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Last week the news broke that the Emmys will make the switch from physical DVD-screeners to online streaming screeners in 2020.
This transition comes with a lot of benefits. For one, it’s much cheaper for companies to put movies on an online screening platform than to manufacture and ship hundreds of thousands of DVDs.
Another advantage, according to some industry insiders, is that it’s easier to keep online screeners out of the hands of pirates.
In recent years there haven’t been many TV-screener leaks. However, if DVD screeners are eventually phased out by other awards shows, such as the Oscars, could that be the end of the screener season madness among pirates?
That’s highly doubtful. While it’s certainly true that online copies can’t get lost in the mail, there are other vulnerabilities. A login and password are easily shared and, once in, pirates can usually find a way to rip of capture a movie of TV-show. That’s what they’re good at, after all.
This is corroborated by pirate release group EVO. Short for EVOLUTiON, EVO has been around for years. The group has standing when it comes to screeners. Just a few weeks ago it leaked “Ralph Breaks The Internet,” one of the first DVD screeners this year.
According to EVO, online screeners are not necessarily more secure and the opposite may be true in some cases. The group mentions that it had access to a digital screener account last year which provided surprisingly little protection.
“We had access to digital screeners and they are indeed easy to leak. The DRM on it is a joke. We had an account last year with three screeners on it and they were pretty much MP4 ready to encode,” the EVO team informs TorrentFreak.
The group adds that online screeners have already leaked in the past, mentioning last year’s release of “Call Me By Your Name” as an example.
The Academy Awards have experimented with online streaming, but there is no sign of a switch yet. The release group noticed, however, that DVD screener security has been increased. At least, for the disc they worked on.
“From what I’ve seen, doing Ralph, the DVD protection on it was increased, since it was a nightmare to crack,” EVO’s team member tells us.
The group believes that the current security measures around DVD screeners releases work fairly well. After all, there haven’t been too many DVD screener leaks this year. It further notes that the quality of screeners is intentionally kept low to decrease their value, in case they leak.
Whether online or physical screeners are more secure ultimately depends on the type of protection measures that are implemented for each.
A highly secure DVD with watermarks is more secure than an online stream that’s only protected with a login, and a highly secure online streaming platform is more secure than an unprotected DVD. But none of these are 100% leak-resistant.
The safest conclusion is that piracy will likely remain a problem, no matter what the distribution platform is.
To get more perspectives we reached out to a variety of movie industry insiders, including those who offer secure online screening platforms. Unfortunately, none of them answered, suggesting that it’s a sensitive issue.
Based on previous coverage on the matter, we found that the movie industry hasn’t made its mind up on the security issue either.
Anthony Anderson, director of film security for Universal Pictures, previously told Variety that digital screeners will present new threats, which could make them less secure.
“Before, if you shipped a DVD to the home, you had to steal it from the doorstep. Now you can sit at home and attack the site, which presents a host of issues,” Anderson said.
The Television Academy’s decision to make Emmy screeners streaming only doesn’t come as a surprise though. In recent years many insiders have called for a transition and the major studios, including Warner Bros., have online “FYC” platforms in place already.
As far as we know, security concerns are not the main driver behind the switch. Variety’s coverage shows that streaming is simply seen as more practical, modern, and much cheaper by many. The downside is that not everyone likes streaming and that it’s harder to make titles stand out.
As for EVO, they don’t believe that the Academy Awards will follow the Emmys’ example anytime soon. That said, the group prefers not to get involved with these type of releases too often, as it’s a security threat for them as well.
“Usually, we choose to stay out of the DVDSCR because it’s something that draws to much heat, and the studios are not happy about it. Every year people who actually leak them are arrested. No matter how good you are to erase the watermarks. There is always a trace,” EVO notes.
With millions of Internet users sharing copyrighted content every day, some entertainment companies have embarked on campaigns to shakedown alleged infringers with settlement demands.
The process is broadly the same wherever it takes place in the world, with anti-piracy outfits sitting in BitTorrent swarms and logging the IP addresses of connections alleged to have downloaded and/or shared content without permission. This evidence is then presented to local courts which invariably order ISPs to hand over the personal details of alleged infringers.
Despite The Pirate Bay being founded in Sweden where it amassed millions of followers, the country was not an early target for so-called copyright trolls. However, emboldened companies now see the Scandinavian country as a place to hit hard.
ISP Bahnhof is the world’s most outspoken service providers when it comes criticism of copyright trolls and a new report by the company reveals that Sweden is now being systematically targeted.
Covering 2016, 2017, and 2018, the study of applications to Swedish courts (now exclusively the Patent and Market Court) reveals a shocking growth.
In 2016, copyright trolls obtained the personal details of individuals behind 5,673 IP addresses but by 2017, that had escalated almost fivefold to 25,850 IP addresses. In 2018, the figure skyrocketed to 52,341 IP addresses, more than double the previous year.
