File-sharing website Megaupload and its founder Kim Dotcom, along with several of the company's other executives, are now facing new charges added by an American grand jury to those previously brought against them.
According to an indictment made public on Friday, Megaupload and its staff are accused of using copyrighted content from YouTube and several other sites. Dotcom, a German national born Kim Schmitz, faces extradition to the US from new Zealand. He and six of his associates are now charged with eight additional counts of copyright infringement and wire fraud, in association with a series of allegations that Megaupload executives reproduced copyrighted materials from various sites and placed them on their file-sharing site. They are also accused of distorting the origins of content posted to Megavideo.com, showing it as primarily user-generated, instead of copyright-infringing content.
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Friday, February 17, 2012
Pirate Bay hits out at delusional recording industry
FILE SHARING WEB SITE The Pirate Bay has responded to criticisms from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), painting the organisation as quite mad.
The RIAA fired the first salvo in the war of words, as other battles are being waged online and in government, when it accused The Pirate Bay of being a dreadful copyright thief.
The RIAA was commenting on the Pirate Bay's decision to upsticks and move to a Swedish .se web domain and accused it of being brazen, and "one of the worst of the worst".
Read more
The RIAA fired the first salvo in the war of words, as other battles are being waged online and in government, when it accused The Pirate Bay of being a dreadful copyright thief.
The RIAA was commenting on the Pirate Bay's decision to upsticks and move to a Swedish .se web domain and accused it of being brazen, and "one of the worst of the worst".
Read more
Publishers make bid to close filesharing sites
A coalition of US publishing groups has taken legal action in Ireland in a bid to close websites they accuse of copyright infringement.
The crackdown came as the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency announced it would treat illicit filesharing websites as organised crime threats and seized the domain of one popular music site.
Ireland-based websites Library.nu and ifile.it were served with cease and desist court orders on Tuesday after two major publishing groups accused the sites of earning $10.6m (£6.7m) in revenue a year.
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The crackdown came as the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency announced it would treat illicit filesharing websites as organised crime threats and seized the domain of one popular music site.
Ireland-based websites Library.nu and ifile.it were served with cease and desist court orders on Tuesday after two major publishing groups accused the sites of earning $10.6m (£6.7m) in revenue a year.
Read more
European Court Of Justice Rules Against File Sharing Filters On Social Networking Sites
In what could be termed as a severe blow upon copyright holder's campaign against online piracy, the European Court of Justice ruled that social networking sites cannot be compelled to introduce filters - in order to block illegal file sharing by their users.
The court illustrated that introducing such filters in social media sites could breach users' privacy, and right to gain and impart information.
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The court illustrated that introducing such filters in social media sites could breach users' privacy, and right to gain and impart information.
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Saturday, February 11, 2012
Filesonic commits suicide
In what looks like a preventive measure in reaction to the Megaupload shutdown, FileSonic has disabled all file sharing capabilities and is now nothing more than a personal storage solution.
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Megaupload millionaire Dotcom's mansion seized
AUCKLAND, New Zealand – An associate of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom was released from custody on bail in New Zealand on Thursday, as the NZ $4.3 million (U.S. $3.6 million) home of his former boss was seized.
Finn Batato, 38, and Bram van der Kolk, 29, were officially granted bail in Auckland's North Shore District Court last week but remained in custody while their homes were assessed for the installation of electronic monitoring,the New Zealand Herald reported.
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Finn Batato, 38, and Bram van der Kolk, 29, were officially granted bail in Auckland's North Shore District Court last week but remained in custody while their homes were assessed for the installation of electronic monitoring,the New Zealand Herald reported.
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Thursday, October 02, 2008
Hollywood Aims to Block RealNetworks' DVD Software
Hollywood's six major movie studios on Tuesday sued RealNetworks Inc. to prevent it from distributing DVD copying software that they said would allow consumers to "rent, rip and return" movies or even copy friends' DVD collections outright.
The studios stand to lose key revenue from the sale of DVDs, estimated by Adams Media Research at $15 billion in the U.S. this year, if consumers stop buying DVDs and instead copy rental discs from outlets like Netflix and Blockbuster.
