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Anti-PiracyMock Anti-Piracy Ad Summarizes the State of the IssueAuthored by Scott Goldberg on September 11, 2007 - 6:25pm.
 The importance that piracy plays in the news has waxed and waned over the years. Of late the idea of piracy enforcement has become a laughable affair, as the battle between those who want to punish pirates versus those who want to steal music, television shows, and films has become ridiculous in the eyes of those who see it as a hopeless, and therefore humorous, affair. One group seems to have summarized that sentiment in a video clip you can see here. And having been viewed almost 400,000 times in the three days since its posting, it’s clear the public identifies as well.
A Completely Real Anti-Piracy Ad...Or maybe it should be?Authored by dmw on September 11, 2007 - 6:21pm.
AccessIT Using Philips Anti-Piracy Watermarking Tech for Digital CinemaAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 21, 2006 - 6:35am.
Morristown, N.J. - Access Integrated Technologies, a provider of digital cinema distribution systems, announced on Tuesday that it has launched a digital cinema anti-piracy initiative, which will utilize watermarking technology to protect digitally projected cinema programming. The company said its Christie/AIX unit will now incorporate Philips' CineFence forensic watermarking technology in its ongoing 4,000-screen digital cinema deployment plan.
MPAA, BitTorrent File-Sharing Network Sign Anti-Piracy AgreementAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 28, 2005 - 10:36am.
Washington - The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) announced that it has reached an agreement with the BitTorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing service and major movie studios to clamp down on the unauthorized sharing of movies on the service. Under the agreement, BitTorrent founder and CEO Bram Cohen will remove links to pirated movies from the search engine on his BitTorrent.com website. "BitTorrent is an extremely efficient publishing tool and search engine that allows creators and rights holders to make their content available on the Internet securely," Cohen said. "BitTorrent Inc. discourages the use of its technology for distributing films without a license to do so. As such, we are pleased to work with the film industry to remove unauthorized content from BitTorrent.com's search engine." The move will not stop trading on BitTorrent's network, however, as there are many other search engines and websites that can locate both authorized and copyrighted files available for download from BitTorrent. "We are glad that Bram Cohen and his company are working with us to limit access to infringing files on the BitTorrent.com Web site," said MPAA CEO Dan Glickman.
Redbus to Use Cinea Anti-Piracy on BAFTA DVD ScreenersAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 15, 2005 - 5:24am.
Reston, Va. - Cinea, a unit of Dolby Laboratories that develops film anti-piracy technology, announced on Tuesday that European film distributor Redbus, a division of Lions Gate Entertainment, will use its technology on the DVD movie "screeners" it sends to voting members of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). Cinea distributed special DVD players to BAFTA members, which are the only devices that can play the encrypted DVD screener copies of Redbus' "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "A Cock and Bull Story."
U.S. Asks WTO for Review of China's Anti-Piracy EffortsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on October 26, 2005 - 6:20am.
Washington - The Bush Administration has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) for a special review of government efforts to stem piracy of music, movies, software and other products in China, deemed by the U.S. as a haven for piracy, the Associated Press reported. "If China believes that it is doing enough to protect intellectual property, then it should view this process as a chance to prove its case," said U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman. "Our goal is to get detailed information that will help pinpoint exactly where the enforcement system is breaking down so we can decide the appropriate next step." AP reports that U.S. business interests have been lobbying for the government to make a formal complaint against China over piracy, which could eventually lead to economic sanctions against China.
Digimarc Licenses Anti-piracy Watermarking Tech to CineaAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on October 20, 2005 - 8:55am.
Beaverton, Ore. - Digimarc, a developer of digital watermarking technology, announced on Thursday that it has signed a multi-year patent licensing agreement with Cinea, a unit of Dolby Laboratories that provides anti-piracy technologies to the film and TV industries. Under the deal, Cinea will be able to offer Digimarc's forensic tracking, which can trace the source of an unauthorized leak of video content to its source file through inaudible digital watermarking.
Hollywood Studios Invest $30 Million in Anti-Piracy Joint VentureAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 19, 2005 - 9:46am.
New York -- The six major Hollywood movie studios have formed a joint venture to develop new anti-piracy technologies, The New York Times reported on Monday. Motion Picture Laboratories (MovieLabs) will receive $30 million in financing over its first two years from the studios to develop various anti-piracy technologies not being addressed in the marketplace. Initiatives include developing a means of jamming camcorders smuggled into movie theaters; network management software to block movie-trading on campus and corporate computer networks; tools to detect illegal file-sharing on public networks; security for home networks; and technological methods of maintaining regional release windows worldwide. "Our highest priority is protecting the integrity of our product," Dan Glickman, chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), told The Times. The MPAA said it modeled its MovieLabs venture on the cable TV industry's CableLabs, which develops technologies cable TV providers needed and that consumer electronics firms were not addressing in the market.
Swedish Anti-Piracy Group Reports 200 Suspected File-Swappers to PoliceAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2005 - 10:45am.
