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      Telecoms Regulator Gives Google a Week to Join IPTV Piracy Fight

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Friday, 25 August, 2023 - 20:20 · 3 minutes

    Bigtech-s Authorities and rightsholders in Brazil say there will be no let up in their battle against all aspects of the illegal TV market. From pirate IPTV services and non-certified set-top boxes, to illegal streaming websites and pirate apps, all will face continued disruption.

    Brazil’s National Film Agency (Ancine) and local telecoms regulator Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency) announced a new anti-piracy partnership earlier this year, with the latter championing blocking measures as a key tool for bringing piracy under control.

    Technical Measures Play to Pirates’ Strengths

    While rightsholders believe that blocking can be effective at reducing piracy rates, as a technical response it actually plays to the strengths of tech-savvy pirates. Where rightsholders’ currently hold an advantage is the general lack of technical ability at the mainstream consumer end of the market. No longer just geeks, many of today’s IPTV pirates fix cars, conduct plastic surgery, or handle tax affairs for a living. They watch TV to relax so anything that prevents that needs to be handled by someone else.

    With that in mind, it was interesting to read comments from the Brazilian Association of Pay Television (ABTA) in a Teletime report published earlier this month. In response to IP address blocking deployed by the authorities, pirate set-top boxes now have VPN services built in or come ready configured to use public DNS services, rather than the poisoned ones provided by ISPs.

    It’s unlikely this took ABTA by surprise. In the UK, where blocking is over a decade old and on some ISPs cannot be defeated by a simple change of DNS, it’s now fairly standard for pre-configured subscription IPTV boxes to arrive with a pre-configured VPN. This does nothing to make the very casual user more tech-savvy but does allow blocks to be easily circumvented by those who are.

    Blocking the Unblockers

    The problem in Brazil and elsewhere is that the companies requesting ISP blocking don’t like to see it being circumvented. ABTA legal director Jonas Antunes said that if VPN services and public DNS providers like Google fail to comply with Anatel’s blocking instructions, the government will have to address the issue.

    “The main difficulty in combating piracy today is not in the telecommunications networks, but in a layer above,” Antunes told Teletime.

    While that may indeed be part of the puzzle, ultimately the issue always returns to the internet. Following the realization that governments and rightsholders lack real control online, the usual response is to point fingers at powerful internet companies and demand that they find a solution.

    During the first day of the PAYTV Forum in São Paulo earlier this week, Anatel’s Moisés Moreira kept that tradition alive.

    “One of Them Starts With a G”

    According to event sponsor Teletime, Moreira told the forum that there has been very little assistance from Big Tech when it comes to tackling the illegal distribution of content online.

    “We want them [the big platforms] to help us block IPs. That’s what we need to be more successful,” Moreira said. “There are giants, I will not mention their names – one of them starts with G – that we have notified.”

    It’s difficult to gauge how Google might react without knowing the specifics of the proposals and the implications for hundreds of unknown moving parts. Historically, it would’ve been a pretty safe bet for rightsholders to go home with absolutely nothing but attitudes do seem to be changing at Google.

    Whether that includes immediate compliance with ultimatums is unknown, but history shows that compliance with any measure leads to further demands to comply with another.

    “I have already determined a period of one week for them to manifest themselves and if that does not happen, we will escalate the enforcement, even judicialization by the agency. There’s nothing left to wait for, so we’re going to be more rigorous,” Moreira informed the forum.

    Image credit: Mohamed_hassan /Pixabay

    From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

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      Operation 404: 11 Arrests, Hundreds of Pirate Sites, Apps & Domains Blocked

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Wednesday, 15 March, 2023 - 09:21 · 4 minutes

    brazil-operation 404s Brazil’s crackdown against pirate sites, IPTV services, infringing apps, and other mechanisms delivering illegal content to the masses, continues to press ahead.

    In the wake of similar operations in previous years, including action reported in August 2022 , a new phase of Brazil’s ‘Operation 404’ anti-piracy initiative was announced on Tuesday.

    Operation 404.5 – Phase 5

    The launch of the 5th phase of Operation 404 is described by Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) as an “international mobilization” coordinated by the MJSP, through the National Secretariat for Public Security (Senasp), with support from police in eight states.

    “The objective is the removal of audio and video content, such as games and music, blocking and suspension of illegal streaming websites and applications, de-indexing of content in search engines and removal of profiles and pages on social networks,” an MJSP announcement reads.

