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      ACE Targets MagisTV and Other Piracy Apps Through Cloudflare

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Saturday, 30 March - 18:28 · 3 minutes

    dark clouds The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment ( ACE ) is the world’s most active anti-piracy coalition, with tentacles all around the globe.

    The group is closely affiliated with the MPA which regularly obtains DMCA subpoenas on ACE’s behalf, aiming to pick up trails that will eventually lead to the operators of popular piracy sites and services.

    MPA/ACE Subpoenas Identify Piracy Targets

    This week, a new series of subpoenas appeared on our radar, requesting Cloudflare and the Tonic domain registry to share all information they have on allegedly pirating customers. These subpoenas are quite common but newsworthy nonetheless, as they provide insight on current anti-piracy priorities.

    The latest requests are no exception and include some familiar names. Just a few days ago we reported how pirate streaming app MagisTV is at the center of an anti-piracy campaign in Ecuador . The same name also appears in the most recent DMCA subpoena applications.

    In one of the subpoenas requests, two ‘MagisTV’ apps and their associated sites are listed, together with the ‘TVExpress’, ‘My Family Cinema’, and ‘Brasil TV’ apps. The list is completed by other (sports) streaming services such as cccambox.com and multicanais.cl.

    MagisTV et al.

    magis subpoena

    MagisTV is by no means a new pirate app; both MPA and ACE have been familiar with the service for a while. In fact, the MPA nominated it for the USTR’s annual list of notorious piracy markets for the past two years.

    “MagisTV has been in operation since approximately 2019, significantly longer than its peers. Generally, IPTV services popular in Latin America repeatedly change domain names and/or brands to avoid detection and enforcement actions,” MPA wrote last October .

    The IPTV service markets through resellers and some unaffiliated third parties try to profit from the brand as well. This makes it tricky to find out which site is official and which is a scam, as outlined on one of the targeted sites.

    magistv

    “BEWARE of websites that offer ‘free’ versions. These Apps and services are fraudulent and have NO relationship with Magis TV, they are clones and the dangers of their installation and use are unknown,” the note reads.

    Whether this warning is legit or not is a question we prefer not to answer. It’s clear, however, that ACE is eager to find out who’s behind this version, and they hope Cloudflare can provide useful information.

    Aniwatch and Zorox

    The recent wave of DMCA notices also targets live-streaming portal thetvapp.to. In addition, traditional on-demand pirate streaming sites are also listed, including ssoap2day.to, allmanga.to, aniwatchtv.to, and zoroxtv.to.

    The latter domain is the new home of zorox.to, which was suspended by registrar Namecheap earlier this month , following an Indian court order.

    The name Aniwatch also rings a bell, as it’s similar to the popular pirate streaming portal that changed its name to HiAnime a few weeks ago. However, aniwatchtv.to appears to be a copycat that’s unrelated to the original site, much like Zorox is not linked to the original Zoro, which was the predecessor of Aniwatch (for those who can still follow along).

    Futile?

    Seeing the same brands reappear in these enforcement efforts isn’t necessarily positive for ACE, as it suggests that the operators, or at least the brands, continue to evade its enforcement efforts. That’s not a good thing.

    ACE is aware of the limitations of its efforts and knows all too well that pirates are actively trying to evade being caught. That said, with every effort some sites and services disappear and ACE hopes that, by keeping the pressure on, it can successfully frustrate these pirate operations.

    Besides direct enforcement efforts, ACE is also getting involved in research after commissioning a piracy/malware study in India recently. As we’ve seen in the past , the findings suggest that since pirate sites are disproportionally linked to malware, the Indian government should intervene.

    The declarations requesting the DMCA subpoenas referenced in this article are available here ( 1 , 2 and 3 )

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

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      Court Slams Brakes on DMCA Subpoena Use to Expose Alleged Movie Pirates

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Thursday, 1 February - 19:12 · 5 minutes

    privacy Two decades ago, when the RIAA tried to obtain the identities of Verizon customers via the convenient DMCA subpoena process, significant pushback led to defeat for the record labels .

    The case made it clear that subpoenas obtained under section 512(h) of the DMCA only apply to ISPs that directly store, cache, or provide links to infringing material. An RIAA lawsuit against Charter failed for similar reasons .

    In 2014 and after a considerable break, BMG and anti-piracy partner Rightscorp attempted to unmask 30,000 CBeyond subscribers using the same DMCA subpoena process. That also ended in disappointment but somehow, seven years later on the same legal basis, DMCA subpoena applications suddenly began producing results.

    Cautiously Building Momentum

    After testing the water in 2019, during 2022 and early 2023, companies including Voltage Pictures, Millennium Funding, and Capstone Studios obtained DMCA subpoenas targeting customers of CenturyLink (now Lumen). After a relatively gentle request to obtain the identities of 13 subscribers , subsequent demands turned up the heat.

    An additional DMCA subpoena later sought to unmask almost four times more subscribers than the preceding one, before a follow-up application took the previous target of 63, doubled it, and added another couple of dozen subscribers on top for good measure.

    After focusing on CenturyLink subscribers for more than a year, Voltage, Millennium, and Capstone obtained a DMCA subpoena targeting 41 IP addresses operated by ISP Cox Communications. Most of the IP addresses were allegedly linked to piracy of the movie ‘Fall,’ with infringements reportedly carried out by Cox subscribers using BitTorrent networks.

    The DMCA subpoena application itself was somewhat unusual. Explanatory text recognized that under conventional thinking, § 512(h) doesn’t usually apply to conduit ISPs. However, it suggested that legal developments over the past few years supported a theory that the Tenth Circuit would eventually come to see § 512(h) in a whole new light; specifically, that it does apply to conduit ISPs after all.

    DMCA Subpoena Immediately Challenged

    When the DMCA subpoena was served on Cox Communications, the ISP contacted the relevant subscribers to determine whether any would object to having their identities disclosed. One subscriber took the opportunity to send a letter of objection to the court, which now forms part of the public record.

    The letter doesn’t identify the ‘John Doe’ subscriber or their family, but since it contains sensitive personal information in the first couple of paragraphs, only the last three paragraphs are reproduced here.

    The letter was construed by the court as a motion to quash, with a recommendation that the subpoena was invalid under § 512(h). A subsequent report issued by Magistrate Judge Wes Reber Porter later arrived at the same conclusion. It further noted that, to the extent any information had been derived from the invalid subpoena, it must be returned or destroyed while no further information should be obtained or placed on record.

    A DMCA Subpoena Cannot Apply Here

    In his order handed down this week, District Judge J. Michael Seabright provides an exceptionally clear overview of the four types of safe harbor available to ISPs under the DMCA. In doing so, the Judge also shows why the movie companies’ DMCA subpoena fails.

