Just another news site
Bei Vodafone sollen in Deutschland 10 Prozent der Arbeitsplätze wegfallen. Dazu kommt ein konzernweites Abbauprogramm. (Vodafone, Kabelnetz)
Auch wenn das OLAP-Konzept allgemeingültig ist – beim Implementieren der Cubes gibt es je nach Software-Ökosystem eben doch Unterschiede. Wir zeigen, wie es unter Microsoft funktioniert. Ein Deep Dive von Michael Bröde (Unternehmenssoftware, Microsoft)…
Auch wenn das OLAP-Konzept allgemeingültig ist - beim Implementieren der Cubes gibt es je nach Software-Ökosystem eben doch Unterschiede. Wir zeigen, wie es unter Microsoft funktioniert. Ein Deep Dive von Michael Bröde (Unternehmenssoftware, Microsoft) Netflix will die Trisolaris-Trilogie von Cixin Liu als Serie verfilmen, eine sehenswerte chinesische Version gibt es aber schon. Sie ist nur bei Streamingdiensten zu sehen, die hierzulande mehr oder minder unbekannt sind. Von Peter Osteried (Filme & Se…
Netflix will die Trisolaris-Trilogie von Cixin Liu als Serie verfilmen, eine sehenswerte chinesische Version gibt es aber schon. Sie ist nur bei Streamingdiensten zu sehen, die hierzulande mehr oder minder unbekannt sind. Von Peter Osteried (Filme & Serien, Game of Thrones) None of this will comfort NASA as it partners with Russia on the space station.
Enlarge / A Progress spacecraft is seen departing the space station earlier this month. (credit: NASA)
Russia's state-owned space corporation, Roscosmos, reported Saturday that a Progress supply ship attached to the International Space Station has lost pressure in its external cooling system.
In its statement, Roscosmos said there was no threat to the seven crew members on board the orbiting laboratory. NASA, too, said the hatch between the Progress MS-21 vehicle and the space station was open. Notably, the incident with the supply ship came within hours of the safe docking of another Progress ship, MS-22, which is in good health.
Although the initial Roscosmos statement was vague about the depressurization event, Dmitry Strugovets, a former head of space agency Roscosmos' press service, later clarified it was a coolant leak. "All of the coolant has leaked out," he said via Telegram.
The Raspberry Pi Pico W is a tiny $6 single-board computer with low-power RP2040 microcontroller and a wireless chip that supports WiFi 4 (802.11n) and Bluetooth 5.2. But when the Pico W launched last summer, only the WiFi was actually usable, since t…
The Raspberry Pi Pico W is a tiny $6 single-board computer with low-power RP2040 microcontroller and a wireless chip that supports WiFi 4 (802.11n) and Bluetooth 5.2. But when the Pico W launched last summer, only the WiFi was actually usable, since there was no software support for Bluetooth functionality. Now Raspberry Pi has released […]
The post Raspberry Pi Pico W SDK update brings initial Bluetooth support appeared first on Liliputing.
With a reputation for quality and sporting one of the most recognized brands to ever exist in the pirate IPTV marketplace, a big legal win over PrimeStreams would’ve been a PR coup for any rightsholder. Instead, two PrimeStreams-related lawsuits worth tens of millions in damages were quietly settled this week, despite what appeared to be a mountain of evidence. So what went wrong?
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
In May 2018, a massive copyright infringement lawsuit targeted PrimeStreams, one of the most recognizable pirate IPTV brands ever to hit the market.
Filed in a Kentucky court, the complaint saw U.S. broadcaster DISH Network and streaming platform Sling TV target alleged PrimeStreams operators Daniel Scroggins and Steven Daugherty, plus corporate entity Dscroggs Investments LLC.
The foundations of the complaint were straightforward. After bypassing or disabling security measures (DRM) deployed by Sling to prevent piracy, the defendants allegedly accessed and then redistributed streams in violation of the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provision and the Federal Communications Act.
The complaint further alleged that resellers, including the well-known ‘Firesticksteve’, helped to ensure a steady flow of customers to PrimeStreams. In October 2022, DISH filed a second lawsuit against IPTV service KTV Streams.
The complaint alleged that after PrimeStreams had circumvented Sling’s DRM, KTV resold the resulting streams to its own customers. In common with the main lawsuit, evidence appeared to be piled sky-high.
In both cases, damages were set to run into tens of millions of dollars, and DISH was explicit that permanent injunctions were required to prevent further infringement.
On Tuesday this week, seemingly out of nowhere, DISH dismissed its lawsuit against the alleged operator of KTV Streams. Citing a confidential settlement agreement between the parties, the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be refiled.
Settling a legal dispute with an agreement can make perfect sense. Costs can build up extremely quickly and may take some defendants by surprise. If defendants happen to have something the plaintiffs want – information, for example – that could encourage a meeting of minds and a mutually beneficial end to hostilities.
When the plaintiffs are in the driving seat in piracy cases, settlement agreements are often used as publicity tools. While the specifics are nearly always confidential, a headline-grabbing settlement amount, usually in the millions of dollars, is useful for deterrent messaging: We settled this case, but look how painful it was for the defendants, the underlying tone tends to suggest.
