The Copyright Alliance Blog

In Case You Missed It: Throwing the Penalty Flag at Piracy

Sandra Aistars — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:21:05 +0000

As millions of Americans prepare to watch the New York Giants take on the New England Patriots (or tune in to see Monday’s most talked about commercials) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the NFL are taking steps to crack down on illegal live video streams and counterfeit merchandise. At an NFL press conference today, I.C.E. announced they seized more than 300 infringing websites as part of their Operation Fake Sweep launched last fall. Read more at Politico.com

In Case You Missed It: RIAA Celebrates Record Number of Gold & Platinum Digital Certifications

Sandra Aistars — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:26:53 +0000

The RIAA announced yesterday that they awarded more Gold and Platinum download honors in 2011 than ever in the program’s history, and awarded 25 percent more than in 2010. The year’s top certified digital singles are the 6 time multi-Platinum “Low” by Flo Rida, “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz and “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga. Four acts earned Gold certifications for their debut albums, selling more than 500,000 million copies this year: Foster the People’s “Torches,” J.Cole’s “Cole World: The Sideline Story,” Scott McCreery’s “Clear As Day,” and Wiz Khalifa’s “Rolling Papers.”

The Art of the Takedown

Amanda Reynolds — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:25:46 +0000

The highly documented takedown of the site Megaupload.com on January 19^th has provoked much speculation as well as retaliation. We spent the last week looking over the indictment and to learn more about the takedown of Megaupload.com and what it means for future IP enforcement.

Megaupload claimed to have over 150 million registered users and 50 million daily visitors, making it one of the most visited websites on the internet. To accommodate their volume of users and data, they used over 1500 computer servers all over the world to host the sites, including servers in Washington, D.C. According to the FBI, the “Mega Conspiracy” caused more than $500 million in damage copyright holders, at a profit of over $175 million to the conspirators. Dotcom personally earned $42 million in 2010, or $115,000 a day.

After years of planning and coordinating with international partners, on the eve of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom’s birthday, agents raided his $24 million New Zealand mansion. In addition to shuttering a number of servers and 18 domain names associated with Megaupload, the FBI seized millions of dollars from financial institutions located in New Zealand and Hong Kong as well as $4.9 million worth of automobiles from the Kiwi estate. Dotcom and his co-defendants are charged with copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Of the charges, two carry a maximum penalty of 20 years.

What is evident from reading the indictment is that the successful takedown of Megaupload came about through a lot of planning, a lot of hard work and also a lot of luck. Seizures and searches of servers occurred in a number of countries across the globe and required cooperation and coordination of a number of different actors.

It is also evident that law enforcement is in a state of constantly evolving in order to respond to the rapidly changing world of digital piracy. In the past, the scope of piracy was generally limited to production in one country, with contraband being shipped to ports all over the world. Now, servers are everywhere, files are uploaded and downloaded in the blink of an eye, and nothing is constant.

Though in the immediate aftermath of the shutdown several similar sites scaled back operations, the reality is this is just another shift in the piracy “business model.” The incentive for stealing content is too appealing to “pirates”, and law enforcement efforts to curb piracy must continue to be supported. Educating consumers about the harsh realities of piracy must continue to be our top priority.

President Announces New Trade Enforcement Initiative during State of the Union Address

Sandra Aistars — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:03:13 +0000

During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Obama proposed a new Trade Enforcement Initiative designed to combat unfair trade practices. In his remarks, the President stated “It’s not right when another country lets our movies, music and software be pirated.” According the White House, the initiative includes the formation of a new trade enforcement unit to bring together resources and investigators from across the Federal Government to go after unfair trade practices in countries around the world, including China. He also called for enhanced trade inspections to prevent counterfeit and pirated goods before they enter the U.S.