    “In this 5th phase, eleven people were arrested: four in São Paulo, two in Paraná, one in Bahia and four in Minas Gerais,” the government ministry reports.

    Search and seizure warrants to locate computer equipment were executed in the states of Pernambuco, São Paulo, Paraná, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Bahia, Ceará and Rio de Janeiro.

    “199 illegal streaming and gaming sites and 63 music apps were also removed, in addition to blocking 128 domains,” the ministry says.

    A total of six “messaging app channels” with more than 4,000 subscribers were also blocked, reportedly for distributing music that had not been officially released.

    International Cooperation

    The local operation received significant international support. Authorities say they collaborated with the UK’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit and the British Embassy, Peruvian intellectual property protection agency INDECOPI, MPA Latin American, anti-piracy group Alianza, and US-based videogame industry group Entertainment Software Alliance (ESA).

    TorrentFreak obtained what appears to be a notice directed toward visitors to seized sites and domains. In addition to the groups listed above, it reveals the participation of the UK’s Intellectual Property Office, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, Brazil-based music industry group APDIF, and global music industry group IFPI.

    According to the latest figures, Operation 404 has led to the blocking of 1,974 websites and 783 apps since it began in 2019. The names of the sites and apps are never mentioned in material released to the public.

    During a Ministry of Justice press conference Tuesday, there was a clear effort to associate pirate sites with malware and a “certainty” that people downloading music or watching pirate streams would have their private information exposed.

    That led to a moment of unexpected dark humor (and concerned faces) when a journalist suddenly mentioned a Globo report containing claims that Brazil operated a secret system capable of monitoring the locations of up to 10,000 people by simply entering their phone numbers.

    Focus on Pirate TV Services

    A key focus area for Brazilian authorities is the illegal TV market, encompassing pirate IPTV services, illegal streaming websites, and the flood of set-top boxes that have saturated the local market.

    In a late December 2022 announcement, Brazil’s National Film Agency (ANCINE) revealed a “reformulation” of its anti-piracy operations. Citing overlapping activities that risked straying into areas where the National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) has authority, ANCINE said that it would “ move away ” from actions targeting the TV piracy market.

    Moving forward, ANCINE said that its focus would be on the protection of locally produced audiovisual works. As a result, technical cooperation with the Motion Picture Association in Latin America would come to an end .

    The involvement of the MPA in the 5th phase of Operation 404 suggests that overall cooperation continued.

    Earlier this year, ANATEL said that its work to disrupt the pirate TV market would continue using various means. Increased pressure on the sale of non-certified, non-approved set-top boxes, for example, and actions against illegal pay TV services that distribute content via the internet or otherwise rely on it.

    Following our report last summer that Brazil planned to visit Portugal and Spain to learn more about their ISP blocking programs, we can confirm those visits went ahead and that Brazil views widespread blocking as a key weapon in the fight against piracy.

    ANCINE and ANATEL Announce New Partnership

    After announcing the signing of a ‘Technical Cooperation Agreement’ last week, it appears that ANCINE and ANATEL will now work together to combat pirate TV services.

    The agreement covers an initial period of 24 months and will see ANCINE tracking and monitoring pirate services. Based on ANCINE’s complaints, ANATEL is expected to issue instructions to ISPs for the services to be blocked.

    “With this exchange of information, ANCINE will signal the content that is being transmitted illegally and ANATEL may request the blocking of the channel or the pirated site”, says ANATEL’s Moisés Moreira.

    “The idea of ​​this exchange of information is to have speed, because in a case involving a sports match, for example, you have to be quick. It’s a different scenario from a website or channel that is, for example, airing a TV series.”

    Last month ANATEL said it had already begun blocking IP addresses in an effort to disrupt ‘ gatonets ‘, a mishmash of subscription piracy TV services accessed via set-top decoders, IPTV devices, and various software applications.

    In a move designed to protect Japanese animation content, last month Brazilian authorities said they had shut down two of the largest dedicated anime piracy sites in the region.

    From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

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      Pirate IPTV: Fines For Suppliers & Users as Govt. Plans Pre-Approval System

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Sunday, 13 November, 2022 - 18:15 · 3 minutes

    IPTV When the United States Trade Representative puts a country on the Watch List , it sends a message that protecting U.S rightsholders should become a priority.

    Brazil is one of the countries on the list and it’s trying to make amends. A criminal complaint against stream-ripping site Yout, for example, mirrors the RIAA’s legal work against the site’s operator in the U.S. Coincidentally, perhaps, the U.S. government seized a few pirate music domains on Brazil’s behalf not long after.