This can even be the case when the terms of a private agreement dictate that, effectively, nothing will get paid. What plaintiffs nearly always want, however, is a legal agreement that infringers won’t simply start up again. For that reason, plaintiffs usually request an injunction, because having come this far, why wouldn’t they?
In the KTV case there has been no announcement and no formal injunction. There may well have been a private agreement not to infringe in future, but that’s not usually how these cases go. (pdf).
A few hours after a settlement was announced in the KTV case, the lawsuit against PrimeStreams was also dismissed. The circumstances as presented on the docket, are more or less identical. The notice of settlement and dismissal cites a confidential settlement agreement that “fully resolves the pending action” against all defendants.
Given the prominent status of PrimeStreams in the market, the scale of the evidence presented by the plaintiffs thus far, the absence of a court-issued injunction, and a dismissal with prejudice (lawsuit cannot be refiled), this stands out as a rather lackluster ending in place of what could’ve been a spectacular finale. When combined, the overall impression suggests that something may have gone wrong.
When lawsuits end like this, obtaining definitive proof of the circumstances ranges from difficult to all but impossible. Analyzing information already made available to the public is often all that remains, but that can still offer some interesting angles.
On November 11, 2022, Steve Daugherty (aka Firesticksteve) filed a motion to dismiss. In a nutshell, the complaint alleged he was co-owner of PrimeStreams and that he conducted business in Kentucky where the lawsuit was filed.
In a sworn affidavit, Daugherty denied both allegations. On December 9, 2022, DISH filed its response indicating that its position had not unchanged. The court should deny the motion, the company said (pdf).
A declaration submitted by private investigator Bert Eichhorn, in his capacity as Director of Field Security and Investigations at NagraStar, reveals many intimate details of PrimeStreams’ operations, including two financial transactions of $471,972 and $780,989, and another in excess of $320,000.
These are interesting details but unhelpful in determining why the lawsuits were dismissed. If anything, they only serve to deepen the mystery.
After concluding that it had enough evidence, on December 19, 2022, DISH informed the court that it intended to add new defendants (Brian Poynter and his company Brian P. Ventures LLC) in its upcoming first amended complaint. While that’s certainly notable, something else catches the eye.
In the original complaint, DISH claimed that SmoothStreams bypassed or disabled security measures deployed on the Sling streaming service to gain access to copyright-protected content. The defendants illegally accessed streams and redistributed them to the public in violation of the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provision.
These fundamental claims, apparently supported by ample evidence, suddenly became so irrelevant that they should be completely removed from the complaint.
“In the proposed amended complaint, Plaintiffs withdraw their circumvention claim brought under 17 U.S.C. 1201 (a)(l) of the DMCA. Evidence received to date supports that claim, including Scroggins having asserted the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination when asked to explain how television channels are acquired and transmitted on the PrimeStreams service,” the plaintiffs’ motion reads.
“However, litigating this claim would be unnecessary given Plaintiffs’ additional DMCA claim and FCA claims that also prohibit Defendants’ wrongful conduct and provide for comparable, if not greater, relief.”
Rather than pursuing its original claim under 17 U.S. Code § 1201 (a)(l), which relates to direct circumvention of Sling’s technological measures, DISH said it would rely on 17 U.S. Code § 1201 (a)(2). This relates to the manufacture or supply of technology primarily designed for the purpose of circumventing a technological measure.
In this case, that means selling pirate IPTV subscriptions. It’s still illegal, of course, but having claimed that the defendants actually circumvented Sling’s content protection systems, including in a declaration filed just days earlier, this late switch seems somewhat unusual.
On January 4, 2023, a month before the entire action was dismissed, the defendant in the KTV lawsuit asked the court for more time to answer the DISH complaint. The motion notes that the claims in his case are “closely tied” to the claims in the PrimeStreams case, and then this:
“More specifically, the deposition of a key witness in this dispute, Richard Rago, is scheduled to take place in the Kentucky litigation tomorrow, January 5, 2023. Mr. Rago’s testimony likely will have a significant impact on Plaintiffs’ claims and Defendant’s defenses and/or counterclaims, as well as the potential resolution of this matter as a whole.”
So who is Richard Rago and more importantly, why was his testimony so important? Publicly available information suggests that Mr. Rago may have previously acted as an advisor/negotiator on issues related to debt in piracy cases. The MPA mentioned their legal team having contact with a person of the same name back in 2019, in a separate lawsuit against another IPTV service, SetTV.
SetTV had previously been sued by DISH, with the warring parties eventually entering into an agreement that would see DISH walk away with a $90 million damages award and a permanent injunction.
What happened during Mr. Rago’s deposition or why he even became involved in the PrimeStreams cases is unknown. Nothing specific appeared on the docket, and since the lawsuit has been completely dismissed and can’t be filed again, further information seems unlikely to surface in public.
