Early last year The Court of The Hague handed down its decision in a long running case which had previously forced two Dutch ISPs, Ziggo and XS4ALL, to block The Pirate Bay.

The Court ruled against local anti-piracy outfit BREIN, concluding that the blockade was ineffective and restricted the ISPs’ entrepreneurial freedoms.

The Pirate Bay was unblocked by all local ISPs after the decision while local anti-piracy organization BREIN took the matter to the Supreme Court.

Today, the Court decided to postpone its final decision. Following a recommendation from the Advocate General it decided to stay the proceedings and refer two key questions to the EU Court of Justice, seeking clarification.

The first question that requires a European review is whether The Pirate Bay is actually communicating illegal content to the public.

More specifically, whether the operator of a website is communicating copyrighted works to the public if the site doesn’t host any content, but merely links to and categorizes meta-information so users can download the linked files.

If this question is answered negatively then the EU Court should clarify whether ISPs can be ordered to block a site if the operator facilitates copyright infringement in this way.

A decision at the European level will be important, as it may also affect court orders in other countries, such as the UK, Italy and Belgium where The Pirate Bay and other torrent sites are blocked as well.

After the questions are resolved at the EU Court the Dutch Supreme Court will make its final decision.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Between April 2012 and May 2015, a handful of international rightsholder groups went to the UK High Court to obtain blocking injunctions against some of the world’s most popular ‘pirate’ sites.

In response to these blockades, dozens of alternative domains appeared. Some simply provided a new way to access an existing site while some were clones or mirrors offering a similar experience to the original. However, the vast majority were proxy-style operations, ones which allowed users to bypass blockades by visiting a new URL.

This appearance of new domains epitomized the “whac-a-mole” analogy so often referenced in connection with pirate sites. When one gets struck down, another appears. It’s a neverending game for rightsholders but in the UK it seems to be one they’re willing to play.

As recently as October, dozens of new domains were added to the UK’s blocklist adding to the hundreds already present. And now, during the second week of November, around 170 more have been silently tagged on.

The full list can be found below and it contains many familiar names. The vast majority are connected, however loosely, to sites covered by earlier court orders. As is usually the case, many of the targeted URLs are Pirate Bay proxies, mirrors and/or clones, with the same holding true for KickassTorrents.

One ‘sleeper’ site definitely worth a mention is PirateProxy.la. According to Alexa, from a standing start in September the site has grown to become the 278th most popular site in the UK overall. That growth will almost certainly come to an abrupt end with the latest block.

Popular MP3 sites also get a look in (MP3Bear, MP3Clan, MP3Lemon, MP3Monkey, MP3Raid, MP3Skull etc) but at this point it’s almost impossible to say with any certainty how or if they are connected to the original sites. It’s a situation playing out across the whole file-sharing site spectrum and is potentially putting users at risk.

While rightsholders used to announce blockades when a new court order was won, these days sites are added almost silently to the blocklists operated by BT, Sky, Virgin Media, O2, EE and TalkTalk.

Initially the BPI, MPA, The Premier League and Members of The Publishers Association, obtained more than 20 injunctions against ‘pirate’ sites but now additional domains are simply added to those orders. Pirate Bay proxies, for example, are considered part of the Pirate Bay operation and no new court order is required to have them blocked.