    The breakdown seems to show why DMCA subpoenas issued under § 512(h) cannot be used to obtain the identities of P2P infringers when their ISP qualifies for protection under § 512(a). (For reference, the DMCA’s safe harbor provisions are detailed in full here )

    The key points of the order read as follows (minor edits for brevity) :

    – The safe harbor in § 512(a) protects ISPs from liability for ‘transmitting, routing, or providing connections for’ material through a system or network.

    – The safe harbors in § 512(b), (c), and (d) protect ISPs from liability for infringing material that users temporarily store in caches (§ 512(b)), on systems or networks (§ 512(c)), or at links (§ 512(d)) provided by the ISP.

    – The safe harbor in § 512(a) does not require ISPs to take down material upon receiving notice from a copyright owner — if an ISP is a “mere conduit,” nothing is stored, and there is nothing to take down.

    – Conversely, though their wording differs, each of the safe harbors in § 512(b), (c), and (d) requires that, when notified of alleged infringement by a copyright owner, an ISP “respond[] expeditiously to remove, or disable access to, the material that is claimed to be infringing upon notification of claimed infringement (notice and takedown)

    – In contrast, the “mere conduit” safe harbor in § 512(a) does not contain any notice and take down provision referring to Subsection (c)(3)(A)—because there is no material to take down.

    – In considering whether a copyright owner can obtain the IP addresses of P2P infringers by subpoenaing an ISP under § 512(h), the Eighth Circuit [Verizon] and D.C. Circuit [Charter] both reasoned that if the ISP acts as a “mere conduit” in cases of P2P filesharing, it is not possible for a copyright owner to satisfy the notice requirement in Subsection (c)(3)(A).

    – On this basis, both courts ruled that the ISP fell within the safe harbor in § 512(a) and the subpoenas over P2P filesharing were improper. [..] In short, a § 512(h) subpoena cannot issue if the ISP is unable to locate and remove the infringing material, and an ISP acting as a mere conduit for allegedly infringing activity cannot do so. This court agrees with the reasoning of the Eighth and D.C. Circuits.

    Movie Companies’ Objections

    Despite being rejected by the Court, the main objections filed by the movie companies still make for interesting reading.

    When applying for the DMCA subpoena, the movie companies submitted a list of IP addresses that allegedly participated in the infringing activity. The aim here was to demonstrate compliance under § 512(h) by providing a notification of claimed infringement that identified the allegedly infringing material/activity, along with sufficient information for the ISP to locate it.

    The companies reasoned that in assigning IP addresses to the alleged infringers, Cox was “referring or linking material” under § 512(d), making their list of IP addresses a valid notice of infringement.

    The movie companies also objected to a statement in the Magistrate Judge’s report, which concluded that Cox acted as a “mere conduit” in the transfer of files through its network. After arguing that they should have had the ability to submit a briefing on the issue of statutory interpretation, the Judge ordered Cox to file a declaration on its status as a service provider.

    Cox responded with a declaration which confirmed that it operates as an ISP under 17 U.S.C. § 512(a). The movie companies objected to that too, but without the desired result.

    The full order is linked below for those interested in the finer details. Needless to say, none of the arguments were able to prevent the DMCA subpoena from being ruled invalid, on exactly the same basis the RIAA’s attempts were rejected over 20 years ago.

    District Judge J. Michael Seabright’s order is available here (pdf)

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

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      X Corp. Fights ‘Genshin Impact’ Subpoena, Defends Alleged Leakers’ “Anonymous Speech”

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Tuesday, 23 January - 18:17 · 5 minutes

    genshin-small99 Action role-playing game Genshin Impact is enjoyed by tens of millions of players each month. Fans are engaged and always hungry for new content so when an opportunity arises to get a sneak peek, there’s no shortage of takers.

    For Genshin Impact publisher Cognosphere, pre-release leaks are unacceptable. To suppress current leaks and to deter others from leaking content in the future, the company uses the DMCA’s takedown provisions and DMCA subpoenas respectively.

    Cognosphere obtains the latter to compel online platforms, typically social media companies, to hand over whatever information they hold on alleged infringers. What happens when that information is handed over to Cognosphere is mostly unknown.

    According to law, the company may only use the information to protect its copyrights, but that leaves plenty of scope for a range of actions, up to and including multi-million dollar lawsuits in appropriate circumstances. The ease with which DMCA subpoenas are obtained and executed remains controversial; a signature from the clerk of a court is usually the only requirement. There are rare exceptions, however.

    Cognosphere Targets Alleged Leakers on X/Twitter

    Last November, Cognosphere filed an application for a DMCA subpoena at a California district court. The aim was to compel X/Twitter to “disclose the identity, including the name(s), address(es), telephone number(s), and e-mail addresses(es)” connected to four accounts: @HutaoLoverGI, @GIHutaoLover, @HutaoLover77, and @FurinaaLover.

    Cognosphere said it had reason to believe that the accounts were operated by a single person, or were under common control. The bottom line was to identify the alleged infringer or infringers, to prevent leaked content being made available online .

    The DMCA subpoena was issued on November 7, 2023. It required X Corp. to hand over the information detailed below by November 22, 2023.

    On November 21, 2023, one day before X Corp. was expected to hand over the personal details behind the accounts, the company responded to the subpoena with written objections. Specifically, it would not be handing over the user information behind any of the accounts listed in the subpoena.

    Basis for Dispute: Cognosphere

    Following X Corp.’s initial objections, the parties attempted to iron out their differences, including during an in-person meeting on December 28, 2023. When that concluded without resolution, the parties agreed that their dispute should be put before the Court.

    In a joint letter to Magistrate Judge Peter H. Kang at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the parties explain their positions. Cognosphere essentially outlines its compliance with the DMCA subpoena process, noting that for the purposes of the letter, it has offered to focus on two of the four accounts listed in the subpoena; @HutaoLover77 and @FurinaaLover.

    Cognosphere asserts that leaked, copyright-infringing artwork and game visuals were posted to these accounts and to the best of its knowledge, no DMCA counter-notifications were filed by the operator(s) in response to its initial DMCA takedown notices. One of the accounts, @HutaoLover77, has been suspended by X for violation of unspecified rules, however.

    According to the publisher, its request, “…complied with requirements for obtaining a DMCA subpoena under 17 U.S.C. §512(h). It included [a sworn declaration] and copies of DMCA notifications asserting under penalty of perjury that each was being submitted on the good faith belief that the use of the material in the manner complained of was not authorized by the copyright owner, their agent, or the law. 17 U.S.C. §512(c)(3)(A)(v).”

    Basis for Dispute: X Corp.

