Not only The Pirate Bay goes past the tremendous pressure of being a cast out, but it does so in style, with a little help we might add. The Pirate Cinema, a project by two enlightened minds, is putting downloads on the big screen (well, there are actually three of them). The room, besides the screens, has a viewing area (just like a movie theatre) for people to see downloads as they happen. Out of a mixture of 100 torrent swarms, TPC creates a new image (literally) about torrenting.

While millions upon millions of file-sharers use The Pirate Bay , third parties are also keeping their eyes peeled for IP addresses, file hashes, and anything that could build a scientific report on file-sharing, a copyright lawsuit or a list of IP addresses for the six-strikes program.

Nicolas Maigret and Brendan Howell are the two who came up with this daring idea. The Pirate Cinema takes the process of sharing and turns it into images.

If you happen to be at the Sight and Sound Festival in Canada, then you’ll have the chance of seeing what Nicolas and Brendan did – a room with three gigantic screens and a whole lot of computers connected to them.

“An aspect of the concept was to reuse the surveillance systems used by corporations, ISP’s and governments, for other purposes,” Maigret told TF.

“On the other hand, the idea was also to monitor the usages or activity of people on a large scale, and to capture the vivid activity of the communities involved in sharing practices. Lastly, I really wanted to consider this ongoing activity as a live infinite Mashup – a snapshot of global file disseminations,” the artist continued.

TPC’s core is made of Python and Libtorrent.

“The idea was to use only the necessary functions – a few lines of code, and to build our tool around it,” Maigret explained.

“Then we developed all the monitoring parts and later the decoding process using Gstreamer.”

There are two different ways in which the project can be displayed. First, downloads of the most popular torrents (hosted on TPB) are shown as fragments on the screen(s).

“The setup can involve as many as five computers, each monitoring the site for different kinds of files for a few minutes before gathering fresh input,” TF writes.

The second modus operandi is in the form of a live performance. Movie and music files are hand-picked, sort to say, by the operator, and then played just like you do with an instrument. Besides that, the three screens also show the IP addresses and their location.

“BitTorrent was a deliberate choice for many reasons. First of all it’s really a Peer-to-Peer architecture and that’s important even symbolically – people/peers are at both sides of each action,” Maigret said.

“Also BitTorrent is not only about mainstream medias, but theoretically open to all kinds of files and content. In a way, the Pirate Cinema reveals some potentials of this peer-based technical architecture.”

And since this is a peer-to-peer based project…

“This fragmentation loosens the exchanges between different recipients. A file can then be recomposed sample by sample until it is complete, from snippets emanating from separate users and in a disorderly manner. From a cinematic perspective this preliminary fragmentation of the media is also a fragmentation of the film material and of the narration,” Maigret continued to explain.

“It creates many formal specificities: random editing, weaving together different films frame by frame, glitches and merging of different fragments. When watching the installation, we can’t help ourselves interpreting the flows, it produces lots of connections and new narrations, from those chance combinations.”

As far as security and privacy is concerned….

“We saw it as a kind of game. Ever since the beginning of the project, we anticipated the operating modes of the system so that it could be presentable regardless of different countries’ legislations. For example, an encrypted connection to Sweden (iPredator / The Pirate Bay) is used to anonymize each machine used in the project. Fragments of the files are encoded and remain on our machine only temporarily.”

Want to learn more about The Pirate Cinema? Go here.

A new report from policy control company Sandvine states that BitTorrent accounts less and less for the traffic generated in the US 

According to the recently published research, BitTorrent only generated 9.2 per cent of peak-period traffic  over the past six months, compared to 20.5 per cent in 2012 and 26.4 per cent in 2011. The company points to streaming video services such as Netflix and the likes and the fact they have made improvements in terms of availability of their subscriber-based, paid-for, on-demand content for this great drop in popularity of the controversial file sharing protocol.

“We believe as more over-the-top Real-Time Entertainment sources are made available to subscribers in the future, the rate of decline in share will begin to accelerate,” says the report.

Reportedly, Netflix managed to hold on to a leading 29 per cent peak-period traffic share in the US. YouTube came in second, but also went up 1.6 per cent this year compared to last year (from 13.8 to 15.4 per cent).

Things, however, behave differently when it comes to Europe where BitTorrent peak period traffic share remained high at 40.63 per cent and in the Asia Pacific region where BitTorrent is still the undisputed leader of traffic (because, says the report, here services like Netflix have not penetrated the market yet).

From the report: “Subscribers are likely using applications like BitTorrent to procure audio and video content not available in their region. We believe that Filesharing’s share of traffic may have finally reached its peak in terms of traffic share and will begin to experience a steady and significant decline, as paid OTT video services continue to expand their availability throughout the region.”

Last month in an interview with MotherBoard, Matt Mason, BitTorrent’s Executive Director of Marketing and Content, brought arguments on why ISPs should seriously consider to use the protocol themselves.

