Rojadirecta & Site Operator Hit With $33m Piracy Damages Judgment
Two years after its debut in 2005, Rojadirecta faced legal action in Spain for providing links to unlicensed sports streams. Rojadirecta was adamant that under existing law the site operated legally and steadfastly refused to shut down. In 2009, that position was endorsed by a district court and then upheld by a provincial court after rightsholders filed an appeal. Despite the losing streak, rightsholders subsequently convinced the...
‘Destroyed’ Usenet Provider Sues Anti-Piracy Group for Millions in Damages
The legal saga of News-Service Europe (NSE) and anti-piracy group BREIN has taken another dramatic turn. Once a titan in the Usenet world, NSE was forced to shut down in 2011 after BREIN took legal action on behalf of the movie and music industries. In its initial verdict, the Court of Amsterdam concluded that NSE willingly facilitated online piracy through its services. As a result, the company was ordered to remove all copyrighted...
Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 12/23/2024
The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. Downloading content without permission is copyright infringement. These torrent download statistics are only meant to provide further insight into piracy trends. All data are gathered from public resources. This week we have two newcomers on the list. “Venom: The Last Dance” is the most shared title. The most...
Domain Seizures and German ISP Blockade Add to Libgen’s Troubles
Library Genesis (LibGen) is one of the oldest shadow libraries on the Internet, offering free access to millions of books and academic papers for which people would otherwise have to pay. The site’s origins reportedly trace back to the Soviet Union’s underground publishing culture ‘samizdat,’ which was used to bypass state censorship in the last century. LibGen launched around 2008 as a digital version of the same concept. In addition...
Sky’s Enhanced High Court Pirate IPTV Blocking Order Closes Loopholes
As a TV broadcaster, Sky has an exceptional view of the legal subscription TV market and how the illegal IPTV market encroaches on that. As an ISP that supplies 20% of the market, Sky’s view of its own customers using Sky Broadband to pirate Sky’s pay TV content is a persistent irritant that comes with the territory. Sky’s involvement in ISP blocking orders has traditionally meant complying with injunctions obtained by groups...
EU and NL Domain Registries Take Down Piracy-Linked Domains
There are plenty of options for copyright holders to frustrate pirate site operations, but attacking their domain names is particularly effective. In recent years, various entertainment industry groups have called on the domain name industry to help out on this front. The MPA previously signed landmark agreements with registries, enabling the movie industry group to act as a “trusted notifier” of “pirate” domains. Other players in the...
