Anna’s Archive Scraping: Court Defers Key Questions to State Supreme Court
The legal battle between library database giant OCLC and shadow library search engine Anna's Archive has hit a snag. A federal judge in Ohio expressed uncertainty about the legality of large-scale data scraping under state law and declined to rule on OCLC's request for a default judgment. Instead, the judge decided to send core legal questions to the Supreme Court of Ohio for clarification.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/annas-archive-scraping-court-defers-key-questions-to-state-supreme-court/
Dramacool Was Targeted by Kocowa as Part of an Ongoing U.S. Lawsuit
Months after Dramacool and several associated streaming sites shut down, many fans are still in mourning. The shutdown was initially shrouded in mystery, but legal paperwork reveals that a U.S. court order, obtained by the owner of legal streaming platform Kocowa, is the likely culprit. The same company hopes to identify the sites' operators, including some copycats, to bring them to justice.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/dramacool-was-targeted-by-kocowa-as-part-of-an-ongoing-u-s-lawsuit-250329/
Judge Confirms LaLiga’s Right to Block Cloudflare in Pursuit of IPTV Pirates
Last December, a Spanish judge authorized LaLiga to block Cloudflare's shared IP addresses to combat piracy. Thousands of innocent internet users were affected, prompting Cloudflare and cybersecurity group RootedCon to ask the court to overturn the order. A judge has now denied both requests, stating that no evidence was presented to show that blocking caused any damage.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
UN Database WIPO ALERT Helps to Facilitate Globalized Pirate Site Blocking
A report from Brazil suggests that the existence of an international site-blocking movement isn't just a theory. After contributing 8,000+ pirate domains to a database maintained by UN IP agency WIPO, Brazil goes on to describe a "unified global effort" and the importance of a system underpinning it. According to Brazil,. WIPO ALERT ensures that sites identified as infringing in one country, are subsequently blocked and deindexed by other nations.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Anthropic Scores Preliminary Victory in AI-Copyright Clash Against Music Companies
In a closely watched battle between music publishers and AI developer Anthropic, a California court has denied a request to halt the use of copyrighted song lyrics with its refusal to grant a preliminary injunction. The court ruled that the music publisher failed to demonstrate immediate and irreparable harm, while the scope of the requested restrictions was "ever-expanding".
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Meta’s BitTorrent Uploads of ‘Pirate Library’ Data Equaled 30% of Downloads, Expert Says
A lawsuit filed by several authors against Meta centers on Meta's alleged use of pirated books for AI training data and the technical details of BitTorrent which was used to obtain them. Yesterday, Meta filed a motion for summary judgment, while countering the authors' request to resolve the copyright claims in their favor. Meta's request includes new information, including the revelation that its uploads of 'pirate' library data were roughly 30% of the data it downloaded.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Premier League, Sky & ACE Celebrate Elusive Globe IPTV Prison Sentence
Premier League, Sky & ACE are celebrating the sentencing of one of the most elusive targets ever pursued in the pirate IPTV market. The man operated an IPTV empire out of Lebanon, supplying pirated content 'wholesale' all around world. Yet, despite an investigation that may already be close to a decade old, the man still isn't being named, and his platform isn't being named either. At least not officially.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/premier-league-sky-ace-celebrate-elusive-globe-iptv-prison-sentence-250325/
Torrent Site Uploader and Member of ‘The Scene’ Sentenced to Prison in Denmark
Danish authorities have claimed two new victories in the ongoing battle against online piracy. A 46-year-old man, who allegedly uploaded content to the Danish torrent trackers "SuperBits" and "DanishBytes", was sentenced to nine months in prison. The other defendant, a 48-year-old man, was linked to 'The Scene'. He received a twelve-month sentence for hosting two servers and sharing pirated content in one of the most elusive piracy groups.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 03/24/2025
Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'Last Breath' tops the chart, followed by 'Captain America: Brave New World'. 'The Electric State' 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/
France Mulls Instant IPTV Blocks, €750K Fines & New Piracy Crime of ‘Incitement’
Two senators have presented a bill to address what is now openly described as a crisis in French football. The draft envisions sweeping reform to tackle "structural" issues, including broadcasting rights and the ever-present threat from illegal streaming services. On the table, seven years in prison and a €750,000 fine for pirate IPTV suppliers operating as a group, three years and €300,000 for those not, and a new crime of inciting use of pirate IPTV services or software.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Director Uses Takedowns to Remove Pirate Bay Docu “TPB-AFK” from YouTube