    X Corp.’s position is both straightforward and complex. The primary reason for its non-compliance with the DMCA subpoena strikes at the very heart of the process through which they’re obtained; a signature from a clerk in response to a valid application, with no requirement for a judge to get involved.

    “Cognosphere is attempting to unmask third party, anonymous speakers via a subpoena issued under the DMCA,” X Corp. informs the court.

    “X Corp., however, is not in a position to determine whether Cognosphere has made the required constitutional and evidentiary showings to unmask those speakers, and has thus stood on its timely free speech objections, such that the parties can obtain a determination from the Court.”

    MrMoneyBags: Preventing DMCA Subpoena Abuse

    Protecting its users’ right to anonymous speech is important to X / Twitter. In 2020, a DMCA subpoena targeted a Twitter user known only as ‘MrMoneyBags’ with the aim of obtaining their identity based on allegations of copyright infringement. Suspicion that copyright was being abused to prevent ‘MrMoneyBags’ from continuing with unflattering commentary against certain third parties led to Twitter mounting a vigorous and successful defense on its user’s behalf.

    X Corp. says the ‘MrMoneyBags’ case recognized that First Amendment safeguards apply in the context of a DMCA subpoena. Before it complies here, the company would like the Court to assess whether Cognosphere’s copyright claim is “sufficient to satisfy any First Amendment free speech safeguards applicable to the anonymous speakers” before balancing Cognosphere’s purported need for discovery against the anonymous users’ privacy rights.

    “X Corp. cannot be required to perform those judicial functions upon mere receipt of a DMCA subpoena, and thus asks the Court to engage in the relevant analyses and decide these issues,” the company adds.

    “[C]ognosphere must establish it has a compelling need for the user data it seeks, which could thereby unmask users’ identities. X Corp. does not take a position on whether Cognosphere has satisfied this requirement, and respectfully leaves it to the Court to analyze.”

    Cognosphere: X Corp. Undermines the DMCA

    The polarized opinions in this dispute stem from the very nature of DMCA subpoenas. Through the provision of a streamlined process, copyright holders have the ability to address online infringement through the rapid identification of alleged infringers, without filing a formal lawsuit that authorizes discovery based on the merits.

    For X Corp., a process that grants subpoenas without safeguards, in particular the balancing of discovery requests against anonymous users’ privacy rights, risks violating those rights.

    Cognosphere says that a “protracted balancing exercise” is not constitutionally required, describing X Corp.’s position as “extraordinary” and contrary to the intentions of Congress when it passed the DMCA.

    The joint Cognosphere / X Corp. letter to Judge Kang is available here (pdf)

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

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      Warner Bros. Wants Tumblr to Identify Beetlejuice 2 ‘Leaker’

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Monday, 22 January - 11:38 · 4 minutes

    beetlejuice 2 In 1988, then 29-year-old movie director Tim Burton was widely praised for the iconic comedy horror “Beetlejuice” .

    The movie went on to win an Oscar and Burton’s career was well underway, with “Batman” and “Edward Scissorhands” his next movie projects.

    More than 35 years after the Beetlejuice debut, a sequel is about to be released. The upcoming “Beetlejuice 2” , brings back old cast members including Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton, paired with new stars such as Jenna Ortega. It is scheduled for release in September this year.

    To warm up fans, distributor Warner Bros. has already released a trailer and teaser, which are widely available online. At the same time, however, an unidentified source has leaked previously unseen material from the film online.

    In a post on Tumblr , someone using the name ‘polly-p9’ posted an alleged ‘on set’ photo from the upcoming film last November. The post didn’t include any other information but came with tags such as #beetlejuice , #timburton , #leak and #warner bros , an archived copy reveals.

    The post with part of the image (pixelated by us)

    leaked beetle

    The image, which has since been removed, doesn’t give away too much. However. Warner Bros. is clearly alarmed by the leak. The movie studio has a history of cracking down on the unauthorized distribution of leaked material and this is no exception.

    Warner Bros. Goes to Court

    Warner Bros. recently requested a DMCA subpoena at a California federal court, requiring Tumblr to share identifying information on the person behind the account. The request includes a declaration from Michael Bentkover, Director of Worldwide Online Enforcement Operations at Warner Bros., explaining the situation.

    “The purpose for which this subpoena is sought is to obtain the identity of the Tumblr user @polly-p9, who posted infringing content that appeared on the Tumblr account. Specifically, without permission, Tumblr user @polly-p9 posted access to Requester’s unpublished, copyrighted image from its forthcoming theatrical film to the Tumblr account, thus infringing Requester’s copyright.”

    The declaration doesn’t mention “Beetlejuice 2” directly but an accompanying copy of a takedown request, sent by Warner Bros. to Tumblr, leaves no room for uncertainty.

    beetlejuice dmca

    Subpoena Targets Tumblr

    DMCA subpoenas don’t require a review from a judge and a week after the request was filed, it was signed off by a court clerk. Afterward, the movie studio sent a copy to Tumblr, requesting it to hand over the information.

    The paperwork requires Tumblr to share information that would make it possible to identify the user who, according to Warner Bros., posted the ‘copyrighted’ image that was taken ‘on set’.

    “Such information would include, but is not limited to, the individuals’ names, physical addresses, IP addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, payment information, account updates and account history,” the subpoena clarifies.

    beetlejuice subpoena

    The image may be a photo of another image displayed on a laptop or similar device, but we couldn’t verify this independently. While the photo itself isn’t copyrighted, the “Beetlejuice 2” movie is.

    Tumblr Responds?

    Warner Bros. stresses that any information obtained will only be used to protect the studio’s copyright interests. What that entails exactly, was not made clear.

    Tumblr confirmed to us that it received the subpoena and chose not to object. This suggests that, if any usable information was available, it was handed over to Warner Bros., with the affected user also notified.

    “While we can’t discuss the specifics of the case, we can confirm that we did receive the subpoena in question, and after assessment of the facts available to us, did not file an objection.

    “If a user account was identified, we will have notified the impacted account holder with more details – including whether or not information was provided,” a Tumblr spokesperson adds.

    Tumblr, which is owned by WordPress parent company Automattic, further points out that it’s very critical of potential DMCA abuse. As highlighted in the past, it rejects a large percentage of the takedown notices it receives.

    “As you know, it is our policy to review every bit of legal process we receive. In addition, we are particularly sensitive to abuse of the DMCA to curtail freedom of speech, and we have regularly pushed back on overreaching DMCA takedown demands,” the company notes.

    What this means for the current situation is unclear. At the time of writing the @polly-p9 account no longer exists. Interestingly, however, the leaked image hasn’t disappeared from the web completely.