    Brazilian authorities have also expended considerable effort tackling pirate IPTV services , web-based streaming platforms, and pirate streaming apps as part of Operation 404 . Many arrests have been reported too, not to mention anti-piracy action in the ‘ metaverse ‘, which may (or may not) yet exist.

    Brazil is Far From Done

    Under powers inherited from the Ministry of Communications, telecoms regulator Anatel (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações) together with movie group Ancine (Agência Nacional do Cinema) will also implement an internet blocking system designed to disrupt IPTV pirates’ ability to do business.

    It could be ready as early as next year, with information suggesting that both agencies prefer an administrative blocking program with no court oversight .

    In the meantime, efforts to prevent pirate set-top boxes from entering the country continue alongside seizures of devices that managed to make it across the border.

    A reported 1.5 million devices were seized and destroyed in 2020-2021, although a lucky few were repurposed in schools, hospitals, even police cars. (Most recent actions below)

    Anatel also provides data that reveals the total number of set-top boxes seized from January 1, 2019.

    It appears that an 18-month period ending December 31, 2021, returned the best results before seizures completely leveled off in the first half of 2022. From the data, it’s not immediately clear whether restricted set-top box availability or falling detection rates were responsible.

    For owners of devices set for the market or even sitting at home, Anatel has just issued a reminder that illegal set-top boxes are punishable with a fine.

    New Methodology For Calculating Fines

    During a board meeting at Anatel on November 3, 2022, a new methodology for calculating fines was announced in relation to the unauthorized use or commercialization of non-approved or non-certified products , which includes set-top boxes.

    “Irregular TV boxes (not approved) allow access to closed television channels without paying for the service. In addition, irregular devices can pose a risk to children and adolescents, with access to inappropriate content, and also a danger to the privacy of user data,” Anatel reports.

    “In addition, by carrying out the illicit practice, the offender also commits the crime of violating copyrights against immaterial property and smuggling.”

    The approved methodology provides for a fine of R$ 110.00 [US$20.00] for Individuals or Individual Microentrepreneurs (MEI) for minor infractions and a fine of up to R$ 30 million [US$5.58m] for Large Companies for serious infractions ( 1 )

    That leaves the question of what makes a set-top box, an illegal set-top box.

    Public Consultation

    The proposed criteria are laid out in a public consultation document. It aims to create a specific product classification (“Smart TV Box”) and procedures to ensure that, any device with features aimed at violating copyright law, are denied official certification and access to the market.

    Among other things, testers must examine devices for any default applications that “indicate possible copyright infringement of audiovisual content” and to establish whether ‘root mode’ has been enabled.

    Testing laboratories must also list all software or applications installed by default and check them against a “list of irregular equipment or software published or endorsed by Anatel.”

    If there’s a match here, the device will not be certified and cannot be sold. At the time of writing, we are unable to confirm which software applications appear on Anatel’s blacklist or what type of functionality is considered unacceptable.

    In any event, the certification scheme effectively means that by default, all set-top boxes will be considered illegal, at least until they are deemed worthy of official certification.

    The consultation document can be found here

    From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

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      Brazil’s New IPTV Anti-Piracy Blocking Plan Prepares to Bypass Judiciary

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Wednesday, 10 August, 2022 - 10:08 · 4 minutes

    blackhole Despite taking significant action to reduce all kinds of online piracy, Brazil remains on the United States Trade Representative’s ‘ Watch List ‘. Lack of effort doesn’t appear to be the problem, however.

    The São Paulo Court of Justice ordered major ISPs to block file-hosting platform Mega in 2019, but within days the ruling was overturned . That didn’t matter too much though as much bigger things lay ahead.

    Last year Brazil filed a criminal complaint against Yout.com, a stream-ripping site currently in a legal spat with the RIAA in the United States. The platform was blocked by ISPs and this June, Yout’s operator was offered a deal that would see him avoid prison but take on additional risks.

    Brazilian authorities are currently immersed in Operation 404, a campaign to seriously disrupt the IPTV and web streaming piracy landscape. This year alone there have been multiple arrests , domain seizures , and claims that hundreds of apps have been taken down or blocked.

    But with basics such as removing piracy apps from Google Play apparently still an issue, Brazil says its now ready to commit to a program of ISP blocking to prevent IPTV and other streaming-based piracy. In previous cases the courts were involved and while that might still be required initially, so-called ‘administrative blocking’ could be just around the corner.

