Netflix exec: company hasn’t changed policy on blocking VPN users
Same as always
Netflix isn’t cracking down on foreign users utilizing VPNs to access the company’s streaming service, or at least not more than it…
Piracy
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ISP’s “six-strike” system is now in full force, says industry official
A deal between studios and five major ISPs is now up and running full speed. Proponents of the controversial system regard it as part of making internet intermediaries forcing users to “learn the rules of the road.”
Federal agent yanks man out of cinema for wearing Google Glass
What if you could record a movie just by looking at? This appears to be one of Hollywood’s deep fears at the moment — but the feds jumped the gun this week by arresting a man wearing Google Glass in a cinema.
ISP anti-“piracy” blockades are compatible with European law, says top advisor
European courts can order ISPs to block sites that offer copyright-infringing material, in the opinion of the EU advocate general. Of course, some EU countries already allow this.
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After seven years of lawsuits, isoHunt is shutting down
isoHunt is shutting down as the result of a settlement with the major movie studios. isoHunt founder Gary Fung agreed to pay $110 million.
Google Removes ‘BitTorrent’ From Piracy Search Filter
Google Removes ‘BitTorrent’ From Piracy Search Filter After years on the blacklist of “piracy related” search terms, BitTorrent is searchable on Google.…
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Au revoir, internet cut-off: France revokes anti-piracy penalty
France formally rescinded a controversial law that let authorities cut off pirates from the internet; the country is now focused instead on cultural levies on devices like the iPad.
Antigua’s threat to plunder American intellectual property: Video explains it all
Antigua says it can disregard American patent and copyright law, thanks to a trade ruling. Here’s a quick summary plus a funny Taiwanese video to explain it all.
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The new Mega: a privacy triumph or just more content theft?
Flamboyant entrepreneur Kim Dotcom is marketing his new file-sharing locker as “the privacy company.” Is he for real or are the privacy claims just a cynical cover-up for a new piracy business?
If you want to hurt pirates, target their ad money says rock star
The lead singer of the band Cracker is frustrated with people taking his music without permission. He thinks artists, industry and legitimate sellers should shame big brands into pulling their ads from pirate sites.
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The 3 myths behind “Internet pirates always win”
An economist argues that “three myths” are driving the popular notion that online piracy is inevitable and can’t be stopped. Here’s a quick summary of those “myths” and why dispelling them is important to having a more nuanced discussion about how to handle unauthorized online content.
Doctor Who goes back in time to beat TV pirates
Australian broadcaster ABC is sending Doctor Who back in time. It is putting episodes online just after they premiere in the UK, hoping viewers will turn away from pirated copies.
Four years jail for man who linked to TV streams
A 38-year-old Englishman becomes the first to be jailed for linking to illegally-hosted movies and TV shows. The method of his prosecution troubles piracy campaigners but delights entertainment owners.
France will cut funding to its piracy police
France’s Hadopi piracy agency has warned hundreds of thousands accused of piracy. But it’s become frowned upon by the country’s new government. First step in reform is to cut the agency’s budget.
French anti-piracy chief: ‘punishment is not enough’
The man who has been given the job of reworking France’s controversial anti-piracy legislation says cutting off the internet connection of filesharers is probably wrong. But don’t expect him to go easy on those of accused of illegal downloads.