The list of domains blocked in the most recent wave

1337x.unblocked2.bz
bushtorrente.com
dadotorrent.com
emp3world.unblocked.la
emp3world1.com
etmirror.com
ikwilthepiratebay.nl
limetorrenturlx.com
monova.unblocked.la
mp3raid.unblocked.la
mp3raid.work
mp3skull.unblocked.la
mp3skull.wtf
pirateproxy.la
seedpeer.unblocked.la
torrentcrazy.unblocked.la
torrentdb.li
avoidcensorship.com
bayproxy.net
bayproxy.org
beemp3s.org
bittorrent.am
bittorrent.am
bittorrent.pm
bittorrent.pm
btloft.com
bts.ph
bts.to
btscene.cc
btscene.com
btscene.eu
btscene.net
btscene.org
btsdl.cc
emp3world.com
emp3world.so
emp3world.to
etproxy.com
extratorrent.ee
extratorrent.tv
extratorrentlive.com
extratorrentonline.com
fastpiratebay.eu
fullsongs.net
ikwilthepiratebay.nl
ka.tt
kat.sx
katproxy.bz
katproxy.com
katproxy.is
kickass.la
kickassto.co
kickasstorrents.ee
kickasstorrents.to
kickassunblock.eu
kickassunblock.net
kuiken.co
limetor.com
limetor.net
limetorrents.cc
limetorrents.co
limetorrents.in
limetorrents.net
mega-search.me
megasear.ch
megasearch.co
mp3.ink
mp3.re
mp3.supply
mp3bear.biz
mp3bear.com
mp3bear.org
mp3bear.to
mp3boo.com
mp3boo.me
mp3clan.com
mp3clan.mobi
mp3clan.net
mp3clan.ninja
mp3clan.ro
mp3lemon.net
mp3monkey.net
mp3raid.com
mp3raid.info
mp3raid.work
mp3skull.com
mp3skull.cr
mp3skull.is
mp3skull.to
mp3soup.net
mymirrorpirate.com
mypirateproxy.com
myproxypirate.com
newbursalagu.com
outlaw.is
picktorrent.com
pirateahoy.eu
piratebay.net
piratebay1.com
piratebayproxy.be
piratebayproxy.co.uk
pirateproxy.bz
pirateproxy.ca
pirateproxy.in
pirateproxy.net
pirateproxy.nl
pirateproxy.se
pirateproxy.sx
pirateproxy.ws
pirateuropa.net
plixid.com
proxybay.co
proxybay.eu
proxybay.net
proxybay.pl
proxybay.pw
proxybay.xyz
proxytpb.nl
stafaband.co.uk
techtoy.co.uk/pirate-bay-mirrors
thehiddenbay.net
thepiratebay-proxylist.com
thepiratebay.ae.org
thepiratebay.ar.com
thepiratebay.com
thepiratebay.com.ua
thepiratebay.cr
thepiratebay.de.com
thepiratebay.ee
thepiratebay.gb.com
thepiratebay.gg
thepiratebay.je
thepiratebay.lv
thepiratebay.mg
thepiratebay.net
thepiratebay.org.in
thepiratebay.org.ua
thepiratebay.website
thepirateboat.eu
thepiratemirror.com
theproxypirate.com
torrentbit.net
torrentbit.nl
torrentcrazy.ee
torrentcrazy.to
torrentdb.li
torrentdownload.biz
torrentdownload.co
torrentdownload.me
torrentdownload.ws
torrentdownloads.cc
torrentdownloads.co
torrentdownloads.me
torrentdownloads.net
torrentexpress.net
torrentfunk.info
torrentfunk.net
torrentfunk.org
torrents.am
torrentsdownload.org
tpbproxy.cc
uberadserver.biz
uberadserver.com
uberadserver.mobi
uberadserver.net
uberadserver.org
ukbay.co
ukbay.org
unblockthepiratebay.net
xspyz.com
zooqle.eu
zooqle.in
zooqle.net

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Compared to many other countries around the world, pirating movies and TV-shows is hugely popular in the Netherlands.

Up to a third of the population is estimated to download and stream copyrighted content without paying for it.

This high percentage is not surprising as the Netherlands has traditionally been a relative safe haven for pirates. Downloading movies without permission was not punishable by law until last year when the European Court of Justice spoke out against the tolerant stance.

In response the Dutch Government quickly outlawed unauthorized downloading but breaking the habits of a large section of the population will take more than that and local piracy rates remain high.

According to the Dutch Association of Professional Film Entrepreneurs (VPSO) and several independent distributors, the local Government is not doing enough to enforce the ban on unauthorized file-sharing.

As a result the filmmakers today announced plans to sue the Dutch state over its weak enforcement. The VPSO estimates that the local movie industry is losing hundreds of millions of euros per year, in part due to the Government’s lax stance on the issue.

The group argues that the Government should follow Germany’s lead when it comes to anti-piracy enforcement. German authorities frequently prosecute pirate site operators, which is one of the reasons why VOD and DVD sales are rising again, the filmmakers state.

