Operation Anime Phase 2: New Anti-Piracy Crackdown Executed in Brazil
In February 2023, Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security revealed an extension to Operation 404, an ongoing anti-piracy operation to disrupt websites and apps involved in online piracy. The purpose of 404-offshoot Operation Anime was to “suppress crimes committed against intellectual property” with a specific focus on piracy of Japanese cartoons, better known as anime. Several sites were shut down including goyabu.com and...
Anti-Piracy Veteran Tim Kuik Retires After Leading BREIN for a Quarter Century
In the summer of 2009, hackers from all over the world gathered at an outdoor conference near Vierhouten in the Netherlands. The event was mostly a meetup of like-minded geeks, but one person stood out a mile; Tim Kuik, director of anti-piracy group BREIN. Kuik joined a panel discussion where he calmly explained why his organization helped rightsholders to shut down pirate sites. The group was winning its lawsuit against Mininova at...
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...
