspy" width="170" height="164" class="alignright size-full wp-image-49625"></a>As I described in a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-fundamental-problem-with-the-copyright-monopoly-140420/">previous column</a>, the copyright monopoly cannot be enforced without mass surveillance. There is no way to tell a private conversation in a digital environment from a monopolized audio file being transferred, not without actually looking at what&#8217;s being transferred. At that point, the secrecy of correspondence has been broken and mass surveillance introduced.</p>
<p>The copyright industry has been continuously and relentlessly pushing for more mass surveillance, including surveillance of citizens who aren&#8217;t under any suspicion (&#8220;mass surveillance&#8221;) for this reason. They defended the now-illegal Data Retention Directive, which logs everybody&#8217;s communications and location all the time (specifically including yours), as well as similar initiatives.</p>
<p>Most notably, the copyright industry is known for <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-copyright-lobby-absolutely-loves-child-pornography-110709/">using child porn</a> as an argument for introducing mass surveillance, so that the mass surveillance can be expanded in the next step to targeting people who share knowledge and culture in violation of that industry&#8217;s distribution monopolies. This is a case study in taking corporate cynicism to the next level.</p>
<p>This mass surveillance is also what feeds the NSA, the GCHQ, and its other European counterparts (like the Swedish <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defence_Radio_Establishment_%28Sweden%29">FRA</a>). It is continuously argued, along the precise same lines, that so-called &#8220;metadata&#8221; &#8211; whom you&#8217;re calling, from where, for how long &#8211; is not sensitive and therefore not protected by privacy safeguards. This was the argument that the European Court of Justice struck down with the force of a sledgehammer, followed by about two metric tons of bricks: it&#8217;s more than a little private if you&#8217;re talking to a sex service for 19 minutes at 2am, or if you&#8217;re making a call to the suicide hotline from the top of a bridge. This is the kind of data that the spy services wanted to have logged, eagerly cheered on by the copyright industry.</p>
<p><strong>This has a direct connection to free speech as such.</strong></p>
<p>In Germany, the effect of this logging and violation of people&#8217;s privacy has been studied extensively. According to a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130424082725/http://www.digitalrights.ie/2010/03/03/press-release-on-german-data-retention-decision/">study</a> conducted by polling institute Forsa before the data retention was in place, over half of German citizens would refrain from placing communications that could be used against them in the future &#8211; drug helplines, psychologists, even marriage counseling. A significant portion of Germans had already refrained from taking such contacts for that reason.</p>
<p><strong>There is a direct and serious connection between a necessary reduction of the copyright monopoly and the safeguarding of free speech as such.</strong></p>
<p>In the next term of the European Parliament, the copyright monopoly is up for revision. Everything about the monopoly &#8211; including things Hollywood and the copyright industry take for granted today &#8211; is up in the air, and the corporate powers and legislators alike are finally feeling the pressure of an informed net generation, with the monumental rejection of ACTA and SOPA in 2012.</p>
<p><strong>Vote in the European Parliament elections in the week to come. Vote for somebody who understands the net properly and thoroughly. Those people are needed in the European Parliament for all the reasons I wrote <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-next-five-years-could-determine-our-liberties-140406/">in a recent column</a>.</strong></p>
<p>It&#8217;s about your right to free speech, and to not be considered a criminal worthy of surveillance &#8211; merely for talking to other people, or for that matter, for the good deed of sharing culture and knowledge.</p>
<p><center>
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<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="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88243
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 05/19/14
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-05-19-14
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/P6p37feIubw/
content:
<p><a href="media/143c96ea.robocop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/robocop.jpg"><img src="media/143c96ea.robocop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/robocop.jpg" alt="robocop" width="300" height="169" class="alignright size-full wp-image-87716"></a>This week we have two newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>RoboCop is the most downloaded movie for the third week in a row.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-movies-of-the-week-140512/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1200731-robocop/">RoboCop</a></td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234721/">6.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnRJ0r0eivk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jack_ryan_shadow_recruit/">Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205537/">6.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9KAnx4EvaE">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/3_days_to_kill/">3 Days To kill</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2172934/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBnKYDDDq8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tarzan_2013/">Tarzan</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1705952/">4.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haSB5DQvrpo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_america_the_winter_soldier_2014/">Captain America: The Winter Soldier</a> (Cam/TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1843866/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SlILk2WMTI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_monuments_men/">The Monuments Men</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2177771/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8tz8YeCz1s">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/that_awkward_moment/">That Awkward Moment</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1800246/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRcVgJjnFLo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lego_movie/">The Lego Movie</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_JOBCLF-I">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/winters_tale_2014/">Winter&#8217;s Tale</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1837709/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC9olGKn2ZY">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rio_2/">Rio 2</a> (HDTS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2357291/">6.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkZM1Zc0mBU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88199
title: MPAA Urges Lawmakers to Protect Young Pirates From Cyber Threats
uri: MPAA-Urges-Lawmakers-to-Protect-Young-Pirates-From-Cyber-Threats
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/TD4qQANkpJg/
content:
<p><a href="media/1b5440c0.mpaa-logo1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-logo1.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-36694" src="media/394b6768.mpaa-logo1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-logo1.jpg" alt="mpaa-logo" width="200" height="112"></a>One of the rising anti-piracy complaints of entertainment industry companies is how so-called ‘pirate’ sites are funded by advertising, both from legitimate and illegitimate advertisers.</p>
<p>Last month, for example, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-sites-rife-malware-credit-card-fraud-report-claims-140430/">a report</a> backed by the entertainment industries claimed that 90 percent of the top pirate sites link to malware or other unwanted software. In addition, two-thirds of the websites were said to link to credit card scams. </p>
<p>Helped by these numbers, copyright holders and anti-piracy groups are now framing torrent sites, streaming hubs and cyberlockers as a cyber threat. This presents them with a new angle to urge lawmakers to target these sites and services.</p>
<p>Last week the Senate Homeland Security &#038; Government Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations organized <a href="http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/online-advertising-and-hidden-hazards-to-consumer-security-and-data-privacy">a hearing</a> on the &#8220;hidden hazards&#8221; of online adverting. For the MPAA, this offered an ideal opportunity to chime in with their piracy angle. </p>
<p>&#8220;As the Senators consider steps to address the safety and security of online advertisements, we hope they will also examine the extensive growth of these hazards on sites that offer infringing movies, television shows and other creative content,&#8221; MPAA writes. </p>
<p>The MPAA notes that several recent reports pointed out how these pirate sites are rife with malicious ads and urges lawmakers to take steps to address the issue. Not for Hollywood&#8217;s financial benefit, but to protect Americans from malware and scams.</p>
<p>&#8220;As the Subcommittee considers steps to address the safety and security of online advertisements, we urge the members to examine these reports and others which detail the numerous hazards on pirate sites,&#8221; MPAA notes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unfortunately, these illicit sites continue to attract large numbers of Americans, especially young people who might not be aware of the harms they could easily encounter,&#8221; they add.</p>
<p>So there we have it. The MPAA, who are generally speaking not too concerned about the well-being of people who &#8220;steal&#8221; their work, are now asking Senators to take them under their protection. Apparently, the MPAA don&#8217;t want pirates to catch viruses or run into credit card scams. </p>
<p>A humbly presented goal, but of course it&#8217;s just another obfuscated attempt to disconnect &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites from their revenue streams. Considering the recent push against advertising networks, including the London Police <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/city-of-london-police-launches-pirate-site-blacklist-for-advertisers-140331/">pirate site blacklist</a>, this won&#8217;t be the last we&#8217;ve heard of this.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><em>Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/huskyte/7512877940/">Michael Theis</a></em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88270
title: Zynga Opposed SOPA, Now Wants Voluntary Anti-Piracy Deals
uri: Zynga-Opposed-SOPA-Now-Wants-Voluntary-Anti-Piracy-Deals
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-THTuSiJlVI/
content:
<p><a href="media/11f974b0.zynga.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zynga.jpg"><img src="media/11f974b0.zynga.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zynga.jpg" alt="zynga" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88312"></a>The polarizing nature and scale of the SOPA debate two years ago left the legislation in tatters and Hollywood in particular scrambling to repair relationships with technology companies that should&#8217;ve been their partners. With all chances of new legislation off the table, a new strategy began to form.</p>
<p>Hollywood and the record labels set out to achieve their aims not be force, but by cooperation. Deals, such as the <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/?s=six+strikes">six-strikes</a> scheme and efforts at <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/city-of-london-police-launches-pirate-site-blacklist-for-advertisers-140331/">strangling the advertising finances</a> of &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites, have proven relatively easy to reach and are even gaining approval from former SOPA rivals.</p>
<p>Online gaming giant Zynga, the outfit behind games including Farmville, ZyngaPoker and Mafia Wars, came out in 2012 as a <a href="http://blog.zynga.com/2012/01/18/spelling-out-our-stance-on-sopa/">SOPA opponent</a> due to concerns that it could &#8220;freeze innovation&#8221; and damage the Internet. But now the company is joining its former pro-SOPA adversaries in championing voluntary anti-piracy initiatives.</p>
<p><strong>Working together is easier than dealing with Congress</strong></p>
<p>In an interview preceding his appearance at the Anti-Piracy &#038; Content Protection Summit this June, Ted Hasse, Corporate Counsel IP at Zynga, has underlined the importance of a cooperative approach to dealing with piracy.</p>
<p>&#8220;[Cooperation] seems to be the best avenue for the greatest results on the largest<br>
scale in the near term. In the last year, voluntary agreements for best practices have been hot with major activity among all industry-leading ISPs, payment processors, and ad networks,&#8221; Hasse <a href="media/373b67c8.25492.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-THTuSiJlVI/www.antipiracycontentsummit.com/media/6671/25492.pdf">explains</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Legislation is slow. Voluntary agreements happen much faster.&#8221; </p>
<p>As an example of how stakeholders can work together, Hasse cites <a href="http://www.uspto.gov/news/pr/2014/14-04.jsp">work</a> by the Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force on how best to handle the millions of DMCA notices being issued everyday. With legislation off the table, working both cooperatively and voluntarily is the sole solution.</p>
<p>&#8220;The only path for DMCA reform in 2014 is through a process like this since nothing could make it through Congress,&#8221; he notes.</p>
<p><strong>Hitting torrent and file-hosting sites, no laws required</strong></p>
<p>Hasse says that while torrent and file-hosting sites still represent today&#8217;s biggest anti-piracy challenge, voluntary agreements are beginning to make their mark.</p>
<p>&#8220;Legitimate ad networks and payment processors are cutting off the money streams for pirate sites through voluntary commitment to the IAB’s best practices for combating piracy and the IACC Payment Processor Initiative, and it didn’t take a new laws, law enforcement or litigation,&#8221; the counsel says.</p>
<p>However, while &#8220;legitimate&#8221; advertisers can indeed be leaned on, less scrupulous companies are willing to take up the slack. These can generate decent revenues too, as Zynga knows only too well &#8211; in 2009 the company <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/31/scamville-the-social-gaming-ecosystem-of-hell/">admitted</a> making millions from scammy advertising, something pirate sites are being <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-sites-rife-malware-credit-card-fraud-report-claims-140430/">accused</a> of today.</p>
<p><strong>Turning a blind eye to infringement has its consequences</strong></p>
<p>Citing the 2013 cases against both isoHunt and Hotfile, Hasse says that while turning a blind eye to infringement might lead to sites enjoying good growth, there comes a time when they have to account for their behavior.</p>
<p>&#8220;When a platform is willing to accommodate the infringing activity they get big and it eventually becomes too hard to avoid having to defend their practices in the<br>
light of day,&#8221; Hasse says.</p>
<p>&#8220;And when that happens these platforms are not coming out on top, their practices have to change or their entire services are being disrupted, and I’m not convinced it’s that easy for would-be infringers to just move on to the next place to find pirated content.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Getting harder to find infringing content</strong></p>
<p>It&#8217;s a controversial assertion, but Hasse believes that it&#8217;s actually getting harder for people to find pirated content online.</p>
<p>&#8220;While years ago I think many or most people could easily find pirated content on the Internet, today I suspect many users don’t know where to find exactly what they want conveniently, so when a major site shutters or changes its practices to disallow infringing activity, many users are actually downloading less pirated content or stop altogether rather than finding a new channel,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p><strong>Old rivals finding common ground</strong></p>
<p>Two years ago rivals on both side of the SOPA debate could not have been further apart, yet now there appears to be growing consensus between stakeholders on how to achieve the same kinds of goals without causing anywhere near as much offense. As a result, also absent are many of the outrageous headlines that accompanied the often hyper-aggressive actions of Hollywood and the record labels.</p>
<p>Doing anti-piracy work this way, quietly, means there is far less opposition and much less controversy. And by having voluntary agreements in place that don&#8217;t involve breaking the Internet, the public (and potential dissent) is effectively taken out of the equation.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><em>Photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/124247024@N07/13903385550/">Flazingo Photos</a></em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88271
title: Pirate Bay Backs Pirate Party With EU Election Banners
uri: Pirate-Bay-Backs-Pirate-Party-With-EU-Election-Banners
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LZe716cLSnw/
content:
<p><img src="media/4afdac32.PiratesInEU-PPUK.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/PiratesInEU-PPUK.png" alt="PiratesInEU-PPUK" width="250" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88276">This week citizens across Europe will vote for who should represent them in the European Parliament, and in <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/these-pirate-parties-plan-to-enter-the-european-parliament-140511/">more than a dozen countries</a> local Pirate Party members are present at the ballots. </p>
<p>During the last elections five years ago the Pirate Party surprised friend and foe by gaining <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-wins-and-enters-the-european-parliament-090607/">two seats</a> at the European Parliament. This year it is hoped that this success will be equaled or improved upon, a realistic aim according to current polls.</p>
<p>To increase the chance of a good result the Pirate parties have been on the campaign trail over the past few weeks. Today, these efforts are increasing thanks to a secret weapon no other party has access to: The Pirate Bay. </p>
<p>The Pirate parties struck a deal with the notorious torrent site which is now displaying localized banners in ten countries. The banners are featured on TPB&#8217;s homepage and replace the site&#8217;s iconic logo. This is in addition to a general Pirate Party banner that had been up and running for a few days already. </p>
<p>The prominent placement guarantees hundreds of thousands of eyeballs per day, some of which may end up in the voting booth. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickard_Falkvinge">Rick Falkvinge</a>, founder of the first Pirate Party, is delighted with the &#8220;pirate&#8221; partnership.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m very happy that our brothers in arms are providing this great exposure to the political arm of the movement&#8221;, Falkvinge tells TorrentFreak. </p>
<p>&#8220;Most offline-born politicians wouldn&#8217;t realize that this exposure roughly equals buying the whole cover of every single newspaper in Europe, every day for the whole duration of the campaign.&#8221;</p>
<p>As in previous elections, the Pirate parties are calling for more transparency, better privacy protections, and decriminalization of file-sharing for personal use. The latter is of course a good match with TPB&#8217;s core philosophy. </p>
<p>And there&#8217;s another Pirate Bay connection in this year&#8217;s election race. In Finland, TPB co-founder and former site spokesman Peter Sunde is <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-founder-launches-election-campaign-for-european-parliament-140508/">one of the candidates</a>. Sunde is also calling for changes to current copyright laws.</p>
<p>“Non-commercial file sharing should of course become legal and protected, and we must re-think copyright all together. Copyright is not the thing that makes ARTISTS money, it’s only for their brokers and distributors,” Sunde told us previously.</p>
<p>While a few Pirates in Parliament might not get this done without help, <a href="http://piratetimes.net/what-the-pirate-meps-have-accomplished-in-the-european-parliament/">the track record</a> of the current Pirate MEPs, Christian Engström and Amelia Andersdotter, shows that a difference can be made. </p>
<p>Below are the banners for all the Pirate parties that are currently being promoted through The Pirate Bay in their respective countries. In a few days we will know whether the Pirates can continue their presence in the European Parliament and with how many. </p>
<p><center><strong>UK</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/4afdac32.PiratesInEU-PPUK.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/PiratesInEU-PPUK.png" alt="PiratesInEU-PPUK" width="500" height="400" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88276"></center></p>
<p><center><strong>Germany</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/3cbfd3bc.spain.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spain.jpg" alt="spain" width="500" height="350" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88273"></center></p>
<p><center><strong>France</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/9f02e31a.france1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/france1.jpg"><img src="media/9f02e31a.france1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/france1.jpg" alt="france" width="500" height="254" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88275"></a></center></p>
<p><center><strong>Sweden</strong></center><center><img src="media/fd5ff641.TLjOiIG.gif" data-original-source="http://i.imgur.com/TLjOiIG.gif" alt="sweden pirate party ad"></center></p>
<p><center><strong>The Netherlands</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/7014ca42.PBAdd-Pirates-NL.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/PBAdd-Pirates-NL.png" alt="PBAdd-Pirates-NL" width="500" height="400" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88277"></center></p>
<p><center><strong>Finland</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/f9b8b73e.finland2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/finland2.jpg" alt="finland" width="500" height="333" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88278"></center></p>
<p><center><strong>Czech Republic</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/9407e460.cz.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cz.png" alt="cz" width="500" height="400" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88279"></center></p>
<p><center><strong>Belgium</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/adbad48c.PBAdd-Pirates-BE.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/PBAdd-Pirates-BE.png" alt="PBAdd-Pirates-BE" width="500" height="400" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88280"></center></p>
<p><center><strong>Greece</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/4e97877f.PBAdd-Pirates-GR.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/PBAdd-Pirates-GR.png" alt="PBAdd-Pirates-GR" width="500" height="400" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88281"></center></p>
<p><center><strong>Spain</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/2b0d3eea.spain1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spain1.jpg"><img src="media/2b0d3eea.spain1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spain1.jpg" alt="spain" width="500" height="350" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88282"></a></center></p>
<p><center><strong>Luxembourg</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/a7918fff.PPLU-piratebay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/PPLU-piratebay.jpg"><img src="media/a7918fff.PPLU-piratebay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/PPLU-piratebay.jpg" alt="PPLU-piratebay" width="500" height="400" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88382"></a></a></center></p>
<p><center><strong>Slovenia</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/359df374.PPSI-TPB.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/PPSI-TPB.jpg"><img src="media/359df374.PPSI-TPB.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/PPSI-TPB.jpg" alt="PPSI-TPB" width="500" height="254" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88381"></a></a></center></p>
<p><center><strong>Poland</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="media/9f5ed2ce.pol.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pol.jpg"><img src="media/9f5ed2ce.pol.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pol.jpg" alt="pol" width="500" height="237" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88444"></a></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88329
title: Student Wins Pirate Bay Domain To Protest Website Blockades
uri: Student-Wins-Pirate-Bay-Domain-To-Protest-Website-Blockades
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/IBN7ANxFNVs/
content:
<p><a href="media/fd06f581.pirate-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-bay.jpg"><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>The Pirate Bay is one of the most popular sites on the Internet and has inspired the creation of many copycat sites, many of which play on Pirate Bay&#8217;s imagery, branding, name, or a combination of all three.</p>
<p>While some sites make it obvious that they&#8217;re paying homage to the infamous torrent site, others have malicious or financial motives in mind. As a result there are plenty of domains out there looking to capitalize on users&#8217; naivety or simple inability to spell.</p>
<p>Ironically, while many official Pirate Bay domains are blocked in countries around Europe, these unofficial and often fake variants are allowed to continue business as usual. Occasionally, however, the authorities step in.</p>
<p>One such instance involves ThePirateBay.dk, a domain whose most recent registration occurred in August 2010. The domain was owned by a James McAvoy of Bristol, UK, who appears to be a prolific purchaser of domains, as illustrated below.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/0303555d.pirate-dk.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-dk.png" alt="Pirate-DK"></center></p>
<p>Over in Denmark, where The Pirate Bay has been blocked since 2008, a Danish student had been eyeing the domain. He felt he had a good chance of wrestling it from McAvoy&#8217;s control due to the Brit&#8217;s failure to adhere to Denmark&#8217;s domain name rules.</p>
<p>In his complaint the student told the <a href="http://www.domaeneklager.dk">Complaints Board for Domain Names</a> that he doubted that the contact listed in the WHOIS was a &#8220;genuine or real registrant&#8221; and criticized the same person&#8217;s registration of many &#8220;typosquatter&#8221; domains (such as youtupe.dk) which are deliberately linked to &#8220;advertising traps&#8221;.</p>
<p>With Denmark&#8217;s Domain Names Act noting that &#8220;a domain name which typosquats another domain name may be suspended and subsequently blocked or deleted&#8221;, the student&#8217;s complaint appeared valid.</p>
<p>Next, the student complained that ThePirateBay.dk had been put up for sale. The Domain Names Act expressly forbids a registrant to &#8220;reserve, register and maintain registrations of domain names solely for the purpose of selling or renting to other parties.&#8221; </p>
<p><center><img src="media/5edc387d.pirate-sale.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-sale.png" alt="Pirate-sale"></center></p>
<p>In contrast to the owner of ThePirateBay.dk who had no valid use for the domain, the student presented an argument to the domains board that he did.</p>
<p>&#8220;I want to use thepiratebay.dk to protest against Danish web censorship in the form of<br>
the blockade of the address thepiratebay.org imposed on the Danish internet providers,&#8221; the student wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;I want to create a support page for The Pirate Bay where I criticize the decision and show my support for the blocked page. I am a student, not a trader, and I act as an individual in what I would call a protest against the imposed blockade.&#8221;</p>
<p>The complaints board weighed the arguments and in a decision published a few days ago, agreed with the student&#8217;s position and upheld his complaint.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Board finds that there is hereby created a strong presumption that the purpose of the defendant&#8217;s registration of the domain name &#8216;thepiratebay.dk&#8217; [..] was to gain financially by its reassignment. The Respondent, who has not replied to the Complaints Board&#8217;s [attempts at contact] , did not contradict that presumption.&#8221; </p>
<p>All things considered it was concluded that James McAvoy&#8217;s registration of the domain should be canceled and ThePirateBay.dk should be transfered to the the student by June 13, 2014.</p>
<p>Exactly what form the student&#8217;s protest will take using his newly obtained domain remains unknown, but it&#8217;s nevertheless interesting that the right to protest against a website blockade of the world&#8217;s most infamous torrent site trumps making ad money from a similar looking domain.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88325
title: Hosting Provider Plagued by DDoS Attacks on Torrent Sites
uri: Hosting-Provider-Plagued-by-DDoS-Attacks-on-Torrent-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kFtWWjiYD3c/
content:
<p><img src="media/38987fc7.bad502.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bad502.jpg" alt="bad502" width="250" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88370">BitTorrent trackers are no strangers to Distributed Denial of Service (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial-of-service_attack">DDoS</a>) attacks. Pretty much all sites of a respectable size are targeted on occasion by unknown sources.</p>
<p>In most cases these attacks don&#8217;t last too long, but every now and then they get more serious. For example, in recent weeks several French torrent sites have had to deal with a serious flood of unwanted connections, rendering the sites and trackers in question unavailable.</p>
<p>The Morocco-based provider <a href="http://www.genious.net/">Genious Communications</a> hosts several of the affected torrent sites, including smartorrent.com and cpasbien.pe. To find out more TorrentFreak contacted CEO Hamza Aboulfeth, who told us that the attacks come in all shapes and sizes. </p>
<p>&#8220;The biggest attack was on smartorrent.com where we had over 30 Gbit/s which gave us no choice but nullroute the IP at the moment of the attack,&#8221; Aboulfeth says.</p>
<p>The attacks range from common HTTP floods to UDP and SYN flood attacks and huge botnets. As a result, Genious has migrated several clients over to a specialized DDoS protection setup.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have our own professional DDoS protection system so we had to move some of our clients to it, the rest just moved to Cloudflare where they offer decent protection for a reasonable price,&#8221; Aboulfeth says.</p>
<p>The biggest challenge is to mitigate the attacks on trackers as these are not dealing with regular HTTP requests, but so far the company has managed to take the edge off the assaults.</p>
<p>The attacks started a few weeks ago and have been continuing ever since at varying intensities. They are all targeted at several of Genious Communications&#8217; file-sharing related clients, but the identities of the individuals behind them remains a mystery. </p>
<p>Aboulfeth hasn&#8217;t heard of any cash demands, which excludes the extortion scheme several other sites were subjected to earlier this year. According to the CEO, it&#8217;s most likely that competitors or an anti-piracy group are behind the attacks.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think the attacks are most likely coming from competitors or some copyright agency,&#8221; Aboulfeth says. </p>
<p>&#8220;One common thing is they are all French torrent websites, and I know for a fact that I have been contacted by someone hosted somewhere else claiming that one of our clients is attacking him, and of course my client is denying that,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>In the long term the sites have no other option than to make sure that they can cope with the DDoS attacks. In most cases they eventually pass, without their victims ever knowing what their purpose was.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88386
title: Sites to Be Blocked in Russia, Even if They Remove Pirate Content
uri: Sites-to-Be-Blocked-in-Russia-Even-if-They-Remove-Pirate-Content
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/v8TUsnPfESk/
content:
<p><a href="media/37b74db8.russia.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/russia.jpg"><img src="media/273d96fc.russia.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/russia.jpg" alt="russia" width="180" height="121" class="alignright size-full wp-image-22592"></a>Complying with elements of the DMCA and its European equivalents is an important measure in the operations of many thousands of websites. Not being held liable for infringements carried out by users has allowed entrepreneurs to develop countless user-generated content projects.</p>
<p>For many rightsholders, however, the notice and takedown provisions of the DMCA and similar legislation are being abused by &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites. While these sites take down content when asked thereby gaining protection, they are also accused of turning a blind eye to large-scale infringing content elsewhere on their indexes.</p>
<p>In Russia, rightsholders say they face similar problems, even though the country introduced tough anti-piracy legislation in 2013.</p>
<p>Following a legitimate complaint, current law allows for content to be blocked at the ISP level if site operators fail to respond to takedown requests in a timely manner. However, many sites &#8211; including popular torrent sites indexing huge amounts of infringing content &#8211; have been complying with the notices as required, thus avoiding punitive measures. The government now wants to close this loophole.</p>