In an unexpected turn of events, the director of the Pirate Bay documentary TPB-AFK has sent takedown notices to YouTube requesting its removal. The director states that he sees the streaming portal as a radicalizing platform full of hate. The takedowns are not without controversy, however, as TPB-AFK was published under a Creative Commons license.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
U.S. Court Orders Up to $97,500 in Damages for Sharing ‘Adult’ Films via BitTorrent
Strike 3 Holdings continues its quest against alleged BitTorrent pirates in U.S. courts. This week the adult entertainment company secured sizable default judgments in three copyright infringement cases. The defendants, none of which appeared at a federal court in Georgia, were ordered to pay significant monetary damages, up to $97,500 each.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
How Spotify’s Premium Piracy Panic Played Out & What Pirates Did Next
Reports of a major outage at Spotify spread like wildfire last week. Then a curious picture began to emerge, one of outages only affecting those using modified Spotify apps designed to provide the Premium service at the free tier price. News that the problem has now been fixed and those in need can download new pirate apps, means that many are rushing to do so. Whether that will end well seems to hang in the balance. Could go this way, or could go that.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/how-spotifys-premium-piracy-panic-played-out-what-pirates-did-next-250315/
TorrentGalaxy Staff Fear the Worst as Site Stays Dark and Upload Bots Fail
Popular torrent site TorrentGalaxy has been offline for two weeks, with no explanation from its operators. Members of the site's staff are also being kept in the dark, and many fear the site may never return. To the delight of copyright holders, the site's troubles are now being felt across the torrent ecosystem after the site's upload bots also stopped working.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Disqus is Deleting Pirate Site Communities on Short Notice
After 15 years or so of relatively plain sailing, comment platform Disqus is cracking down on sites that violate its terms of service. Pirate manga and anime sites have received notifications that Disqus will no longer provide services after copyright infringement came to its attention. With evictions now spreading to sites including FitGirl Repacks and KickassAnime, it's a race against the clock to export years of chat in the 24/48 hours notice given.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/disqus-is-deleting-pirate-site-communities-on-short-notice-250313/
Early Pirate Bay Backer Carl Lundström Dies in Plane Crash
Swedish businessman Carl Lundström, founder of the telecoms company Rix Telecom and one of the Wasabröd heirs, died in a plane crash on Monday. Lundström played a pivotal role in the Pirate Bay's rise to fame by supporting the site early on. For his involvement in the site, he was eventually sentenced to four months in prison.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/early-pirate-bay-backer-carl-lundstrom-dies-in-plane-crash-250312/
Intermediaries Are (Still) Slow to Disconnect Pirate Live Streams, Report Finds
A new industry-backed report reveals that only a small fraction of takedown notices targeting pirated live streams result in suspensions, with dedicated server providers showing the lowest responsiveness. Rightsholders see the data as evidence that a previously issued recommendation by the EU failed to have an effect. Consequently, more needs to be done to tackle live streaming piracy.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Authors Put a Spotlight on Meta’s BitTorrent Leeching Activity
Meta's legal battle over its alleged use of pirated books as AI training data continues to deliver new twists. Fresh allegations that Meta may have shared data with third parties while "leeching" from torrents have added a critical layer to the legal dispute. The book authors obtained permission to put a spotlight on Meta's "leeching" activity and, in addition, requested summary judgment on copyright infringement.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/authors-put-a-spotlight-on-metas-bittorrent-leeching-activity-250311/
Police Shut Down Pirate Streaming Network That Cost Broadcaster ‘Millions’
Following a complaint filed two years ago by a national pay-TV broadcaster, police in Germany say they now have three main suspects in custody following a huge law enforcement operation. Over 150 officers carried out searches against 18 suspects in 17 locations, with the aim of shutting down an as-yet unnamed illegal streaming operation with an estimated 30,000 subscribers. The three men, aged between 36 and 59, face charges including suspected commercial computer fraud, which carries a potential sentence of 10 years imprisonment.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Oscar Winner ‘Anora’ Sees Massive Surge in Pirate Downloads
Anora was the big winner at the Oscars a week ago, securing awards for best picture, actress, and director, among others. This major achievement puts the movie in the spotlight and increases interest through both legal and illegal channels. Fresh data collected by TorrentFreak shows that pirate downloads surged right after the awards ceremony ended.
From: [TF][1], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
[1]: https://torrentfreak.com/
https://torrentfreak.com/oscar-winner-anora-sees-massive-surge-in-pirate-downloads-250310/