The studios stand to lose key revenue from the sale of DVDs, estimated by Adams Media Research at $15 billion in the U.S. this year, if consumers stop buying DVDs and instead copy rental discs from outlets like Netflix and Blockbuster.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Nigeria: Piracy - Robber of Intellectual Property
While piracy accounts for almost 7% of all global trade, Nigeria accounts for 80% of the pirated international music CDs. In this illustrative essay, Michael Dibie captures the damaging effect of piracy on global trade.
Nigeria's status as a favourable destination for foreign direct investment as well as a place where local creative talent can flourish is in jeopardy. No thanks to the activities of criminals that place no value on intellectual property (IP). That was the alarming message from a panel of experts who debated the enforcement of IP rights at the opening day of the CTO business and technology summit in Lagos recently.
Nigeria's status as a favourable destination for foreign direct investment as well as a place where local creative talent can flourish is in jeopardy. No thanks to the activities of criminals that place no value on intellectual property (IP). That was the alarming message from a panel of experts who debated the enforcement of IP rights at the opening day of the CTO business and technology summit in Lagos recently.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Organised crime syndicates move into DVD, internet piracy
ORGANISED crime syndicates including bikie gangs have moved into DVD and internet piracy, with some channelling millions of dollars in illicit profits into drug dealing ventures.
They are making their money off the back of movies like The Dark Knight, of which pirated DVDs have already been seized in Australia, and locally funded film The Bank Job, which was on DVD in Australia before its release on the big screen.
Australia is now second only to China in the Asia-Pacific region for the number of pirated DVDs seized, according to the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft.
Neil Gann, AFACT director of operations, told The Daily Telegraph the growing sophistication of the pirate industry meant the big players were taking over from computer geeks and "mum-and-dad" operations.
More than $233 million a year was being stolen from the country's film industry - including video hire stores and suburban cinemas - and ending up in the pockets of criminals.
They are making their money off the back of movies like The Dark Knight, of which pirated DVDs have already been seized in Australia, and locally funded film The Bank Job, which was on DVD in Australia before its release on the big screen.
Australia is now second only to China in the Asia-Pacific region for the number of pirated DVDs seized, according to the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft.
Neil Gann, AFACT director of operations, told The Daily Telegraph the growing sophistication of the pirate industry meant the big players were taking over from computer geeks and "mum-and-dad" operations.
More than $233 million a year was being stolen from the country's film industry - including video hire stores and suburban cinemas - and ending up in the pockets of criminals.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
IOC official praises China anti-piracy efforts
BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Hain Verbruggen, chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, praised China's anti-piracy efforts against illegal broadcasts of the events on Thursday, calling them efficient.
In a meeting with Liu Binjie, general director of China's General Administration of Press and Publication, Verbruggen said according to the IOC's automatic monitoring system, the illegal broadcasting of Olympic-related content occurring in the country had all been stopped rapidly and efficiently.
"The anti-piracy efforts of the Chinese government set a good example for the global anti-piracy work for the Olympics," said Verbruggen.
In a meeting with Liu Binjie, general director of China's General Administration of Press and Publication, Verbruggen said according to the IOC's automatic monitoring system, the illegal broadcasting of Olympic-related content occurring in the country had all been stopped rapidly and efficiently.
"The anti-piracy efforts of the Chinese government set a good example for the global anti-piracy work for the Olympics," said Verbruggen.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Bill Gates predicts software revolution
Bill Gates, chairman, co-founder and former head of Microsoft, has predicted that continual expansion of Internet services will provoke a revolution in software development.
During a visit to Hong Kong, Gates attended a forum on August 12 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Microsoft Research Asia, the company's regional research lab, which was founded in 1998 in Beijing, and has provided training for more than 2,000 interns from universities in the region.
This was Gate's first official speech in public after he stepped down as Microsoft Chief Executive in July 2008 to move to a full-time philanthropist role at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
During a visit to Hong Kong, Gates attended a forum on August 12 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Microsoft Research Asia, the company's regional research lab, which was founded in 1998 in Beijing, and has provided training for more than 2,000 interns from universities in the region.
This was Gate's first official speech in public after he stepped down as Microsoft Chief Executive in July 2008 to move to a full-time philanthropist role at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Canadian music mogul takes on China, pirates welcome
Terry McBride, the Canadian best known as the manager of pop megastar Avril Lavigne said the music industry's obsession with stemming the flow of illegally downloaded material is futile and short-sighted.
"I do not believe that the record label owns the song, the publisher does not own the song, even the artist does not own the song," McBride told AFP in an interview.
