Apple Stealth Piracy App Trio, Combined Age 215 Years, Face $18.5m Damages Claim
Hidden pirate features within seemingly harmless apps, known as "stealth apps," are slipping past Apple's App Store security, offering users access to pirated movies and TV shows. Taiwan's Criminal Police Bureau recently busted three individuals promoting unlock instructions for these apps to roughly 400,000 users. Surprisingly, this tech-savvy scheme was orchestrated by a group whose combined age totals 215 years. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-12-05 18:42:11 READMORE
Japan Plans AI Pilot Program to Fight Manga & Anime Piracy
Japan's Cultural Affairs Agency is looking towards AI to strengthen the country's battle against rampant online piracy. The pilot program proposed by the agency would see culturally significant manga and anime content protected by automated image and text recognition systems, with less reliance placed on resource-intensive human intervention. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-12-05 04:07:08 READMORE
MP3.to Successfully Challenges Music Industry’s ‘False’ DMCA Circumvention Takedown
MP3.to is a nifty online tool that allows users to convert MP3s to dozens of other file formats. While these conversions don't knowingly violate any law, Spanish music industry group Promusicae reportedly labeled the service an audio download tool. In response, Google removed the URL from its search engine and banned the associated AdSense account. However, after the MP3 site involved its lawyer, Google reversed its decision. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-12-04 20:31:31 READMORE
UK Police and FACT Continue IPTV Piracy Whack-a-Mole
A 42-year-old man was arrested in a recent UK crackdown on illegal IPTV suppliers, with a special mention for 'illicit Firesticks'. Local police, in collaboration with anti-piracy group FACT, also sent cease and desist letters to thirty other suspects. While FACT warns that pirate operators risk criminal penalties, there appears to be no end in sight for the streaming piracy whack-a-mole. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-12-04 04:59:26 READMORE
Jadoo TV Piracy Lawsuit Ends in $24.9m Judgment, Customers Exposed
A long-running lawsuit against pirate set-top box distributor Jadoo TV, launched by DISH Network and coordinated by the International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy, has ended with a $24.9m judgment in favor of the plaintiffs. In addition to the imminent shutdown of the IPTV service, domain names, trademarks, and all customer lists will be handed over to DISH. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-12-03 21:01:21 READMORE
AnimeFenix Shuts Down & GogoAnime/Anitaku Freezes in Time
Trouble continues for some of the largest pirate sites specializing in Asian entertainment. Coinciding with the shutdown of Dramacool, GogoAnime and Anitaku stopped uploading new content. This weekend, AnimeFenix added to the trouble with a 'voluntary' shutdown citing more copyright pressure. "Piracy will never go away as long as there are companies with more greed than heart," the AnimeFenix team notes in its farewell message. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-12-02 19:27:05 READMORE
Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 12/02/2024
Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'Elevation' tops the chart, followed by 'Conclave'. 'Deadpool & Wolverine' completes the top three. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-12-02 07:09:40 READMORE
Nintendo Wants Reddit to Expose r/SwitchPirates Users in ‘Pirate Shop’ Lawsuit
As part of an ongoing piracy lawsuit, Nintendo has filed a motion to subpoena Reddit, Discord, and other online platforms for information related to the alleged operator of several pirate shops. The game giant seeks information on the defendant, who previously served as a moderator of the SwitchPirates subreddit, and suggests that Reddit may be able to identify additional 'pirates'. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-12-01 03:09:26 READMORE
EU Research Links Youth Unemployment and Income Inequality to More Piracy
A new EUIPO study reveals that while piracy rates have stabilized in the EU, significant variations exist across countries and content types. The research also links higher piracy rates and socioeconomic factors such as youth unemployment and income inequality. Higher average incomes and increased awareness of legal alternatives reduce piracy. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-11-29 19:39:04 READMORE
Dramacool Shuts Down Pirate Operation Following Legal Pressure
Dramacool emerged in the early 2010s, catering to pirates with a love for Asian dramas. The operation eventually drew an audience of millions but, in true drama fashion, announced its own demise this week. The site's operators cite 'copyright' as the reason and recent domain name troubles and pressure from Hollywood studios likely played a role. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-11-28 20:43:31 READMORE