    Leak Still Floats Around

    A reverse image search shows that copies of the leaked “Beetlejuice 2” image are still available online through various social media platforms. This includes a copy that was posted on Tumblr before Warner Bros. requested its subpoena.

    These other leaks are not hard to find but Warner Bros. apparently hasn’t taken action in response.

    A logical explanation could be that the movie studio isn’t overly concerned about the leaked image, but more about the person who leaked it. After all, this person could leak more sensitive information in the future.

    TorrentFreak requested a comment from Warner Bros. on the motivation behind the subpoena, but the company didn’t immediately reply. If a response comes in later, this article will be updated accordingly.

    A copy of the subpoena, issued at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California is available here (pdf) . The associated declaration from Warner Bros. Director of Worldwide Online Enforcement Operations can be found here (pdf) .

    – Note: the unpixelated film footage used in this article is taken from publicly available movie trailers.

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

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      ACE Has Prepared a Huge List of Pirate Sites it Wants to Shut Down in 2024

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Thursday, 28 December - 07:52 · 6 minutes

    ace-film-s During the past few hours, users of streaming site ahaseries.com hoping to access their favorite site would’ve met with disappointment.

    The same also goes for those who attempted to access uhuseries.com and owlserieshd.com.

    All three domains are now under the control of the Motion Picture Association, which in turn is directing visitors to the web portal of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE). There they will be greeted by a message from ACE on behalf of the anti-piracy coalition’s members.

    “WATCH LEGALLY,” the message reads. “There are more than 140 content providers/platforms around the world that offer legal access to your favorite movies and TV shows across a wide variety of devices.”

    How much choice there is in Thailand may have influenced the choices made by visitors to the three sites mentioned above, but no matter where pirate sites are located, ACE is likely to be aware of their existence.

    At a California district court last week, the signature of MPA and ACE content protection chief Jan van Voorn could be found on several DMCA subpoena applications. When signed off, they will compel third-party companies to hand over whatever information they hold on around 40 pirate sites. One of those listed, a popular multi-content site in South America, says that after a 13-year run online, it has already thrown in the towel.

    How the rest will respond is unknown but as their traffic data suggests, the platforms in the spotlight are servicing dozens of millions of visits every month. There’s little doubt that ACE wants to turn that around.

    The tables below show the domains listed in the MPA’s DMCA subpoenas and the allegedly infringing content. Also included is a general category (such as streaming or torrent) for the sites targeted, their traffic data for the most recent available month, and the third-party platform instructed to hand over user data to the MPA/ACE.


    Domain Content Platform Traffic* Provider Provider Type
    MPA DMCA Subpoena Application ( 2:23-mc-00182 ) *SimilarWeb Traffic Data (Visits per Month)
    filmize.tv Fast & Furious 9 Streaming 4.3m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    hinatasoul.com Tokyo Revengers Streaming 1.9m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    anitube.vip Tokyo Revengers Streaming 3.0m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy

    Total Traffic Per Month: 9.2 million visits


    Domain Content Platform Traffic* Provider Provider Type
    MPA DMCA Subpoena Application ( 2:23-mc-00184 ) *SimilarWeb Traffic Data (Visits per Month)
    mixdrop.lol Fast & Furious 9 Streaming 713K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    mixdrop.club Fast & Furious 9 Streaming 3.4m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    uqload.com Minions 2 Streaming 275.6K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    uqload.io Minions 2 Streaming 2.5m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    uupbom.com Cruella Streaming 2.4m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    upbam.org Cruella Streaming 210.5K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy

    Total Traffic Per Month: 9.5 million visits


    Domain Content Platform Traffic* Provider Provider Type
    MPA DMCA Subpoena Application ( 2:23-mc-00185 ) *SimilarWeb Traffic Data (Visits per Month)
    ** Denotes ‘back-end’ domains
    futemax.la
    sathoshinamoto.com**
    It Chapter Two Streaming 5.3m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    futemax.re
    sinalpublico.com**
    Supernatural Streaming 12.2m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    futemax.ink
    playertv.net**
    Justice League Streaming 874K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    canales.online Big Bang Theory Streaming 5.5m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    uupbom.com Cruella Streaming 2.4m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    upbam.org Cruella Streaming 210.5K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy

    Total Traffic Per Month: 26.5 million visits


    Domain Content Platform Traffic* Provider Provider Type
    MPA DMCA Subpoena Application ( 2:23-mc-00186)
    MPA DMCA Subpoena Application ( 2:23-mc-00188
    *SimilarWeb Traffic Data (Visits per Month)
    ** Denotes ‘back-end’ domains
    iptv-sharing.org
    ipfr.tv (M3U)**
    The Lion King IPTV No Data Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    autoembed.to A Quiet Place Video Host 24.3K (N/A) Tonic.to Registry
    animension.to Spirited Away Streaming 8.5m Tonic.to Registry
    adjaranet.to Frozen II Streaming 3.7m Tonic.to Registry

    Total Traffic Per Month: 12.2 million visits (accounted for in other subpoenas)


    Domain Content Platform Traffic* Provider Provider Type
    MPA DMCA Subpoena Application ( 2:23-mc-00187 ) *SimilarWeb Traffic Data (Visits per Month)
    ** Denotes ‘back-end’ domains
    comando.la The Batman Torrent/Index 2.1m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    filmesmega.co The Batman Index/DDL 1.6m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    filmeviatorrents.org The Batman Torrent/Index 692K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    autoembed.to A Quiet Place Video Host 24.3K (N/A) Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    bombuj.si A Quiet Place Streaming 7.1m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    watchgameofthrones.co Game of Thrones Streaming NoData Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    animefire.vip Food Wars! Streaming 6.8m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    gdrivelatino.net The Batman Index/Pay 301.8K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    animesonline.in Tokyo Revengers Streaming 258.4K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    cuevana-3.id The Batman Streaming 6.5m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    compucalitv.org Elvis Multi-Content 3.9m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    cinecalidad.com.mx Encanto Streaming 5.3m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    redecanais.zip Encanto Streaming 22.4m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    megatorrentsx.com.br Encanto Torrent/Index 348.9K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    megatorrentsx.com Encanto Torrent/Index #visits Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    limontorrents.com
    limontorrent.com**
    Encanto Torrent/Index 92.8K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    mmfilmes.me Encanto Streaming/Pay 682.3K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    gogoanime2.org Romantic Killer Streaming 19.3M Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    9anime2.com Romantic Killer/small> Streaming 314.4K Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    animepahe.ru Batman Ninja Streaming 21.9m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    animeflix.live Yasuke Streaming 6.1m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    bstsrs.one Big Bang Theory Streaming 9.6m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    kickassanime.am JoJo Advent. Streaming #visits Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    gozofinder.com The Batman Search Engine 9.9m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy
    adjaranet.to Frozen II Streaming 3.7m Cloudflare CDN/Proxy

    Total Traffic Per Month: 51.5 million visits

    CompucaliTV.org has already informed its users that after a 13-year run online, it has thrown in the towel. According to a report from La Republica , a since-removed message on the homepage read, “This is not a goodbye, but a thank you. We regret to inform that the CompucaliTV site has closed.”

