In a plenary vote, the European Parliament backed a slightly amended version of the original Article 13 proposal, one that would still result in an indirect upload filter requirement for many Internet services. Pirate Party MEP Julia Reda regrets the outcome of the votes. However, the opposition's fight is not over yet.
Two people from Hampshire in the UK have been arrested on suspicion of supplying pirate TV streaming services. A 41-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman were detained by police following a referral from the Federation Against Copyright Theft. They were later questioned by Trading Standards officers on suspicion of copyright infringement and money laundering offences.
ACE, the coalition of major Hollywood studios plus Amazon and Netflix, scored its first major legal win today. The company behind TickBox TV, a Kodi-powered streaming device, agreed to a stipulated judgment and permanent injunction which requires the company to cease all piracy activities and pay $25 million in damages.
Sweden has become a hotbed for piracy lawsuits and the number of targets continues to rise. Newly released details show that more than 35,000 IP-addresses have been listed in so-called copyright troll cases thus far in 2018. That's more than in the US and Canada combined. Swedish Internet provider Bahnhof is calling on the Government to curb this trend.
Terrarium TV, one of the most-loved 'pirate' applications for Android, has shut down for good. In a notification pushed to the app last evening, developer NitroXenon announced that the software, known for its slick interface and huge content selection, will stop working at the end of the month. Users, however, can see that it's already dead.
Back in March, the Human Rights Tribunal in New Zealand ruled that the Government violated the Privacy Act by withholding information from Kim Dotcom. The Megaupload founder was awarded NZ$60,000 in damages for “loss of dignity or injury to feelings" plus a further NZ$30,000. The Attorney-General appealed the decision and the hearing is now underway at the High Court.
American satellite and broadcast provider Dish Network is requesting a default judgment of nearly $2 million against the man behind the defunct Kodi-addon ZemTV. UK-based developer "Shani" willingly offered access to hundreds if not thousands of infringing works which hurt Dish's revenues, the company argues.
As part of its ongoing battle against online copyright infringement, the MPAA has hired law firm Becker & Poliakoff to represent its interests on Capitol Hill. According to lobbying registration documents recently filed with Congress, the firm will discuss streaming piracy devices and applications, and the economic impact of film industry production.