Link-Busters Reports its Three Billionth ‘Pirate’ URL to Google Search
Online piracy is a constant headache for copyright holders; one that’s particularly difficult to beat. Due to those who run pirate sites often ignoring takedown requests, copyright holders also target search engines and other online platforms that inadvertently help users to find pirated content. Search engine removals are not new and Google has documented this process for more than a decade. Initially, the company only received a few...
DAZN’s New Pirate IPTV Blocking Order and its ‘Confidential’ Secret Sauce
When site-blocking is publicized by those who acquire an injunction, attention tends to be carefully drawn towards key messaging. Being seen to take action against piracy is a public reminder to pirate sites and suppliers that rightsholders are always watching. At the top of the supply chain that’s unlikely to act as a deterrent but lower down, where resellers and the public are much more exposed, even a pause for thought could prove...
US: Vietnam Remains a “Piracy Haven” Despite Fmovies Crackdown
Following its launch in 2016, Fmovies presented a major threat to Hollywood and after years online, it was one that seemed near impossible to defeat. The site’s operators were linked to dozens of popular pirate sites, together generating billions of visits annually. While the MPA’s anti-piracy flagship ACE tied the operation to Vietnam early on, an effective shutdown proved to be unusually complicated. In addition to gathering...
Pirate Site Blocks Ineffective? Telcos Call For Sanctions Against Portuguese Users
In 2015, Portugal’s General Inspectorate of Cultural Activities (IGAC) finalized an agreement hailed as a groundbreaking development in the fight against online piracy. A multi-industry memorandum of understanding saw rightsholders, anti-piracy group MAPINET, ISP group Apritel, and DNS.pt, the organization responsible for .PT domains, team up with advertising companies and consumer groups to fight piracy – together. Based on reports...
Spotify Dismantles ‘SpotifyDL’ Track Download Extension via DMCA Notice
Spotify has certainly come a long way since it allowed us to hand out free invite codes to its beta launch 16 years ago. With over 600 million monthly active users, across over 180 markets, it is now the world’s most popular music streaming service by a significant margin. The streaming giant has always positioned itself as a competitor to pirate services, but its success also relied on pirates. In the early days, Spotify allegedly...
DRM-Free OnlyFans Downloads See Widevine Project Nuked From GitHub
For streaming services such as Netflix, Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems provide a level of control over the company’s most valuable assets, including movies, TV shows, and other content for consumer consumption. DRM not only restricts access to customers authorized to consume content, it can determine when and how it’s consumed too. When all goes to plan, DRM should also prevent end users from casually copying movies and TV...
