U.S. Trade Representative Flags Vietnam as a Leading Source of Online Piracy
Each year the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) publishes a new update of its Special 301 Report, highlighting countries that fail to live up to U.S copyright protection standards. The annual overview is meant to urge foreign governments to improve policy and legislation in favor of U.S. copyright holders. The process has shown itself to be an effective diplomatic tool and has helped to kick-start copyright...
Nintendo vs. Garry’s Mod: Dissecting the ‘Fake’ Domain Behind All the Chaos
In a world where there’s always someone telling people what to do, Garry’s Mod is a breath of fresh air. Launched in 2006, the sandbox game has no goals; just hand over $9.99 to Steam, jump in, and do whatever you like. With the benefit of hindsight, some fans may have taken that a little too literally. At the time of writing, Garry’s Mod workshop content uploaded by users over many years, is being systematically taken down in...
U.S. “Know Your Customer” Proposal Will Put an End to Anonymous Cloud Users
It’s long been the case that access to certain services, whether on or offline, will only be granted when customers prove their identity. Often linked to financial products but in many cases basic money/goods transactions carried out online, handing over a name, address, date of birth and similar details, can increase confidence that a deal will more likely than not go according to plan. In some cases, especially when buying...
Researchers Showcase Decentralized AI-Powered Torrent Search Engine
Twenty-five years ago, peer-to-peer file-sharing took the Internet by storm. The ability to search for and share content with complete strangers was nothing short of a revolution. In the years that followed, media consumption swiftly moved online. This usually involved content shared without permission, but pirate pioneers ultimately paved the way for new business models. The original ‘pirate’ ethos has long since gone. There are...
Vietnam Admits Manga Piracy Problem as New BestBuyIPTV Details Emerge
The joint press release issued Monday by the Premier League and Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) was unusual right from the start. Published early on Monday, even the timing was a break from the norm, but the content was even more surprising. Following criminal referrals by the Premier League and ACE, an operator of BestBuyIPTV – a platform that has appeared on the USTR’s Notorious Markets report for the past five years...
‘Expensive’ Streaming Services Are a Key Reason for Americans to ‘Pirate’
For online media consumers, things have improved significantly over the years. More content is being made available on-demand than ever before. Netflix set the tone a decade ago by offering movies and TV series online as a convenient alternative to piracy. This worked well, so well that more than a dozen other streaming services were launched, all with their own exclusive releases. While this may sound positive, in some ways it made...
