In the News

Police have to return material to Dotcom, Kirsty Johnston, May 31, 2013
Abstract: A judge has ordered the police to sift through all digital material taken illegally from Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom and to return anything irrelevant to their investigation- at their own cost.

Why weren’t the Prenda porn trolls stopped years ago?, Nate Anderson , Ars Technica, May 07, 2013
Abstract: Despite the scattered anger of the judiciary, the Prenda craziness worked for years. Settlements rolled in, partly because it was cheaper to settle than to contest the charges and partly because of the "embarrassment factor" of the raunchy porn at issue. How could the scheme go on for so long even as federal judges complained about fraud, as "John Doe" defendants complained repeatedly that they had no idea what the cases were about, and as critics complained about the injustice of the entire business model? The answer is that federal judges aren't generally investigators. Prenda had gone to great lengths to obscure what was really going on, who was doing what, and where the money went. Judges want to clear cases off their dockets and in rare cases will entertain sanctions motions, but to unravel something as complex as Prenda's behavior required a real investigation. Yet without more details, actual criminal investigators had very little to go on; most of the judicial complaints dealt with behavior in court, not public crimes.

YouTube Threatens Legal Action Against Host of Video Download Tool

In an ironic twist, YouTube demandsTechCrunch remove tool which allows users to downl, Samuelson Law, Public Policy and Technology Clinic, November 17, 2006
Abstract: As part of its efforts to reduce copyright infringement of its site, YouTube sends TechCrunch a Cease and Desist notice demanding that owner Michael Arrington remove a tool that enables users to download streaming videos hosted by YouTube.
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U.S., 10 other countries take steps to stop Internet piracy, Associated Press, April 23, 2004
Abstract: More than 200 computers seized in synchronized effort

Napster investors to face music in U.S. court, Sue Zeidler, Forbes.com, April 20, 2004
Abstract: Next Tuesday, music labels and publishers will face off against Bertelsmann AG [BERT.UL] in federal court in San Francisco over claims the German media company's 2000 investment in Napster kept the file-swapping service operating eight months longer than it would have done otherwise.

Schools raided by FBI in pirating crackdown, Billy House, Monica Mendoza and Brent Whiting, The Arizona Republic, April 21, 2004
Abstract: Federal agents in Phoenix and elsewhere in the country raided schools and other targets in a national crackdown on pirated music CDs and movies.

Hollywood's new lesson for campus file swappers, Stefanie Olsen, CNET News.com, April 19, 2004
Abstract: Hollywood is poised to up the ante in its war against file swappers, with new technology that could make it easier to remove suspected pirates from campus networks, CNET News.com has learned.

Congress Targets Digital Pirates, Cade Metz, PC Magazine, April 08, 2004
Abstract: Late last month, a U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary subcommittee unanimously approved the Piracy Deterrence and Education Act of 2004 (PDEA), which, if passed into law, would punish digital pirates with up to three years of jail time.

Proposed Bill Would Criminalize File-Sharing, John P. Mello Jr., TechNews World, March 30, 2004
Abstract: The House bill, whose sponsors remain uncertain, appeared after Sens. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) filed different legislation in the Senate. That legislation would extend the DOJ's powers to file lawsuits in civil, rather than criminal, copyright-infringement cases.

Coder Sues Distributor of Kazaa Software, Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer, eWeek, March 17, 2004
Abstract: A native of Romania who claims to have written the source code to the popular file-sharing software Kazaa is suing the program's distributor over the rights to the software and seeking $25 million in compensation.

Letter indicates that states have set sights on P-to-P, Stacy Cowley, IDG News Service, March 17, 2004
Abstract: Peer-to-peer (P-to-P) file-swapping software makers could soon find themselves under closer legal scrutiny from the attorneys general of several U.S. states. A P-to-P industry advocacy group this week distributed a leaked draft copy of a letter apparently in the works from California Attorney General Bill Lockyer's office, promising increased scrutiny of the risks to consumers of P-to-P software programs.

Pirates of the European, Waldemar Ingdahl, Tech Central Station, March 12, 2004
Abstract: This week's vote by the European Parliament in favor of stronger enforcement measures for intellectual property rights is a good first step to protecting copyrights and boosting innovation. But more needs to be done.

Consumers challenge FCC antipiracy rules, John Borland, CNET News.com, March 10, 2004
Abstract: A lawsuit challenging new digital television antipiracy rules is moving ahead, with consumer groups fighting communications regulators' foray into the copyright realm.

EU passes tough new antipiracy law, John Borland, CNET News.com, March 03, 2004
Abstract: The European Parliament passed controversial legislation Tuesday aimed at cracking down on copyright pirates, ranging from DVD counterfeiters to illicit Viagra sellers online.

P2p ops want to see RIAA 'filter', p2pnet.net News, March 10, 2004
Abstract: Commercial p2p file sharing companies have moved their efforts to gain hands-on access to software the RIAA is promoting as a p2p network filter, and to bring the music industry to the negotiating table, up several significant notches, including an approach to the Big Five record labels.

SCO User Lawsuits Target DaimlerChrysler and AutoZone, Matthew Aslett, Computer Business Review Online, March 04, 2004
Abstract: Despite a last-minute delay, SCO Group Inc has filed its first copyright infringement lawsuit against a business running Linux in an attempt to prove its claim that Linux users are responsible for copyright infringement related to Unix code it says has been copied into Linux.

