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Piracy The Internet Entertainment

P2P Piracy is Alive and Growing, Research Suggests (torrentfreak.com) 104

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
From a report: In recent years Hollywood and other entertainment sources have focused their enforcement efforts on pirate streaming sites and services. According to several reports, streaming sites get more traffic than their P2P counterparts, with the latter being almost exclusively BitTorrent related. While the rise of online streaming sites can't be denied, a new research report from anti-piracy outfit Irdeto shows that P2P remains very relevant. In fact, it's still the dominant piracy tool in many countries. Irdeto researched site traffic data provided by an unnamed web analytics partner. The sample covers web traffic to 962 piracy sites in 19 countries where P2P was most used. This makes it possible to see how P2P site visits compare to those of pirate streaming sites.
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P2P Piracy is Alive and Growing, Research Suggests More

P2P Piracy is Alive and Growing, Research Suggests

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  • Anyone shocked? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by DMJC ( 682799 ) on Wednesday August 08, 2018 @04:16PM (#57093152)
    Is this really surprising? There's still tons of software out there that makers no longer support or distribute, tons of TV shows that Netflix doesn't stock. As fragmentation of the online streaming market grows (Disney Online) Expect piracy to grow back in as people's $10/month subscriptions fail to deliver them the content they want and rather than pay $80+ for 8+ different streaming services they just go back to piracy.

    • Re:Anyone shocked? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by 110010001000 ( 697113 ) on Wednesday August 08, 2018 @04:30PM (#57093202) Homepage Journal
      Eventually all software will be rented and media will be streamed to approved devices. Only approved devices will be allowed to connect to the Internet.

      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward

        My uncle has a streaming device, that no-one knows about
        He says it used to be legal, before the Data Law
        And on Sundays I elude the ‘Eyes’, and hop the Turbine Freight
        To far outside the Wire, where my white-haired uncle waits

        • Jump on the couch as the microwave heats my pizza pie
          Monitor on, as excitement shivers up and down my spine
          On the LAN my uncle preserved for me an old machine
          For fifty-odd years
          To keep the kernel updated has been his dearest dream

        • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

          by Anonymous Coward
          What you and some other are alluding to is a trend we've been seeing for some time now. Housing either being gobbled up by 'property management' companies and rented/leased, 'Home Owners Associations' imposing such draconic 'rules' that not only can stand in the way of home ownership, but literally take someone's home away from them because of 'penalty fees' imposed by these non-authoritative 'associations'. Barriers put in the way of people obtaining financing to purchase homes (especially for minorities,
      • How? The stakeholder companies will never unite enough to control the market in that fashion. And there are probably a dozen people just in this comments section (eleven other people) who could create a distributed system for media sharing. It's only gotten easier over the last two decades, and we were sharing all over the place back in the day!

      • Only approved devices will be allowed to connect to the Internet.

        I doubt you have any evidence to back that up, but even if you turn out to be right, you know what will happen.

        If I'm not allowed to use "the" Internet then I'll just have to use some other Internet (with blackjack and hookers).

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by AHuxley ( 892839 )
          Nations keep logs of all networked computer use from every ISP for some time.
          Photo ID to get an approved cell phone that will work?
          The tracking is in place.

          VPN use can be tracked by the security services. Bullrun (decryption program) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
          Police and security services do not want to ban what was onion routing and have a great ability to find users when needed.

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by Anonymous Coward

            A few years ago we used to have a private LAN in our apartment building. It was connected to several other similar LANs in other buildings nearby. The whole thing spanned a city, with optic fiber between the different residential areas. Part of this eventually became the peer "ring" of the several ISPs.

            I can easily see it coming back if the gubbermint presses for too much "intellectual property".

            And there is jackshit the government can do about these dark networks.

            • > And there is jackshit the government can do about these dark networks.

              I'll forgive your ignorance since Slashdot is explicitly US-centric (and maybe you missed the required reading of "1984"), but anyone living in a country currently governed by a totalitarian government or even recently governed by one can tell you: there's a lot that the government can do. Idea #1: pay people money to "turn in" their fellow members.

              Got it?

          • "Nations keep logs of all networked computer use from every ISP for some time"
            And they do that by recording the MAC address, which can be easily spoofed.

            There's no way of restricting access to a network that can't be bypassed, other than by making the network so restricted as to be entirely useless. For an example, look at gaming consoles, where Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony try to limit network access to only approved (un-rooted) devices, that can only run approved software. Have they succeeded? Nope.
            Oh,

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by AHuxley ( 892839 )
              NSA and GCHQ work just find. They collected on everything for decades with no "work" problems.
      • Any manufacturer doing this will be dead. Such a thing can only be enforced by law. This would need regulation that is not politically feasible.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Gonoff ( 88518 )

          ... not politically feasible.

