[Most Recent Entries] [Calendar View]
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2014
| Time | Event |
| 11:35a | ISPs Must Take Responsibility For Sony Movie Leaks, MP Says
Rather than dropping away, this week momentum is building. In addition to the early leaks, available on BitTorrent networks right now is a 25.87GB data dump featuring the personal details of Sony staff including their names, addresses, salaries and social security numbers. Not only is this file damaging (it reveals rather healthy executive remuneration packages) it’s also adding to the already considerable mystery surrounding the case. Early in the torrent’s life, dozens of Sony-linked Amazon IP addresses were observed on the torrent provoking theories ranging from honey-pots to hijacked servers. Another mysterious element emerging now involves the torrent’s unique hash. Search for 957DC0A8 04EB8C28 2F33988E B9096974 FC3761C9 using Google or Bing and there are zero results (at least before publication of this article) which is extremely unusual indeed. Whichever way this torrent made its way online, it almost certainly wasn’t via any conventional route. As the drama continues, finding someone to blame for the whole debacle is at the forefront. Speculation is rife, with accusatory fingers being pointed as far away as North Korea and as close to home as current Sony employees. It comes as no surprise, however, that picking on easier targets has already slipped onto the agenda. As first reported here on TF, following the hacks last week several unreleased Sony movies leaked online. Fury, featuring Brad Pitt, was by far the highest profile and today we can confirm that the title has been downloaded by BitTorrent users more than a million times. Fury – Now downloaded more than a million times
But with Kim Jong Un beyond Western justice and millions of torrent users too much of a headache to round up, the middle men are yet again being drawn into the fight. Mike Weatherley MP, the recent IP advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron, has published several piracy reports including one earlier in the year examining the advertising revenue on pirate sites. He believes that companies with no direct connection to the hack or subsequent leaks should shoulder some blame. “Piracy is a huge international problem. The recent cyber-attack on Sony and subsequent release of films to illegal websites is just one high-profile example of how criminals exploit others’ Intellectual Property,” Weatherley writes in an email to TF. “Unfortunately, the theft of these films – and their subsequent downloads – has been facilitated by web-hosting companies and, ultimately, ISPs who do have to step-up and take some responsibility.” Weatherley doesn’t provide detail on precisely why web-hosts and ISPs should take responsibility for the work of malicious hackers (possibly state-sponsored) and all subsequent fall out from attacks. The theory is that “something” should be done, but precisely what remains elusive. In the UK, on Weatherley’s home turf, almost every major torrent site is already blocked by ISPs. The latest wave arrived in the past few days but with proxy sites appearing even more quickly, progress is limited. Overall, it’s clear that forcing technology companies into shouldering blame for the actions of others is a difficult game and one that has yet to make any noticeable dent in piracy volumes. Still, that won’t stop rightsholders pursuing claims against them and influential characters like Weatherley pushing for reform. Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services. |
| 4:06p | Pirate Site Blockades Can Be Challenged, BT Says
The latest orders were announced last week and require that ISPs block an additional 23 sites. This brings the total number of blocked sites to 93 and the end is not yet in sight. In a response to the blocking bonanza BT decided to follow in the footsteps of Sky by listing a complete overview of all sites censored following requests from the movie and music industries. BT subscribers who now try to access one of the blocked domains are redirected to ukispcourtorders.co.uk which offers a full rundown of the court orders. In addition, BT informs its subscribers that the High Court decisions can be challenged. “You have the right to apply to the High Court to vary or discharge the Orders below if you are affected by the blocks which have been imposed,” BT writes, adding that potential appellants should direct their requests to the UK High Court.  While it’s unlikely that individual subscribers will be successful in getting a blockade lifted, the affected sites may have more success. Earlier this week FilesTube transformed its site from a file-host search engine into a licensed movie portal. As a result it can no longer be seen as a “pirate” site, but the UK block remains in place. TF contacted the FilesTube team who told us that they will take up BT’s advice and file a request for their site to be whitelisted. “We are currently preparing to challenge the blockade at the High Court. Hopefully FilesTube will be available again to all UK Internet subscribers in the near future,” a FilesTube spokesperson says. BT, meanwhile, is unlikely to appeal any of the blockades itself. The Internet provider previously fought and lost a similar case against the MPA in 2011, and stopped protesting subsequent blocking requests made on copyright grounds. Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services. |
| 8:55p | Pinterest Sued Over Pirated Photos, Imgur Off The Hook
While most photographers spend little time battling piracy, Seattle-based artist Christopher Boffoli has taken some of the largest web services to court for aiding infringement. Boffoli has filed lawsuits against Twitter, Google and others, which were settled out of court under undisclosed terms. Last week the photographer filed a new lawsuit, this time targeting the popular image collection platform Pinterest. According to the complaint Pinterest is hosting 56 photos from Boffoli’s well-known “Big Appetites” series. These photos are hosted without permission and Pinterest allegedly failed to take them down when the photographer sent a takedown notice.  “Upon discovering the Infringing Content, on August 19, 2014 Boffoli sent Pinterest’s designated agent an email notifying Pinterest of the Infringing Content,” the complaint (pdf) reads, adding that the notices complied with all DMCA requirements. Despite being alerted to the infringing material, Pinterest took no action. The only reply Boffoli received was an automated message asking him rate Pinterest’s customer support. “To date, Pinterest has not removed or disabled access to the Infringing Content. In other words, the Infringing Content is still accessible to the public on Pinterest’s server,” Boffoli’s lawyers write. The photographer is asking the court to order an injunction preventing Pinterest from making his work available. In addition, the complaint asks for actual and statutory damages for willful copyright infringement. With at least 56 photos in the lawsuit, Pinterest theoretically faces more than $8 million in damages. Thus far the company hasn’t responded to the complaint but at the time of writing the URLs are no longer linking to infringing content. Two months ago Boffoli launched a similar case against popular image sharing site Imgur. This case was dismissed on Monday, meaning that the image hosting site is off the hook. It’s unclear whether a deal was made behind closed doors, but considering previous court actions this doesn’t seem unlikely. The Imgur case resulted in some negative backlash for the photographer as 20,754 of his photos were uploaded to The Pirate Bay in response. Given the history of the deviant torrent site, these copies won’t be removed anytime soon. Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services. |
| << Previous Day |
2014/12/03 [Calendar] |
Next Day >> |