Apple Watch Owners, You May Be Able to Claim Part of a $20 Million Settlement
Updated: 2025-02-04 21:29:00
If you own a certain Apple Watch model and are eligible for a cash payout, file your claim now.- If you own a certain Apple Watch model and are eligible for a cash payout, file your claim now.
LaLiga: Cloudflare, Google and X Are Essential Piracy Facilitators
Updated: 2025-02-04 11:47:07
In a submission to the U.S. Trade Representative, LaLiga accuses Google, Cloudflare, and X of enabling pirate services to thrive. The submission is unusual; the Special 301 process requests recommendations concerning foreign countries. LaLiga also stands out for its country-specific complaints, nominating the UK and Germany for the Priority Watch List over piracy challenges.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Publishers Ramp Up Pressure vs. Anna’s Archive, Sci-Hub, Z-Library & Libgen
Updated: 2025-02-03 20:47:30
The world’s major publishers claim that unlicensed libraries cast a permanent shadow over authors’ ability to make a living from their work. In common with the movie and movie industry counterparts, site-blocking is one of the weapons of choice, albeit against well-prepared opponents.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
MPA Shares Pirate Site Blocking ‘Best Practices’ at WIPO Meeting
Updated: 2025-02-03 00:33:51
MPA Senior Executive Vice President Karyn Temple will share the movie industry group's site blocking 'best practices' at a WIPO meeting. The insights arrive just few days after a new site blocking bill was introduced in the United States. Not surprisingly, the MPA's 'best practices' for site blocking largely align with proposed legislative amendments.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Russia VPN Crackdown Revelation – VPN Sites Hide Their IP Addresses
Updated: 2025-02-02 11:46:31
Russia's campaign to block access to content deemed illegal by the state is continuously monitored by digital rights group Roskomsvoboda. In 2024, over 500,000 websites were subjected to blocking measures, pushing the all-time site blocking total to more than 1.8 million. While VPNs also face blocking, the task isn't always straightforward. The data shows that sales sites in Russia prefer to expose IP addresses owned by foreign companies, located outside Russia.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Anna’s Archive Urges AI Copyright Overhaul to Protect National Security
Updated: 2025-02-01 16:40:05
One of the internet's leading shadow libraries is calling for an overhaul of copyright law. Anna's Archive believes that if countries want to stay relevant in the AI race, change is a necessity. While it's unlikely that the trove at Anna's Archive will ever be legally accessible by consumers, the site argues that access for AI companies is paramount. "It's a matter of national security," Anna's Archivist says.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
FADPA: MPA’s Export-Only Site-Blocking Primed For Full Strength U.S. Launch
Updated: 2025-02-01 06:55:36
There's no ideal time to promote a blocking system that by design restricts freedom and, for the vast majority of citizens, offers no tangible benefit. Yet, over the past 15 years or so, the major Hollywood studios have convinced authorities in dozens of countries that blocking pirate sites benefits everyone. If the FADPA bill passes, the MPA's export-only site-blocking system will be reimported to the U.S. at close to maximum strength, straight off the bat.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Pirate Libraries Are Forbidden Fruit for AI Companies. But at What Cost?
Updated: 2025-01-31 18:48:45
The future of AI innovation may hinge on the outcome of a global copyright debate. In the U.S., rightsholders are taking a hard line, pursuing legal action against AI companies that utilize copyrighted works without permission. However, other countries are adopting more lenient approaches, allowing AI models to learn from the vast troves of data found in 'pirate' libraries. This 'copyright schism' could have far-reaching consequences.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Court Rejects Musi’s Bid to Force Apple to Reinstate its Music App
Updated: 2025-01-31 11:43:03
Musi's initial attempt to force Apple to reinstate its music app to the App Store has failed. A California federal court denied a request for a preliminary injunction, ruling that Apple did not act unreasonably or in bad faith when it removed the app following complaints from music industry players and YouTube. The court found that Musi’s proposed injunction would not serve the public interest.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Pirate IPTV: Sweden Mulls ‘Viewing Ban’ as Illegal Subscriptions Soar 25%
Updated: 2025-01-30 08:30:45
A new report from consultancy firm Mediavision provides data on IPTV piracy that the Swedish government didn't want to hear. Between spring and fall of 2024, illegal subscriptions increased by a record 25%, with an estimated 700,000 households now regularly paying to pirate. The government considers a 'viewing ban' for citizens but, there appears to be no clear idea how or even if that would work.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
New Bill Aims to Block Foreign Pirate Sites in the U.S.
