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Today marks the start of the new year. As a news site focused on piracy and copyright issues, we’re curious to see what 2022 has in store for us. To start with an old tradition, we’ll share some of the stories that, with a little imagination, could make headlines in the near future. From a Pirate Bay NFT logo to “prophylactic†site blocking controls, here’s what the new year can bring.
With the empty bottles of sparkling liquid still on the table, TorrentFreak plans to venture into uncharted waters today.
We don’t make predictions every year, but when we do, it usually takes a while for them to come true. For example, the “Pirate Coin†that we envisioned in 2018 took more than three years to arrive. Kind of.
That said, it never hurts to let your imagination run wild for a while, so here’s what we’ve come up with this year. Needless to say, a pinch of salt is in order.
The Pirate Bay sells its logo as NFT
NFTs were all the rage over the past year and the coming months will offer plenty of opportunities to collect free money. It should be music to the ears of The Pirate Bay crew, while they still figure out what to do with their token.
Over the past two decades, The Pirate Bay has been a shining example of one of the early adopters of blockchain, so NFTs would fit right in. Especially when they request payment in their own TPB token. The first offering will be an NFT for the iconic Pirate Bay logo, which will sell for around $ 19,229.
This NFT will come with several perks including VIP downloader status and a counterfeit micronation Sealand passport. Shortly thereafter, all archived TPB Doodles will also be sold as NFT.
These images linked to these NFTs will of course be shared freely on The Pirate Bay and elsewhere. Buyers can be assured that no matter how many people copy the images, they still own the unique NFT rights.
Copyright owners sue electricity supplier
In recent years, copyright owners have filed various lawsuits against third-party intermediaries who allegedly facilitated piracy. This includes DNS providers, ISPs, hosting companies, advertisers, and VPN providers.
This year, we plan to add an electricity supplier to this list. The multi-billion dollar energy industry takes advantage of almost every aspect of the hacking ecosystem. And they’ve never taken a single client offline for copyright infringement.
The problem starts with pirate vendors, including performing groups. When they crack or tear content, they are still using electricity, and the same electricity is used to power their topsite servers.
Once pirated music and movies end up on public pirate sites – which run on energy – millions of people use electricity to illegally distribute or download pirated files. Despite this obvious link, the power companies are turning a blind eye to this massive violation.
Ultra-niche streaming platforms take off
The success of Disney +, HBO Max and other streaming services has inspired the film industry to launch more “niche†products for moviegoers. Disney is the first to start with Marvel +, which will air Marvel-themed movies and TV series six weeks before they arrive on Disney +. A combined subscription to both services is available at a reduced price.
Netflix soon realizes the potential to diversify. The streaming platform will move all of its exclusive content to Netflix Xtra in the summer of 2022.
This new service will host all Netflix originals, which will only be available for three months after their premiere on the regular Netflix platform.
Towards the end of 2022, independent film companies will join us. Millennium Films will use its Olympus / London / Angel series “Has Fallen†from all streaming services to launch HasFallen +. A lifetime membership sells for $ 49 and includes three movie posters and a sticker pack.
Guess what this has to do with hacking …
The first “prophylactic†site blocking order
Copyright owners have successfully blocked pirate sites in dozens of countries and this trend is not going to stop. However, simply blocking existing domain names and IP addresses is no longer sufficient.
The next step is obviously to block domain names before they exist. This will ensure that 123movies, The Pirate Bay, or any other random torrent site cannot simply move to a new domain to escape the blockade.
The High Court in Delhi, India is the first to recognize this hydra monster threat. He therefore accepts a “wildcard†prophylactic prescription that blocks all domain names that include 123movies, tamilrockers, piratebay and IPTV.
After two weeks, the order is revised after several complaints from legitimate domains that use the word torrent, including TorrentFreak and the Spanish town Torrent. The High Court unblocks these areas and sets up a complaints commission to deal with similar issues in the future.
Premier League introduces anti-piracy (VAR) timeouts
Hacking is a major problem for live sporting events. Regular withdrawal notices must be processed in near real time to be effective. In 2021, the concerns of sports organizers were backed by the EU, which proposed a maximum withdrawal window of 30 minutes.
In addition, the Premier League and EUFA are getting more aggressive blocking orders, which force ISPs to take swift action while football matches are in progress.
These application options are welcome, but they are not enough. To further frustrate the pirates, the Premier League will decide to buy time. At the start of Season 22/23, all matches will have two Anti-Piracy Video Restriction (VAPR) timeouts.
These VAPR timeouts are essentially five-minute breaks that will allow anti-piracy specialists to gain extra time to clear the offending streams. To fill these gaps, viewers will be entertained with advertisements, while those in the stadium will be able to enjoy drinks and snacks.
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Happy 2022!
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