          I would say it is more feasable in the USA than it is for the rest of us. You have a sizeable demographic that feels that to disagree with what the corporations want will cause the death of capitalism or something.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by doccus ( 2020662 )

        Eventually all software will be rented and media will be streamed to approved devices. Only approved devices will be allowed to connect to the Internet.

        I second that. It's headed there now. Windows as a subscription,, applications as a service.. chromebooks.. yadda yadda .. However, as long as one doesn't connect to the internet and the second hand stores are still allowed to sell used computers (none in my area are allowed to anymore.. instead they're all shredded) then there's still freedom. Sadly, where I live computer shops won't sell anything older than a windows 7box, and that's becoming diffuicult to find as well. Macs? Intel only, unless you get l

    • Re:Anyone shocked? (Score:4, Informative)

      by SirCowMan ( 1309199 ) on Wednesday August 08, 2018 @05:08PM (#57093396)
      It'll be $80 for 8+ services, + $0.50 every quarter to show growing profits, for declining services.

      Netflix, having shown how to make a viable competitor to casual downloading, has give up that game and seems to want to sit with the old media folks. The VPN/geoblocking restrictions was the biggest move, but now also we see the limited introduction of geoblocking on their "own" programming (i.e., CBS deal for ST), and the nerfed access to higher quality levels for devices without hardware DRM - or, most egregiously in the case of 4K, even when all technical DRM instruments are in place it won't stream 4K without the particular device also being certified by Netflix. It's getting harder to watch something without it being better quality being sourced by other means.

      Throw on top of that the effective removal of the recommendation system, the demotion of anything not Netflix created, and constant wobbling about of the UI (at least on devices). The ability to raise content to the surface, put you in easy touch with something you'll want to watch next - that value-added sort of service was not something easily replicated by your own ripped DVD collection, or "pirate" sources. Now it's half-gutted, and getting worse. There is little compelling reason anymore to use Netflix as an interface to access something, where available elsewhere.

      Netflix, at $8 (or a fraction of that when shared), demonstrated how media could be distributed in such a manner as to make piracy essentially irrelevant. Just needed to keep adding that content.

      Now, looking at $14 or whatever for Netflix's top tier, need to scroll through a half-dozen full-screen auto-playing standup comedy specials which have no relation to viewing history before finding something you'd be looking for.. the value proposition is lost. Just wondering when the ads will start.
    • Blu-ray has proven that the MPAA can unite their studios under one format if they wanted. Too bad most people can't play the damn things. Hollywood risks an entire generation growing up and thinking Netflix, Amazon Prime and piracy are the best ways to get paid content. This is why Netflix and Amazon buy up the best writers. They are the new big studios. Soon the MPAA will be the new Edison Trust without any patents, aka irrelevant.
    • Not at all. Only a minute portion of all the content on platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video is worth watching at all. The rest is crap which they are trying to stick in your face because their promised content providers "equal exposure" to viewers. Once you've watched the interesting content, you end up hopelessly browsing for half an hour and then turning your TV off just to go through the same process the next day and then another and another...

      Personally, I wrote a piece of code which perio

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward

        I also blacklist [an assortment of keywords]. Who the hell watches that??

        Somebody. Not you, but somebody. Different people have different tastes.

        online streaming platforms lack crucial functionality, being an option to PERMANENTLY blacklist specific titles.

        This is only due to their lack of standards. If the service and the client were independent, you would probably see an explosion of media players. Oh wait, you do see an explosion of media players, but they don't work with any of the proprietary streaming

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by LesFerg ( 452838 )

        In New Zealand we get even less content of value on Netflix. On top of that the Android app I use on my media player has no decent filtering ability and the Netflix listing seems to be at least 50% non-English language, with no indications of this until you have loaded and started playing a video.
        When you just want to sit down and get some quick entertainment this is a real downer. Some times I'm just not in the mood to read subtitles while trying to watch the action.

        On top of that I have the nasty feelin

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by irving47 ( 73147 )

      This should be tattoo'd backwards across the foreheads of people like Les Moonves for CBS All-Access, and Bob Iger for Disney's pending streaming service. And I'm sure a few more. I could forgive Netflix and Amazon Prime video.

    • EmuParadise just got nuked, they've removed all ROMs from their site, and will now focus solely on emulators and discussion, no game downloads.

      I guess people will simply move back to torrenting ROMs.

  • When I want the download of a single song to take a week, it's eDonkey FTW!

