Music Piracy articles January 2012

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Education, Not SOPA, Best Weapon Against Web Piracy

However, Vice President of the Director’s Guild of America, and acclaimed director of Traffic (about the illegal drug trade), Steven Soderbergh, says (in an odd bit of trickle down theory for normally liberal Hollywood), it isn’t the movie stars who are suffering, it’s the supporting cast and crew. “As the margins of profit shrink, fewer projects get made, which means fewer people go to work,” Soderbergh told Leslie Stahl in a controversial 60 Minutes interview in 2009.

Forbes, 2012, January 31st | Language: EN | 2070 words

Megaupload Raid Energizes European Online Piracy Debate

In Spain for example, the most popular illegal download site SeriesYonkis.com was included in the indictment against Megaupload. It's also is among a most-wanted list of pages that will likely face closure when the Spanish government implements its new antipiracy legislation starting in March.

Billboard, 2012, January 31st | Language: EN | 1156 words

The Debate Over Anti-Piracy Laws

Central to the debate is the question of to what degree online protection for digital content needs to be beefed up. Media executive Danny Goldberg says that without new legal reforms, "we will be complicit in accelerating the trend of the last decade" and harming the ability of artists to get paid. But digital rights advocate Art Brodsky says that SOPA and PIPA are part of a long chain of anti-piracy laws, and that Congress should figure out the magnitude of illegal access and its relationship to economic harm before discussing new remedies.

Huffington Post, 2012, January 31st | Language: EN | 595 words

Megaupload users’ data may get zapped this week

Megaupload contracted outside companies to store the data, but company attorney Ira Rothken said Sunday that the government has frozen the company’s money. A letter filed in the case Friday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said Dulles-based Carpathia Hosting and Cogent Communications Group, which is based in the District, may begin deleting files Thursday.

Washington Post, 2012, January 31st | Language: EN | 366 words

Angry Birds: 'Piracy may not be a bad thing'

Piracy is not necessarily be the evil that the music industry professes it to be, and may actually be a way for business to attract more customers, so claims Rovio Mobile chief executive Mikael Hed.

Zdnet, 2012, January 31st | Language: EN | 505 words

Bestanden op MegaUpload.com donderdag wellicht 'verdwenen'

De bestanden van gebruikers van de filesharingwebsite MegaUpload.com worden mogelijk donderdag al verwijderd. Dat hebben Amerikaanse federale aanklagers maandag gezegd.

De Standaard, 2012, January 30th | Language: NL | 282 words

Dutch to go after ISPs that allow file sharing

The Netherlands plans to crack down on Internet service providers that allow access to file-sharing sites such as Pirate Bay, though it will not make it an offence for individuals to download from these sites. Wiebe Alkema, a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, told Reuters the law would be amended to reflect a recent court ruling, but would not criminalize the downloaders, as is the case in most European countries.

Reuters, 2012, January 30th | Language: EN | 673 words

Media groups propose anti-piracy 'code of practice' for UK search

Internet search engines that operate in the UK could stop publishing links to websites that are deemed to be substantially infringing copyright under plans proposed by groups representing rights-holders.

The Register, 2012, January 30th | Language: EN | 686 words

UK muziekindustrie: 'Google moet illegale sites uit zoekresultaten houden'

Ze verzoeken daartoe de zoekmachines vrijwillig een code te ondertekenen. Achterliggende gedachte is dat Google door advertenties massaal profiteert van piraterij, zoals de RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) vorige maand verwoordde.

Vpro, 2012, January 30th | Language: NL | 541 words

ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions

ACTA demands the criminalisation of 'commercial-scale' copyright infringement Each signatory (that has ratified ACTA at a national or union level, but let's take that as a given from now on) has to make "copyright or related rights piracy on a commercial scale" a civil and criminal offence. Now, remember that ACTA deals a lot with knock-off physical goods, but this applies to digital infringement too.

Zdnet, 2012, January 29th | Language: EN | 1788 words

MIDEM: U2 manager slams Google's anti-SOPA actions and piracy search listings

He acknowledged Google had "turned the political environment on its head in the last few weeks" by using "viral techniques that are now commonplace in Amercian politics". Google's use of its platform as a "lobbying device" meant that "not every person who ticked the [anti-SOPA] box understood the argument", he continued, claiming: "[SOPA] wasn’t really a debate - it was a demonstration."

Music Week, 2012, January 29th | Language: EN | 331 words

Dutch ISPs Refuse To Block The Pirate Bay

After internal discussions two large ISPs – KPN and T-Mobile – are now on record stating they will not honor BREIN’s request. This means that millions of Internet users in the Netherlands will still be able to access The Pirate Bay without having to go through proxies.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 29th | Language: EN | 465 words

Final Draft Of ACTA Watered Down, TPP Still Dangerous On IP Rules

The provision that proposed to criminally punish ordinary users (think college kid downloading music) with fines, jail time, seizure of computers, etc., was significantly scaled back as the negotiation process moved on and finally eliminated in the final text.

Forbes, 2012, January 28th | Language: EN | 1047 words

Beyond SOPA

But piracy by Web sites in countries like Russia and China, which offer high-quality bootleg copies of movies and music, is a real problem for the nation’s creative industries. And there is legislation that could curb the operation of rogue Web sites without threatening legitimate expression.

The New York Times, 2012, January 28th | Language: EN | 458 words

Music Business Tunes for Next Copyright Fight

The music business is actually in pretty decent shape. Much better shape, in terms of digital sales, than any other part of the entertainment business, according to execs at the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA), the industry's professional association, Washington lobbyist and apologist.

Pc World, 2012, January 28th | Language: EN | 1159 words

Google and Bing Searches Help Us Pirate Music?

As reported by The Guardian, the document pitches the government to impose stricter guidelines on Google to monitor these links by continuously reviewing key search words and to better screen mobile apps on Android smartphones to stop illegal sharing. The group is also asking the government to create a voluntary body that could remove copyright-infringing websites from search engine results on Google and its peers.

Mashable, 2012, January 28th | Language: EN | 435 words

EU: Nederlandse artiesten compenseren bij afschaffing kopieheffing

Eurocommissaris van Interne Markt Michel Barnier bevestigt "dat de voorgestelde Nederlandse afschaffing van de compensatie voor het kopiëren voor privégebruik kan indruisen tegen Richtlijn 2001/29/EG als niet in een alternatief systeem wordt voorzien om te garanderen dat de rechthebbenden een billijke compensatie ontvangen."

Tweakers.net, 2012, January 28th | Language: NL | 354 words

De geheimzinnigheid rond ACTA verklaard

Het anti-piraterijverdrag ACTA kenmerkt zich door een wolk van geheimzinnigheid, achterkamertjespolitiek en een dikke vinger van de Amerikaanse filmindustrie. Waarom ACTA verder gaat dan SOPA en PIPA.

Webwereld, 2012, January 28th | Language: NL | 1098 words

Did the music industry set-up Megaupload to be shut down?

By ending the operation, authorities have also pulled the plug on an endeavor that was scheduled to launch later this year that could have legitimately disrupted Hollywood by letting users download songs — and rewarding the artists with compensation unheard of in the industry.

RT, 2012, January 27th | Language: EN | 1104 words

Napster music download service to be relaunched in UK

Speaking at the launch of IFPI's Digital Music Report in London, president of Universal Music Group's global digital business sector Rob Wells said artists shouldn't be worried. He told delegates that their own research involving four groups had shown that record sales were not being affected negatively by streaming services.

Bbc, 2012, January 27th | Language: EN | 471 words

The Effect of Graduated Response Anti-Piracy Laws on Music Sales

The digital piracy is a significant problem for the creative industries. Still, while there have been many academic studies showing that piracy hurts sales, there have been far fewer studies analyzing the effectiveness of anti-piracy measures in reversing this effect. This study attempts to address this gap in the literature by analyzing how the HADOPI ―three strikes‖ law in France affected digital music sales on the iTunes music store.

Ibercrea, 2012, January 27th | Language: EN | 8008 words

'Thuis films downloaden is niet illegaal'

Goed nieuws voor wie thuis af en toe een filmpje downloadt. Volgens Patrick Van Eecke, professor media- en internetrecht aan de Universiteit van Antwerpen ben je in dat geval helemaal niet illegaal bezig. Je kan je immers steeds beroepen op het recht tot een thuiskopie. Althans, als je voldoet aan een paar voorwaarden.

De Standaard, 2012, January 27th | Language: NL | 422 words

Napster moet in Europa de aanval op Spotify openen

Napster moet in Europa de populaire muziekdienst Spotify naar de kroon gaan steken, te beginnen in het Verenigd Koninkrijk en Duitsland. Dat meldt de Britse krant The Guardian.

De Morgen, 2012, January 27th | Language: NL | 174 words

Acta protests break out as EU states sign up to treaty

The UK and 21 other European Union member states on Thursday signed an international copyright agreement treaty called Acta (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement), sparking more demonstrations by internet users who have protested for days both virtually and physically over fear it will lead to online censorship. (...) Acta also takes aim at the online piracy of movies and music; those opposed to it fear that it will also lead authorities to block content on the internet.

The Guardian, 2012, January 27th | Language: EN | 657 words

Ook T-Mobile blokkeert Pirate Bay niet

Na UPC heeft ook T-Mobile aan BREIN laten weten niet vrijwillig tot blokkade van The Pirate Bay over te gaan. De piraterijbestrijder ging met het vonnis in de zaak tegen Ziggo en XS4ALL langs de grote providers, maar die zien zich niet gebonden door de uitspraak.

Vpro, 2012, January 27th | Language: NL | 134 words

Spotify over kaap van 3 miljoen betalende leden

De online muziekdienst Spotify telt al ruim 3 miljoen betalende gebruikers. In 2 maanden tijd zijn er 500.000 abonnees bijgekomen. Daarnaast gebruiken nog eens 12 miljoen mensen de gratis versie van de dienst. Maar bij de artiesten is Spotify omstreden.

