Emulation Console Update Bakes in Instant Free [Pirated] Game Downloads
The RGXX range of handheld games consoles are seen by many as the perfect way to dip an initial toe in the emulation waters. Manufactured by Anbernic in China, devices often arrive with a Micro SD card loaded with more games than can be reasonably played in a lifetime. Whether that will continue is unclear but with a new firmware update, retro games can be browsed on-screen, downloaded for free straight to devices, and then installed in seconds.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Did a Court Really Authorize Internet Service Providers to Block Cloudflare?
On the back of a report that LaLiga and Telefonica sought enhanced blocking measures to counter use of Encrypted Client Hello, LaLiga's earlier suggestion that blocking Cloudflare has judicial support, seems worthy of a closer look. Indeed, a process that authorizes dynamic junctions in Spain suggests a super-streamlined system that puts piracy-fighting above all else. At the same time, there are few obvious measures to prevent overblocking affecting third-parties.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
DMCA Notices Took Down 31,151 GitHub Projects Last Year
GitHub's latest transparency report reveals that the company received 2,000 valid DMCA takedown notices last year, resulting in the removal of over 31,151 projects. Targeted repositories included copied code, but also pirate apps, IPTV playlists, and many Nintendo Switch emulators. Circumvention takedowns increased slightly, but GitHub notes that these continue to be heavily scrutinized.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/dmca-notices-took-down-31151-github-projects-last-year-250222/
Greece Approves Legal Framework to ‘Fine’ Pirate IPTV Users, Ramps Up Blocking
Greece continued to expand anti-piracy efforts in 2024, issuing a record-breaking number of blocking decisions. Most blockades target live sports streams offered by illegal IPTV subscription services. To increase the deterrent effect, a new legislative amendment makes it possible to fine subscribers of these services up to 700 euros. However, this may prove challenging.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Cloudflare Asks Court to End LaLiga’s “Illegal” Blocking Response to Encrypted Client Hello
After the gloves came off earlier this week, Cloudflare has asked a Spanish court to declare LaLiga's “disproportionate” piracy blocking measures illegal. Details are currently scarce, but Cloudflare looks set to challenge the legitimacy of the court's original order. LaLiga and Telefonica sought enhanced blocking measures to counter internet users' adoption of Encrypted Client Hello.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Meta Says it Made Sure Not to Seed Any Pirated Books
In one of the AI lawsuits faced by Meta, the company stands accused of distributing pirated books. The authors who filed the class-action lawsuit allege that Meta shared books from the shadow library LibGen with third parties via BitTorrent. Meta, however, says that it took precautions to prevent 'seeding' content. In addition, the company clarifies that there is nothing 'independently illegal' about torrenting.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/meta-says-it-made-sure-not-to-seed-any-pirated-books/
ISP Must Unmask 100 Alleged BitTorrent Pirates in RIAA Lawsuit
Altice, parent company of Internet provider Optimum, must disclose the personal details of a hundred alleged music pirates. The request comes from a group of prominent record labels and is part of an ongoing copyright infringement liability lawsuit. Altice, meanwhile, will receive anti-piracy information, including that related to a letter the RIAA previously sent to BitTorrent Inc., the owner of popular torrent client uTorrent.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/isp-must-unmask-100-alleged-bittorrent-pirates-in-riaa-lawsuit-250219/
LaLiga Blocks Cloudflare Again, New Pirate IPTV Providers & Anything in The Way
After admitting it deliberately blocked Cloudflare to prevent a pirate IPTV service reaching users in Spain, LaLiga warned it would continue for as long as necessary to prevent live sports piracy. With thousands of innocent website owners and internet users suffering as collateral damage, a new LaLiga announcement reveals that two additional pirate IPTV providers with 400,000 local users have also been blocked, again by blocking Cloudflare. Charts and graphs produced by internet users leave little to the imagination.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Incredible Fmovies Piracy Indictment is Not a “Stunning Victory” For Hollywood
The Hanoi People's Procuracy in Vietnam has issued an indictment against two men said to be the operators of the massive Fmovies piracy empire shut down last year. The indictment offers detail on when the men first met, when their plans for Fmovies began to take shape, and how the site generated revenue. Last year the MPA described the shutdown as a "stunning victory." New revelations are indeed stunning, but extremely puzzling too.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
TorrentGalaxy Drama Continues With Days of Downtime
Trouble continues for popular torrent site TorrentGalaxy. The site, which is seen as a notorious piracy market by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, has been unreachable for days. While some believe that the end has come for the site, technical troubles certainly can't be ruled out.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/torrentgalaxy-drama-continues-with-days-of-downtime-250216/