In addition, this year Dutch film companies have increasingly hinted that they’re prepared to take civil action against online pirates.

A few weeks ago the distribution company Dutch Filmworks registered the local Popcorn Time trademarks for possible future enforcement actions and the company also said it is considering going after individual file-sharers.

Earlier this year Dutch filmmakers’ association SEKAM submitted a claim for piracy damages to the Ministry of Security and Justice, but this was denied.

The timing of the announced lawsuit doesn’t appear to be a coincidence. This coming Friday the Ministry of Security and Justice will organize a consultation on how to tackle illegal downloading, and today’s news will certainly heat up the debate.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

With a long history that pre-dates the Internet, computer fans in Sweden have always been in the thick of various file-sharing scenes. If they weren’t sharing discs at swap meets, Swedes were sharing content via now-ancient BBS systems.

When the Internet came along things began to take off, but it wasn’t until the launch of The Pirate Bay in 2003 that Sweden was catapulted onto the world stage. However, after emerging as some of the world’s most passionate file-sharers, a new study has found that interest in the activity is trending downwards, despite 91% of the population being online.

Titled “Swedes and the Internet” the survey was carried out by The Internet Foundation In Sweden (IIS). The annual report aims to give a broad view of how local citizens use the Internet and reveals that not only is file-sharing on the wane, but consumption of legal content is maintaining its upward trend.

This year just 18% of respondents said that they share files on the Internet. According to IIS, the decrease is largest among those aged between 12 and 25, but in the 36 to 55 year-old group little has changed.

2015’s result represents a decrease on the 19% reported in last year’s survey and the second year in a row that file-sharing decreased in Sweden. 2014 marked the first drop in years, with 21% having been sustained since 2011.

Notably, one has to track back to the last decade in order to match the low-level of file-sharers currently active in 2015. But alongside file-sharing’s loss comes authorized content’s gain and there’s even an interesting twist for those looking to demonize Sweden’s remaining pirates.

In 2015, 70% of Internet users reported watching film and video content online, that’s up from the 52% in last year’s survey. A total of 40% of those who watch films online claim to pay for their content too, that’s up from just 14% in 2014.

According to the report Netflix is the major player, with 28% of the population watching the service, increasing to 47% among 26 to 35 year-olds.

Music remains popular too, with 77% listening to tracks on the Internet and just over half of all respondents (54%) paying for the privilege. The figures are impressive, having increased from 38% in 2014. In 2011 those paying sat at just 15%.

But customers come in all shapes and sizes and in common with similar surveys elsewhere, the IIS survey has found that pirates are some of the entertainment industry’s best customers.

In 2015, The Internet Foundation found that those who file-share movies illegally are also more likely to pay for legal video. In fact, 46% of pirates put their hands in their pockets to pay versus just 24% of non-filesharers.

In the music market the story is similar. When it comes to spending money on content, 58% of music pirates say they do so. Among non-filesharers the number drops to just 39%.

The report can be downloaded here (Swedish, PDF, 133 pages)

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Ten years ago I decided to install WordPress to start a blog about the intriguing world of BitTorrent and file-sharing.

Motivated by the lack of news reporting and information on the relatively new technology, TorrentFreak was born on November 12, 2005.

Today, TF is still here and bigger than I could have ever imagined.

I’m not the type of person to write a lengthy essay about how it all came to be, but with this post I would like to thank all the people who helped to get the site were it is right now.

Although the number of visitors has steadily grown over the years the core TF team is still very small. With two main writers and no editorial staff we’re just a tiny operation compared to most other news sites.

Andy joined TF roughly a year after it started and without him the site wouldn’t be where it is today. His passion for news and the ability to spot and break the right stories has played a central role in the site’s evolution.

Long-time contributor Ben also helps to moderate the comments behind the scenes, aided by a handful of dedicated volunteers. And then there’s our server hamster and his loyal keeper, who have managed to keep the site online during the most demanding times.

TF is also grateful to have many reliable sources who are always willing to confirm news, provide comments, or send in leads. We couldn’t have come this far without them.

Finally, thanks to everyone who has helped us in any way, shape or form, especially the readers and all of our dedicated followers. Let’s add another ten years.

Onwards!

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.