"It is the emotion that a fan attaches to that song, to that lyric that makes it popular. What the record business needs to do is to monetise the behaviour of that fan."
McBride said record companies need an alternative to what he sees as an outmoded business model that relies on a few mega-selling artists and copyright protection.
In almost every global market record sales are plummetting as people turn to the Internet for music, increasingly downloading it for free.
A recent survey by MTV of consumers in 12 Asian countries found that 77 percent of people aged between 15 and 24 had illegally downloaded music in the past month, while 59 percent had also made legitimate purchases.
The rampant piracy -- particularly serious in China where the rate of illegal downloading was put at more than 80 percent, which some see as conservative -- has led to aggressive legal action.
"I do not believe that the record label owns the song, the publisher does not own the song, even the artist does not own the song," McBride told AFP in an interview.
"It is the emotion that a fan attaches to that song, to that lyric that makes it popular. What the record business needs to do is to monetise the behaviour of that fan."
McBride said record companies need an alternative to what he sees as an outmoded business model that relies on a few mega-selling artists and copyright protection.
In almost every global market record sales are plummetting as people turn to the Internet for music, increasingly downloading it for free.
A recent survey by MTV of consumers in 12 Asian countries found that 77 percent of people aged between 15 and 24 had illegally downloaded music in the past month, while 59 percent had also made legitimate purchases.
The rampant piracy -- particularly serious in China where the rate of illegal downloading was put at more than 80 percent, which some see as conservative -- has led to aggressive legal action.
Apple Struggles to Win Fans in China
Yang Weiguo, a 20-year-old university student in Beijing, is a committed Apple (AAPL) fan. Given the American company's limited presence in China, that's no small achievement. In April, for instance, Yang bought a new Macbook through MacX.cn, a fan site for Mac users in China that operates an online store unaffiliated with the company. The online store had someone buy a computer for Yang in Hong Kong and courier it up to Beijing, saving him $293, or roughly 17%, on his Macbook purchase.
So when Yang, who is spending his summer as a volunteer for the Olympics next month, found out through the Mac community that Apple would open its first store in China on July 19, he knew he had to be there from the beginning. He arrived at the shop, located in a swank shopping mall in the Sanlitun area of Beijing, 22 hours before it was scheduled to open. He was among more than 100 others who camped overnight -- even though he already had his Macbook and wasn't interested in a new iPod. "I don't have anything I need to buy," he says. Still, because he wanted to be there, Yang spent $26 for an adapter cable he could have easily purchased elsewhere.
Smuggling Challenge Apple executives want to make it easier to convert more people like Yang from the cult of Mao to the cult of Mac. Apple plans to open a second store in Beijing in 2009 and another in Shanghai later. "We expect to be successful here in China because the entire economy is growing," says Ron Johnson, Apple's senior vice-president for retail.
So when Yang, who is spending his summer as a volunteer for the Olympics next month, found out through the Mac community that Apple would open its first store in China on July 19, he knew he had to be there from the beginning. He arrived at the shop, located in a swank shopping mall in the Sanlitun area of Beijing, 22 hours before it was scheduled to open. He was among more than 100 others who camped overnight -- even though he already had his Macbook and wasn't interested in a new iPod. "I don't have anything I need to buy," he says. Still, because he wanted to be there, Yang spent $26 for an adapter cable he could have easily purchased elsewhere.
Smuggling Challenge Apple executives want to make it easier to convert more people like Yang from the cult of Mao to the cult of Mac. Apple plans to open a second store in Beijing in 2009 and another in Shanghai later. "We expect to be successful here in China because the entire economy is growing," says Ron Johnson, Apple's senior vice-president for retail.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Videogame creator calls for ‘free games’ to beat piracy
According to renowned game designer Dave Perry, the best way to beat piracy within the videogame industry is to not cram masses of software protection on each and every disc… but to give the games to consumers for free.
Speaking in Belfast after receiving an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University for his pioneering contribution to computer and videogame development, the creator of ‘Earthworm Jim’, ‘MDK’ and ‘Enter the Matrix pointed to the Asian market as proof that such an approach can work.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Four GTA businesses nabbed in anti-piracy software sting
You can try to run illegal software, but according to the Business Software Alliance, you can't hide.
The BSA announced that four GTA-based companies have paid a combined total of $95,000 in fines after it was discovered they had unlicensed software from Adobe, Autodesk and Microsoft running on its computers.
