The websites of several Israeli Kodi repositories and add-ons have been shut down this week, following legal action from a local anti-piracy group. The operators of the platforms reportedly agreed to pay a settlement of thousands of shekels and face a hefty fine if they relaunch their services.
Following a recent victory in Norway, Internet provider Telenor now hopes to put the brakes on copyright trolling efforts in Denmark as well. The company is backed by other ISPs and the local Telco Industry Organization, which notes that users must be protected from these "mafia-like" practices.
The EFF, Creative Commons, Wikimedia, Mozilla and sixty other groups are protesting proposals by the EU to force service providers to police copyrighted content. Article 13 would require sites to introduce piracy filters and content recognition systems but the groups describe the plans as backward looking, damaging, and ill thought through.
When movies and TV shows are so readily accessible via streaming platforms, why would anyone go to the trouble of using a torrent site anymore? It's an interesting question that raises issues not only for the future of consumer piracy but also for the health of the underlying content ecosystem.
Sky Deutschland has won a copyright infringement case against the operator of live streaming site Stream4u.tv, as well as the provider of the hardware that was used to decrypt a Sky signal. The District Court of Hamburg, Germany, ruled that they must pay €18,000 in damages.
The top 10 most downloaded movies on BitTorrent are in again. 'John Wick: Chapter 2' tops the chart this week, followed by ‘Logan'. 'The Boss Baby' completes the top three.
ExtraTorrent's unexpected shutdown last week came as a shock to its users, who suddenly had to find a new home. Most users flocked to other popular sites, including The Pirate Bay, which suffered from "gateway errors" in response. Meanwhile, many copycats and mirrors are also trying to get a piece of the cake.
The Federation Against Copyright Theft, one of the UK's most prominent anti-piracy groups, is looking to expand its team by recruiting a new Internet Investigator. The job listing provides an interesting insight into what qualities the group is looking for but doesn't mention a salary. It better be good though, as the list of requirements is lengthy.