3 Count: Photocalled Off

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1: TV Streaming Piracy Service With 26M Yearly Visits Shut Down

First off today, Sergiu Gatlan at Bleeping Computer reports that the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has teamed up with the TV service DAZN to shutter Photocall. This TV piracy service had over 26 million viewers.

According to ACE and DAZN, the service had some 1,127 TV channels from 60 countries. However, following an operation coordinated by Europol, the site and service have been shut down and are redirecting visitors to ACE’s “Watch Legally” page.

DAZN states that Photocall did not stream any of its channels but did regularly stream pirated versions of its partners’ content, including several sports leagues.

2: Anna’s Archive ‘WorldCat Scrape’ Lawsuit Drops $5M Claim, Pivots to Takedown Tactic

Next up today, Ernesto Van der Sar at Torrentfreak writes that the library organization OCLC has dropped its demands for massive damages in its lawsuit against Anna’s Archives. Instead, it is pivoting to seek injunctive relief, hoping to get the site shut down.

OCLC sued Anna’s Archive in 2023, alleging that the site scraped and republished their database without authorization. Anna’s Archive never responded to the lawsuit, prompting OCLC to file for a default judgment.

OCLC initially sought $5.3 million in damages. However, after the court questioned the amount, they dropped the request and instead are simply asking for an injunction and a declaration that Anna’s Archive violates the law. They hope that, by going this route, they can compel third-party services to stop hosting or assisting the site, getting it closed down.

3: Minister Indicates Sympathy for Artists in Debate Over AI and Copyright

Finally, today, Robert Booth at The Guardian reports that, in the UK, technology secretary Liz Kendall has said she is sympathetic to the concern of artists and wants to “reset” the debate around copyright and AI.

Kendall’s predecessor, Peter Kyle, stirred up controversy by saying that artists should have to actively opt out of having their work used to train AI systems. This sparked broad protests from artists, including musicians like Elton John and Paul McCartney, against the direction.

Kendall acknowledged that the government has “lost the trust” of creatives. She added that a report on the government’s AI plans is scheduled for release in March 2026.

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