“Companies should establish proper software asset management policies and procedures in the first place rather than to risk paying damages for unlicensed software use down the road,” said BSA chariman Michael Murphy.
“These settlements demonstrate that even well-managed organizations need to pay careful attention to software licensing requirements. The cost of doing otherwise may be very high.”
read more here...
The BSA announced that four GTA-based companies have paid a combined total of $95,000 in fines after it was discovered they had unlicensed software from Adobe, Autodesk and Microsoft running on its computers.
“Companies should establish proper software asset management policies and procedures in the first place rather than to risk paying damages for unlicensed software use down the road,” said BSA chariman Michael Murphy.
“These settlements demonstrate that even well-managed organizations need to pay careful attention to software licensing requirements. The cost of doing otherwise may be very high.”
read more here...
Friday, November 02, 2007
Microsoft Renews Anti-Piracy Drive, Launches New Web Site
Washington (AHN) - A new web site providing information on how customers can tell whether a software is genuine or not underscores a renewed drive by Microsoft to stop pirated versions of its Windows products.
The web site, launched Wednesday, tell consumers about suspicious packaging and other signs of a pirated or fake copies of Windows or other Microsoft software.
full story
The web site, launched Wednesday, tell consumers about suspicious packaging and other signs of a pirated or fake copies of Windows or other Microsoft software.
full story
Friday, October 12, 2007
An open letter to the RIAA
Posted by Don Reisinger
Dear RIAA,
As the watchdog for the so-called "recording industry," I expect you to preserve and protect the viability and future growth of the recording industry. In fact, I don't even have a problem with you doing that. But sad as it as, your tactics have come under attack by those on both sides of the "piracy" fence imploring you to find something better to do with your time. Isn't it time you listen to your critics and realize that your tactics are making you one of the most hated organizations in the world?
read the rest here
Dear RIAA,
As the watchdog for the so-called "recording industry," I expect you to preserve and protect the viability and future growth of the recording industry. In fact, I don't even have a problem with you doing that. But sad as it as, your tactics have come under attack by those on both sides of the "piracy" fence imploring you to find something better to do with your time. Isn't it time you listen to your critics and realize that your tactics are making you one of the most hated organizations in the world?
read the rest here
Friday, July 06, 2007
How can you stop it
when it seems to be their way of life, rip the rest of the world off:
Semiconductor maker Microchip Technology sues Chinese company for alleged piracy
SHANGHAI, China: Semiconductor maker Microchip Technology Inc. said Wednesday that it is suing a Chinese manufacturer for alleged illegal copying of its microcode and other proproprietary information.
Chandler, Arizona-based Microchip said it filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Shanghai Haier Integrated Circuit Co. in Shanghai's No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.
Details about the lawsuit or any damages sought were not immediately available
Full story
Semiconductor maker Microchip Technology sues Chinese company for alleged piracy
SHANGHAI, China: Semiconductor maker Microchip Technology Inc. said Wednesday that it is suing a Chinese manufacturer for alleged illegal copying of its microcode and other proproprietary information.
Chandler, Arizona-based Microchip said it filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Shanghai Haier Integrated Circuit Co. in Shanghai's No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.
Details about the lawsuit or any damages sought were not immediately available
Full story
Friday, June 29, 2007
Piracy Crippling Burma’s Music Industry
Piracy in Burma has brought the country’s music industry to its knees, according to performers and music producers, who say they can no longer compete with the stream of cheap copies of CDs and VCDs.
“Piracy drives the industry into absolute paralysis,” well-known songwriter Maung Thit Min told The Irrawaddy. “We used to discuss intellectual property laws under the World Intellectual Property Organization, but nothing has been done to follow these guidelines.”
Full story
“Piracy drives the industry into absolute paralysis,” well-known songwriter Maung Thit Min told The Irrawaddy. “We used to discuss intellectual property laws under the World Intellectual Property Organization, but nothing has been done to follow these guidelines.”
Full story
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Extradited piracy leader sentenced to 51 months
Hew Raymond Griffiths, a 44-year-old British national living in Australia and leader of one of the oldest and most widely recognized Internet software piracy groups in the 90s called DrinkOrDie, was extradited to the U.S. in February and sentenced this past Friday to 51 months in prison on one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement.
Full story
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