<p>Amendments to copyright law being prepared by a working group at the Ministry of Communications foresee a regime in which sites can be blocked by court order, even if they comply with takedown notices.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unscrupulous illegal sites should be blocked entirely,&#8221; Ministry of Communications deputy Alexei Volin told <a href="http://izvestia.ru/">Izvestia</a>.</p>
<p>According to experts familiar with the discussions, rightsholders want the government to introduce the concept of a &#8220;malicious site&#8221;. However, the puzzle faced by the Ministry is the development of criteria which will enable it to classify sites into pirate and non-pirate categories.</p>
<p>One option is to classify a site as pirate when it violates copyright <em>and</em> distributes content for profit. Rightsholders say they want either element alone to be enough.</p>
<p>Other amendments under consideration would see site owners and hosting providers forced to restrict access not only to copyright-infringing content, but also to &#8220;information necessary to obtain it using the Internet,&#8221; a clear reference to torrents.</p>
<p>But according to Irina Levova, director at the Strategic Internet Projects Research Institute, this amendment goes too far.</p>
<p>&#8220;The wording in the law is incorrect,&#8221; Leva says. &#8220;Under it falls even ordinary hyperlinks, including those that are placed in search engines. We believe that this phrase should be abolished.&#8221;</p>
<p>But according to Leonid Agronov, general director of the National Federation of the Music Industry, hosting actual content or links to it amounts to the same problem. </p>
<p>&#8220;The business of a torrent tracker is not very different from the business of any site that hosts pirated content,&#8221; Agronov <a href="http://izvestia.ru/news/570998#ixzz32LH0fJ9O">says</a>. &#8220;They all offer access to content in exchange for viewing ads or paying for higher download speeds. For us, the rights holders, these sites are indistinguishable, regardless of their technical features.&#8221;</p>
<p>The amendments are set to be presented to the government on Friday.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88384
title: Blizzard Sues StarCraft II Hackers for Copyright Infringement
uri: Blizzard-Sues-StarCraft-II-Hackers-for-Copyright-Infringement
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/W06c1tJ-zHI/
content:
<p><a href="media/2afaed81.starcraftII.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/starcraftII.jpg"><img src="media/2afaed81.starcraftII.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/starcraftII.jpg" alt="starcraftII" width="279" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88387"></a>Over the years video game developer and publisher <a href="http://eu.blizzard.com/en-gb/">Blizzard Entertainment</a> has released many popular titles including World of Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft.</p>
<p>As is the case with most games there is always a small subgroup of players who are happy to deceive their opponents to get an edge. Through hacks and cheats these players are able to dominate the competition with minimal effort.</p>
<p>In an attempt to stamp out this type of abuse, this week Blizzard filed a lawsuit against the programmers behind the popular Starcraft II “<a href="http://www.valiantchaos.net/vbforums/forum.php">ValiantChaos MapHack</a>.” While the true motive for the suit has no connection to piracy, most of the alleged charges are related to copyright infringement. </p>
<p>In a <a href="http://pdf.yt/d/exHXLZNbCvuVq3v0">complaint filed</a> at a federal court in California, Blizzard notes that the cheat ruins the fun for other players. The true identities of the programmers who make and sell the hack are unknown at this point but Blizzard wants them to stop distributing the software. </p>
<p>&#8220;The hacks and cheats made available by Defendants, including a product known as the &#8216;ValiantChaos MapHack&#8217;, modify the StarCraft II online game experience, to the detriment of legitimate StarCraft II users, and thus to Blizzard itself,&#8221; the complaint reads. </p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants create and sell their unlawful software products with the knowledge that they are facilitating and promoting users to infringe Blizzard’s copyrights, to breach their contracts with Blizzard, and to otherwise violate Blizzard’s rights.&#8221; </p>
<p>The complaint lists several counts of copyright infringement for using Blizzard&#8217;s work without permission, as well as breach of contract for violating the game&#8217;s terms of use. </p>
<p>At the time of writing the ValiantChaos MapHack remains for sale online. Users can buy the hack by joining the forum, and paying a &#8220;donation&#8221; of $62.50 for access to the VIP section of the site. The hack has been available for a few years already and during this time has generated tens of thousands of dollars in sales.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/7cc873e7.valiantdonate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/valiantdonate.png"><img src="media/7cc873e7.valiantdonate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/valiantdonate.png" alt="valiantdonate" width="700" height="295" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88408"></a></center></p>
<p>Blizzard doesn&#8217;t mention the sales aspect extensively, but focuses on how these cheats devalue the game. This causes serious harm to the the company, Blizzard says, as it results in less sales of StarCraft II add-ons and expansions.</p>
<p>&#8220;Among other things, Defendants irreparably harm the ability of Blizzard’s legitimate customers to enjoy and participate in the competitive online experience of StarCraft II. That, in turn, causes users to grow dissatisfied with the game, lose interest in the game, and communicate that dissatisfaction,&#8221; Blizzard informs the court.</p>
<p>&#8220;This results in lost sales of the game and/or &#8216;add-on&#8217; packs and expansions thereto, as well as harm to Blizzard’s reputation, the value of its game, and other harms to Blizzard,&#8221; the company adds. </p>
<p>Blizzard asks the court to issue an injunction against the maker of the hack, which among other things would prevent them from distributing the software. In addition, they demand damages for the copyright infringements carried out by the programmers and their users, which add up to millions of dollars. </p>
<p>Although Blizzard emphasizes that users of the cheat are also copyright infringers, there&#8217;s no indication that they will target individual users. Instead, it appears that the company is mostly interested in making the cheating software unavailable. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88431
title: BitTorrent Network Mysteriously Doubles in Size, In a Week
uri: BitTorrent-Network-Mysteriously-Doubles-in-Size-In-a-Week
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2g5emyhGPZU/
content:
<p>Day in and day out dozens of millions of people use BitTorrent to share files online. Most of these transfers are coordinated by public trackers such as OpenBitTorrent, but torrents also work without trackers thanks to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainline_DHT">Mainline DHT</a>.</p>
<p>The BitTorrent Mainline DHT creates a network of users through which people <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bittorrents-future-dht-pex-and-magnet-links-explained-091120/">can find peers</a> sharing the same file. This makes the BitTorrent ecosystem more stable, especially since public trackers tend to go offline every now and then.</p>
<p>Since it was first introduced nearly a decade ago the BitTorrent DHT has been growing steadily. However, this changed last week when researchers from <a href="http://www.kit.edu/english/">Karlsruhe Institute of Technology</a> noticed a dramatic increase in peers. </p>
<p>&#8220;Since 2010, the DHT size has been relatively stable. It grew from 6 million to around 10 million, but that&#8217;s it,&#8221; says Konrad Jünemann, researcher of the Decentralized Systems and Network Services research group.</p>
<p>&#8220;This suddenly changed last week we saw a sudden increase in participating peers. I double checked our measurement engine, but everything seems to be fine, so the DHT was indeed growing,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>As it turns out, the number of peers in the DHT had more than doubled in a few days. The graph below shows this surge in peers as observed by the German research group. </p>
<p><center><a href="media/2b52c509.dhtSize_Since_2014-03-14-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dhtSize_Since_2014-03-14-2.png"><img src="media/2b52c509.dhtSize_Since_2014-03-14-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dhtSize_Since_2014-03-14-2.png" alt="dhtSize_Since_2014-03-14 (2)" width="1024" height="768" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88434"></a></center></p>
<p>Initially the researchers were clueless about the sudden increase. There were a few possible explanations, such as malware distributors using the network, or changes in a popular BitTorrent client for example. After contacting several developers, they learned that the latter was the most plausible option.  </p>
<p>Arvid Norberg, one of the developers of BitTorrent&#8217;s uTorrent client, explained that a recent change in client may have resulted in a bug which resulted in &#8220;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_flapping">flapping</a>&#8221; node IDs.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have some indications that this is caused by an issue in our node-ID function. We have had a mechanism to tie the node ID to one&#8217;s external IP address. We&#8217;ve had this feature for a while but made some tweaks to it recently,&#8221; Norberg wrote on a mailing list. </p>
<p>If this is indeed the case, then it could cause serious performance issues for the DHT, as people would get IP-addresses that are no longer online. Currently, however, there is no evidence that this is indeed the case.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak asked BitTorrent Inc. for more details early this week, but this far our inquiries remained unanswered. The same is true for a <a href="http://forum.utorrent.com/topic/88607-34x-stable/?p=487667">bug report</a> from a user in the support forums. </p>
<p>Perhaps the mystery will be solved in the days to come.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88488
title: Supreme Court Rejects Application of Pirate Bay’s Peter Sunde
uri: Supreme-Court-Rejects-Application-of-Pirate-Bay-s-Peter-Sunde
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/iP9nMJshea4/
content:
<p><a href="media/faf17427.peter-sunde2.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/peter-sunde2.jpg"><img src="media/1ceafd41.peter-sunde2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/peter-sunde2.jpg" alt="peter-sunde" width="225" height="225" class="alignright size-full wp-image-85601"></a>In 2012 Sweden’s Supreme Court announced <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-founders-prison-sentences-final-supreme-court-appeal-rejected-120201/">its decision</a> not to grant leave to appeal in the long-running criminal case against the founders of The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>This meant that the previously determined jail sentences and fines handed out to Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm and Carl Lundström would stand.</p>
<p>Both Svartholm and Lundström have completed their jail sentences, but Peter Sunde decided not to give up without a fight. First he <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-founders-file-appeals-with-human-rights-court-120621/">submitted his case</a> to the European Court of Human Rights (EHCR), and after that was rejected he tried again at the Swedish Supreme Court this year. </p>
<p>A childhood friend of Sunde took on the case as part of his legal training, helped by several law professors. Despite an earlier rejection by the Supreme Court, the legal team believed that there was a good chance the case would be re-opened based on recent EU rulings and regulations.</p>
<p>Today, however, the Supreme Court announced that it will not re-open the case. According to <a href="http://sverigesradio.se/">Swedish Radio</a> the Court ruled that there is no new information that requires them to revisit their earlier decision.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to Peter Sunde, who isn&#8217;t really surprised by the outcome. His friend felt that justice would be served, but he never got his hopes up too high. </p>
<p>&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t affect me that much, it&#8217;s just more evidence that Sweden has no intention to follow the law or EU-regulations at all,&#8221; Sunde said. </p>
<p>Sunde will now continue working on several of his startups, including the NSA-proof messenger app <a href="https://heml.is/">Heml.is</a>, for which he raised more than $150,000 through a crowd-funding campaign.</p>
<p>In addition, Sunde is also one of the <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-founder-launches-election-campaign-for-european-parliament-140508/">Finnish Pirate Party candidates</a> for the European Parliament elections later this week. If he is elected, Sunde hopes to do something about the negative effects of copyright law in Europe, something he is personally familiar with.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88446
title: Open Source Chief at Redhat Hit With Bogus Copyright Claims
uri: Open-Source-Chief-at-Redhat-Hit-With-Bogus-Copyright-Claims
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/igIr9wHr8bo/
content:
<p><a href="media/b5760060.tiemann.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tiemann.jpg"><img src="media/b5760060.tiemann.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tiemann.jpg" alt="tiemann" width="192" height="162" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88454"></a>As the largest user-generated content site, YouTube employs ContentID, a system that scans uploads and compares them to a list of works in its databases. If a match is found YouTube can take a variety of actions, from disabling the upload entirely to allowing third-party rightsholders to monetize the content.</p>
<p>Sadly, the system is not foolproof, especially when it is fed false data. Only recently a user was hit with bogus claims from a digital distributor after they wrongly claimed monetization rights over a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/music-distributor-claims-right-to-monetize-jfk-speech-140511/">public domain JFK speech</a>.</p>
<p>Yesterday the scattergun approach to claiming rights on content people simply don&#8217;t own hit an inappropriate target, to say the least.</p>
<p>Michael Tiemann is Vice President of Open Source Affairs at Red Hat Inc, the 6,000 employee giant behind many open source enterprise products including Red Hat Linux. Apparently, even a man with Tiemann&#8217;s credentials and copyright awareness can&#8217;t escape bogus YouTube claims.</p>
<p>After creating a video recently, Tiemann decided to set it to music. Quite appropriately he headed off to ccMixter, a site which originated as a Creative Commons site a decade ago and one which provides samples, remixes and a cappella tracks under Creative Commons licenses.</p>
<p><a href="media/b9bb0aa2.sunray.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sunray.png"><img src="media/b9bb0aa2.sunray.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sunray.png" alt="sunray" width="200" height="149" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88456"></a>Tiemann selected <a href="http://ccmixter.org/files/RobbH/37026">Sunray</a>, a track available under a CC-BY-NC 3.0 Creative Commons license, married it to his video and uploaded it to YouTube. Things didn&#8217;t go well.</p>
<p>Straight after the upload a user called &#8220;RouteNote&#8221; claimed copyright ownership over Tiemann&#8217;s video. He filed an immediate dispute and RouteNote promptly dropped the claim. But then things started to get silly.</p>
<p>&#8220;I posted new versions of the video that were shorter, but using the same music, and lo, I received several more claims from routenote (and others!),&#8221; Tiemann explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;I disputed those, which routenote initially released.  But here&#8217;s where things are broken: less than a day after they released the claim, they filed a new claim, against the same song, in the same video.&#8221;</p>
<p>So who are RouteNote? The <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/routenote">YouTube user account</a> is linked to a network of 53 channels totaling 21,717,873 views. It links to RouteNote.com, a company offering digital distribution services.</p>
<p>&#8220;RouteNote is the leading digital music distributor in the UK&#8221; the company claims.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted RouteNote to find out why they&#8217;re plaguing Tiemann, but at the time of publication we&#8217;ve received no response. But for the Red Hat Open Source chief, however, the nightmare continues.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the mean time, others have filed claims against that song, which I have disputed, and some of those others have released their claims.  They have subsequently filed claims against the new versions of the video that contain the same songs,&#8221; Tiemann <a href="https://plus.google.com/+MichaelTiemann/posts/ZcpLEnmuY3e">explains</a>.</p>
<p>Making matters worse, <a href="http://www.adrev.net/">AdRev</a>, a company that claims to be &#8220;the leading ContentID and Network partner on YouTube&#8221;, has also claimed copyright over Tiemann&#8217;s upload. But while RouteNote initially dropped their claims, AdRev have not.</p>
<p>&#8220;Another entity, AdRev, has rejected my dispute, despite me providing the URL to my source material,&#8221; Tiemann explains.</p>
<p>For AdRev, complaints about their copyright claims are nothing new. Their Twitter account is littered with questions about why they are monetizing other people&#8217;s content or having strikes placed on their YouTube accounts. In <a href="https://twitter.com/redhooknoodles/status/451830768541917184">this instance</a> a problem took more than a month to sort out.</p>
<p>Since AdRev rejected his dispute Tiemann now needs to appeal, but as <a href="https://twitter.com/AlvaroDemiG/status/467377425157197824">this exchange</a> shows, the company is not initially responsive.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/84295cb9.adrev1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/adrev1.png" alt="adrev1"></center></p>
<p>Add the risk of getting a YouTube account strike if it all goes bad, Tiemann wonders what effect this is having on creators.</p>
<p>&#8220;So now I need to file an appeal, which puts my account at risk of a copyright strike.  How many others have abandoned the fight at this point?  How many Creative Commons artists are seeing their works abandoned because of this bad behavior on the YouTube frontier?&#8221;</p>
<p>While alleged infringers are quick to be punished by the YouTube system, there is no come back on those making the erroneous complaints. This is something that YouTube definitely needs to address.</p>
<p>&#8220;Banks got into a lot of trouble for robo-signing mortgages.  I think that all this robo-enforcement of copyright is going to end badly for everybody, too,&#8221; Tiemann concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88504
title: Kim Dotcom Fails in Bid to Suppress FBI Evidence
uri: Kim-Dotcom-Fails-in-Bid-to-Suppress-FBI-Evidence
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/b62fWGFlkeg/
content:
<p><a href="media/57d13949.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg"><img src="media/5b2669f1.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg" alt="dotcom-laptop" width="233" height="170" class="alignright size-full wp-image-76556"></a>In 2012 following the raid on his New Zealand mansion, Kim Dotcom fought to gain access to the information being held against him by the FBI.</p>
<p>A ruling by District Court Judge David Harvey in May of that year, which stood despite an <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-must-be-allowed-to-see-fbi-evidence-against-him-court-rules-120816/">August appeal</a>, ordered disclosure of all documents relating to the alleged crimes of the so-called Megaupload Conspiracy.</p>
<p>While it was agreed that this information should be made available, an order forbidding publication was handed down in respect to the so-called Record of Case, a 200-page document summarizing an estimated 22 million emails and Skype discussions obtained by the FBI during their investigation.</p>
<p>Last November a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-slams-u-s-secret-move-to-share-evidence-131205/">sealed court order</a> by US Judge Liam O&#8217;Grady already allowed the U.S. Government to share the summary of evidence from the Megaupload case with copyright holders, something which was actioned before the end of the year.</p>
<p>Over in New Zealand, however, Kim Dotcom has been fighting an application by the Crown to make the Record of Case public. That battle came to an end today when Auckland District Court Judge Nevin Dawson rejected an application by Dotcom&#8217;s legal team to extend the suppression order placed on the document.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/245236/dotcom-loses-bid-over-fbi-evidence">RadioNZ</a>, the document contains sensitive information including email and chat conversations which suggest that the Megaupload team knew their users were uploading copyrighted material.</p>
<p>In another setback, further applications by Dotcom to force Immigration New Zealand, the Security Intelligence Service, and several other government departments to hand over information they hold on him, were also rejected by Judge Dawson. </p>
<p>Dotcom&#8217;s lawyer Paul Davidson, QC, told <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/60075126/Dotcom-loses-Record-of-Case-fight">Stuff</a> that the battle will continue.</p>
<p>&#8220;We will press on with our resolve,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88473
title: Public BitTorrent Trackers Ban Piracy Monitoring Outfits
uri: Public-BitTorrent-Trackers-Ban-Piracy-Monitoring-Outfits
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/xGm4qv8L43E/
content:
<p><a href="media/ce09ad7f.opentracker.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/opentracker.png"><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><a href="http://openbittorrent.com/">OpenBitTorrent</a>, <a href="http://publicbt.com/">PublicBitTorrent</a> and <a href="http://istole.it/">Istole.it</a> are the largest BitTorrent trackers on the Internet, coordinating the downloads of tens of millions of file-sharers every day. The non-commercial services don&#8217;t host or link to torrent files themselves. </p>
<p>The trackers provide a useful function for the public, but are also used by copyright holders to track down pirates. This includes the companies that are used for the various &#8220;strikes&#8221; initiatives around the world, and various copyright trolls.</p>
<p>To make these increasing snooping efforts more difficult, the tracker operators have decided to take a drastic measure. The three top trackers have all implemented a ban list which includes the IP-address ranges of many of the larger hosting providers, which are frequently used by anti-piracy firms.  </p>
<p>The operator of one of the trackers informed TorrentFreak that the measure will help to keep anti-piracy monitoring firms at bay. At least, those who use services of large hosting firms such as Leaseweb. </p>
<p>However, there is also a downside to the measures. Since many VPN services, proxies and seedboxes also use these hosting providers, they are banned as well. The tracker operators are aware of these consequences, but note that there are ways to circumvent the ban.</p>
<p>Also, affected services and users can still connect to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bittorrents-future-dht-pex-and-magnet-links-explained-091120/">DHT and PEX</a>, which essentially makes the trackers obsolete. By using DHT, BitTorrent users are creating their own peer-to-peer trackers. The tracker operator we spoke to recommends enabling DHT whenever possible. </p>
<p>&#8220;Trackers are really not needed anymore for torrents to work. All BitTorrent users should switch to DHT primarily,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>One of the collateral damage victims of the ban is torrent download service <a href="https://put.io/">Put.io</a>. They have quickly enabled DHT and PEX to ensure that torrents can still be downloaded, and will take measures to ensure that the trackers can be used through a separate server in the future. </p>
<p>&#8220;Right now turning on DHT and PEX brought some relief, but this limits our speed in finding peers and in general, our options. We will try our best to first get off those lists and then find a way to route the announce traffic over another server so this doesn&#8217;t happen again,&#8221; Put.io&#8217;s Hasan Yalcinkaya informed us.</p>
<p>Of course, anti-piracy outfits could take similar steps to bypass the ban. However, several are believed to rely solely on trackers for the time being. How effective the IP-address blacklist will be in the long run has yet to be seen. </p>
<p>The measure is not the silver bullet that will stop all anti-piracy outfits, but it&#8217;s certainly not making it any easier monitor file-sharers. So for once, they will be the ones who have to circumvent a blockade.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88576
title: UK Police Shutdown File-Host Search Engine FileCrop
uri: UK-Police-Shutdown-File-Host-Search-Engine-FileCrop
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ZblmztTI7v4/
content:
<p><a href="media/bc6e239e.cityoflondonpolice.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cityoflondonpolice.jpg"><img src="media/31176dbb.cityoflondonpolice.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cityoflondonpolice.jpg" alt="cityoflondonpolice" width="200" height="82" class="alignright size-full wp-image-71397"></a>Following its launch in the last quarter of 2013, City of London Police&#8217;s Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) has been working hard to disrupt the activities of sites in the file-sharing arena.</p>
<p>The Unit works on the recommendations of international music, movie and TV companies but is financed by the UK taxpayer, funding <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/uk-prime-minister-asked-for-permanent-police-anti-piracy-unit-funding-140414/">set to continue</a> if Prime Minister David Cameron&#8217;s IP advisor has his way.</p>
<p>PIPCU&#8217;s activities began with the sending of warning emails to many domains around the world, warning them that non-compliance with police requests would result in further action. That action has taken several forms, including the attempted seizure of domains, reported <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/uk-police-domain-advert-suspensions-for-dozens-of-pirate-sites-131209/">disruption of advertising revenue</a>, through to physical raids such as the one <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/police-arrest-streaming-site-admin-several-domains-suspended-140409/">carried out on Boxing Guru</a> earlier this year.</p>
<p>Today there are clear signs of further action by PIPCU. During the past few hours, file-sharing site FileCrop disappeared from the Internet, to be replaced by the PIPCU notice shown below.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/074b3d1c.pipcu-filecrop.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pipcu-filecrop.png" alt="PIPCU-filecrop"></center></p>
<p>While it&#8217;s not particularly unusual for PIPCU to target file-sharing related sites, what is special in this case is the nature of the FileCrop operation. FileCrop wasn&#8217;t a non-responsive Pirate Bay style torrent site, nor was it a file-hosting site operating on the boundaries of the law.</p>
<p>As illustrated by the image below, FileCrop was a search engine that allowed its users to seek content hosted on various file-lockers around the world including RapidShare, Mediafire and Mega, sites that all have strict notice-and-takedown procedures.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/9241a2c2.filecrop-search.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/filecrop-search.png" alt="filecrop-search"></center></p>
<p>While the police making a search engine a priority target seems somewhat unusual (FileCrop also responded to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140207235221/http://www.filecrop.com/contact.php?report=1">takedowns</a>), the targeting of FileCrop doesn&#8217;t come as a complete surprise. In mid 2013 the BPI <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/records-labels-prepare-massive-pirate-site-domain-blocking-blitz-130515/">began preparations</a> to have another batch of domains blocked by local ISPs.</p>
<p>FileCrop.com was included in that list and before the year it was mostly inaccessible in the UK. The Alexa chart below suggests that the blockade had quite an effect on FileCrop&#8217;s popularity.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/333813f5.filecrop-traffic.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/filecrop-traffic.png" alt="Filecrop"></center></p>
<p>While there has been no announcement from City of London Police, previous actions resulting in the displaying of the &#8220;under investigation&#8221; banner shown above have always followed boots-on-the-ground efforts by the authorities. This suggests a UK presence for FileCrop&#8217;s owners or operators, although examination of the site&#8217;s WHOIS entries suggests that the domain owner is located in Ukraine.</p>
<p>Another unusual aspect to the case is why police would prioritize a site that apparently causes relatively few problems for rightsholders. While Google received more than 659,000 complaints last month against Fileshut.biz, a functionally similar site, the search engine has been receiving an average of just 37 complaints a week against FileCrop.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak&#8217;s requests for information from the police have gone unanswered this morning, suggesting that it will be next week before more is known about this case.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> The sports streaming site <strong>Cricfree.tv</strong> <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/cricfree-bounces-back-after-uk-police-domain-seizure-140524/">was shutdown as well</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88527
title: ‘Unbeatable’ Cinavia Anti-Piracy Technology Cracked by DVD-Ranger
uri: Unbeatable-Cinavia-Anti-Piracy-Technology-Cracked-by-DVD-Ranger
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/fpD4PQ6bYRU/
content:
<p><a href="media/4fb083b6.dvdranger.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dvdranger.png"><img src="media/4fb083b6.dvdranger.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dvdranger.png" alt="dvdranger" width="164" height="82" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88534"></a><a href="http://www.cinavia.com/">Cinavia&#8217;s</a> anti-piracy technology relies on a unique type of watermarking that allows it to remain present in pirated movies despite re-recording, transcoding, compression, or other type of transfer. </p>
<p>This means that camcordings of Cinavia-protected first-run movies, Blu-ray and DVDrips can be easily detected.</p>
<p>Support for the technology has been mandatory for all hardware and software Blu-ray players since 2012, which causes headaches for many pirates every day. Pirated movies protected by Cinavia work at first, but after a few minutes playback is halted and a warning notice appears on the screen instead. </p>
<p>“Audio outputs temporarily muted. Do not adjust the playback volume. The content being played is protected by Cinavia™ and is not authorized for playback on this device,&#8221; one of the notices reads.</p>
<p><center></center><center><a href="media/9eb26753.cinavia1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cinavia1.jpg"><img src="media/9eb26753.cinavia1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cinavia1.jpg" alt="cinavia" width="613" height="298" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88532"></a></center></p>
<p>Cinavia has been hailed as an unbeatable anti-piracy technology and up until today it was impossible to crack through a simple software solution. However, after several years <a href="http://www.cinexhd.com/">DVD-Ranger</a> has now solved the puzzle. </p>
<p>The company informs TorrentFreak that their Cinavia removing solution is now able to remove the play restrictions from pirated downloads in various video formats, something that was previously impossible.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have improved DVD-Ranger for use with torrent files. Now DVD-Ranger CinEx HD can remove Cinavia from downloaded torrent video files such as avi, mkv, mp4, mov and others,&#8221; DVD-Ranger&#8217;s Ingo Förster explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;The new module first scans the audio and then removes the Cinavia protection on the first pass. The contained video and subtitles will be handled pass-through, meaning that only the selected audio track will be re-encoded,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>On their website the software specifically targets BitTorrent pirates, many of whom have run into Cinavia protection in recent years. With DVD-Ranger&#8217;s &#8220;CinEx HD Advanced&#8221; software this is no longer a problem, although freedom doesn&#8217;t come cheap at $69.99 per license.</p>
<p><center></center><center><a href="media/b03a06d0.cinavia-rangers.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cinavia-rangers.jpg"><img src="media/b03a06d0.cinavia-rangers.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cinavia-rangers.jpg" alt="cinavia-rangers" width="600" height="316" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88533"></a></center></p>
<p>Förster and his colleague at DVD-Ranger have been working in the DVD-copying business for over a decade. For them, it was mostly the challenge that made them decide to break the Cinavia technology.</p>