VRTnieuws.net - DeRedactie.be, 2012, January 27th | Language: NL | 277 words

The Norwegian Music-Streaming Experience Shows Why Tough Anti-Piracy Laws Are Unnecessary

Thomas Steen pointed out to us that the country with the highest proportion accessing music authorized streaming services is his native Norway, which is particularly noteworthy because Norway also has the least aggressive laws against illegal downloads in the region

Techdirt, 2012, January 26th | Language: EN | 115 words

Franse EU-rapporteur noemt ACTA 'poppenkast' en treedt af

De Franse politicus Kader Arif heeft zijn taak als ACTA-rapporteur in de commissie voor internationale handel neergelegd. De Europarlementariër heeft principiële bezwaren tegen het anti-piraterij verdrag, dat de komende maanden door het Europees Parlement beoordeeld moet worden.

Vpro, 2012, January 26th | Language: NL | 393 words

What's Behind Washington's About Face On Internet Piracy

The prospect that the Internet may be shifting from a narrowcast model to a broadcast model is shocking to some, particularly those who rely on the status quo. However, the open Internet was never much for loyalty, and ISPs, together with the world's largest copyright owners and media partners, may just have sufficient reason to be excited by the new world order in which the wild west days of the Internet's early beginnings are nearing their end.

Huffington Post, 2012, January 26th | Language: EN | 889 words

Website Europees Parlement opnieuw slachtoffer van aanval

Het parlement wijst met een beschuldigende vinger naar de groeiende tegenstand tegen het internationaal ACTA-handelsverdrag over de handhaving van intellectueel eigendomsrecht.

De Morgen, 2012, January 26th | Language: NL | 129 words

Nederlandse Megaupload-verdachte vrij op borg

De 29-jarige Nederlander die vorige week in Nieuw-Zeeland werd opgepakt op verdenking van internetpiraterij, is door de rechter op borgtocht vrijgelaten. Dat geldt ook voor een 38-jarige Duitse collega van hem.(...) De verdachten houden zelf vol dat zij onschuldig zijn. Zij stellen dat Megaupload zijn klanten slechts online opslagruimte ter beschikking stelt.

De Morgen, 2012, January 26th | Language: NL | 174 words

Rhapsody takes battle to Spotify by buying Napster's European operation

The US service, which has only been available to American customers for the past 11 years, has reached a deal to acquire Napster International's subscription music business. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, will see Rhapsody launch in the UK and Germany under the Napster brand name and take the fight to the increasingly popular Spotify.

The Guardian, 2012, January 26th | Language: EN | 393 words

In Many Cases, More Than 80% of an Artist's Search Results are Still Infringing...

Why raid MegaUpload, block the Pirate Bay, and endlessly pressure Grooveshark? Isn't Google - which is oftentimes getting licensed by the majors - the biggest problem of them all?

Music Week, 2012, January 25th | Language: EN | 260 words

Legaal downloaden, we doen het toch

Anno 2012 lijkt de muziekindustrie formules gevonden die aanslaan bij de digitale muziekliefhebber. Het populairst zijn de mp3’tjes zonder kopieerbeveiliging die je in ruim gesorteerde muziekwinkels koopt – Apple domineert die markt met de iTunes Store.

Nrc Handelsblad, 2012, January 25th | Language: NL | 652 words

Internationaal congres over auteursrecht

Staatssecretaris Teeven van Veiligheid en Justitie organiseert op 10 februari 2012 in het Vredespaleis in Den Haag een congres met als thema ‘Towards flexible copyright?’. Gezaghebbende sprekers uit binnen- en buitenland delen daar hun opvattingen over het auteursrecht en hoe dat beter kan aansluiten bij technologische ontwikkelingen.

Rijksoverheid, 2012, January 25th | Language: NL | 172 words

Hostingprovider XS Networks zwicht voor juridische druk Brein

De Nederlandse hostingprovider XS Networks stopt per 1 februari met haar diensten, meldt Entertainment Business. Het nieuws volgt een dag nadat Brein de hostingprovider in een bodemprocedure dagvaardde voor 'het hosten van de illegale website Sumotorrent'. Brein zegt dat de rechtzaak wel doorgaat. Volgens de piraterijbestrijder is XS Networks "de laatste Nederlandse hosting provider die weigert klinkklare piratensites af te sluiten".

Vpro, 2012, January 25th | Language: NL | 517 words

Sabam eist fikse schadevergoeding van Harelbekenaar die muziek en films illegaal downloadde

De man zette voor de releasedatum een link naar de nieuwe cd van de Kaiser Chiefs. Sabam vraagt een schadevergoeding van tienduizenden euro’s. De beschuldigde geeft de feiten toe. “Mijn cliënt was niet uit op winstbejag. Bij de beoordeling moet rekening worden gehouden met het economische onevenwicht tussen de multinational en een gewone arbeider”, aldus meester Jan Leysen.

Knack, 2012, January 25th | Language: NL | 347 words

Digital music clicking as buyers ditch illegal downloads

The chief executive of the Australian Recording Industry Association, Dan Rosen, took a similar positive line to the international federation, focusing on the 70 per cent who were buying legally. ''The trend would be similar in Australia that digital consumption continues to grow and more music fans are getting their music [legally] digitally, which is positive,'' he said.

Sydney Morning Herald, 2012, January 25th | Language: EN | 516 words

Half of Scandinavian Music Streamers Say They Stop Illegal Downloading

Not since the halcyon days of Abba has Sweden had such an important place in the world of music. It is the birthplace of both that flagship of file sharing, The Pirate Bay, and Spotify which has become synonymous with music streaming.

Wall Street Journal, 2012, January 25th | Language: EN | 262 words

Megaupload shutdown will increase legal downloads, predicts RIAA

The RIAA has released a statement on the closure of file-sharing website Megaupload and the charging of its operators “with a host of crimes”. In it, RIAA’s vice president of Strategic Data Analysis Joshua P. Friedlander points to the shutdown of P2P service Limewire in October 2010 and evidence to suggest renewed business for legitimate download services as a result.

Music Week, 2012, January 25th | Language: EN | 574 words

Mag ik The Pirate Bay mirroren?

Het vonnis bepaalt dat de twee providers “The Pirate Bay” moeten blokkeren, en vanwege die Belgische grapjassen die gauw “depiraatbaai.be” registreerden om onder een vergelijkbaar Belgisch vonnis uit te komen, staat erbij dat Brein ook nieuwe IP-adressen en domeinnamen mag aanleveren als deze door “(de website van) The Pirate Bay” gebruikt worden.

Ius Mentis, 2012, January 25th | Language: NL | 341 words

Megaboned? Long odds against legal success, say law profs

Of course, defendants are innocent until proven guilty. Dotcom and his co-defendants may still avoid extradition to the United States, and if they come to the US they'll have an opportunity to dispute the government's evidence or to argue that their actions were not, in fact, against the law. Indeed, Megaupload has long claimed that its purported compliance with the DMCA's notice-and-takedown requirements means that the site is immune from liability under US copyright law.

Ars Technica, 2012, January 24th | Language: EN | 1495 words

Obama Tackles Piracy, Startups in State of the Union

"It's not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated," Obama said. The new enforcement bureau, he said, will be "charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders."

Pc Magazine, 2012, January 24th | Language: EN | 445 words

Global music group isn't backing down on piracy

"You cannot play down the significance of piracy," Universal Music Global Digital Business President Rob Wells said in the IFPI report. "Spain, which should be the powerhouse of repertoire for Latin America and the U.S. Latin market, is effectively a dead market. Yet in South Korea, where we have new anti-piracy laws, the market is surging and now spreading its repertoire far beyond its own borders."

Cnet, 2012, January 24th | Language: EN | 804 words

Wereldwijde digitale muziekmarkt in de lift

De wereldwijde digitale muziekmarkt is in 2011 harder gegroeid dan ooit tevoren, terwijl in sommige landen grote vooruitgang werd geboekt in het bestrijden van online piraterij. Dat zijn de belangrijkste conclusies uit het vandaag verschenen ‘Digital Music Report 2012’ van IFPI, de internationale branchevereniging van muziekmaatschappijen.

Buma/Stemra, 2012, January 24th | Language: NL | 374 words

KPN weigert blokkade The Pirate Bay

"We hebben een verzoek voor een blokkade ontvangen", zegt Simona Petescu, woordvoerster van KPN tegen Tweakers. "Maar daar geven we geen gehoor aan." De dochter van KPN, Xs4all, moet van de rechter The Pirate Bay blokkeren. "Het zou een beetje raar zijn als wij voldoen aan een blokkadeverzoek terwijl onze dochter dat niet wilde doen", stelt Petescu. Ook UPC en T-Mobile hebben een dergelijk verzoek van BREIN gekregen, meldde Webwereld eerder vandaag. Of zij de beruchte downloadsite blokkeren, willen ze niet zeggen.

Vpro, 2012, January 24th | Language: NL | 194 words

Anonymous gaat Facebook niet aanvallen

"Waarom zouden we een site neerhalen die ons helpt onze boodschap te verspreiden klonk het toen."

De Standaard, 2012, January 24th | Language: NL | 250 words

Megaupload shutdown unlikely to deter piracy

The crackdown on file-sharing site Megaupload is expected to do little to reduce overall piracy of music, software and Hollywood movies, while potentially stifling emerging means of distributing content online.

Reuters, 2012, January 24th | Language: EN | 883 words

Meganomics: The Future of “Follow-the-Money” Copyright Enforcement

Even most opponents of SOPA/PIPA maintain a common front on this issue: the foreign thief must be stopped. Chris Dodd is right about this: the only public debate is about how.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 24th | Language: EN | 3291 words

Music industry attacks delays on piracy law

The UK's "slow progress" in tackling piracy been has called "disappointing" in a music industry report. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) says delays to the Digital Economy Act mean levels of piracy are still high. It says the UK lags behind France, where anti-piracy laws have apparently led to a 26% drop in illegal downloads.

