Back in September, it was ruled that an indexing Web site operated legally as it didn't host copyrighted material and linking to infringing material is permitted under Spanish law.
Now it appears as if this notion has gained extra support as a court has decided that a torrent site which was previously shut down by authorities actually operated legally.
To quote: In July 2007 we reported on the case of TodoTorrente.com, one of Spain’s largest BitTorrent sites. After a year long investigation by Spain’s Anti-Piracy Federation, an announcement was made by the Directorate of Police and Civil Guard - the site had been raided and closed by judicial order while the administrators arrested.
According to Spanish police, the site caused the entertainment industries 535,000 euros in losses and made 30,000 euros in profits. Unfortunately the authorities didn’t have the benefit of foresight, which would’ve given them an understanding of how Spanish l... More »
The eagerly anticipated Fallout 3 is nearly upon us, yet a full three weeks before its release rapacious pigs cracked the game and offered it via various torrent sites.
This is the third AAA title that has been hacked and cracked in as many months, leaving publishers frothing at the mouth as they consider even more draconian digital rights management.
To the casual observer this may seem like an overzealous response to retain the vast sea of greenbacks the industry seems to float upon. And that certainly is a concern, after all Electronic Arts is not motivated from a position of altruism. This is about control of their product, control of their intellectual property, and control of the consumer.
Flinchingly I have read DRM proponents scathing insinuation that, and I’m paraphrasing, that “nothing is safe! Nothing is sacred! We must protect ourselves at any cost!” Yet the price of that protectionism is at the expense of the consumer. Pirates ... More »
Accoding to GameViper, Spore has already been cracked and leaked onto the Web. One Web site is reporting that over 10,000 people are downloading the leak on just one public tracker. This all comes just days before the Official release date in North America.
For those unfamiliar with Spore: Maxis, makers of The Sims, present the next big bang - Spore. Create your unique creature and guide it on an epic journey through a universe of your own creations.
To quote: After news of Spore breaking the street date in Australia, we hear that Spore has already been cracked by a group called “RELOADED” despite it’s use of SecuROM, the anti-pirating software. (the same one used in BioShock) There are currently over 10,000 people downloading the game on just one public torrent tracker. All this 4 days before the game even comes out in North America.
Nobody can deny that the initial excitement of the Virtual Console has waned in recent months. Releases have slowed down in the shadow of Wii Ware, and the quality of the releases themselves has taken a nosedive.
Last year, we all had hope. Quality games were abounding. There was a ton of hype and everybody was looking forward to having all of their favorite old-school classics together on one console, all legally. There's a certain satisfaction to that thought: five generations of classic gaming in a tiny white box.
Sadly, that dream is starting to become tarnished by the harsh realities of business. As much as we love them, game companies exist to maximize their profits, not cater to nostalgic fans. As such, there's a lot of games (or superior versions of games) we might not be getting any time soon, if at all.
Where's My Cut? Regardless of how we may feel certain titles are timeless, companies tend to think of video game releases as being f... More »
Ken_vs_ryu has found a way to download torrent files directly to the PS3 without using a client.
Here are the instructions on downloading torrents directly to the PS3 via TorrentRelay, please use with caution and intelligence:
1. Find a torrent file link.
2. Copy .torrent link (ie: www.mininova.org/get/########)
3. Go to http://torrentrelay.com
4. Click on the 2nd input box with [Get URL] next to it, and type in the link from step #2.
5. Click on [Get URL].
6. Click on the file you want. It will list all the files available on the torrent.
7. Save As dialog should pop up.
8. We only tried an MP3, and it was downloaded directly into the Music folder. Video below:
Note: This really isn't good for the torrent community since the PS3 cannot seed files, but it's interesting that it's possible.
After a federal judge awarded the MPAA a summary judgment against former BitTorrent tracker TorrentSpy late last year, the only question left was how much it would end up costing TorrentSpy's admins.
We've got our answer, and it comes in the form of a staggering $110 million damage award, or $30,000 in statutory damages for each of the nearly 3,700 files in the MPAA's complaint.
The MPAA announced the award in a press release (PDF) earlier today.
"This substantial money judgment sends a strong message about the illegality of these sites," said Dan Glickman, Chairman and CEO of the MPAA. "The demise of TorrentSpy is a clear victory for the studios and demonstrates that such pirate sites will not be allowed to continue to operate without facing relentless litigation by copyright holders."
What were you doing in 1998? Chances are if you owned a PC you were playing StarCraft, a breakneck RTS from the creators of World of Warcraft. On its release, StarCraft blew through the RTS genre like a cyclone, generating a fanatical fan base that still thrives to this very day, especially in South Korea.
The game's allure stemmed from the diversity of its three factions, each of which required a radically different approach to annihilate the enemy. Now, a decade on, these three warring races - the technologically advanced, cybernetically enhanced Protoss; the determined, conventional Terrans (humans); and the insectoid warrior Zerg - are set to clash once again in a battle for supremacy.
Journey with me now to a room rammed with networked machines and games journos at Blizzard's LA offices.Next to me sits a representative from a German StarCraft fan site, who sobs gently as he strokes the hairy hide of a 3D Ultralisk (a massive Zerg unit), a decade-long wet ... More »
A peek at Gamercard aggregator MyGamerCard.com reveals a long list of Xbox 360 users already racking up achievements on Grand Theft Auto IV since an illegal torrent of the game was leaked yesterday and early copies started showing up in people's homes.
Neither Rockstar nor Microsoft itself have yet responded to Kotaku's requests for comment. Neither has Sony commented on any action it might take regarding video of the game being played on its network — video that GameTrailers, for its part, has since pulled — so it's unclear yet how any of them plan to address the software pirates.
Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, did say, however, that he was unable to comment yet due to the "need to look into this further," so we can assume that Microsoft, at least, is investigating.
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