AnyStories Drags Cloudflare to the Copyright Claims Board Over Pirate Site
In June, the US Copyright Claims Board was launched. Through this venue, hosted at the US Copyright Office, rightsholders can try to recoup alleged damages outside the federal court system. More than one hundred and fifty cases have been filed thus far. Some of these have been dismissed for administrative reasons or opt-outs, but the board has yet to issue its first verdict. A few days ago a new case was added to the growing pile of...
Anti-Piracy Outfit Rightscorp Hit With $15m Lawsuit After Sale Went Wrong
After beginning life as DigitalRights back in 2009, anti-piracy company Rightscorp became known for its cut-price copyright-trolling operations. Where competitors would attempt to charge hundreds up to multiple thousands of dollars per alleged file-sharing infringement, Rightscorp initially offered to settle cases for around $20. The long game was for every ISP in the United States to forward Rightscorp notices to customers, thereby...
U.S. Copyright Groups Are Concerned About Russia’s Handling of Online Piracy
Following Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February, life in both countries has changed. While Ukrainians fight for their freedom, Russian citizens must deal with the effects of sanctions and other restrictions. Many large companies, including those in the entertainment industry, support sanctions. For example, major Hollywood players and streaming services voluntarily pulled out of the country. These actions are a direct...
Pirate IPTV Operator Faces Prison Following Organized Crime Investigation
Rightsholders seeking to crack down on pirate streaming services in the UK can do so under civil and criminal law but the former has mostly been abandoned. Rightsholders such as the Premier League, Sky and BT Sport, with support from the Federation Against Copyright Theft, now tend to conduct their investigations before referring them to the police. When cases are progressed, this usually means police-led raids, arrests, and seizures...
“House of the Dragon” Crushes “The Rings of Power” on Pirate Sites
With the release of HBO’s “House of the Dragon” and Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” two major fantasy series premiered last month. The former was an instant success on pirate sites where, in true Game of Thrones spirit, it was leaked before the official premiere. While both series are hard to compare, the media has pitted them against each other to see which one performs best. Does “The Rings of Power” dwarf...
U.S. Wants to Know How Online Piracy Impacts the Workforce
Every year, the US Trade Representative (USTR) issues an updated review of “Notorious Markets” that facilitate copyright infringement. This overview is compiled with help from copyright holders and is used to motivate the targets and foreign authorities to take action. The USTR recently issued a call for comments on the 2022 Review of Notorious Markets. This will undoubtedly trigger responses from the RIAA, MPA, and many other...