Bbc, 2012, January 23rd | Language: EN | 899 words

Cyberlockers voor dummies: wie zijn de concurrenten van Megaupload?

Na de overwinning op usenetplatform FTD begin 2011 liet ook Tim Kuik (Brein) weten stappen tegen bepaalde cyberlockers te overwegen. De juridische capaciteit ontbrak de piraterijbestrijder tot nu toe. File hosters verdienen niet alleen geld met reclame, maar vaak ook met premium accounts.

Vpro, 2012, January 23rd | Language: NL | 1563 words

Pirate Bay-blokkade gaat 1 februari in

De blokkade van The Pirate Bay door providers XS4All en Ziggo gaat uiterlijk 1 februari in. De twee providers bouwen nu elk een filter. Het vonnis van de rechter is officieel betekend. Het is afgelopen woensdag door de deurwaarder bezorgd bij XS4All en eind vorige week bij Ziggo. De twee internetproviders hebben 10 werkdagen de tijd om de blokkade op te zetten.

Webwereld, 2012, January 23rd | Language: NL | 673 words

Kunnen we internetpiraterij nog tegenhouden?

Ook de 'Belgian Anti-Piracy Federation' daagt torrentwebsite The Pirate Bay voor de rechter. De strijd tegen illegaal downloaden wordt dus duidelijk opgevoerd. Maar valt die oorlog tegen de piraterij van muziek, films en tv-series nog wel te winnen?

Radio 1, 2012, January 23rd | Language: NL | 161 words

Anonymous blijft overheid en Hollywoodindustrie aanvallen

Het hele weekend en ook vandaag nog heeft hackerscollectief Anonymous de websites van overheden, muziek- en filmindustrie aangevallen.

De Morgen, 2012, January 23rd | Language: NL | 231 words

IFPI publishes Digital Music Report 2012

With rapid expansion into new markets by services such as iTunes, Spotify and Deezer, the major international digital music services are now present in 58 countries, compared to only 23 at the start of 2011. Consumers are benefitting from a widening choice of services for experiencing digital music. In 2011, subscription services expanded and linked with new partners to reach new audiences. Meanwhile cloud technology is helping transform the way fans manage and store their music.

IFPI, 2012, January 23rd | Language: EN | 887 words

Megaupload boss says he's innocent, rival stops file-sharing

The founder of file-sharing website Megaupload was ordered to be held in custody by a New Zealand court on Monday, as he denied charges of internet piracy and money laundering and said authorities were trying to portray the blackest picture of him. (...) The shockwaves of the case appeared to be spreading among rival websites offering lucrative file-sharing. FileSonic, a website providing online data storage, said in a statement on its website that it had halted its file-sharing services.

Reuters, 2012, January 23rd | Language: EN | 1067 words

Online pirates understand the market better than their legal rivals

I'd heard about it even before I arrived at university. It was a campus legend; a system that allowed you to watch any television programme whenever you wanted, with just the click of a button. All you needed was a connection to the campus computer network, and you were in. It was, of course, totally illegal, a large-scale file sharing service dreamt up by an opportunistic computer geek. The university shut it down sporadically, but within days it would rise again, Lazarus like.

Telegraph, 2012, January 23rd | Language: EN | 783 words

Internet mogul Kim Dotcom denies internet piracy in New Zealand court

Kim Dotcom, the internet mogul accused by the FBI of earning $175m (£112m) in illegal profits through file-sharing site Megaupload.com, has denied internet piracy in a New Zealand court. A judge in North Shore declined to release the German national on bail after prosecutors argued the 38-year old, also known as Kim Schmitz, was a flight risk "at the extreme end of the scale" because it was believed he had access to funds, had multiple identities and had a history of fleeing criminal charges.

The Guardian, 2012, January 23rd | Language: EN | 646 words

Piracy is part of the digital ecosystem

"I'm Frederic, and I've been downloading for several years. I started with the seven seasons of The West Wing, and I keep downloading at a sustained rate. Worse, my kids inherited my reprehensible habit and I failed to curb their bad behavior. Even worse, I harbour no intent to give up since I refuse to wait until next year to see a dubbed version of Damages on a French TV network ... I can't stand Glenn Close speaking French, you see ..."

The Guardian, 2012, January 23rd | Language: EN | 1280 words

Meer MegaUpload arrestaties, ook in Nederland

Ook de Nederlandse programmeur van de uploadsite Bram van der Kolk zit voorlopig vast in Nieuw-Zeeland. Hij zou voor 2,5% eigenaar zijn van Megaupload en met de site vele miljoenen verdiend hebben. Volgens de aanklacht in kalenderjaar 2010 2 miljoen dollar. Van der Kolk is volgens diezelfde aanklacht de programmeur van de site en verantwoordelijk voor het verwerken van DMCA take-down notices, oftewel klachten over auteursrechtenschendingen.

Vpro, 2012, January 23rd | Language: NL | 653 words

One in four web users 'are music pirates'

Despite the growth in popularity and availability of legal digital music services, such as Spotify, in 2011, piracy is still rife, with 28pc of internet users using music pirate sites every month. The annual digital music report published by the IFPI complied the data and said the abundance of people still accessing music illegally, was “jeopardising investment in music” and “rigging the market for legitimate music services”.

Irish Times, 2012, January 23rd | Language: EN | 310 words

Megaupload: Pirate pal, but copyright owners' nightmare

The website Megaupload.com, which was shut down by US authorities over copyright violations, is among the world's most popular filesharing and streaming websites with a reported 50 million users a day.

New Zealand Herald, 2012, January 22nd | Language: EN | 348 words

It’s Time To Go On The Offensive For Freedom Of Speech

So, to summarize, the copyright industry has put itself in a position where they get insane amounts of money for doing absolutely nothing, and use that money to buy laws that give them even more money and restrict our freedoms of speech. That is not just unacceptable. That is repulsive.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 22nd | Language: EN | 1181 words

Two lessons from the Megaupload seizure

Simply uttering the word Terrorist, without proving it, is sufficient. And now here is Megaupload being completely destroyed — its website shuttered, its assets seized, ongoing business rendered impossible — based solely on the unproven accusation of Piracy.

Salon, 2012, January 21st | Language: EN | 1278 words

MegaUpload neemt bekende advocaat in de arm

De vier in Nieuw-Zeeland opgepakte medewerkers van MegaUpload, waaronder oprichter Kim Dotcom en de Nederlander Bram van der K., blijven dit weekend in hechtenis en worden maandag voorgeleid voor de rechter. Dan zal beslist worden of de vier op borgtocht vrijgelaten worden. De Amerikaanse autoriteiten willen dit voorkomen. De politie in Nieuw-Zeeland heeft het onderzoek in de luxueuze Dotcom Mansion, waar MegaUpload gevestigd was, afgerond en heeft meer details gegeven over de inval van donderdag.

Tweakers.net, 2012, January 21st | Language: NL | 417 words

Give me a crash course in . . . internet piracy

But surely illegal downloading is wrong and everyone should be opposed to it? Illegal downloading causes job losses and is destroying the music and film worlds, but the reason media companies, such as Google, are opposed to Sopa is that they believe they should not be held responsible for information they carry, given that they cannot monitor every posting.

Irish Times, 2012, January 21st | Language: EN | 426 words

France claims its attempts to stop 'piracy' are a success

A report due to be published by IFPI next week will suggest that Hadopi is a success that has contributed to a 22.5 per cent increase in purchases from Apple's Itunes.

Inquirer, 2012, January 20th | Language: EN | 236 words

Hollywood threatens to withdraw funding for Barack Obama over SOPA

Senior figures in Hollywood have suggested funding for President Barack Obama's re-election effort could be cut after the White House distanced itself from controversial proposed antipiracy legislation.

Telegraph, 2012, January 20th | Language: EN | 604 words

CHEVELLE Frontman Says Illegal Downloading Has Its Good Side

Loeffler explained, "I guess I don't like the fact that it is in our human nature to steal things like music, and I wish we could change that. But one good thing that has happened is that there was a change that needed to be made as artists have always been taken advantage of . . . where now if you can, you can start on your own and do it on your own and that is a good thing for artists.

Blabbermouth (Roadrunnerrecords), 2012, January 20th | Language: EN | 321 words

Is Clicking A Link A Crime? Anonymous Attack On DOJ Tricked Internet Users Into Participating

But not everyone who helped with the attack was a willing participant. Many Internet users may have inadvertently contributed to the so-called "denial of service attack," which floods a website with traffic until it crashes, simply by clicking on a malicious link that circulated widely on Twitter, experts said.

Huffington Post, 2012, January 20th | Language: EN | 779 words

RapidShare "not concerned" about Megaupload takedown

While customers of Megaupload, both legitimate and otherwise, try to figure out where to turn next, other file sharing companies are ready to step up to fill in the gaps—at least for legal uses. And RapidShare, the next largest "digital locker" service, claims to be unconcerned about the MegaUpload case's precedent. But the case could have a broad impact on companies that offer storage as part of their services, depending on the outcome.

Ars Technica, 2012, January 20th | Language: EN | 678 words

Facebook ‘Relieved’ That SOPA Is Dead

Although Facebook didn’t go dark for SOPA, the company has expressed its opposition to the bill. On Wednesday, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg expanded on his thoughts, calling the legislation “poorly thought out.”

Mashable, 2012, January 20th | Language: EN | 220 words

VIDEO. SOPA en PIPA in twee woorden uitgelegd

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo. De SOPA- en PIPA-wetsvoorstellen zorgen voor veel controverse in de VS. Dit filmpje legt u uit waar het over gaat.

