File-sharing site Zippyshare to shut down after 17 years
A big blow to file-sharers everywhere
Microsoft official support used a pirate script to activate Windows, customer claims
When everything else fails, just embrace the digital pirate's way of life
Anti-piracy coalition helped dismantle Evo piracy group
A major threat to the movie industry gone silent, and it likely won't come back
Reddit lawyers tell movie studios to take a hike after they demanded to identify users
A hot potato: Lawyers litigating a movie piracy case have demanded the identities of nine Reddit users who "might" have discussed piracy on the platform. Reddit turned over some of the information on one (or two) of the users that seemed to be engaging in a "how-to" discussion on bootlegging movies; the plaintiffs want all of the users exposed. Reddit says, "No. We'll see you in court."
Notorious game cracker has removed Denuvo from Hogwarts Legacy after just two weeks
Turns out Denuvo is out, but there's no free performance boost
Belarus law grants government ability to pirate western multimedia, including software until 2025
Scheme allows IP owners to collect money owed, if they can
New information-stealing malware is being spread by fake pirate sites
"Arrr, beware of RisePro, matey"
In a nutshell: In another showing of why downloading pirated software, games, movies, etc., can be riskier than it's worth, cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new information-stealing malware distributed through fake websites hosting pirated and other illegal content.
Home Alone was the most pirated classic Christmas movie of 2022
This is my house, I have to defend it
GitHub Copilot slammed with the first class-action against "unfair" AI
A hot potato: The first class-action lawsuit against a machine learning algorithm has been filed in San Francisco federal court. Proponents are calling for millions of GitHub users to reaffirm their rights against Copilot, an AI that suggests new code by violating open-source licenses and several other copyright infringement laws.
Online piracy is on the rise, with television and movies leading the charge
Fragmented streaming options are partially to blame
"End Live Piracy Now" campaign demands swift action against illegal streaming in Europe
A hot potato: End Live Piracy Now is a new initiative against unlicensed streaming of live sports and events. More than 100 organizations want the EU to "end piracy" for good, with new laws that would shut pirate servers off even before a live show comes to an end. Which is easier said than done.
Google delisted six billion alleged 'pirate' links in ten years
Mountain View's anti-piracy activity is going strong, and rightsholders are happier than ever
House of the Dragon beats The Rings of Power on pirate sites
In a nutshell: While not a widespread phenomenon anymore, piracy continues to drive a significant amount of Internet traffic around the world. TV shows like House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings are particularly popular, even though the former seems to be way more interesting for P2P pirates.
New Denuvo version seeks to protect game DLCs and microtransactions
A necessary evil for free-to-play games?
DuckDuckGo blocks piracy websites from search results, denies such claims
The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and more disappear from the privacy-focused service
Russian developer of Loop Hero tells players to pirate the game
Sanctions have stopped payments to Russian developers
YouTube Vanced is shutting down after owners receive a cease and desist from Google
Popular third-party app is known for its ad-free YouTube experience, among other features exclusive to YouTube Premium
Russia may consider legalizing piracy to sidestep sanctions
Easier said than done these days
Popcorn Time lives on, even if it's not as popular as it once was
The world doesn't need Popcorn Time anymore
Office pirates can grab a one-year Microsoft 365 subscription at half price
Microsoft extends an olive branch to Office pirates
Nintendo hacker Bowser settles Switch piracy lawsuit for $10 million in restitution
Don't mess with the real Bowser, Bub; you'll get the horns
Hackers claim they have cracked the PS5 and obtained all symmetric root keys
Happy Anniversary PlayStation 5---you just got pwned
Man arrested for filming anime in movie theater to "watch at home"
Is it really worth it?
Malware-packed pirated games infected millions of PCs, stealing data and hijacking webcams to photograph users
A high price for a pirated game
Nintendo of America and its president, Bowser, are suing a hacker called Bowser
The actual King of the Koopas isn't involved