3 Count: Portable Content

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

1: Europe Agrees Content Portability Rules

First off today, Colin Mann at Advanced Television reports that the EU Parliament has voted 586-34 in favor of content portability within the bloc.

Currently in the EU if you purchase or otherwise legally acquire access to content in one country, such as using Netflix or Hulu, you can lose access to that content when you visit another nation in the EU. But while the new legislation allows users to take content with them when they visit another country, the law does not create a single market for the EU as it allows service providers to use residence checks to ensure customers have not permanently moved.

The new rules will only apply to fee-based services though free providers can also take advantage of residency checks. Next the law will have to be formally approved by the EU Council of Ministers, after which member states will have nine months to enact the rules in their country.

2: Popular Torrent Site ExtraTorrent Shuts Down Permanently

Next up today, Samden Sherpa at Gizbot reports that the popular BitTorrent site ExtraTorrent has shut its doors permanently, bringing an end to one of the best-known piracy sites.

The move was announced on the site’s home page, which was replaced with a message that reads “ExtraTorrent has shut down permanently. ExtraTorrent with all mirrors goes offline… We permanently erase all data. Stay away from fake ExtraTorrent websites and clones.”

The site had been offline for an extended period of time before the abrupt announcement. There is no indication if it was legal pressure or other issues that prompted the shutdown.

3: Message to Pirates of the Caribbean Hackers – Piracy No Longer Pays

Finally today, Gavin Haynes at The Guardian reports that Disney has responded to pirates holding the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film hostage by saying no ransom is to be paid.

The film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, was involved in a hack of a Los Angelest post-production company. Through the hack, the attackers obtained a high quality print ten days before the film’s slated release and then asked Disney for a ransom of $80,000 or they threatened to release the film on piracy websites.

Disney, however, has said they will not pay the ransom, preferring not to reward hacking and piracy. With the demands refused, it remains to be seen if the film will make its debut on pirate sites or in the theaters. Disney did say it is cooperating with authorities to track down the individuals responsible for the hack.

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.