    Former users have been saying their goodbyes on social media, with one perfectly encapsulating why the site was great – and why it was under pressure to shut down – in the same sentence .

    “I downloaded Disney and Dreamworks movies in 1080p quality and with dual audio for the last 2 years, I’m going to miss this one, guys. RIP.”

    On the back of reports that some users can still access the site depending on region, it’s worth noting that at least four Compucalitv look-a-like domains were registered in December, on top of another dozen or so already in existence.

    Domain-Hopping, Compliance

    This is just one small example of the complications faced by ACE on a daily basis. So-called domain-hopping has escalated to become almost an artform in some parts of the world, with a report from Japan earlier this year noting that some sites operated from Vietnam actually grow their traffic when jumping to new domains. That’s hardly the kind of news coalitions like ACE want to hear.

    There are also signs that some platforms contacted by ACE are indicating some level of compliance and then acting in a way that suggests the complete opposite. If that’s indeed the case, history says there will be a price to pay for that at some point; maybe not this year, maybe not next, but it will come.

    Eventually, all site operators get tired, sick, start a family, find other things more exciting or simply get bored. When it comes to piracy, the MPA never, ever get bored, and never get tired of setting an example when one is required.

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

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      Premier League Targets Dozens of Illegal Streaming Sites in U.S. Court

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Monday, 18 December - 07:58 · 4 minutes

    premier league Early December the English Premier League announced a new broadcasting rights deal worth a staggering £6.7 billion (US$8.5 billion).

    Running for four seasons from the 2025-26 campaign, the deal will see broadcasters Sky and TNT take the live games and the BBC continue with its popular highlights package.

    Amazon, which has been licensing Premier League games since 2019, hoping to drive customers towards its Prime service, wasn’t awarded a single match. In parallel, UK tabloid Daily Mail has taken a sudden and unusual interest in Amazon Firestick devices during the last two weeks.

    firestick-mail Published every few days with a similar theme, the goal appears one of piracy deterrence. Unfortunately, regularly associating a legitimate brand with negative imagery is unlikely to have much effect on the pirate market and won’t boost sales of legitimate products either.

    Since piracy rarely responds to negativity but loses market share as legal offers become more attractive, the Premier League’s decision to allow transmission of 270 fixtures in the new package instead of the current 200, is a step in the right direction. Still no matches available during the ‘3pm blackout’ or adjustments to pricing in the consumer direction, but the BBC now has a license to show highlights for all 380 matches.

    Other ‘broadcasters’ will show all 380 matches in full, with no license at all.

    All Matches, No Licenses: Premier League Targets Pirate Sites

    Sky’s deal with the Premier League means the broadcaster now pays £5.95 million per match . Pirate streaming sites, meanwhile, pay the Premier League absolutely nothing and since that has a devaluing effect on the matches already sold, enforcement is the inevitable outcome.

    In a letter dated December 14, 2023, Texas law firm Hagan Noll & Boyle informed Cloudflare that users of its “system or network” are infringing the Premier League’s copyrighted works, through dozens of websites, using an even greater number of domain names. Where relevant, the list also includes ‘backend URLs’ from where actual streams may (or may not) be served.

    A small sample of the pirate domains premier league-domains

    The list includes the popular crackstreams.me, which according to SimilarWeb data enjoyed 8.6 million visitors in the three-month period of September, October and November 2023.

    In common with many other domains in the list, a second domain is listed alongside crackstreams.me, indicating that visitors are redirected after visiting the initial domain.

    For crackstreams.me, the secondary ‘redirect’ domain is ronaldo7.io, which had around 750,000 visits during the same three-month period. While that’s significantly lower than crackstreams.me, visitors from the UK account for 75% of ronaldo7.io’s traffic, versus 25% for its redirection ‘partner’.

    Screenshots similar to those shown below form part of the evidence presented to Cloudflare, 103 pages in total.

    crackstreams.me (left), ronaldo7.io (right) crackstreams-premier

    Judging by the volume of gambling advertising on some domains, coupled with signs that sites are targeting countries including Thailand and China, the Premier League clearly has challenges ahead. Some may even be solvable in the United States, if it gets lucky with Cloudflare.

    Notification Under 17 U.S.C. § 512

    There are two reasons for sending a notification to Cloudflare under 17 U.S.C. § 512 . As a first step, the Premier League would like Cloudflare to take the infringing content down.

    “Cloudflare is asked to remove or disable access to Premier League’s copyrighted works, which, based on the infringement that has occurred to date through the websites and domain names identified above, will continue to be infringed in this same manner throughout the Premier League season,” the letter reads.

    Whether Cloudflare can or will comply in some or all cases is unclear. However, until Cloudflare is sent a compliant DMCA takedown notice, Premier League can’t follow up with the next step.

    DMCA Subpoena Application Filed at U.S. Court

    Through the same Texas law firm, on December 14 the Premier League filed an application for a DMCA subpoena. This allows a copyright owner (or a person authorized to act on their behalf) to request a clerk of any United States district court to issue a subpoena to a service provider (in this case Cloudflare) for the purpose of identifying an alleged infringer.

    The notification sent to Cloudflare identifying the alleged infringers and locations of the infringing content, a proposed subpoena, and a sworn declaration that the subpoena will only be used to protect Premier League’s rights, is usually enough for the clerk to sign off on a request.

    Kids’ presents and turkey or gambling with strangers? premier-gambling

    When that happens, Cloudflare will be required to hand over the following information for the domains listed below, and/or the ‘backend URLs’ listed in the notification to Cloudflare (not listed below).

    Information sufficient to identify the alleged infringers of the matches described in the attached notification, which would include the individuals’ names, physical addresses, IP addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, payment information, account updates, and account history.

