Mass Pirate Site Domain Suspensions Aim to Slay the Streaming Hydra
The Motion Picture Association’s (MPA) submission to the USTR’s 2025 review of notorious pirate markets identifies a “rapidly expanding” category of pirate sites. Calling out the likes of Vidsrc, HydraHD, and Cineby, the MPA spoke of “one-stop piracy sites offering content somewhat comparable to IPTV services, but without the need for subscriptions or dedicated devices.” The MPA’s use of the term ‘hydra’ appears to acknowledge that...
Internet Archive Ordered to Block Books in Belgium After Talks With Publishers Fail
Back in July, the Brussels Business Court issued a sweeping ex parte site-blocking order targeting several “shadow libraries” including Anna’s Archive, Libgen, and Z-Library. Unusually, the order also included the Internet Archive’s Open Library, a project operated by the well-known U.S. non-profit organization Internet Archive. The order was granted based on a request from publishers and authors who claimed, among other things, that...
Nintendo Seeks ‘Reasonable’ $4.5 Million Judgment Against r/SwitchPirates Mod ‘Archbox’
Nintendo is doing everything in its power to prevent gamers from playing pirated games on its Switch console. This involves sending a steady stream of cease and desist letters and takedown notices, and if those don’t work, the company is prepared to take action in court. This legal strategy has resulted in several multi-million dollar awards for damages. Just last month, the operator of ‘Modded Hardware’ agreed to a $2 million...
RIAA: Telegram & Discord Are Notorious Hubs For Pre-Release Music Piracy
Every year, the US Trade Representative (USTR) issues an updated review of “Notorious Markets” that facilitate copyright infringement. This overview is put together with help from copyright holders and aims to motivate the targets, foreign authorities, and other stakeholders to take action. The RIAA typically represents the interests of the music industry, and that’s no different this year. Last week, the group sent its latest...
LaLiga’s 360° Piracy Blitz, New Blocking Tactics & Fines, Meet Rising Disapproval
LaLiga’s escalation of its anti-piracy enforcement measures began back in February with unprecedented blocking of Cloudflare IP addresses used by pirate sites, affecting large numbers of innocent websites using them too. After a brief pause between seasons, blocking returned in August. There was no shortage of complaints during the previous season, but momentum appears to be shifting, in part due to more people making themselves...
Company Offers $100 Million for the Right to Sue ISPs Using Redbox’s Piracy Claims
Last year, the video rental and streaming company Redbox shut down its service and filed for bankruptcy. The service, owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (now CSS Entertainment), was running hundreds of millions in losses per year and no longer saw a path to profitability. The decision also had a direct impact on its ongoing litigation, including some piracy-related lawsuits. Through its subsidiary Screen Media Ventures,...