<p>&#8220;Me and my partner are working both in science jobs and we were in contact with digital watermarks many years before Cinavia was born, so we know many things about digital watermarking. After we saw how many problems the major players such as DVDFab and Slysoft had with Cinavia, we started our own development,&#8221; Förster says.</p>
<p>Technically, Cinavia is not copy protection so the German based developer doesn&#8217;t believe they are breaking any laws. The files can be copied with and without a watermark, and their software only removes these &#8220;play&#8221; restrictions.</p>
<p>&#8220;In our country it is only forbidden to develop and sell software that circumvents copy protection. The law doesn&#8217;t mention digital watermarks. So is it legal? Definitely,&#8221; Förster notes.</p>
<p>In any case, DVD-Ranger&#8217;s breakthrough is likely to cause concern at Verance, the company where Cinavia is developed. Perhaps it&#8217;s the start of a new watermarking arms race?</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88610
title: Cricfree Bounces Back After UK Police Domain Seizure
uri: Cricfree-Bounces-Back-After-UK-Police-Domain-Seizure
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/gkn4WMIQaYg/
content:
<p><a href="media/bc6e239e.cityoflondonpolice.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cityoflondonpolice.jpg"><img src="media/31176dbb.cityoflondonpolice.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cityoflondonpolice.jpg" alt="cityoflondonpolice" width="200" height="82" class="alignright size-full wp-image-71397"></a>A few hours ago we reported that City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) managed to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/uk-police-shutdown-file-host-search-engine-filecrop-140524/">shutter FileCrop</a>, a popular file-hosting search engine. </p>
<p>FileCrop wasn&#8217;t the only site that disappeared. The same happened to the sports streaming portal Cricfree.tv, which is a fairly popular site with millions of visitors a month.</p>
<p>However, Cricfree didn&#8217;t stay down for long. The owner of the site quickly put up a new domain, Cricfree.eu, and after a few hours the site was up and running again. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak talked to the Cricfree owner who told us that the police nor his registrar reached out to him about the issue.</p>
<p>&#8220;They never alerted me that they were going to suspend the domain. I only received a few emails from the anti-piracy outfit FACT, but I didn&#8217;t think these were serious,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>It remains unclear how the police was able to seize the domain. Previously they&#8217;ve contacted several registrars with a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/uk-police-orders-registrars-to-suspend-domains-of-major-torrent-sites-131009/">request to suspend</a> several piracy related domain names, and it is likely that this happened here as well.</p>
<p>Cricfree&#8217;s domain name registrar is <a href="http://www.internetbs.net/">Internet.bs</a> and the owner is hoping to get the domain name back, since the domain name was &#8220;seized&#8221; without a proper court order. </p>
<p>For now, however, the site will continue to operate on cricfree.eu and skysport.tv, where traffic is picking up again according to the owner. </p>
<p><center><a href="media/71b64991.cricfree.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cricfree.png"><img src="media/71b64991.cricfree.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cricfree.png" alt="cricfree" width="846" height="439" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88611"></a></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88459
title: Rapidgator Wiped From Google’s Search Results, Again
uri: Rapidgator-Wiped-From-Google-s-Search-Results-Again
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FUHzx8LO45M/
content:
<p><a href="media/a00f6c4a.rapidgator1.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/rapidgator1.png"><img src="media/0f641a7e.rapidgator1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rapidgator1.png" alt="rapidgator" width="180" height="84" class="alignright size-full wp-image-68864"></a>Every week Google processes millions of DMCA takedown requests, submitted by copyright holders from all over the world. </p>
<p>In most cases the requests are legitimate, but every now and then they also target pages that don&#8217;t link to pirated content. As a result some websites have their URLs removed from Google in error, which in turn leads to a decrease in visitors. </p>
<p>This has now happened to <a href="http://rapidgator.net">Rapidgator.net</a>, one of the largest file-hostings sites on the Internet. For the past few weeks the site has had nearly all its URLs de-listed, including its homepage.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chillingeffects.org/notice.cgi?sID=1637524">The request</a> responsible for this overbroad censorship was issued by the Publishers Association, a UK-based trade group. Aside from the Rapidgator URLs, the takedown notice in question lists several other pages that have nothing to do with their copyrighted works.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/f3cf1983.rapidgone.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rapidgone.png"><img src="media/f3cf1983.rapidgone.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rapidgone.png" alt="rapidgone" width="423" height="115" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88596"></a></center></p>
<p>Hoping to get its URLs restored Rapidgator submitted a counter-notification to Google, but several weeks have passed since and the problem remains. TorrentFreak spoke with Rapidgator operator Mike, who is concerned about the lack of response and the ease at which sites can be removed from Google.</p>
<p>&#8220;With the procedure Google has in place now any website can be de-listed by anybody,&#8221; Mike says.</p>
<p>&#8220;When Google receives a DMCA notice they remove URLs within a day, but if you want to have them restored it can take weeks or months. We think that they should restore URLs in the same timeframe as the original removals,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>Rapidgator&#8217;s operator understand that Google can&#8217;t process every URL manually due to the massive amount of DMCA notices. However, he believes that they could at least flag requests to remove the homepages of websites so these can be manually verified.</p>
<p>This isn&#8217;t the first time that Rapidgator has lost nearly all its listings in Google. The same thing happened late last year and on that occasion it also took several weeks before Google took action, leading to a dip in search traffic for the site. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak asked Google for a comment on the counter-notification process but the company couldn&#8217;t say anything about the number of requests it receives, or what the average response time is.</p>
<p>For Rapidgator there&#8217;s no other option than to wait until Google responds to its inquiry. In the meantime, only five Rapidgator pages remain indexed by Google.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/978777dc.rapidgator-removed.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rapidgator-removed.png"><img src="media/978777dc.rapidgator-removed.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rapidgator-removed.png" alt="rapidgator-removed" width="565" height="688" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88557"></a></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88469
title: Copyright Troll Demands Comcast’s Six Strikes Data for Lawsuit
uri: Copyright-Troll-Demands-Comcast-s-Six-Strikes-Data-for-Lawsuit
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Q06A1sHPyps/
content:
<p><a href="media/70261aaa.comcast.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/comcast.jpg"><img src="media/759cf2e9.comcast.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/comcast.jpg" alt="comcast" width="170" height="60" class="alignright size-full wp-image-53356"></a>In just a few days time the controversial Copyright Alert System (CAS) will have been operational for 15 months.</p>
<p>A cornerstone of the system sees the major labels and movie studios sending notices of infringement to ISPs which they in turn forward to their subscribers. Records of these notices are then held in a database, which copyright holders in the six-strike scheme may subsequently use in legal action, if they feel that is appropriate.</p>
<p>“The Content Owner Representatives [MPAA / RIAA] or any other member of the Participating Content Owners Group may use such reports or data as the basis for seeking a Subscriber’s identity through a subpoena or order or other lawful process,&#8221; the <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-scheme-may-lead-to-lawsuits-against-pirates-121212/">agreement</a> reads.</p>
<p>Trouble is, any data on file is at risk of being accessed by a third party if they can convince a judge they have good reason to obtain it. And that&#8217;s exactly what the largest filer of copyright complaints in the United States is now attempting to do.</p>
<p>Malibu Media is well-known as a filer of many lawsuits against alleged file-sharers. Indeed, earlier this week the company was featured in an article which confirmed its status as the <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2014/05/the-biggest-filer-of-copyright-lawsuits-is-this-erotica-web-site.html">most prolific filer</a> of copyright lawsuits in the entire United States.</p>
<p>In a case which has been <a href="http://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/2014/05/21/malibu-medias-evidence-or-the-march-of-the-naked-emperor/">documented</a> by FightCopyrightTrolls since its initial February 2013 filing, Malibu has been struggling to pin an infringement on Kelley Tashiro, a middle-aged female nurse from Indianapolis. Faced with an uphill battle, Malibu has now turned to Tashiro&#8217;s ISP, Comcast, to find out what information it holds on her.</p>
<p>Perhaps inevitably, Malibu is attempting to find out whether or not the IP address allocated to Tashiro has ever been subject to infringement allegations by other copyright holders. In addition to details of any DMCA notices forwarded,  Malibu has asked a judge to order the release of data being held as part of the Copyright Alerts System.</p>
<p>&#8220;DMCA notices and six strike notices are relevant because these notices may prove a pattern of infringement or notice that infringement is occurring or both,&#8221; Malibu writes in its motion.</p>
<p>In an indication of just how desperate Malibu has become, the company also wants details of Tashiro&#8217;s bandwidth consumption, as if that somehow indicates whether she is an infringer or not.</p>
<p>&#8220;Bandwidth usage is relevant because people who are heavy BitTorrent users use significantly more bandwidth than normal internet users,&#8221; the company&#8217;s sweeping generalization reads.</p>
<p>In summary, Malibu points out to the court that without this and other items of information from Comcast they have no chance of winning the case, another indication of how flimsy IP address-only evidence is now being viewed.</p>
<p>Whether Comcast will comply or not remains to be seen. A <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/verizon-asked-to-share-six-strikes-alerts-for-bittorrent-lawsuit-130402/">similar case</a> in April 2013 which demanded information from Verizon was subsequently dropped.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88629
title: Pirate Party Keeps a Seat At The European Parliament
uri: Pirate-Party-Keeps-a-Seat-At-The-European-Parliament
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ckBXI2bxz2M/
content:
<p><a href="media/4283c51c.PPEU.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/PPEU.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-88634" src="media/4283c51c.PPEU.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/PPEU.png" alt="PPEU" width="308" height="210"></a>This week people from all across Europe chose their representatives for the European Parliament.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/these-pirate-parties-plan-to-enter-the-european-parliament-140511/">more than a dozen countries</a> local Pirate Parties were also present at the ballots, with serious ambitions.</p>
<p>During the last elections in 2009 the Pirate Party surprised friend and foe by gaining <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-wins-and-enters-the-european-parliament-090607/">two seats</a> at the European Parliament. This year they hoped to equal or improve upon that success, but the goal proved out of reach.</p>
<p>The final results show that the German Pirate Party is certain of a seat, with <a href="http://www.ergebnisse-wahlen2014.eu/de/election-results-2014.html">1.4% of the total vote</a>. This means that 27-year-old <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Reda">Julia Reda</a> will represent the Pirates in Brussels during the next five years.</p>
<p>In the Czech Republic the Pirate Party came awfully close too. They achieved 4.78% of the total vote where 5% was needed, just 3,337 votes short of a seat in Brussels. The party has announced that it will appeal the 5% barrier.</p>
<p>In Sweden, where it all started, the Pirate Party managed 2.2% of the total vote. That&#8217;s down from 7.1% during the previous European Election and not enough for a continued stay in Brussels for the Swedish Pirates.</p>
<p>In Luxembourg the Pirate Party did very well with 4.23% of the total vote. However, this doesn&#8217;t translate into a seat since the country only has six seats available. The result does mean that the party will receive funding from Europe during the years to come, which was an aim they had shared with us two weeks ago.</p>
<p>In all the other countries where Pirates were on the ballot the achievements are also below the threshold for a seat. </p>
<p>This includes Finland where Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde participated. Sunde is the most popular Pirate there, but the party <a href="http://tulospalvelu.vaalit.fi/EPV2014/fi/tulos_kokomaa.html" target="_blank">only managed</a> 0.7% of the vote, not enough for him to be elected.</p>
<p>While many had hoped for at least two seats, or more, the German seat is still quite an impressive achievement.</p>
<p>When the Swedish Pirate Party entered the European Parliament five years ago most people thought it was a fluke. However, the Pirates managed to stay in Brussels, supported by the votes of close to a million people all across Europe.</p>
<p>This sentiment is shared by Rick Falkvinge, founder of the first Pirate Party. &#8220;As a movement, we went from two seats to one, being ridiculously close to three seats,&#8221; Falkvinge tells TorrentFreak. </p>
<p>&#8220;Still, there&#8217;s no points for a near-hit in any game. The most important thing was that there would be Pirates in the European Parliament after this election day, and we achieved that. The story continues, and there&#8217;s representation on the inside,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88667
title: Torrentz.eu Domain Suspended After UK Police Request
uri: Torrentz-eu-Domain-Suspended-After-UK-Police-Request
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/pNK2_k-GyoQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/bcf03be1.torrentz-eu.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/torrentz-eu.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-29710" src="media/e031a741.torrentz-eu.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrentz-eu.jpg" alt="torrentz-eu" width="222" height="162"></a>Over the past few months <a href="http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/Pages/default.aspx">City of London Police</a> have been working together with copyright holders to topple sites that provide or link to pirated content.</p>
<p>The police started by sending <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/uk-police-launch-campaign-to-shut-down-torrent-sites-130604/">warning letters</a> to site owners, asking them to go legit or shut down. Late last year this was followed by a campaign targeted at domain registrars, asking them to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/uk-police-orders-registrars-to-suspend-domains-of-major-torrent-sites-131009/">suspend the domain names</a> of several &#8220;illegal&#8221; sites.</p>
<p>A few days ago police sent out another round of requests to various domain name registrars, asking them to suspend the domains of several allegedly infringing sites. Before the weekend we <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/uk-police-shutdown-file-host-search-engine-filecrop-140524/">reported</a> that the cyberlocker search engine FileCrop was targeted, and today the same happened to Torrentz.eu.</p>
<p>Starting a few hours ago the popular search engine became unreachable after its DNS entries were pointed at ns1.blocked.netart.pl and ns2.blocked.netart.pl.</p>
<p>The operator of Torrentz informs TorrentFreak that the site&#8217;s main domain name was suspended by its registrar following a request from police in the UK. The site is still registered to the Torrentz team, who hope that they will be able to lift the suspension or move the domain name elsewhere. </p>
<p>Several other Torrentz domains remain unaffected, and the site can still be accessed via the Torrentz.ch and Torrentz.me domains. </p>
<p>Torrentz is the most prominent site thus far to lose control of its domain following action by UK police. With millions of visitors a day it&#8217;s one of the largest torrent sites on the Internet. The site is also an unusual target since it is a pure meta-search engine, showing nothing more than a search box on the homepage.</p>
<p>The actions of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit are not without controversy. While some registrars are willing to cooperate, Canada-based <a href="https://web.easydns.com/">easyDNS</a> previously refused to comply and successfully defended its customers.</p>
<p>“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I always thought it was something that gets decided in a court of law, as opposed to ‘some guy on the internet’ sending emails. While that’s plenty reason enough for some registrars to take down domain names, it doesn’t fly here,” easyDNS’ CEO Mark Jeftovic said at the time.</p>
<p>In Torrentz&#8217;s case, however, it appears that an email from the UK Police was good enough to have their domain suspended. However, the site&#8217;s owner should still be able to regain full control over the domain name. </p>
<p>Previously, ICANN&#8217;s Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy panel <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/registrars-cant-hold-pirate-domains-hostage-without-court-order-140110/">ruled</a> that registrars can&#8217;t hold domain names hostage simply because a law enforcement agency believes it may be infringing. </p>
<p>“Although there are compelling reasons why the request from a recognized law enforcement agency such as the City of London Police should be honored, the Transfer Policy is unambiguous in requiring a court order before a Registrar of Record may deny a request to transfer a domain name,” the panel wrote in its decision.</p>
<p>“To permit a registrar of record to withhold the transfer of a domain based on the suspicion of a law enforcement agency, without the intervention of a judicial body, opens the possibility for abuse by agencies far less reputable than the City of London Police,” it added.</p>
<p>The above means that there&#8217;s a good chance that Torrentz will be able to get its domain unsuspended, or transferred to a new registrar at least  (although it has to be noted .EU doesn&#8217;t fall under ICANN&#8217;s TDRP). Time will tell if this is indeed the case.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak has asked the UK Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit for a comment on the renewed suspension requests, but we haven&#8217;t heard back from them thus far &#8211; today is a national holiday in the UK.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/torrentz-eu-domain-unsuspended-back-action-140527/">Torrentz.eu is unsuspended</a> and back in action.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit shared the following response with TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>“Operation Creative is a ground-breaking initiative is designed to disrupt and prevent websites from providing unauthorised access to copyrighted content, in partnership with the creative and advertising industries.</p>
<p>“As part of Operation Creative, rights holders in the creative industries identify and report copyright infringing websites to PIPCU, providing a detailed package of evidence indicating how the site is involved in illegal copyright infringement. Officers from PIPCU then evaluate the websites and verify whether they are infringing copyright. At the first instance of a website being confirmed as providing copyright infringing content, the site owner is contacted by officers at PIPCU and offered the opportunity to engage with the police, to correct their behaviour and to begin to operate legitimately.</p>
<p>“If a website fails to comply and engage with the police, then a variety of other tactical options may be used including; contacting the domain registrar informing them of the criminality and seeking suspension of the site and disrupting advertising revenue through the use of an Infringing Website List (IWL) available to those involved in the sale and trading of digital advertising.</p>
<p>“The IWL, the first of its kind to be developed, is an online portal providing the digital advertising sector with an up-to-date list of copyright infringing sites, identified and evidenced by the creative industries and verified by the City of London Police unit. The aim of the IWL is that advertisers, agencies and other intermediaries will use it as a brand safety tool and cease advert placement on these illegal websites.”</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><em>Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/huskyte/7512877940/">Michael Theis</a></em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88661
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 05/26/14
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-05-26-14
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2LRy31Els50/
content:
<p><a href="media/fc20ec52.3days1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/3days1.jpg"><img src="media/fc20ec52.3days1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/3days1.jpg" alt="3days" width="300" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88697"></a>This week we have three newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>3 Days to kill is the most downloaded movie this week.</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-140519/">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/3_days_to_kill/">3 Days To kill</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2172934/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBnKYDDDq8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/godzilla_2014/">Godzilla</a> (CAM)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0831387/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIu85WQTPRc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1200731-robocop/">RoboCop</a></td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234721/">6.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnRJ0r0eivk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jack_ryan_shadow_recruit/">Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205537/">6.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9KAnx4EvaE">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/non_stop_2013/">Non-Stop</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024469/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiHDJ19A3dk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lego_movie/">The Lego Movie</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_JOBCLF-I">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_america_the_winter_soldier_2014/">Captain America: The Winter Soldier</a> (Cam/TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1843866/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SlILk2WMTI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/oculus/">Oculus</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2388715/?">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYJrxezWLUk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_monuments_men/">The Monuments Men</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2177771/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8tz8YeCz1s">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tarzan_2013/">Tarzan</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1705952/">4.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haSB5DQvrpo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88673
title: Huge Wolfenstein Download Infuriates But Doesn’t Deter Pirates
uri: Huge-Wolfenstein-Download-Infuriates-But-Doesn-t-Deter-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Yq6EusXS0rE/
content:
<p><a href="media/0bc36a1c.wolfenstein.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wolfenstein.jpg"><img src="media/0bc36a1c.wolfenstein.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/wolfenstein.jpg" alt="wolfenstein" width="200" height="97" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88702"></a>Just how far we&#8217;ve come on the bandwidth front in the past few decades is astonishing.</p>
<p>In the early 80s the 8-bit demo scene manage to thrive with pedestrian transfers of 75 characters per second. By 2002 in the heyday of Kazaa, users still on dial-up were pondering whether an awful 28mb cam rip of 28 Days Later would be worth the herculean effort.</p>
<p>These days, some users are still happily gobbling up 700mb YIFY movie rips but for others bandwidth has become so plentiful that only multi-gig Blu-ray releases will suffice. However, there is a point at which even the swarthiest of pirates begin to complain.</p>
<p>Wolfenstein: The New Order is the long-awaited re-imagining of the cult classic game of the same name and as expected upon its release last week it quickly turned up on torrent sites. However, its huge size had some potential downloaders wondering whether to bother or not.</p>
<p>&#8220;43GB? holy fuck,&#8221; exclaimed Pirate Bay user sealtmx2.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have to uninstall like 10 games to play this shit!!&#8221;  added ucci4life.</p>
<p>Reports suggest that the massive file size is due to uncompressed graphics textures but it comes as no surprise that some believe that annoying downloaders was in the developers&#8217; minds. Bethesda had deliberately padded out the game with junk as a clever anti-piracy deterrent, some concluded.</p>
<p>While extremely unlikely, for some the big download was simply too much.</p>
<p>&#8220;43GB, the hell? No thanks, guess I will buy this when the price drops to £29.99,&#8221; said user u2konline.</p>
<p>The impatience in torrent sites comments sections was interesting to behold, with several downloaders reporting the abandoning of the download in favor of paying for the game instead. For them, waiting two or three days (according to times estimated by their torrent client at the time) was simply too much.</p>
<p>&#8220;I was gonna get this torrent but I saw the size and how long it would take me to download it, I said fuck it I&#8217;m getting it from Steam,&#8221; said user Caxtilteca. &#8220;Took me 2 hours to download 40GB including the day one update.&#8221;</p>
<p>Part of the problem, especially when the torrents were fresh, is that due to the time to completion there were a tiny amount of seeders (users with the whole game) compared to leechers (those still downloading). The effect of that was highlighted by speed157.</p>
<p>&#8220;38 hours later I finally finish my download and have uploaded 122.15 GB,&#8221; he wrote.</p>
<p>But while the huge download clearly deterred some, it appears to have had no serious effect on the number of downloaders overall. Although its size clearly had something to do with it, Wolfenstein: The New Order had the largest torrent swarms of any game last week and by the weekend more than 100,000 pirates had endured the wait to grab themselves a copy.</p>
<p>Reports on exactly how long people had to wait varied, from a few hours to a few days. However, it&#8217;s still interesting to see how that desire for content right here and right now led some to the doors of Steam or retailers when they became more convenient than the pirate option. For once and for a few, the boot seemed to have switched to the other foot.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88720
title: Torrentz.eu Domain Unsuspended and Back In Action
uri: Torrentz-eu-Domain-Unsuspended-and-Back-In-Action
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/w0P3SfPRRDI/
content:
<p><a href="media/bcf03be1.torrentz-eu.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/torrentz-eu.jpg"><img src="media/e031a741.torrentz-eu.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torrentz-eu.jpg" alt="torrentz-eu" width="222" height="162" class="alignright size-full wp-image-29710"></a>With millions of visitors per day Torrentz is one of the largest torrent sites on the Internet. </p>
<p>Yesterday many of its regular users were in for a surprise though, after their favorite search engine suddenly became unreachable. </p>
<p>It turned out that the site&#8217;s domain name registrar, the Poland-based company Nazwa, had <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/torrentz-eu-domain-suspended-uk-police-request-140526/">suspended the Torrentz.eu domain</a>. This drastic step was taken after they received a letter from the UK&#8217;s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit.</p>
<p>In recent months City of London Police have targeted dozens of domains through their registrars. Some complied, but others refused to take action without a court order, which is appropriate in these cases. </p>
<p>At first Nazwa placed themselves in the first group, as they were quick to suspend the torrentz.eu domain. However, it appears that the company was willing to listen to reason since their initial decision has now been reversed.</p>
<p>This morning Torrentz.eu&#8217;s old DNS entries were put back in place, replacing the ns1.blocked.netart.pl and ns2.blocked.netart.pl ones.</p>
<p>The Torrentz team informs TorrentFreak that their lawyer contacted the registrar yesterday afternoon. In a long letter the lawyer explained that the domain can&#8217;t simply be held hostage based on a third-party request. </p>
<p>Among other things, this argument is based on an earlier decision by ICANN’s Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy panel which concluded that a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/registrars-cant-hold-pirate-domains-hostage-without-court-order-140110/">court order is required</a> to take such drastic action (although it has to be noted .EU doesn&#8217;t fall under ICANN&#8217;s TDRP). </p>
<p>While the registrar has not yet replied to the letter, the fact that the old DNS entries have been restored suggests that they admit that the suspension was in error.</p>
<p>The Torrentz team is happy with the outcome thus far and will continue operating from the .eu domain. The site should be accessible again worldwide, at least to those who have the latest DNS information.</p>
<p>The UK&#8217;s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit informs TorrentFreak that the recent efforts to ask registrars to suspend domain names is part of &#8220;Operation Creative.&#8221; The websites targeted by the police are identified by copyright holders, and then verified by police officers. </p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Responding to the inquiry we sent yesterday, the police sent the following statement explaining how websites are identified and what actions are taken in response. As with the previous initiatives, such as the pirate site advertising blocklist, these fall under &#8220;Operation Creative.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>&#8220;As part of Operation Creative, rights holders in the creative industries identify and report copyright infringing websites to PIPCU, providing a detailed package of evidence indicating how the site is involved in illegal copyright infringement. Officers from PIPCU then evaluate the websites and verify whether they are infringing copyright. At the first instance of a website being confirmed as providing copyright infringing content, the site owner is contacted by officers at PIPCU and offered the opportunity to engage with the police, to correct their behaviour and to begin to operate legitimately.&#8221;</p>
<p>“If a website fails to comply and engage with the police, then a variety of other tactical options may be used including; contacting the domain registrar informing them of the criminality and seeking suspension of the site and disrupting advertising revenue through the use of an Infringing Website List (IWL) available to those involved in the sale and trading of digital advertising.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88749
title: Sex Cams at NASA & Library of Congress, Anti-Piracy Outfit Says
uri: Sex-Cams-at-NASA-Library-of-Congress-Anti-Piracy-Outfit-Says
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5g95FC62Ojs/
content:
<p><a href="media/db3bd45e.pirate-card.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-card.jpg"><img src="media/c579e316.pirate-card.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-card.jpg" alt="pirate-card" width="250" height="210" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86520"></a>While many content creators believe that taking down pirate links will make their material harder to find, the value of this endless task is often questioned. As content spreads like a virus, links often reappear elsewhere as fast as they are taken down.</p>
<p>The response has been to send more and more takedown requests and the end result of that has been mixed to say the least. While the music industry does a pretty accurate job despite sending tens of millions of notices, smaller players tend to embarrass themselves regularly with ridiculous claims against clearly non-infringing domains.</p>
<p>Today its the turn of DMCA Copyright Enforcement, an anti-piracy company working on behalf of adult media company Cybertania Inc, the claimed operators of the myfreecams.com website. DMCA Copyright Enforcement started sending DMCA notices to Google <a href="http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/owners/36987/Cybertania-Inc/?p=2">on Cybertania&#8217;s behalf on May 13</a>. It didn&#8217;t go well; the first 999 URL notice was <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/requests/1189583/">rejected in its entirety</a> by Google.</p>