Real-Debrid Traffic Falls 16% in 3 Months, Anti-Piracy Action Painful But Non-Fatal
At least on paper, Real-Debrid's November 2024 announcement detailing new anti-piracy measures, suggested a tough time ahead for the popular platform. Under pressure from dozens of powerful rightsholders, Real-Debrid's position looked precarious to put it mildly; not precarious enough for the service to throw in the towel, however. Three months later, a 16% drop in traffic is painful but non-fatal.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Google’s Piracy Purge: 3.5 Billion DMCA Takedown Notices in a Year
Google has completed the busiest twelve months ever on the DMCA takedown front. The popular search engine processed a record-breaking 3.5 billion takedown requests during the year. Ironically, this milestone is in part a byproduct of ongoing anti-piracy measures, including site blocking and search engine removals, with no end in sight.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/googles-piracy-purge-3-5-billion-dmca-takedown-notices-in-a-year-250215/
ProtonVPN: Piracy Blocking is a Raid on Users’ Online Freedom
In France, rightsholders have taken legal action to get large VPN providers on board with their pirate site blocking program. The aim is to prevent circumvention of existing blocking measures in place to reduce widespread copyright infringement. From the VPN provider's perspective, site blocking threatens online freedom. Swiss provider ProtonVPN describes blocking as 'a dangerous attack on Internet freedom on the altar of corporate greed'.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/protonvpn-piracy-blocking-is-a-raid-on-users-online-freedom-250214/
Record Labels Target 20 ISPs in Pursuit of BitTorrent Pirates and Damages
Predictions of a looming music industry apocalypse, fueled by users of LimeWire and similar peer-to-peer apps, have long-since been replaced by all-you-can-eat music services. In Japan, most formats are celebrating double-digit growth, and even the CD market is holding its own. Meanwhile, the major record labels have targeted 20 ISPs to obtain the personal details of BitTorrent pirates, seeking damages for infringements dating back over two years.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
DAZN Escrows €35m TV Rights Bill as Football Piracy Row Boils Over
French football clubs held emergency talks after broadcaster DAZN withheld millions of euros in TV rights payments due this month. The dispute concerns DAZN's claims that Ligue 1 football league body LFP failed to suppress piracy and fell short in other areas too. Hopes of an amicable solution faded when DAZN paid 50% of the sum owed for February and put the other €35 million into an escrow account. LFP responded by launching legal action in Paris.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Scammers Exploited Official EU Website for ‘Piracy’ Scams
Scammers exploited a subdomain of the European Food Safety Authority to actively redirect people to piracy scams and other dubious ploys. The pages that promised free content, including Super Bowl streams, appeared high in Google's search results. After being alerted, the EU agency swiftly addressed the vulnerability, but further vigilance is advised.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/scammers-exploited-official-eu-website-for-piracy-scams-250212/
Piracy Crisis: Cloudflare Says LaLiga Knew Dangers, Blocked IP Address Anyway
Unexplained chaos at ISPs Movistar and DIGI has prevented some customers from accessing many sites using Cloudflare for over a week. Simultaneously, football league LaLiga stated they are working to shut down pirate streaming platforms, warning Cloudflare and others that they consider them responsible for profiting from piracy. Since statements now link these two events, Spain has a crisis on its hands.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
AI is a Key Technology in Today’s Anti-Piracy Toolbox
Last week, several innovative copyright protection tools were discussed at WIPO’s Advisory Committee on Enforcement. One particularly interesting presentation came from the Portuguese company NOS Technology, which highlighted its AI-powered anti-piracy tool. Among other things, the toolbox can help to block pirated content automatically, with a direct connection at the ISP level.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/ai-is-a-key-technology-in-todays-anti-piracy-toolbox-250211/
Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 02/10/2025
Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'Wolf Man' tops the chart, followed by 'Moana 2'. 'Nosferatu' completes the top three.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-torrented-pirated-movies/
Feds Seize Pirate Sports Streaming Domains in ‘Super Bowl Crackdown’
US authorities have initiated a new round of domain name seizures, targeting dozens of pirate sports streaming sites. Most likely by design, the enforcement action coincided with the Super Bowl. While the seizures may have frustrated many 'pirate' viewers, pirate streaming operations are not necessarily throwing in the towel just yet.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/feds-seize-pirate-sports-streaming-domains-in-super-bowl-crackdown-250210/