After receiving a complaint filed by the book’s author, Latvian authorities decided to detain a history teacher who uploaded the manual on his website to help his students learn. Now, he risks getting two years in jail, a fat fine or to be forced to work for his community.

The name of the Latvian teacher is Pāvels Jurs, a young mind whose intent was to help his class get the information they need via the internet. To that end, the history teacher had put up a website where his students could access history topics, watch presentations, and get the help they need to learn. His purpose was to provide with education not just for his pupils, but also for those who can’t afford the “luxury” of buying a book, even if it’s as low as $4. Jurs’ “pay it forward” technique was recognized by the country’s Ministry of Education, the Latvian mass-media informed.

However, all this did not matter to the Economic Crime Bureau. Four police officers detained the professor, but not before searching his home, and seizing his personal computer.

After two hours of questioning, Jurs was informed that he’s being guilty of a “serious offense” that could get him two years in jail. Two years for a $4 dollar book. Two years for someone who did not profit from uploading the book, except maybe a couple of “thank you” notes from bookworms and students.

Meanwhile, his website was shut down, leaving students without resources right during their exams.

“Is there really such a need for punitive action against these methods of teaching, such as the maintenance of a websites from which I did not receive any benefit, but, on the contrary, cost most of my salary payments for maintenance? I understand that I have violated copyright laws, but is it really necessary to act this way?” Jurs told a local media website.

A settlement was discussed, but details remain undisclosed.

After a successful campaign against The Pirate Bay, Newzbin and Kat.ph (all three websites are completely blocked throughout the entire island), UK’s anti-piracy measures expand to Movie2k and Download For All, two important movie hubs.

Although not confirmed, the case against the two portals was filed by the MPAA; as such, Movie2k and Download For All could go completely dark on the island.

UK’s prominent internet service providers (BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, and EE) are already receiving court orders, demanding them to censor their customers’ access to the aforementioned websites. At the time being, BT, Virgin Media, and Sky had confirmed that they’ve complied with the order. Here’s what their statements read:

“The block on Download4All and Movie2k should start at some point today,” a spokesperson for BT said.

“This is in addition to Newzbin, Pirate Bay, Fenopy, H33t and Kat which BT’s already blocking access to in compliance with previous court orders.”

As for Virgin Media, the ISP said:

“Virgin Media has received an order from the Courts requiring it to prevent access to Download4All and Movie2K in order to help protect against copyright infringement. As a responsible ISP, Virgin Media complies with court orders addressed to the company, but strongly believes that changing consumer behaviour to tackle copyright infringement also needs compelling legal alternatives to give consumers access to great content at the right price.”

Sky had also confirmed that Movie2k and Download For All are being blocked starting with May the 20^th, 2013.

While UK citizens can still access blocked websites through available proxies (including The Pirate Bay), PirateReverse.info informed that they’ve already taken measures to keep Movie2k alive on the island. So, there’s some good news there, after all.

“We’ve just deployed movie2kproxy.com (in record time), still working on getting the images to load properly but should all be fixed shortly,” the crew told Torrent Freak.

PirateProxy.net had confirmed that they will (also) join the fight.

Just as the website’s title suggests, WhereToWatch is a portal that informs the American public about which websites offer legitimate video content. We’re almost certain that the regular user will go and check MPAA’s website before watching a video online, but is this the best of what the movie industry can offer?

A pretty big list of legal video services (categorized into movie services and TV stations), including Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, ShowTime, Verizon (On Demand), HBO Go, and iTunes, are shown on MPAA’s website, along with a message from the industry that goes like this:

“Want to get movies and TV shows easily and quickly online, on your tablet or on your mobile device? Here’s a fast-growing array of ways to find and connect with the content you love. This list is aggregated based on services available to users in the U.S. While the set of services offering movies and TV shows differ by country, several of these are available in multiple countries.”

A decent question would be: “Considering that even people who have never used the internet know about Amazon, Netflix and services alike, how exactly will WTW going to fight piracy?”

Well, here’s the thing: opening up a website with plenty of legal alternatives is way easier than coming up with an anti-piracy legislation that preserves your online/offline rights, while keeping content creators happy. But does the MPAA care about its consumers and money makers? We’ll leave you answer that question.

As far as WTW is concerned, MPAA’s Chairman Chris Dodd said:

“There have never been more ways to access movies and television legitimately online, and those platforms continue to grow and develop thanks in large part to a copyright system that encourages innovation, risk and growth.”

“The companies I represent are committed to continuing to create and develop the best ways for audiences to enjoy the entertainment they love.”

Free downloads for music lovers is like candy for kids so we thought to scoop up such free releases and spread the word about them as often as we can here at P2PON. This section will compile reports taken from various sources just to keep you posted with the latest free music downloads made available by emerging or consecrated artists (and includes, of course, links for free downloads).

