StreamSafely: Anti-Piracy Campaign or Multi-Million Dollar Marketing Machine?
In the unlikely event people haven’t noticed, the internet isn’t what it used to be. In so many ways it has already surpassed our wildest dreams but in common with the physical world, threats to personal safety are inevitable and significant. Online security is the headline theme of the StreamSafely anti-piracy campaign and this week the U.S. Government’s Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPRCenter) and Hollywood’s...
MPA Recognizes France, Italy and Philippines for Site Blocking Innovations
Website blocking has become the go-to anti-piracy measure for the entertainment industries when tackling pirate sites on the internet. The practice has been around for well over 15 years and has gradually expanded to more than forty countries around the world. Thus far, pirate site blocking is notably absent in the United States. However, American-funded forces are active elsewhere in the world to forge new blocking initiatives,...
Dozens of VPNs & Shadowsocks Named in Leaked Russian Blocking Document
As Russia tightens its grip on encrypted communications and tools with the ability to bypass government censorship, it was recently confirmed that 167 VPN services are actively blocked after failing to comply with state requirements. With that total expected to grow in the months ahead, a leaked document originating from Russia’s Ministry of Transport reveals details of what telecoms watchdog Roscomnadzor has planned for the...
MPA & IPR Center Tackle ‘Holiday’ Piracy With New PSA Campaign
In recent years copyright holders have tried many things to dissuade the public from visiting pirate websites. Simply stating that piracy is illegal doesn’t appear to work very well, so this type of messaging often tries to appeal to other emotions. For example, anti-piracy campaigns frequently stress that piracy hurts normal workers as it costs the entertainment industry thousands of jobs. Another strategy is to scare the public...
YouTube Copyright ID Scammers Must Pay Artists $3.3m Restitution
In 2021, the US Department of Justice launched a criminal proceeding against two men suspected of running a massive YouTube Content ID scam. YouTube’s flagship anti-piracy system is supposed to protect rightsholders but, in this case, it was used to exploit them. Multi-Million Dollar Scam The scammers’ company, MediaMuv LLC., wasn’t a direct member of the Content ID program. Instead, it operated through a trusted third-party company,...
Won’t Download a Car? Let’s Try: “Piracy Turns Teenagers Into Gambling Addicts”
No matter where people live or how much knowledge and experience they’ve accumulated, governments and corporations rarely shy away from an opportunity to offer behavioral advice. Delivered via TV, radio and the internet, public service announcements enlighten the masses on topics seemingly so complex, they’re only fully understood by the few. Even if that was the case, 30 seconds of theatrics followed by what amounts to a blind order...