Publisher Unmasks 'Dummies', Ramps Up Lawsuits Against e-Book Sharers
John Wiley has identified some of the anonymous individuals it accuses of downloading books like “Vegetable Gardening for Dummies,” and is p…
Ireland's Largest ISP Wants Country-Wide Three-Strikes Piracy Response
Ireland’s largest ISP, which once resisted calls to act against illegal downloaders, has told paidContent its competitors should now join it…
Chinese Writers' Apple Book Piracy Claims Grow Louder
Twenty-two Chinese authors now plan to sue Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) for 50 million yuan ($7.9 million), claiming 95 of their books were published…
What The CW's About-Face On Streaming Says About Piracy, Authentication
While its relevance in the realm of traditional linear television is more questionable than ever, the CW’s youthful, digitally literate core…
Hackers Allegedly Steal Sony's Archive Of 50k+ Michael Jackson Tracks
Sony (NYSE: SNE) is facing yet another major security breach. Hackers reportedly illegally downloaded over Michael Jackson’s entire back cat…
Microsoft-Backed Daily Deal Site Sells E-Reader Bundled With Pirated Titles
Australian daily deal site Cudo, which is backed by Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), has a great deal for you if you like pirated e-books. Stephen Ki…
Feds Seize Hundreds Of Websites Days Before Superbowl
In what is becoming a ritual akin to Superbowl Week itself, federal prosecutors today announced the seizure of 16 websites that offered live…
Entertainment Lobby Claims Google, Bing Send Users To Illegal Music Files
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and other search engines “overwhelmingly” direct music fans to illegal copies of copyrighted tracks online, a coalition…
Analyst To Studios: It’s Time To Force Early VOD On Theater Chains
With both the theatrical and home video channels in revenue decline, and amid panic that digital piracy will soon crest into a tidal wave, B…
The Digital Piracy Problem Is Riddled With Hypocrisy
In the summer of 2009, I found myself invited to a small party in an old bourgeois apartment with breathtaking views of the Champ-de-Mars an…
Europe Says It Won’t Adopt ‘Bad’ Digital Policy Like SOPA
Don’t expect the European Commission to introduce its own version of America’s Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).
Illegal Books Available For Free On Google's Android Market
Dozens of commercial book collections, including the entire Harry Potter series, have been downloaded for free from Google’s official Androi…
TV Piracy Links Site Host Faces Extradition To U.S.
An English student who set up a website comprising links to illegally-hosted TV shows and movies must be extradited to the U.S. to face char…
What's Coming In 2012: The Content Industry Strikes Back
This is the fourth in a series of posts this week that will highlight key people, companies and trends to watch in 2012 in the sectors we co…
Copyright and remix culture: The new Prohibition?
The principle behind copyright has been taking a beating from “remix culture,” driven in large part by YouTube and other video sites. Is the rise of the YouTube generation changing the way that we think about copyright — and if so, should we let that happen?
How The Stop Online Piracy Act Will Kill Innovation
America is fond of chiding other nations about freedom of speech in the internet age. Leaders including President Obama and Secretary of Sta…
Sponsor Of Piracy Bill: Legit Companies 'Have Nothing To Worry About'
The Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is pushing back against critics like Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and Facebook who say that impending p…
Key Points: UK IP Review Proposes Legal Format-Shifting And More
The UK government has proposed allowing owners of media content to copy it for their own use, among a range of measures to reform intellectu…
UK Court Agrees With Hollywood: BT Should Block Newzbin2
Hollywood film studios won a landmark UK high court ruling on Thursday forcing BT (NYSE: BT) to block access to an illegal file-sharing webs…
French Anti-Piracy Agency Tracks Millions Of File-Sharers–Investigates 10
The entertainment industry has been pushing some version of a “three-strikes” system in countries around the world, where internet providers…
New Anti-Piracy Tactic Turns ISPs Into Copyright Cops
For over a decade the recording industry attempted to crack down on peer-to-peer file-sharing using threats and lawsuits. But digital music…
The Morning Lowdown 07-08-11
» More iPhone 5 Rumors Abound, While Jailbreakers Find A Hole In Today’s iOS (paidContent)
» News Corp (NSDQ: NWS).…
Hollywood In Court To Force Piracy Blocking On UK’s Largest ISP
Hollywood film studios will take their battle against illicit downloading to the high court in London on Tuesday in an attempt to force Brit…
The Morning Lowdown 06-24-11
» For Student Journalists, No Burden Guarding Vargas’ Secret (Mountain View Patch)
» (Phil Bronstein/SF Gate)
»…
Google Still Kicking ‘Bad Words’ Out Of Auto-Complete
Google’s auto-complete feature-which gives suggestions about what you may be typing in the search bar before you spell out the whole word-is…
FUNimation Sues 1,400 Torrent Downloaders
Martial arts movie fans that downloaded the action flick The Legend Is Born: IP Man earlier this month could get a letter from the movie’s U.S. distributor soon, asking them for a big lump of cash: FUNimation has sued 1427 alleged BitTorrent downloaders of the film.