De Standaard, 2012, January 20th | Language: NL | 115 words

Ook Europa spreekt zich uit tegen SOPA-wetsvoorstel

Neelie Kroes, eurocommissaris voor ICT-zaken en de Digitale Agenda, heeft zich expliciet uitgesproken tegen de Amerikaanse antipiraterijwet SOPA. Dat deed ze op Twitter.

De Morgen, 2012, January 20th | Language: NL | 212 words

Belgian Anti-piracy Federation: "Sluiting Megaupload is overwinning"

De sluiting van de filesharingwebsite Megaupload.com is een overwinning, maar er zijn nog veel alternatieven voor de site. Dat zegt Christophe Van Mechelen, directeur van de Belgian Anti-piracy Federation (BAF).

De Morgen, 2012, January 20th | Language: NL | 159 words

Stemming omstreden Amerikaanse wet uitgesteld

Harry Reid, de Democratische fractieleider in de Amerikaanse Senaat heeft een stemming over de Protect IP Act (PIPA), een omstreden antipiraterijwet, uitgesteld. Aanvankelijk zou de Amerikaanse Senaat er aanstaande dinsdag over stemmen, maar de wet stuitte wereldwijd op veel weerstand. De stemming voor het SOPA-wetsvoorstel werd eerder al uitgesteld.

De Morgen, 2012, January 20th | Language: NL | 231 words

Anonymous lanceerde grootste internetoorlog ooit

Op het hoogtepunt van de aanval genereerde Anonymous meer dan tien procent van het totale internetgebruik. Amerikaanse overheidswebsites en websites van bedrijven uit de muziekindustrie crashten door het grote aantal aanvragen. (...) MegaUpload was goed voor ongeveer 4 procent van het wereldwijde internetgebruik.

De Morgen, 2012, January 20th | Language: NL | 300 words

"Oprichter verdiende illegaal 100 miljoen aan Megaupload"

Op de site MegaUpload.com konden gebruikers games, films, muziek en andere digitale bestanden downloaden en uploaden. Een lidmaatschap of abonnement was niet nodig, maar betalende bezoekers kregen meer snelheid en capaciteit. Op die manier verdiende Megaupload volgens de FBI meer dan 110 miljoen dollar. Betalingen liepen via Paypal.

De Morgen, 2012, January 20th | Language: NL | 293 words

Hackersgroep Anonymous start wraakactie voor offline halen Megaupload

Het hackerscollectief viel al tal van Amerikaanse overheidssites en websites van muziek- en auteursrechtenverenigingen aan. Zo kwamen onder andere de websites van het Witte Huis, het Amerikaanse ministerie van Justitie, de FBI, de RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) en de MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) zwaar onder druk te staan.

De Standaard, 2012, January 20th | Language: NL | 249 words

Megaupload, pour en savoir plus

La justice américaine a donc réussi à réaliser l’impossible rêve de tous les producteurs d’Hollywood : fermer le site de partage de fichiers Megaupload et procéder à l’arrestation de ses dirigeants. La nouvelle a fait le tour du web hier soir et des médias ce matin, et vous êtes déjà tous au courant, bien sûr.

Presse-Citron, 2012, January 20th | Language: FR | 808 words

Anonymous goes nuclear; everybody loses?

Global Internet traffic is fluctuating between 13 percent and 14 percent above normal, and, as you can see from the above image, global network attacks were up 24 percent. Affected sites include the White House, the FBI, the Department of Justice, multiple record label sites, the MPAA, and RIAA, and the U.S. Copyright Office. The attacks were spawned by a large-scale indictment and the arrest of four people associated with a hosting and storage site called Megaupload, all accused of online piracy.

Cnet, 2012, January 19th | Language: EN | 494 words

MegaUpload offline na FBI-arrestaties, één Nederlander in cel: Anonymous haalt als wraak overheidssites neer

De aanklacht rept van ruim 500 miljoen dollar aan schade aan de film-, muziek- en gamesindustrie. NRC meldt dat een Nederlander zich onder de gearresteerden bevindt. De FBI-actie heeft een fikse respons bij hackersgroep Anonymous losgemaakt.

Vpro, 2012, January 19th | Language: NL | 592 words

What Megaupload founders stand to lose

A conviction against Kim Schmitz (or one of the other listed Megaupload associates) means that more than $175 million stashed away in 64 bank accounts around the world becomes U.S. government property.

Cnet, 2012, January 19th | Language: EN | 389 words

Nederlander opgepakt bij FBI-actie tegen MegaUpload

De autoriteiten in Nieuw-Zeeland zouden op verzoek van de FBI vier verdachten hebben opgepakt in Auckland, waaronder de stichter van MegaUpload en een Nederlander. Deze Bram van der K. of 'Bramos' zou verantwoordelijk zijn voor het programmeerwerk en de netwerkstructuur. Daarnaast zouden nog twee Duitsers opgepakt zijn. MegaUpload.com zelf is momenteel niet bereikbaar: het is aannemelijk dat de site permanent offline wordt gehaald.

Tweakers.net, 2012, January 19th | Language: NL | 514 words

Grooveshark stopt in Duitsland wegens hoge auteursafdracht

In een reactie heeft de GEMA, het Duitse equivalent van Buma-Stemra, aangegeven dat er geen sprake is van hoge afdrachten. Volgens de organisatie draagt Grooveshark helemaal geen geld af. Er zou ook geen contact geweest zijn tussen de auteursrechtenorganisatie en Grooveshark.

Tweakers.net, 2012, January 19th | Language: NL | 229 words

'Afpersende' Britse piraterijbestrijder geschorst

Piraterijbestrijder Andrew Crossley van het Britse advocatenkantoor ACS:Law is voor 2 jaar geschorst en moet ruim 76.000 pond betalen. Hij had dreigbrieven gestuurd aan downloaders.

Webwereld, 2012, January 19th | Language: NL | 209 words

WordPress-plugin ondergraaft Pirate Bay-blokkade

"Voor mensenrechtenverdedigers is dit een fantastische uitkomst", vertelt Europarlementariër Marietje Schaake tegen Webwerld. Voor de D66-politica klinkt het als een 'oplossing voor mensen die geconfronteerd worden met censuur en andere onderdrukking met technologie.'

Webwereld, 2012, January 19th | Language: NL | 751 words

SOPA: niet ons probleem (column)

Wereldwijd is er gisteren veel aandacht geweest voor SOPA, de dreigende anti-piraterijwet in Amerika. Maar volgens Arjen Kamphuis hoeven we ons daar helemaal niet druk over te maken.

Webwereld, 2012, January 19th | Language: NL | 853 words

Americans Won’t Welcome Web-Piracy Crackdown: Joe Karaganis

Are Americans ready for this escalating war on piracy? The truth is, they have rarely been asked. My team at The American Assembly, a public-policy institute based at Columbia University, set out to correct that. In August, we commissioned a random phone survey of 2,303 Americans, ages 18 and older, to find out.

Bloomberg News, 2012, January 19th | Language: EN | 981 words

Hackers Target Sony for Anti-Piracy Bill Support, Website Says

Anonymous, the group behind attacks on corporate and government sites, plans to attack Tokyo-based Sony’s main website on Jan. 23, letting visitors to the page download copyright-protected music and videos, according to SCMagazine.com, the Australian edition of a security website.

Business Week, 2012, January 19th | Language: EN | 304 words

Boekenverkoop daalt, online verkoop verdubbelt

De verkoop van e-boeken in Vlaanderen en Nederland samen is vorig jaar verdubbeld, maar in omzet vertegenwoordigen ze wel nog maar 1,3 procent van de markt. Er werden 10.717 e-boeken gedownload, goed voor een omzet van 7,6 miljoen euro. Ruim 87 procent van de verkochte e-boeken is fictie.

De Morgen, 2012, January 19th | Language: NL | 322 words

SOPA, PIPA and South Park: How Stars Were Doomed to a Life of Semi-Luxury

The fans of the hugely popular series, which will be on air again only in March, may be waiting for a hilarious episode ripping apart the bills.

International Business Times, 2012, January 19th | Language: EN | 380 words

Top Senate Republican wants Web bill shelved

The top Senate Republican urged Democrats on Thursday to set aside a bill aimed at stopping online piracy of movies and music, dealing yet another blow to controversial legislation that has pitted Hollywood against tech companies.

Reuters, 2012, January 19th | Language: EN | 325 words

FBI Charges Seven With Online Piracy

The Federal Bureau of Investigation moved against a group of suspected online pirates Thursday, targeting the popular file-sharing website megaupload.com a day after Washington lawmakers were besieged by complaints about legislation designed to crack down on the online sharing of pirated copies of music, movies and other material, people familiar with the matter said.

Wall Street Journal, 2012, January 19th | Language: EN | 174 words

165 French File-Sharers Now On 3rd Strike, “iTunes Up 22.5%”

The French authority responsible for administering the country’s anti-filesharing operations reports that it has now sent out more than 736,000 “first strike” and 62,000 “second strike” infringement warnings, with a total of 165 Internet account holders now on their third and final strike. Meanwhile, a report set to be published by IFPI next week will suggest that Hadopi is a success that has contributed to a 22.5% increase in purchases from iTunes.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 19th | Language: EN | 441 words

Belgische BREIN eist blokkade depiraatbaai.be

De Belgische rechter oordeelde, anders dan in Nederland, dat een ip-blokkade en een uitbreidbare blokkadelijst buitenproportioneel zijn. Een ip-blokkade heeft "ongewenste effecten voor derden", zo constateerde het Antwerpse Hof, zoals het blokkeren van legitieme informatie. Dat risico is met "ip-blocking dus groter dan met DNS-blocking", vond de rechter.

Webwereld, 2012, January 18th | Language: NL | 351 words

BAF wil depiraatbaai.be weg

Directeur Christophe Van Mechelen ontkent dat BAF werkt aan een nieuwe rechtszaak tegen Belgacom en Telenet, maar niets wordt uitgesloten. Wel heeft BAF aan DNS.be, de beheerder van de Belgische .be-domeinen, gevraagd om depiraatbaai.be weg te halen.

