Record Labels Rebuff U.S. Government in Landmark ISP Piracy Liability Showdown
A group of major record labels has fired back at an amicus brief from the U.S. Solicitor General, which urges the Supreme Court to accept Cox Communications' petition in a landmark piracy liability lawsuit. The labels characterize the Solicitor General's recommendation to back Cox's petition while denying their own as 'bewildering'. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-14 21:07:42 READMORE
France Escalates War on Sports Piracy with Real-Time IP Blocking
The French Senate has passed a new anti-piracy bill that opens the door to automated IP-address blocking. This legislative push is bolstered by a parallel, "secret" agreement between sports rightsholders and major ISPs, which aims to automate anti-piracy efforts and streamline direct blocking requests. Rightsholders hope these new powers will help to tackle the "mafia-like" piracy economy. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-14 00:07:50 READMORE
Piracy Giant Mangajikan’s “Website Closed” After 185m Visits in May Alone
Earlier this week, Japanese manga publisher Shueisha filed a DMCA subpoena application in the U.S., as it continues to pursue the operators of major pirate sites. At the very top of Shueisha's latest list is Mangajikan, a site that appears to have received 185 million visitors in May alone. In Japan, that made Mangajikan more popular than Instagram, Facebook, and ChatGPT. But right now, on what used to be its front page, is a very clear message: Website Closed. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-13 15:47:19 READMORE
European ISPs Complain About ‘Disproportionate’ Pirate Site Blocking
Internet providers are increasingly tasked in the role of anti-piracy enforcers and instructed to block pirate websites and services. In Europe, court-ordered blockades are now commonplace, but ISPs are cautious when it comes to further expansion. In a recent submission to the EU Commission, EuroISPA, which represents over 3,300 ISPs, complains about "disproportionate" blocking measures, as recently seen in Italy, Spain and elsewhere. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-12 18:22:35 READMORE
Pirate Sites’ Takedown Compliance Beats YouTube, Facebook, TikTok
When platforms like Facebook and YouTube receive takedown notices from a reputable sender, Japan's CODA for example, the vast majority of requests are usually honored. Yet, the responses from obvious pirate sites and more legally ambiguous platforms couldn't be more varied. Some refuse to act, period. Others have compliance rates higher than Facebook, YouTube, or TikTok. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-11 20:54:30 READMORE
Pirate Site Visits Dip to 216 Billion a Year, But Manga Piracy is Booming
Fresh data for 2024 reveals that while overall pirate site traffic dipped to 216 billion visits, the landscape is shifting dramatically. Publishing piracy is booming, largely driven by an insatiable global demand for manga. In stark contrast, both music and film piracy have tanked. Despite these changes, the United States remains the top traffic source for pirate sites. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-10 20:10:29 READMORE
ICANN’s DNS Blocking Report Presents Three Key Recommendations
ICANN, the organization responsible for ensuring the stability of the internet's Domain Name System (DNS), has published advice for all entities involved in DNS blocking. Three key recommendations arrive as part of a comprehensive report from ICANN's Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) on the technical means of DNS blocking and its effects - both intended and unintended. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-10 05:33:55 READMORE
Grande Slams Labels’ “Egregious” Piracy Claims in Final Supreme Court Plea
Can internet service providers be held liable for pirating subscribers? This question is at the center of several federal lawsuits in the U.S. and could soon be taken on by the Supreme Court. This week, ISP Grande Communications urged the Court to accept its petition, characterizing an opposing call from music companies as an attempt to "blatantly rewrite the record." From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-09 17:03:49 READMORE
Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 06/09/2025
Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'Sinners' tops the chart, followed by 'The Accountant 2'. 'A Minecraft Movie' completes the top three. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-09 08:09:40 READMORE
Google Wins Copyright Claim Dismissal in Publishers’ Textbook Piracy Lawsuit
A lawsuit filed by educational publishers in 2024 accuses Google of profiting from textbook piracy. At the heart of the complaint are claims that Google's ‘systemic and pervasive advertising’ of infringing copies promotes pirated copies sold by third parties. In its recent motion to dismiss, Google argued that the publishers' vicarious liability claim fails to meet the legal standard. In an opinion and order handed down this week, the judge agreed - but not on everything. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-08 19:33:16 READMORE