    The deadline in the proposed subpoena is December 29, 2023

    The list of domains and redirection domains reads as follows:

    88zhibo.me
    222live.net
    720pstream.me
    720pstream.nu
    7mscorethai.live
    bestsolaris.com
    bgibola5.xyz
    bgibola77.live
    cakhia51.tv
    cakhia22.live
    crackstreams.me
    ronaldo7.io
    dooball168-hd.com
    dooball2you.com
    dooballx.com
    duball356.com
    futebolplayhd.com
    futemax.app
    futemax.la
    livenettvapk.live/android/
    livehd7.cc
    as.livehd72.live
    mmfootballgroup.com
    mmfootball.cryptken.com
    multicanais.fans
    pawastreams.top
    pawastreams.info
    rakhoi4.tv
    rapidstreamz.tv
    rojadirectaenvivo.club
    rojadirectaenvivo.nl
    soccerlive.app
    nbastreamlinks.net
    soccerstreamlinks.com
    soccertv4k.com
    socolive.news
    socolive.fan
    sportsurge.club
    streamonsport.ru
    strims.top
    tvmob.net
    tvron.net
    tvtap-pro.net
    vertvenvivo.net
    weakstream.org
    weakspell.org
    xn--l3clbuukk5c4d8a3e5d.com
    crichdplayer.xyz
    crichd.com
    hd.cricfree.io

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

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      Relentless Genshin Impact Leakers Face Cognosphere’s Attorneys Yet Again

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Tuesday, 7 November - 15:10 · 3 minutes · 3 visibility

    genshin-small99 New figures published by CharlieIntel predict that free-to-play, action role-playing game Genshin Impact, will have 63 million players in November alone.

    These impressive figures suggest that the game’s developers give gamers want they want but for a significant subset of Genshin Impact players with specific needs, that itch has to be scratched elsewhere.

    The overwhelming urge to obtain or merely catch a glimpse of videogame content before its official release is a condition as old as gaming itself. In today’s social media-powered arena, those with access to leaked content can build huge audiences by putting it on display; when that content relates to Genshin Impact, publisher Cognosphere regularly calls in the lawyers.

    New DMCA Subpoena Against X/Twitter

    A new DMCA subpoena application was filed at a California district court on Monday. Attorneys acting for Cognosphere inform the court that the company is the exclusive licensee of Genshin Impact in the United States and other territories, which includes any artwork, gameplay footage, and related audiovisual content.

    Following the now-familiar formula, Cognosphere says that since it needs to take action against alleged infringers, Twitter must “disclose the identity, including the name(s), address(es), telephone number(s), and e-mail addresses(es)” connected to four Twitter accounts: @HutaoLoverGI, @GIHutaoLover, @HutaoLover77, and @FurinaaLover.

    “Cognosphere has reason to believe [the accounts] are operated or have been operated by the same individual and/or under common control,” the application notes. “The purpose for which this subpoena is sought is to obtain the identity of the user(s) operating the Twitter Accounts who have posted the infringing content appearing thereon.”

    Leaked Content Redacted in DMCA Takedown Notices

    The locations of the allegedly-infringing content are laid out in eight-pages of DMCA takedown notices sent to Twitter on Sunday by anti-piracy company Remove Your Media.

    Each contains links where the content could be found along with an identifying screenshot, all of which are redacted in court documents. The URLs relating to @HutaoLoverGI are still up ( 1 , 2 ) but the images in both tweets have been taken down.

    For those not fully immersed in the Genshin Impact world, determining the nature of the leaked content is less than straightforward. The tweets themselves contain a Japanese-language hashtag (#原神リーク) which may provide clues elsewhere on Twitter, but regardless, the popularity of the tweets isn’t in question. One tweet was viewed 71,700 times, the other 191,300 times.

    Cognosphere obviously considers the leaked content a problem, but importantly, a problem it can deal with under copyright law.

    Notices Targeting Other Accounts

    Other DMCA takedown notices sent to Twitter target content posted by three additional accounts; @GIHutaoLover , @HutaoLover77 , and @FurinaaLover . Copies of the notices sent in support of the DMCA subpoena application are similarly redacted.

    Unlike the @HutaoLoverGI account, these three accounts are no longer accessible; two appear to have been suspended for breaking X/Twitter’s rules and in the case of @Furinaalover, because the account no longer exists.

    The small white text on the right of each image are the allegedly-infringing URLs, so at least by volume, the @HutaoLover77 account is clearly the most problematic.

    What Happens Next…

    After obtaining DMCA subpoenas at courts in the United States, alleged leakers like the above (and others like Ubatcha and many others ) face Twitter, Discord, or any other platforms they use, handing over their personal details to Cognosphere.

    Whether those details eventually prove useful depends on the quality of information provided or left behind on X/Twitter by the account holders. What happens after useful information is handed over is rarely discussed in public.

    The law says that any information obtained as part of a DMCA subpoena may only be used by the copyright holders for the purposes of enforcing their rights. The scope is narrowly defined for a reason but content protection is a broad field and Cognosphere is unlikely to feel restricted.

    The DMCA subpoena application is available here (pdf)

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

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      Naver Webtoon: “150 Pirate Sites Shut Down” After Cloudflare DMCA Subpoena

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Monday, 6 November - 16:48 · 5 minutes

    naver-280 DMCA subpoena applications filed at courts in the United States provide a relatively inexpensive mechanism for compelling intermediaries to hand over the personal details of allegedly-infringing users.

    Since Cloudflare offers reverse proxy services to websites as part of its free tier, most subpoena applications filed in the United States target the company. They typically seek disclosure of pirate site operators’ personal details, and it’s not uncommon to see a dozen domains feature in one application or more in a bundle filed at the same time.

    As revealed in our report last month , South Korea’s Naver Webtoon filed a single application containing over 350 ‘pirate’ domains, easily the highest number we’ve seen in recent years, possibly the most ever.

    After remaining silent for several months, late last week Naver Webtoon issued a press release. It claimed that after obtaining the subpoena and taking unspecified action, the company “halted the activities of 150 overseas illegal sites.”

    That’s an eye-catching figure because in many cases Cloudflare has little useful information to pass on. It also represents a level of success currently enjoyed by no other rightsholders using the same process, which is highly unusual. That alone warrants a closer look but first, a brief summary of key statements in the release.

    Naver Webtoon’s Key Statements

    – After three months of hard work by Naver Webtoon, about 150 overseas illegal sites stopped operating. This is the result of Naver Webtoon’s action to issue a ‘Subpoena’ through a U.S. court, the first in the webtoon industry.

    – Illegal site operator information, such as address, email, and payment details, is essential information for tracking and arrest. Subpoenas also have the effect of discouraging the activities of illegal site operators.

    – According to the traffic statistics site ‘Similar Web’, the annual user traffic to about 150 illegal sites affected by Naver Webtoon’s action is approximately 2.5 billion.

    – Naver Webtoon plans to share the information on illegal site operators obtained this time with investigative agencies and respond strictly with a zero-tolerance policy.

    Right off the bat it’s worth highlighting that the subpoena listed 360 domain names, not 360 sites. To illustrate why that’s so important, one of the sites targeted appears to have begun life as ‘Newtoki’ but then registered subsequent domains that also include a number; newtoki1, newtoki2, newtoki3, etc.