  • Wrong. P2P is NOT (at least usually) "piracy"!!! (Score:5, Informative)

    by Jane Q. Public ( 1010737 ) on Wednesday August 08, 2018 @04:31PM (#57093206)
    I really wish people would get ths straight.

    "Copyright piracy" is a legal term that has been around for about 150 years. Though some copyright owners (I'm looking at you, Disney) certainly want to make people think it means something else. That's why they call everything piracy.

    But actually it refers to people who make unauthorized copies and distribute them, usually for personal gain (like profit).

    In other words, "piracy" basically means people who make copies and sell them.

    Piracy is a crime. But just downloading -- if that's all you're doing -- is NOT piracy, and is not a crime. It is a civil violation, comparable to making a personal copy of a videotape.

    People who upload videos to torrent sites might be pirates -- if they do it for some kind of personal gain -- but not people who just download.

    Having said that: many (but not all) torrent programs force you to upload at the same time you are downloading. Technically, that might be considered piracy in some cases, but usually isn't. It's a pretty damned hard case to make in court.

    Also, there does exist software that does not force you to upload when you download. Though you might have to look hard to find it.

    • Re:Wrong. P2P is NOT (at least usually) "piracy"!! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Kjella ( 173770 ) on Wednesday August 08, 2018 @05:04PM (#57093382) Homepage

      Are you drunk or high or something?

      "Copyright piracy" is a legal term

      No. Never has been.

      In other words, "piracy" basically means people who make copies and sell them.

      Bullshit. It's been known as "pirate copying" and "pirate copies" since we were trading floppies in the school yard 30 years ago, obviously completely non-commercial. You just made up your own terms, your own definitions and is going on a rant because nobody gets it "right" even though you're the one trying to redefine everything.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Grand parent is absolutely right. Piracy used to be the unlicensed distribution of unlicensed copyrighted material, while unlicensed copies for private use were just mere infringements. Noone would ever call the creator of mix tapes a pirate, when he only gave them to his friends.

        Interestingly, the cambridge dictionary sticks with the old definition, while the RIAA already got to merriam webster

        cambridge dicitonary [cambridge.org]
        Merriam-webster [merriam-webster.com]

      • Bullshit. It's been known as "pirate copying" and "pirate copies" since we were trading floppies in the school yard 30 years ago, obviously completely non-commercial. You just made up your own terms, your own definitions and is going on a rant because nobody gets it "right" even though you're the one trying to redefine everything.

        Because you were progagandized into believing it. Not my problem, ace.

        30 years isn't much compared to about 150. And your misuse of a legal term is not my problem.

        Here are some citations from around 1900. [scielo.org]

        In 1852 France accused the US of wanton "copyright piracy".

        You really shouldn't open your mouth when there are no facts in the brain driving it.

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Gonoff ( 88518 )

        What is "piracy" anyway?

        "the practice of attacking and robbing ships at sea."

        When children in school are accused of being a cross between Henry Morgan and Jack Sparrow, you know that the RIAA, MAFIAA etc are full of s**t. It may, or may not be theft. I think it is but it is not, by any stretch of the imagination anything like what still happens off the Horn of Africa!

        • Accusing kids in school of being Jack Sparrow is maybe not what the MAFIAA wants to do, especially when at the same time depicting him as a hero and overall cool guy...

          Kids just might get that wrong.

    • The REAL Piracy (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Moreover, the real piracy is the copyright lawyers denying access to the public domain. When the copyright MONOPOLY rule was established, it was a deal: A LEGAL MONOPOLY for 14 years, in exchange for the work reverting to the PUBLIC DOMAIN after that.

      Today the lawyers call the LEGAL MONOPOLY "intellectual property", implying it is perpetual, and they have indeed made it so.

      This is the piracy, not some bloke downloading bits off the Internet.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      But just downloading -- if that's all you're doing -- is NOT piracy, and is not a crime.

      That's why they sue people for distribution. P2P platforms rely on you not only downloading but redistributing the content.

      • I covered this in my comment.

        I already said it.

        And they can only sue for distribution if there is intent to gain personally... i.e., piracy.

        Well... to clarify, they can sue, but they probably have no chance of winning unless they can show that your motive was personal gain.

        Distribution per se is no crime. Only unauthorized distribution with an intent of personal gain.

        If you let me copy your DVD, you haven't "distributed with intent of gain", unless I pay or trade you something for that DVD.
  • For the majority of the people east to the iron curtain. They could try geolocking and sell it at a reduced price, but the EU won't allow that for the member counties, and the market is too small to bother.

