Piracy

Web users in New Zealand are today blacking out their profiles on social networking sites to highlight objections to a new copyright law that orders Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to disconnect any user or websites merely suspected of copyright ... infringements . The photo blackout, which has extended to sites including Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, is just the first step in a week of protests. It will climax next Monday when websites are asked to take down their content for a day to demonstrate what life without Internet access would be like. The protests are organized by the Creative ... (view more)

Love 'indie' films but don't want to pay for them? Well, copyright infringers should rejoice over reports that the Sundance Film Festival has been infiltrated by bootleg filmmakers who have in recent days unleashed a torrent of underground copies of ... the event's biggest flicks. The Sundance Film Festival takes place every year in the great state of Utah. Held in January in cities throughout the state, it is the premier event in unveiling some of the finest new movies from both American and international filmmakers. In other words, it's a big deal. (Source: wikipedia.org ) Perhaps the most ... (view more)

According to reports, the Record Industry Association of America, or RIAA, is changing its strategy for prosecuting illegal peer-to-peer downloaders. The group will now work with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) rather than attacking individuals. A ... few years ago, it got very scary for those actively downloading illegal music online. In 2006, the Record Industry Association of America began picking off individuals caught in the act with often devastating results; we all remember the case of Jammie Thomas, the Minnesota single mother found guilty of downloading a handful of songs and ... (view more)

According to most copyright protectors, movie, TV, and music pirating is out of control. Let's face it, just about everyone owns a burnt album, television season, or film on CD or DVD -- heck, maybe even Blu-ray. How do you fight this if the problem ... is so rampant? Simple, say Canadian lawmakers: increase the cost of blank discs. According to reports, Canada's Copyright Board has green-lighted an increase in levies placed on blank CDs by 38%. Part of the reason for the jump is an increase in music compression and the continued rise in songwriter royalties. As the cost of making an album ... (view more)

A recent "Which? Computing" (magazine) investigation reportedly found that hundreds of innocent people are being accused of software piracy crime, despite the fact that many have never used file sharing services. (Source: bbc.co.uk ) The case ... against one Scottish couple falsely accused by Atari Corporation was dropped, but Which magazine estimates that there are hundreds of others in similar situations. Before the case was dropped, a letter was sent giving them a chance to pay 500 GBP compensation or face a court case. Atari has not commented on why their case was dropped. It's estimated that ... (view more)

President Bush has reportedly signed into law a controversial bill known as the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for intellectual Property (PRO IP) Act to protect American consumer rights that stiffens penalties against counterfeiting and ... piracy at the federal level. Under the law, an Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator --- referred to by some as an intellectual property czar --- will be appointed by the Senate who will report directly to the president on how to better protect copyrights both domestically and internationally, over the objections of the Justice Department that ... (view more)

Real Network's 'legal' DVD ripping software has already prompted legal action from the movie industry. And to confuse matters, Real has somehow filed what's effectively a pre-emptive countersuit. As we reported recently , Real claimed its new ... product, RealDVD, did not breach copyright laws because it allowed users to copy an entire disc, including the copy protection system which most ripping software removes. The Motion Picture Association of America has now launched a lawsuit to coincide with the software's official release, accusing the firm of breaching copyright laws. In an unusual legal ... (view more)

RealNetworks, the company behind the RealPlayer software, has produced a DVD-ripping package which it claims does not break copyright laws. Unlike most ripping software, much of which has faced distribution problems after legal threats, RealDVD ... copies the entire contents of discs including the copy protection itself. It appears the contents will be copied in a specific format which can only be played back through the RealDVD software rather than, for example, Windows Media Player. The copied files will also be set-up in such a way that they only play on the original hard drive and can't be ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced that it is updating the anti-piracy software in Windows XP Professional, making nagging more prominent for users running counterfeit copies. It will also give future updates of the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) increased ... validation powers and new forms of notifications. Microsoft announced the update, which is designed to increase the effectiveness of notifications and to 'align experiences across Windows XP and Windows Vista' via their WGA blog . The WGA update is offered to those using editions of Windows XP based on Pro code such as Tablet and Windows Media Center ... (view more)

Authorities in Canada have done what once seemed the inevitable: they've shut down a Torrent site. According to reports, Quebec Superior Court has ordered web site QuebecTorrent to permanently shut down its operations, which to date included a forum ... for the exchange of TV episodes, music, and movies. The decision came down last Wednesday, and represents a permanent injunction against QuebecTorrent and its administrators. Media is buzzing over the move, given that it's the first of the kind in the province and represents a new stage in the copyright battle between representatives of the music/ ... (view more)