Bahnhof: Copyright troll cases exploding in Sweden
To compile this data, Bahnhof obtained copies of all disclosure applications and subsequent court decisions from the Patent and Market Court. Unlike the current position in the US, each application can cover huge numbers of IP addresses.
In 2016, there were 13 applications for personal data, i.e the names and addresses of alleged infringers. In 2017, that figure had grown to 27 but in 2018 there were 72, a clear sign that copyright trolls now view Sweden as a favorable country to conduct their business.
This is underlined when more closely comparing the trolling activity in Sweden with that of the United States.
As detailed in an earlier TorrentFreak report, more than 3,300 new cases were filed against alleged BitTorrent users in the US during 2018, with most targeting a single user per case. The United States has a population of more than 328 million while Sweden has ‘just’ 10 million.
In the US, most of this activity can be attributed to two adult industry companies – Malibu Media and Strike 3 Holdings. In Sweden there are various rightsholders with three law firms carrying out the threats – Njord Law (32 cases), Ramberg Advokater (28), and Engström & Hellman Advokatbyrå (2).
Interestingly, the trolls and their associated law firms in Sweden appear to favor four Internet service providers when making their applications.
Statistically, customers of telecoms giant Telia are the most likely to receive a settlement demand, with the court ordering the ISP to reveal the identities of subscribers behind 37,035 IP addresses in 2018.
Customers of Com Hem fall in second place with 7,889 IP addresses, with Telenor closely following with 6,762. Rätt Internet Kapacitet i Sverige was placed in fourth with orders to disclose the identities of subscribers behind 571 IP addresses.
Perhaps most notably, the court ordered Bahnhof to reveal the identities of exactly zero subscribers in 2018, but this is no accident.
Bahnhof refuses to log the activities of its subscribers which means that when the trolls come calling, there is no useful information to hand over. Bahnhof CEO Jon Karlung says this is the model other ISPs in Sweden should also be operating.
“The solution is simple. DONT STORE DATA about your customers! If you do not store any data, there is nothing to hand out,” he informs TorrentFreak.
“I have read the fine prints from the bigger telcos – and they all say that they store data basically forever. They argue that this is because they need it for support issues. Well? Really, for years?
“No, it is often mentioned that they store data for ‘Enhancing the customer experience’. I assume that most people don’t think that blackmail by copyright trolls is a nice ‘enhancement’. Bahnhof does not store data. We have handed out in zero cases,” he adds.
While statistics like those collected by Bahnhof and TF make for interesting reading, the personal stories of those affected by aggressive tactics of copyright trolls often go unreported. Karlung says he has personally spoken to many people targeted for cash settlements.
“Some of them are elderly people saying that they have no knowledge at all about a specific movie. They seem genuine enough but since there have been no tests in court, it’s hard to say,” he says.
“But a gut feeling is that this is an imperfect trolling machine that points out innocent people. They ask me for advice and well, I say that it’s hard to give. But often the best strategy is not to respond at all to the trolls. Another piece of advice, of course, is not to choose an ISP or telco that stores data.”
The number of people who choose to settle following a threat is impossible to report accurately, since many who do so also agree not to speak about their agreements in public. In the UK it was previously estimated that somewhere between 10% and 20% pay up but Karlung believes that the number could be higher in Sweden.
“Swedes tends to be trusting of the legal system. This is now being exploited by the trolls. They basically use blackmail as a modus operandi and there is no way the individual can protect themselves. Therefore I believe the payments are much higher here,” he concludes.
While it’s not one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the recent decades, Waterworld has reached cult status among a subgroup of film fans.
The post-apocalyptic film, featuring Kevin Costner in a lead role, first premiered in 1995. Since then, it’s been shown on TV repeatedly and released on various other media including VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray.
The latest Blu-ray version, created by Arrow Films, was actually sent out just this week. Despite Waterworld being more than two decades old, many fans were eager to get their hands on the copy.
The release includes three Waterworld cuts which were newly restored from the original material. That by itself would be enough to get proper fans excited, but it’s the inclusion of the infamous “Ulysses Cut” that was most anticipated.
Waterworld is known for its many different versions, but this one never officially aired anywhere. It was created by a fan who, together with others, set out to make the longest uncensored edit of Waterworld possible.
The origin of this fan-edit, well documented by the Unheard Nerd, started in 2005.
At the time, a user of the Original Trilogy forum asked if anyone had access to the 40 minutes of Waterworld material that appeared in an ABC broadcast. This generated a long thread where users shared and compared different versions of the film.
In 2006, a user named “Mcfly89,” showed his interest in the project.
“This project sounds great! Is this from a VHS or better? Could anyone post some screenshots? I can’t wait to see this on myspleen or another torrent site,” he wrote.
Mcfly89 later took the lead and after crowdsourcing copies of different broadcasts, he set out to combine these into a long uncensored edit of Waterworld.
The project progressed slowly and by November 2007 the name “Ulysses was first mentioned.
“Ulysses”
This title refers to the unnamed mariner played by Kevin Costner. He’s given this name toward the end of the film in a scene that was taken out of the theatrical version.