Zdnet, 2012, January 18th | Language: NL | 239 words

Sopa en pipa: een zwarte dag voor het internet

Op dit moment moeten Amerikaanse bedrijven zich aan de digital millennium copyright act houden. Die wet biedt onder meer bescherming aan contentproviders, die onder voorwaarden niet voor schending van auteursrechten door hun gebruikers aansprakelijk kunnen worden gehouden.(...) Het probleem dat auteursrechthouders met de dmca hebben, is dat de wet leunt op de medewerking van contentproviders. Nu is dat bij websites die in de Verenigde Staten zijn gevestigd, geen probleem: die zijn immers verplicht om mee te werken. Bij buitenlandse partijen ligt dat lastiger. Als ze geen gehoor geven aan notice-and-takedown-verzoeken, is een kostbare gang naar de rechter nodig om ze te dwingen.

Tweakers.net, 2012, January 18th | Language: NL | 2623 words

Forget pirates, the film industry has plundered itself

"Understand more than all allege! Google great company doing many exciting things. Only one complaint, and it's important. "Just been to google search for mission impossible. Wow, several sites offering free links. I rest my case."

Abc News Online (au), 2012, January 18th | Language: EN | 2544 words

Internet op zwart tegen Amerikaanse wetsvoorstellen

Dit soort botte-bijlmaatregelen blokkeren veel te veel informatie: ook informatie die volstrekt legaal is. Zo zijn laatst 84.000 websites onterecht verwijderd doordat het Amerikaanse OM de domeinnaam moooo.com in beslag nam. Bovendien zou de integriteit van het internet hiermee in gevaar komen: het domeinnaamsysteem zou op losse schroeven komen te staan en veilige domeinnaamalternatieven zouden in de kiem worden gesmoord.

Bits Of Freedom, 2012, January 18th | Language: NL | 528 words

How much is music worth? In the week that the Stop Online Piracy Act hits the headlines Ben Watt interviews Robert Levine, author of 'Free Ride'.

Is recorded music really worth peanuts? Is this the same for any creative work that can be digitally copied? Should anyone be allowed to pass it around and make any money they can from it without asking permission? Who benefits?

Buzzin' Fly, 2012, January 18th | Language: EN | 5366 words

Brein haalt domeinnamen van lijst Pirate Bay-blokkade

Volgens Brein-directeur Tim Kuik verwees Suprnova.com enige tijd geleden wel door naar The Pirate Bay en is dat de reden dat de domeinnaam van de rechtbank moest worden geblokkeerd. Stichting Brein kan de lijst met te blokkeren sites aanvullen, maar mag deze ook weer van de lijst verwijderen als ze niet meer naar The Pirate Bay verwijzen.

Tweakers.net, 2012, January 17th | Language: NL | 292 words

iTunes Match: verboden voor illegaal gedownloade muziek

Vlak voor de lancering heeft Apple een belangrijke aanpassing gedaan in de voorwaarden van de dienst: de gebruiker verklaart 'de rechtmatige eigenaar van een legaal exemplaar' te zijn. Dat meldt Webwereld. Een opmerkelijke aanpassing, die een direct antwoord is op de grootste kritiek op iTunes Match. Het zou een ideale manier zijn om bestanden van piratenwebsites in te ruilen voor officiële bestanden.

Vpro, 2012, January 17th | Language: NL | 275 words

Apple verbiedt illegale muziek in iTunes Match

Apple wijzigt nu op het laatste moment zijn voorwaarden. Gebruikers mogen voortaan alleen legaal verkregen muziek uploaden naar Apple. Met illegale content stelt de gebruiker zich bloot aan burgerrechterlijke en strafrechterlijke sancties, vermelden de voorwaarden.

Webwereld, 2012, January 17th | Language: NL | 352 words

Combating Online Piracy while Protecting an Open and Innovative Internet

While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.

The White House, 2012, January 17th | Language: EN | 912 words

Wikipedia 24 uur op zwart vanwege SOPA

Open source encyclopedie Wikipedia gaat een dag lang op zwart. Vanaf woensdag 18 januari vanaf 6:00 uur 's ochtends is de site 24 uur niet beschikbaar uit protest tegen de Amerikaanse anti-piraterijwet SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) en het daaraan gerelateerde PIPA (Protect IP).

Vpro, 2012, January 17th | Language: NL | 382 words

The Pirate Bay: PIPA/SOPA Won’t Stop Us!

As it turns out, the people behind the popular torrent site don’t believe the laws will do much to stop them, but they do fear for the future of the Internet. The Pirate Bay is no stranger to being censored. Finland, Denmark and Italy are just a few of the many countries where ISPs have been ordered to make the website inaccessible to their users.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 17th | Language: EN | 747 words

Obama Admin. Declares War on SOPA; SOPA Author Caught Stealing Work

While U.S. President Barack Obama and his advisors haven't always seen eye to eye with digital freedom advocates, they have joined forces with the advocacies on one critical issue. They are at last speaking out against the proposed Orwellian "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) (H.R. 3261) and its Senate counterpart the "PROTECT IP Act" (PIPA) (S.968).

Daily Tech, 2012, January 16th | Language: EN | 1686 words

What does Google's piracy 'nonsense' and an extradited student have in common?

‘Modest steps’ have been made according to the [IFPI] report, but this is not enough to placate the entertainment industry. As both the IFPI report and Murdoch insinuated, by directing results, search engines are earning revenue from sponsored advertising.

Zdnet, 2012, January 16th | Language: EN | 912 words

The Pirate Bay Launches Promo Platform For Artists

Today the largest torrent site on the Internet rolled out a new promotion platform for filmmakers, musicians, writers and all other artists alike. To help them reach an audience of tens of millions of people, The Pirate Bay is offering the artists a prime advertising spot on the site’s homepage, replacing the iconic logo.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 16th | Language: EN | 484 words

SOPA bins DNS blocking after White House wades in

Copyright enforcer Victoria Espinel, Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra and Obama's cyber-security co-ordinator Howard Schmidt expressed the view that: We must avoid creating new cyber-security risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet.

The Register, 2012, January 16th | Language: EN | 419 words

Voor zesde jaar op rij stijging Nederlandse muziekexport

De waarde die de Nederlandse muziekexport toevoegt aan de Nederlandse economie bedraagt in 2010 naar schatting € 81,44 miljoen. Rond 64 procent daarvan komt voor rekening van de dance-muziek. Het bedrag van € 81,44 miljoen verwijst naar de opbrengsten van de exploitatie van Nederlandse muziek in het buitenland na aftrek van gemaakte kosten maar inclusief salarissen, winst en belasting.

Buma/Stemra, 2012, January 16th | Language: NL | 397 words

Rupert Murdoch turns to Twitter to attack Obama

Murdoch, whose media empire includes Fox TV, The Wall Street Journal, Fox Studios and the Sun newspaper in Britain, continued with several tweets, attacking Google as the "Piracy leader" for streaming movies free. In later tweets he called Google a "great company." Google said it did not appreciate Murdoch's comment even after he back-pedaled with a compliment.

Reuters, 2012, January 15th | Language: EN | 556 words

Does Piracy Cause Economic Harm? How To Think About Economic Frontiers

As Mr. O’Reilly points out, if we really want to prevent economic harm, a far better way would be to enact patent reform. Patent trolls aren’t the only problem with patent law, either. The entire concept of patents came about before the information age and needs to be brought up to speed.

Forbes, 2012, January 15th | Language: EN | 951 words

Google Is The Piracy Leader, Says Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch, media tycoon, founder and Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, is not happy with the White House’s response to the pending anti-piracy bills.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 15th | Language: EN | 82 words

MPAA: It's Time to Stop Obstruction on Anti-Piracy Legislation (Updated)

"We welcome the Administration's clear statement that legislation is needed to stop foreign based thieves from stealing the hard work and creativity of millions of American workers," the MPAA said, in a statement prepared by Michael O’Leary, Senior Executive Vice President for Global Policy and External Affairs for the MPAA.

Reuters, 2012, January 15th | Language: EN | 1066 words

Record company taking Government to court over music piracy legislation

EMI Ireland, whose profits last year were down 50 per cent on 2010, is adamant that record companies should have the right to seek court injunctions against ISPs that allow access to piracy websites. But Minister of State Sean Sherlock has defended the State's handling of the issue and said that a new legal framework was being finalised.

Irish Independent, 2012, January 15th | Language: EN | 416 words

Harassment directed at supporters of anti-piracy act

Members and supporters of the hacktivist group Anonymous have begun to harass the head of Time Warner for his company's support of anti-piracy bills in Congress, according to media reports.

Msnbc, 2012, January 14th | Language: EN | 709 words

A tale of two internets

Het bestaan van The Pirate Bay is niet de oorzaak, maar het gevolg van een probleem: dat van auteursrechtexploitanten die niet innovatief genoeg zijn geweest om hun producten wereldwijd gemakkelijk aan te bieden.

Nu, 2012, January 14th | Language: NL | 736 words

German courts are bucking the trend, ruling that ISPs shouldn’t block illegal websites

If we learned anything this week, it was that European courts are coming down increasingly hard on websites that facilitate the sharing of illegal ‘pirated’ content. But for those that believe in an open, uncensored Internet, news that a German court has ruled against ordering Internet service providers (ISPs) to block such websites will be welcomed.

The Next Web, 2012, January 14th | Language: EN | 373 words

Momentum shift: SOPA, PIPA opponents now in driver's seat

After it was learned that a vote on SOPA might get held up in the House, supporters of stronger antipiracy legislation suffered an even bigger blow when the White House, which has been a strong ally of the entertainment sector on antipiracy issues, went public with concerns about some of the linchpin provisions in SOPA and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

Cnet, 2012, January 14th | Language: EN | 1065 words

DNS provision pulled from SOPA, victory for opponents

"After consultation with industry groups across the country," Smith said in a statement released by his office, "I feel we should remove DNS-blocking from the Stop Online Piracy Act so that the [U.S. House Judiciary] Committee can further examine the issues surrounding this provision. "We will continue to look for ways," Smith continued, "to ensure that foreign Web sites cannot sell and distribute illegal content to U.S. consumers."