Dorians

Dorians Fly album is available for free download on the group’s official web site.

The decision to make Fly album free for downloading was made taking into account the growing interest to the band’s activity both in Armenia and abroad.

Dorians will represent Armenia in Eurovision song contest second semi-final on May 16. (via Panorama)

Alex Day

Last month, Youtube hero and DIY artist Alex Day kicked off a collaboration project with BitTorrent fans. He posted stems from his Epigrams and Interludes tracks to SoShare. You guys picked them up, and made them yours. Awesome. This playlist has pretty much become our favorite thing on the Internet. (We’re probably not alone – these videos have been watched over 31 thousand times.)

The winning track, as decided by Alex: Tess Beighton’s remix of Forever Yours. It adds edge and originality; it comes from the same feeling and place as the original. It’s pretty epic, and we’re reminded again how amazing songs can sound in the hands of fans. On behalf of BitTorrent: congrats! You can find more from Tess here. (via BitTorrent blog)

Free Download Of Stone Temple Pilots New Song Out Of Time

KROQ’s Weenie Roast always brings a surprise guest, and Saturday’s (May 18) show was no exception. The concert put together two huge names for an unexpected performance: Stone Temple Pilots with Linkin Park‘s Chester Bennington. The group premiered their new single, “Out of Time,” on stage. (via detroit.cbslocal.com)

You can download “Out of Time” for free here.

TorrentFreak has published the data they collected with the top 10 most shared movies on BitTorrent for the week ended May 19. All the films included in this chart are DVDrips (unless mentioned otherwise).

‘Iron man 3′ takes the lead this week, followed by two newcomers: ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’, starring Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney, and ‘Warm Bodies’, a rather out of the box zombie movie.

This week’s chart features five new entries.

The chart also includes free download links for the movies listed here – via Kat.ph (clicking on download movie links in the chart below shows you all the versions available for the respective movie; just pick the one you want [don't simply click on that big blue button] and then download it).

Ranking	(last week)	Movie	Rating / Trailer	Download Movie
1	(2)	Iron Man 3 (R6)	7.7/trailer
2	(…)	A Good Day To Die Hard	5.5/trailer
3	(…)	Warm Bodies	7.1/trailer
4	(…)	Fast And Furious 6 (Cam)	7.7/trailer
5	(3)	Parker	6.1/trailer
6	(1)	Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters	6.1/trailer
7	(…)	Dark Circles	6.6/trailer
8	(4)	Assault On Wall Street	6.0/trailer
9	(8)	Jack Reacher	7.0/trailer
10	(…)	Star Trek Into Darkness (Cam)	8.3/trailer

Click here for top speed movie downloads

Also known as the Center for Copyright Information, the organization lost not only its company status, but also the right to enforce the “six-strikes” system. The CCI violated state laws and is now forced to close down its doors, at least for a period of time.

Founded in 2011 by the entertainment industries, in collaboration with five of US’s most prominent internet providers, the Center for Copyright Information was put together with a clear purpose: to educate the public about copyright infringement and enforce the American copyright law.

After multiple delays, the Copyright Alert System was finally launched by the CCI on February 2013, but proved to have a short life due to some irregularities.

The Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) revoked CCI’s legal right to conduct its business on US soil.

“If entity’s status is revoked then articles of incorporation / organization shall be void and all powers conferred upon such entity are declared inoperative, and, in the case of a foreign entity, the certificate of foreign registration shall be revoked and all powers conferred hereunder shall be inoperative,” the DCRA explained.

As such, the CCI is now facing civil penalties and probably fines. Furthermore, its name is no longer protected by US laws, so be on guard for scammers who may register under CCI’s name.

“When a Washington DC corporation is revoked by the DCRA, its name is reserved and protected until December 31st of the year the corporation is revoked. After December 31st, other business entities may use the corporations name,” DCRA wrote on their website.

Although the CCI could be, at the time being, sleeping with the fishes, it may also run under a different name.

Don’t gloat yet, because the organization is much likely to come back. As a matter of fact, a TorrentFreak’s source that’s connected to the CCI claimed that the necessary paperwork for the CCI to take its status back had been filed.

The Internet Infrastructure Foundation (IIS), Sweden’s company in charge with top-level domain name registrations (.se), refused to put down two of The Pirate Bay’s domain names and is now charged by the country’s prosecution office with assisting copyright infringement.

A little bird told The Pirate Bay (earlier this year), that Swedish authorities will go after its .se domain names. As such, TPB dropped the anchor in Greenland, then in Iceland, and finally in Sint Maarten (.SX).

Although TPB no longer uses any of its .se domain names, Swedish authorities are determined to cut all of the ship’s connections with the IIS. As such, the Swedish Prosecution Authority filed a petition (at the beginning of this month) with the Stockholm District Court, asking IIS to take action against thepiratebay.se and piratebay.se. The organization refused to comply.

