File-Sharer Says “No” to RIAA’s $25k Offer To Settle
Just days after a judge reduced the $1.92m damages bill handed down to Jammie Thomas to a slightly more sensible $54,000, her legal team have turned down an offer to settle for $25,000.
Archive for January, 2010
AFACT vs iiNet Ruling Could Come Next Week
Next week the Federal Court will likely deliver its ruling on the epic copyright case which concluded in November 2009 between AFACT, representing the movie industry, and Australian ISP iiNet.
Free Music is The New Standard
Half a decade ago there were only a handful of musicians who shared their music via file-sharing networks, but this has changed radically. BitTorrent sites have slowly started to replace record stores, with peers taking care of the music distribution.
Music Pirates Aren’t Going To Love MusicDNA
MusicDNA, the new music format being touted to take over from the humble MP3, is being promoted by the creators as a possible solution to piracy. But it doesn’t seem likely that music pirates will fall over themselves to adopt this new filetype.
Movie Piracy Complaints Shut Down Entire Market
After constant complaints from the MPAA-funded Federation Against Copyright Theft over the sale of pirate movies by traders, a council in the UK has taken the decision to shut down an entire city market.
Google Deletes Aboriginal Flag After Copyright Dispute
An 11 year-old “Doodle 4 Google” winner has seen her artwork changed by the search giant after the Aboriginal flag it features was the subject of a copyright claim by its creator.
DidItLeak Owner Dies of Cancer at 23
Alan Carton, the brain behind the music release info blog Diditleak died of cancer last week. Alan was 23 years old.
MPAA CEO Throws The Towel, Quits Early
Movie industry boss Dan Glickman has announced that he will leave the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) this April, a few month before his contract ends.
RIAA Victim’s $1.92 Million Fine Reduced to $54,000
Last Summer Jammie Thomas lost her retrial against the RIAA and was ordered to pay $1.92 million for 24 songs she shared via Kazaa. Many were shocked by the high amount of the fine, and so was Judge Davis who now lowered the fine to $54,000.
Asian DVD Club Will Return Soon
Asian DVD Club, a private torrent site specializing in, wait for it, Asian content, has disappeared from the ‘net during the last few days. No need to panic though, it will return soon.
Free Culture Massachusetts Senate Run
The death of Senator Ted Kennedy in August may have disrupted American politics, but some are hoping to capitalise on it. One such person is Ken Takusagawa, who is running as an independent write-in candidate, with a Free Culture Platform
What Happened When I Gave Away Films On Mininova
Mininova received a serious blow last year when it had to remove thousands of torrents from its database. But one apparent loss can quickly turn into another’s gain.
Making Peace Between BitTorrent Users and Content Providers
In response to our offer to let our readers have their voices heard, FreakBits reader Ruslan from Russia has written an article which he hopes will provide the seeds for peace between BitTorrent users and content providers.
EZTV Down Due To Hardware Issues
For the last days the EZTV website has been inaccessible. Worried TV fans can be reassured though, the site will return as soon as the current hardware issues are resolved.
TorrentFreak Readers – Have Your Say On FreakBits
Today we officially invite you, our loyal readers, to get your thoughts out to a wider audience by having your say on FreakBits, the official side-blog of TorrentFreak.com.
The Pirate Bay Is Down, Back Soon
The Pirate Bay has been inaccessible to millions of people over the last few hours, due to technical problems. There is no need to panic though, as the site is scheduled to be back online soon.
TorrentLeech Celebrates 5th Birthday
TorrentLeech, one of the largest and longest-standing private BitTorrent trackers, is today celebrating its fifth birthday. Happy birthday TL!
French To Start Chasing File-Sharers “In the Spring”
France’s culture minister confirmed Friday that the chasing of file-sharers will begin in the spring. Those caught will be subjected to the much-touted “3 strikes” regime.
Spotify Clients Exclude Impaired Individuals
It’s being claimed that blind and visually impaired Internet users are being drawn away from Spotify towards illicit P2P and file sharing due to the lack of disabled accessibility in the company’s client.
UFC Hits Bar With $640,000 Lawsuit
After announcing the beginning of a legal campaign against sites who offer unauthorized streams of their events – and users who download them – the UFC have hit a bar owner with a $640,000 lawsuit