French ‘Three Strikes’ Anti-Piracy Law On Hold After Data Breach
In the developed world, the nation that’s arguably toughest on online copyright infringers is France. The country passed a controversial “th…
Mozilla Won’t Ban Add-On That Helps Users Find Sites Seized By Gov’t
Last month, Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) asked Mozilla to remove an add-on from its online directory, saying that the MafiaaFir…
Law Firm May Pay Back Victims For Aborted Piracy Claims
A UK law firm that controversially asked internet users to pay it for downloading content without authorisation may now itself have to pay v…
The Morning Lowdown 04-08-11
» Sony (NYSE: SNE) slashes PlayStation Portable prices by 24 percent in Europe to boost adoption. (Bloomberg)
» Ganne…
Mamma Mia! Italian Ruling on Piracy Puts Websites on Notice
Italy’s famously fractious relationship with Internet companies doesn’t show any signs of improving, after a judge in Rome ruled Yahoo should do more to “inhibit” copyright infringement — a move that could open the door to lawsuits against YouTube and others.
Piracy: Enforcement Isn’t Working, Prices Need to Come Down
A legitimate copy of The Dark Knight costs about $641 in India, if you adjust the price based on the comparative purchasing power of local consumers. These pricing discrepancies drive people in many emerging markets around the world to piracy, a new study finds.
Feds’ Campaign Against Pirate Websites Leads To An Arrest
Several months ago, government agents with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement kicked off a controversial new method of enforcing the…
Big Movie Studios Lose Copyright Suit Against Australian ISP
While content companies certainly aren’t happy about the amount of pirated content flowing over the internet, suing U.S. internet service pr…
Pirate Economics 101: Who’s Making Money From Torrents?
Thought people upload torrents to sites like The Pirate Bay out of the goodness of their heart? Well, think again: A good portion of the content comes from people with clear financial interests at heart, and some make as much as $3700 per day with piracy.
Live Sports Piracy Moves Underground
Want to watch the ICC Cricket World Cup that’s starting this week? Then don’t expect to find many live streams on the big streaming sites. Piracy of live sports has moved to smaller for-pay sites, according to the official ICC World Cup streaming partner Willow.tv.
Premium VOD Is Doomed If This Piracy Study Is Correct
A new PricewaterhouseCoopers study casts serious doubt on consumer willingness to pay for movies on digital platforms. Warning: Film-industy…
Film Fans Say: Don’t Make Me Steal
A few thousand consumers are pledging to never ever download any unlicensed movie via BitTorrent again, as long as Hollywood offers them a legal alternative that comes without DRM, local restrictions, release windows and premium pricing. Illusionary demands, or a necessary attempt to aim high?
Government Offers New Details On Seizure Of Sports-Streaming Sites
Sports fanatics around the web had already started to notice, but today federal officials gave a full list of the sports-streaming websites…
Google Blocks ‘Instant’ Results For BitTorrent, Cyberlocker Searches
If you want to use Google (NSDQ: GOOG) to find pirated material online, don’t expect help from Google Instant. The company has altered the f…
The Morning Lowdown 01.10.11
» Personal finance mag SmartMoney has unveiled its first major redesign, nearly a year after Dow Jones (NSDQ: NWS) acquired the r…
‘Hurt Locker’ Studio Copyright Czar Calls For End To Screeners
UPDATED: The top piracy watchdog at Summit Entertainment called on Hollywood to stop using screeners, the DVDs that are used in postproducti…
The Morning Lowdown 12.03.10
» So this is what prompted Google’s anti-piracy announcement: Viacom (NYSE: VIA) is ready to file its long-awaited appeal in its…
Google Promises To Kick Pirate Websites Out Of AdSense
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) announced today it will implement several new anti-piracy measures, including a promise to work with content owners to k…
Time Warner Balks At Subpoenas In Mass Copyright Suits
The biggest headache when suing 10,000 people for copyright infringement? Finding out who they are.