London -- Following the recent passing of a law in Sweden banning all file-sharing, the country's anti-piracy organization, Antipiratbyran (APB), has reported 200 alleged file-swappers to the police, The Register reported, citing a report in Sweden's The Local. The new file-sharing ban was passed by Swedish parliament and goes into effect on July 1. While APB had already sent copyright warnings to 400,000 file-swappers, the organization has been criticized for potentially violating Sweden's privacy laws by collecting IP addresses. After more than 1,000 complaints were sent to Swedish authorities, the APB said it has since changed its method of identifying suspected file-swappers.
SafeNet to Acquire Anti-Piracy Firm MediaSentry for $20 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 3:07am.
Baltimore -- Continuing to aggressively grow its rights management business, SafeNet, a provider of information security hardware, software and chips, said on Thursday that it will pay $20 million in cash and stock to acquire New Jersey-based MediaSentry, a provider of anti-piracy and business management services for the recording and motion picture industries. Under the deal, SafeNet will pay $14 million in cash, with the remainder in stock. MediaSentry's anti-piracy offerings are designed to help clients detect and deter unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content and prosecute those who engage in piracy. The company's clients include Warner Brothers, the Motion Picture Association of America and the Business Software Alliance. The deal is expected to close later this month.
Mobile Operators Say Anti-Piracy Software Royalties Still Too HighAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 4, 2005 - 10:20am.
London -- A global trade association of mobile network operators said on Wednesday that lowered licensing fees for cell phone anti-piracy software are still too expensive. MPEG LA, which represents companies like Sony and Philips that hold patents on cell phone digital rights management, cut its proposed tariffs on the technology by one-third after complaints from the GSM Association. The mobile networks argued that the initial $1 per phone surcharge on anti-piracy software would cost more than the projected annual revenue from sales of all downloaded content protected by the software. In a statement, the GSM Association called on alternate providers of digital rights management technology to put forward competing schemes for evaluation. "It's clear that the revised proposal remains unreasonable and unworkable -- but we are confident that MPEG LA will continue to respond to market feedback," said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association.
Congress May Vote on Combined Anti-Piracy Copyright BillsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 16, 2004 - 5:18am.
Washington -- Lobbyists for the entertainment industry are asking Congress to approve a controversial bill that combines several anti-piracy and Internet copyright bills into one during a lame-duck session this week. The Senate may vote this week on the Intellectual Property Protection Act (HR 2391), which combines the Piracy Deterrence and Education Act and PIRATE Act. The bill would, among other things, for the first time allow the Justice Dept. to seek civil damages against file-swappers, as well as five-year prison terms for those offering 1,000 or more unauthorized songs for download. The bill would also provide three-year jail terms for those who bring camcorders into movie theaters and pirate a film to distribute it online. "It's not like these bills came out of nowhere. All of these bills had been passed by one house or another," David Green, the Motion Picture Association's vice president for technology and new media, told The Washington Post. Opponents of the bill include the Consumer Electronics Association, Verizon, the American Conservative Union and advocacy group Public Knowledge, which has called on the Senate to postpone consideration until next year, to provide time for additional pubic debate. "It's just plain wrong to make the Department of Justice Hollywood's law firm," American Conservative Union deputy director Stacie Rumenap told The Post.
Hollywood Studios Sue Movie File-Swappers, Launch Anti-Piracy CampaignAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 16, 2004 - 5:17am.
Washington -- The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) announced on Tuesday that it has filed its first wave of copyright infringement lawsuits against alleged Internet movie file-swappers. The suits were filed against an undisclosed number of defendants, who could be liable for up to $30,000 for each movie traded, and up to $150,000 if "willful infringement" is proven. The MPAA did not state whether it would offer settlement deals to accused infringers, as the recording industry has done in its legal campaign. "The future of our industry, and of the hundreds of thousands of jobs it supports, must be protected from this kind of outright theft using all available means," said MPAA CEO Dan Glickman. The MPAA's new campaign also includes anti-piracy trailers and posters that will be displayed in 10,000 video rental stores, through an agreement with the Video Software Dealers Association. The group will also soon offer free software that it says will identify potentially infringing movie and music files on a computer, along with any file-sharing applications, and offer to delete them. The MPAA said this information would only be visible by a user of the program, and "would not be shared with or reported to the MPAA or any other body." The MPAA also cited raids on street vendors in Los Angeles and New York, in addition to actions in five other countries, as well as its backing of movie theater anti-camcording laws in 18 states and the District of Columbia as other examples of its campaign against movie piracy.
Software Lobby Creates Anti-Piracy Mascot for School Education CampaignAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on August 10, 2004 - 3:11am.
