Belgium Targets Internet Archive’s ‘Open Library’ in Sweeping Site Blocking Order (Update)
Traditional site-blocking measures that require local ISPs to block subscriber access to popular pirate sites are in common use around the world. Note: this article was updated to add that Open Library does not appear to be actively blocked. More details here. The aim is to deter piracy by making sites more difficult to find, but these measures are only partially effective. More recently, site-blocking requests have begun to target...
U.S. Senators Introduce New Pirate Site Blocking Bill: Block BEARD
After a decade of focusing efforts overseas, the push for website blocking has landed back on American shores. Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren introduced a new pirate site blocking bill, titled the Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act (FADPA). This week, a similar proposal was introduced by Senators Tillis, Coons, Blackburn, and Schiff. The bipartisan bill, titled Block Bad Electronic Art and Recording Distributors (Block BEARD),...
PlayReady DRM Leak Triggers Microsoft Takedown and Amazon Account Suspensions
With more ways to stream online video than ever before, protecting content continues to be a key issue for copyright holders. This is often achieved through Digital Rights Management (DRM) anti-piracy tools that dictate where and when digital content can be accessed. PlayReady DRM is one of the leading players in the field. The Microsoft-owned technology is used by many of the largest streaming services including Disney+, Netflix,...
The Risks of Pirate Site Blocking, Who Benefits, Who Pays, And at What Cost?
Whether by court order, administrative process, or even on a semi-voluntary basis, on paper there are dozens of countries that now have some kind of mechanism requiring local ISPs to block pirate sites. Previously, measures were implemented within specific regions by local ISPs. Now, rightsholders are venturing beyond local infrastructure into the wider internet, to compel global DNS resolvers to render sites inaccessible....
‘Fair Use’ Prevails as Library of Congress Wins DMCA Anti-Circumvention Battle
The anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) exist to deter circumvention of TPMs (technological protection measures) used to protect and prevent access to copyrighted works. For example, it’s illegal to circumvent a TPM to enable copying of Nintendo Switch games. It’s also illegal to circumvent a TPM to modify a Switch to play pirated games, or indeed anything else. The same also applies to people...
Facebook Rigorously Removes News Articles Mentioning Pirate Service “MagisTV”
Similar to other social media platforms, Facebook has to battle a constant stream of copyrighted material, much of it posted by users who have no permission to do so. To facilitate this process, the company has rolled out several anti-piracy initiatives in recent years. Automated Piracy Takedowns For example, Facebook uses its “Rights Manager” tool to automatically detect infringing material and allow owners to take down or monetize...