<p>The notice that caught our eye, however, shows just how bad things can get when an anti-piracy company sets its dumb bots loose but fails to properly check on their work. First up to be accused of hosting pirated cam content, The Library of Congress.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/977c2809.loc-cam.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/loc-cam.png" alt="LOC-CAM"></center></p>
<p>So what pirated and filthy content is to be found behind this <a href="http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026994/1871-10-07/ed-1/seq-4/">innocent looking URL</a>? The Charleston Daily News apparently &#8211; from October 7, 1871.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/ad1cadca.loc-newspaper.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/loc-newspaper.png" alt="LOC-newspaper"></center></p>
<p>Pressing on with their anti-piracy crusade, DMCA Copyright Enforcement&#8217;s bots thought they&#8217;d found evidence of yet more cam-focused infringement, this time on that well-known rogue site, NASA.gov. The bots homed-in on two allegedly infringing links &#8211; <a href="http://ecco2.jpl.nasa.gov/data1/cube/adjoint/2009/iter24/lat_lon/quart_80S_80N/EXFlwnet/EXFlwnet.1440x640.day175">here</a> and <a href="http://ecco2.jpl.nasa.gov/data1/cube/cube92/oceQsw/oceQsw.0000071478.data">here</a> &#8211; both NASA datasets and definitely not porn.</p>
<p>With a fuse clearly blown, the bots&#8217; next stop was the <a href="http://www.uua.org/careers/ministers/support/fellowship/">profile page</a> of The Reverend Alicia R. Forde at the Unitarian Universalism religious movement. Judging by the number of camgirls by the name of &#8220;Alicia&#8221; (and close variants) in the DMCA notice, it seems pretty clear what the poor Reverend&#8217;s crime was.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/d9941a5c.minister-dmca.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/minister-dmca.png" alt="minister"></center></p>
<p>Now out of control, the bots headed off to Google&#8217;s <a href="https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/gmail/1ZkpvkOWa_8[1-25-true]">product forums</a> and a page on <a href="http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/search?body=megan+elizabeth+martinez,+nikiskyler+on+myfreecams+and+twistys&#038;pg=2">Ripoff Report</a> for no apparent reason, stopping by at Newspapers.com to try and censor copies of <a href="http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/49824162/">The Kane Republican from May 14, 1958,</a> the El Paso Herald-Post from May 1962 and the Miami Daily News from November 1941. And a copy of Farmer&#8217;s Wife <a href="http://idnc.library.illinois.edu/cgi-bin/illinois?a=d&#038;d=FFW19211001.2.120.2">from 1921</a>, just for good measure.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/9c33bd2a.ancestry.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ancestry.png" alt="ancestry"></center></p>
<p>Things then got really weird when the bots attacked some technical sites including Website Informer, Domain Tools&#8217; DNS reporting service <a href="http://www.dailychanges.com/hostgator.com/2010-10-27">DailyChanges.com</a> and Github. </p>
<p>After hitting search results on <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_kw=Sonia+B.">eBay</a> (because they contained the name &#8220;Sonia&#8221;) this hugely <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?sel=site&#038;searchPhrase=myfreecams+Alesia">embarrassing URL</a> on The Daily Mail was up next, a clear attempt by the anti-piracy outfit to turn the site&#8217;s own search engine against itself.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/d7bcf1c5.dailymail.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dailymail.png" alt="DailyMail"></center></p>
<p>The worst part of this sorry episode is that the items detailed above do not amount to a fully comprehensive report on all the disasters present in this <a href="http://www.chillingeffects.org/notice.cgi?sID=1716750">single notice</a>, there are many, many more.</p>
<p>In fact, since the middle of May around 15 notices containing approximately 1,000 URLs each have been rejected completely by Google with only eight making it through relatively unscathed. According to Google, four notices were so bad as to be marked as a <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/owners/36987/Cybertania-Inc/?p=2">potential abuse of the DMCA process</a>.</p>
<p>Needless to say, DMCA Copyright Enforcement and Cybertania have got some serious problems to sort out before their bots cause any more damage.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Since the publication of this article, Cybertania have been in touch to explain that the notices being sent out in their name are fraudulent. The company adds that they have not hired &#8220;DMCA Copyright Enforcement&#8221; (whoever they are) and suspects this outfit is deliberately trying to hurt the SEO of other sites. Google has been informed.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88778
title: Comcast, Verizon and Co. Stop Mass Piracy Lawsuits on Appeal
uri: Comcast-Verizon-and-Co-Stop-Mass-Piracy-Lawsuits-on-Appeal
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/0FNsUrVbMMo/
content:
<p><img src="media/12bdbb91.running.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/running.jpg" alt="running" width="200" height="133" class="alignright size-full wp-image-52725">Two years ago district court Judge Beryl Howell, a former RIAA lobbyist, granted adult movie company AF Holdings the right to obtain the personal details of more than 1,000 Internet users suspected of downloading their works using BitTorrent.</p>
<p>The verdict was a big win for the porn studio and its controversial law firm Prenda, since many other judges had previously rejected joining so many defendants in one lawsuit. The ruling would allow copyright holders to sue large groups of alleged pirates who may have never interacted, or even lived near the district they were being sued in.</p>
<p>The ISPs were not happy with Howell&#8217;s ruling and Comcast, Verizon, AT&#038;T, Time Warner and Cox  <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/141004898/stop-mass-piracy-lawsuits">filed an appeal</a>. The providers hoped to reverse the earlier ruling and stop copyright trolls from targeting hundreds of defendants in a single lawsuit.</p>
<p>The ISPs were joined in their efforts by several citizen rights groups including EFF, American Civil Liberties Union and Public Knowledge, who all argued that the mass-lawsuits should be struck down. </p>
<p>Yesterday, nearly two years after the original ruling, Court of Appeals Judge David Tatel finally came to a decision. The verdict is a clear win for the providers and concludes that AF Holdings and Prenda&#8217;s mass-lawsuits are an abuse of the judicial process.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sometimes individuals seek to manipulate judicial procedures to serve their own improper ends. This case calls upon us to evaluate—and put a stop to—one litigant’s attempt to do just that,&#8221; the Judge <a href="media/f2512095.12-7135-1494480.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/03C24261CF88569785257CE5004E37E0/$file/12-7135-1494480.pdf">begins</a>.</p>
<p>One of the issues at stake was that of personal jurisdiction. According to Judge Tatel the evidence made it clear that the porn company had no real intention of pursuing cases again all these defendants, not least because many do not live in the District of Columbia. </p>
<p>&#8220;We think it quite obvious that AF Holdings could not possibly have had a good faith belief that it could successfully sue the overwhelming majority of the 1,058 John Doe defendants in this district,&#8221; Judge Tatel writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;In seeking such information, AF Holdings clearly abused the discovery process,&#8221; he adds. </p>
<p>The same reasoning also applies to the issue of venue, with the Judge noting that it&#8217;s improper to lump together hundreds of IP-addresses from people scattered all over the country.   </p>
<p>Finally, Judge Tatel looked at the joinder issue. While he doesn&#8217;t define any clear rules, the verdict makes it clear that adding hundreds of BitTorrent users in one suit because they downloaded the same file is not sufficient. Especially when there&#8217;s no indication that they ever exchanged files with each other.</p>
<p>&#8220;AF Holdings has provided no reason to think that the Doe defendants it named in this lawsuit were ever participating in the same swarm at the same time. Instead, it has simply set forth snapshots of a precise moment in which each of these 1,058 Does allegedly shared the copyrighted work—snapshots that span a period of nearly five months.&#8221;</p>
<p>To illustrate the issue, Judge Tatel uses a blackjack analogy that was brought up by one of the citizens&#8217; rights group counsels.</p>
<p>&#8220;To paraphrase an analogy offered by amicus counsel at oral argument, two BitTorrent users who download the same file months apart are like two individuals who play at the same blackjack table at different times. They may have won the same amount of money, employed the same strategy, and perhaps even played with the same dealer, but they have still engaged in entirely separate transactions.&#8221;</p>
<p>All in all the ruling makes it clear that the copyright troll tactic of suing hundreds of individuals without showing that they are connected and living in the district they are being sued in, is a no go. While it <a href="http://torrentlawyer.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/prenda-dc-circuit-court-ruling-tatel-howell-joinder-personal-jurisdiction/">doesn&#8217;t sent any strict rules</a> on when a case is appropriate, and when not, it can be seen as a &#8220;<a href="https://www.eff.org/press/releases/crushing-blow-copyright-trolls-appeals-court-halts-af-holdings-extortion-scheme">crushing blow</a>&#8221; for copyright trolls. </p>
<p>Most importantly is that the Internet providers, and the various groups that joined the case, have prevented worse. If the previous ruling would have held up copyright trolling would have been made much easier and more lucrative than it is today.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88793
title: Movie Studios Seek to Freeze Kim Dotcom’s Assets
uri: Movie-Studios-Seek-to-Freeze-Kim-Dotcom-s-Assets
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/yql6rSADiC8/
content:
<p><img src="media/5fd37436.megaupload.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megaupload.jpg" width="180" height="154" class="alignright">In early April, Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Universal, Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. teamed up to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/movie-studios-demand-millions-megaupload-new-lawsuit-140408/">file a new lawsuit</a> in a Virginia District Court.</p>
<p>Their targets were old adversaries Megaupload, Kim Dotcom and associates Mathias Ortmann and Bram Van Der Kolk. Running in parallel with the ongoing criminal proceedings initiated by the U.S. Government, the complaint followed much of the same path.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, Megaupload&#8217;s legal team responded by asking the court to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-asks-court-freeze-mpaa-riaa-cases-140512/">freeze the MPAA&#8217;s case</a> in order to protect their clients&#8217; Fifth Amendment rights not to implicate themselves in advance of the U.S. government&#8217;s criminal case against them.</p>
<p>In the period since both sides&#8217; legal teams have been in discussion over the potential terms of any stay. But, according to papers filed in a Virginia court yesterday, 20th Century Fox are concerned that Dotcom&#8217;s fortune could soon be back in the entrepreneur&#8217;s hands.</p>
<p>Megaupload&#8217;s and Dotcom&#8217;s millions were seized following the now-notorious 2012 raid. However, last month the New Zealand High Court said it <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/high-court-kim-dotcom-can-have-his-cars-millions-in-cash-returned-140416/">would not extend</a> the foreign restraining order against his assets.</p>
<p>That decision was quickly <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-faces-appeal-in-seized-property-battle-140430/">appealed</a> by the Crown, but the possibility remains that Dotcom could soon regain his wealth and legally dispose of it. The studios want to stop that from happening.</p>
<p>&#8220;If the New Zealand Government loses the appeal, the assets will be unfrozen, and there is a significant risk that they will then be immediately dissipated,&#8221; the studios&#8217; lawyers state in yesterday&#8217;s filing.</p>
<p>Led by Warner Bros., the studios add that since Dotcom and his associates &#8220;have or have had sophisticated global business interests&#8221; and with that an ability to &#8220;move assets offshore quickly and immediately&#8221;, they are taking legal action to try and prevent that.</p>
<p>&#8220;To ensure that Defendants’ New Zealand assets remain frozen even if the New Zealand Government loses the pending appeal, several of the Plaintiffs have initiated civil proceedings in New Zealand to freeze Defendants’ assets pending a judgment in the [studios' civil case against Megaupload/Dotcom].&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="media/d579eec9.dollar-money.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/dollar-money.jpg"><img src="media/2efdb268.dollar-money.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dollar-money.jpg" alt="dollar-money" width="180" height="135" class="alignright size-full wp-image-38877"></a>But the fight to secure Dotcom&#8217;s and Megaupload&#8217;s cash isn&#8217;t confined only to New Zealand. Hong Kong is another battleground and the studios are determined to narrow the options for release of assets there too.</p>
<p>&#8220;In addition to opposing extension of the asset freeze in New Zealand, Defendants are also seeking to unfreeze their assets in Hong Kong, which have also been frozen pursuant to this Court&#8217;s restraining orders issued in the Criminal Action,&#8221; the studio&#8217;s lawyers write.</p>
<p>&#8220;If Defendants are successful in their efforts to unfreeze their assets in Hong Kong,<br>
there is a significant risk that those assets will be dissipated in very short order. Plaintiffs are monitoring developments in Hong Kong and assessing whether they may need to take legal action there to further preserve Defendants’ assets.&#8221;</p>
<p>In conclusion the studios state that while they do not oppose Megaupload&#8217;s request for a stay, the terms must not preclude them taking action to freeze the worldwide assets of Megaupload and Kim Dotcom.</p>
<p>But of course, just days after the studios filed their lawsuit in April, the RIAA jumped on board too by filing a a substantially <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/now-the-riaa-sues-megaupload-for-massive-copyright-theft-140411/">similar suit</a> against the same defendants, again demanding millions in damages.</p>
<p>Yesterday the labels also made their voices heard in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in respect of Megaupload&#8217;s motion for a similar stay in their case. Although penned by different law firms, the labels&#8217; filings are much the same as those from the studios.</p>
<p>In a slightly different conclusion, the labels oppose a stay order, but note that if one is granted it should not disallow them from seeking to &#8220;preserve the Defendants&#8217; worldwide assets.&#8221;</p>
<p>Further hearings on the fate of the currently seized millions are scheduled for July 10 in Hong Kong and in the New Zealand High Court tomorrow.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88788
title: “Six Strikes” Results Show High Number of Persistent Pirates
uri: Six-Strikes-Results-Show-High-Number-of-Persistent-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2zRHVJHwq_E/
content:
<p><img src="media/1c69e722.downloadcar.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/downloadcar.png" alt="downloadcar" width="200" height="132" class="alignright size-full wp-image-76166">February last year, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/isp-six-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-120803/">five U.S. Internet providers</a> started sending copyright alerts to customers who use BitTorrent to pirate movies, TV-shows and music.</p>
<p>These efforts are part of the Copyright Alert System, an anti-piracy plan that aims to educate the public. Through a series of warnings suspected pirates are informed that their connections are being used to share copyrighted material without permission, and told where they can find legal alternatives.</p>
<p>These alerts start out friendly in tone, but serious repeat infringers face a temporary disconnection from the Internet or other mitigation measures. The ISPs and copyright holders believe that the voluntary agreement is effective, but experts have their doubts. </p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/226801389/Phase-One-and-Beyond">a report</a> released today by the Center for Copyright Information (<a href="http://www.copyrightinformation.org/">CCI</a> which oversees the program, the Copyright Alert System has had a significant effect. For the first time the group has published actual numbers, covering the first ten months of the program ending December last year.</p>
<p>As can be seen in the table below, 722,820 account holders received a first strike or copyright alert. Of this group, nearly 30% were caught again, generating a second alert. A total of 60,477 subscribers were particularly persistent and reached the mitigation phase after their fifth alert, which is 8% of everyone who received at least one warning. </p>
<p>Around 1.3 million notices were sent out during the first 10 months, a number that will double in the coming year according to the report.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/4d54c1a9.alerts.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/alerts.png" alt="alerts" width="552" height="455" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88819"></center></p>
<p>It is relatively hard to interpret these numbers, but the repeat warning percentage of 30% is quite high, especially when one takes into account that people who received their first alert during the last month had little time to generate a second one. In addition, the detection rate is relatively low, not to mention subscribers&#8217; use of anonymizing tools.  </p>
<p>It appears that U.S. pirates are relatively persistent. In France, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-agency-sends-1-15-million-warnings-in-2-years-takes-0-0012-to-court-120906/">for example</a>, only 9% of all the warned copyright infringers received two warnings, and that was after two full years. Also, only 0.029% of the French got a third strike. </p>
<p>While these &#8220;strikes&#8221; programs have their differences, the high number of second warnings in the U.S. stands out. One of the issues that may play a role here is that some people don&#8217;t read the emails that come in at their ISP address. </p>
<p>The CCI is nonetheless convinced that copyright alerts are able to deter pirates, some at least.</p>
<p>“We are encouraged by the initial data from the Copyright Alert System’s first 10 months suggesting that the program has the potential to move the needle in deterring copyright infringement,&#8221; CCI&#8217;s Jill Lesser said commenting on the results.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our initial research into consumer attitudes – along with what we have seen in our own data – shows that consumers do respond to this kind of educational system that alerts them to infringing activity on their account and helps them find the content they want easily and legally,” Lesser adds.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/17f6abad.indepreview.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/indepreview.jpg"><img src="media/17f6abad.indepreview.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/indepreview.jpg" alt="indepreview" width="646" height="351" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88820"></a></center></p>
<p>Another figure of interest is the number of appeals. After three or four alerts subscribers have the option to appeal the evidence at the American Arbitration Association. Only 0.27% of the eligible subscribers did so, which translates into a few hundred people. </p>
<p>The most often cited reason to appeal was &#8220;unauthorized use&#8221; of the subscriber&#8217;s account. According to the report there were just 47 successful challenges decided in favor of the accused subscriber, which is 18% of all appeals.</p>
<p>Overall, the participating ISPs and copyright holders are all positive about the results so far. According to the RIAA&#8217;s Steve Marks the program is a respectful and effective way to deal with the piracy problem.</p>
<p>“We are proud of the program’s accomplishments and delighted by our successful partnership with the ISP community. This report confirms that the CAS is working – it’s reliable, respectful of consumers, and an effective way to let them know about all the legitimate alternatives in the marketplace,&#8221; Marks says.</p>
<p>Despite the enthusiasm, whether the program has been effective enough to put a real dent in local piracy rates has yet to be seen. </p>
<p>Last year we reported that instead of kicking their download habit, many people took measures <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-boosts-demand-for-bittorrent-vpns-and-proxies-130311/">to prevent</a> themselves from being monitored. In addition, we observed that U.S. traffic to The Pirate Bay <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-fails-to-halt-u-s-pirate-bay-growth-130903/">did not decline</a> after the system was implemented.  </p>
<p>In any case, it&#8217;s good to see that the first set of data is now available to the public. It will be interesting to see how the current trends develop over time.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88870
title: Spotify: We Make Revenue From Pirates Who Never Pay
uri: Spotify-We-Make-Revenue-From-Pirates-Who-Never-Pay
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/TfaSH0s9Hao/
content:
<p><img src="media/46b7618f.spotify.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spotify.jpg" width="200" height="125" class="alignright">In the continuing piracy debate one thing has been established beyond reasonable doubt. If an entertainment producer wants to make any dent in piracy, at the very least they&#8217;re going to have to make their products readily available at a fair price.</p>
<p>This argument has gathered serious momentum in Australia during the past few years, with local consumers regularly criticizing international TV and movie companies for shipping products Down Under months after release and then charging unrealistic prices.</p>
<p>But in a recent opinion piece, the principal analyst at local music royalty collection outfit APRA AMCOS <a href="http://www.afr.com/p/technology/game_of_thrones_piracy_arguments_pcLQHmkqWbWimWfR5Wi1GP">disputed</a> whether the arrival of services like Spotify that give consumers what they want, have actually done anything to reduce piracy rates.</p>
<p>&#8220;Music’s had everything everybody now wants for television shows, such as Game of Thrones, for a couple of years: availability, access and a reasonable price. But the piracy issue still has not been solved,&#8221; Andrew Harris wrote.</p>
<p>&#8220;In fact, results last month from our ongoing national research show that music piracy levels – just as they were almost two years ago – still sit at around the same level as that of movies and television shows.&#8221;</p>
<p>Noting that Spotify offers content in Australia at the moment it&#8217;s released around the world and does so at one of the best prices, Harris arrives at a familiar conclusion.</p>
<p>&#8220;We’ve heard it all before. No matter how loud the minority might shout it in anger as the answer, it’s impossible to compete with free.&#8221;</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly that notion doesn&#8217;t sit well with Spotify, a company that was <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/spotify-was-designed-from-the-ground-up-to-combat-piracy-131204/">designed from the ground up</a> to compete with piracy.</p>
<p>Responding to Harris&#8217;s assertions in <a href="http://www.afr.com/p/technology/spotify_chief_hits_back_over_piracy_YktFhH5NkCGfGb2L1MdRcI">Australian Financial Review</a>, Spotify Australia and New Zealand chief Kate Vale said that the company&#8217;s experiences told a different story.</p>
<p>“We do believe that access, availability and price does contribute and is the answer and we have proven this in other markets across Europe and particularly in Sweden where we have seen a 30 per cent reduction in piracy since we launched about six years ago,&#8221; Vale said.</p>
<p>Cracking Sweden was undoubtedly a major feat given the country&#8217;s long association with Internet piracy and Vale believes that Spotify now has the right formula to attract the most aggressive file-sharers &#8211; and make money from them.</p>
<p>“If you look at the main audience that is on Spotify, a lot of them are former pirates. There are teenagers who have potentially never paid for their music before, and probably never will,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>“If we can get them on to a service that is free but legal, and they are contributing through our advertising on that free tier, then it is giving money back into the industry that they are just never going to get before.” </p>
<p>The ad-supported tier of Spotify is undoubtedly a great incentive to get people to try the service. Globally the company says that it converts around a quarter of free users to premium subscribers but Australia actually tops that with 31%, suggesting that Aussies are happier than most to part with their hard-earned cash in exchange for a good product.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88842
title: Aussie Attorney General Pressured on Three-Strikes Secrecy
uri: Aussie-Attorney-General-Pressured-on-Three-Strikes-Secrecy
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/iBq37sgshYc/
content:
<p><img src="media/f2bfe741.pirate-running.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-running.jpg" width="222" height="204" class="alignright"><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/australian-government-signals-online-piracy-crackdown-140214/">In a speech</a> back in February, Australia&#8217;s Attorney-General George Brandis indicated that the Government had plans to crack down on Internet piracy. Not only was consideration being given to the introduction of a &#8220;three strikes&#8221; style regime, but ISPs could be required to block access to so-called &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites.</p>
<p>This week, in a session of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, the topic was raised by Senator Scott Ludlam of the Australian Greens. With the Attorney General and his team sat immediately opposite him, Ludlam asked Brandis about current Government copyright policy.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unlike the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, France and many other comparable countries, Australia lacks any effective protection against online piracy,&#8221; Brandis said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Australia, I&#8217;m sorry to say, is the worst offender of any country in the world when it comes to piracy, and i&#8217;m very concerned that the legitimate rights and interests of rightsholders and content creators are being compromised by that activity.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Who is helping Brandis shape his anti-piracy opinions?</strong></p>
<p>&#8220;Where are you getting your information from to form your views, who are you consulting and through what vehicle are you forming your views that you&#8217;ve just presented to us?&#8221; Ludlam asked.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, those are my views. I mean, the views that I expressed in the speech to which you referred, legal and philosophical views in particular,&#8221; Brandis said.</p>
<p>Ludlam then asked if consumer groups were being involved in the process, as is the case in the United States &#8220;strikes&#8221; system. </p>
<p>&#8220;Have you spoken to any consumer groups, such as Choice or <a href="http://www.accan.org.au/">ACANN</a>, who would probably contest your view that a graduated response or three-strikes or any of those kinds of propositions&#8230;..&#8221;</p>
<p>A clearly irritated Brandis interrupted, but Ludlam wasn&#8217;t giving an inch, continuing:</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;.or any of those countries that you&#8217;ve just listed at the outset that do have some version of those schemes, that actually they&#8217;re not working very well in those jurisdictions and there might be other ways to tackle the problem more effectively, but still preserve artists&#8217; rights to be paid for their work.&#8221;</p>
<p>Avoiding answering the question again, Brandis said that he and his colleagues speak to stakeholders all the time.</p>
<p><strong>Answer the question &#8211; are consumer groups involved?</strong></p>
<p>&#8220;Does that include Choice, for example?&#8221; Ludlam persisted.</p>
<p>Brandis said that his team has consulted with &#8220;industry leaders&#8221; in the United Kingdom and the United States to learn from their experiences. That wasn&#8217;t the answer Ludlam was looking for.</p>
<p>&#8220;I know industry leaders have very strong views on these things, but i&#8217;m asking you about groups like Choice or ACANN or others that might represent consumer interests or the public interest,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>&#8220;There is a very strong public interest in the protection of private property and that includes the protection of intellectual property,&#8221; Brandis responded evasively.</p>
<p>&#8220;So you&#8217;re not going to answer the question,&#8221; Ludlam said rhetorically.</p>
<p>Clearly irritated with the line of questioning and despite being the one to interrupt, Brandis then gave Ludlam a mini lecture on not interrupting <em>him</em> and proceeded, again, not to answer the question. The Greens Senator wasn&#8217;t letting go.</p>
<p>&#8220;Have you met with Choice or ACAN in the process of forming your views?&#8221; he insisted.</p>
<p>As the exchange continued it became very clear indeed that while Brandis was pretty sharp on how his discussions had gone with &#8220;stake holders&#8221;, he was vague on any discussions with groups that should be involved to protect the public interest.</p>
<p><strong>Is three-strikes still on the agenda?</strong></p>
<p>Switching towards a member of Brandis&#8217; team, Ludlam asked directly whether or not the Government&#8217;s copyright task group was looking at a three-strikes style regime to deal with online piracy?</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes, that&#8217;s one option,&#8221; came the response.</p>
<p>However, while the option is being considered, the Government clearly faces problems. In response to Ludlam asking whether talks were underway between rightsholders and service providers, a member of Brandis&#8217; team gave a one word answer: &#8220;No.&#8221;</p>
<p>The problem, the Attorney General said, stemmed back from the iiNet ruling in 2012. Since then there had been less willingness on the part of some ISPs to come to the table. However, one ISP has been very helpful lately.</p>
<p>&#8220;Earlier in the month I had a very long conversation [with executives from] Telstra. If I may say so publicly I would say that Telstra&#8217;s contribution to this issue, and their willingness to work to find a solution to the piracy issue, which is really unaddressed in Australia, has been very commendable,&#8221; Brandis said.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want to see if the various industry participants can be brought to the table and find themselves in agreement rather than having a solution imposed from on high.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>So who is pulling the strings, who is making the decisions?</strong></p>
<p>And then, just before the end of the session, Brandis undermined confidence in government transparency again in response to Ludlam&#8217;s questioning on how the issue would now be progressed.</p>
<p>&#8220;The matter is under active consideration right now. I had a meeting with certain decision makers in this matter as recently as 7pm last night,&#8221; Brandis said.</p>
<p>So who are those key decision makers?</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to be disclosing in a public forum who I meet with, senator,&#8221; Brandis told Ludlam.</p>
<p>With anonymous &#8220;stake holders&#8221; and &#8220;decision makers&#8221; commanding Brandis&#8217; ear, no consumer groups front and center, and only Telsta, the part-owner of pay TV company Foxtel, worthy of praise on the ISP front, a voluntary agreement on strikes in Australia seems as far away as ever.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88734
title: Research Links Piracy to Internet Addiction and Deviant Friends
uri: Research-Links-Piracy-to-Internet-Addiction-and-Deviant-Friends
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2Pzv6lijsy0/
content:
<p><a href="media/15e2b1a1.cassette.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/cassette.jpg"><img src="media/7abb2d22.cassette.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cassette.jpg" alt="cassette" width="200" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-84245"></a>Over the past decade a lot of research has looked at the effects of online piracy, particularly on the revenues of various entertainment industries.</p>
<p>Increasingly researchers are also examining the sociological links, causes and effects of copyright infringement. A new study conducted by Tennessee Tech University&#8217;s <a href="http://www.tntech.edu/people/jnavarro?Itemid=1567">Jordana Navarro</a> is a good example. </p>
<p>With a large survey Navarro and her colleagues investigated the link between piracy, internet addiction and deviant tendencies. The results were <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563214002210">published in an article</a> titled &#8220;Addicted to pillaging in cyberspace: Investigating the role of internet addiction in digital piracy,&#8221; which appears in the latest issue of the Computers and Human Behavior journal.</p>
