MediaDefender
MediaDefender is a company which offers services designed to prevent and stop people who engage in peer-to-peer copyright infringement, using tactics such as flooding peer-to-peer networks with decoy files that tie up a user's computer[1]. MediaDefender is based in Los Angeles California in the United States, and its president is Randy Saaf. MediaDefender has approximately 60 employees[2].
Increasingly these organizations are being hired to stymie P2P traders though a variety of methods including: posting fake files online, recording individuals who contribute copyrighted material, etc. Key clients include Universal Pictures, 20th century Fox, Virgin Records, HBO, Paramount Pictures, and BMG [3].
On August 1, 2005, ARTISTdirect announced that it had acquired MediaDefender for $42.5 million in cash. MediaDefender is estimated to have between 2,000 and 6,000 servers [4] using 9 GB/s of bandwidth and hosted in California.
Miivi.com
In February 2007, MediaDefender launched a video sharing site called Miivi.com in order to trap unsuspecting uploaders of copyrighted content.[5][6] The site tried to convince unsuspecting users to upload digital content, but the sites true origins were discovered by a blogger who looked up Miivi.com domain registration information.[7] After news traveled throughout the blogosphere, the site was shut down on 7/06/2007.[8]
Fact sheet
- Website: MediaDefender Website
- IP Slots: 38.117.6.0/23
See also
References
External links
- MediaDefender's Official Website
- LA Times article about Piracy, with a quote from Randy Saaf.
- "MPAA Caught Uploading Fake Torrents" — TorrentFreak (IP addresses of fake torrents traced back to MediaDefender)
- "Anti-Piracy Gang Launches their own Video Download Site to Trap People" — TorrentFreak (The domain registration of a fake video upload / download service called miivi has been traced to MediaDefender).