After $1bn Piracy Loss, Cox Latest ISP to Face DMCA Subpoena Dilemma
In the United States, consumer ISPs have been handing over the identities of suspected BitTorrent pirates for years, mostly because a court has compelled them to as part of a copyright infringement lawsuit. It’s not particularly difficult for rightsholders to take this route, but it can be expensive. In the early 2000s, the RIAA hoped to cut costs by obtaining the details of Verizon customers via the DMCA subpoena process. That...
Putin Says Multipolarity Trend Will Intensify — Warns Those Who Do Not Follow Will Lose
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, says the trend toward multipolarity is inevitable and will only intensify. “Those who do not understand this and do not follow this trend will lose,” the Russian president warned. Putin on Multipolarity Trend Escalating Russian President Vladimir Putin talked about a global trend towards multipolarity at a recent meeting of the Council for Local Self-Government Development. Putin said: This trend —...
Treasury Secretary Yellen Warns US Could Default on Its Debt by June 1
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the Treasury will not be able to pay all of the government’s debt “as early as June 1, if Congress does not raise or suspend the debt limit before that time.” Yellen also cautioned that the U.S. defaulting on its debt obligations “would produce an economic and financial catastrophe.” U.S. Debt Default Could Happen by June 1, Says Yellen United States Secretary of the Treasury Janet...
US Court Orders Operator of South African Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme to Pay Over $3.4 Billion
Johann Steynberg, the founder and CEO of Mirror Trading International, has been ordered to pay over $1.73 billion in restitution to victims of his bitcoin ponzi scheme. The court has also ordered Steynberg to pay a civil monetary penalty of a similar amount. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) conceded that orders requiring payment of funds “may not result in the recovery of any money lost because wrongdoers may not have...
Court Protects Redditors’ Right to Anonymous Speech in Piracy Case
Every day, millions of people from all over the world submit posts, comments, and other content to Reddit. In many cases, discussion comments are read and soon forgotten but several old threads were brought back to life recently as part of a piracy liability case. Redditors as Evidence The comments in question were picked up by Kerry Culpepper, a copyright attorney who leads several piracy lawsuits against Internet providers on behalf...
