BitTorrent introduces Bundles to help creators make money with file sharing
BitTorrent wants more artists to give away stuff to file sharers – which is why they just gave those artists an option to also sell stuff to file sharers. Read more »
Japanese music pirates face jail, big fines
photo: Shutterstock / Strelka
New laws make downloading, as well as uploading, content illegally an offence punishable by a prison term and a large fine in Japan, in contrast with the emerging approach elsewhere. Read more »
Fastest growing segment of piracy? Live TV
photo: Shutterstock / Mehmet Dilsiz
A new study from Google and the UK copyright collection society PRS for Music finds that live TV is the fastest-growing segment of copyright infringement — and a large presence on social networking sites. Read more »
Only Content Industries Can Create Content People Want, Says MPAA's Attaway
photo: VIPDesignUSA / Shutterstock
“Our industries do something that no one else can do,” the Motion Picture Association of America’s Fritz Attaway said at the Association of… Read more »
Power To The People: ISPs, Media, Users Face Off In EU Legal Triple-Whammy
Consumers in Europe may be feeling the smarting bite of the economic winter settling in around us, but when it comes to internet and mobile… Read more »
Industry Moves: Joost; Trinity Mirror; Orange Digital
– Joost: The P2P online premium video streaming company Joost, founded by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom are no longer involved but it’s… Read more »
Is A $675,000 Penalty For Illegal Music Downloading Excessive?
The recording industry sued thousands of individual file-sharers in an unprecedented campaign of lawsuits that began in 2003; but only two o… Read more »
Battle Over Limewire Damages Drags Google And MySpace Into The Fray
After a four year battle, the only issue remaining in the record labels’ lawsuit against the Limewire file-sharing network is the battle ove… Read more »
Mobile Music: A $5.5 Billion Opportunity For More Than Just Apple
photo: Apple iPod Commercial
New forecasts out today for the mobile music market from Juniper Research: it will bring in revenues of $5.5 billion by 2015, compared to $3… Read more »
Why Google Is Slamming A Little-Known Search Engine Called IsoHunt
Google is still locked in a legal battle with Viacom (NYSE: VIA) over how it handled users who violated copyright rules on YouTube. So a cop… Read more »
Voddler Picks Up Another $8 Million In Funding For VOD, Led By Nokia
Nokia (NYSE: NOK) may be rethinking how it delivers mobile music — shuttering its Ovi Unlimited music service — but it is not giving up on… Read more »
Piracy Nearly A Quarter Of Global Internet Traffic, Says Study
Internet piracy is as big as…everyone already probably assumed it was. But just in the case the Motion Picture Association of America hasn… Read more »
How ‘Cyberlockers’ Became The Biggest Problem In Piracy
photo: Flickr / wired_gr
Since Napster exploded into the public consciousness when it was founded 12 years ago, the world of digital piracy has been associated with… Read more »
The ‘Lost’ Paradox: Why Some Free Shows On The Web Are So Heavily Pirated
Earlier this week, the popular BitTorrent news blog TorrentFreak published a list of the most pirated TV shows of 2010. The No. 1 most-pirat… Read more »
Skype: Down But Not Out
photo: Flickr / dominiekth
The internet telephony service Skype got a good deal out of the net neutrality vote earlier this week, with the FCC deciding that Skype and… Read more »
Warner Bros.’ Newest Consumer Segment: Pirates
photo: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Bros.)
