Anyone even remotely interested in movies and the Internet will have likely stumbled across the Internet Movie Database, or IMDb for short.

The site is an absolute goldmine of information on every imaginable movie, listing everything from cast and crew to user reviews, trailers and trivia, with dozens of additional data points to allow the consumer to research and invest in content.

IMDb is an entirely legal venture but for reasons best known to dozens of content and anti-piracy companies, it is regularly subjected to takedown notices who claim that the service is a pirate site.

For example, early December an anti-piracy outfit working to protect the movie ‘The Wedding Ringer’ for Sony Pictures Entertainment targeted a range of URLs in a notice to Google. Unfortunately, the notice also listed an IMDb URL that offers the legal trailer for the movie.

Even more bizarrely, a company working on behalf of TV company RCN TV filed a strongly-worded notice aiming to protect the TV show “The Law of the Heart“.

“[The URLs contains] an illegal pirated copy of RCN’s copyrighted episodic series La ley del corazon episode/s 01-130. RCN TV has not in any capacity, authorized https://www.imdb.com to distribute its content,” the notice reads.

“RCN hereby requests that based on the DMCA and Google’s own copyright infringement rules, that said portal be removed from its system in order to prevent further abuse and financial losses to our brand as copyright owners.”

The notice lists 132 IMDb URLs, all of which promote and inform the public on the show with none offering any episode for free. Google did the right thing and removed none of them.

But it’s not just foreign companies targeting IMDb with wrongful takedowns. On December 8, an anti-piracy company working for Home Box Office tried to ‘protect‘ the TV show Rellik by removing its IMDb page.

A few days earlier, the same company (this time working for MGM Studios) tried to remove the IMDb page for Get Shorty, while throwing in its Wikipedia page for good measure.

A takedown notice sent on behalf of Columbia Pictures to protect The Amazing Spider-Man 2 didn’t achieve much either.

No, that’s not right…

While most if not all notices that target IMDb are sent in error, there appears to be a common mistake made by some anti-piracy companies.

When sending notices to Google, instead of listing IMDb URLs as the source of the content (it isn’t, but many companies list it as such), they accidentally put IMDb as the infringing URL. This notice sent on behalf of National Geographic lists several such examples.

Google’s Transparency Report lists more than 170 largely bogus DMCA complaints against IMDb, which is something easily prevented with a simple whitelisting of the site’s URL.

What makes things even more ridiculous is that IMDb is owned by Amazon and on every page where legal consumption is possible, the company provides a link where visitors can watch legally using Prime Video. Given that, at the time of writing, the complaints covered more than 4,600 URLs, that’s potentially a lot of lost business via Google search.

Thankfully, as the image below shows, Google’s diligence when reviewing DMCA complaints prevents most notice senders from shooting themselves in the foot. However, it doesn’t take a genius to work out what delisting from IMDb could do for a movie’s sales. Is it really too much effort to whitelist the site?

Google saves the day for hundreds of movies

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Over the past couple of years, unauthorized IPTV services have been making their presence known in the ‘pirate’ TV space.

As recently reported, pirate IPTV services are accessed by 5.5% of US and Canadian households. The range of content is phenomenal, with few – if any – official entertainment companies in a position to compete.

Such services are typically accessed via set-top boxes, from ubiquitous Android-based platforms through to dedicated IPTV hardware. None of these devices are designed to be infringing but with the addition of third-party services, they can be transformed into piracy powerhouses.

For those looking for a premium IPTV experience, the MAG box range from Ukraine-based Infomir are the tools of choice. The compact devices are used by thousands of consumers to access legitimate content via a beautiful interface but like any such hardware, these boxes can also be used to access infringing streams.

Infomir has understandably distanced itself from this kind of illicit consumption but until now doesn’t appear to have interfered with the choices of its customers. Moving forward, however, it’s clear that will change.

“Infomir is an international company operating in over 150 countries globally. As a manufacturer of multimedia devices, we are subject to copyright and related rights legislation, which we respect and adhere to,” the company says.

“Upon receiving complaints from a copyright holder, Infomir is obliged to restrict access from its devices to any portal suspected of copyright infringement. The restriction will be maintained until the issue with the copyright holder is resolved.”

