news.buyenne.com

All around the world entertainment companies are augmenting their traditional sales with revenue generated from alleged copyright infringers.

Known as copyright-trolling, the practice sees companies monitor file-sharing networks for people sharing their content. They then use IP addresses to track users down via their ISPs. What follows are threats of legal action and demands for cash to make it all go away.

The UK has a long history of ‘trolls’ but in more recent times a company called Golden Eye International (GEIL) has been the most active. Run by the individuals behind the ‘Ben Dover’ porn brand, the company has targeted hundreds of people with allegations they downloaded and shared adult content without permission.

Last week it became evident that GEIL is back again when Sky Broadband began sending out warning letters to its subscribers. A copy obtained by TorrentFreak sent to us by a concerned Sky customer details the situation.

“We need to let you know about a court order made against Sky earlier this year that requires us to provide your name and address to another company,” the letter from Sky begins.

“A company called Golden Eye International, which owns rights to several copyrighted films, has claimed that a number of Sky Broadband customers engaged in unlawful file sharing of some of its films.

“In support of this claims Golden Eye International says it has gathered evidence of individual broadband accounts (identified online by unique numbers called IP addresses) from which it claims the file sharing took place.”

Sky says that it was not involved in gathering any of the evidence and cannot comment on its accuracy. However, since the company was presented with a court order, it must hand the subscribers’ personal details to Golden Eye International.

Of course, like everyone familiar with these kinds of matters, Sky Broadband is only too aware why Golden Eye is sending out these letters. The company wants hard cash from Sky’s customers.

“It’s likely that Golden Eye International will contact you directly and may ask you to pay them compensation,” the ISP warns.

As far as we’re aware, Golden Eye hasn’t yet contacted any Sky customers following this most recent warning from Sky but those letters probably won’t be too far off. However, the advance letter from Sky is already causing concern.

In the latter part of last week and over the weekend, TorrentFreak spoke with more than half a dozen Sky subscribers in receipt of the letter. We’re giving each one anonymity but most were concerned about what lies ahead. However, a couple had been reassured by an earlier article on the topic.

Michael Coyle, a Southampton-based solicitor with huge experience of these cases, says he’s also been receiving calls from worried Sky customers. Previously he’s handled such cases in return for a charitable donation but we understand that he’s now offering to help people for a fraction of the £400 to £600 usually demanded by GEIL.

Received a letter from Sky or GEIL? Contact us in complete confidence.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

One of the first smartphones that you can also use as a desktop computer launches this week. AT&T starts taking pre-orders for the Microsoft Lumia 950 on November 17th and the phone should be available in A&T stores on November 20th. The Lumia 950 features a 5.2 inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel display, a Qualcomm […]

Microsoft Lumia 950 hits AT&T on November 20th is a post from: Liliputing

Zahlreiche Sicherheitslücken plagen die Standards zum Verschlüsseln und Signieren von XML-Daten. Obwohl die Lücken schon viele Jahre bekannt sind, finden sich nach wie vor zahlreiche verwundbare Produkte. (Black Hat, IBM)

Nach UEFI soll es künftig mit Linux-Systemen auch möglich sein, die Firmware von USB-Geräten ganz leicht zu aktualisieren. Doch auch die Hardwarehersteller müssen davon überzeugt werden. (Linux, Gnome)

In der Top-500-Liste der leistungsstärksten Supercomputer führt weiterhin der chinesische Tianhe-2, die USA holen jedoch auf. Neu unter den besten Zehn ist der Hazel Hen aus Stuttgart. (Supercomputer, Computer)

Netzaktivisten kümmern sich in Brüssel um das Urheberrecht, den Datenschutz und die Netzneutralität. Golem.de hat den Dokumentarfilm Democracy - Im Rausch der Daten zum Anlass genommen, sich die Akteure und ihre Methoden genauer anzuschauen. (Datenschutz, Urheberrecht)

In Nürnberg befindet sich das Holodeck 4.0. Von Star Trek ist die Technik noch weit entfernt. Aber sie bringt Virtual Reality einen großen Schritt weiter. (VR, Internet)

Broadwell-EP für Spieler: Intel plant vier neue CPUs mit sechs bis zehn Kernen, bisher gab es nur drei Modelle und maximal acht Kerne. Angesetzt sind die Intel-Prozessoren für den Frühling 2016. (Prozessor, Core i7)

Das Entwicklerstudio Bohemia Interactive arbeitet an einem größeren Update für die Grafik von Day Z. Screenshots zeigen die Verbesserungen bei der Beleuchtung - und den neuen Nebel und Regen. (Day Z, Games)

Nach fünf Minuten zur Hälfte geladen: Der chinesische Hersteller Huawei hat nach eigenen Angaben ein Verfahren entwickelt, um Akkus schneller zu laden. Zwei dieser Schnelllade-Akkus hat Huawei auf einer Konferenz in Japan vorgestellt. (Akku, Smartphone)