Lawyers from Time Warner Cable (NYSE:…
Super Agent Ari Emanuel Hugs It Out With Silicon Valley
When you have the kind of outsized personality that inspires a TV series, even an appearance at a technology conference tends not to disappo…
The Morning Lowdown 11.09.10
» Time (NYSE: TWX) spent online is rising, but publishers can’t keep up with the never ending supply of content — mostly from so…
The Morning Lowdown 09.21.10
» TiVo (NSDQ: TIVO), Google (NSDQ: GOOG), Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) and many other tech companies are racing to…
Porn CEO: Don’t Fight Piracy With DRM
Steve Jobs promised iPad users “freedom from porn,” and Apple isn’t approving any adult-themed apps for the device. Porn studios like Private Media nonetheless target iPad owners, and Private CEO Ilan Bunimovitz told us that his company has an equally promising offer to make: Freedom from DRM.
Pirate Movie Sites Reappear After ICE Takedown
Authorities at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency seized the domains of nine websites that had been charged with illegally pirating first-run movies. But merely a day later, two of them have already reappeared, highlighting the problem of trying to enforce copyright globally.
Music Labels Tell Google To Remove Infringing Links
By Sean Michaels: Britain’s biggest recording industry association, the BPI, has sent a cease-and-desist order to Google (NSDQ: GOOG), askin…
LimeWire Planning A Serious, Cloud-Based Comeback
Ready to stick a fork in LimeWire? Seems like the final credits are rolling on this movie, but the company is now revealing details on an am…
Ashton Kutcher to Pirate Killers Premiere
Ashton Kutcher has announced via Twitter that he is going to pirate part of the premiere of his upcoming movie Killers. Kutcher is known as an avid live streamer and social media user — but could this latest promotional stunt also turn him into a criminal?
James Murdoch Lecture: Celebrating Copyright’s 300th Birthday
News Corp.’s Europe, Middle East and Asia CEO James Murdoch on Thursday gave a speech to inaugurate University College London’s new Centre f…
Adult Industry Uses Vobile To Fight Online Piracy
The Free Speech Coalition, a trade association representing members of the adult film industry, will be introducing its new anti-piracy program this…
UK ISP TalkTalk Vows To Fight P2P Lawsuits
British ISP TalkTalk, who has four million customers after having gobbled up AOL U.K. and Tiscali U.K. in recent years, has vowed…
Sneakernet Piracy Under The Microscope: Home Taping Is Killing Stereotypes
Okay, let’s admit it. We all have our own ideas of what a movie pirate looks like. Maybe we think of him…
Are Rights Holders Making a Fortune With P2P Lawsuits?
A new study released by a German consumer advocacy group is estimating that entertainment and software companies sent roughly 450,000 cease-and-desist letters…
As In UK, French Three Strikes May Be Delayed To After Elections
Looks like another stay of execution for illegal file sharers in France. The “three-strikes” anti-piracy law approved by the French senate l…
Microsoft Offers To Pay News Publishers To Pull Content From Google
The next battle in the search wars could be over access to news content. The FT reports that Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) — which has made increa…
Vid-Biz: Rentals, Piracy, Runway
Consumer Spending on Rentals Increases in Q3; DVD and Blu-ray rentals up 9.9 percent year-over-year, hitting $1.6 billion for the quarter. (Video…
Researchers: BitTorrent Is Uniting the World’s Movie Buffs
People all over the world are downloading movies via BitTorrent, according to new research (PDF) presented at last week’s P2P Research Group…
StatShot: Twitter Still Taken With True Blood
I’ll admit that the second season of True Blood is an improvement on the first (now if they would just get rid…
StatShot: True Blood Sinks Its Teeth Into Twitter
OK. I give up. Why do people like True Blood so much? In a brutal experiment, I watched all of season one…
StatShot: Idol Rocks Twitter
EDITOR’S NOTE: We’re looking to bulk up the StatShot! If your company has interesting NewTeeVee-related data that you’d like to share on…
Crackulous Defeats App Protection
I debated covering this, because in no way do I or TheAppleBlog endorse the cracking and/or illegal distribution of software, but it…
DRM Still Strong With Apple, Just Different
Many hailed the removal of digital rights management (DRM) from the vast majority of iTunes track, a move announced and acted upon…
When The Cracked and The Cracker Meet: An iPhone Tale
Imagine sitting down to talk with the guy who just broke into your apartment and stole your TV. You might ask him,…
BitTorrent’s Achilles’ Heel
The popular BitTorrent web site Mininova was sued by the Dutch anti-piracy organization BREIN this week in a bid to get Mininova…
