Registrar Suspends Domain of Popular Torrent Site YTS

With millions of visitors, YTS is one of the most-visited torrent sites on the Internet, even rivaling the legendary Pirate Bay. The site ‘unofficially’ took over the YTS brand when the original group threw in the towel in 2015. Since then it has amassed a rather impressive user base. Legal Troubles This meteoric rise hasn’t been without issues....

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Broadcaster Offers Pirates ‘Free’ Legal TV Box in Exchange For Giving Up Illegal Streams

On July 6, a new Copyright Bill was tabled in the Singapore Parliament. There are many amendments under consideration that are designed to protect creators and distributors of all kinds. For example, there are proposals to ensure that creators of works are recognized as the first owners of that content, even when that work is commissioned by a third...

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Akamai: Online Pirates Are Clever But Not Unbeatable

The anti-piracy ecosystem is quite diverse. It ranges from DMCA takedown farms to more technologically enhanced companies, ones that use machine learning and advanced content protection technologies to keep pirates at bay. While it actively supports the DMCA process, Akamai considers itself among the second group. The company, which specializes in...

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Studios Appear To Be Preparing an Assault on UK Movie Piracy

Last month we revealed that a coalition of known anti-piracy groups, rightsholders and related movie companies are quietly building a new coalition in the UK. Data retrieved from the UK’s Companies House database showed that a partnership, previously known as H&B Administration, had rebranded to FACT Administration LLP with key member FACT Worldwide,...

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Watch Tower Can’t Identify Defendant in ‘Dubtown’ Copyright Suit, Court Declines to Help

The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the supervising body and publisher for the Jehovah’s Witness religious group, wants to put an end to the activities of a defendant known only as ‘Kevin McFree’. ‘McFree’ (which is presumably not his real name) is the creator of the ‘Dubtown’ series of stop-motion Lego animations that take place in a fictitious...

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MPA Adds New Pirate Streaming Sites to UK Blocklist

The list of websites that are blocked in the UK for facilitating copyright infringement is growing longer and longer. In a new ruling issued this month, the High Court ordered the major ISPs, including Sky, BT, TalkTalk, and Virgin, to block access to over a dozen ‘pirate’ streaming sites. UK Blocklist Expands The new blocking request was issued...

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Rightscorp Tracks Alleged Pirates Without a Private Investigator’s License, RCN Argues

Under US copyright law, Internet providers must terminate the accounts of repeat infringers “in appropriate circumstances.” In the past such drastic action was rare, but with the backing of legal pressure, ISPs are increasingly being held to this standard. ISPs Sued Over Repeat Infringers Several major music industry companies including Arista Records,...

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OMI IN A HELLCAT Denies Copyright Crimes, Demands Cars & Millions Back

In November 2019, dozens of FBI and IRS agents shut down a pirate IPTV service operated by YouTuber OMI IN A HELLCAT, real name Bill Omar Carrasquillo. The authorities also seized a huge fleet of supercars, jewelry, and in excess of $5.2m in cash from a personal account. Those assets are now subject to a civil forfeiture process initiated by the United...

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Greece Adds OpenSubtitles to Its Pirate Site Blocklist

Pirate site blocking was a novelty ten years ago, but today it’s common practice in many countries. This is also true for Greece, where the first domains were targeted in 2018. These blocking requests are managed by the EDPPI, a special commission at the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports that acts following complaints from rightsholders. The Greek...

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Tokyo Olympics: Sony Obtains High Court Order to Prevent Piracy

Following massive preparations that were thrown into turmoil due to the global pandemic, this Friday the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony will finally get underway. For just over two weeks the sporting action will largely take place without spectators but a global audience in the billions is set to watch the spectacle unfold on TV and via numerous...

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