<p>The researchers conducted a large-scale survey among 1,617 students from 9th through 12th grade. The participants were asked a wide range of questions, covering their piracy habits, as well as scales to measure Internet addiction and association with deviant friends. </p>
<p>The findings on the piracy side are comparable to many previous studies and show that movie piracy is most prevalent. Nearly 30% of the students admitted to pirating movies, and this percentage went down to 15% and 13% for music and software piracy respectively.</p>
<p>One of the more interesting findings is the link between piracy and Internet addiction. Here, the researchers found that students who have more internet addiction related issues are more likely to pirate software.</p>
<p>&#8220;Based on the results of the study, we can determine that high school students who have Internet-related problems due to addiction are more likely to commit a specific form of piracy involving the illegal downloading of software,&#8221; the researchers write. </p>
<p>The same group of software pirates were also more likely to hang out with deviant friends. This measure includes friends who pirate, those who threaten others with violence online, those who send nude pictures, and those who have used another person&#8217;s credit card or ID without permission.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not surprisingly, youth who committed this form of piracy were also more likely to have deviant peers. In other words, their behaviors were influenced by friends who committed similar or other deviant acts,&#8221; the researchers conclude. </p>
<p>Interestingly, the link between Internet addiction and copyright infringement was only found for software piracy. High school students who pirated movies and music were not more likely to have these type of problems. They were, however, more likely to associate with deviant or criminal friends. </p>
<p>&#8220;The remaining two forms of piracy for juveniles are not predicted by Internet addiction based on our findings. However, the results did support past findings that deviant peer association and piracy behaviors are significant related,&#8221; the researchers write.</p>
<p>According to the researchers the results are a good first step in identifying how various problems and deviant behaviors are linked, which could be helpful to shape future educational efforts. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the paper doesn&#8217;t offer any explanations for the differences in the link between Internet addiction and various types of piracy. One likely explanation is that those who show more signs of Internet addiction simply spend more time on the computer, and are therefore more interested in software piracy and software in general.</p>
<p>For now, it appears that some more follow-up research is needed before it&#8217;s warranted to send the first batch of kids to piracy rehab. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88883
title: UK IP Chief: Google Should Blacklist Pirate Sites
uri: UK-IP-Chief-Google-Should-Blacklist-Pirate-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/NEAhUjhtJEM/
content:
<p><a href="media/7c6b9504.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg"><img src="media/3a6fa524.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg" alt="google-bay" width="200" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21875"></a>Mike Weatherley, a Conservative MP and Intellectual Property Adviser to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, has become increasingly involved in the online piracy debate in recent months.</p>
<p>Weatherley&#8217;s current focus is on the role search engines can play in reducing infringement. In contrast to the approach taken by the entertainment industries, the MP has taken a much more positive stance when speaking of Google&#8217;s efforts thus far. In a new report, however, Weatherley lays out often far-reaching recommendations that puts him almost completely in sync with industry demands.</p>
<p>The report, which Weatherley says is intended to stimulate debate, begins with praise for Google for &#8220;engaging positively&#8221; during its creation. Its recommendations are directed at all search engines, but as the market leader Google is called on to show leadership. Where Google goes, others will follow, Weatherley believes.</p>
<p><strong>Search results &#8211; demoting illegal sites</strong></p>
<p>The music and movie industries have long complained that illegal content is too easy to find and for a long time they&#8217;ve been putting Google under pressure to do something about that. Weatherley believes that by working with two existing sources of information &#8211; Google&#8217;s Transparency Report and the recently formed Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit&#8217;s infringing site &#8220;<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/city-of-london-police-launches-pirate-site-blacklist-for-advertisers-140331/">blacklist</a>&#8221; &#8211; Google has a ready formula at hand.</p>
<p>The BPI&#8217;s input suggests that when a search engine has received 10,000 infringement notices for a site, that site should no longer appear on the first page of search results. Any that receive 100,000 notices should no longer appear in the first 10 pages. However, it&#8217;s envisioned that &#8220;certificates&#8221; could be handed out to some sites to help them avoid being relegated &#8211; more on that later.</p>
<p><strong>Voluntarily complying with site-blocking court orders</strong></p>
<p>In the UK around 30 &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites are now blocked via the UK&#8217;s major ISPs after both the BPI and MPA went to court to obtain injunctions. While these injunctions only legally apply to their formal targets (the ISPs), in future Weatherley would like Google to acknowledge the existence of injunctions by immediately removing the affected sites from all search results. The MP acknowledges that this may require a change in the law.</p>
<p><strong>Accepting takedown notices for AutoComplete terms</strong></p>
<p>For some time Google has been accepting applications from rightsholders to remove &#8220;infringing&#8221; terms from its AutoComplete service. Weatherley now wants to see this process formalized.</p>
<p>&#8220;Given that Google has accepted that Autocomplete for pirate sites should not occur, it seems uncontroversial to recommend that steps are taken to continue to ensure this does not happen,&#8221; he writes.  </p>
<p>AutoComplete takedown notices should be included in Google&#8217;s Transparency Report, the MP says.</p>
<p><strong>Incorporating &#8220;Trust Marks&#8221; and &#8220;Warnings&#8221; to inform consumers</strong></p>
<p>The idea here is that somehow Google will consider the reputation of a site when formulating its algorithms and when it presents its search results. &#8220;Trust Marks&#8221; would be used to denote a legal and licensed resource while &#8220;Warnings&#8221; would be used to highlight an illegal site.</p>
<p>The exact process through which a site could become trusted is unclear, but suggestions from the BPI indicate that a &#8220;certificate&#8221; could be obtained from its own Music Matters project to indicate that a resource is &#8220;clean&#8221;. Similar certificates could be obtained by sites that receive a lot of takedown notices but operate legally (YouTube for example) so that they are whitelisted by Google and not downgraded in search results.</p>
<p>In terms of warning against unlicensed sites, rightsholders suggest that Google takes note of PIPCU&#8217;s <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/city-of-london-police-launches-pirate-site-blacklist-for-advertisers-140331/">&#8220;pirate&#8221; site blacklist</a> by either negatively marking affected sites in search results or removing them completely.</p>
<p>Referencing a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/google-blocks-demonoid-for-spreading-malicious-software-140508/">TorrentFreak article</a> published last month reporting how Google had signaled that Demonoid was a potentially dangerous site, Weatherley said Google can do more to protect consumers.</p>
<p>&#8220;Google has not only proven in relation to malware on certain torrent sites that it has the technical capability within its systems to deliver consumer messaging in search listings, but that such messages can be an effective deterrent to consumers,&#8221; the MP explains.</p>
<p><strong>Licensed services should do more to help themselves in search results</strong></p>
<p>While the music and movie industries complain endlessly about &#8220;pirate&#8221; results appearing above their own licensed content, not much time is given to explaining why that&#8217;s the case. Weatherley reveals that Google has made a request for movie and music streaming services behind a paywall to allow Google to crawl their sites in order for consumers to be able to see them in results. For some services, apparently that&#8217;s not currently allowed.</p>
<p>&#8220;Google maintains that it is perfectly possible to create crawlable pages for each movie or album title in a security-friendly way. I am told by rights holders that there are potential security issues around making licensed services crawlable and they have concerns with this proposal,&#8221; Weatherley notes.</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>While Weatherley is currently praising Google in order to keep the tone positive and the discussion flowing, the IP advisor clearly believes that the search engine is capable of assisting rightsholders much more but is failing to do so.</p>
<p>The MP&#8217;s report has no official standing in respect of government policy but it addresses most if not all of the movie and music industries&#8217; main problems with Google. Expect this document to become a point of reference in the months to come.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=86931
title: BitTorrent Inc. Demands $5.8 Million From Trademark “Scammer”
uri: BitTorrent-Inc-Demands-5-8-Million-From-Trademark-Scammer
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/A2INRKR-xas/
content:
<p><a href="media/3ad9e9e1.bittorrent-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bittorrent-logo.png"><img src="media/3ad9e9e1.bittorrent-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bittorrent-logo.png" alt="bittorrent-logo" width="266" height="99" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88887"></a>As the owners of two of the most-used BitTorrent clients on the Internet, BitTorrent Inc. is catering to an audience of close to 200 million regular users.</p>
<p>Needless to say there is plenty of interest in the BitTorrent brand, and in some cases this demand is being exploited by third-party companies. One of the outfits that has operated in this space is the German-based <a href="http://bittorrent.net/">Bittorrent Marketing GMBH</a>. </p>
<p>The company owns the German and European trademark for Bittorrent and has several related domain names such as Bit-Torent.com, Bit-Torrent.com and Bitorrent.net. These domains have been mainly used for advertising, pointing people to paid products.</p>
<p>This has been a thorn in the side for BitTorrent Inc. who launched a lawsuit against its German nemesis two years ago. Since the German company and its owner Harald Hochmann failed to respond in court, BitTorrent is moving for a default judgment. In a filing submitted this week they demand $5.8 million in damages.</p>
<p>&#8220;BitTorrent filed this action to put an end to Defendant’s use of BitTorrent’s trademarks to promote what Defendant touts as an &#8216;advertising affiliate program&#8217; used to &#8216;post ads and earn commissions..&#8217;,&#8221; the company explains. </p>
<p>According to the complaint the sites don&#8217;t link people to the free software, but to sites where people have to pay for a mere redirection to third-party services.</p>
<p>&#8220;For example, after paying over $50 to sign up for ultimate-downloadscenter.com, U.S. users are redirected to third-party websites of other digital media providers, like Netflix.com and Hulu.com, and invited to sign up for membership with those services.&#8221;</p>
<p>These &#8220;scams&#8221; are a problem for BitTorrent Inc. as they reflect negatively on the company&#8217;s brand. However, there is another issue with the domains. Since the German company owns a lot of domains based on misspellings, they occasionally get emails that are intended for the U.S. company. </p>
<p>&#8220;Hochmann admitted that his company registered many misspellings of BITTORRENT as or as part of domain names, and that, as a result of registering these domain names, he was able to intercept internal emails of BitTorrent when employees and executives of BitTorrent misspelled “bittorrent” in typing the domain name,&#8221; the company explains in its motion. </p>
<p>Among other emails, the owner of Bittorrent Marketing GMBH obtained internal financial projections from early 2008. Based on this intercepted communication Hochmann allegedly suggested that BitTorrent Inc. should buy the German company for millions of dollars. </p>
<p>Through the U.S. federal court BitTorrent Inc. now hopes to obtain an injunction against its German namesake. In their motion for summary judgment they demand a total of $5.8 million in damages and in addition BitTorrent Inc. wants ownership of all the BitTorrent related domain names. </p>
<p>&#8220;BitTorrent requests an award of statutory damages in the amount of $100,000 per domain name for each of the 58 Infringing Domain Names identified in the accompanying memorandum of points and authorities, for a total statutory damages award of $5,800,000.&#8221;</p>
<p>Interestingly, while Hochmann and his company failed to respond to the complaint in court, he did release a long statement and supporting documents which are available via the <a href="http://bittorrent.eu/">Bittorrent.eu</a> domain. </p>
<p>In the statement Hochmann details his version of the dispute, which started more than a decade ago. Among other things, he disputes that he offered BitTorrent Inc. the opportunity to buy his company for millions, and he points to domain disputes his company won in the past against BitTorrent Inc.</p>
<p>Talking to TorrentFreak, Hochmann said that in a week or two he will issue a more detailed response explaining why not he, but BitTorrent Inc. are the &#8220;scammers.&#8221;</p>
<p>For the U.S. case this may be too late, due to the lack of response in the past it&#8217;s likely that the default judgment will be entered. It&#8217;s now up to the judge to decide what the exact punishment should be.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88921
title: PirateBox Delivers Brand New Anonymous Sharing Release
uri: PirateBox-Delivers-Brand-New-Anonymous-Sharing-Release
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/dz370F-Hdp8/
content:
<p><img src="media/a2861c50.piratebox1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratebox1.jpg" width="190" height="167" class="alignright">Inspired by the local communications power of traditional pirate radio, in 2011 NYU art professor David Darts created the PirateBox. Part WiFi hotspot, part file server, PirateBox provides quick, easy and above all anonymous access to the files onboard.</p>
<p>In 2012 and following a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/piratebox-takes-file-sharing-off-the-radar-and-offline-for-next-to-nothing-120311/">breakthrough update</a>, the cost of creating a PirateBox dropped from a very reasonable $100 to an extremely attractive $50. Anonymous offline file-sharing was now within everyone&#8217;s reach.</p>
<p>Since then PirateBox has gathered an extremely enthusiastic following, something which has spurred its developers on. Yesterday PirateBox delivered its v1.0 update and a <a href="http://piratebox.cc/">brand new website</a> so to celebrate the occasion TorrentFreak caught up with creator David Darts.</p>
<p><strong>TF:</strong> PirateBox was warmly welcomed by the community in 2012. How has community feedback shaped the PirateBox project since?</p>
<p><strong>DD:</strong> The community has had a big impact on the development of PirateBox. When I originally released the project, it was essentially just an offline browser-based file sharing system. My first prototype was basically a proof-of-concept &#8211; a light-weight python web server running on a hacked Seagate Dockstar network adapter connected to a pocket wireless router. </p>
<p>Almost immediately after publishing the project online, I started receiving feedback from developers and hackers around the world who were interested in using and contributing to the project. My inbox also started filling up with support requests, which is why I set up the <a href="http://forum.piratebox.cc">PirateBox Discussion Forum</a>.</p>
<p>While I believe in the Free Open Source ethos of providing tech support for my peers (I&#8217;ve been the beneficiary of this support many times), I simply couldn&#8217;t handle the volume of requests. Fortunately, the community stepped up and helped out with support (and testing, and development) through the discussion forum. </p>
<p>Many of the key features of the PirateBox, like the chat room and UI, have been co-developed by the community. Matthias Strubel, who is now the project&#8217;s lead developer, was one of the community members who reached out and joined the PirateBox team. He has really helped push the project forward.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/74eca30c.pbox-4.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pbox-4.jpg" alt="pbox-4"></center></p>
<p><strong>TF:</strong> Has PirateBox been used in any unexpected or innovative ways?</p>
<p><strong>DD:</strong> As designers know all too well, their creations are often used in ways they didn&#8217;t necessarily intend. The PirateBox is no exception.</p>
<p>It has been used by musicians and bands to distribute their music at festivals and gigs, by teachers to distribute and collect digital materials from students, and by emergency response workers and volunteers to distribute local first aid information and community updates. Conference organizers have used it to distribute conference materials and to provide local wireless commenting during presentations, and it&#8217;s been utilized by CryptoParty workshop volunteers to <a href="https://www.cryptoparty.in/">securely share cryptographic keys</a>.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/75224076.pbox-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pbox-1.jpg" alt="pbox-1"></center></p>
<p><strong>TF:</strong> How many users of PirateBox are there today? </p>
<p><strong>DD:</strong> Well, we don&#8217;t track our users but the project has grown &#8220;rhizomatically&#8221; across several websites and languages so it&#8217;s a little tricky to estimate how many PirateBoxes are out in the wild today.</p>
<p>It is possible, and sometimes preferable, to distribute the PirateBox software locally (and anonymously) using a PirateBox and, because the boxes never go online, it&#8217;s impossible to really keep track of them. Generally speaking, this is a good thing. </p>
<p><strong>TF:</strong> Technology is always on the move &#8211; which developments have most affected today&#8217;s PirateBox compared to the one that launched two years ago?</p>
<p><strong>DD:</strong> Two big tech trends have helped push PirateBox 1.0 development forward: The proliferation of small screens, which is how we increasingly interact with the network and each other, and the increased availability of tiny, inexpensive computers (including wireless routers, single board systems like the Raspberry Pi and other embedded &#8220;Internet of things&#8221; devices) which are rapidly filling up our world.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/6ef1e2ea.pbox-3.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pbox-3.jpg" alt="pbox-3"></center></p>
<p>Version 1.0 is thus designed with mobility and low cost hardware in mind. We&#8217;ve reworked the UI and based it on Twitter&#8217;s Bootstap so that the software plays nicely with small screens. And we&#8217;ve built PirateBox 1.0 to run natively on inexpensive hardware.</p>
<p>Another &#8220;technology&#8221; development that helped increase interest in the PirateBox project was the confirmation through the Snowden leaks last year that the US government was operating near universal mass-surveillance programs around the world, often in partnership or, at least, with the complicit support of several large technology and Internet companies. While this has obviously raised very serious questions and concerns around the world, these revelations have at least helped push important conversations about privacy, surveillance, censorship, freedom, etc. to the forefront. These are all issues that the PirateBox project engages with and thus it has helped inspire new users to join the project.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/7de401ca.pbox-2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pbox-2.jpg" alt="pbox-2"></center></p>
<p><strong>TF:</strong> What is so special about the release of PirateBox 1.0, why should existing users upgrade, and what do new users have to look forward to?</p>
<p><strong>DD:</strong> Along with the increased stability of PirateBox 1.0, the key new feature is Matthias Strubel&#8217;s &#8220;box-installer&#8221; which radically simplifies the process of building or upgrading a PirateBox. It is now possible to build a new PirateBox in just a <a href="http://piratebox.cc/openwrt:diy">few easy steps</a>. </p>
<p>One of my favorite new features of PirateBox 1.0 is the UPnP media server which starts streaming video and audio files over the network as soon as they&#8217;ve been uploaded to the box. I&#8217;ve actually been using this feature for awhile. It works perfectly as a backend to XBMC for instance and is also a great way of streaming movies to your mobile devices when traveling. </p>
<p>PirateBox 1.0 also offers a image/message bullet board called <a href="http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/web/wakaba_kareha">Kareha</a> by default which is similar to the software used on 4chan. This means that PirateBox 1.0 offers 4chan in a box functionality, which I think is pretty cool. And of course, it also comes with a chat room and browser-based file sharing system. </p>
<p><strong>TF:</strong> What role do you see PirateBox fulfilling in the future and what plans do you have for the next 12 months?</p>
<p><strong>DD:</strong> The holy grail of offline networking is wireless mesh and we&#8217;ve been experimenting with it in the PirateBox. Matthias has been playing with <a href="http://www.foo.be/forban/">Forban</a>  over the last year and we&#8217;ve successfully deployed and connected small sets of PirateBoxes using the <a href="http://www.open-mesh.org/projects/open-mesh/wiki">B.A.T.M.A.N. protocol</a>. This is really just an experimental feature at this point but it is something we&#8217;re planning to keep developing. </p>
<p>I&#8217;ve also been experimenting with connecting the PirateBox to the Internet, which, in some ways, is counter to the philosophy of the project as an offline file sharing and communications system.</p>
<p>However, I also think there&#8217;s real value in providing people with ways to connect online that help preserve their privacy. This is especially important for those who are less tech-savy and thus may not know how to protect themselves from tracking, etc. While the PirateBox will continue to be an offline file sharing and communications system, we may consider providing an optional feature in the future that allows it to be used online. Or this may become a new fork of the project&#8230;..</p>
<p>Interested in making your own PirateBox? <a href="http://piratebox.de/openwrt:diy">Try here</a>.    </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88899
title: Pirate Bay Celebrates “Independence Day” on 8-Year Raid Anniversary
uri: Pirate-Bay-Celebrates-Independence-Day-on-8-Year-Raid-Anniversar
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/EO99hDWefCI/
content:
<p><img src="media/fc7fa772.tpb.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com//images/tpb.jpg" align="right" alt="pirate bay">The Pirate Bay has altered its operations quite a bit over the years, moving from a full-fledged BitTorrent tracker to a trimmed-down and highly portable torrent index.</p>
<p>First the tracker was removed, then the torrents followed, and later the infamous torrent site canceled nearly all central servers after moving to the cloud. In addition, the site switched domain names on multiple occasions. </p>
<p>All these changes were carried out to make the site more resilient and less likely to be shut down by the authorities. This determination to escape the long arm of justice is deeply rooted in the site&#8217;s history, dating back to the raid eight years ago.</p>
<p>Most of the site&#8217;s current users are probably unaware that without a few essential keystrokes in the site&#8217;s early years, The Pirate Bay may have not been here today.</p>
<p>May 31, 2006, less than three years after The Pirate Bay was founded, 65 Swedish police officers <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/the-piratebay-is-down-raided-by-the-swedish-police/">entered a datacenter</a> in Stockholm. The policemen had instructions to shut down the largest threat to the entertainment industry at the time &#8211; The Pirate Bay&#8217;s servers. </p>
<p>While the police were about to raid the datacenter, Pirate Bay founders Gottfrid and Fredrik got wind that something was up. In the months before the raid they were already being watched by private investigators day and night, but this time something was about to happen to their trackers.  </p>
<p>At around 10am in the morning Gottfrid told Fredrik that there were police officers at their office, and asked him to get down to the co-location facility and get rid of the ‘incriminating evidence’, although none of it, whatever it was, was related to The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>As Fredrik was leaving, he suddenly realized that the problems might be linked to their tracker. He therefore decided to make a full backup of the site, just in case. </p>
<p>When he later arrived at the co-location facility the concerns turned out to be justified. There were dozens of policemen floating around taking away dozens of servers, most of which belonged to clients unrelated to The Pirate Bay.</p>
<div align="center"><strong>Footage from The Pirate Bay raid</strong></p>
<p><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/30HF-m_I6yY&#038;hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/30HF-m_I6yY&#038;hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></div>
<p>In the days that followed it became clear that Fredrik&#8217;s decision to start a backup of the site was probably the most pivotal moment in the site&#8217;s history. Because of this backup Fredrik and the rest of the Pirate Bay team managed to resurrect the site within three days. </p>
<p>The site&#8217;s operators were not impressed and renamed the site &#8220;The Police Bay&#8221; complete with a new logo shooting cannon balls at Hollywood. A few days later this logo was replaced by a Phoenix, a reference to the site rising from its digital ashes.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>Logos after the raid</h5>
<p><img src="media/dcabe2f3.tpb-logos.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tpb-logos.jpg" alt="tpb classic"></center></p>
<p>Instead of shutting it down the raid brought the site into the mainstream press, not least due to its amazing three-day resurrection. All this publicity resulted in a huge traffic spike for TPB, exactly the opposite effect Hollywood had hoped for.</p>
<p>Despite a criminal investigation leading to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-founders-prison-sentences-final-supreme-court-appeal-rejected-120201/">convictions for the site&#8217;s founders</a>, The Pirate Bay kept growing and growing in the years that followed. The site&#8217;s assets, meanwhile, had been transferred to the Seychelles-based company Reservella.</p>
<p>Under new ownership several major technical changes occurred. In the fall of 2009 the infamous BitTorrent tracker was <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-tracker-shuts-down-for-good-091117/">taken offline</a>, turning The Pirate Bay into a torrent indexing site. </p>
<p>Early 2012 The Pirate Bay went even further when it decided to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-dumps-torrents-120228/">cease offering torrent files</a> for well-seeded content. The site&#8217;s operators moved to magnet links instead, allowing them to save resources while making it easier for third-party sites to run proxies. </p>
<p>These proxies turned out to be much-needed, as The Pirate Bay is now the most broadly censored website on the Internet. In recent years ISPs in Denmark, Italy, UK, the Netherlands and elsewhere have been ordered by courts to block subscriber access to the BitTorrent site.</p>
<p>On its tenth anniversary last summer the Pirate Bay team released another option for its users to circumvent the increased censorship, the PirateBrowser. With this browser users in blocked countries can bypass ISP blockades without having to use a proxy.</p>
<p>Over the past year The Pirate Bay also encountered some domain name troubles. Fearing a domain seizure through the Swedish court the site moved from its .SE domain to Greenland&#8217;s .GL ccTLD. However, TPB wasn&#8217;t welcome there, a rejection that signaled the start of a domain hopping exercise via Iceland&#8217;s .IS to Sint Maarten&#8217;s .SX, to Ascension Island’s .AC, Peru’s .PE, and back via  Guyana’s .GY to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-back-in-swedens-calm-waters-after-gy-suspension-131219/">the good old .SE domain</a>, where it resides again today. </p>
<p>Looking ahead The Pirate Bay plans to become even more indestructible, partially moving away from the web. The TPB team is working on a special BitTorrent-powered application, which <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/how-the-pirate-bay-plans-to-beat-censorship-for-good-140105/">lets users store and distribute The Pirate Bay</a> and other websites on their own computers. Instead of bypassing external censors, this new tool will create its own P2P network through which sites can be accessed without restrictions.</p>
<p>This &#8220;p2p browser&#8221; should be able to keep The Pirate Bay operational, even if the site itself is pulled offline. There is currently no estimated release date set for this second project, but it will take a few more months of development at minimum.</p>
<p>And so The Pirate Bay is expected to live on and on. A few months ago the site turned ten years old and today it&#8217;s celebrating the raid anniversary, which it declared &#8220;Pirate Independence Day&#8221; back in 2008.</p>
<p>“Let today be the pirates independence day! Today we celebrate the victories we’ve had and the victories that will come. Today we celebrate that we’re united in our efforts. Keep on seeding!,” the TPB team said at the time.</p>
<p>The site&#8217;s millions of regular visitors indeed kept on seeding. But remember, if there hadn&#8217;t been a recent backup back in 2006, things may have turned out quite differently.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88994
title: Pirate Bay Co-Founder Peter Sunde Arrested in Sweden
uri: Pirate-Bay-Co-Founder-Peter-Sunde-Arrested-in-Sweden
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/nOjbKPEhU7M/
content:
<p><a href="media/faf17427.peter-sunde2.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/peter-sunde2.jpg"><img src="media/1ceafd41.peter-sunde2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/peter-sunde2.jpg" alt="peter-sunde" width="225" height="225" class="alignright size-full wp-image-85601"></a>Former Pirate Bay spokesman and co-founder Peter Sunde was arrested today in a rural area near Malmö, Sweden.</p>
<p>Sunde was wanted by Interpol for more than two years, ever since the sentence for his role in the Pirate Bay website <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-founders-prison-sentences-final-supreme-court-appeal-rejected-120201/">was made final</a>. </p>
<p>He has been living in Berlin for quite some time, but still had family ties in Sweden, which he visited occasionally.  </p>
<p>Earlier today, a special Swedish police unit tasked with tracking down criminal fugitives carried out a raid at a farm in Skåne. Local law enforcement reportedly worked in collaboration with the Polish police. </p>
<p>While details are scarce at the moment, the Swedish newspaper <a href="http://www.expressen.se/">Expressen</a> reports that the arrest has been confirmed by the Swedish authorities.</p>
<p>According to Peter Althin, Sunde&#8217;s lawyer, the news means that his client will most likely be sent to prison to serve his 8-month sentence. </p>
<p>Sunde&#8217;s prison sentence was made final in 2012 after Sweden’s Supreme Court announced its decision not to grant leave to appeal in the long-running criminal case against the founders of The Pirate Bay. </p>
<p>However, Sunde decided not to give up without a fight. First he submitted his case to the European Court of Human Rights (EHCR), and after that was rejected he tried again at the Swedish Supreme Court this year, which rejected the request <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/supreme-court-rejects-application-pirate-bays-peter-sunde-140522/">earlier this month</a>.</p>
<p>Thus far only Gottfrid Svartholm and Carl Lundström has completed their prison sentences. The fourth defendant, Fredrik Neij remains a fugitive and currently resides in Asia.</p>
<p>Interestingly, today&#8217;s arrest comes <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-celebrates-independence-day-8-year-raid-anniversary-140531/">exactly eight years after The Pirate Bay servers were raided</a>, which marked the start of the criminal prosecution of the four people connected to the site. </p>
<p>Despite his fugitive status Sunde has made several public appearances in recent years. He was also involved in various tech-startups, including the micro-donation service Flattr and the NSA-proof messenger app Heml.is, for which he raised more than $150,000 through a crowd-funding campaign.</p>
<p>Sunde also <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-founder-gets-ready-to-run-for-european-parliament-140321/">ran for European Parliament</a> last weekend for the Finnish Pirate Party. While he received the most votes of all the Pirate candidates, it was not enough for a seat in Brussels. </p>
<p>More info on the arrest and Sunde&#8217;s future is likely to follow in the days to come.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88935
title: Could Bitcoin Miners Help Pay For Pirated Games?