Cnet, 2012, January 14th | Language: EN | 810 words

White House casts doubt over anti-piracy legislation

In a blog posting, three advisers to President Barack Obama said they believed the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and other bills could make businesses on the Internet vulnerable to litigation and harm legal activity and free speech.

Reuters, 2012, January 14th | Language: EN | 720 words

PVV wil blokkering The Pirate Bay voorkomen

De verontwaardiging van de PVV is opmerkelijk. In het debat over auteursrechten nam de partij een soortgelijk populistisch standpunt in, maar toen puntje bij paaltje kwam stemde de partij wel in met geheimhouding van het ACTA verdrag. In dat veelbesproken verdrag maken verschillende landen (waaronder veel Europese landen en Amerika) afspraken over de aanpak van piraterij. De precieze inhoud van die verdragen is nog niet bekend, maar feit is dat Amerika aandringt op strengere aanpak van illegale verspreiding van entertainmentproducten. De PVV was lange tijd tegen het verdrag, maar stemde uiteindelijk toch met CDA en VVD mee.

Vpro, 2012, January 14th | Language: NL | 475 words

RIAA Orders WhoisGuard to Identify Torrent Site Owner

The RIAA is continuing to put pressure on torrent sites. This week the music group went after the torrent indexer TorrentHound. The RIAA obtained a subpoena at the U.S. District Court of Columbia and has asked the whois privacy service WhoisGuard to hand over the IP-address, email and all other identifying information related to the account holder.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 14th | Language: EN | 463 words

UK student faces extradition to US after piracy case ruling

Richard O’Dwyer, a computer science student at Sheffield Hallam University who had never even left the North of England before his arrest, set up the TVShack.net website in 2007. It hosted no content, but linked to sites that showed world television programmes illegally - or enabled their download. The US government claims in June 2010 it was the 1779th most popular website in the world, and that O’Dwyer made over $230,000 from advertising revenues as a result.

The Register, 2012, January 13th | Language: EN | 477 words

'Come and copy our films' - French libraries

French librarians are calling on readers to copy borrowed books and DVDs to fight the clampdown on the illegal downloading. They say the French law allows people to copy works available in public libraries.

The Local (France), 2012, January 13th | Language: EN | 220 words

iTunes Match: What It Is and Why You Need It

In the end, Match is a nice convenience in an age where we have an increasing number of devices that require syncing. It is certainly a good step toward a future in which we no longer need white cables or USB sticks for transferring music between devices.

App Storm, 2012, January 13th | Language: EN | 1730 words

Brein is foute haatmails spuugzat

Wat op het eerste gezicht een grappige verwarring lijkt, is voor het bedrijf uit Haaksbergen een voortdurende ramp. De Nederlandse blokkering van The Pirate Bay zette kwaad bloed bij Anonymous. Helaas richt het hackerscollectief per vergissing zijn pijlen op Brein.nl van Brein BV en niet op Anti-piracy.nl van Stichting Brein.

Zdnet, 2012, January 13th | Language: NL | 393 words

New copyright laws to establish pan-European broadcast rights

In a communication to government ministers and the European Parliament on Wednesday (11 January), the commission said there is a need to review the existing copyright law and the implications of the so-called 'Premier League' ruling in early 2012.

Eu Observer, 2012, January 13th | Language: NL | 654 words

Fighting Antipiracy Measure, Activist Group Posts Personal Information of Media Executives

In protest of antipiracy legislation currently being considered by Congress, [anonymous] has posted online documents that reveal personal information about Jeffrey L. Bewkes, chairman and chief executive of Time Warner, and Sumner M. Redstone, who controls Viacom and the CBS Corporation.

The New York Times, 2012, January 13th | Language: EN | 1120 words

The Pirate Bay stopt met torrents

Bittorrentsoftware en trackers hebben lang vertrouwd op torrentbestanden. Verschillende soorten data, een URL van een trackerwebsite, namen van de gedeelde bestanden en hashcodes van bestanden: het werd allemaal opgeslagen in het torrentbestand. Al deze data werden gebruikt door de software om de gedeelde bestanden op te halen bij andere gebruikers en om er zeker van te zijn dat de gedownloade data kloppen. Dit systeem heeft enkele nadelen, waarvan het grootste de schijfruimte is die torrentwebsites nodig hebben om de torrentbestanden op te slaan. Hierdoor zijn ze kwetsbaar voor juridische dreigingen wanneer de gedeelde bestanden illegaal zijn, zelfs wanneer de websites geen illegale data op hun servers hebben.

Zdnet, 2012, January 13th | Language: NL | 565 words

Va. judge orders immediate imprisonment of convicted Internet pirate after she criticizes case

A judge has ordered the immediate imprisonment of a convicted Internet pirate after her online rants drew the ire of prosecutors.

Washington Post, 2012, January 12th | Language: EN | 175 words

Author of U.S. online piracy bill vows not to buckle

"It is amazing to me that the opponents apparently don't want to protect American consumers and businesses," Republican Representative Lamar Smith told Reuters in a telephone interview. "Are they somehow benefitting by directing customers to these foreign websites? Do they profit from selling advertising to these foreign websites? And if they do, they need to be stopped. And I don't mind taking that on."

Reuters, 2012, January 12th | Language: EN | 487 words

Ook Ziggo in hoger beroep tegen Pirate Bay-blokkade

"Ziggo is van mening dat een internetprovider niet de rol van politieagent opgedrongen mag krijgen", schrijft het bedrijf in een verklaring. Volgens de internetprovider is dat de taak van justitie. "Het vonnis zet bovendien de deur open voor verdere ongewenste ontwikkelingen, die een inperking van de internetvrijheid vormen", vervolgt Ziggo.

Tweakers.net, 2012, January 12th | Language: NL | 255 words

EMI Records launches action against State over anti-piracy order

The Government recently pledged to issue an order to allow copyright holders to compel internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to websites that they consider are engaged in piracy.

Irish Times, 2012, January 12th | Language: EN | 349 words

Brein vs. Pirate Bay: internet naar de haaien?

Op 25 januari moet de blokkade zijn doorgevoerd. Doen de providers dat niet, dan moeten ze een forse dwangsom betalen. Als de blokkade op woensdag 25 januari niet is doorgevoerd, moeten ze 10.000 euro per dag betalen, met een maximum van 250.000 euro. De kans is groot dat de providers zich daarom aan het vonnis houden en de site voor hun klanten blokkeren.

Tweakers.net, 2012, January 11th | Language: NL | 2573 words

Xs4all gaat in hoger beroep tegen Pirate Bay-blokkade

"We zijn verbijsterd door de uitspraak", schrijft directeur Theo de Vries van het internetbedrijf in een reactie. De Vries noemt het vonnis 'een zwarte dag voor het vrije internet' en 'een knieval voor de entertainmentindustrie'. Volgens de directeur gaan de commerciële belangen van bepaalde bedrijven boven de grondrechten van Nederlanders. Hij schrijft: "The Pirate Bay is wat mij betreft een stoorzender die de discussie afleidt van waar het eigenlijk om gaat: dit vonnis komt neer op censuur en dat is in beschaafde landen verboden."

Tweakers.net, 2012, January 11th | Language: NL | 359 words

Anonymous hackers attack anti-piracy groups

Meanwhile a group of hacker activists, or "hacktivists," known as Anonymous Finland claimed responsibility on the microblogging site Twitter for the attacks, insisting about the CIAPC site: "We'll keep it down as long as we want".

New Zealand Herald, 2012, January 11th | Language: EN | 306 words

Why the Netflix UK launch is such good news

Were DRM and digital music download services the satisfactory solutions to piracy their proponents assume, we wouldn’t still be writing of the heavyhanded policing policies of ISPs and regulatory bodies. In the US they’ve been enjoying Netflix for the past five years, yet even now STOP SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) privacy campaigners find themselves having to fight against the might of the House of Representatives rather than working with the movie industry to find better, mutually acceptable means of distributing the content we all want to be able to access.

Pc Advisor, 2012, January 11th | Language: EN | 629 words

Ziggo en XS4ALL moeten toegang tot The Pirate Bay blokkeren

Op vordering van BREIN heeft de rechtbank Ziggo en XS4ALL bevolen om de toegang van hun abonnees tot de website The Pirate Bay te blokkeren.

Rechtspraak, 2012, January 11th | Language: NL | 480 words

Ziggo en XS4ALL moeten toegang tot The Pirate Bay blokkeren

Vandaag heeft de rechtbank in 's-Gravenhage vonnis gewezen in de procedure die door BREIN was aangespannen tegen accessproviders Ziggo en XS4ALL. De rechtbank oordeelt dat Ziggo en XS4ALL de toegang tot The Pirate Bay moeten blokkeren voor hun abonnees.

Stichting Brein, 2012, January 11th | Language: NL | 79 words

Woman wins court order to stop explicit photos being shared online

Experts say the judgement could have “far-reaching” consequences in the attempt to bring social media users across Europe within the reach of the law. The judge ruled: “I consider that non-disclosure of the identity of the Claimant is therefore necessary to protect the interests of that Claimant.

Telegraph, 2012, January 11th | Language: EN | 942 words

Report Claims U.K. Regulator Underestimating Online Piracy

It is perhaps unsurprising that, when asked, a large number of people do not admit to illegally downloading copyright material. So British government communications regulator Ofcom commissioned a review by BDRC-Continental of Kantar’s 2010 piracy survey.

