Copyright & Piracy News Brief #1 | Extra News, Views & Updates From TF
⦿ Guy Owes $117m After pornEZ Suddenly Got Hard ⦿ “No Fees Ever” Tanggula TV Trafficking Targeted ⦿ Z-Library’s Domains Just Keep on Disappearing… ⦿ Anna’s Archive’s Sudden X / Twitter Vanishing Act ⦿ Sci-Hub Meets 24/7/365 UK Block Party Mid-January 2023, MindGeek subsidiary MG Premium sued Nguyen Hoi, the alleged operator of unlicensed adult streaming site, Pornez.net. (2:23-cv-00349-CBM-PVC – MG Premium Ltd v. Nguyen Hoi) Data from...
Google Sues Men Who Weaponized DMCA Notices to Crush Competition
While all non-compliant DMCA takedown notices are invalid by default, there’s a huge difference between those sent in error and others crafted for purely malicious purposes. Bogus DMCA takedown notices are nothing new, but the rise of organized groups using malicious DMCA notices as a business tool has been apparent in recent years. Since the vast majority of culprits facing zero consequences, that may have acted as motivation to send...
Disney Pulls TV Channels From Vietnam, Govt. “Concerned” Piracy Will Run Riot
Given the sheer scale and reach of pirate sites either operated from Vietnam, or with direct connections to Vietnam, describing the country as a global piracy problem wouldn’t be a stretch. After being briefed by Hollywood for the umpteenth time, that’s certainly the view of the United States government. Yet despite reported progress, including an overhaul of Vietnam’s copyright laws and promises to crack down on piracy, including the...
TorrentFreak Turns 18 Today (Hospital Edition)
On November 12, 2005, I started a ‘blog’ to share news snippets and information about emerging file-sharing technology. At the time it would’ve been unthinkable that it would still draw visitors in 2023. But here we are. Running a site like this on your own is impossible, so luckily Andy joined TF in 2006. Without his tireless input, the site wouldn’t be where it is today. I couldn’t have wished for a better partner to work alongside,...
“Top 10 Beast TV Reseller” Faces Lawsuit For Selling Pirate IPTV Packages
Popular pirate IPTV service Beast TV built one of the most recognizable brands the illicit sector had even seen. That level of recognition is good for business and also well known for attracting rightsholders’ attorneys. In the dying weeks of 2020, Beast TV began to fail which not only fueled rumors of legal action, but also a series of counter-rumors claiming everything was fine and the service would be back online soon. Things were...
BitTorrent Pirates Won’t Receive ISP Warnings (It Will Be Something Worse)
Many copyright holders believe that if they’re able to communicate with pirates, a proportion will change their behavior. The tone of the messaging varies but legal consequences are typically found somewhere in the mix. When attempting to reach alleged BitTorrent pirates at scale, the immediate problem is accurate identification. While IP addresses can lead to an infringer or at least the person who pays the internet bill, it’s an...