€3bn Pirate IPTV Network Serving 22m Users “Dismantled” in Massive Operation
A two-year pirate IPTV investigation directed by the Catania District Attorney's Office in Italy, involving Europol, Eurojust, and law enforcement agencies across Europe, culminated in the early hours of this morning. Operation Takendown reportedly dismantled an international pirate IPTV network serving 22 million users and generating an estimated €3 billion per year. At least 11 suspects were detained, over 100 are under investigation. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-11-28 02:04:28 READMORE
Court Rejects Appeal of Youtube-dl Hosting Provider ‘Uberspace’
Hosting provider Uberspace has suffered another setback in a German court. The court of appeal ruled against youtube-dl's former hosting provider, holding it liable for alleged violations of YouTube's copyright protection measures. The owner of the company is currently considering further appeal options. Meanwhile, youtube-dl remains available on GitHub. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-11-27 18:12:55 READMORE
Kim Dotcom Suffers “Serious Stroke” and “Cannot Communicate Effectively”
Kim Dotcom is recovering in hospital after reportedly suffering a stroke earlier this month. Dotcom was taken to a local hospital on November 7 and then rushed to a regional hospital for treatment. A post to X in Dotcom's name on Monday informed followers that after suffering "a serious stroke" his recovery is now in the hands of "the best health professionals." From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-11-27 03:10:18 READMORE
Supreme Court Seeks U.S. Govt’s View on ‘Repeat Infringer’ Piracy Cases
The Supreme Court has signaled its interest in a landmark case that could redefine anti-piracy enforcement. By calling on the Solicitor General to weigh in on the "repeat infringer" dispute between Cox Communications and several record labels, it has become more likely that the Supreme Court will eventually share its opinion on the "billion dollar" piracy controversy. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-11-26 20:23:29 READMORE
Pirate Sites Play Possum While Boosting Counter-Enforcement Measures
Pirates who refuse to quit and pirate sites that come back to life isn't unheard of but, for those caught in the act, the consequences can be severe. That's mostly the case in the United States and Europe but the global piracy landscape today is significantly bigger. According to broadcaster beIN, previously shuttered streaming sites are quickly getting back in the game. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-11-26 03:54:33 READMORE
Court Expands Google and Cloudflare DNS Blocking to Combat Piracy
A highly controversial court order that required Cisco, Cloudflare, and Google to poison DNS earlier this year was just the beginning. To further combat sports piracy, broadcaster Canal+ sought several follow-up orders. Cisco had discontinued its OpenDNS service in France due to the legal restrictions, so only Google and Cloudflare put up a defense, but without the desired result. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-11-25 18:51:31 READMORE
‘Piracy’ Scam Exploited Movie Fans For 20 Years, Suddenly Cited as Major Threat
One of the most enduring online movie scams involves sites that claim to offer premium content, but turn out to be some type of scam. These services do not discriminate, so whether 'customers' are pirates or just regular people hoping to buy content, everyone is a potential victim. The scam has been running for at least 20 years yet, seemingly out of nowhere, pro site-blocking studies now describe it as a major piracy-related security threat. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-11-24 18:20:08 READMORE
AGCOM Piracy Shield Critic Receives Ominous Warning, Comes Out Fighting
Despite a series of failures concerning Italy's IPTV blocking platform Piracy Shield and the revelation that the 'free' platform will cost €2m per year, telecoms regulator AGCOM insists that all is going to plan. After breaking ranks, AGCOM board member Elisa Giomi called for the suspension of Piracy Shield while decrying its toll on public resources. When she was warned for her criticism, coupled with a threat of financial implications, Giomi came out fighting. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-11-23 17:44:01 READMORE
Real-Debrid Implements Extreme Anti-Piracy Filters to Appease Film Companies
Real-Debrid, a popular streaming and download service, says it's implementing far-reaching anti-piracy measures, including hash and keyword filters, in response to a notice from the French Federation of Film Distributors. The API and instantAvailability feature are set for deactivation too, while content from "notorious" pirate sites will be blocked. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2024-11-22 18:28:58 READMORE