491:
Warner content" and that it had permission of the relevant copyright owners to remove the gaming software in question. Furthermore, Warner rejected EFF's claims that the DMCA prohibits automated systems like the one it used. Warner claimed that less than one-tenth of one percent of the notices they sent to
Hotfile (890 out of almost one million) were truly erroneous.
25:
74:
345:
In
Hotfile's Privacy Policy under the 'Usage Data' section they stated "We automatically collect usage information...type of Web browser you use, your operating system, your Internet Service Provider, your IP address, the links you use, and the time and duration of your use of the Service...be aware,
490:
Warner admitted to some errors in their takedown notices, however it refuted other claims, saying that they were legitimate; in the case of the open-source software they argued that it "had been posted alongside infringing Warner content in order to facilitate the rapid downloading of the infringing
396:
enjoys, arguing that "Hotfile did exactly what the DMCA demands, and plaintiffs’ takedown notices cannot be used to charge the service with knowledge of allegedly infringing material that those notices did not specifically identify."
329:
The service had a Link
Checker where users could enter file URLs in order to check their current availability. There was also a Hotlink feature, which allowed users to directly link to their files for an additional fee.
448:
on the matter of vicarious liability (meaning they would have had to appeal the final verdict in the case). However
Williams did not grant summary judgement on Hotfile's liability for inducement and
382:. Because the site charged membership fees for its premium service, the MPAA argued that Hotfile "profits richly while paying nothing to the studios" for the allegedly infringing files.
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and have to wait 30 minutes to download another file after a previous download session ended (even if the file did not download completely). Hotfile did not provide a
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takedown tool (SRA) Hotfile had built for them. Hotfile alleges that Warner has willingly taken down files without holding the copyrights, game demos and even
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46:
33:
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506:(MPAA). The shutdown was preceded by the ruling of a US judge in August of the same year that the site and its owner, Anton Titov, had lost the
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This countersuit survived the August 2013 summary judgement, but the
December 2013 settlement with (see below) ended this countersuit as well.
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however, that we may be required to disclose information such as your IP address which could be used by others to attempt to identify you."
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Before its closure, Hotfile accounted for approximately 2.9 billion downloads. Although it had received approximately 10 million DMCA
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342:, 17 U.S.C. § 512 ("DMCA"). Hotfile responded to claims of copyright infringement reported to its designated copyright agent.
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514:"because they had actively encouraged infringement", and consequently could be held liable for the actions of their users.
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and that the inappropriate takedowns continued even after the movie studio was repeatedly notified about the false claims.
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In
February 2011, Hotfile and its alleged owner Anton Titov (a foreign national residing in Florida) were sued by the
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681:
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for the actions of its users; she also found Titov personally liable. Judge
Williams also denied the defendants an
502:
On
December 4, 2013, Hotfile ceased all operations, on the same day as signing a $ 4 million settlement with the
38:
883:
201:. On December 4, 2013, Hotfile ceased all operations, the same day as signing a $ 4 million settlement with the
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the file. Non-registered users had to wait 15 seconds in the download queue and might have needed to enter a
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359:
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filed an amicus brief in this countersuit, arguing that the automated systems used by Warner are illegal.
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on
December 9, 2013, but a settlement was reached in early December, resulting in the site's closure.
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Hotfile agrees to shut down, pay $ 80M to movie industry on eve of trial — Tech News and
Analysis
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Warner Bros: we issued takedowns for files we never saw, didn’t own copyright to | Ars Technica
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Google says Hotfile is eligible for same DMCA protection as YouTube | Ars Technica
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of fraud and abuse. According to the complaint, Warner systematically misused the
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The secondary liability part of the lawsuit was likely to proceed in light of the
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426:
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Emboldened by Megaupload shutdown, Hollywood targets Hotfile | Ars Technica
429:, which had just been shut down by the US government, and they asked for a
24:
783:"MPAA Will Collect $ 80 Million Settlement in Big Lawsuit Against Hotfile"
620:
Judge rules “locker” site is not direct copyright infringer | Ars Technica
73:
819:"Judge: MPAA can't call Hotfile founders "pirates" or "thieves" at trial"
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226:
218:
698:"Hotfile settles MPAA copyright case, agrees to $ 80 million in damages"
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595:
MPAA sues Hotfile for “staggering” copyright infringement | Ars Technica
205:(MPAA); the settlement had previously been misreported as $ 80 million.