    • Re:Streaming services too expensive (Score:5, Insightful)

      by war4peace ( 1628283 ) on Wednesday August 08, 2018 @08:01PM (#57094156)

      Actually, nope.
      Here in my country, east of the Iron Courtain, Netflix is 7 bucks a month, cheapest tier. Tidal is 5 bucks a month. Same with Spotify.
      They're not too expensive.
      Geolocking does exist as a matter of fact, and it's one of the main reasons piracy still exists.
      We (my people) have been treated a second class people for far too long , and we won't have it anymore. So when Netflix comes and says "you can't have this content that others do because $bullshit_reason*", we don't like it, and stop using it.
      *$bullshit_reason could be, for example, a certain movie or TV series had their broadcasting rights sold to some asshole local company which sits on them trying to boost prices, or to an actual broadcaster which is only interested in maximizing profit. This results in many, if not most good movies or TV series being unavailable in my country. Anecdotal evidence: 10 of my top 10 preferred moviesw ere unavailable on netflix for my country (or at all!) due to broadcasting rights or movie owner not wanting to sell rights to Netflix. Hulu isn't available in my country, at all. Tidal has a "hip-hop problem", pushing their own music agenda despite the fact that I am a metalhead and for months I have only listened to metal on their platform. Yet, every fucking time I open Tidal, the main page and all their recommendation revolve around "JayZ's Playlist" and "Nicki Minaj" and other crap I simply DO NOT WANT. I perceive that behavior as being disrespectful - so I cancelled my subscription.

      The pirate alternative: Torrent websites (private trackers):
      - have a much wider selection of content
      - have HIGH QUALITY content (Blu-Ray, 4K, etc)
      - Are very fast (5-10 minutes) to download pretty much anything (local peers abound)
      - Don't push their own agenda
      - Have most content available IMMEDIATELY after release (especially music and TV series; for movies you generally need to wait a month or so for highest quality)
      - Have a large variety of good subtitles in a myriad languages, readily attached to movies and series
      - Do carry obscure and "rare" content (which I can't legally buy, stream or rent from anywhere)

      I am all for legal methods of consuming content, and I am ready to pay for it. But when, for example, the FIFA World Cup 2018 took place this summer, I was unable to find an easy way to legally livestream matches. I was ready to pay-per-view or subscribe to bundles, but none were available for my country. The official broadcaster for my country had horrible service, thir website was down or locking up most of the time, it was unusable. And there was no alternative... except watching pirate livestreams which worked perfectly.

      Life finds a way... so does consuming media content in a timely manner.

  • Duh? The files still aren't for sale, even in 2018. You can wave your money in their faces but you cannot force the video industry to take it.

    So for most shows, if you want to watch it on standard equipment, piracy is the only option. Your money is unwelcome.

  • I just want to actually -OWN- what I buy (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 08, 2018 @07:03PM (#57093940)

    You can't own anything anymore. You can only purchase access to view/listen/use it through some service... services aren't always available, and even when they are, the internet isn't always available, and even when it is, your hardware might not be up to snuff.

    With my personal collection, barring some out-of-left-field tech issue, I know it's going to work every time and be right there where I want it.

    With online services, the price might increase, there might be updates or patches that force you to cough up personal information.

    It's like, no... I just want to give you money, and then you give me a product, and we part ways. Not, I give you money, and then you keep spying on me and sending me ads and essentially "following" through the cloud.

    Wow this rant went all over the place, but seriously, for all it's advantages, I'm fed up with streaming anything.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      Wait for the OS to start reporting back on what files got created and what got downloaded.
      Call it free anti virus support by the "free" OS but every user file gets a unique number.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Falos ( 2905315 )

      You want control.

      They want to keep it.

      If your device/service has to ask permission to begin, you don't own shit, you have conditional functionality. Does a confirmation? Phones home? Conditional functionality, and they weren't your conditions.

      See you in the terrafoam, boys.

  • Data (Score:3)

    by manu0601 ( 2221348 ) on Wednesday August 08, 2018 @08:11PM (#57094184)
    I wonder what data they used? TFA talks about P2P web traffic, but P2P does not use the web.

  • It's true that many pirate videos and music because they don't want to pay. But it is also true that many, probably many more, do so because piracy (e.g ThePirateBay.org) is a very convenient way of getting the material; sometimes the only way. Content owners insist in making it difficult to access the material, in curtailing where it can be played, in creating artificial scarcity, in treating consumers, first and foremost, as potential thieves.

    Content owners, make the material, all the material, available

  • when i get to dig a hole and sell the results a million times... thats when ill stop pirating
  • media is typically one-sided and only promotes the artists they are paid to promote indoctrinating the young into tasteless garbage who dont have a buck to find anything else...and any artists that have artistic integrity aren't creating art for the money they are doing it for expression...anything else is a business and business isnt art.

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