“The legal system has not been able to shut down the service after the previous guilty verdict against TPB,” IIS’s Chief of Communications Maria Ekelund told TorrentFreak.

“Therefore the prosecutor has opened a new case against both the domain holders and .SE. The prosecutor is accusing .SE of assisting TPB who are assisting others to commit copyright infringement.”

“In the eyes of the prosecutor, .SE’s catalogue function has become some form of accomplice to criminal activity, a perspective that is unique in Europe as far as I know,” IIS’s CEO Danny Aerts said.

“There are no previous cases of states suing a registry for abetting criminal activity or breaching copyright law,” he continued.

As far as the company is concerned, they did nothing but to provide with a service that’s meant to link URLs to a specific IP address, just as they do for Google(.se).

“.SE translates the .se domain names to name servers, a name server operator translates this into an IP address and a resolver operator (such as Telia) helps .SE respond to the most frequent queries,” Aerts explained.

“IP addresses are subsequently allotted to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) through RIPE. And IANA grants us the right to administer the top-level .se domain. Perhaps I should also remember to mention Google, which helps you find the address if you do not know the domain name.”

In other words, this complex system is keeping the internet online, and IIS is not the only one responsible for doing so.

“Where should the line be drawn for legal processes and matters of liability?” Aerts asked.

“.SE will naturally respond to the prosecutor’s perspective. We have an educational task ahead of us in explaining to the District Court what a domain name is, what .SE does and the fundamentally incorrect nature behind seizing a domain name forever,” he continued.

Unfortunately for the company, the trial will cost a whole lot of money, money that will be taken out of ISS’s educational programs.

“This will be an expensive process and, although our lawyers will find it an interesting case, these are funds that we would rather spend on our investments in schools or digital inclusion,” Aerts stated.

If the Swedish Prosecution Authority wins the case, IIS will be forced to erase any evidence that thepiratebay.se and piratebay.se ever existed as registered under .se domain names.

“Removing a domain name can be compared to taking down the signs hanging outside the shoe store. Although this would make it more difficult for customers to find the store, it would still be there and any customers who were able to find it would be able to continue buying shoes there,” the company’s CEO concluded.

The comprehensive report on sharing PC games via BitTorrent’s networks reveals some interesting aspects of the “digital piracy” issue. The results are to be published in the “International Journal of Advanced Media and Communication”.

The illegal sharing of digital content (using peer-to-peer technology) has been the catalyst of thousands of debates and media headlines. With one side claiming that online piracy is the death of the American jobs and responsible for billions of dollars lost by the entertainment industry, the other one’s flag reads “freedom of speech”, “internet’s freedom” and “piracy is not theft”. The most epic controversy of the past decade is born, but what we really know about each of the coin’s side proves to be limited.

The report, as mentioned before, focused on game piracy and used open methodologies to gather data that covered a three-month period – between 2010 and 2011. One hundred and seventy three games were included. The results prove to tear down all the myths surrounding online piracy. For example, “shooter” games are not pirates favorite dish, but also children’s games and family games. Moreover, it highlights that the real figure of illegal copies that are being accessed via BitTorrent is under what other reports (the gaming industry’s) claim to be.

Specifics of the report reveal that 12.6 million unique peers (covering more than 250 countries/areas) shared pirated games, including Darksiders, Fallout: New Vegas, NBA 2k11, Call of Duty: Black Ops, TRON Evolution, Starcraft 2, Star Wars the Force Unleashed 2, The Sims 3: Late Night, Two Worlds II, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Furthermore, of the 173 sampled games, the ten most popular titles drove more than 4 out of every 10 unique peers on BitTorrent, and just 20 of the monitored countries were contributing to more than three-quarters of the total file-sharing activity.

An average of 536,727 unique peers (spread across the globe) sharing the most popular games titles via BitTorrent were acknowledged during the three-month period. The most dedicated unique peers seemed to cover the following territories: Romania, Croatia, Greece, Poland, Ukraine, Italy, Armenia, Serbia, and Portugal.

Another interesting aspect is that mass-media’s positive game reviews drive the most attention on BitTorrent’s networks.

“First and foremost, P2P game piracy is extraordinarily prevalent and geographically distributed [at least it was during the period analyzed]. However, the numbers in our investigation suggest that previously reported magnitudes in game piracy are too high,” Anders Drachen (working for the Department of Communication and Psychology, at Aalborg University and the PLAIT Lab, Northeastern University and Robert Veitch of the Department of IT Management at Copenhagen Business School, in Frederiksberg, Denmark) said.

“It also appears that some common myths are wrong, e.g. that it is only shooters that get pirated, as we see a lot of activity for children’s and family games on BitTorrent for the period we investigated.”