uri: Could-Bitcoin-Miners-Help-Pay-For-Pirated-Games
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/BWTx6c7lOw8/
content:
<p><a href="media/5e13b9b5.bitcoin1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/bitcoin1.jpg"><img src="media/fc8163af.bitcoin1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bitcoin1.jpg" alt="bitcoin" width="200" height="181" class="alignright size-full wp-image-69038"></a>While it&#8217;s no secret that some pirate games releases contain malware, during the past few days a more unusual story has been doing the rounds.</p>
<p>According to a GameCrastinate <a href="http://www.gamecrastinate.com/gaming-news/watch-dogs-torrent-secretly-installing-bitcoin-miner-thousands-computers/">report</a>, this week thousands of BitTorrent users inadvertently became infected with Bitcoin-mining malware.</p>
<p>The problem apparently stemmed back to a leaked PC version of the much-anticipated game Watch Dogs from Ubisoft Montreal. While there was never any suggestion that the company had anything to do with it, the assumption has been that whoever leaked the game thought they could make a few dollars by installing the trojan on pirates&#8217; machines.</p>
<p>While there appears to be very little hard proof that the trojan ever existed or indeed spread on the suggested scale, the idea that tens or even hundreds of thousands of computers could be hijacked to generate mountains of dollars for a third-party gained a lot of traction in the press.</p>
<p>The idea of a sneaky trojan install is likely to annoy just about everyone, but what if a similar process could be put to a more creative and authorized use? What if a developer allowed his game to be shared online for free but in return installed a Bitcoin miner on downloaders&#8217; machines to generate revenue to pay for the software?</p>
<p>That question was emailed to TorrentFreak this week and while we had our doubts over the idea&#8217;s viability, it could be pretty cool if it somehow came to pass. We promised to find out whether this was a crazy idea or a flash of genius.</p>
<p>Last year, Ars Technica <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/06/how-a-total-n00b-mined-700-in-bitcoins/">bought a dedicated miner</a> for $274 capable of magically churning out around $20 in bitcoin every day. Sure it gobbled up $100 a year in electricity, but as a financial prospect it was a pretty safe bet.</p>
<p>Gamers tend not to own dedicated mining hardware, but people playing a game like Watch Dogs more often that not will have rather juicy graphics cards on board which could be coaxed into a bit of mining. Question is, would they be up to the task?</p>
<p><a href="http://rogerver.com/">Roger Ver</a>, an angel investor in several Bitcoin startups including Blockchain.info, BitcoinStore and BitPay, has been referred to in the press as the <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/101237537">Bitcoin Jesus</a>. In his opinion, could the &#8220;Watch Dog hackers&#8221; who sparked this story make much money with their illegal trojan?</p>
<p>&#8220;It depends a lot on the hardware of the machines,  but to the hacker,  it is all profit since he doesn’t have to pay for any of the hardware or electricity costs,&#8221; Ver told TF.</p>
<p>So with free money for the hackers established, we come back to the key question: could a Bitcoin miner installed with the permission of the downloader generate enough fractions of a single bitcoin on a single machine to keep the developer happy, in Watch Dogs&#8217; case, to the tune of around $60? Ver was quick to disappoint.</p>
<p>&#8220;This isn’t viable any longer,&#8221; he told us. &#8220;There are so many people mining bitcoins using specialized ASIC hardware that a home computer isn’t very effective any more.&#8221;</p>
<p>So the idea of mining Bitcoin in order to generate revenue from people who can&#8217;t or won&#8217;t pay for their games is a no-go? It appears so.</p>
<p>&#8220;A few years ago, coinlab.com was trying to do this, but I don’t think this is practical any more due to the difficulty in mining bitcoin,&#8221; Ver concludes.</p>
<p>Back to the drawing board then&#8230;.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89015
title: Why Activism Isn’t Enough
uri: Why-Activism-Isn-t-Enough
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/V5LdwTgshCo/
content:
<p>It can be very educational to watch the behavior of career politicians. They frequently have opinions about individual activists and activist movements. You can hear them praising the efforts to change society and participate in the democratic process, in the media, in articles, and in person.</p>
<p>And then they move ahead with a bill that does the exact opposite.</p>
<p>To wit: In Sweden, in the week after the European Elections, a temporary and controversial wiretapping bill was made permanent. It may look like a coincidence. Then again, Peter Sunde, the spokesperson of the Pirate Bay, was arrested in the same week. </p>
<p>That&#8217;s another coincidence, just as when the Appeals Court hearings for The Pirate Bay mock trial which were slated for the week right after an election. And there was another coincidence when the evaluation of the illegal Data Retention Directive was to be presented right after the elections, rather than facing the music and abolishing it once it was declared illegal.</p>
<p>There are many more examples.</p>
<p>And then those career politicians usher more warm words over the activists for liberty &#8211; people who are personally responsible for you and me having some of our liberties we wouldn&#8217;t have otherwise. Let&#8217;s name a few of them.</p>
<p>Assange. Brown. Svartholm-Warg. Hammond. Sunde. Manning.</p>
<p>All of these have provided exemplary transparency and resistance to power grabs by overreaching and shameless governments. Each and every one of us owes a significant amount of liberty to each of these individuals. They also have another thing in common: They are all confined to a small room, their freedom of movement gone, their liberty shackled.</p>
<p>There are many more who find it impossible to return to their home country after such exemplary civic duty. Snowden. Appelbaum. Many anonymous people who have chosen to leave. The list just goes on.</p>
<p>Activism just isn&#8217;t enough. The fate of our best and brightest activists can be seen right here. As an activity, on its own, it&#8217;s not producing the necessary results. Not on its own.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s at this point that we need to look closer at the behavior of career politicians.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s important to realize that the first problem that a career politician tries to solve is how to get elected. The second problem a career politician tries to solve is how to get <em>re-</em>elected. Whatever comes in third place is so far behind the first two that it&#8217;ll never really surface.</p>
<p>In short, unless you threaten politicians&#8217; <em>jobs</em> over their dismantling of liberty, they&#8217;ll not notice in the slightest but just smile at your proposals, praise you for engaging in civic society, kiss some babies, and then introduce more surveillance.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s why activism for liberty remains extremely necessary. That&#8217;s also why activism remains not sufficient. We absolutely, positively need to put politicians&#8217; jobs on the line over Orwelling the world we live in.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s why the Pirate Party chose the political route, putting Orwellian politicians&#8217; jobs on the line. But the party as a movement can&#8217;t function without tens of thousands of activists who also help in the common cause.</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>
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<p></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89021
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 06/02/14
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-06-02-14
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/aPdxh74PRQs/
content:
<p><a href="media/305e4e4c.nonstop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/nonstop.jpg"><img src="media/305e4e4c.nonstop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/nonstop.jpg" alt="nonstop" width="300" height="169" class="alignright size-full wp-image-89022"></a>This week we have three newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>Non-Stop is the most downloaded movie this week.</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-140526/">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>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/non_stop_2013/">Non-Stop</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024469/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiHDJ19A3dk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lego_movie/">The Lego Movie</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_JOBCLF-I">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/oculus/">Oculus</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2388715/?">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYJrxezWLUk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_days_of_future_past/">X-Men: Days of Future Past</a> (CAM)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877832/">8.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsjtg7m1MMM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/3_days_to_kill/">3 Days To kill</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2172934/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBnKYDDDq8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/godzilla_2014/">Godzilla</a> (CAM)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0831387/">7.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIu85WQTPRc">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1200731-robocop/">RoboCop</a></td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234721/">6.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnRJ0r0eivk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_america_the_winter_soldier_2014/">Captain America: The Winter Soldier</a> (Cam/TS)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1843866/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SlILk2WMTI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/drive_hard/">Drive Hard</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2968804/">4.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5knw74WsGpI">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/13_sins/">13 Sins</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2059171/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLaBxTeRHV4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89027
title: PublicHD Disappears, Twitter & Facebook Accounts Gone
uri: PublicHD-Disappears-Twitter-Facebook-Accounts-Gone
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/bTv0K-cyjFY/
content:
<p><a href="media/9568d4b3.publichd-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/publichd-logo.png"><img src="media/9568d4b3.publichd-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/publichd-logo.png" alt="publichd-logo" width="200" height="83" class="alignright size-full wp-image-89044"></a>While new file-sharing sites appear on a regular basis, it&#8217;s reasonably rare for fresh torrent sites to fill a niche in an effective and public fashion. PublicHD was a site that bucked that trend, in part by delivering focused content rather than simply making existing material searchable.</p>
<p>From a standing start, during the last quarter of 2012 PublicHD&#8217;s popularity skyrocketed. Concentrating on movie rips at the higher end of the quality spectrum, PublicHD grew steadily throughout 2013, a trend that continued &#8211; blips aside &#8211; into the first few months of this year.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/7443b015.publichd-stats.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/publichd-stats.png" alt="PublicHD-stats"></center></p>
<p>Then yesterday, without warning, PublicHD simply disappeared and into today the site is still inaccessible via its main Swedish domain, .EU alternative, or <a href="http://www.phdproxy.com/">official proxy</a>. There has been no official announcement or explanation. Needless to say, currently there are plenty of worried users.</p>
<p>Of course, sites go offline for technical reasons all the time, and it may yet transpire that PublicHD has had some serious technical issues. The signs, however, are less than encouraging. The first logical places for users to check for status updates are PublicHD&#8217;s Twitter and Facebook accounts but just like the main site, they have completely disappeared.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/47686292.publichd-twitter.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/publichd-twitter.png" alt="PublicHD-twitter"></center></p>
<p>Since PublicHD is, as its name suggests, a public site, its activities can be seen not only on its own domain but on other torrent sites too. For example, The Pirate Bay has a <a href="http://thepiratebay.se/user/DibyaTPB">user account</a> by the name of DibyaTPB, which is believed to be a PublicHD auto-uploading bot. After making hundreds of releases and rarely if ever having a break, yesterday DibyaTPB fell silent, indicating that the site is indeed completely offline.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/ae74cd1d.publichd-dibya.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/publichd-dibya.png" alt="Public-dibya"></center></p>
<p>Furthermore, <a href="http://thepiratebay.se/user/BOZX/">BOZX</a>, another Pirate Bay account associated with PublicHD, also went quiet on Saturday. And, after 19,199 uploads, the corresponding <a href="http://kickass.to/user/IMKNONOBODY/uploads/">account</a> for BOZX on KickassTorrents was silenced too. At some point, it&#8217;s not clear when, the account was also renamed.</p>
<p>The disappearance of PublicHD is even more puzzling given that earlier this month the site&#8217;s operators were planning new and bigger things.</p>
<p>&#8220;Soon we are a going to have a makeover and a brand new PublicHD with tons of new features and stronger security system,&#8221; they said in an announcement.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s certainly feasible that the upgrades are underway now, but why that would go hand in hand with PublicHD&#8217;s decision to disappear themselves from social media thus keeping their users entirely in the dark makes little sense.</p>
<p>Rightsholders have issued a steady stream of <a href="http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/domains/publichd.se/">complaints</a> against PublicHD to Google since late 2012 but since the start of 2014 the number being processed has steadily increased, with April and May being the most active months in the site&#8217;s history.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89063
title: MP3, DVD and CD Copying is Now Legal in The UK (For Some)
uri: MP3-DVD-and-CD-Copying-is-Now-Legal-in-The-UK-(For-Some)
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LyXsBOyF2KY/
content:
<p><a href="media/5d378082.uk-flag.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/uk-flag.jpg"><img src="media/4d28e669.uk-flag.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/uk-flag.jpg" alt="uk-flag" width="200" height="179" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86005"></a>Most people in the UK may not have realized it, but every time they backed up an MP3 or made a copy of a CD or DVD for personal use, they were breaking the law.</p>
<p>Starting today this is <a href="http://www.managingip.com/Article/3347447/Managing-Copyright-Archive/UK-copyright-exceptions-in-force-today.html">no longer the case</a> for disabled people, thanks to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-exceptions-to-copyright-reflect-digital-age">a revision</a> of copyright law that just went into effect. Disabled citizens can now copy and publish copyrighted material if there&#8217;s no commercial alternative available.</p>
<p>&#8220;Disabled people and disability groups can now make accessible copies of copyright material (eg music, film, books) when no commercial alternative exists,&#8221; the Government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-exceptions-to-copyright-reflect-digital-age">announced</a> today.</p>
<p>Previously the Government also said that <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/uk-dvd-cd-ripping-will-legalized-summer-140328/">all private copying</a> for personal use would be legal starting in June, but this has apparently been delayed pending Parliament approval.</p>
<p>However, following a thorough inspection of local copyright legislation the UK Government has already committed to change current laws in favor of consumers. </p>
<p>“Copyright law is being changed to allow you to make personal copies of media you have bought, for private purposes such as format shifting or backup,” the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) previously announced.</p>
<p>“The changes will mean that you will be able to copy a book or film you have purchased for one device onto another without infringing copyright.”</p>
<p>In other words, people will be free to rip CDs and DVDs or backup their MP3s to an online storage provider, without risking legal trouble. The Government emphasizes, however, that it is still not allowed to share these personal copies with the rest of the world.</p>
<p>&#8220;You will be permitted to make personal copies to any device that you own, or a personal online storage medium, such as a private cloud. However, it will be illegal to give other people access to the copies you have made,&#8221; the IPO explains.</p>
<p>It is no secret that several entertainment industry groups are wary of the new copying regulation. However, before implementing the changes the Government carefully researched the economic impact for copyright holders, concluding it to be minimal. </p>
<p>On the other end of the spectrum, it&#8217;s expected that the technology sector will greatly benefit from the newly gained freedom. The revised copying rules are expected to generate an additional £31 million in revenue per year. This money will come from consumers who use services and products to assist their copying needs.</p>
<p>“This measure will benefit technology firms by removing barriers and costs and improving entry to technology markets which rely on consumers being able to make private copies,” the IPO predicts.</p>
<p>Besides new private copying rights, the upcoming amendments will also broaden people’s fair use rights. For example, people no longer have to ask permission to quote from or parody the work of others, such as a news report or a book, as long as it’s “fair dealing” and the source is recognized.</p>
<p>A complete overview of <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/215022716/Copyright-Guidance-Consumers">the changes</a>, and how they apply to the public, are summarized in a handy guide published by the UK Intellectual Property Office. </p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> This article initially stated that the general private copying restrictions were also lifted, as announced previously and still listed in the consumer guide. However, these still have to be approved by Parliament. The article has been updated accordingly.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak asked IPO to clarify the confusion and we will post the response here when it comes in.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=88924
title: uTorrent Makes Advertisement Unremovable in Latest Release
uri: uTorrent-Makes-Advertisement-Unremovable-in-Latest-Release
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/AXoSyfuY1t8/
content:
<p><img src="media/f1b12f99.utorrent-logo-new.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/utorrent-logo-new.jpg" alt="utorrent-logo-new" width="222" height="148" class="alignright size-full wp-image-55606">With roughly 150 million monthly users uTorrent has a massive user base. This means that when drastic changes are implemented, they are bound to disappoint quite a few people.  </p>
<p>One of the biggest backlashes in recent history happened two years ago when BitTorrent Inc. announced its plan to make uTorrent <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/utorrent-becomes-ad-supported-to-rake-in-millions-120810/">ad-supported</a>. This announcement led to a small user revolt. </p>
<p>The people complaining were mostly annoyed that there was be no option to disable the ads. Luckily for them, BitTorrent Inc. listened to the feedback and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/utorrent-makes-ads-optional-following-user-revolt-120815/">quickly decided</a> that users would indeed get a chance to opt-out.</p>
<p>At the time BitTorrent Inc. CEO Eric Klinker said that the backlash made it clear that users should be given the choice.</p>
<p>“We’ve long contemplated an opt-out mechanism for the new offers and advertisements we will be experimenting with. Given all that’s been said here, we’ve decided to release the initial version with an opt-out mechanism, and we will provide them with ways to do so,” said BitTorrent CEO Eric Klinker.</p>
<p>From that moment uTorrent&#8217;s ads became optional, but turned on by default. Still, the company managed to generate billions of ad impressions per month. <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/utorrent-serves-over-5-billion-ads-per-month-130521/">Five billion</a> to be precise, according to information released last year.</p>
<p>The optional advertisements were a situation most users could live with, but right before the weekend uTorrent pushed through an unexpected and unannounced change. The latest stable release version 3.4.2, no longer gives users the opportunity to opt out from the banner ad in the lower left corner.</p>
<p><center><strong>uTorrent with ads, there is no option to disable the bottom left ad<br></br></strong></center><center><a href="media/0192b819.utorrentads.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/utorrentads.jpg"><img src="media/0192b819.utorrentads.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/utorrentads.jpg" alt="utorrentads" width="891" height="536" class="alignright size-full wp-image-88927"></a></center></p>
<p>As can be seen below, the option &#8220;show plus information&#8221; has been removed from the context menu. In addition the advanced setting &#8220;gui.show_plus_upsell,&#8221; which had the same functionality, has disappeared as well.</p>
<p><center><strong>uTorrent stable 3.4.1 vs. 3.4.2<br></br></strong></center><center><a href="media/80a50562.utorrentoptions.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/utorrentoptions.jpg"><img src="media/80a50562.utorrentoptions.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/utorrentoptions.jpg" alt="utorrentoptions" width="400" height="243" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88929"></a></center></p>
<p>At this point it&#8217;s unclear why BitTorrent Inc. removed the opt-out. The change is not documented in the release notes, but several users were <a href="http://forum.utorrent.com/topic/88607-34x-stable/?p=488200">quick to pick it up</a> and began asking questions.</p>
<p>The uTorrent development team hasn&#8217;t responded to the comments yet. Some users are nonetheless quick to draw their conclusions, much like two years ago.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just like the coming of the video killing the radio star, ads will kill uTorrent&#8217;s popularity,&#8221; one user comments in the forums.</p>
<p>While there is no longer an option to hide the uTorrent Plus house ad, people can prevent other ads from showing up there by going into the advanced settings. Setting offers.left_rail_offer_enabled to false should restrict the ads to the uTorrent Plus upsell.</p>
<p>There is no denying that the advertisements, in addition to the toolbars and other software that&#8217;s bundled with uTorrent, generate the majority of the revenue for BitTorrent Inc. Perhaps this latest change is an attempt to increase the revenue coming from the banner ads, which eventually goes to paying the company&#8217;s bills. </p>
<p>Whether this will be a wise decision in the long run remains to be seen.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89092
title: Young Swedes Who Never File-Share Up By 40%
uri: Young-Swedes-Who-Have-Never-File-Shared-Up-By-40
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zQtDOOr9g8k/
content:
<p><a href="media/1e966c9f.piracydown.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/piracydown.jpg"><img src="media/198e8dc2.piracydown.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piracydown.jpg" alt="piracydown" width="180" height="162" class="alignright size-full wp-image-73866"></a>Sweden has long been a central figure in the file-sharing phenomenon, not least due to its associations with the The Pirate Bay. As a result, for more than ten years sharing files has been a popular pastime with many young Swedes, much to the disappointment of the world&#8217;s largest entertainment companies.</p>
<p>The Cybernorms research group at Lund University in Sweden has been in the news several times during the past few years as a result of its work with The Pirate Bay. On more than one occasion the infamous torrent site as <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-teams-lund-university-becomes-research-bay-140225/">renamed itself</a> to The Research Bay in order for researchers to collect information on the values, norms and conceptions of the file-sharing community.</p>
<p>Cybernorms have now revealed more of their findings which suggest that after years of escalation, online sharing by those in the 15-24 year-old bracket could be in decline.</p>
<p>Survey responses from around 4,000 individuals suggest that the number of active file-sharers has dropped in the past two years. Those who share files daily or almost daily has decreased from 32.8 percent in 2012 to 29 percent in 2014.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is a small but significant decrease,&#8221; Måns Svensson, head of Cybernorms at Lund University told <a href="http://www.svt.se/nyheter/farre-ungdomar-fildelar">SVT</a>.</p>
<p>Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the decrease is the mechanism through which it was encouraged. Historically, entertainment industry scare tactics have been employed to try to reduce unauthorized sharing, but the researchers believe something much more positive is responsible.</p>
<p>&#8220;What is interesting is that this is the first time we have been able to see that file-sharing has gone down but without that being associated with a conviction, such as the Pirate Bay ruling,&#8221; Svensson says.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you listen to what young people themselves are saying, it is new and better legal services that have caused the decrease in file-sharing, rather than respect for the law. There has been a trend where alternative legal solutions such as Spotify and Netflix are changing consumption patterns among young people.&#8221;</p>
<p>Also of interest is the apparent effect on up-and-coming youngsters who might otherwise have begun file-sharing themselves. The researchers found that between 2009 and 2013 the percentage of young people who never share files illegally increased from 21.6 percent to 30.2 percent, a boost of well over a third.</p>
<p>Interestingly, in that same four-year period, the percentage of young people who said they believe that people should not share files because it is illegal dropped from 24 percent to 16.9 percent. So, even while young people are sharing files less often, their acceptance of the standards presented by the law appears to be dropping too.</p>
<p>In this case it does indeed appear that the carrot is mightier than the stick.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><em><a href="http://www.seniorliving.org/">Image credit</a></em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89099
title: Honda Takes Down “Infringing” Jet From FlightGear
uri: Honda-Takes-Down-Infringing-Jet-From-FlightGear
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FNWpAJtVeL8/
content:
<p><a href="media/50b0671a.270px-Hondajet.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/270px-Hondajet.jpg"><img src="media/50b0671a.270px-Hondajet.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/270px-Hondajet.jpg" alt="270px-Hondajet" width="270" height="162" class="alignright size-full wp-image-89101"></a>First released in 1997, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FlightGear">FlightGear</a> is one of the oldest flight simulators still available today. </p>
<p>The open source software is available on all popular operating systems and is used by millions of people, as well as professional organizations such as NASA.</p>
<p>Last week the FlightGear team  was taken by surprise after receiving a takedown request from Honda, one of the aircraft manufacturers. In a letter the company asked FlightGear to remove the <a href="http://www.hondajet.com/">Honda Jet</a> from the game, as it was infringing on their trademarks.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke with FlightGear project manager Curtis Olson, who explained that in their long history the have never received a similar request. </p>