    A total of 19 of these variants appeared in the subpoena, as low as newtoki17.org and as high as newtoki310.com. There appears to be at least another 100 domains in a similar format, hundreds in total (some apparently owned by an anti-piracy company), but none functioning as a pirate site. Persistence may have paid off here, but there are nearly always more domains than sites and that can significantly distort perceived outcomes.

    That being said, a bigger and perhaps more straightforward win may justify the campaign in its own right.

    Closure of Just One Site Suggests Campaign Paid Off

    Aquamanga.com was one of two sites mentioned specifically by Naver Webtoon following its press release last week.

    Traffic to Aquamanga was significant to say the least. SimilarWeb data reveals a site receiving considerable traffic on an upwards trajectory; 61 million visits in September, up from 52.6m in July.

    We’ve seen no evidence to show the site has reappeared under a different domain, and information suggests that the deterrent effect mentioned by Naver Webtoon may have done its job in this case. Overall, the closure of Aquamanga seems to be the highlight of the campaign and since it accounts for three quarters of a billion visits, understandably so.

    Another Big Closure But Less Satisfactory Outcome

    Another site that received a direct mention from Naver was Flamescans.org. The popular scanlation site was also doing well; SimilarWeb data for August and September shows between 18.1m and 18.7m visits per month, progress that was halted when the site suddenly went offline.

    “Thank you to all of our community members for their continued support. Unfortunately, this site has discontinued all services related to the function and content hosted as of October 19, 2023. We appreciate your steadfast engagement and commitment to us through the years,” a notice on the homepage reads.

    While the quality of the ‘artwork’ accompanying the goodbye message won’t keep Webtoon’s artists up at night, it strongly implies that things might not be over just yet.

    The image above shows Flamescans to the left of the goodbye message and Flame-Comics to the right. They appear identical and show that while domains are important, they’re not as important as sites.

    Interestingly, a bitcoin address on the Flamescans.org domain marked “Anonymous Donations” has received a total of 0.00000000 BTC ($0.00) thus far. It’s possible that pirate frugality and relatively complicated crypto transactions aren’t the best mix.

    Also listed in the subpoena but still online are five ‘Agitoon’ .xyz domains beginning agit571 and ending agit577.xyz. They carry the same epilepsy-inducing gambling advertising previously seen on the now-shuttered Noonoo TV .

    Naver Webtoon says that in addition to sending direct warnings to “selected” illegal sites, it also works to undermine their ability to do business. Domain registrars, hosting companies, ISPs, social media platforms and payment services are among the potential targets.

    Due to these efforts, 23 unnamed sites witnessed a 30% fall in traffic in October when compared to July, the company reports.

    ‘Good News’ For the Entire Webtoon Industry

    Summing up, Naver Webtoon says that its anti-piracy work isn’t just good for the company, it’s good for everyone involved in webtoons.

    “This achievement is helpful not only to Naver Webtoon but also to the entire webtoon industry, which is suffering damage from illegal webtoon sites,” says Kim Gyu-nam, Naver Webtoon’s legal affairs chief and anti-piracy task force leader.

    “The platform will do its best to eradicate illegal webtoons. We will continue to actively take all possible measures.”

    Given the constantly shifting nature of many pirate sites, especially those that operate multiple domains and/or move to new ones hoping to evade various measures, it’s difficult to determine whether Naver Webtoon really did shut down 150 sites. In its press release it actually notes that “about 150 sites were completely deleted or temporarily suspended operations ” which does change things somewhat.

    Still, if putting domains out of action was part of the mission, that seems to have been quite effective. The image below shows a screenshot/preview image of every domain in the subpoena. In the majority of cases, those with no image are out of action.

    Whether any have moved to new domains is another question, but none will have welcomed the disruption and won’t welcome the future disruption Naver Webtoon is already promising.

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

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      Naver Webtoon Targets Hundreds of Piracy Sites Ahead of Public Listing

      news.movim.eu / TorrentFreak · Tuesday, 24 October - 11:03 · 8 minutes

    webtoon-3 Launched by South Korean tech giant Naver Corporation in 2004, Webtoon gained popularity as a hosting platform for a specific type of short-form digital comic, known locally as ‘webtoons’

    Almost two decades later, Webtoon Entertainment has over 85 million active users per month across more than 100 countries. In the United States, where the company now boasts 12.5 million active users, Webtoon seems destined for a public listing, potentially as soon as 2024 according to information shared by Naver during a recent earnings call.

    In an August interview with Reuters, Webtoon Entertainment founder and CEO Kim Junkoo was certainly bullish on the company’s future. Rivals moving in on the short-form comic market, which include both Amazon and Apple, will struggle to build a viable business, Kim predicted.

    Competitors Face Uphill Struggle

    “To build a (webtoon) store, you need knowledge about serial services, user targeting, a fitting business model, educating users,” Kim told Reuters. “This takes time. But even if you put in time, you can’t recreate the creator economy we’ve built.”

    Webtoon believes its artists and depth of content libraries will present significant challenges for potential Silicon Valley competitors. “If big tech is serious about this IP-creating business, they’d have to buy us out,” the company’s CEO explained.

    Of course, online competition can take many forms. Unconventional market participants that have no interest in acquisition, respond differently to traditional market forces. As such, they present novel challenges that require a specialist approach.

    Webtoon fully understands what it’s up against and is already considering a response. The sheer scale of the initial groundwork appears unprecedented.

    The Calm Before the Storm

    On an unspecified date in August 2023, in its capacity as agent for Webtoon Entertainment Inc., Texas-based anti-piracy company Remove Your Media, LLC, sent a complaint to CDN company Cloudflare.

    DMCA notices can be unremarkable but here the undated document stands out as unusual. It begins with a “representative list” of copyrighted works owned by Webtoon, titles such as How To Tame My Beastly Husband, I Raised The Beast Well, Jungle Juice, and I’m Not That Kind Of Talent. However, it’s the overall number of allegedly infringed works that really catches the eye.

    According to Remove Your Media, these titles and around 80 others like them were being made available for download by pirate sites, all of them utilizing Cloudflare’s services.

    “The works primarily consist of animated motion pictures and digital comics published by WEBTOON,” Cloudflare was advised. “Please act expeditiously to remove or disable access to the infringing material.”

    Some URLs remain, some have disappeared webtoons up-down

    Each block in the image above represents one of the 390+ URLs listed in the Webtoon infringement notice. The blank spaces indicate URLs that no longer exist at the time of writing, wouldn’t load for unspecified reasons, or in some cases link to sites that appear to have shifted to new or alternative domains. The majority of those containing an image remain online; the question is for how long.