Wall Street Journal, 2012, January 11th | Language: EN | 175 words

Canadian government officials downloading illegal content

Activist group, the Pirate Party of Canada, used youhavedownloaded.com, a Russian site that scrapes public torrents for IP addresses, to find IP addresses used by illegal downloaders. The service, similar to those used by content owners to find copyright infringers, turned up IP addresses leased to the Canadian House of Commons.

SC Magazine, 2012, January 10th | Language: EN | 231 words

The Year In International Music Biz: Our New (Interconnected) World Order

Perhaps nothing speaks more to our increasingly interconnected globe then a look back at the year in international music business news.

Billboard, 2012, January 10th | Language: EN | 1096 words

Pirate Bay block prompts Anonymous to launch DDOS

The Finnish site for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the website for the Copyright Information and Anti-Piracy Centre (CIAPC) of Finland were both offline, apparently as a result of a distributed denial-of-service attack, said Antti Kotilainen , CIAPC's managing director. CIAPC does work for the IFPI, he said.

Computer World, 2012, January 10th | Language: EN | 469 words

Finnish anti-piracy group says it got bomb threat

A Finnish anti-Internet piracy group said it received a bomb threat from hacking group Anonymous after it successfully forced a telecoms provider to block access to The Pirate Bay (...)

Reuters, 2012, January 10th | Language: EN | 225 words

Buma/Stemra sluit overeenkomst met Apple over iTunes Match

De onderhandelingen tussen Auteursrechtenorganisatie Buma/Stemra en Apple over een licentie voor iTunes Match zijn afgerond. De contracten zijn getekend. Buma/Stemra heeft inmiddels meer dan 50 legale online aanbieders gelicenseerd en zet zich in voor de verdere ontwikkeling van de legale online markt tegen condities die optimaal zijn voor de bij Buma/Stemra aangesloten componisten, tekstdichters en uitgevers.

Buma/Stemra, 2012, January 10th | Language: NL | 153 words

Netflix launches in Ireland: but how does it compare?

THE ONLINE entertainment streaming service Netflix launches in Ireland today, offering a range of films and television shows for a monthly subscription. Netflix has over 23 million customers around the world, but it reportedly lost 800,000 subscribers between June and September 2011 after it raised its prices for its DVD rental service and its online streaming.

The Journal (Ireland), 2012, January 9th | Language: EN | 422 words

Capitol Records sues ReDigi: EMI label alleges copyright infringement by 'used' digital music site

The suit, filed late Friday in New York federal court, claims that Cambridge, Mass.-based ReDigi -- established in October as a marketplace for "used" digital music files -- is nothing more than "a clearinghouse for copyright infringement and a business model built on widespread, unauthorized copying of sound recordings."

Chicago Tribune, 2012, January 9th | Language: EN | 664 words

Elisagate: Anonymous Hackers Launch Finland Cyber War

Elisa, one of Finland's largest internet providers, has been ordered to block access to the PirateBay website. According to the service provider's press release, it had been ordered to instigate the ban by the local district court in Helsinki. Elisa said it would attempt to overturn the decision in supreme court. Numerous Twitter accounts linked with the Anonymous collective erupted with messages of discontent and - at times - threats of action against the Finnish government.

International Business Times, 2012, January 9th | Language: EN | 525 words

CES 2012: Rovi lets movie fans convert DVDs to digital files for a fee

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Monday, Rovi Corp. announced what appears to be the first legal tool to convert consumers' DVD collections into digital files that can be played from on online library. It's not exactly iTunes Match for movies, but it's a step in the right direction, with caveats -- lots of them.

Los Angeles Times, 2012, January 9th | Language: EN | 760 words

E-Bieb gaat schrijvers geld kosten

Er vanuitgaande dat het e-book de komende jaren door gaat breken (en ik heb na het succes van digitale muziek en films geen enkele reden om daar aan te twijfelen) dan vervallen de eerste drie redenen om een boek aan te schaffen. Sterker nog, als een e-book op je e-reader of tablet leest, dan merk je niet eens meer een verschil tussen de leenversie en de koopversie. Die is namelijk identiek.

Stoerboek, 2012, January 9th | Language: NL | 373 words

Paul Ryan opposes SOPA after Reddit launches attack

The Internet is one of the most magnificent expressions of freedom and free enterprise in history. It should stay that way. While H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act, attempts to address a legitimate problem, I believe it creates the precedent and possibility for undue regulation, censorship and legal abuse. I do not support H.R. 3261 in its current form and will oppose the legislation should it come before the full House.

Cnet, 2012, January 9th | Language: EN | 638 words

uTorrent & BitTorrent Surge to 150 Million Monthly Users

With millions of people using BitTorrent every day, the protocol has been the leading P2P technology from more than half a decade. Despite massive competition from cyberlockers, BitTorrent continues to expand year after year, and not just by a little. Today, BitTorrent Inc. announced that their two flagship clients increased their user base by 50 percent, to more than 150 million active users a month.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 9th | Language: EN | 440 words

Sopa and Pipa: don't let big business break the internet

Every 20 years or so, technology throws up a challenge to these industries. When audio cassettes arrived, for example, the music industry fought tooth and nail to have the technology outlawed or crippled. Why? Because it would encourage "piracy". What happened? The record labels wound up making lots of money from cassettes as well as records.

The Guardian, 2012, January 8th | Language: EN | 839 words

Doctorow’s Omen Shows Why We Need To Ban DRM

In short, Doctorow argues that the copyright industry’s fight isn’t against copying, but against general-purpose computers. As more and more devices we buy are general-purpose hardware devices with custom software designed to make that hardware do certain things out of the box, that custom software that drives the device is also custom-izable software that lets the hardware be recoded and repurposed to do completely different things.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 8th | Language: EN | 831 words

Could music stream ripping software put Spotify and other music services at major risk?

The music industry has been forced to reinvent itself thanks to the Internet. Ever since Napster first appeared on the scene, consumers have been finding ways to get their music for free, at the detriment of recording labels and artists. One answer to this issue has been the subscription music model: Services like Spotify, Last.fm, MOG, and Rdio are compromises between a market that is searching for profit models and customers who simply won’t spend what they used to.

Digital Trends, 2012, January 7th | Language: EN | 865 words

CES: Will Smart, Pirate-Enabled TV Wound The Cable Biz?

(...) the cable, telco and satellite TV providers face a grave threat from IP-enabled devices that turn dumb TVs into smart TVs. Greenfield points out that “notably” improved broadband over the past year will fuel two events he thinks are developing for 2012: the development of virtual MVPDs – multichannel video program distributors, like cable systems – and rapid growth in video piracy.

Forbes, 2012, January 7th | Language: EN | 593 words

MPAA Lawyer Inspired File-Sharing Religion, Catholic Bishop Unhappy

Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde has revealed that the words of an MPAA lawyer several years ago inspired the creation of the Missionary Church of Kopimism.(...) One group that will hope the opposite is true are the long-time Kopimism rivals at the MPAA. But according to The Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde, an employee of the movie industry group actually provided the inspiration for the original Kopimism movement to be transformed into a full-blown religion.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 7th | Language: EN | 763 words

Founder of website that enabled millions of downloads of pirated films, TV shows gets 2 years

Thirty-year-old Hana Beshara of North Brunswick, N.J, who achieved prominence in the underground world of Internet piracy as “Queen Phara,” received a 22-month sentence Friday in federal court in Alexandria for her role as founder of the NinjaVideo website.

Washington Post, 2012, January 6th | Language: EN | 165 words

WARNING: All That Free Spotify Music You've Been Enjoying Is Going To End Soon

Spotify made its big U.S. debut on July 14, 2011. In one week, we'll be marking the streaming music service's six-month anniversary. And in one week, all those users who signed up for the free all you can eat desktop music that day will find out that they're going to be limited to just 10 hours per month now. You're also only allowed to play individual tracks no more than five times per month.

Business Insider, 2012, January 6th | Language: EN | 198 words

Grooveshark sued, Spotify limits free music to 10 hours per month

Unlike Grooveshark's contentious mixture of both licensed and unlicensed songs, Spotify offers a competing catalogue filled with fully licensed music. However, the popular destination for streaming also brings bad news to the streaming scene this week. It will be limiting free users to 10 hours per month and capping the number of times a single song can be played to five times per month.

TechSpot, 2012, January 6th | Language: EN | 509 words

See Ya, CDs: Digital Music Sales Overtake Physical Media

In 2011, digital music accounted for 50.3 percent of purchases, beating physical music sales for the first time, Nielsen SoundScan and Billboard reported. Digital sales climbed 8.4 percent last year, while physical sales fell by 5 percent. Nielsen and Billboard used album sales as their metric, but counted downloads of 10 individual songs as an equivalent "album" to keep things fair between digital and physical. When counted this way, total album sales increased for the first time since 2004.

Pc World, 2012, January 6th | Language: EN | 304 words

Warner Bros. Expected to Delay DVD Rentals By 56 Days

Hasn't Hollywood figured out by now that if you frustrate your customers by refusing to make your content easily accessible, you only encourage more piracy? Take a look at the music industry, which fought for years to combat piracy while at the same time restricting digital access to its content.

Pc World, 2012, January 6th | Language: EN | 695 words

Al Gore slams SOPA in now-deleted YouTube video

Gore actually went a bit further than the Republican-affiliated groups: in a now-deleted YouTube video of a speech at a CareerBuilder event, the ex-veep warned that proposals to levy an Internet death penalty against allegedly piratical Web sites "would very probably have the effect of really shutting down the vibrancy of the Internet." (See CNET's FAQ on SOPA.)

Cnet, 2012, January 6th | Language: EN | 712 words

Al Gore: SOPA Is a Threat to the Internet

Responding to a question from the audience, the former US Vice President said that while content creators have legitimate concerns, SOPA is not the right answer.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 6th | Language: EN | 103 words

EMI Irish arm blames piracy for halved profits

The Government recently told EMI Records Ireland it intends to plug a gap in the law that effectively allows free downloading of pirated music, films and games. The company had threatened to take legal action against the State if the Government continued to put off dealing with the issue, which EMI and a number of its peers raised in the High Court in October 2010.

