• High Court Orders UK ISPs to Block Kickass Torrents, H33T and Fenopy
  The website blocking phenomenon has continued today in the UK, with the High Court adding three major torrent sites to the country’s unofficial ban list. Following complaints from the music industry led by the BPI, the Court ordered the UK’s leading Internet service providers to begin censoring subscriber access to Kickass Torrents, H33T and Fenopy.

  Source: High Court Orders UK ISPs to Block Kickass Torrents, H33T and Fenopy

• Japanese Police Arrest 27 File-Sharers in Nationwide Show of Force
  Last year Japan introduced one of the toughest laws in the world for dealing with online piracy but with little visible action against file-sharers it was questioned whether the legislation would have teeth. That position has now dramatically switched, with police nationwide carrying out searches on 124 locations and arresting 27 people for online infringement. Those arrested face up to 10 years in jail.

  Source: Japanese Police Arrest 27 File-Sharers in Nationwide Show of Force

• Comcast Punishes BitTorrent Pirates With Browser Hijack
  Comcast revealed today how it will deal with customers who receive multiple warnings under the newly launched “six-strikes” anti-piracy system. After four alerts the ISP will “hijack” web-browsers of suspected serial pirates with a persistent pop-up notification, making it impossible to browse the Internet. The pop-up will disappear after the customer “resolves the issue” with a Customer Security Assurance professional.

  Source: Comcast Punishes BitTorrent Pirates With Browser Hijack

• Former Uploaded.to Admin Fined $188,000 For Copyright Infringement
  The former operator of a popular file-hosting site has been heavily fined by a court in Germany. The man, who is the former admin of Uploaded.to, was found guilty of offenses related to the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content. The court fined him a total of 144,000 euros ($188,000) but due to other key matters in the case the important issue of service provider liability for third party actions wasn’t tested.

  Source: Former Uploaded.to Admin Fined $188,000 For Copyright Infringement

• Piracy Doesn’t Hurt Game of Thrones, Director Says
  With millions of downloads per episode Game of Thrones was by far the most pirated TV-show of last year. However, according to the show’s director, David Petrarca, these unauthorized downloads actually do more good than harm. Petrarca explains that the show needs “cultural buzz” to thrive and survive, and this buzz is being generated in part by pirates.

  Source: Piracy Doesn’t Hurt Game of Thrones, Director Says

• U.S. ‘Pirate’ Streaming Site Operator Gets Amnesty
  The Texan operator of Channelsurfing.net has made a deal with the United States Government to avoid prosecution. The man, who was arrested in 2011 after the domain name of his website was seized, stood accused of criminal copyright infringement for linking to sport streams. In the agreement, the U.S. attorney says that it’s in the best interest of all concerned to give McCarthy amnesty.

  Source: U.S. ‘Pirate’ Streaming Site Operator Gets Amnesty

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