Prosecuting the criminals that steal content is one way of fighting piracy. Over at Warner Bros. (NYSE: TWX), they’re adopting a more opport… Read more »
U.S. Government Seizes Websites, Treats File-Sharing As Criminal Matter
In a sign that the Obama Administration is taking a harder line on intellectual-property crimes, the government has seized dozens of web-dom… Read more »
Pirate Bay Co-Founders Lose Appeal
photo: xm7
The Pirate Bay’s co-founders today lost their appeal against convictions for encouraging illegal filesharing, and have had their collective… Read more »
It’s The Year Of The 7,000-Defendant Copyright Lawsuit
photo: flickr / brent_nashville
In the past several months, tens of thousands of “John Doe” defendants have been sued for copyright infringement in federal courts. It’s an… Read more »
The Court Docket 11.2.10
photo: Corbis / Tetra
Some interesting legal tidbits for the day:
» The sharing of data through referral URLs — where companies pass on more about t… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 10.27.10
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» If you want a white iPhone, better be patient. Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has experienced delays again and says the white version won’t… Read more »
The Pirate Bay’s Sale Drifts On
photo: Corbis / Jennifer Kennard
Looks like the sale saga of The Pirate Bay may not be over quite yet. The sale of the site’s domain and trademarks to Swedish software firm… Read more »
Broadband Content Bits: Virgin Media; Polish VOD; Italy’s P2P Traffic
– Virgin Media: After Telefonica suggested search engines pay ISPs for carrying their traffic, Virgin Media (NSDQ: VMED) speaks. “It’s a le… Read more »
Italy Tries Once More To Force ISPs To Block Pirate Bay
In what could become a significant case in content companies’ battle against piracy in Europe, Italy’s supreme court has ruled that ISPs in… Read more »
Aussie Court Rules ISP Merely A Conduit For Hollywood Piracy
A big setback Down Under for Hollywood studios: A federal judge in Australia has ruled that ISP iiNet is not liable for copyright infringeme… Read more »
Broadband Content Bits: Ofcom/BSkyB; SweTorrents; RuNet Rises; British Museum/BBC; Novello/Games
– Ofcom/BSkyB: Ofcom says a final decision on forcing Sky to cut wholesale channel prices will come in March. The board is due to meet this… Read more »
Spotify Talking To Oxford Uni To Restore Banned Service
It may be hyped as the saviour of the music business, but Spotify has just earned itself a similar kind of ban in academia that once trouble… Read more »
Music Biz Warns: Piracy Is Not Just About P2P
photo: AP Images
You could shut down all the P2P BitTorrent trackers in the world but web pirates would still find other ways to share files directly with ea… Read more »
Swedish Rightsholders Continue Anti-Piracy IPRED Offensive
It’s traditionally been the home of illegal file-sharing in Europe, but since the introduction of strong anti-piracy laws this year Sweden h… Read more »
Piracy Round-Up: Spain Prepares Piracy Law; Swedish P2P Tracker Wins Court Battle; Pirate Bay Sale?
– Spanish piracy bill: The Spanish government wants to introduce a piracy-busting law. As Torrentfreak and Elpais.com report, the New Susta… Read more »
Another One Bites The Dust: BitTorrent Giant Mininova Forced To Go Legal
It calls itself “the ultimate BitTorrent source”, but P2P tracker Mininova has now removed almost all links to copyrighted content after com… Read more »
Swedish Music Biz Says 80-Percent Rise In Digital Sales Shows Piracy Is Waning
Has the tide turned against bedroom P2P file-sharers in the music industry’s epic fight against piracy? The IFPI’s branch in Sweden — the h… Read more »
Games Developer RedLynx Pirates Own Games For Marketing Boost
Well, if you can’t beat ‘em… Finnish games developer RedLynx is releasing limited versions of its own games on the day of release to P2P f… Read more »
Another Study Finds Pirates Buy More Music, Spotify Too Pricey
Adults who download music from unofficial channels also spend £30 per year more on physical and digital music than people who don’t, accord… Read more »
After Running Aground, New Pirate Bay Acquisition Chatter Is Afloat
photo: xm7
Global Gaming Factory X (GGF)’s much-hyped and now defunct bid to buy BitTorrent tracker The Pirate Bay was a ship that never sailed. But mo… Read more »
Euro-MPs Give Up Demand For Court Hearing Before ISP Disconnection
The EU Parliament has controversially dropped plans to force ISPs and content owners across the continent to seek a court ruling before disc… Read more »
Skype Founders’ New Court Filings Include ‘Smoking Gun’ E-Mails From Ex Joost CEO
[With Staci D. Kramer] For weeks, Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis have claimed in legal filings and through representatives… Read more »
Pirate Bay Acquisition Deadline Passes; Still No Sale
photo: AP Images
There seems to be as much chance of Global Gaming Factory X buying the Mary Celeste as it buying The Pirate Bay. The company’s shaky, non-sp… Read more »
France Finally OKs Three-Strikes, Socialists Remain Opposed
photo: chs_paris
After embarrassing delays and a complete re-drafting, France’s Creation Et L’Internet anti-online piracy legislation has finally been passed… Read more »
Interview: NetResult CEO Christopher Stokes On Tackling Football TV Pirates
How many people watch illegal webcasts of English Premier League matches vie P2P sites? Often more than one million according to Christopher… Read more »