    A Silent Trip to Texas

    Over a decade ago, then-junior attorney Evan Stone made headlines when he used four-letter expletives to slam ISPs and the adult industry, while revealing his personal vendetta against pirates, or “smarmy entitled little brats” to use the attorney’s terminology.

    While much has changed since then, the appearance of Stone’s name on a declaration in support of DMCA subpoena application filed at a district court in Texas, shows that his pirate-fighting days are not yet over.

    With Stone representing Remove Your Media, and both acting as agents of Webtoon Entertainment, the DMCA subpoena application filed in August but only now being reported, is a strong indication that reducing illicit competition is a priority matter for the webtoon company.

    Webtoon Demands Identities of Hundreds of Pirate Site Operators

    The primary purpose of a DMCA subpoena is to compel a service provider, in this case Cloudflare, to hand over the personal details of an alleged infringer to allow copyright holders to enforce their rights. Here, the application demands the following:

    Identifying information, including name, e-mail address, physical address, billing information and any other relevant contact information for the alleged infringer(s) who control the sites at the domains listed in Exhibit A, or control the domains themselves.

    What separates this application from most is the scale of the request and the sheer volume of site operators that face being caught up in the dragnet. It’s inevitable that some domains in the list will share the same owner but over 350 domains in a single subpoena is still unprecedented, and would remain so even if reduced by half.

    Just a tiny sample webtoon-4

    Strictly there’s no requirement for the clerk of the court to conduct a detailed examination of a DMCA application before issuing the stamp of approval. Given that the application was filed August 22, marked as terminated on August 22, and then issued two days later on August 24, it seems likely that no further examination took place.

    The list of domains targeted in the subpoena, for which Cloudflare was required to hand over full operator details, is available below. What happens next is almost entirely down to the quality of information handed over by Cloudflare before the deadline expired on October 5. It’s likely that the information received is already undergoing evaluation.

    Webtoon’s overall goal likely entails the removal of illicit competition from the market but the means remain unknown. In practical terms, not even the largest corporate entertainment giants see value in mass litigation. Even if Webtoon decided otherwise, balancing the books to make the exercise worthwhile would be complex and unpredictable at best; messy, unproductive, even counterproductive at worst.

    Threats of possible litigation to encourage settlements may be considered a viable option, at least if any of the operators left any usable identifying information in Cloudflare’s hands, which most try to avoid.

    ______

    The individual domains listed in the subpoena are shown below to illustrate scale. Due to the potential for errors following OCR and the extraction of domains from the full-content URLs in the subpoena, the list is not definitive. The DMCA takedown notice sent to Cloudflare, which contains full unedited URLs, is available here ( pdf )

    1stkissmanga.me, 1stkissmanga.tv, adultwebtoon.com, agit571.xyz, agit572.xyz, agit573.xyz, agit574.xyz, agit575.xyz, agit576.xyz, agit577.xyz, allmanga.to, anzmangashd.com, aquamanga.com, astrascans.com, asura.gg, bacamanga.id, batotoo.net, beehentai.com, beetoon.net, beetoon.net, bestwebtoon.com, blacktoon250.com, blacktoon251.com, blacktoon252.com, blacktoon253.com, blacktoon254.com, blacktoon255.com, blogmanga.net, blogtruyen.vn, bonmanga.com, boosei.net, chapmanganato.com, cizgiromanarsivi.com, clover-manga.com, cn.baozimh.com, cn.kukuc.co, cn.webmota.com, coffeemanga.io, comedymanga.com, comicsxxx.org, cosmicscans.com, daonovel.com, dinnerku.com, dogemanga.com, doujins.me, elecedmanga.online, eleceed.net, eleceedmanga.com, elitemanga.org, esmangaoof.xyz, ethernalworld.com, fanfox.net, flamescans.org, freecomiconline.me, freenovel.me, freewebtooncoins.com, galaxymanga.org, gekkou.com.br, god-manga.com, goldenmanga.top, gudangkomik.com, h.mangabat.com, harimanga.com, hentaiwebtoon.com, iroha.blue, it.ninemanga.com, jaiminisbox.net, japscan.lol, jimanga.com, joji-manga.com, junglemanga.com, kaminotou.com, kazetori-manga.com, kiryuu.id, kissmanga.org, klikmanga.id, kmanga.com, komikav.com, komikindo.co, komikindo.info, komikindo.moe, komiklab.com, komikmoe.web.id, komikoma.co, komiku.com, komikuwu.com, kumascans.com, kumomanga.net, kunmanga.com, kuro-manga.com, lami-manga.com, lectortmo.com, leermangaway.com, leermanhwa.com, librarynovel.com, lolicon.mobi, lonenecromancer.com, lookism.rjoy, lookismmanga.com, lookismmanga.online, lovemanhwa18.com, m.fanfox.net, m.isekaiscan.to, mafia-manga.com, manga-1001.com, manga-bat.com, manga-fr.me, manga-kung.com, manga-lucky.com, manga-raw.info, manga-reader.org, manga-scan.org, manga-usa.com, manga1001.top, manga18.me, manga18fx.com, manga18hot.net, manga1s.com, manga2d.com, manga4life.com, manga68.com, mangabee.net, mangaboat.com, mangabt.com, mangabuddy.com, mangaclash.com, mangacrow.com, mangacv.com, mangadass.com, mangadex.tv, mangadino.top, mangadna.com, mangadop.net, mangaeffect.com, mangafire.to, mangaforest.me, mangafox.fun, mangafreak.net, mangafreak.to, mangafunny.net, mangagg.com, mangago.me, mangahasu.se, mangahentai.cc, mangahere.cc, mangaht.com, mangahub.io, mangaid.click, mangairo.com, mangak2.com, mangakakalot.fun, mangakakalot.io, mangakakalot.is, mangakakalot.so, mangakakalot.tv, mangakita.net, mangakitsu.com, mangakomi.io, mangalek.com, mangalek.org, mangalike.me, mangalogy.com, mangalove.top, mangamirror.com, manganato.so, manganato.su, manganelo.tv, manganelo.website, mangaonline.fun, mangaowl.io, mangaowl.to, mangapark.net, mangapill.com, mangaplaza.org, mangapuma.com, mangaqueen.net, mangaraw.pro, mangaread.org, mangareader.to, mangasehri.com, mangastarz.com, mangatale.co, mangatoday.fun, mangatone.com, mangatub.com, mangatx.com, mangayeh.com, manhuadex.com, manhuaes.com, manhuafull.com, manhuamanhwa.com, manhuascan.com, manhuascan.us, manhuasite.com, 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