This month the awful news everyone has been dreading began hitting the UK tabloids. Not only are 'Kodi Boxes' delivering masses of free content to the gluttonous, tight-fisted masses, but they're also a threat to the very fabric of society. Whether they're burning down our houses or corrupting our kids, these devices have it covered.
uTorrent has introduced a Game Store to its popular download client. The store offers a range of games on multiple platforms which users can buy from within uTorrent. While this sounds promising, it was disappointing to find out that we can't download our newly purchased game through uTorrent itself.
Russia's Internet watchdog Rozcomnadzor had a taste of its own medicine this week when activists visited its headquarters to protest against increasing web-blocking. Rozcomnadzor's St. Petersberg's offices were barricaded with a stack of boxes, each with a label demanding freedom for the 'blocked citizens of Russia.'
Many gaming fans love to play old arcade games through emulators or remakes, but Nintendo is less amused by fan-made recreations. This week the company took down a remake of the 1981 classic Donkey Kong, as it infringes its copyrights. The developer of the remake is disappointed but doesn't plan to challenge Nintendo's request.
Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN is reporting that 200 entities selling 'pirate' media players have ceased trading recently. The development appears to be a direct result of an April 2017 ruling by the European Court of Justice, which found that selling piracy-configured devices is a breach of copyright law.
Shortly after Sci-Hub was ordered to pay $15 million in piracy damages to Elsevier, the American Chemical Society filed a lawsuit of its own against the "Pirate Bay for Science." The scientific society would also like to see a cut of the loot. In addition, it asks the court for a broad injunction which would require ISPs to block the site.
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of Canada has ordered Google to remove a company's websites from search results. The case had nothing to do with copyright but according to music industry group IFPI, the implications are clear. When search engines link to illegal content, courts can compel them to permanently remove results, globally.
A crackdown on groups that provide unauthorized IPTV services has continued today with the blocking of several portals. Operation 'Pirate On Demand' is being carried out by the Guardia di Finanza (GdF), a department under Italy's Minister of Economy and Finance. Nine locations have been blocked so far and two people have been arrested.