Cloudflare Warns EU About Extensive Piracy Overblocking, Calls for Safeguards
American Internet infrastructure company Cloudflare is pushing back against increasing calls to broaden pirate site blocking in the EU. The company notes that since similar efforts in Spain and Italy have resulted in extensive collateral damage, there's a need for more transparency and constructive collaboration on the anti-piracy front. Cloudflare also wants rightsholders to pay for their overblocking mistakes. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-07 17:39:44 READMORE
Napster.com Faced ISP Piracy Blockade For “Massive Copyright Violations”
Twenty-six years ago this week, Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker launched Napster, a music sharing platform that disrupted a global industry. After being sued and declaring bankruptcy, today's Napster is a legal streaming brand. Yet, in a recent complaint, a royalty collection outfit accused Napster of "massive" copyright violations. The aim was to have the site's domain blocked by every ISP in Italy, effectively denying its ability to do business there. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-06 16:11:29 READMORE
Unveiled: New U.S. Anti-Piracy Bill ‘ACPA’ Proposes Alternative Site Blocking Path
Republican House Representative Darrell Issa is working on the introduction of the 'American Copyright Protection Act' (ACPA), a new bill that would enable copyright holders to request site blocking orders against foreign pirate sites. A discussion draft shows that the proposed framework has key differences compared to the FADPA bill introduced by Rep. Lofgren earlier this year. Both bills target DNS resolvers, however, which has several tech companies worried. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-05 19:15:36 READMORE
Operator of South Korea’s Largest Pirate Site Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison
Before its inevitable demise, NooNooTV [NunuTV] was believed to be the largest pirate site in South Korea. That in itself made the site's operator a prime target for enforcement. Despite spawning dozens of domains to avoid blocking, and reportedly moving servers from one 'safe' country to another, local authorities continued their investigation in collaboration with INTERPOL. At a court in South Korea last week, 'Person A' was sentenced to three years in prison. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-04 21:41:54 READMORE
MPA Backs Automated Pirate Site-Blocking, Sees Role for VPN and CDN Companies
The Motion Picture Association sees automated, real-time, and dynamic site blocking mechanisms as a key tool to fight online piracy. In response to an inquiry from the European Commission, reviewing its recommendation to combat live-streaming piracy, the MPA further notes that VPN companies and CDN providers should be actively involved. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-04 04:49:21 READMORE
Anti-Piracy Group BREIN Ramps Up IPTV Actions Under New Leadership
Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN has just posted its latest annual report, highlighting several key achievements. IPTV continues to be the largest threat to the audiovisual industry. In addition to shutting down dozens of operators, BREIN made criminal referrals that it expects to pay off this year. Google also lent a helping hand by banning adverts for 'IPTV' keyword searches. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-03 15:55:03 READMORE
Enders’ Piracy Report Blames Big Tech; That’s What Anti-Piracy Lobbyists Do
A new Enders Analysis report describes piracy of live sports and premium TV as "industrial scale theft" that costs companies such as Sky and the Premier League billions every year. The report calls out Amazon for selling legal Fire TV devices too cheaply, while Google and Microsoft receive criticism for lacking interest in DRM. These talking points show that Enders has its finger on the industry's pulse. Founded by a veteran anti-piracy lobbyist of more than 20 years, that's to be expected. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-02 21:13:07 READMORE
Record Labels and ISP Frontier Settle Piracy Liability Lawsuit
Several prominent record labels have settled their piracy liability lawsuit with Internet provider Frontier Communications. In a public notice, all parties agree to bear their own costs, but the details of the settlement agreement were not disclosed. The settlement arrives just weeks after a similar lawsuit filed by movie companies was settled ahead of trial. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-06-02 05:09:47 READMORE
IPTV Pirate Fights 25-30 Years Prison, “Facially Absurd” U.S. Govt Calculations
Five men found guilty of criminal copyright infringement in connection with pirate streaming site Jetflicks remain free after being convicted in 2024. In a sentencing memorandum filed at a Las Vegas court, counsel for group leader Kristopher Dallmann describes the government's loss calculations as "facially absurd" in a case featuring "an egregious incidence of the trial tax problem." The sentencing guideline range for Dallmann is an unprecedented 25 to 30 years. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Posted On:2025-05-31 21:37:28 READMORE