Source: Hacker News
Source: TorrentFreak
As the first major legal subscription streaming service on the Internet, Netflix paved the way for a streaming revolution.
The company began competing with piracy from the get-go, branding itself as a superior alternative. In the early years, the strategy paid off.
Millions of subscribers switched from casually consuming pirated content on unlicensed platforms in favor of a convenient and reasonably-priced legal alternative. Piracy never went away, but downloading Netflix content illegally seemed silly.
In the years that followed the legal streaming landscape became more crowded. Inspired by Netflix’s success, new streaming portals such as Amazon, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock started competing for a share of the lucrative streaming market.
The media often refers to this competition as the “streaming wars,” but the real threat may not come from legal streaming services but illegal pirate sites.
The suggestion that “subscription fatigue” may motivate people to start pirating again isn’t new. We have highlighted this issue in the past and it has been confirmed by research, but it’s now reaching a point where it’s hard for Hollywood to ignore.
Piracy tracking firm MUSO recognizes the problem too. In addition to doing anti-piracy work for major copyright holders, the UK company also helps major players such as Amazon, Lionsgate, and Sony, to understand the latest piracy trends.
In an op-ed, MUSO CEO Andy Chatterley highlights that increased fragmentation in the streaming ecosystem, paired with higher prices, is starting to make piracy more appealing again. And without an option to pay for everything, people are seeking out alternatives.
“[F]aced with an increasingly fractured streaming landscape, the consumer does the math and realizes that having access to all the shows they want to watch is not a justifiable expense when their grocery bill has doubled and they’re cycling or carpooling to work to save money on fuel,” Chatterley says.
“And in the absence of a one-stop shop like Spotify is to music lovers, and now that piracy sites have evolved to become sophisticated, easy-to-use experiences, people who have never resorted to piracy before are finding it more appealing than ever. Everything you could ever want to watch, all in one place, only a few clicks away and all for free. What’s not to like?”
Chatterley notes that copyright holders should be aware of this potential shift in user behavior, which is backed up by data. Earlier this year Netflix reported that its subscriber numbers had dropped for the first time in history and piracy continues to grow.
According to MUSO’s data, Netflix content was good for an 11.4% U.S. piracy market share in June. Globally, this number is even higher, with Netflix content making up 16% of the worldwide piracy demand.
“Now, imagine if they could convert those pirate consumers into paying customers,” Chatterley comments.
MUSO’s messaging is in part out of self-interest as the company offers piracy insights as a commercial service. This is serious business for Muso. Just last week the company announced that it had secured a $3.9M investment from Puma Private Equity.
That said, the fact that a company working with several Hollywood players is prepared to highlight the dangers of too many subscriptions is quite something. Especially when that company started as a fairly traditional anti-piracy outfit roughly a decade ago.
Instead of pointing a finger at pirates, Chatterley focuses more on the shortcomings of the TV and movie industry. Piracy can be lowered by offering a one-stop solution for a fair price but somehow that seems to be a pipe dream.
“By offering a service that is both comprehensive and good value for money, you render piracy a much less attractive option,” he writes.
“But with content providers investing billions in their platforms and determined to keep their shows exclusive to them, this seems fanciful. And so the drop off in subscribers seems set to continue, with piracy sites continuing to welcome them with open arms,” Chatterley concludes.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Source: The Week: Most Recent Home Page Posts
Former President Donald Trump said in a statement on Monday evening that the FBI executed a search warrant at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump said Mar-a-Lago "is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. Nothing like this has ever happened to a president of the United States before. After working and cooperating with the relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate."
Trump went on to claim that this "is prosecutorial misconduct" and "the weaponization of the justice system," adding that "such an assault could only take place in broken, Third World countries. Sadly, America has now become one of those countries, corrupt at a level not seen before. They even broke into my safe!" NBC News reports that Trump is in New York City, and has spent the summer at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Dave Aronberg, the Palm Beach County state attorney, told MSNBC's Jason Johnson that his office was not involved in the search, which was "kept close to the vest" by the FBI. Aronberg said he thinks Trump "will believe that this is crossing a red line. This is his inner sanctum. To get this raid of his place, there had to be a warrant signed off by a judge. There needs to be probable cause. There needs to be a belief that there's evidence there that could lead to a crime. It can't be a fishing expedition. So this is definitely serious stuff."
It's not known at this time "what crime are they pursuing and who are they pursuing," Aronberg continued, but "I do not believe they are searching Mar-a-Lago to build a case against someone else who lived there or a guest of the place. That is Donald Trump's home and I think it shows further evidence that the Department of Justice is indeed looking at Donald Trump himself."
Source: OSNews
You have a perfectly healthy, functioning Epson inkjet printer in your home office. It’s served you well for years and you use it frequently. Then, one day, you go to print a document and realize that the printer isn’t working. A message on the display reads “a part inside your printer is at the end of its service life. Service is required.”
That’s funny, you think. You hadn’t noticed anything wrong with your printer before this message appeared. The device was working well and the quality of the printing was fine. If nothing was broken, why are you suddenly getting this message? More important: how do you get rid of it so that you can continue using your printer?
This should absolutely be criminal behaviour. If there was ever an industry that could do with a worldwide judicial probe and investigation, it’s the printer makers. They employ so many clearly scammy business practices, and get away with them too.
Source: Hacker News
Source: Hacker News
Source: The Verge - All Posts
Textbook publisher Pearson suggests blockchain tech could let it take a cut of secondary textbook sales, capturing a section of the book market that’s so far escaped it. As quoted by Bloomberg, Pearson CEO Andy Bird believes non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, could help publishers make money off textbook resales, although he stopped short of describing concrete plans.
“In the analog world, a Pearson textbook was resold up to seven times, and we would only participate in the first sale,” said Bird after the company announced its latest quarterly earnings this week. “The move to digital helps diminish the secondary market, and technology like blockchain and NFTs allows us to participate in every sale of that particular item as it goes through...
