Warner Bros' high-pressure anti-piracy campaign went one step further last month, as the entertainment company named its own website in a list of sites that it believed had illegally infringed on its copyright.
Not only was "http://www.warnerbros.com/dark-knight" and "http://www.warnerbros.com/the-matrix" included in the 300 URLs it asked Google to remove from its search results, but also legitimate Amazon and Sky sites.
Warner Bros was using Vobile Inc to find unauthorised content and issue Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) complaints, and clearly there was a glitch in its system.
Vobile explains its method online thusly:
“Using our patented digital fingerprinting technology, VideoTracker performs critical tracking and measurement tasks to stop the unauthorized publication of digital content across all media platforms."
Warner Bros is known for being fiercely protective of its intellectual property rights. It launched a dedicated team to do so as far back as 2004.
Last year, TorrentFreak published a settlement demand from Warner Bros that threatened "substantial civil penalties" unless they received $20 from someone who had allegedly illegal downloaded an episode of Friends.
It read:
"The damage to WB from your conduct substantially exceeds $20, but in the interest of having you stop your infringement of WB content permanently, WB is prepared to make you this settlement offer."
On the flipside, RT reports that Warner Bros settled a case with the US Federal Trade Commission in July, after it was found to have paid "online influencers" for positive reviews of its Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor videogame (pictured).
YouTube personalities such as "PewDiePie" – who has close to 50 million subscribers – were reportedly paid thousands of dollars to recommend the game to their audiences.