    Agencies Team Up to Streamline Blocking

    The project is the work of ‘ Ancine ‘ (Agência Nacional do Cinema) and telecoms regulator Anatel (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações). Both are administratively independent agencies, with the former operating under the supervision of Brazil’s Ministry of Culture and the latter operating under powers inherited from the Ministry of Communications.

    Since 2018, Brazil’s Plano de Ação de Combate à Pirataria (Action Plan to Combat Piracy/PACP) has sought to counter the country’s piracy problems but with support from ABTA, the Brazilian Pay TV/Telecom Association (Associação Brasileira de Televisão por Assinatura), Ancine and Anatel want a rapid and streamlined ISP blocking system.

    Commenting on the agency’s involvement in Operation 404, last month Anatel’s Superintendent of Inspection, Hermano Tercius, said that site-blocking had been taking place “in a judicial way” but a system without such complications would be better placed to combat piracy. Those sentiments have been around for some time but the pieces are now falling into place.

    Blocking Program Formalized

    During the Pay-TV Forum event in São Paulo last week, a joint Anatel/Anacine announcement revealed that the proposal had cleared Ancine’s technical department and been approved by its directors. From there it was received by Anatel, with Vice-President Moisés Queiroz confirming that following a consolidation process, things should move quickly.

    “We are formalizing the technical cooperation agreement, which has already been approved by Ancine’s board, is now in Anatel’s technical area and will go up to the Board of Directors, where it will certainly be approved as well,” Queiroz said.

    Ancine director Tiago Mafra dos Santos said that a strategy that takes advantage of the tools available to both regulatory agencies will prove most effective.

    “Ancine cannot walk alone, and neither can Anatel. There are functions of both that compliment each other. There is no content distribution without going through telecommunications,” he said.

    The details of the blocking program were not revealed but given that executives from Anatal will travel to Europe in September, that provides more than a nod towards the model they hope to emulate.

    Portugal – The ‘Gold Standard’ in ISP Blocking

    It’s not just the shared language that makes Portugal a destination for Anatel. Portugal’s administrative site-blocking scheme is operated with assistance from the Inspectorate General for Cultural Activities (IGAC) and is designed to deal with copyright complaints quickly and without judicial oversight.

    Each month, anti-piracy group MAPiNET is able to report up to 100 websites to IGAC, which carries out an evaluation within 48 hours. Once approved for blocking, the list is sent local ISPs to implement a DNS blocking regime within another 48 hours. In 2018, the program was updated to deal with “live blocking”, i.e dealing with IPTV providers offering live sports and similar time-sensitive content.

    This entirely voluntary system is supported by rightsholders, advertisers and trade associations, plus every major ISP in Portugal. It is viewed by rightsholders as a particularly effective system to reduce infringement and due to standardization, is both predictable and cheap, especially when compared with court processes that can turn out to be neither.

    Anatel representatives will also travel to Spain where the country’s Sinde Law and voluntary arrangements facilitate administrative blocking. It’s a little early for certainties but it seems likely that rightsholders would prefer Brazil to follow the Portuguese model when blocking is implemented in 2023, as the current plan envisions.

    WIPO – Advisory Committee on Enforcement

    In the meantime, Brazil is one of four countries set to share its anti-piracy experiences during the fifteenth session of WIPO’s Advisory Committee on Enforcement which begins late August in Geneva.

    A document made available in advance of the event features contributions from Eduardo Luiz Perfeito Carneiro, Head of Anti-Piracy at Ancine, and Brazil’s National Council for Combating Piracy and Intellectual Property Crimes (CNCP).

    Summary of key points as follows (all in respect of Ancine activities):

    • Full access to data held by federal government agencies
    • Access to data held by movie and TV show companies on piracy activities
    • Already blocked 1,000+ streaming sites (Operation 404)
    • Assists police during the execution of search-and-seizure warrants
    • 1.5 million illegal streaming devices seized in 2020-2021
    • Some ‘illegal devices’ donated to schools, hospitals, police
    • Since joining WIPO Alert, 300 pirate sites listed for advertising boycotts
    • Brazil’s site blocking plans ‘inspired’ by blocking in the UK and Portugal
    • Quick and Effective site blocking may be the only way to contain piracy

    The WIPO document is available here ( pdf )

    From: TF , for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.