ISP Optimum Questions ‘Evidence’ For Billion Dollar Piracy Lawsuit
Under U.S. copyright law, Internet providers must terminate the accounts of repeat infringers “in appropriate circumstances.” This legal requirement remained largely unenforced for nearly two decades but a series of copyright infringement liability lawsuits, including a billion-dollar damages award against Cox, have shaken up the industry. Music Companies Sue Optimum While Internet terminations are more common today, that hasn’t...
€300m Per Year Rightsholder ‘Private Copying’ Payouts Face Scrutiny
When cassette recorders, VCRs and similar devices hit the mainstream, entertainment companies with business models reliant on customers buying copies faced uncertainty. The fear of consumer copies was encapsulated by the now-famous words of the MPAA’s Jack Valenti: “The VCR is to the American film producer, as the Boston Strangler is to the woman home alone,” Valenti said. With the benefit of hindsight the VCR did more to help than it...
Cloudflare Blocks Abusive Content on its Ethereum Gateway
Popular Internet infrastructure service Cloudflare serves millions of customers and provides a variety of connectivity and privacy features to the general public. People can freely use the company’s open DNS resolver 1.1.1.1, for example, or use its IPFS and Ethereum gateways to access content on these decentralized web services. One of Cloudflare’s main aims is to make the Internet more secure while respecting the privacy of its...
Pirate IPTV: Brit Arrested in Benidorm After Social Media Ads Raised Suspicion
According to data published by the UK’s Office for National Statistics, UK residents made 15.6 million visits to Spain in 2022, with holidays the most popular reason. Whether Brits are on a two-week vacation or embedded within the ex-pat community, there’s a tendency to appreciate things less available at home, sunshine in particular. For many, however, a longing for British things has created opportunities for those prepared to meet...
Star Trek Fan Blog Triggers New Entry in Automattic’s DMCA “Hall of Shame”
As one of the leading niche blog platforms, Tumblr receives thousands of DMCA takedown requests every year. Many of these point to copyright-infringing material, but not all. Tumblr’s parent company Automattic is known to inspect all takedown notices carefully and has a track record of defending its users, whether abuse is intentional or not. To set an example, the company occasionally highlights the worst offenders in its “Hall of...
Hollywood to UK Govt: Investigating Pirates “Increasingly Difficult”
During the summer the UK government announced a new inquiry to investigate what needs to be done to “maintain and enhance” the UK’s position as a global destination for film and television production. Conducted by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, the inquiry invited submissions from stakeholders on numerous topics, including the identification of barriers to maintaining and increasing overseas investment. The UK currently...
