pirated

A new survey has found that people who regularly download pirated material spend more money on legitimate downloads than individuals who don't download pirated material. The same survey also revealed that about one in every four downloads breaches ... copyright in some way. The survey was carried out by a media company working for Ofcom, the United Kingdom's equivalent of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The researchers spoke to a total of 21,745 Britons over the course of a year. (Source: bbc.co.uk ) The figures are all based on survey responses rather than actual activity data, so ... (view more)

A new study commissioned by Microsoft and carried out by researchers at IDC has found that most counterfeit software includes some kind of malware. The researchers also estimate that the total value of the counterfeit software market now exceeds ... $100 billion. IDC recently published its findings in a report titled "The Dangerous World of Counterfeit and Pirated Software: How Pirated Software Can Compromise the Cybersecurity of Consumers, Enterprises, and Nations ... and the Resultant Costs in Time and Money." Most Counterfeit Software Laced with Malware In that report (which can be viewed in ... (view more)

Security officials in one African country are helping to solve an ongoing problem for Microsoft: piracy and the sale of counterfeit software. Police in Ghana have recently announced a successful raid on the premises of Skynet Computers and ... Accessories, discovering and seizing more than three dozen allegedly counterfeit copies of Microsoft software the company had stored at that location. All the illegal copies found during the raid were confiscated and removed from the Skynet facility (a total of 39 units of suspect pirated material), but local authorities believe the original source of the ... (view more)

A controversial new Trojan virus is creeping onto Android smartphones everywhere, but poses no danger of compromising personal data or stealing confidential banking information. The threat is virtually harmless to "victims". Rather, the sole intent ... of the Trojan is to target, and later humiliate, those Android owners who download pirated material rather than pay for an authentic version of the same content. Pirated Android Walk and Text App Devious Referred to as the "Batman of Mobile Malware" the Trojan (also called Android.Walkinwat) poses as a pirated version of the popular "Walk and Text ... (view more)

Warner Bros. (WB) Entertainment, Inc. is offering British students the opportunity to spend a year helping with a new anti-piracy campaign. The job will involve finding pirated content online and even going undercover. While the role is advertised ... as an "Anti-Piracy Internship", it actually pays an equivalent to $26,000 US dollars. It's only open to students on a computer-related course and is designed to be filled by somebody on a "sandwich" course, which involves a year-long industrial work placement. Given that the post is based in London, that's about the going rate for such a placement ... (view more)

In an attempt to curb the rising number of pirated or 'modded' Xbox 360s, Microsoft has unleashed a torrent of attacks upon these hacked systems. According to reports, in the last little while the software company has banned an astounding 600,000 ... Xbox 360 users from its Xbox Live online gaming community. Modding involves customizing the Xbox 360, Microsoft's popular video game console. Those who buy the system can, if they know how, change the operating system, hard drive and other components so that a console is capable of running unofficial copies of games. The allure of modding a system is ... (view more)

According to a new study, more than 40 per cent of the world's software is pirated. The study also claims the software industry lost $53 billion to pirates last year, though that figure has a major flaw in its calculation. According to the Business ... Software Alliance (BSA), the United States has the world's lowest piracy rate, with just 20% of software being unlicensed. However, the size of its software market means the losses have the biggest financial value, totaling $9.8 million last year. Across the world, the study found that while piracy dropped in the majority of countries, the ... (view more)

A security firm is warning Mac users to steer clear of pirated versions of Photoshop after discovering a virus in a version available for illegal downloading. It's a variant of the same virus that hit pirated copies of iWork last week. This version ... of the virus works in an even more sneaky way -- it isn't in the program itself. Instead, it works because Photoshop is available to download in full as a time-limited free trial. The pirated copy includes all the original files, but also has an application known as a 'crack', designed to remove the time-limit and leave users with a fully- ... (view more)

BitTorrent, a company synonymous with manufacturing technology that allows for the free trade of pirated videos, is launching a website that will sell downloadable films and television shows fully licensed by the studios. BitTorrent had recently ... attained several contracts with major entertainment companies. Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, MGM and Lionsgate have all agreed to sign on with them. (Source: theglobeandmail.com ) The BitTorrent Entertainment Network, the expected name of the website, will be aimed at the same young male audience who regularly use the service to ... (view more)