3 Count: Notorious Markets 2025

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1: US ‘Notorious Markets’ Report Warns of Risks From Online Pharmacies

First off today, Elaine Kurtenbach at the Associated Press reports that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has released its annual report on “notorious markets,” highlighting locations and companies that do not take adequate steps to protect intellectual property.

Much of this year’s list focused on online pharmacies. The USTR said that 96% of online pharmacies were breaking the law in some way, including selling drugs without a prescription. The report also highlighted efforts to prevent content piracy and product counterfeiting, including shutting down several prominent sites in Vietnam.

However, the report highlighted ongoing challenges in combatting cyberlockers and “bulletproof” internet service providers who enable pirated content. The USTR also highlighted a Russian ad platform many pirate sites use to earn revenue.

2: EFF Sides with Cox to Protect Piracy-Accused Internet Users from ‘Copyright Trolls’

Next up today, Ernesto Van der Sar at Torrentfreak writes that The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has filed a brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals urging the court to reject a bid that would make it easier for rightsholders to learn the identities of suspected pirates.

The case involves several smaller movie companies that filed a DMCA subpoena to learn the identities of suspected pirates. DMCA subpoenas have less oversight than regular subpoenas and do not require filing a lawsuit to obtain. However, one of the subjects of such a subpoena has been fighting back, and a district judge in Hawaii ruled that DMCA subpoenas did not apply to “mere conduit” services like internet service providers.

Now, the movie studios have appealed that decision to the Ninth Circuit. Now the EFF has filed a brief in that case, saying that greater oversight should be used when turning over the identities of suspected pirates and that the DMCA subpoena process is not the correct avenue.

3: House of the Dragon: The New Record Set by the Game of Thrones Prequel in 2024

Finally today, Emiro Antonio at VADER reports that the second season of House of the Dragon became the most pirated TV series of the year, beating out fellow HBO productions such as The Penguin.

Another HBO show, The Last of Us, topped the piracy charts last year. In the years before that, Disney regularly topped the charts with The Mandalorian, which held the dubious crown for two years.

The study only looks at movies and TV shows downloaded via BitTorrent. Given the rise of streaming piracy, this represents only a fraction of pirate data but is likely still a good indicator of which shows were more heavily pirated over the year.

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