Piracy

X Loses Battle to Protect Genshin Impact Leaker’s First Amendment Anonymity

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

In November 2023, the publisher of smash-hit videogame Genshin Impact obtained a DMCA subpoena hoping to identify who was behind the leak of unreleased artwork on Elon Musk's X platform. X Corp. challenged the subpoena, citing the user's anonymous speech rights under the First Amendment. In an order published this week, a district court judge denied X Corps' motion to quash, in theory exposing the alleged leaker's identity to Cognosphere. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Will Piracy Kill Football in Italy? Not if Football Damages the Internet First

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

Proponents of Italy's site blocking juggernaut to protect the country's top tier football league have shown their true colors. Proposed amendments to the 'Piracy Shield' law state that, if any network service provider even suspects criminal activity, they must immediately report to the authorities. This includes search engines, DNS and VPN providers, reverse proxy servers, internet security platforms. Failure to report or even a delay in reporting would be punishable by up to a year in prison. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

U.S. Court Orders LibGen to Pay $30m to Publishers, Issues Broad Injunction

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

A New York federal court has ordered the operators of shadow library LibGen to pay $30 million in copyright infringement damages. The default judgment comes with a broad injunction that affects third-party services including domain registries, browser extensions, CDN providers, IPFS gateways, advertisers, and more. These parties should stop facilitating access to the pirate site. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Telegram Removes Z-Library Posts ‘Due to Copyright Infringement’

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

Telegram, an essential communication tool for millions, finds itself under scrutiny once again. Copyright holders have long expressed concerns about the lack of enforcement on the platform, and recent actions suggest Telegram is responding. Subscribers to Z-Library's popular channel recently noticed that several of the shadow library's messages have been removed "due to copyright infringement." From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Pirate Video Hosting Domain of Fmovies ‘Mothership’ Makes Surprise Comeback

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

Last month, anti-piracy forces celebrated the takedown of Fmovies, the world's largest piracy ring. Motion Picture Association CEO Charles Rivkin boasted that they "took down the mothership". While the victory stands today, not all loose ends were tied up. The domain of Fmovies' hosting platform Vidsrc.to is back online, presumably resurrected by another piracy ring. The Empire Strikes Back? From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Pirate IPTV Subscribers Warned They Face “Automated Fines”

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

The head of telecoms regulator AGCOM confirmed this week that a memorandum of understanding between the Prosecutor's Office, Guardia di Finanza, and AGCOM, heralds a new stage in Italy's fight against IPTV piracy. Massimiliano Capitanio said that automatic information exchange between the parties will enable subscribers of pirate IPTV services to be automatically fined. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Pirate IPTV Reseller Who Made Millions of Euros Sent to Prison For Eight Years

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

A court in Greece has handed down one of the most punishing sentences on record to a man who resold pirate IPTV subscriptions. The Court of Thessaloniki heard that the local man sold subscriptions to thousands of customers, generating millions of euros. After the court sent him to prison for eight years, attention now turns to a seized customer database. The authorities are said to be preparing cases against customers, some of whom have already been arrested. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

LaLiga Will “File Criminal Complaints Against Google” Over Pirate IPTV

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

After celebrating a court order that reportedly requires Google to remotely uninstall pirate IPTV app Magis TV from Android devices, LaLiga is far from done. President Javier Tebas has just informed the Europa Forum that LaLiga will file criminal complaints against Google in Spain, France, Brazil, and Ecuador. Tebas accused Google of collaborating with pirates when it could immediately "reduce piracy by 80%" instead. So what does LaLiga actually want? From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

ISPs Back Cox’s Supreme Court Petition to Counter “Extortionate” Piracy Liability Pressure

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

Several Internet Providers, including Verizon, have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to grant Cox Communications' appeal in a landmark piracy liability case. The ISPs stress that the current ruling creates "extortionate pressure" that puts innocent subscribers at risk. A separate brief from Boston College Law School Professor Alfred Yen, also urges the Supreme Court to take on the case. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Homebrew Transparency Portal Reveals Needlessly Blocked ‘Pirate’ Sites

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

As the wave of pirate site blocking spreads globally, some European countries show weakness in their execution. In Germany, for instance, the local blocklist included domains that no longer linked to pirated content, violating the blocking agreement. Tellingly, this only came to the forefront after a 17-year-old developer put together an unofficial transparency portal. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Germany Adds Sports Streaming Site ‘TotalSportek’ to Pirate Site Blocklist

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

As part of a voluntary agreement with copyright holders, German ISPs block a list of structurally infringing websites. This blocklist has recently expanded with the sports streaming site TotalSportek. The responsible “Clearing Body” concluded that, since efforts to shut down the site or identify its owners failed, site blocking is a reasonable and proportionate measure. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Apple Removes ‘Parasitic’ Streaming App ‘Musi’ Following Persistent Complaints

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

Musi, a massively popular free music app with millions of users, has been removed from the App Store. Apple took action following extensive complaints from music industry groups, but whether these complaints directly triggered the app's removal is unclear. Information received by TorrentFreak further reveals that YouTube weighed in as well. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Amazon Joins the MPA as its Newest Anti-Piracy Member Since Netflix in 2019

Updated: 2024-09-30 19:27:12

On October 1, 2024, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery, will welcome Amazon to the most exclusive club in Hollywood; the Motion Picture Association. Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, which encompasses Amazon's streaming platform and its film and TV production and distribution division, will become the seventh MPA member and the most recent addition since Netflix joined in 2019. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.