Piracy

The Center for Copyright Information is ready to start implementing the Copyright Alert System, it said Monday. Under the system, content partners, such as music and movie producers, will alert participating ISPs of alleged P2P copyright infringement by their customers. The ISPs will then forward those copyright alerts to the supposed offenders.

China Defense Ministry Blasts Mandiant Hacking Report
February 21, 2013

China's defense ministry staged a news conference Wednesday to deny and decry a report that the People's Liberation Army was engaged in cyberwarfare against U.S. corporations, organizations and government agencies. The denial specifically addressed the bombshell Mandiant hacking study, which declared that the PLA's Unit 61398, located near Shanghai, was one of the world's "most aggressive computer hacking operations."

Europol Cybercops Take Down Ransomware Ring
February 14, 2013

The European police agency, Europol, announced Wednesday that it had dismantled a Russian-led, Spain-based cybercrime organization. The organization reportedly extorted millions of euros across more than 30 countries, mostly in Europe. The group's plan was to convince Internet users to pay fines, supposedly to authorities, for trumped-up infractions.

Facebook Faces Lawsuit Over Like Button
February 12, 2013

Rembrandt Social Media is suing Facebook for its use of the Like button, according to the BBC. Rembrandt claims that Facebook's success is owed, at least in part, to patents belonging to Dutch programmer Joannes Jozef Everardus van Der Meer, who died in 2004.

Language Barriers Block BlackBerry From Japan Launch
February 08, 2013

Unable to justify the operating costs, BlackBerry will not launch its newest handsets, the Z10 and Q10, in Japan -- at least not anytime soon. The requirement to modify its operating system to accommodate the language reportedly influenced BlackBerry's plan to bow out of Japan. Another possible factor is that BlackBerry's market share in Japan has dropped from 5 percent to 0.3 percent.

Icelandic Antipiracy Group Shouted Off Facebook
February 07, 2013

n attempted antipiracy campaign came screeching to a halt when, after just four days, the Icelandic Film and Movie organization, SMAIS, took down its Facebook page. SMAIS apparently wanted to spur dialogue with Icelanders, but that backfired when Facebook users -- who were "fans" of the SMAIS page -- began blasting the group in its own comment section.

Google Victorious in 6-Year Aussie Legal Battle
February 06, 2013

A court in Australia has ruled in favor of Google in its lengthy legal fight with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The case, which lasted six years, concerned search results from 2006-07. The Commission claimed that sponsored links published by Google diverted users to rival companies.

Volunteer Pirate Crew Gives Mega Its Own Search Engine
January 31, 2013

A user-created search engine reportedly makes it easy to scour the new, controversial file-sharing site Mega. Unveiled two weeks ago by Kim Dotcom, a German national living in New Zealand and wanted on a slew of charges in the U.S., Mega initially did not have a search function to scour its own content. The new search engine was built by users voluntarily providing links to files.

Chinese Authorities Shoot Down Videogame Rumor
January 30, 2013

This game is over before it even started. China's Ministry of Culture said that it is not considering lifting the nation's ban on videogame consoles. Reports that China might lift its ban on systems like Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation surfaced last week. However, that story appears to be false.

Pentagon to Beef Up Cybersecurity Arsenal
January 28, 2013

The Pentagon's cybersecurity force reportedly will increase more than fivefold over the next several years, following the approval of a move requested by the head of the Defense Department's Cyber Command. The expansion is meant to bolster the U.S.' ability to defend critical computer systems, as well as carry out offensive campaigns against adversaries.

Saudi Blogger Won't Face Death on Apostasy Accusation
January 23, 2013

A court in Saudi Arabia reportedly has declined to hear the case of Raif Badawi, a liberal blogger who was accused of apostasy. Apostasy,defined as the abandonment of one's faith, is a particularly grievous charge in Islam. Had it been so inclined, the court that turned down the case could have sentenced Badawi to death. As it stands, Badawi's charge was referred to a lower court.

Dotcom Fights the Law With New Mega Site
January 21, 2013

Kim Dotcom on Sunday opened the doors to the new file-sharing website Mega. The site is making a splash in the file-sharing world with its promise of exceptional privacy and security. That is not the only reason Mega's debut is notable, though: Dotcom is the founder of Megaupload, which was shut down by U.S. authorities following indictments for piracy against Dotcom and others.

Google's Schmidt Pitches Android to Chinese Devs
January 15, 2013

Fresh off his trip to North Korea -- and right behind Apple CEO Tim Cook's trip to China -- Google chairman Eric Schmidt joined a panel discussion at the "Geek Park" conference in Beijing. Schmidt reportedly reminded the developers in attendance that despite Apple's popularity in China -- the iPhone 5 sold more than 2 million units in one weekend -- Android is still the top dog in the Middle Kingdom.

The UK's Tangled Antipiracy Web
January 12, 2013

In the battle against online piracy, industry and government officials tend to cast a wide net in blocking suspected piracy-enabling websites. Sometimes this process results in the removal of sites that have nothing to do with piracy. Last April, the UK ordered Internet service providers to block file-sharing site The Pirate Bay.

US Officials Pin Bank Hack Attack on Iran
January 09, 2013

U.S. government officials and security experts are convinced that a recent cyberattack on American banks was executed by Iran. The U.S. has not yet divulged any evidence to corroborate their accusations, but security experts reportedly say the attack displayed a level of sophistication not possible for an amateur.

France Thwarts ISP's Ad-Blocking Swipe at Google
January 07, 2013

France reportedly has stymied an Internet service provider's attempt to let users block ads. Free, a French telecommunications company with more than 5 million users, had said it would allow its customers to block online advertising. Google, the world leader in online advertising, was mum about Free's move, which "raised alarm among companies" that subsist off of paid advertisements.

Mr. Schmidt Goes to North Korea
January 03, 2013

Don't expect google.nk anytime soon, but hey, it's a start. Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, will travel to North Korea for a private, humanitarian mission. The trip, to be led by former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, will mark the first time a top exec from Google has gone to North Korea, which is among the world leaders in backwards Internet policies.

USC Report Links Ad Networks to Piracy Sites
January 03, 2013

Kim Dotcom didn't make his millions from the illegal downloads that took place on Megaupload, the now-defunct site he ran. Rather, he mostly made his money from ads that ran on the illegal download site, which highlights a need for ad networks to do a better job policing their stable of publishers.

Thieves Knock Off Apple Store in Paris
January 02, 2013

On New Year's Eve, armed burglars lifted thousands of dollars -- and potentially more than $1 million -- worth of merchandise from an Apple store in central Paris. The hit targeted a flagship Apple store, which carried a full array of products including iPhones, iPads and Macs. Police declined to comment on reports that put the damage at $1.32 million. The thieves were reportedly masked and escaped in a van.

Man Bites Dog: China Fines Apple for Copyright Infringement
December 28, 2012

A Chinese court fined Apple 1 million yuan, or roughly $160,000, because its App Store hosted third-party applications that were peddling pirated e-books. The ruling stems from a suit brought by a group of Chinese authors earlier this year. The group originally was seeking 10 million yuan.