With a name for the project, Mcfly89 continued his work. Helped by other members, who also assisted with an appropriate DVD-cover, the fan-made DVD was ready by the summer of 2008.
The Ulysses Cut cover
Despite a temporary outage on The Pirate Bay, Mcfly89 managed to upload a torrent for the “Ulysses” cut to the site on July 28th, exactly thirteen years after the original premiere.
Today, ten years on, it’s still available on TPB, albeit with no seeders on the official torrent. In the description, Mcfly89 explains the project while thanking the many others who contributed.
“Waterworld: The Ulysses Cut is a fan-made preservation of the extended cut of Waterworld which has been aired on television but never released on home video,” it reads.
“Waterworld is a film notoriously re-cut by the studio after locking the director out of the editing room, and this preservation is an attempt to show some 40 minutes worth of material that was exised.”
The Ulysses Cut on TPB
Many Waterworld fans welcomed the “Ulysses” release and it was even extended by ‘Zaaacharias’ a few years later. It’s not clear whether the original makers were happy with it. Film fans generally see fan-edits as important preservation projects, but copyright holders have gone after such releases as well.
Fast forward another decade and now the Ulysses cut has been released legitimately on a Blu-Ray disc put together by Arrow Films. The movie company used the name of the cut, but it was obviously reconstructed from original footage, not the broadcasts that were used in the fan-edit.
We reached out to Arrow Films to ask what its motivation was and whether it consulted Mcfly89, but the company didn’t respond. We had no luck tracking down Mcfly89 either, who is not mentioned in any of the official Blu-ray release details.
“High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the extended European Ulysses cut, which include previously censored shots and dialogue,” is how Arrow Films describes the version.
Waterworld fans surely haven’t forgotten about the cut’s origins. Mcfly89 is mentioned in several reviews, including this on Amazon, from “Lego Trooper” who’s eager to know more about how this official release came about.
“On this lovely 3 disc edition is finally the Ulysses cut which was fan made from a number of different recordings from different cuts of the film shown on TV. The fan in question ‘Mcfly89’ surely deserves a shout out for his efforts.
“It would probably be an interesting read or feature to know how between Universal, Arrow and Mcfly89 The Ulysses Cut has eventually arrived as a 1080p edition,” Lego Trooper adds.
The story is quite remarkable already but we believe that Arrow Films missed a major opportunity here. But perhaps the full story will come out one day, in another decade or so.
After more than ten years in the game, RARBG is one of the most popular and resilient torrent sites on the Internet today.
The site took fourth spot in our 2019 list of most popular torrent sites, a position that has been earned through regular high-quality releases of everything from movies and TV shows through to music, games and adult content.
During the past few days, however, the site took a somewhat unusual step that has had some users scratching their heads. A quick look inside some new video torrents released by the site reveals not only the content itself, but also an initially mysterious file called ‘ RARBG_DO_NOT_MIRROR.exe’.
The presence of an .exe file often raises alarm bells
As a general rule, when video torrents contain an .exe file there is a need for caution. These executables can contain anything and in some cases may be malicious, such as a virus or malware. As a result, experienced torrent users never click them but the same can’t be said about novices.
In this instance, however, there is nothing for regular users to be worried about. Renaming the file to give it a .txt extension reveals that this is just a text file that displays the following information:
“This is not an .exe file. This is just a placeholder to prevent mirroring over other public sites.”
So if it’s just a text file, why would RARBG include it in their torrents? The explanation, it turns out, is pretty straightforward and not directed at users at all.
While the site makes thousands of releases every week, these are easily mirrored on other platforms. Since .exe files are viewed with suspicion by tools used to automate the crawling of the site (most sites don’t allow .exe files to be uploaded in video categories), their inclusion means less diffusion of RARBG torrents to other platforms.
“[The .exe file] is included in torrent files to stop distribution to other public sites,” RARBG confirms in a new addition to its FAQ.
Interestingly, the “.exe” experiment is also having a positive effect on the health of torrents tracked by RARBG. According to the site’s operator, the inclusion of the .exe file in torrents “reduces the average hit&run [people who grab a torrent and then fail to seed] by 35% !”
As mentioned earlier, there is nothing malicious with the .exe file as far as users are concerned and, as the site points out, people can easily ‘untick’ the file in their torrent client and it won’t even be downloaded.
That being said, their presence won’t be welcomed by people looking to mirror RARBG torrents elsewhere. Since the traffic to such platforms could be negatively affected following the rejection of torrents containing an .exe, the job of their operators becomes much more difficult.
Finally, it’s worth reiterating that real .exe files in any torrent – or indeed anywhere on the Internet – should always be approached with caution.
Running these kinds of files without due diligence can be a risky proposition so the default actions should always be to run up-to-date anti-virus/anti-malware software and/or ignore and delete unexpected content, just to be on the safe side.
Last week the news broke that the Emmys will 
While it’s not one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the recent decades, 
