3 Count: Not PayPals

Have any suggestions for the 3 Count? Let me know via Twitter @plagiarismtoday.

1: PayPal Blocks VPN, SmartDNS Provider’s Payments Over Alleged Copyright Violations

First off today, Glyn Moody at Ars Technica UK reports that virtual private network (VPN) and SmartDNS provider UnoTelly has come forward to say that payment service provider PayPal has shuttered their account, preventing them from accepting payment through their service.

PayPal has long had a policy barring its services from being used for copyright infringement or other illegal purposes. There have been many cases where it cut off service and funds to BitTorrent and illegal streaming sites, but it has never done so for a VPN provider. However, UnoTelly explicitly advertises its service as a means to get around geoblocking and accessing copyrighted works that the user is not licensed to receive.

The move comes as popular video streaming service Netflix has begun a crackdown on VPN users who attempt to access content not licensed for their region. That, in turn, followed a near-global expansion of the service bringing it to 190 countries.

2: Warner, Sony Say They’ll Share Potential Spotify Windfall With Artists

Next up today, Joshua Brustein at Bloomberg Business reports that two of the major record labels, Warner Music and Sony, have said that, should they receive a windfall from equity taken in streaming music services, they will share that revenue with the artists they represent.

The statements follow controversy over the arrangements, which saw labels take lower royalties for streamed music in exchange for equity in the companies. Artists grew concerned that any revenue generated from such deals might go solely to the labels and not to them. Sony and Warner, however, have now come forward and said that will not be the case.

The third of the major record labels, Universal Music Group, has not said what they plan to do one way or another. Independent record labels, represented by the group Merlin, have already said that they plan on sharing such equity with artists when it is cashed in.

3: ​Google Chrome Will Protect You From Fake Download Buttons

Finally today, Stan Schroeder at Mashable reports that Google launched an update to their Safe Browsing feature in Google Chrome that will warn users when they are visiting a site that contains deceptive download buttons.

Such download buttons are common on pirate sites, which frequently have ads and popups that attempt to trick users into clicking the wrong link. These ads direct people to unwanted sites and can, in some cases, attempt to install malware on users computers.

For webmasters who are hit by the warning, Google is offering a set of guidelines to bring their site into compliance. Google also makes it possible to disable the safe browsing feature if a user is adversely impacted.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today. We will be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.