IPTV services (both legal and less so) often supply a URL which enables MAG and similar devices to access their ‘portal’. These are entered into the device’s setup page, with the box typically being authorized at the provider’s end by verifying its MAC address against a pre-registered one.

However, Infomir appears able to prevent certain portal URLs from being accessed via its set-top devices and there are some unconfirmed reports online which indicate this may be happening already.

TorrentFreak spoke with Infomir to find out more about this development. Will the company block portals following straightforward copyright complaints, for example, or is a court order required?

“The complaints need not be necessarily backed up by a court order. The form and contents of a copyright complaint must conform to the DMCA requirements,” Infomir Legal Counsel Vladislav Larionov informs TF.

“Our policy is to comply with the EU and US legislation on copyright and take into account best practices in the area of handling of copyright infringement reports. In particular, we only process the reports of copyright infringement that contain all the elements of notification envisaged by the DMCA.”

Some IPTV providers not only provide access to ‘pirate’ streams but also other content that has the potential to be non-infringing, depending on a users’ circumstances. For instance, there could be questions raised over legality when the holder of a UK TV license only accesses BBC One and similar channels via an IPTV service.

Speaking in more general terms, TF asked Infomir if over-blocking is a concern. The company told us that they require detailed complaints from rightsholders to block portals and they give services that are blocked the right to file a counter-complaint.

“We respect the rights of legitimate service providers, and we are concerned that such service providers might be reported by mistake or due to misidentification. That is why we request that copyright infringement reports submitted to us comply with the DMCA and contain a statement under penalty of perjury that the report is true and accurate,” Larionov explains.

“We also review each copyright infringement report to prevent false or abusive ones. Finally, we provide every service provider with a possibility to oppose a copyright infringement report. In case there is a dispute between a copyright holder and a service provider, we will request a court order to maintain access restriction to a portal.”

While copyright holders who file for blocking injunctions in court can be identified fairly easily, discovering who has filed a complaint with Infomir is less straightforward. The company told TF that it cannot provide information on who has requested a block other than to say it is mostly “big copyright holders, anti-piracy associations, and companies that provide copyright management and protection services.”

Finally, it’s not entirely clear how MAG devices are prevented from accessing portal URLs and Infomir informs TF that it won’t provide that information as it might “downgrade” its “access restriction system”. There is already some speculation on specialist forums that firmware updates may be responsible but no clear confirmation is currently available.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN reviews, discounts, offers and coupons.

Towards the end of the year, movie screeners are sent out to industry insiders who cast their votes for the Oscars and other awards.

It’s a highly anticipated time for pirates who hope to get copies of the latest blockbusters early, which is traditionally what happens.

This year the wait was fairly long, but today screener season has officially started. Release group Hive-CM8 often has good sources and they came out with the first release, Green Book, which is still playing in theaters.

“Well, one year has passed and it’s that time of the year that everyone is waiting for. SCREENER Time. As usual we love to share with friends all over the world,” the group notes.

After a massive backlash three years ago, when the group released some prominent titles before their theatrical release, the group is now paying more attention to the timing. In this case, Green Book was selected because it has already grossed more than its budget.

It’s unclear how many screeners Hive-CM8 has access to. The group apparently lost access to its mail and website, which means that many important contacts are gone as well.

“Since we lost our site/mail with no backup and with it all contacts gone, it’s quite complicated to get things going this year. We want to get things back as they were, but it will take time,” they add.

Hive-CM8 is particularly interested in getting in touch with their “friend on the street,” but it falls to others to reach out as well.

“We need your help this year more than ever, so plz come forward if you have a scr or access to it. We like to have all scr-titles if possible, but it has to be secure for everyone, we want to get them out safely as every year.”

Green.Book.2018.DVDScr.Xvid.AC3.HQ.Hive-CM8

While Hive-CM8 may have trouble releasing as many titles as they did in previous years, it’s not the only group that leaks screeners.

Shortly after Green Book, EVO released a pirated DVD screener of Ralph Breaks the Internet. According to EVO, they got their hands on a copy two weeks ago and planned to have it out by Christmas, but it was delayed due to technical issues.

It usually remains a mystery where the screeners come from. Every now and then the FBI tracks down the source. This is also what happened with a former movie studio employee who leaked a copy of The Revenant in 2015.

EVO is obviously keeping its sources anonymous, but it openly thanks “MrSpy” for “risking his balls.”

