![\"yts.mx](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/ytsmx.jpg\")
Over the past two decades, online piracy has proven a massive challenge for the entertainment industries.<\/p>\nOver the past two decades, online piracy has proven a massive challenge for the entertainment industries.<\/p>\n
Some copyright holders have tried to go after individual pirates in court but, increasingly, third-party intermediaries are targeted as well.<\/p>\n
There are several lawsuits pending in US courts, where rightsholders accuse Internet providers of not doing enough to stop piracy. One of the main allegations is that ISPs fail to terminate the accounts of repeat infringers in \u2018appropriate circumstances\u2019, as required under the DMCA.<\/p>\n
Earthlink became one of the latest targets in this quest. The ISP was sued<\/a> by a group of litigious filmmakers, headed by Voltage Pictures. The movie companies own the rights to well-known movies such as \u201cAva\u201d, \u201cI Feel Pretty\u201d and \u201cThe Cobbler,\u201d which are publicly shared via BitTorrent networks. <\/p>\n Through their lawsuit, the filmmakers aimed to deter piracy activity by Earthlink customers. These types of legal battles can often last for years but this one was settled rather quickly. <\/p>\n Last month the parties informed the court that a tentative settlement had been reached. Yesterday they filed a request to dismiss the case which reveals an interesting obligation on Earthlink\u2019s part. <\/p>\n The dismissal notice doesn\u2019t mention any money changing hands. However, Earthlink agrees to request its wholesale providers to block access to the torrent site YTS, one of the most-visited pirate sites on the Internet. <\/p>\n \u201cPlaintiffs have requested and Defendant has agreed to request its wholesale providers to use commercially reasonable efforts to block access to YTS on their servers in the United States used for Defendant\u2019s services,\u201d both parties inform the Georgia federal court.<\/p>\n This agreement is a big deal. As far as we know, it\u2019s the first time in history that a US-based Internet provider has openly backed a pirate site blocking order. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Earthlink was a big name<\/a> in the past but today it\u2019s a relatively modest player. However, it resells services from bigger brands, which are the wholesale providers the legal paperwork refers to. <\/p>\n The agreement doesn\u2019t mention any wholesalers by name. That said, Earthlink sells (or resold) infrastructure from AT&T, Time Warner Cable, and perhaps other large companies as well. <\/p>\n The language Earthlink agreed to doesn\u2019t come with any strings attached. The ISP simply has to \u201crequest\u201d its unnamed wholesale providers to block YTS, but there are no repercussions if that doesn\u2019t happen. At least, not for Earthlink. <\/p>\n Attorney Kerry Culpepper, who represents the filmmakers, has a history of using leverage obtained in one lawsuit to pursue claims against other parties. That plays a role in this case as well. <\/p>\n YTS is the blocking target for a good reason. The operator of the torrent site was sued by the same filmmakers a few years ago. These cases were eventually settled<\/a> for over a million in damages, but the site remained online<\/a>. <\/p>\n In addition to paying damages, YTS also shared information about its users with the filmmakers. This information was then used to pursue claims against individual pirates<\/a> and VPN providers<\/a>. <\/p>\n A dated admission by the YTS operator, that the site distributed copyright infringing material, is now being leveraged to request Earthlink to take action. And that might just be the start of a new legal quest. <\/p>\n Based on the judicial tactics we\u2019ve observed over the years, it wouldn\u2019t be a surprise to see the filmmakers take action against the wholesale providers. That is, if they choose to ignore Earthlink\u2019s request to block YTS. <\/p>\n At this point, we\u2019re venturing into speculation mode, but it might not be a coincidence that the filmmakers voluntarily dismissed<\/a> their liability lawsuits against AT&T and Time Warner\u2019s Comcast, just days after they reached a settlement with Earthlink.<\/p>\n Those lawsuits can be refiled in the future, potentially with additional evidence added to the complaints. It wouldn\u2019t be a massive surprise if that involves some newly obtained leverage as well. <\/p>\n \u2014<\/em><\/p>\n A copy of the joint stipulation of dismissal, filed by Earthlink and Voltage et al. at the federal court in Atlanta, is available here (pdf)<\/a><\/p>\n From: TF<\/a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.<\/p>\nRequesting Wholesale Providers to Block YTS<\/h2>\n
![\"earthlink](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/earth-agree.jpg\")
<\/center><\/p>\nFocus Shifts to Wholesalers<\/h2>\n
The YTS Leverage Play<\/h2>\n