Updated: 2025-01-29 19:23:10
Pirate site blocking orders are a step closer to becoming reality in the United States after Rep. Zoe Lofgren introduced the Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act earlier today. Should it become law, FAPDA would allow rightsholders to obtain site blocking orders targeted at verified pirate sites, presumably run by foreign operators. The blocking orders would apply to both ISPs and DNS resolvers. The latter is a novelty.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
TorrentGalaxy Pleads Financial Difficulties, Asks Users to Chip In
Updated: 2025-01-29 10:29:01
TorrentGalaxy was taken over by new owners last year and faced repeated difficulties in the months that followed. Official updates have been sparse, but according to a new message posted by the operators, they're having trouble paying the bills. Further details are lacking, but the call for help resulted in a healthy stream of crypto donations, which will be of interest to anti-piracy groups too.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Nintendo Piracy Lawsuit Defendant Makes Dire Situation Even Worse
Updated: 2025-01-28 18:51:02
A Nintendo lawsuit filed last November targeted video gamer Jesse Keighin, aka EveryGameGuru. Given the scope of the allegations, narrowly focused on a single defendant, the action seems unusually punitive. Yet if the plan was to push Keighin into a corner, the Colorado resident hasn't read the script. Allegations of destruction of evidence, obstructing service, and abuse of Nintendo's legal team, combine to make a dire situation even worse. But not for Nintendo.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
LLM Taken Down Following Legal Pressure from Anti-Piracy Group
Updated: 2025-01-28 11:33:40
The use of copyrighted material in training large language models (LLMs) has sparked legal battles and takedown notices. In the Netherlands, anti-piracy group BREIN takes credit for forcing the popular 'GEITje' LLM offline, which in part was trained on copyrighted texts. The developer didn't necessarily agree with BREIN, but lacked the resources to fight back.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
U.S. Anti-Piracy Symposium Emphazises Need for Site Blocking
Updated: 2025-01-27 20:45:57
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) held an anti-piracy symposium last week to discuss the latest achievements, challenges, and solutions in combating piracy. Experts from the public and private sectors came together to discuss various topics, including the need to deploy balanced and effective site blocking measures in the United States.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Pirates Surprise as Oscar-Nominated Movie Screeners Leak Online Again
Updated: 2025-01-27 00:34:09
'Screener season' used to make its annual appearance as reliably as the Oscars themselves. Copies of the most significant movies, intended for awards voters, would somehow end up online, for the unintended perusal of millions of pirates. A few years ago, screener copy leaks completely dried up, potentially forever. Then a few hours ago, a pair of Oscar-nominated movies, each with the same unusual feature, made their surprise entrance online.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Appeals Court Affirms U.S. Navy Should Pay $154k in Piracy Damages, not $155m
Updated: 2025-01-26 18:51:15
Software company Bitmanagement has been dealt another blow in its piracy battle against the U.S. Navy. Instead of winning over $155 million in damages, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a lower court's ruling, awarding a mere $154,400 for the Navy's unauthorized installations of the German company's software.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
PIPCU Uses UK IPO’s ‘Surplus Millions’ to Wage War on IPTV Pirates
Updated: 2025-01-24 10:11:00
City of London Police formed the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit over a decade ago. Since then, the specialist anti-piracy unit has targeted pirates of all kinds. The Intellectual Property Office's latest Report and Accounts states that PIPCU is funded using millions of pounds from 'IPO surpluses.' That money appears to have been put to work; PIPCU reports reveal successes against large-scale IPTV pirates and in one case, a record-breaking restraint of ill-gotten gains.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.