Washington -- The Business Software Alliance (BSA), a trade group of software companies that includes Microsoft, Apple, Adobe and Macromedia, announced on Tuesday the creation of a "copyright-crusading ferret," a character that will serve as the mascot for the group's upcoming school anti-piracy education campaign. The BSA produced a four-page comic book about "cyber ethics" that will be published in the Weekly Reader, a newspaper distributed in elementary classrooms. The comic is intended to teach children to respect copyrighted works and not download them from file-sharing networks. "Computer usage is commonplace in youth education today, and good legal and ethical behaviors need to be taught with the technology," said Diane Smiroldo, vice president of public affairs for the BSA. "We hope that naming the ferret and creating a comic book curriculum that focuses on respecting digital copyrighted works will be a fun way to remind kids and educators about the importance of learning and practicing good cyber ethics."
French ISPs to Unplug File-Swappers Under Government Anti-Piracy PlanAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on July 29, 2004 - 4:13am.
Paris -- French Internet service providers Club-Internet, Free, Noos, Tiscali France and Wanadoo have signed an agreement with the French government that will allow the ISPs to pull the plug on people who illegally download music. Under the terms of the agreement, which enjoys the full support of several record labels and musician's groups, the ISPs will begin to employ termination or suspension clauses to cancel subscriptions of pirates caught in flagrante delicto. The government's charter also calls on music copyright holders to publicize by year's end targeted civil and criminal court action against pirates. Hoping to head off criticism of the agreement, Christine Levet, head of the local Association of Internet Service Providers, told French news agency AFP that members of her organization would send warning messages to customers upon request from rights holders, emphasizing that Internet service would be cut off "only upon the decision of a judge."
Senate Debates Controversial Anti-Piracy "Induce Act"Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 22, 2004 - 4:52am.
Washington -- The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday heard debate on a controversial bill -- the Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act or "Induce Act" -- that has the potential to shut down peer-to-peer networks and outlaw other technologies that simply "induce" people to infringe copyrights. Testifying at the hearing were representatives from the RIAA, Business Software Alliance and the U.S. Copyright Office, which announced its support for the legislation on Thursday. While copyright holders in the music, film, software and other industries say the law is badly needed to quell piracy, critics say the bill is worded vaguely and could be applied to potentially copyright infringement-inducing devices like Apple's iPod, or the PC itself. A group of technology firms including CNET Networks, eBay, Google, Intel, MCI, TiVo, Verizon, Sun Microsystems and Yahoo sent a letter to Senators, saying the Induce Act "would chill innovation and drive investment in technology [overseas]."
Anti-Piracy Firm Macrovision Acquires InstallShield for $76 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2004 - 9:30am.
Santa Clara, Calif. -- Macrovision, a provider of anti-copying technologies for CDs, DVDs and other media, announced that it has acquired InstallShield, a provider of software that eases installation of new applications on computers, for $76 million in cash. The deal also provides for an additional payment of up to $20 million, contingent upon post-acquisition performance. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Macrovision said the deal will allow it to expand its product portfolio and reach Illinois-based InstallShield's large software developer customer base.
Loudeye P2P Anti-Piracy Service "Guarantees" 99% EffectivenessAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 25, 2004 - 7:23am.
Seattle -- Loudeye Technologies, a provider of streaming song samples and other digital media services, on Tuesday announced a service that guarantees 99% effectiveness in blocking copyrighted content from being traded on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. The anti-piracy service level agreement is being offered to the music, movie, video game and software industries. The technology comes out of Seattle-based Loudeye's March acquisition of Overpeer, a provider of digital media data mining, anti-piracy and promotional solutions.
Loudeye Acquires P2P Anti-Piracy Firm OverPeer for $4 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 2, 2004 - 7:07am.
Seattle -- Loudeye Technologies, a provider of streaming song samples and other digital media services, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired OverPeer, a music anti-piracy technology firm, in an all-stock transaction valued at about $4 million. New York-based OverPeer works with major record labels, film studios, television networks, game publishers and software companies, offering monitoring of peer-to-peer file-sharing services on their behalf, as well as "spoofing" of files on the networks to deter potential copyright infringement. The company said that its spoof files were downloaded 25 million times on file-sharing services during last month alone. "Overpeer's strong technology and products are a natural fit with our digital music and media solutions and we share a common goal of driving legitimate digital media revenue and monetizing content across all digital distribution channels," said Loudeye chairman Anthony Bay.
FBI "Anti-Piracy" Label to Feature on Music, Movies, Software, GamesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 19, 2004 - 8:19am.
Los Angeles -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday announced a joint initiative with record labels, movie studios, software and game developers that will result in a new FBI "Anti-Piracy" warning label being placed on and within physical and digital copyrighted works. The four industries participating in the endeavor collectively claim $3 billion in losses due to copyright infringement in 2003. "It is our hope that when consumers see the new FBI warning on the music they purchase, both physically and digitally, they will take the time to learn the do's and don'ts of copying and uploading to the Internet," said Brad Buckles, director of anti-piracy at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "As this seal attests, these are the serious crimes with serious consequences -- including federal prosecution -- to making unauthorized copies or uploading music without permission and consumers should be aware of them." The exact design and phrasing of the FBI warning labels -- long a fixture on VHS and DVD movies -- is still under consideration by the various industries.
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