Guess who else likes Arrested Development? Pirates, that’s who. The new season of the cult show has been downloaded by 100,000 file sharers within a single day. Read more at paidContent »
Simon & Schuster will give authors direct access to information on how their books are being pirated online, the company announced Thursday. Read more at paidContent »
File sharing is exploding, and the studios are barely keeping up fighting the pirates: That’s the gist of a WSJ story detailing NBC’s anti-piracy work. But is it really that simple? Read more at paidContent »
A new system of warnings for users who download copyrighted content is being rolled out by some of the biggest internet service providers in the United States. Is it something you should be concerned about? That depends. Read more »
Antigua says it can disregard American patent and copyright law, thanks to a trade ruling. Here’s a quick summary plus a funny Taiwanese video to explain it all. Read more »
Flamboyant entrepreneur Kim Dotcom is marketing his new file-sharing locker as “the privacy company.” Is he for real or are the privacy claims just a cynical cover-up for a new piracy business? Read more at paidContent »
The lead singer of the band Cracker is frustrated with people taking his music without permission. He thinks artists, industry and legitimate sellers should shame big brands into pulling their ads from pirate sites. Read more at paidContent »
New laws make downloading, as well as uploading, content illegally an offence punishable by a prison term and a large fine in Japan, in contrast with the emerging approach elsewhere. Read more at paidContent »
Efforts to extradite alleged piracy mastermind Kim Dotcom to face US charges may be undermined by apparent unlawful bugging used in his New Zealand arrest – the latest flaw in the high-profile case. Read more at paidContent »
An economist argues that “three myths” are driving the popular notion that online piracy is inevitable and can’t be stopped. Here’s a quick summary of those “myths” and why dispelling them is important to having a more nuanced discussion about how to handle unauthorized online content. Read more at paidContent »
Research claims three billion songs were illegally downloaded via torrent between January and June. The problem may remain large, but it is likely shrinking. Read more at paidContent »
A recent wave of lawsuits show that Time Warner is getting more aggressive in targeting DVD rings that use Amazon to sell unauthorized copies of HBO shows like True Blood. Read more »
It’s becoming ever easier to copy and share not just computer files but physical objects too. An Economist article reports that the technology could inaugurate a technological revolution — but also give rise to massive new piracy problems. Read more »
Legal online movie services offered by sites like Youku and Tudou may benefit after e-commerce platform Taobao consents to Hollywood’s pleas that it stop selling counterfeit movie discs. Read more at paidContent »
Hadopi, the French body created by former President Nicolas Sarkozy to enforce copyright laws online, has rarely been popular for its three strikes disconnection policy. Now, after hints that the new government may cut its funding, the group’s leader has told politicians to stop meddling. Read more »
Australian broadcaster ABC is sending Doctor Who back in time. It is putting episodes online just after they premiere in the UK, hoping viewers will turn away from pirated copies. Read more »
Here’s a novel idea for Hollywood: Instead of forcing other countries to adopt ever tougher copyright laws, help services like Netflix and Hulu to launch operations overseas. And forcing U.S. consumers to authenticate before they can watch TV online might not be the smartest idea either. Read more »
A 38-year-old Englishman becomes the first to be jailed for linking to illegally-hosted movies and TV shows. The method of his prosecution troubles piracy campaigners but delights entertainment owners. Read more at paidContent »
France’s Hadopi piracy agency has warned hundreds of thousands accused of piracy. But it’s become frowned upon by the country’s new government. First step in reform is to cut the agency’s budget. Read more at paidContent »
The man who has been given the job of reworking France’s controversial anti-piracy legislation says cutting off the internet connection of filesharers is probably wrong. But don’t expect him to go easy on those of accused of illegal downloads. Read more »
France’s Supreme Court has set aside a critical piracy ruling won by Google in 2011, leaving the door open to the search giant being forced to censor some of its autocomplete listings to prevent copyright infringement and piracy. Read more »
Peter Sunde, co-founder and former spokesperson of The Pirate Bay, doesn’t want to go to jail. In a plea for clemency filed this week, he argued that the case against him was full of irregularities. Sunde also shared a few more details about The Video Bay. Read more »
A new study from Google and the UK copyright collection society PRS for Music finds that live TV is the fastest-growing segment of copyright infringement — and a large presence on social networking sites. Read more at paidContent »
Under new proposals from the British media regulator Ofcom, internet providers will start sending warning letters to those accused of illegal filesharing in 18 months — and will be forced to handed people’s data over to copyright holders after three successive hits. Read more »
A global trade agreement on anti-piracy measures may need a re-think after the European Parliament was advised to vote against it. Read more »
In a move that suggests Google is coming to see itself as a content owner, the company is threatening legal action against sites that let users strip audio from YouTube videos and play them as stand-alone audio clips. Read more at paidContent »
Russia’s government has commissioned the building of a system which would let copyright owners identify unauthorised use of their works online. Read more at paidContent »
The UK becomes the thirteenth country to compel ISP-level blocking of The Pirate Bay, after record labels won a court case. Read more at paidContent »
The stereotype of Russia as a haven of copyright infringement could be a thing of the past, after officials in Moscow said they were considering holding internet providers liable for illegal filesharing that takes place on their networks. Read more »
The court poked enough holes in YouTube’s defense that it now has every incentive to try to settle with Viacom as quickly as possible and get on about its business. But on the one issue of law that might have made a difference to Viacom’s business ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
DRM is just “a speedbump,” Hachette’s Maja Thomas said at a copyright conference this afternoon. However, opinion within Hachette is clearly… Read more at paidContent »
We’ve gotten used to the content industries arguing that what happens when people download or make copies is “theft.” But using that term muddies the waters when it comes to what copyright is supposed to be about, and lends support to irrational laws and court decisions. Read more »
Y Combinator founder Paul Graham is right when he says that the continued push for legislation like SOPA and PIPA is a result of a failure to adapt to the changing environment the internet has created when it comes to intellectual property and the content industries. Read more »
John Wiley has identified some of the anonymous individuals it accuses of downloading books like “Vegetable Gardening for Dummies,” and is p… Read more at paidContent »
Eighteen months after France implemented one of the world’s first working three-strikes anti-piracy systems, the agency says it has succeede… Read more at paidContent »
Ireland’s largest ISP, which once resisted calls to act against illegal downloaders, has told paidContent its competitors should now join it… Read more at paidContent »
Twenty-two Chinese authors now plan to sue Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) for 50 million yuan ($7.9 million), claiming 95 of their books were published… Read more at paidContent »
While its relevance in the realm of traditional linear television is more questionable than ever, the CW’s youthful, digitally literate core… Read more at paidContent »
“Our industries do something that no one else can do,” the Motion Picture Association of America’s Fritz Attaway said at the Association of… Read more at paidContent »
After the Court of Appeal in London told Britain’s two biggest Internet providers they must abide the controversial antipiracy rules brought in by the Digital Economy Act, some experts suggest it could spark a SOPA-style protest. Is it likely? Read more »
