3 Count: Pirate CDNs

Thousands of sites, a handful of providers...

3 Count Logo

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

1: Group-IB Uncovers Major Players and Driving Forces of TV/streaming Piracy

First off today, Broadband News reports that Group-IB, a Singapore company that tracks global threats, has released a report entitled Jolly Roger’s Patrons that shines a light on the infrastructure of pirate websites.

The report states that, while there are many thousands of pirate streaming websites, they mostly rely on the same group of approximately ten content delivery networks (CDNs) to provide them access. Up to 60 percent of those CDNs then rely on a single Russian company, ZeroCDN.

This report comes after rightsholders successfully got two such CDNs, Moonwalk and HDGO, to shutter in 2019. However, the report states that those closures sparked a second wave of smarter pirate CDNs that are in use today.

2: Disney Obtains New ‘Dynamic’ Court Order to Block 118 ‘Pirate’ Domains

Next up today, Andy Maxwell at Torrentfreak writes that, in India, Disney has obtained an injunction ordering local ISPs to block some 118 pirate domains. The most interesting element is that the order is dynamic, meaning that more domains can be added later.

The list targets some 37 sites, none of which appeared in court to make a defense. Most of the sites involved deal with anime and/or cartoon-related content. Though the list focused heavily on streaming sites, it included the popular Nyaa.si torrent site.

The dynamic component of the injunction makes it so that, if those sites set up mirrors or new domains, the plaintiffs can file to have those blocked as well. The order also includes an injunction barring the sites from operating though that is unlikely to have any effect.

3: Sheryl Crow, Train, Lionel Richie, Alanis & More Urge Political Campaigns to Seek Consent Before Using Music

Finally today, ABC News Radio reports that a large group of musicians have signed an open letter asking U.S. political campaigns to seek permission from artists before using their music in rallies and advertisements.

The letter, which was done in partnership with the Artists Rights Alliance, says that the playing of such songs creates a false implication of support or endorsement. It goes on to request that the campaigns create policies that require them to seek consent from artists, songwriters and copyright holders before using their music in a political setting.

The letter comes after several artists have objected to the use of their music by President Donald Trump. This has resulted in the takedown of several videos of his from Twitter and other platforms.

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

Want to Reuse or Republish this Content?

If you want to feature this article in your site, classroom or elsewhere, just let us know! We usually grant permission within 24 hours.

Click Here to Get Permission for Free