The group further stresses that leaking screeners is not about hurting Hollywood. It’s to give everyone a chance to watch and enjoy movies that may not be available through other means.

“The DVDSCR season is not about leaking and hurting the studios itself, it’s about giving a chance for everyone to watch and enjoy some of the movies that arent even showing on their local theaters.”

We’re pretty sure that Hollywood disagrees, but movie studios will have a hard time putting the genie back in the bottle now that Green Book and Ralph Breaks the Internet are out.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN reviews, discounts, offers and coupons.

As one of the most iconic game manufacturers in the world, Nintendo has been fighting piracy for many years.

Most action is taken by the company’s in-house anti-piracy division or through trade groups such as the ESA.

However, this month the City of London Police also offered a helping hand.

The dedicated Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) arrested a 43-year-old man at a residence in Lowestoft, accusing him of being a prominent ‘modder’ of Nintendo Switch consoles.

“PIPCU officers arrested and cautioned a 43 year old man at an address on Rotterdam Road, Lowestoft in relation to copyright offenses. Hard drives, microchips and computer equipment were seized at the same address,” PIPCU announced.

The police note that “modders” are criminals. However, in this case, the suspect was cautioned and no further action was taken.

According to PIPCU, piracy is not a victimless crime. Not only are the games companies impacted directly, but people who sell modded consoles are at risk as well.

Some games may not work on modded consoles, PIPCU warns, and downloading pirated files is a risky endeavor as well, since people may run into malware and viruses.

“If you’re looking to buy a Nintendo console as a Christmas gift, make sure you know who you are buying from, otherwise you could get more than you bargained for,” PIPCU’s Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt says.

“If you buy a gaming console that gives illegal access to pirated content, you could be exposed to malware and identity crime,” he adds, urging consumers to “Play safe” and “play fair.”

The announcement specifically mentions Christmas, which is a popular time of year for the video game industry. As such, Nintendo will be happy with the police assistance.

That said, Nintendo itself is also taking action against “modders.” Earlier this month the company filed a lawsuit against alleged sellers of modded consoles and pirated games in the US. This case remains pending.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN reviews, discounts, offers and coupons.

At the end of the year, movie industry insiders traditionally receive their screener copies, which they use to vote on the Oscars and other awards.

As is tradition, quite a few of these advance screeners copies will leak onto various pirate sites.

In recent years release group Hive-CM8 has drawn quite a bit of attention, due to both the timing and volume of their releases.

Movie pirates were particularly well-served three years ago. On and before Christmas, high-quality copies of some of the hottest Hollywood productions appeared online, with some titles even beating their official theatrical release.

Following massive outrage from Hollywood, release group Hive-CM8 offered an apology, promising not to release any movies too early in the future. And indeed, in the two years that followed the bulk of the screener copies leaked after the new year.

This season, no screeners have been sighted at all. That’s not a record yet, which goes to 2016/2017 when it took until January 3rd, but it’s clear that pirates are growing impatient.

A quick scan through various pirate sites, and even on social media, shows that the hopes of some were dashed this Christmas. As always, the anticipation already started days before the festivities kicked off.

Where’s Hive-CM8

Apparently, some people associate Christmas with screener leaks, or the other way around.

Not Christmas…

Then there are those who push their luck even further by putting several titles of screener leaks on their wishlist for Santa. In this case, it includes The Favourite and Suspiria.

The Wishlist

Some more words of encouragement followed on Christmas day, but it soon became clear that neither strategy paid off.

No word has come from Hive-CM8 or any other release group this year. The question that remains is whether they are holding back, or if there’s simply nothing to release, yet.

Sorry

At TorrentFreak we have no further details on the matter. However, what we can say is that for well over a decade multiple screener copies have ended up online. So a season without screener leaks would be truly unprecedented.

The most likely scenario is that the groups aren’t ready yet, or they’re delaying releases intentionally, something Hive-CM8 hinted at in the past.

Whatever the reason is, after Christmas the disappointment slowly started to turn into more impatience and anger on social media.

Where?

Others are handing this round to Hollywood…

Who will be the ‘winner’ at the end of the screener season has yet to be determined though.

Hollywood won..

After the 2016/2017 season, this has been the longest screener draught in recent history. However, in that year well over a dozen screener copies eventually leaked online.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN reviews, discounts, offers and coupons.