In Case You Missed It: Internet to Artists: Drop Dead

Sandra Aistars — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:31:21 +0000

Today’s Wall Street Journal opinion page features an oped by economist Stan Liebowitz. In it he refutes the oft-cited claim that some how piracy promotes sales and stresses that maintaining the status quo would continue to put content industries at risk while enabling for-profit pirates. He writes: “A balancing of competing legitimate interests is always required for good legislation. So far, the balance has favored the pirates—in spite of extravagant protests to the contrary. The real and massive losses of copyright owners need to be rebalanced against any hypothetical losses that stronger protection might impose.”

Read the piece here.

In Case You Missed It: File Sharing Services React to Megaupload Takedown

Sandra Aistars — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:08:48 +0000

According to reports, two popular file-sharing sites have scaled back access to files on their servers. FileSonic and Uploaded.to have altered their operations, with Uploaded.to suspending service in the U.S. and FileSonic suspending all file sharing on its site, as well as its affiliate program that pays cash rewards to users’ who upload highly downloaded files. Read more at PCWorld.

CAEF celebrates National Reading Day

Sandra Aistars — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:15:55 +0000

From timeless classics Where the Wild Things Are or The Velveteen Rabbit to newer favorites Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Is Your Mamma a Llama?, books from your childhood (as well as those you find yourself reading over and over to little ones you love) have a way of sticking with you.

Today is National Reading Day – an annual event that celebrates reading for younger children. In thousands of schools and libraries across the country, educators and others will help students Pre-K through third grade develop literacy skills by reading books aloud.

Reading to young people helps cultivate the next generation of artists and creators. To help the teachers of those budding creators the Copyright Alliance Education Foundation provides educational information for teachers and students that facilitates teaching not only literacy but also media and digital literacy.

So remember a favorite line or two (“I am Sam, Sam I am” anyone?) and break out a favorite children’s book in honor of National Reading Day. You never know, you may inspire the next great American author.

In Case You Missed It: Federal prosecutors shut down Meagupload

Sandra Aistars — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:30:40 +0000

On Thursday, federal prosecutors shut down one of the world’s largest file-sharing sites. According to the AP, Megaupload.com is charged with violating piracy laws, costing copyright holders over $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and other content. Read more about the takedown at the Washington Post. Additionally, sources report that hacking group Anonymous took down the Department of Justice website among others in what they call “retaliation” for the action against Megaupload.

The Morning After: Perspectives on the SOPA Debate

Sandra Aistars — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:04:44 +0000

The hours leading up to and during yesterday’s blackout of websites in the name of protesting anti-piracy legislation prompted a flurry of coverage, more stark claims about the impending death of the Internet, and knee-jerk reactions to the outcry.

Much like waking up with a bad hangover, however, the morning after may provide a moment for more sober thinking about what this all means.

Following are pieces that have appeared mostly overnight that offer some more nuanced and big picture thinking about what’s happening with online culture, overheated debate, and the potential consequences. Not all of these authors are supporters of SOPA, and make a point of saying so. But they all offer thoughtful takes on the debate.

New York Times, The False Ideals of the Web

Financial Post, No Oil Meets No Copyright

The Herald Scotland, Wiki Boss has Picked the Wrong Fight for Democracy

The Hill, Anti-piracy Battle Reveals Dysfunctional Thinking

The Guardian, Behind the Music: What if the culture industry shut down for a day?

The Register, White House shelves SOPA….now what?

The Chilling Report, The Haves and the Want to Haves – for Free

Detroit Free Press, Websites’ fight for freedom may be about profits, too

Yale Daily News, SOPA is no apocalypse

In Case You Missed It: “Anti-piracy battle reveals dysfunctional thinking”

Amanda Reynolds — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:51:58 +0000

Independent filmmaker and grassroots member David Newhoff has a piece on The Hill today highlighting the long-term consequences of overblown rhetoric on thoughtful policymaking and progress. He writes: “If SOPA and PIPA fail, or fail to pass in substantive form, it will indeed be a shame for American content creators and consumers, but the real shame is what this process reveals about the stagnation of governance in general.” Read the piece here.