<p>&#8220;As far as I can recall, this is the first request of this type that FlightGear has had to address,&#8221; Olson says.</p>
<p>FlightGear has always been cautious to stay on the right side of the law and pays close attention to the licensing terms of source code and data. Until the letter came in, the team believed that the Honda Jet model could be used without problems. </p>
<p>&#8220;I am not a lawyer and not an expert in trademark law.  FlightGear is simply trying to create an accurate simulation of the real world. If something exists in the real world, it seems fair game to create a simple representation of it in our simulator,&#8221; Olson says.  </p>
<p>&#8220;FlightGear puts quite a bit of effort into always trying to do the right thing, so this situation did catch us off guard,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>In their letter Honda&#8217;s lawyers point out that FlightGear is infringing on the company&#8217;s trademarks. They note that the jet&#8217;s form and appearance is protected by trademark laws, and the same is true for the logos and names that are used.</p>
<p>FlightGear saw no other option than to comply with the request and has removed the Honda Jet model from its website and aircraft downloads page. In addition, the model has been removed from the FlightGear Git.</p>
<p>Through the mailing list Olson informed all developers about the decision. Initially, the idea of challenging the request might have crossed his mind, but in the end the safest option was take the aircraft down.</p>
<p>&#8220;I personally don&#8217;t have sufficient time, lawyers, experience and intelligence to battle something like this, and although it makes me sad, an all out legal battle probably is not in anyone&#8217;s interest even if we thought we had some sort of legal argument to make,&#8221; Olson concluded.  </p>
<p>Why Honda would object to being included in FlightGear remains a mystery. While the lawyers probably have the law on their side, it is hard to imagine how the company could be harmed by being included in an open source game for aviation fanatics. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89138
title: Putlocker.BZ Loses Domain Name, Moves to “Safe Haven” Iceland
uri: Putlocker-BZ-Loses-Domain-Name-Moves-to-Safe-Haven-Iceland
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/f143KLvph_0/
content:
<p><a href="media/9df6fa87.putlocker.bz_.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/putlocker.bz_.png"><img src="media/9df6fa87.putlocker.bz_.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/putlocker.bz_.png" alt="putlocker.bz" width="250" height="72" class="alignright size-full wp-image-89139"></a>In recent weeks several piracy-related websites lost control over their domain names. Most of these issues could be tracked back to the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) in the UK. </p>
<p>In recent weeks PIPCU sent letters to various domain name registrars of alleged pirate sites, requesting a suspension of domain names that had been classified as &#8220;infringing&#8221; by copyright holder groups.</p>
<p>This resulted in a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/torrentz-eu-domain-unsuspended-back-action-140527/">temporary suspension</a> for the popular torrent search engine Torrentz.eu, while <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/uk-police-shutdown-file-host-search-engine-filecrop-140524/">FileCrop</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/cricfree-bounces-back-after-uk-police-domain-seizure-140524/">Cricfree</a>, <a href="http://delishows.com/">Delishows</a> and others lost permanent control over their domains. </p>
<p>This week another popular site ran into domain trouble. Putlocker.BZ, a popular movie streaming site with millions of active users per week, had its domain name suspended yesterday. </p>
<p>&#8220;We are having an issue with .BZ Registry, so we had to move from putlocker.bz to <a href="http://putlocker.is/">http://putlocker.is/</a>. IS is the domain name of Iceland &#8211; a safe haven for freedom of speech,&#8221; the site&#8217;s operator announced. </p>
<p>At this point it&#8217;s unclear whether Putlocker&#8217;s issues are related to the actions of UK Police. TorrentFreak contacted the site for more details but we have yet to hear back. </p>
<p>For now the site continues to operate via the new .IS TLD. Iceland is indeed a relatively safe haven. The domain registry ISNIC previously informed us that it would not proactively suspend a domain, and that it would only take action when an Icelandic Court asks them to.</p>
<p>“Such an action would require a formal order from an Icelandic court. ISNIC is not responsible for a registrant’s usage of their domains,” ISNIC’s Marius Olafsson told TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>The above means that a letter from PIPCU would not be enough to suspend the new Putlocker.is domain name. </p>
<p>While PIPCU&#8217;s efforts under the &#8220;Operation Creative&#8221; flag may not eradicate piracy altogether, they may make some domain names and registrars a no-go area for these types of websites. Whether that will have any effect has yet to be seen, but copyright holders must be pleased with the close collaboration.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> The Putlocker.BZ team told TorrentFreak that they received a letter from PIPCU last month, which makes it likely that the UK police is behind the suspension. Putlocker.BZ&#8217;s has reached out to NIC.BZ to see if the issues can be resolved. </p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> The Putlocker.BZ team told us that they have the .BZ back, but they will continue to operate from the .IS domain name. The old domain name is currently redirecting to the new one.</p>
<p><strong>Note:</strong> Putlocker.BZ is not in any way connected to Putlocker.com, the cloud hosting service that&#8217;s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/putlocker-rebrands-as-firedrive-user-files-remain-intact-140215/">now known as Firedrive</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89137
title: MPAA Strikes Anti-Piracy Deal With Torrent Client Creator
uri: MPAA-Strikes-Anti-Piracy-Deal-With-Torrent-Client-Creator
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/5eRaLbGIf3I/
content:
<p><a href="media/16fbbb04.xunlei1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/xunlei1.jpg"><img src="media/130515eb.xunlei1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/xunlei1.jpg" alt="xunlei" width="209" height="183" class="alignright size-full wp-image-78022"></a>While BitTorrent Inc.&#8217;s uTorrent and Mainline products grab most of the headlines, neither are the world&#8217;s most popular torrent client. That honor falls to the Chinese-operated Xunlei or &#8216;Thunder&#8217; software.</p>
<p>As far back as 2009 the world&#8217;s leading BitTorrent trackers reported that Xunlei users accounted for more than <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/thunder-blasts-utorrents-market-share-away-091204/">104 million unique users</a>. Currently the client has an estimated 142 million users.</p>
<p>Considering the software&#8217;s reach the news today that client owner Shenzhen Xunlei Networking Technologies has done an anti-piracy deal with the MPAA is received with some interest, not least since Xunlei is the 12th largest Internet company in China. </p>
<p><strong>The anti-piracy agreement</strong></p>
<p>The Content Protection Agreement (CPA) will see Shenzhen Xunlei actively protect <a href="http://www.screendaily.com/news/mpaa-xunlei-sign-anti-piracy-pact/5072711.article?blocktitle=HEADLINES&#038;contentID=40295">MPAA content</a> including movies and TV shows. Among other measures, the landmark deal will see Xunlei implement a video recognition system to ensure that all MPAA content being made available via Xunlei is properly licensed.</p>
<p>The Chinese company, which is in part backed by Google, has also agreed to educate its users on the effects of online piracy and where to obtain officially licensed copies of MPAA works.</p>
<p>Xunlei operates a number of online ventures, including a streaming service with 136 million monthly users, so it seems logical that the deal will encompass its entire portfolio. Clearly an agreement without &#8216;teeth&#8217; across all products wouldn&#8217;t be good for either Xunlei or the MPAA. The big question now, however, is what pushed the companies together. The answer, as always, is money.</p>
<p><strong>MPAA hindered Xunlei&#8217;s IPO</strong></p>
<p>Early 2011 Xunlei announced plans to go public with a listing on NASDAQ, the largest U.S stock market. But by November the whole thing had been <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-backed-file-sharing-empire-cancels-nasdaq-ipo-111017/">canceled</a>, with a poor economic climate held to blame. However, in the background the issue of copyright infringement was burning away.</p>
<p>According to reports in Chinese media, in April 2013 the MPAA demanded that Xunlei install a software plug-in to block its copyrighted content from appearing online. However, Xunlei was only prepared to install it into a video player, not their other software. Talks collapsed, legal action loomed, and the IPO dream was shattered. Clearly the company would need to regroup and consider its options.</p>
<p><strong>Improving its image for a second run</strong></p>
<p>In March 2014 Xunlei hosted the Chinese Internet Copyright Protection Action Plan conference. A former employee of the company who spoke on condition of anonymity said Xunlei did this to improve its image and put its infringement issues behind it.</p>
<p>&#8220;You must make a clean break with the pirates,&#8221; he told local media.</p>
<p>Just under two weeks ago came the clearest signs yet that Xunlei was ready to move towards that goal.</p>
<p>On May 23rd Xunlei Ltd filed a registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an IPO of its U.S. dollar shares. The offering price was proposed at a maximum of $100 million under the symbol &#8216;XNET&#8217;.</p>
<p>But while doing a deal with the MPAA might stop Hollywood hindering Xunlei&#8217;s IPO again, the company&#8217;s filing makes worrying reading for potential investors.</p>
<p><strong>Risky business</strong></p>
<p>&#8220;Even if we comply with all of our obligations under the content protection agreement, the implementation of content protection measures may affect our users&#8217; experience or otherwise make our services and products less competitive than those of our competitors, which could in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations,&#8221; the company writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the event that the content protection agreement is terminated or we are otherwise deemed not to be fully compliant with its material terms, the content providers may initiate a lawsuit or other proceeding against us, including for any past claims that they might otherwise have made prior to entering into the agreement. In addition, other third party content providers may still initiate lawsuits or other proceedings against us.&#8221; </p>
<p>A lack of compliance with the most basic of U.S. copyright protections raises yet another red flag.</p>
<p>&#8220;We do not currently satisfy all of the statutory requirements of any DMCA safe harbor. If we are ever held to be subject to United States copyright law, that could increase our risk of direct or indirect copyright liability for our resource discovery, acceleration or other services,&#8221; Xunlei explains.</p>
<p>Despite the concerns, others are prepared to put up big money. Last month Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi <a href="http://www.techinasia.com/xiaomi-splurging-200-million-bit-torrent-client/">pumped $310 million</a> into Xunlei boosting its share of the company to around 27%.</p>
<p>With a fresh tagline of “more than just downloads,” Xunlei will be hoping for an exciting future in the United States &#8211; without the MPAA on its back.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89175
title: Megaupload Protests Movie and Record Studios’ Assets Freezing Game
uri: Megaupload-Protests-Movie-and-Record-Studios-Assets-Freezing-Game
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/HFztj_pBB30/
content:
<p><a href="media/818b6dbe.megaupload.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/megaupload.jpg"><img src="media/5fd37436.megaupload.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/megaupload.jpg" alt="megaupload" width="180" height="154" class="alignright size-full wp-image-30407"></a>Following in the footsteps of the U.S. Government the <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/now-the-riaa-sues-megaupload-for-massive-copyright-theft-140411/">major record labels</a> and Hollywood&#8217;s <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/movie-studios-demand-millions-megaupload-new-lawsuit-140408/">top movie studios</a> filed lawsuits against Megaupload, Kim Dotcom, and his colleagues earlier this year.</p>
<p>In a response last month, Megaupload&#8217;s legal team asked the court to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-asks-court-freeze-mpaa-riaa-cases-140512/">freeze both cases</a> in order to protect their clients&#8217; Fifth Amendment rights not to implicate themselves in advance of the U.S. Government&#8217;s criminal case against them.</p>
<p>The movie and music companies were not opposed to a limited cease-fire, although they specified a few conditions under which that could take place. Among other things, they want to retain the option of freezing Megaupload&#8217;s assets at home and abroad.  </p>
<p>This is relevant, since New Zealand&#8217;s High Court previously said it would <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/high-court-kim-dotcom-can-have-his-cars-millions-in-cash-returned-140416/">not extend</a> the foreign restraining order against his assets, and if the Government loses the appeal Megaupload&#8217;s fortune will be released. </p>
<p>Fearing that Megaupload and its accused employees would quickly move the millions in assets, the <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/movie-studios-seek-freeze-kim-dotcoms-assets-140528/">movie studios started</a> a civil assets freezing request in New Zealand, and this week the record labels followed suit.</p>
<p>In a<a href="media/e32543f3.gov.uscourts.vaed.304634.30.0.pdf" data-original-source="http://ia601700.us.archive.org/22/items/gov.uscourts.vaed.304634/gov.uscourts.vaed.304634.30.0.pdf"> new filing</a> submitted to the U.S. federal court Megaupload is hoping to put a stop to these efforts. TorrentFreak spoke to Megaupload lawyer Ira Rothken who accuses the movie studios and record labels of playing a procedural game. </p>
<p>&#8220;The recording and film studios are engaging in a procedural game to try to freeze Kim Dotcom&#8217;s assets so they and the DOJ can win on procedure and not on the merits,&#8221; Rothken tells TorrentFreak. </p>
<p>Megaupload&#8217;s legal team is asking the U.S. federal court not give the entertainment industry companies a &#8220;carte blanche&#8221; to come after the assets, wherever and whenever they choose. In their filing Megaupload brings up a variety of arguments, including a likely violation of Fifth Amendment and due process rights of the defendants.</p>
<p>According to Rothken it eventually all boils down to money. As long as Megaupload is deprived of access to its assets, it will have less fighting power in court, which puts its adversaries at an advantage </p>
<p>&#8220;These copyright cases cost tens of millions of dollars to defend. The studios and the DOJ have a healthy concern that if Kim Dotcom can have the funds and evidence to mount a fair defense, he and the others will prevail,&#8221; Rothken says.</p>
<p>Megaupload is prepared to argue its case in court as long as it&#8217;s a fair fight. Rothken brings up the example of YouTube, which recently scored a victory in the U.S. in its long running copyright case against Viacom. Megaupload wants a similar trial without dirty games, in which it can show that it operated in accordance with the law.</p>
<p>&#8220;Megaupload and Kim Dotcom are entitled to assert the same copyright safe harbors that YouTube recently used to defeat similar claims, and that ought not be meddled with in a single hearing based on a flimsy record, with evidence locked away, and prior to a civil trial on the merits,&#8221; Rothken tells TF. </p>
<p>&#8220;Indeed a number of studios applauded Kim Dotcom and Megaupload in writing for their track record in handling takedowns,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s now up to the court to decide what steps to take next, and whether the movie studios and record labels can continue to go after Megaupload&#8217;s assets while the criminal case is ongoing. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89155
title: Pirate Bay Founder’s Computer Was “Hacked,” Investigation Reveals
uri: Pirate-Bay-Founder-s-Computer-Was-Hacked-Investigation-Reveal
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/KicwjlrHSmk/
content:
<p><a href="media/58b9a154.gottfrid1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/gottfrid1.jpg"><img src="media/2c059aef.gottfrid1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/gottfrid1.jpg" alt="gottfrid" width="200" height="248" class="alignright size-full wp-image-41321"></a>Late last year Gottfrid Svartholm was <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-founders-imminent-extradition-raises-big-questions-131123/">extradited</a> to Denmark, where the Pirate Bay founder stands accused of hacking into the mainframe computers of IT company CSC.</p>
<p>After several custody extensions Svartholm appeared in court again a few days ago. During the court session the court presented new evidence, backing up the theory that someone else used Svartholm&#8217;s computer to carry out the hacks. </p>
<p>The court released the results of an investigation into Svartholm&#8217;s computer, which was carried out in February. The released data cover the results of several antivirus scans and the identification of hundreds of suspicious files.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke to Svartholm&#8217;s lawyer Luise Høj, who explained that the computer contained several threats, some dating back to 2011. The list includes trojans and exploits that could have allowed an outsider to take control over the machine. </p>
<p>&#8220;This is definite evidence that the computer has been compromised &#8211; and that the attacker has gained administrator privileges, no less,&#8221; Høj informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>Despite being aware of the evidence for several months the court maintains the position that Svartholm should remain in custody. His lawyer, however, is convinced that the investigation can plead the Pirate Bay founder free.</p>
<p>&#8220;For me this is a clear evidence that Gottfrid has been telling the truth all along &#8211; and in my opinion it shows that the Danish legal system has big difficulty handling cases which require a certain level of technical insight as regards computers,&#8221; Høj tells us. </p>
<p>Gottfrid&#8217;s mother Kristina Svartholm shares this opinion. She can&#8217;t understand why it took the court several months to present the evidence. According to her, this may not be just a simple mistake.</p>
<p>&#8220;Perhaps &#8216;malice&#8217; is a more appropriate word,&#8221; Kristina Svartholm tells us. &#8220;Their methods leave me more and more worried.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;Gottfrid&#8217;s own conclusion is that they have tried to hide them as long as possible just because everything points in his favor,&#8221; she adds. </p>
<p>The next hearing in Denmark is currently scheduled to take place at the end of this month. Both Svartholm&#8217;s lawyer and mother hope that he will be released, in part based on the new information. The hacking trial is expected to start in September.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89184
title: Pirates Like Streaming, But Don’t Completely Abandon Ship
uri: Pirates-Like-Streaming-But-Don-t-Completely-Abandon-Ship
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/hTXfrc0_xAY/
content:
<p><a href="media/79ceb7a2.piratesaint.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/piratesaint.jpg"><img src="media/62a13a20.piratesaint.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/piratesaint.jpg" alt="piratesaint" width="180" height="135" class="alignright size-full wp-image-73755"></a>In 2012, Denmark effectively rejected entertainment industry calls to crack down hard on citizens engaged in illegal file-sharing. Instead the government announced its &#8220;<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/denmark-kills-file-sharing-warnings-launches-legal-services-initiative-120620/">Pirate Package</a>&#8220;, an initiative focused on the development and promotion of legal offerings rather than punishing file-sharers.</p>
<p>A YouGov study in the same year suggested this was a good move. While many people admitted engaging in piracy they also indicated a <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirates-want-to-go-legal-but-convenience-choice-availability-come-first-120719/">desire</a> to obtain their movies and TV shows from legal sources &#8211; if those services were convenient and accessible.</p>
<p>Two years on and YouGov are back with a new media consumption study of 1,180 Danes aged between 20-65. Commissioned by TDC Group, Denmark&#8217;s leading telecoms company, it reveals encouraging signs for the both the entertainment industry and the government&#8217;s strategy, but also an interesting twist.</p>
<p>Firstly, piracy of both movies and TV shows is down. This year&#8217;s survey suggests that illegal consumption of movies sits at 5.1 million copies. That&#8217;s down from the 5.8 million reported in last year&#8217;s study and the 8.6 million from 2012.</p>
<p>TV shows tell a similar story. In 2012, around 10 million TV shows were pirated, a figure that dropped to 8.1 million in 2013. This year&#8217;s study shows a drop again to 7.9 million copies.</p>
<p>According to TDC Group media director Ulf Lund, the continued decrease in the consumption of infringing content is due to the development of legal offerings.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our position has always been that the best way to combat illegal consumption is by developing good legal alternatives,&#8221; Lund <a href="http://borsen.dk/nyheder/generelt/artikel/1/284385/danskernes_piratkopiering_af_film_og_tv-serier_falder.html">says</a>. &#8220;This is what we can see now that services like Netflix, HBO, Viaplay and YouBio have really materialized here at home.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study&#8217;s findings show that the public is responding to this increased availability. In last year&#8217;s survey 32 percent of households with resident 20 to 65-year-olds reported subscribing to a premium streaming service. This year that figure increased to an impressive 45 percent.</p>
<p>But while piracy of movies and TV shows continues to fall in the face of impressive take-up of streaming services, it appears that pirates aren&#8217;t prepared to kick their old habits just yet.</p>
<p>The study found that the total of those who download or stream illegally has not significantly changed from last year, with 15 percent of respondents admitting that someone in their household had obtained content illegally in the preceding three months, up from 14 percent in 2013.</p>
<p>&#8220;Things are certainly going in the right direction, but we are far from there yet,&#8221; Lund says. &#8220;Magnitude has decreased, but the level is still very high and there are still many who admit that they consume content illegally.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><em><a href="http://www.seniorliving.org/">Image credit</a></em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89228
title: Piracy Takedown Notices Increase E-Book Sales, Research Finds
uri: Piracy-Takedown-Notices-Increase-E-Book-Sales-Research-Finds
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/hCa7PImeExo/
content:
<p><a href="media/b07a6b47.book-pirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/book-pirate.jpg"><img src="media/3bbce76e.book-pirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/book-pirate.jpg" alt="book-pirate" width="211" height="171" class="alignright size-full wp-image-52375"></a>In an attempt to limit the availability of pirated content, copyright holders send millions of takedown requests to online services every week. </p>
<p>The effectiveness of these anti-piracy measures is often in doubt, since the pirated files usually reappear quickly elsewhere. But, according to new research they do have some effect.</p>
<p>Imke Reimers, an economics researcher affiliated with NBER and Northeastern University, examined the effectiveness of these takedown notices on book sales. The results, <a href="http://imkereimers.weebly.com/research.html">published</a> in the working paper &#8220;The Effect of Piracy Protection in Book Publishing,&#8221; show that e-books sales increase as a result of the takedown efforts.</p>
<p>In her research Reimers compares sales of book titles before and after takedown notices are issued, to see the effect on book sales across different titles, genres and formats. The study is the first of its kind and reaches the conclusion that piracy protection increases e-book sales.</p>
<p>&#8220;This paper is the first to empirically analyze the interaction of online piracy and the legal market for books. It finds that piracy protection significantly increases regular unit sales of e-books, while the effect on physical formats is not as clear,&#8221; Reimers writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;E-books, the closest substitute for online piracy benefit from piracy protection by selling 15.4% more units, while there is no significant effect on other formats,&#8221; she adds.</p>
<p>A 15 percent increase in e-book sales is quite significant, and translates to millions of dollars in revenue across the industry. For other book formats, including hardcovers, paperback and audiobooks, no sales increase was observed. </p>
<p>The research controlled for a wide variety of third-party variables that could have influenced the results. Based on the current data Reimers is confident that the sales increase can indeed be attributed the takedown notices. However, she also spots differences in the impact on established and starting writers.</p>
<p>More specifically, piracy doesn&#8217;t appear to pose a threat to the e-book sales of starting authors and could even serve as a promotional tool.</p>
<p>&#8220;The effect varies by the title&#8217;s level of popularity. For well-known books and those by popular authors, online piracy mainly poses a threat to regular book sales, while authors who are just starting out could benefit from the additional platform. My results support this idea, at least for e-books,&#8221; Reimers writes.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to Reimers who notes that it might be a good idea for some authors to share some of their work online. </p>
<p>&#8220;I find no evidence that piracy protection is &#8216;bad&#8217; for any books, but it seems that more obscure titles could benefit from the advertising effect of pirated versions. Some emerging authors offer their titles or excerpts of their titles for free on their websites &#8211; exactly to advertise their works. My results suggest that this might be a smart move,&#8221; she tells us. </p>
<p>The research is based on data from <a href="http://www.digimarc.com/">Digimarc</a>, one of the leading piracy protection firms for the book industry. Needless to say, the company is happy to hear that their efforts indeed appear to have an effect. </p>
<p>&#8220;This new research strongly validates our position that Digimarc Guardian’s anti-piracy strategies provide a substantial return-on-investment for customers, in the form of increased legitimate sales and revenue,&#8221; Chris Shepard, Director of Product Management at Digimarc, informs us.</p>
<p>Digimarc assured TorrentFreak that they had no hand in the academic research other than providing the piracy takedown data. </p>
<p>The sales data used for the research comes from the leading independent e-book publisher <a href="http://www.rosettabooks.com/">RosettaBooks</a>. Needless to say, they are also happy with the results. </p>
<p>&#8220;Rightsholders feel exposed or taken advantage of by piracy. We believe that Digimarc’s services improve our overall sales and the effect of dampened piracy greatly exceeds the cost of the service,&#8221; Greg Freed, eBook Production and Distribution Director at RosettaBooks tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>While the research indicates that takedown notices can have a positive effect on e-book sales, future research will have to show whether or not this can be generalized to other industries, including the movie and music business. </p>
<p>In any case, with the above in mind it&#8217;s expected that the volume of takedown notices will only increase in the near future, a trend that <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-takedown-notices-surge-140325/">has been going on for several years</a> now. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89245
title: WatchSeries-Online.eu Domain “Hijacked” – Or Was It?