All we can say for sure is that for some reason, DISH sought permission to withdraw its lead circumvention claim on December 19, 2022, but never actually amended its complaint. The deposition was scheduled for January 5, 2023, and nothing appeared on the docket until both cases were dismissed on February 7, 2023, (pdf).
In today’s climate, lawsuits supported by considerable evidence, against accessible defendants, rarely end in a settlement without a headline dollar amount and a permanent injunction. To be dismissed with prejudice without either simply puts a cherry on top.
It’s hard to imagine what type of event could lead to this kind of outcome, but whatever it was, it seems to have solved all problems, in two lawsuits, in one swoop. The fact that the lawsuits can’t be refiled is nothing less than extraordinary.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Dealmaster also has Anker chargers, Apple Watches, 4K TVs, and Echo devices.
It's time for another end-of-the-week Dealmaster. In this week's roundup of the web's best tech deals, we have a $100 gift card offer for preordering the just-announced OnePlus 11 smartphone, record lows on Google Pixels, and a handful of Amazon tablets and e-readers matching their own record low prices.
The OnePlus 11, based on specs alone is a serious bargain. It outclasses the latest base model Samsung Galaxy S23 on the spec sheet at the same price, matching closer to the $1,200 Galaxy S23 Ultra. (Both of those phones are also on sale for preorder from Amazon with a free $100 gift card incentive, just like the OnePlus 11.) The OnePlus 11 totes a 6.7-inch screen, 5,000 mAh battery, a 50 MP main camera, and Wi-Fi 7 support.
It also has the fastest charging apparatus available for smartphones in the U.S., with an 80-watt charger that juices the phone from zero to 100 in a zippy 30 minutes. It's not a perfect spec sheet though, and we've yet to try one, but some compromises to note are a lack of wireless charging and IP64 water and dust resistance (meant mostly to protect from splashes) versus the industry standard IP68 which protects against submersion. OnePlus 11s will also receive security updates every other month, as opposed to monthly like on Google Pixels, for instance.
The world’s night sky more than doubled in artificial brightness from 2011 to 2022.
Enlarge / The Milky Way's Galactic Center and Jupiter (brightest spot at center top) are seen from the countryside near the small town of Rebolledo, Department of Florida, Uruguay in August 2020. (credit: Mariana Suarez/Getty Images)
Humans are naturally afraid of the dark. We sometimes imagine monsters under the bed and walk faster down unlit streets at night. To conquer our fears, we may leave a night light on to scare away the monsters and a light over the porch to deter break-ins.
Yet, in huddling for safety under our pools of light, we have lost our connection to the night sky. Star counts by public awareness campaign Globe at Night revealed that, between 2011 and 2022, the world’s night sky more than doubled in artificial brightness. Yet local interventions can create meaningful change.
Light pollution is cutting us off from one of nature’s greatest wonders, harming wildlife and blocking research that could help fight climate change. Stars are more than pretty glimmers in the night sky. They have shaped the mythology of every human civilization. They guide birds on their astonishing migratory journeys. And now we need to do our bit to prevent light pollution so stars can be part of our future.
New book details how some attitudes changed less than their justifications.
Enlarge / Vintage illustration of medieval women wearing kirtles. A kirtle (sometimes called a cotte or cotehardie) is a garment that was worn by men and women in the Middle Ages. It eventually became a one-piece garment worn by women from the late Middle Ages into the Baroque period. (credit: duncan1890)
In the illuminating and entertaining blog Going Medieval, Eleanor Janega, a medievalist at the London School of Economics, upends prevalent misconceptions about medieval Europe. These misunderstandings include that people didn’t bathe (they did) and that these were the Dark Ages*. Her new book, The Once and Future Sex, is subtitled “Going Medieval on Women’s Roles in Society,” and that's exactly what she does—if by “going medieval” you intend the pop culture meaning of "dismembering in a barbaric manner" which, despite her protestations, you probably do.
Her main thrust, in the blog and in the book, is that it's easy and convenient for us to envision medieval times as being backward in every way because that makes modern times seem all that much more spectacular. But not only is this wrong, it's dangerous. Just because life is definitely better for women now than it was then, that doesn’t mean our current place in society is optimal or somehow destined. It's not.
Progress did not proceed in a straight arrow from bad times then to good times now. Maintaining that things were horrible then deludes us into thinking that they must be at their pinnacle now. Janega lays out this argument in the introduction and then spends the bulk of the text citing evidence to bolster it.
Vor wenigen Wochen noch Keyword Bombing, jetzt 94 Prozent positive Bewertungen: Auf Steam bekommt Hogwarts Legacy von Spielern fast nur Lob. (Hogwarts Legacy, Rollenspiel)
Vor wenigen Wochen noch Keyword Bombing, jetzt 94 Prozent positive Bewertungen: Auf Steam bekommt Hogwarts Legacy von Spielern fast nur Lob. (Hogwarts Legacy, Rollenspiel) 
Bei Vodafone sollen in Deutschland 10 Prozent der Arbeitsplätze wegfallen. Dazu kommt ein konzernweites Abbauprogramm. (
You must be logged in to post a comment.