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238:
539:"MPAA SECRETLY SETTLED WITH HOTFILE FOR $ 4 MILLION, NOT $ 80 MILLION"
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Warner Bros. Can't Escape Hotfile's Claim of Abusing Anti-Piracy Tool
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at once. After a successful file upload, the user was given a unique
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The direct copyright infringement claims were thrown out by judge
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Warner Bros. Defends Anti-Piracy Notices In Hotfile Case - Law360
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Hotfile Can't Appeal DMCA Liability Ruling To 11th Circ. - Law360
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Florida Judge Tosses a Key MPAA Claim Against Hotfile (Exclusive)
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Movie Studios Sue Hotfile.re Over Infringement Claims - Bloomberg
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War Against Cyberlockers Begins: MPAA Sues Hotfile — paidContent
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355:
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18:
758:"Warner Bros. Can't Nix Hotfile's DMCA Abuse Claims - Law360"
452:. This later part of the trial was scheduled to begin as a
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that Hotfile should benefit from the same protections that
249:. The site was offered in 19 different languages including
421:. In 2012, the movie studios have argued that Hotfile's
225:. Non-registered users were allowed to upload up to 400
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Hotfile Sues Warner Bros Over Abuse of Anti-Piracy Tool
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653:Hollywood Studios Win Massive Hotfile Lawsuit
8:
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193:website founded by Hotfile Corp in 2006 in
874:Internet properties disestablished in 2013
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464:On 12 September 2011 the company filed a
436:A summary judgement was granted by judge
338:Hotfile was a service provider under the
49:of all important aspects of the article.
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45:Please consider expanding the lead to
504:Motion Picture Association of America
203:Motion Picture Association of America
7:
460:Countersuit against Warner Brothers
415:decided by the US Supreme Court in
378:alleging both direct and secondary
14:
440:in August 2013, finding Hotfile
340:Digital Millennium Copyright Act
72:
23:
404:in July 2011, leaving only the
334:Terms of use and privacy policy
37:may be too short to adequately
879:Companies based in Panama City
485:Electronic Frontier Foundation
47:provide an accessible overview
1:
781:Gardner, Eriq (2013-12-03).
408:allegations to be decided.
179:United States federal court
900:
817:Mullin, Joe (2013-12-02).
696:Mullin, Joe (2013-12-03).
350:Copyright-related lawsuits
450:contributory infringement
425:was identical to that of
213:Hotfile allowed users to
71:
233:which allowed others to
418:MGM Studios v. Grokster
869:Online backup services
787:The Hollywood Reporter
498:Settlement and closure
474:copyright infringement
468:accusing movie studio
380:copyright infringement
191:one-click file hosting
161:; 23 years ago
854:File sharing services
478:open-source software
446:interlocutory appeal
87:File hosting service
16:File hosting website
406:secondary liability
174:Current status
159:March 18, 2001
68:
579:2013-12-13 at the
442:vicariously liable
360:Disney Enterprises
849:One-click hosting
510:protection under
438:Kathleen Williams
431:summary judgement
388:had argued in an
372:Columbia Pictures
368:Universal Studios
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93:Available in
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884:Defunct websites
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364:20th Century Fox
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413:inducement rule
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221:files with any
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125:/20131204191916
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41:the key points
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177:Shut down by
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107:Hotfile Corp.
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55:December 2013
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864:File sharing
859:File hosting
826:. Retrieved
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790:. Retrieved
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390:amicus brief
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376:Warner Bros.
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186:
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148:Registration
82:Type of site
52:
36:
34:lead section
508:safe harbor
223:web browser
195:Panama City
843:Categories
828:2024-06-27
792:2024-06-27
767:2024-06-27
707:2024-06-27
525:References
454:jury trial
427:Megaupload
299:Portuguese
166:2001-03-18
140:Commercial
283:Hungarian
255:Bulgarian
129://hotfile
39:summarize
577:Archived
325:Features
303:Romanian
291:Japanese
235:download
219:download
156:Launched
151:Optional
119:.archive
394:YouTube
319:Turkish
311:Spanish
307:Russian
287:Italian
275:English
263:Chinese
247:browser
239:CAPTCHA
187:Hotfile
164: (
97:English
67:Hotfile
386:Google
374:, and
295:Polish
279:French
271:German
251:Arabic
215:upload
199:Panama
189:was a
127:/http:
104:Owners
267:Dutch
259:Czech
209:Usage
512:DMCA
483:The
356:MPAA
317:and
217:and
131:.com
123:/web
121:.org
245:or
231:URL
143:Yes
117:web
112:URL
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