uri: WatchSeries-Online-eu-Domain-Hijacked-Or-Was-It
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/fHKFLEtWSVA/
content:
<p><a href="media/b408680c.fake.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/fake.jpg"><img src="media/23431dd4.fake.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fake.jpg" alt="fake" width="190" height="126" class="alignright size-full wp-image-71690"></a>During the past few years alongside the advent of cheap online storage, sites linking to streaming video lockers have appeared in their dozens. These sites index links to popular movies and TV shows and present them in a professional looking manner.</p>
<p>Due to their simplicity they have become incredibly popular but for some reason security is sometimes their Achilles&#8217; heel. For reasons that aren&#8217;t clear, these sites are more vulnerable than most to hostile takeover from rivals intent on taking their business away.</p>
<p>Just how easy is it to take over a site with many millions of visitors every month? As previously reported, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/unaware-millions-flood-to-hijacked-cloned-and-fake-movie-streaming-sites-130608/">it&#8217;s pretty easy</a>, and today another site can add its woes to the long list. This episode, just like many before it, is about to get stupidly complicated.</p>
<p>WatchSeries-Online.eu has been steadily growing in popularity for a couple of years now, providing in-browser access to a wide range of TV episode content. Yesterday, however, the site appeared to lose control of its own domain, at least that&#8217;s what a person claiming to be its owner told TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>Currently the WatchSeries-Online.eu domain diverts to a new domain, WatchSeriesHD.eu. That domain was registered yesterday and then modified just minutes after the alleged &#8220;hijacking&#8221;. </p>
<p>Most visitors to WatchSeriesHD.eu probably won&#8217;t notice anything different since it looks pretty much identical to WatchSeries-Online.eu. However, there are some differences behind the scenes.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/82c54bed.watch-1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/watch-1.png" alt="Watch1"></center></p>
<p>The site that previously operated from WatchSeries-Online.eu now appears to be operating from a brand new domain &#8211; WatchSeries-Online.ch. Another early sign that this might be the real deal is the amount of traffic being logged to it by Alexa, despite losing its original domain.</p>
<p>In summary, WatchSeries-Online.ch is claiming to be a) real and b) the victim of a hijacking. They also warn that WatchSeriesHD.eu is a fake. But that&#8217;s not where this story ends, not by a long way.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted WatchSeries-Online.ch (the claimed victim) who told us that they&#8217;d been hijacked and asked us to tell people not to use WatchSeriesHD.eu. That was pretty much it.</p>
<p>We also contacted the owner of WatchSeriesHD.eu (the alleged fake site) and interestingly he had a much more detailed explanation of what has been going on this past 24 hours. In fact, what that guy told us turns the story completely on its head.</p>
<p>The operator of WatchSeriesHD.eu says that the person currently in control of WatchSeries-Online.ch is a former employee of his company, Ernst &#038; Clarke LLP.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The former employee] was dealing with domain and hosting management and all this technical stuff, because my knowledge is limited in this field,&#8221; he told TF.</p>
<p>According to the boss of Ernst &#038; Clarke, when his employee left the company he took the WatchSeries-Online.eu domain with him having registered it for Ernst &#038; Clarke but using his own domain registrar account. However, since that domain was company property, it is now back in Ernst &#038; Clarke&#8217;s hands having been reclaimed from the registrar, its owner says.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have just claimed the domain name since it belongs to my company,&#8221; TF was informed.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/322c0373.jackie.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/jackie.jpg" alt="Jackie"></center></p>
<p>Reportedly the former employee was also in control of hosting, so he effectively took control of the real site&#8217;s code and database too, even though he subsequently lost control of the WatchSeries-Online.eu domain. However, Ernst &#038; Clarke had a site backup.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unfortunately I do not have access to the hosting anymore so I had to restore the contents from a backup I had. Also, I have registered a new domain name [WatchSeriesHD.eu], to secure the domain and prevent hijack attempts.&#8221;</p>
<p>In the meantime, WatchSeries-Online.ch (the site reportedly operated by the former employee) is trying to regain control of the WatchSeries-Online.eu domain.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re working on it and we are confident that we will regain full control of the domain very soon,&#8221; the site said in a statement. TF requests for comment on the allegations of Ernst &#038; Clarke went unanswered.</p>
<p>History shows us that these takeovers and disputes often cascade into confusion so great that in a few weeks, days, minutes &#8211; or even right now &#8211; few will know which is the real site and which is the fake. Stories don&#8217;t get much more complicated than this and picking through the debris only makes it worse.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89308
title: How Kim Dotcom’s $5m Whistleblower Bounty Will Work
uri: How-Kim-Dotcom-s-5m-Whistleblower-Bounty-Will-Work
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ftXLSZwlX3E/
content:
<p><a href="media/57d13949.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg"><img src="media/5b2669f1.dotcom-laptop.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dotcom-laptop.jpg" alt="dotcom-laptop" width="233" height="170" class="alignright size-full wp-image-76556"></a>Whichever way you look at it, Kim Dotcom has a series of huge battles in front of him. Up soon is his fight to avoid extradition to the United States where he is wanted in the biggest copyright infringement case ever.</p>
<p>Running in parallel to that criminal case are a pair of civil actions brought by the MPAA and RIAA, with both entities currently attempting to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/movie-studios-seek-freeze-kim-dotcoms-assets-140528/">put a lock</a> on his currently frozen assets, should the entrepreneur get his hands on them again.</p>
<p>As those battles continue in the background, Dotcom is preparing his next steps, and he&#8217;s calling on supporters to help him.</p>
<p>On the table today sits a cool $5 million bounty payable to anyone who provides substantial information that will allow the Megaupload founder to win his case. It&#8217;s a large amount by any standards but of course Dotcom rarely does anything in half measures.</p>
<p>So what exactly is Dotcom looking for and how will the project play out?</p>
<p>&#8220;Let me be clear, we are asking for information that proves unlawful or corrupt conduct by the US government, the New Zealand government, spy agencies, law enforcement and Hollywood,&#8221; Dotcom told TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is the opinion of my legal team that disclosure of such information would be lawful. I would also guarantee that any whistleblower coming forward would have the best legal representation at zero cost.&#8221;</p>
<p>Dotcom goes on to reiterate a long-standing claim, that the action against him and Megaupload was a &#8220;corrupt contract prosecution&#8221; carried out by the White House in order to get Hollywood&#8217;s support for Obama&#8217;s re-election campaign. He&#8217;s interested in evidence that supports that assertion.</p>
<p>&#8220;Former Senator and now MPAA chairman Chris Dodd and Vice President Joe Biden in particular have abused their political power to make the pre-trial destruction of Megaupload possible,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;Joe Biden&#8217;s personal counsel (while Biden was still a Senator) Neil MacBride was promoted to a top position at the DOJ and oversaw the Megaupload destruction. We have <a href="media/027c161b.whitepaper.pdf" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ftXLSZwlX3E/Kim.com/whitepaper.pdf">already exposed</a> a whole range of unlawful government conduct in the Megaupload case, backed by court rulings.&#8221;</p>
<p>So presuming people have information, what should they do with it? Dotcom suggests going to a well-known newspaper with a proven track-record in handling leaks.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have been in touch with the Guardian editor and he has kindly retweeted my offer and told me that he hopes that someone will reply to that offer,&#8221; Dotcom says.</p>
<p>Dotcom notes that potential leakers can utilize the new <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/05/guardian-launches-securedrop-whistleblowers-documents">whistleblower tool</a> released by The Guardian this week. But for those who really need to cover their backs, more drastic additional steps could be taken.</p>
<p>&#8220;In order to be completely safe I would advise any Whistleblower not to use this tool from home or work. Go to an Internet cafe with a memory stick. Don&#8217;t use your own computer or phone. You can also buy a cheap laptop or netbook just for the purpose of leaking and destroy it after you&#8217;re done.&#8221;</p>
<p>The big attraction of course is the $5 million Dotcom has put on the table. What assurances can Dotcom provide concerning the cash?</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m currently in talks with my legal team about how to formalize the bounty. We will probably setup a trust account to deposit the bounty and provide terms and conditions for anyone who will provide information. I will not just offer a bounty for the piece of &#8216;case winning&#8217; information but for anything useful,&#8221; he explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;We know that there are people out there with information. I&#8217;m willing to pay for that information. I&#8217;m determined to fight a grave injustice that has been done to a legitimate cloud storage business, its 220 employees and over 100 million users. This struggle has just begun and it will take time. But in the end we shall be victorious and we shall expose those who have abused their power,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s little doubt that $5 million is potentially a life-changing sum for the right person.. Will someone step forward into that new life? Time will tell.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89280
title: ‘Popcorn Time’ Gives Users Anonymity With a Free Built-In VPN
uri: Popcorn-Time-Gives-Users-Anonymity-With-a-Free-Built-In-VPN
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/uZTG0ISXzjY/
content:
<p><a href="media/b134dbd9.popcorn.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn.png"><img src="media/b134dbd9.popcorn.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn.png" alt="popcorn" width="203" height="102" class="alignright size-full wp-image-89282"></a>The Popcorn Time phenomenon took the Internet by storm earlier this year. The software became the subject of hundreds of news articles, as it offered P2P streaming in an easy to use Netflix-style interface.</p>
<p>Overwhelmed by the response the original team quickly retired. However, since the code is open source, many competing forks quickly adopted the project, each taking it in a different direction. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.time4popcorn.eu/">Time4Popcorn</a> is one of the most users reincarnations of Popcorn Time. The team behind the project has introduced several new features to their version, including TV-show listings and Android support. </p>
<p>These changes definitely increased the appeal of the application, but there was a threat lurking around the corner. In common with all other BitTorrent-based software, copyright holders are actively monitoring the activities of people who pirate their works. </p>
<p>This already resulted in <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-users-get-fined-copyright-trolls-140515/">fines for German users</a> of a Popcorn Time fork, but users in the United States and other regions where copyright trolls are active face the same risk. To counter this &#8220;threat&#8221; the Time4Popcorn team decided to implement a VPN feature, for free. </p>
<p>&#8220;Throughout these last months we realized that making the ultimate watching experience for everyone is important. However, something that is even more important to us is that everyone will be able to get this experience without risking themselves,&#8221; the Time4Popcorn team tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>The news about the settlement requests prompted the developers to include a VPN option to anonymize use of their client.</p>
<p>This week the feature was added to the latest <a href="http://www.time4popcorn.eu/alpha.html">4.2 Alpha release</a>. By clicking a lock icon users can quickly connect and disconnect the built-in protection. Although it may take some more time before a stream starts playing, it appears to work just fine.</p>
<p>&#8220;Thanks to the new VPN feature everyone from anywhere in the world will be able to use Popcorn Time, worry free. That makes us very happy,&#8221; the team tells us. </p>
<p><center><a href="media/52fc5e28.popcorn_time_vpn.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn_time_vpn.jpg"><img src="media/52fc5e28.popcorn_time_vpn.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn_time_vpn.jpg" alt="popcorn_time_vpn" width="800" height="510" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-89281"></a></center></p>
<p>The VPN itself is not run by the Popcorn Time team. Instead, they came to an agreement with the VPN provider <a href="https://en.kebrum.com/">Kebrum</a>, who are offering their services for free. TorrentFreak reached out to Kebrum to find out why they agreed to join the project.</p>
<p>&#8220;There are not a lot of opportunities in life to be a part of a revolution and we have recognized this opportunity. One of the main goals of the company is to bring back the anonymity to the internet,&#8221; Kebrum&#8217;s Martin tells us.</p>
<p>&#8220;We believe Popcorn Time is the revolution that will change the entertainment industry forever. And now, with our help, Popcorn Time can do for the world of internet anonymity the same as they will do for the world of entertainment.&#8221;</p>
<p>This revolution does come at a cost for the company, as it has to pick up the bills. However, Kebrum believes that the brand exposure will make up for this investment. The traffic shouldn&#8217;t be a problem for the company, as it has plenty of resources available. </p>
<p>&#8220;From our experience and the expected usage stats provided by Popcorn Time, we believe that the resources we allocated for Popcorn Time users should be enough in order to give a good and fast download experience. Our servers are prepared to handle the traffic,&#8221; Martin says.</p>
<p>As with all other features, the VPN functionality is released as open source under a <a href="https://github.com/time4popcorn?tab=repositories">GPL-V3 license</a>.</p>
<p>The Time4Popcorn team plans to inform its users about the new VPN feature in the coming days, and once it&#8217;s included in the stable release older versions will update automatically. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89310
title: Popcorn Time For Music Really Has To Be Pretty Epic
uri: Popcorn-Time-For-Music-Really-Has-To-Be-Pretty-Epic
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2TAP47QA-Ao/
content:
<p><a href="media/1586ff1b.ilovemusic.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ilovemusic.jpg"><img src="media/1586ff1b.ilovemusic.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ilovemusic.jpg" alt="ilovemusic]" width="200" height="165" class="alignright size-full wp-image-89357"></a>At this very moment, anyone with a keyboard and access to the Internet can listen to pretty much any track currently available.</p>
<p>Much to the annoyance of the music industry, most of that music can be found with a simple Google search and if it&#8217;s already been deleted from there, switching to Yahoo does the trick. Hundreds of sites lie a click away, many offering access to millions of free MP3s.</p>
<p>While there&#8217;s no doubt that plenty of people use them, there&#8217;s no absolute need to access music from unauthorized sources anymore, even if the listener is payment averse. YouTube, for example, works very well indeed, even for the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-zpOMYRi0w">biggest selling tracks</a>.</p>
<p>The story for movies is quite different. Sure, there are unauthorized services a few clicks away but even the hottest torrent sites represent a daunting prospect for Joe Public. Streaming sites bridge the usability gap somewhat with their advanced presentation and simple interfaces but often spoil the viewing experience with waves of popups, fake download buttons and other intrusive advertising.</p>
<p>Then earlier this year Popcorn Time arrived, offering the power of torrents under the hood and a Netflix-style quality interface on top. Unlike its legal competitor, however, the latest <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/zona-is-a-popcorn-time-beater-and-a-pirates-dream-140425/">spinoff versions</a> of the software have no restrictions on content availability. When all the angles are considered, this software pretty much beats the professionals at their own game &#8211; no wonder Hollywood <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-devs-drop-like-flies-but-no-one-will-talk-140420/">wants to kill it</a>.</p>
<p>It was with excitement, then, that news of a &#8220;Popcorn Time for music&#8221; reached our ears recently. Called HipHop, the tool has actually been out for a number of weeks already but recently received renewed exposure on Hacker News. The tool has a decent interface and <a href="http://gethiphop.net/">boasts</a> free access to 45 million tracks, that&#8217;s better than iTunes and most of the official streaming services around today.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/4027f52d.hiphop1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/hiphop1.png" alt="HipHop"></center></p>
<p>So where are the dozens of news articles charting HipHop&#8217;s rise to fame in the way they did with Popcorn Time? Thing is, apart from a token mention here and there, there aren&#8217;t any. This isn&#8217;t because people don&#8217;t like music or that HipHop doesn&#8217;t do what it claims, because it does. Maybe it&#8217;s because free access to music and music alone simply doesn&#8217;t cut it these days.</p>
<p>While pirates have run rings around Hollywood for some time and in some ways continue to do so, in the music sector services like Spotify and even YouTube are doing a much better job than the majority of mainstream pirate alternatives. Sure, anyone can head over to MP3Skull, MP3Juices or GoSong and grab free MP3s all day, but aren&#8217;t we demanding more these days?</p>
<p>YouTube provides not only the music but the videos to accompany them. Spotify provides great content discovery opportunities, unrivaled multi-device convenience and is completely free at entry level. It&#8217;s been in development for years and it performs better than HipHop in every way. It&#8217;s competing with free and winning.</p>
<p>While a Popcorn Time or similar for movies is likely to prove attractive for many years to come due to Hollywood&#8217;s archaic release restrictions and unfriendly pricing, pirates are really going to have to up their game to make a Spotify beater for music.</p>
<p>While someone might appear with something amazing, at this point we have to consider that it might never happen. That in itself is quite extraordinary.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><em><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/fr4dd/10675095904/in/photostream/">Image credit</a></em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89127
title: MPAA: Consumer Right to Resell Online Videos Would Kill Innovation
uri: MPAA-Consumer-Right-to-Resell-Online-Videos-Would-Kill-Innovation
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/o9YUmshvBEY/
content:
<p><a href="media/ac4fa404.mpaa-restricted.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-restricted.png"><img src="media/c830fb8c.mpaa-restricted.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-restricted.png" alt="mpaa-restricted" width="250" height="146" class="alignright size-full wp-image-55207"></a>This week the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee Intellectual Property and the Internet held a hearing on the issue of “digital resales.” </p>
<p>In other words, whether consumers should be allowed to sell digital videos, music files and software they purchased previously.</p>
<p>Proponents of the rights to resell digital goods want the First Sale Doctrine to apply in the digital domain as well. However, this argument is meeting fierce resistance from the entertainment industries who see this right as a threat to their online business models.</p>
<p>For example, the record labels previously <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/record-labels-used-mp3s-too-good-and-convenient-to-resell-140422/">pointed out</a> that MP3s are simply too good to resell, as they don&#8217;t deteriorate in quality. </p>
<p>Responding to the hearing in Washington, the MPAA also voiced its critique of the plans. According to the movie studios digital resales would hamper innovation, increase prices and decrease the availability of online film. In their view it would undo most of the innovation the Internet brought.</p>
<p>&#8220;Critics say the movie and television industry was slow to embrace the Internet. But ironically, now that online video is ubiquitous, some of these same critics are trying to reverse time and drag the creative community—along with audiences—back into the pre-Internet era,&#8221; MPAA&#8217;s Neil Fried notes.</p>
<p>The ability to resell movies bought on the Internet has the potential to create a huge secondary market. This would make it much cheaper for consumers to access media, and the MPAA believes therefore that content creators will be wary of making it available in the first place.</p>
<p>&#8220;A new government mandate requiring creators to allow reselling of licensed Internet content would undermine incentives to create, reduce consumer choices, and deter innovation,&#8221; Fried argues.</p>
<p>&#8220;Forcing creators to allow resale of Internet content they license would either require creators to substantially raise prices or discourage them from offering flexible, Internet-based models in the first place,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>The MPAA believes that those who want to own movies and resell them should stick to the offline world. The physical ownership model doesn&#8217;t translate to the online world, which is better off with a licensing scheme that restricts resales.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is a relatively new marketplace. Government intervention now, seeking to force the content community to return to a 1908 construct built around physical ownership, will only short-circuit the experimentation and innovation that is going on all around us,&#8221; Fried says. </p>
<p>Of course there are also many people who object to the arguments of the copyright holders. John Ossenmacher, CEO of the MP3-reselling platform ReDigi, gave a <a href="media/4ddd9134.060214-first-sale-testimony-ossenmacher.pdf" data-original-source="http://judiciary.house.gov/_cache/files/74d5d591-6c07-4fe8-a381-e025d9091a79/060214-first-sale-testimony-ossenmacher.pdf">testimony</a> during the congressional hearing where he laid out a variety of counterarguments.</p>
<p>According to Ossenmacher the content owners are trying to change consumer rights that have been in place for more than hundred years, only to guarantee maximum profit for themselves.</p>
<p>&#8220;The First Sale doctrine is premised on a simple concept – you bought it, you own it – and it has never concerned itself with a specific format or technology, nor with the condition of the goods being resold. It establishes the commonsense principle that the creator deserves to be paid once, and then the owners, and subsequent owners, have the right to resell that good, to donate it or to give it away,&#8221; Ossenmacher said in his testimony.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is not an extreme position to advocate that &#8216;you bought it, you own it.&#8217; It is a logical, conservative position that adheres to the long-standing principles of law. It applies in every other type of good; it should apply here as well,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see how this debate plays out in the months to come. One thing is for certain, we haven&#8217;t heard the last of it yet.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89367
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 06/09/14
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-06-09-14
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/we1pxSq2zEA/
content:
<p><a href="media/ec94c45e.300rise.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/300rise.jpg"><img src="media/ec94c45e.300rise.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/300rise.jpg" alt="300rise" width="300" height="223" class="alignright size-full wp-image-89369"></a>This week we have five newcomers in our chart.</p>
<p>300: Rise Of An Empire is the most downloaded movie this week.</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-140602/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/300_rise_of_an_empire/">300: Rise Of An Empire</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1253863/">6.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zqy21Z29ps">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3069212/">Street Fighter: Assassin&#8217;s Fist</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3069212/">8.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99XiMYKsHl8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_days_of_future_past/">X-Men: Days of Future Past</a></td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877832/">8.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsjtg7m1MMM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/non_stop_2013/">The Grand Budapest Hotel</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278388/">8.3</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DmXdU8Nglk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/non_stop_2013/">Non-Stop</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024469/">7.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiHDJ19A3dk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lego_movie/">The Lego Movie</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_JOBCLF-I">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/oculus/">Oculus</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2388715/?">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYJrxezWLUk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rob_the_mob/">Rob The Mob</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2481480/">6.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQR2sEdqBDk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/3_days_to_kill/">3 Days To kill</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2172934/">6.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBnKYDDDq8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rio_2/">Rio 2</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2357291/">6.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkZM1Zc0mBU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89392
title: Google Joins New Coalition to Stop Ad Revenue to Pirate Sites
uri: Google-Joins-New-Coalition-to-Stop-Ad-Revenue-to-Pirate-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kqMSDp1hgdg/
content:
<p><a href="media/7c6b9504.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg"><img src="media/3a6fa524.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg" alt="google-bay" width="200" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21875"></a>There is a theory in the entertainment industries that if running torrent, file-sharing or streaming sites makes no commercial sense to their operators, then they will soon wither and die.</p>
<p>Every week there are often aggressive opinions published on why cutting off revenue is perhaps the most powerful weapon in the online piracy war. This crescendo has already grown into notable action in both the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tech-giants-sign-deal-to-ban-advertising-on-pirate-websites-130715/">United States</a> and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/city-of-london-police-launches-pirate-site-blacklist-for-advertisers-140331/">United Kingdom</a>.</p>
<p>Later this week a new initiative will be presented to the public, and the fact that Google is onboard will no doubt help to promote the completeness of the effort. Continuing the European effort after the UK, this Thursday in Rome, Italy, a coalition of key advertising players plus the main anti-piracy groups of the music and movie industries will announce the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding.</p>
<p>The announcement, taking place at the Interactive Advertising Bureau&#8217;s IAB Events 2014 conference, will see the <a href="http://www.iab.it/">IAB</a>, music industry anti-piracy group FPM and Fapav (the Italian MPAA) announce a new coalition to deprive revenue from pirate sites.</p>
<p>Speaking with TorrentFreak, Enzo Mazza, chief at music industry group Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federazione_Industria_Musicale_Italiana">FIMI</a>), explains how the initiative will work.</p>
<p>&#8220;IAB Italia, the local branch of Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has been very active in discussing with music and movie associations a self-regulation approach to promote an effective action to prevent advertisers from posting ads on rogue sites,&#8221; Mazza explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;IAB already educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising. In our goal the agreement should promote a cooperation in order to implement effective measures to prevent ads being placed on rogue sites and to quickly remove any ads that are found to have been so placed.&#8221;</p>
<p>Having Google on board is also a plus, Mazza says.</p>
<p>&#8220;Google is already doing a lot of efforts in this area and the company promoted a strategy so-called &#8216;follow the money&#8217; which we consider part of a general strategy based on enforcement on one side, self-regulation and legal offer on the other side.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mazza says that a joint committee compromised of MoU signatories will be created to oversee the technical implementation of the project, with consideration given to how similar schemes are operating elsewhere. This will include the auditing of advertising companies and networks for compliance with a code of conduct respectful of intellectual property rights.</p>
<p>On a day-to-day basis the committee will receive complaints from rights holders detailing the appearance of advertising on &#8220;rogue sites&#8221; and take action on these with brokers and the advertisers themselves. Whether they will be able to cut through the complex and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/american-express-accuses-pirates-stealing-ads/">labrynthine mechanisms</a> often employed by such sites will remain to be seen.</p>
<p>The Memorandum of Understanding has been passed to the Italian competition authority for approval and while the project is clearly in the early stages, momentum is clearly there.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=89407
title: New Pirate Bay Blocking Battle Set For The Summer
uri: New-Pirate-Bay-Blocking-Battle-Set-For-The-Summer
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/oLb70Pw-fJk/
content:
<p><a href="media/fd06f581.pirate-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-bay.jpg"><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>During the last quarter of 2013, anti-piracy group Rights Alliance (Rettighetsalliansen) announced that it had begun the planning for a Norwegian web blockade of copyright-infringing websites. First up, The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>Speaking with Norway&#8217;s <a href="http://www.aftenposten.no/digital/Blokkering-av-Pirate-Bay-kommer-narmere-7591694.html">Aftenposten</a>, Rights Alliance chairman Willy Johansen now confirms that his group will file a case at the Oslo District Court within a few weeks with the aim of having the country&#8217;s ISPs block The Pirate Bay and other similar sites.</p>
<p>Johansen says Rights Alliance has already written to the ISP Telenor with a list of sites it wants blocked. He wouldn&#8217;t reveal any other contents of the letter but as expected Telenor isn&#8217;t going to do anything voluntarily.</p>
<p>&#8220;We can not act as a court or a police authority to act for third parties who want sites to be closed. We will only deal with a court decision,&#8221; Telenor&#8217;s Jørn Bremtun said in a statement.</p>
<p><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-group-will-use-new-law-to-block-the-pirate-bay-130724/">New legislation</a> in Norwary does allow for the blocking of sites, but cases have to be taken to court in order to balance copyright protection with freedom of information. </p>
<p>&#8220;When [the ISPs] will not block voluntarily, we must prove the illegality of the different sites,&#8221; Johansen said.</p>
<p>Rights Alliance hope to do that during the summer with a decision from the Court expected in the fall.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com">TorrentFreak</a>, for the latest info on <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/copyright-issues/">copyright</a>, <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/category/pirate-talk/">file-sharing</a> and <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/">anonymous VPN services</a>.</p>
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