Irish Times, 2012, January 6th | Language: EN | 308 words

Leader of filing-sharing group says Sweden has recognized it as a religious community

According to documents provided by spiritual leader Isak Gerson, 20, his Church of Kopimism received that approval in late December. The public authority responsible for such decisions was closed for the day and couldn’t be reached to confirm the approval, which comes amid a global crackdown on file-sharing websites often used to illegally download movies, TV shows and music.

Washington Post, 2012, January 5th | Language: EN | 409 words

Why the ESA is Wrong to Support SOPA

Under SOPA, even linking to an offending website can get you taken offline. The definition of copyright infringement would become so loose that simply associating yourself with a site that has been accused of violating IP is enough to make you guilty, too. Aiding and abetting enemy has never been so easy.

Forbes, 2012, January 5th | Language: EN | 1445 words

Grooveshark now feels lawsuit wrath of all major music labels

A breach-of-contract lawsuit filed yesterday against Grooveshark means that all the major recording labels are suing the popular music streaming service. EMI Music Publishing's lawsuit against Grooveshark parent Escape Media Group accuses the company of paying no royalties on a music licensing pact signed in 2009.

Cnet, 2012, January 5th | Language: EN | 205 words

Adele's '21' Best One Year UK Sales of an Album Ever: Online Piracy Blamed

Unfortunately, this does tend to fire a big hole in the heart of Geoff and Tony’s demand that something must be done about piracy to save the music industry. Despite all this “chronic” piracy going on, Adele’s album has sold more copies in a year than any album has ever sold.

Forbes, 2012, January 5th | Language: EN | 515 words

Miljonair dankzij een virtuele blokkendoos

Online is Persson een echte held. Zijn pseudoniem op het internet is Notch. (...) Notch gebruikt die populariteit ook: hij is lid van de Zweedse Pirate Party die pleit voor een herwerking van het auteursrecht. Maar Persson heeft een genuanceerd standpunt: hij bekritiseert zowel piraterij als de beleidskeuzes die gemaakt worden om piraterij te bestrijden.

De Standaard, 2012, January 5th | Language: EN | 1054 words

File Sharing "Church of Kopimism" Becomes Officially Recognized in Sweden

In December, a number of industry organizations, including IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), wrote an opinion piece in the daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet saying that Sweden is still a paradise for pirates, thanks to the combination of political passivity and obstructive ISPs. They seriously question whether there is any copyright protection online in Sweden.

Pc World, 2012, January 5th | Language: EN | 306 words

Komt de muziekindustrie er dan eindelijk bovenop?

Reden voor sommige analisten om te concluderen dat het lijkt dat de verkoop van digitale muziek de jarenlange daling van fysieke muziekdragers aan het compenseren is. Eindelijk - na de dieprode cijfers die jaar na jaar bekend werden gemaakt.

De Volkskrant, 2012, January 5th | Language: NL | 540 words

Is The Music Business Finally Rebounding? New Numbers Say Yes.

This year, however, there’s a glimmer of hope. For the first time since 2004, overall music sales are up. It’s an incremental improvement–album sales edged up 1.4% to 330.57 million units from 326.15 million in 2010–but it’s an improvement nonetheless, especially compared to the 13% dip in total album sales from 2009-2010.

Forbes, 2012, January 4th | Language: EN | 447 words

Spotify's Daniel Ek: The Most Important Man In Music

The music industry has been waiting more than a decade for Ek. Or more specifically, someone—anyone—who could build something (a) more enticing to consumers than piracy while (b) providing a sustainable revenue model. In the 1990s Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker essentially broke the recording industry with their short-lived illegal download site, Napster, which Ek describes as “the Internet experience that changed me the most.” It was fast and free and limitless—through the site Ek discovered his two favorite bands, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin—and he became one of the 18-to-30-year-olds now considered a lost generation: Those who don’t believe you need to pay for music.

Forbes, 2012, January 4th | Language: EN | 3755 words

Study finds piracy withering against legal alternatives

A study has found that people are perfectly prepared to pay for online content, provided that the alternatives aren’t too harsh. The data, from respected think-tank American Assembly, shows that illegal file sharing among family and friends is relatively common – but that people would prefer to use a legal alternative if one was available at the right price and usage point.

The Register, 2012, January 4th | Language: EN | 496 words

4Shared Sued To Reveal Identify of Infringing Users

4Shared, the largest file-sharing website on the Internet, has been sued in an attempt to reveal the identities of the person or persons who uploaded copyrighted files. The case was filed at a US federal court by Modulo Security Solutions, who are trying to identify the alleged uploader of confidential documents belonging to the company.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 4th | Language: EN | 591 words

paidContent: The Economics of Digital Content

Charts: What’s Happening To UK Music Sales

Digital singles continue to boom, more than making up for lost physical sales. They are now 99.3 percent of all single sales. At this rate, CD singles sales, which clocked up 1.1 million units in 2011 (0.6 percent), may be entirely eliminated in 2012.

PaidContent: The Economics Of Digital Content, 2012, January 3rd | Language: EN | 194 words

Why I'm Not Worried by Ebook Piracy

Not just that, but seeing one's book pirated is likely to make a writer angry. Their work has been devalued. And, once a writer gets angry and feels their work is being devalued, they might ask why this is happening. Is it because they have already devalued it themselves by selling it on the open market for 99 cents? That's what many independent author-publishers sell their books for. But no creative work should be sold for so little. No market should be encouraged to believe it can acquire intellectual property for such a pittance.

Huffington Post, 2012, January 3rd | Language: EN | 605 words

New Spanish Gov't Enacts Sinde Anti-Piracy Laws, Opponents Promise A Fight

Jose Ignacio Wert, the new Spanish minister in charge of copyright issues, said Tuesday that the antipiracy war would mirror the drug war, that is, "persecuting the traffickers, not the consumers."

Billboard, 2012, January 3rd | Language: EN | 803 words

Anti-internet piracy law adopted by Spanish government

The Spanish government has approved tough new legislation which could see websites deemed to be trading in pirated material blocked within ten days. The legislation creates a government body with powers to force internet service providers to block sites.

Bbc, 2012, January 3rd | Language: EN | 820 words

Legitimate music downloads are increasing

Figures from the BPI show that while CD sales have fallen, digital sales increased last year and the industry enjoyed a fourth consecutive good year. Digital album sales rose by 26.6 per cent last year to 26.6 million, while sales of CD albums fell by 12.6 per cent. However, according to the BPI, the CD is still very, very important.

Inquirer, 2012, January 3rd | Language: EN | 266 words

UK music sales decline for seventh successive year despite downloads

Despite the best efforts of Adele and Coldplay, the increasing popularity of digital downloads and even a modest resurgence in vinyl, music sales in the UK declined for a seventh successive year in 2011.

The Guardian, 2012, January 2nd | Language: EN | 666 words

Teenager loses file sharing appeal

A teenage boy has become what is thought to be the youngest person in Sweden to be convicted of copyright violation, after his school handed him over to police for illegally downloading films when he was just 15. The boy, who is now 16, was acquitted by Gothenburg District Court in August, but has now been found guilty by Western Sweden’s Court of Appeal. (...) The teenager has been ordered to pay a SEK 1,500 (EUR 167) fine, a relatively lenient sentence, as the downloads were deemed to be limited. The verdict has, however, been condemned by the Pirate Party, a political organisation which is pushing for copyright law reforms.

Ice News, 2012, January 2nd | Language: EN | 310 words

eBook pirates cash in on Kindle sales boom as thousands turn to rogue sites for cheap downloads

They have been one of the retail sensations of the Christmas season. Sales of eReaders, the handheld devices on to which electronic books can be downloaded, rocketed through December. It is good news for makers such as Amazon, which produces the best- selling Kindle and collects 30 per cent of the price of downloaded books. But there are fears that their profits could be hit by a the sheer number of pirate eBooks available to download for free.

Daily Mail, 2012, January 2nd | Language: EN | 614 words

Pirates in the House

Now, the pirated downloads can't be traced to specific congressmen, but can be traced to the House. The website youhavedownloaded.com reports the activity linked to Internet Protocol addresses. In this case, the 800 IP addresses are registered to the House. It could have been a congressman or a staffer or a visitor who illegally downloaded Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band's Greatest Hits on a government computer.

Chicago Tribune, 2012, January 2nd | Language: EN | 271 words

Zut Alors! French Government Deny BitTorrent Piracy Allegations

But while six downloads are easily ignored, bigger things were around the corner for the French government. The country’s Ministry of Culture has quite an online presence and are allocated more than 65,000 IP addresses. Perrier and friends scanned them all and found 250 government IP addresses that were used to share the latest movies, music, video games and even adult titles during the last two months.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 1st | Language: EN | 595 words

The Danger of an Attack on Piracy Online

SOPA deals with technical digital issues that may seem to be a sideshow but could become crucial to American media and technology businesses and the people who consume their products. The legislation is the rare broadly bipartisan piece of apple pie. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to resume hearings on it this month and all indications are that it will approve the measure, setting up a vote in the full chamber. The Senate is also expected to vote on its own version of the bill when it returns from the holiday break.

Washington Times, 2012, January 1st | Language: EN | 1360 words

Busted: Canadian Parliament Hosts BitTorrent Pirates

Over the past weeks we’ve used the service to expose the most fierce defenders of copyright, and today the focus is on Canada, where the government is preparing to ram through a revamped copyright bill. (...) But while politicians are taking a stand against piracy, staffers at their very own parliament are downloading torrents left and right. Several IP-addresses assigned to the Canadian House of Commons have been caught pirating copyrighted material.

Torrent Freak, 2012, January 1st | Language: EN | 216 words

Music piracy research - news archive

Archive for January 2012