Piracy articles

"You wouldn't steal a car" anti-piracy ads may have used a stolen font

WTF?! In what must be the very definition of irony, one of the most infamous anti-piracy campaigns from two decades ago may have included a font that was, in essence, stolen. The "You Wouldn't Steal a Car" PSA is still remembered by many people old enough to recall its 2004 launch, but it seems the ad didn't heed its own warning.

First-ever Switch modding case in Japan ends with fine and suspended jail time

Denmark issues "landmark" prison sentences to notorious piracy group member and one other

Piracy lawsuit against Meta could set precedent for torrenting copyrighted works in AI training

A hot potato: Meta is embroiled in a groundbreaking AI lawsuit that could change how courts view copyright law. The case seems open-and-shut from the plaintiffs' view. However, if a judge sees otherwise, it could set a monumental precedent allowing corporations to pirate copyrighted material to train AI systems.

Nintendo wins another lawsuit against file-sharing service hosting pirated content

Microsoft: nearly one million devices hit by malware spread through ads on illegal streaming websites

In brief: If you're going to visit websites that host pirated video streams, you'd better be willing to accept the risks. That's something owners of the one million devices affected by a malware campaign originating from these sites might not have considered.

Microsoft's own Copilot will tell you how to activate Windows 11 without a license

Hacker group releases updated tool to activate almost all modern Microsoft software

Meta used pirated books to train its AI models, and there are emails to prove it

US copyright groups push for internet site blocking to combat piracy

Tech giants urge EU to review Italy's anti-piracy measures amid overblocking concerns

Study finds cracking protections in 712 vintage games took 628 years

Switch modder arrested in Japan as Nintendo admits emulation is technically legal

Hacking group claims to have cracked Microsoft's software licensing security on a massive scale

Nintendo seeks to subpoena Reddit for details on piracy group members

In brief: Is there a more litigious company in the gaming world than Nintendo? Probably not. The Mario maker is once again going after those invovled with game piracy, including moderators and certain members of a popular subreddit. Nintendo is seeking to subpoena business records from Reddit (and other companies) to identify members.

Massive IPTV piracy network with 22 million users shut down by Europol and Italian police

Nearly half of young Norwegians are fine with piracy to save money, survey shows

Study finds 20% revenue drop when Denuvo DRM is cracked soon after game launch

A hot potato: PC gamers often label digital rights management systems like Denuvo as "consumer unfriendly" because they can lead to performance issues, punishing those who legitimately purchase the games. But a new study shows that for all its downsides, Denuvo actually does help shield game revenues from the scourge of piracy, at least initially.

Nintendo sues two Switch hardware and software modders

Unactivated copies of Windows 11 will soon limit Edge customization, too

The MPA plans to collaborate with Congress on piracy website-blocking legislation

A hot potato: Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association isn't a fan of pirates. He says many of those who operate piracy websites are "real-life mobsters" who engage in child pornography, drug trafficking, and other crimes. He has also announced that the MPA plans to work with Congress to introduce legislation that blocks pirate websites in the United States.

BitTorrent dethroned as the main source of internet's upstream traffic

Anti-piracy warnings have the opposite effect on men, new study says

The tides have turned: there's been a post-pandemic piracy revival

Spanish soccer league wants Google to remove IPTV pirate apps from users' phones