Global Round up |
WEBSITES . Marking the second agreement of its kind and the first with a registry based outside the United States , domain name registry operator Radix and the Motion Picture Association of America ( MPAA ) are cooperating to help ensure that websites using domains operated by Radix are not engaged in large-scale commercial piracy .
If Radix or its registry partners determine that the website is engaged in illegal activity and thereby violates Radix ’ s Acceptable Use and Anti-Abuse Policy , then they , in their discretion , may act within their already established authority to put the infringing site on hold or suspend it . Overall , this programme is a voluntary best practice designed to help promote a healthier Internet by mitigating blatantly illegal online activity . SECURITY . “ Our aim is to evolve our domain extensions to a point where Internet users feel a greater sense of security when they see a URL that ends with them . We welcome MPAA ’ s cooperation in helping us prevent intellectual property and copyright violations in our name space . We ’ re hopeful that our joint actions will not only protect creators from having their works stolen , but also protect Internet users from exposure to malware that is commonly found on sites run by unlicensed operators ,” said Sandeep Ramchandani , business head of Radix .
According to Steven Fabrizio , the MPAA ’ s senior executive vice president and global general counsel , the agreement demonstrates that tech and content creators can work together on voluntary initiatives to help ensure vibrant , legal digital marketplaces that benefit all members of the digital ecosystem . “ While this agreement is geared to film and television piracy , similar agreements could address other illegal activity online . Hopefully , it can become a model to be used with other players in the domain name ecosystem and Internet intermediaries .” RESPONSE . According to Stan McCoy ( above , right ), president and MD , MPA EMEA – the European arm of the Motion Picture Association of America ( above ) – there isn ’ t one tool that will fix online content piracy , suggesting that it requires a flexible response , encompassing court action , consumer education and technological solutions as well as promoting consumers ’ access to legal content when and how they want it . In a Blog Post to coincide to World IP Day on April 26 , McCoy noted that movie history is full of smart crooks , but that in the world of online piracy , the crooks may be smart , but they ’ re not heroes . “ They ’ re just really good at profiting from other people ’ s hard work . And the challenge has gone global ,” he observed .
“ Pirate site operators used to justify their
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behaviour by saying the genuine product wasn ’ t available . That ’ s an old excuse . Studies show that the film and television industries have embraced the opportunities presented by the digital revolution , making high quality content available to consumers in new ways . Whether it ’ s watching the latest hit drama on a tablet on your commute to work , or taking advantage of a second ( or even third ) screen in your living room when family competition over the remote is fierce , it has never been easier to watch what you want , when you want , where you want ,” he noted , adding that this “ golden age ” of film and TV doesn ’ t come free .
“ It ’ s time to give serious thought to how
we tackle online copyright infringement in the digital age . The future of the industry and the millions of people who work in the creative sector around the world , including 1.8 million in the UK , depends on it . If we want to see more of the great British film successes we have seen in the last year , like Suffragette , Brooklyn , and The Danish Girl , we need to get smarter at protecting the revenues they generate so the creative industry receives its due and is able to function in future ,” he admitted . BORDERLESS . “ The film industry is doing more to tackle copyright theft in the UK and across Europe than ever before . The nature of the threat is global and borderless so our approach has to be too . Pirate site operators often host their websites overseas , in an attempt to shield themselves from the law . The major hosting hubs for infringing content on the web , for example , are all based outside the UK ,” he advised . “ But there isn ’ t one tool that will fix piracy , it requires a flexible , ecosystemwide response , a combination of tackling illegal sites via the courts , consumer education and technological solutions as well as promoting consumers ’ access to legal content when and how they want it ,” he suggested .
According to McCoy , evidence from Carnegie Mellon University ’ s IDEA Research Centre found that court orders ISPs to block access to illegal sites have proved effective . It revealed that blocking 53 illegal websites in the UK in November 2014 resulted in a 90 %
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drop in visits to the targeted sites and a 22 % decrease in total piracy for all users affected by the blocks ( or a 16 % decrease across all users overall ). The result was a 6 % increase in visits to paid legal streaming sites such as Netflix and a 10 % increase in videos viewed on legal ad-supported streaming sites such as BBC and Channel 5 . “ Just as the copyright infringement landscape has changed dramatically over the past 15 years , so has the approach to consumer education ,” he said .
McCoy suggests the key to success will be a flexible and adaptive approach to the everevolving nature of copyright infringement . “ This innovation will allow us to keep pace with technological changes to help ensure that the artists and creative industries in our digital universe can be rewarded for their work so they can create the music , film and TV we will all enjoy in the future ,” he concluded . ANTE . Middle East and North Africa pay-TV network OSN has secured a number of major successes in its fight against television piracy across the region , having carried out more than 316 raids with the support of government authorities . On the eve of the World Intellectual Property Day , OSN upped the ante in its fight to curb the menace of TV piracy with concerted plans to cut down on both illegal satellite DTH services as well as the unauthorised distribution of IPTV services . OSN champions anti-TV piracy by spearheading the Anti- Piracy Coalition with leading satellite service providers .
“ The World IP Day underlines the importance of intellectual property rights which are to be upheld to sustain the growth of the creative industry and the entertainment sector ,” stated David Butorac , CEO of OSN . “ Through our concerted efforts to curb TV piracy highlighted by our ‘ Do the Right Thing ’ campaign , we have been taking the lead in protecting IP rights with the cooperation of the governmental authorities . Across the region , we see tremendous support from the concerned authorities to curb TV piracy , given the huge loss in revenue to the state exchequers and the negative impact on the creative industry . Having made significant investments in equipment and training , we are using state-of-the-art technology to monitor all forms of TV piracy .”
“ We also conduct awareness workshops for the authorities in identifying and curbing TV piracy . Ensuring the IP rights of content providers and creators is ‘ doing the right thing ’, and we urge the public to access legal content and to report any instance of television piracy , to help safeguard and drive the growth of the region ’ s creative sector ,” he concluded .
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