Reports coming out of China indicate that another citizen has been caught up in the country's VPN dragnet. The software developer reportedly set up a VPN for his own use but sensing demand, sold access to the service to third parties. Despite making just $164 from his business, he was arrested and detained for three days.
New data not only reveals that stream ripping remains the music industry's main piracy threat, but it's growing too. IFPI's latest music consumer insight report shows that more than a third of all Internet subscribers use stream rippers to access unlicensed music.
The Federation Against Copyright Theft, in conjunction with the police and Intellectual Property Office, has released a new report on the state of Internet piracy in the UK. Estimates suggest that at least a million set-top devices providing access to pirated material have been sold over the past two years, with 25% of the public consuming illicit content overall.
Earlier this year, domains owned by third-party Kodi addon platform TVAddons were transferred to a law firm. This prompted concerns, in what was then an information black hole, that something nefarious was underway. While it's clear today that isn't the case, some users refuse to be convinced while others seem happy to throw fuel on the fire.
The MPAA, RIAA and other entertainment industry groups are unhappy with how Ukraine is handling online piracy. The country has become a safe haven for many pirate sites, they say. In a recommendation to the US Government the copyright holder groups recommend suspending or withdrawing several trade benefits until the situation improves.
Back in June, MPAA, Amazon, Netflix, CBS, HBO, BBC, Sky, Bell Canada, CBS, Hulu, Lionsgate, Foxtel, Village Roadshow, and many more, revealed the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, a brand new initiative to tackle piracy on a global scale. Today, TorrentFreak can reveal the deal behind this massive operation.
The top 10 most downloaded movies on BitTorrent are in again. 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' tops the chart this week, followed by ‘Transformers: The Last Knight'. 'Baby Driver' completes the top three.
Anti-piracy organizations have come up with a wide variety of measures to combat copyright infringement over the years, with varying results. Enlisting the public to track down pirates in exchange for Bitcoin bounties is one of the more exotic ways, but according to eBook publisher Erudition, it's a great way to tackle this growing problem. And they're not alone.
Last week, the developers of Kodi revealed that Geoff Gavora, someone unconnected with the project, had registered the Kodi trademark in Canada. Surprisingly, it appears that Gavora's Kodi business involves the promotion and distribution of addons that are banned by Kodi itself for supplying infringing content. But that isn't the only thing interesting about this entrepreneur.