Naval Academy seizes computers from nearly 100 midshipmen, Jessica R. Towhey, The Capital, November 25, 2002
Abstract: Officials at the Naval Academy have seized nearly 100 midshipmen's computers that allegedly contained illegally downloaded music and movies, sources said. Cmdr. Bill Spann, academy spokesman, confirmed that an investigation into what material is on the computers is under way, but declined further comment. He did say punishment for illegally possessing copyrighted material ranges from a court-martial to loss of leave and other restrictions.

Copyright Issues: Digital Divide, Drew Clark and Bara Vaida, National Journal, September 06, 2002
Abstract: Hollywood versus Silicon Valley: The two titan industries are locked in a struggle over copyright issues and the Internet. The battle has pulled in Washington lawmakers and regulators.

Music body presses anti-piracy case, Declan McCullagh, CNet News.com, August 21, 2002
Abstract: ASPEN, Colo.--In what may become a new legal front in its war against online copying, the Recording Industry Association of America has asked a federal court for help in tracing an alleged peer-to-peer pirate.

Movie Industry Takes Active Role in Fighting Piracy, Simon Avery, Associated Press, July 22, 2002
Abstract: The movie industry is hunting down people who swap digital films online and demanding that their Internet service be cut off -- all part of an effort to stamp out piracy and avoid the online trading frenzy that has plagued the music business.

Hollywood gets tough on copying, Bob Sullivan, MSNBC, July 12, 2002
Abstract: 'Takedown’ letter campaign targets movie swappers Keith Tyler signed up for broadband Internet access three weeks ago, and did what many high-speed Net users do — he started swapping music and movies. But within days, the movie industry and his ISP tracked him down and told him to stop offering movies for download, or else. Such threats are now the weapon of choice for the Motion Picture Association of America, which says it’s slinging some 2,000 complaints a week toward alleged movie pirates.

'Ranger' Vs. the Movie Pirates, Frank Ahrens, Washington Post, June 19, 2002
Abstract: Ranger is burrowing through the public parts of your computer, sniffing around, turning over bits of data, trying to find out if you've stolen a movie over the Internet.

BSA Taps Crawler to Fight Piracy, Caron Carlson, eWeek, June 03, 2002
Abstract: Using a new web crawling system deployed in February, the Business Software Alliance has stepped up its enforcement against Internet-based software piracy at universities, homes and workplaces.

Copyfight Renewal: Owners of Digital Devices Sue to Assert the Right to Record, Mike Musgrove, Washington Post, June 07, 2002
Abstract: Yesterday, the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed suit on behalf of five owners of ReplayTV personal video recorders against a lineup of entertainment companies in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The suit asks the court to rule that owners of these digital recorders, which store TV broadcasts on internal hard drives, have the right to record shows, skip commercials and move recorded content to other devices. It also asks the court to forbid SonicBlue Inc. from downgrading the capability of ReplayTV boxes it has already sold.

News Corp. Exec Blasts P2P Piracy, Reuters, March 04, 2002

Shielding ISPs from criminal liability, Gwendolyn Mariano, CNET.com, February 13, 2002
Abstract: Congress is considering a new bill to limit ISPs' liability for third party postings.

Piracy raids turn up suspects, more sites, Reuters, CNET.com, January 14, 2002
Abstract: Federal investigators have turned up roughly 30 suspects and continue to raid college campuses a month after moving to shut down a massive software piracy ring.

DVD hacker to keep challenging ruling, Sue Zeidler, Reuters, January 30, 2002
Abstract: Eric Corley continues to fight the finding that posting instructions for copying DVDs online violates the DMCA.

Piracy raids turn up suspects, more sites, Reuters, CNET.com, January 14, 2002
Abstract: Federal investigators have turned up roughly 30 suspects and continue to raid college campuses a month after moving to shut down a massive software piracy ring.

Online Piracy Fight: Next Up, Consumers, Amy Harmon, New York Times, December 31, 2001
Abstract: The fight against copyright infringement is becoming more targeted against individual consumers in their homes, particularly with respect to music piracy.

A burning issue for online copiers, Richard Poynder, Financial Times, January 30, 2002
Abstract: Copyright is going digital. But in rushing to keep up with technology, new laws threaten to squeeze consumer rights.

Abandonware: Dead Games Live On, Brad King, Wired News, January 19, 2002
Abstract: Old video games never die, they stay on the Internet, thanks to hard-core gamers. Piracy? Sure. But such concerns are mitigated by the reality that most of these archived games are no longer viable as products.

Review: 'The Wind Done Gone' a mild breeze, cnn.com/entertainment, June 29, 2001
Abstract: The Wind Done Gone, a parody of Gone With the Wind, is the basis for a current discussion of parody and piracy, copyright law and the first amendment guarantees of free speech.

Aimster Up, Napster Down for Now, Wired News Report, June 25, 2001
Abstract: File-trading company, Aimster, brings suit against the major record companies seeking a declaratory judgment that it does not violate recording copyrights by allowing music files to be shared over the Internet.

Web piracy-crackdown spawns stealth platforms, Reuters Limited, May 01, 2001
Abstract: Net pirates are trying to make it impossible for Internet service providers to police the activities of their users. Describes the ongoing struggle between the entertainment industry and file-sharers.

IAAL*: Peer-to-Peer File Sharing and Copyright Law after Napster, Fred von Lohmann, Electronic Frontier Foundation, January 01, 2001
Abstract: A primer on US copyright law by an attorney from the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology.