Since its announcement, there has been a lot of skepticism and controversy surrounding Jonathan Liebesman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot. Die-hard fans of the TMNT graphic novels and animated shows got behind the idea of an updated live-action film series but the attachment of Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes’ production house was, for many, a high profile red flag. After all, while Bay’s Transformers adaptations have grossed billions at the box office, they also presented a number of contentious changes that upset (and still irk) die-hard fans. For that reason, potential viewers have been hyper-vigilant, and for understandable reason, about the ongoing production of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, rolling their eyes at the casting of Megan Fox as April O’Neil and raging when rumors of an “alien” origin story were first reported. Yet, the last few months have given some Shell Heads reason to be optimistic – as Paramount Pictures revealed their redesigned Turtles at Toy Fair 2014 and debuted the first TMNT trailer. Not everyone was sold but some fans became slightly more open to Liebesman’s adaptation. Then came rumors that the movie was undergoing extensive reshoots, close to 1/3 of the film, which would result in a delay to Holiday 2014 – once again causing fans to question whether Bay and Liebesman were off track. Like a lot of reports on the Internet, the original Geeks of Doom rumor was slightly exaggerated and we’re now getting word that Fox was simply called back to set for pickup reshoots – which, for those who don’t typically follow film productions, are relatively commonplace. Minor reshoots are often necessary once a director begins editing the film – for a myriad of potential reasons. Liebesman may simply want to collect additional performance options for a key scene or he could be adding lines of exposition to help remedy problematic (or edited out) portions of the storyline. For example, should the director have needed to cut a scene that helps flesh out a principle character (for the sake of runtime), he might be using the reshoots to adjust the narrative accordingly and ensure that the same info is included somewhere else. In response to the original delay rumor and photos of Fox back on set, the official Michael Bay website confirmed that any reshoots would not affect the current August 8th release date. Check out the tweet below: Some Turtle-lovers were actually encouraged about the possibility of a delay – hoping that Liebesman (along with Bay) had decided to address fan concerns after mixed reaction to the teaser trailer. Among other complaints, design of the Turtle faces was an especially hot topic – with the shot of Michelangelo drawing unfortunate comparisons to DreamWorks Pictures’ Shrek character. A Photoshop enthusiast even reworked the designs to feature a more “traditional” take on the characters: Yet, with only four months before TMNT‘s theatrical release, the best that moviegoers can hope is for Platinum Dunes to tighten up the quality of the CGI characters – since there’s zero chance they’ll outright alter the designs at this point. Toys, posters, and other pieces of tie-in content are already in production – featuring the heroes as they are depicted in the trailer. As a result, the film is too far into production to make sweeping changes that certain Turtle fans might still be holding out to see. Hopefully, the reshoots, coupled with four more months of post-production, mean a better TMNT film overall – one that, despite its deviations from the source material, can capture the fun (and badass) spirt of the Heroes in a Half Shell.

Technically, Scarlett Johansson already plays a superhero in the Marvel Film Universe, where she portrays the character Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow. However, in the upcoming sci-fi action/thriller Lucy, ScarJo will get some honest-to-goodness super-powers, to go along with the ability to kick butt and chew bubble gum at the same time. Johansson headlines as the namesake in Lucy; as revealed by the film’s official trailer reveals (see above), one night the title character is kidnapped, has some kind of mysterious substance (definitely not the FDA-approved kind) surgically placed into her stomach, and is forced by the shady people responsible to transport the material into the United States. However, before that happens, Lucy inadvertently absorbs some of the mystery drug (we’ll just call it MacGuffin) and is able to escape – rather calmly too – thanks to newfound heightened physical/mental capabilities. At first, the trailer indicates that the sci-fi elements of Luc Besson’s screenplay for Lucy may be something of a Limitless knockoff, when Morgan Freeman’s character – an expert in the field of neurology – starts talking about being able to access “100% of the human brain.” It appears that Besson’s film goes in a different direction than the aforementioned Bradley Cooper vehicle, though, as Johansson’s protagonist – once she begins using more and more of her brain’s “full capacity” – starts evolving into someone with the powers of X-Man Quicksilver and some of Charles Xavier’s abilities (with Black Widow’s hand-to-hand combat skills as the cherry on top). When Besson merely co-writes and produces a film the results can be shaky (see: From Paris with Love, 3 Days to Kill, etc.), but he directed Lucy from his own original script. As was mentioned before, Besson’s influences on this project seem to be fairly transparent, though he also looks to offer some innovative variations on those familiar tropes here – similar to what I felt he accomplished with mobster genre elements in his last directorial effort, The Family (and yes, I know that’s something of an unpopular opinion to have). If nothing else, Besson’s directing efforts - Léon: The Professional, The Fifth Element, Angel-A – generally have a real cinematic flavor to them. That much once again appears to hold true with Lucy, based on the sharp editing pace, intriguing visuals (see: Lucy’s transforming eye sequence), vibrant color palette, and on the spot comedic timing of the footage in the trailer. Besides, it’s ScarJo as a genuine superhero; that sales pitch alone should be enough to get some butts in the seats when this film hits theaters.

Winter is coming. Heck, winter is sort of still here, despite the fact that it’s technically spring. But if this weekend turns out to be one of those awful, cold, rainy/snowy messes much of us in the country have been experiencing, then it might not be so bad to plop down on your sofa and not leave the house for 60 hours. Season 4 of HBO’s epic fantasy series Game of Thrones premieres this Sunday, April 6th. But while the show has been one of the cable network’s most popular outings – even becoming the most pirated show in history – some folks out there still haven’t given the show a watch. Fear not, potential fans! If you clear up your weekend, you too can be caught up in time for Sunday’s premiere. Beginning at 9am on April 4th, HBO2 will air all three previous seasons of the show, back-to-back, twice, for 60 intense hours of kings fighting kings, dragons being born and Hodor…well, Hodor-ing around. The second round airing of season 3′s finale will end at 9pm on April 6th, just in time for the season 4 premiere. The weekend-long marathon will allow fans to binge-watch one of their favorite shows while at the same time luring in new viewers who want to hop aboard the Thrones train in time to watch an undoubtedly intense season (with its potential deviations from the books as well as the upcoming “Purple Wedding”). HBO.com has also launched a new Game of Thrones Viewers Guide, delivering exclusive content such as videos, interviews, production featurettes and photography from each and every episode of the series. The guide is touted as having some pretty neat elements, including “all-new interactive maps of Westeros and Essos, with three levels of zoom, along with character bios form every season, an up-to date ‘Guide to the Houses’ and sharable episodic content.” This marathon and the conjoining web content are no doubt hopping aboard the phenomenon known as a “dual screen experience” where television shows feature online content intended to be accessed simultaneously for an even more immersive audience experience. There’s definitely some fun to be had watching some of the best episodes while also taking a peak at more behind the scenes elements of that specific installment. Some might find a 60-hour marathon and in-depth web content to be a bit of overkill. Is there such a thing as Game of Thrones overload? Not in Screen Rant land. Looking at the weekend weather forecast, it looks like winter is here to stay.

[This is a review of The Americans season 2, episode 6. There will be SPOILERS.] - How much emotional distress can you cram into a single hour of television? Let The Americans show you. ‘Behind the Red Door’ is another vast and emotionally complex episode of a series whose sophomore season is just as wildly impressive as the one preceding it – and, naturally, it is one that comes at great emotional expense of the series’ characters. Whatever togetherness Philip and Elizabeth may feel while handling the various operations and dealings asked of them by the Center (and in this case, Claudia), the fact remains their experiences – or at least theyway they are internalized and emotionally processed – oftentimes remain apart from one another. Much of this has to do with the kind of hectic, practically unmanageable work-life balance they must deal with on a daily basis, especially now that Philip is moonlighting (martially, anyway) as the rarely-there, sexually ravenous Clark. In that sense, Martha’s just another extension of the tremendous imbalance faced by the spy portion of the Jennings’ household. But here, she becomes a conduit for Elizabeth’s emotional curiosity about the man whose secret she shares. Learning Philip has an altogether different manner in Martha’s bedroom than the one he shares with Elizabeth has the wife-in-the-know understandably intrigued. As the episode demonstrates throughout, however, the more knowledge that is gained about someone, the more compromising the position that information puts both parties. It’s a pretty standard rule across the board, as the distribution of information becomes the key to determining the continued usefulness/potential efficacy of an asset, as is demonstrated by the uneasy inspection of Andrew Larrick, and again with Lucia’s handling of congressional aide Carl. It’s even more pronounced in the case of Claudia, as she likely bares some tangential culpability in the deaths of Emmett and Leanne. Her reveal of having taken a lover, and then having shared with him certain details of her true self is as blatant an observation about the risks involved in the world of spycraft as there can be. There’s an overarching sentiment that, although every character is essentially searching for clarity – in terms of who they can trust or what thing of value they can obtain from shining a light on someone – in hindsight, perhaps it can be better to remain in the dark. An outlook that is made even more pronounced in the increasingly troublesome struggle between Stan, Nina, and the ambitious Oleg. As it so often is with these characters, the truly fascinating aspect of The Americans is buried just beneath the thin stratum of secrets, lies, and old-school spycraft. And when the details of that aspect come to the surface, the effects are very often emotionally devastating. Throughout the episode, Elizabeth needles Philip about the discovery she made with Martha over a bottle or two of white wine. What may have begun as a little harmless curiosity and exploration leads to a painful comprehension of the brutal, destructive experiences Elizabeth has been forced to endure. It’s an insight that comes with the silent acknowledgement that the true impact of such incidents remains largely unknown to her partner. ‘Behind the Red Door’ underlines this again by refusing to turn the camera away from all the details of Lucia’s final moments with Carl. The pair discuss his desire to introduce the young woman to his mother, before Lucia spikes his heroin, dances with him until the poison begins to take effect and then comforts him, making his transition as peaceful as she possibly can – generating the kind of discomfiting contradiction this particular narrative is so adept at working with. The paradox created by these characters and their actions over and over again can make it difficult to associate with them at times, and yet the series is so good at understanding the conflict of their role in relation to the audience, it becomes equally difficult to turn away from them.

Back at the turn of the millennium, Ang Lee’s stunning martial arts epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon earned multiple Oscar wins and hoards of fans, eventually making its way onto our “12 Greatest Martial Arts Movie Fight Scenes” list. When it was announced that The Weinstein Company was making a sequel, many fans thought that it was simply a franchise-making cash grab. But with talented actors joining the sequel’s cast, and filming starting next month, the new installment could show some promise. Deadline is reporting that China’s top action star Donnie Yen, who played martial arts legend Yip Man in Wilson Yip’s Ip Man and Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster, has closed a deal to star in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2: The Green Destiny. The deal also marks Yen’s move from Paradigm over to his new agency, CAA. Yen was just recently seen in China in the 3D epic Monkey King, which set a record at the Chinese box office by making $41 million in ticket sales in a single day. Yen’s casting comes as no surprise considering that he appeared on a panel for the project at the Cannes Film Festival last May. Woo-ping Yuen (True Legend) is directing the project with a script from John Fusco, whose resume includes scripts for Young Guns, Hidalgo and The Forbidden Kingdom. Michelle Yeoh will reprise her role as the tough yet suffering warrior Yu Shu Lien from the original film. As for the content of the sequel, since Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was based on the fourth book in Chinese author Wang Dulu’s “Crane Iron Pentalogy,” it’s only natural that this project draws its story from the fifth and final book, “Iron Knight, Silver Vase.” Dulu’s fifth novel follows the adventures of Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang’s character in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Iron Knight, the son of Lo/Dark Cloud (Chen Chang’s character), who is switched at birth with a baby girl known as Silver Vase. Entertainment Weekly reported late last year that Zhang’s role would most likely be portrayed through flashback scenes that explain what happened to her character after the ambiguous ending to Lee’s movie. With the lead casting of Yen and Yeoh and appearances from Zhang, at least the cast of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2: The Green Destiny is looking pretty solid. Now can we please work on that title? Obviously they want to maintain some kind of familiarity with the original so that casual audiences won’t be confused or ambivalent, but what’s so wrong with calling the film Iron Knight, Silver Vase? Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was an eyebrow-raising title back in the day, but word of mouth soon made it a household name. What do you think, Screen Rant readers? Are you looking forward to the sequel?

The popularity of horror films can be traced back to the golden age of cinema when monsters like Frankenstein, The Wolfman and The Mummy ruled the big screen, but in recent years, a different sort of monster has taken over television. Ever since Dexter premiered on Showtime in 2006, all the networks have been on a persistent quest to recreate that character drama’s success. Now, some eight years later, a number of TV shows prominently feature serial killers, including The Following, Bates Motel and Hannibal. Meanwhile, NBC just greenlit to series a Charles Manson drama with David Duchovny and CBS has a Kevin Williamson serial killer pilot in contention for next season. Not to be outdone, MTV picked up two serial killer pilots of its own last year: cyber stalker drama Eye Candy and Scream, based on the popular Wes Craven/Kevin Williamson film franchise. The last news we heard about Scream on the small scream indicated that the show might delve into the supernatural. Now, TVLine has got a hold of character descriptions from the script. Just like in the original films, the main characters in the series are teenagers. Check out the decriptions below: Harper Duval: A 16-year-old beauty “who’s a little too introverted and intellectual to be a social butterfly” but has nevertheless been annointed by the popular crowd to be one of their own. “She feels guilty that she has drifted away from former best friend Audrey,” but at least she’s got a ‘Gilmore Girls’-esque relationship with mom Maggie to keep her sane. Audrey Jesen: Haper’s former BFF is described as “the bi-curious daughter of a Lutheran pastor” who’s “more arresting-looking than pretty.” This “artsy loner” dreams of being a filmmaker and shares a close bond with tech genius Noah. Noah Foster: Audrey’s closest confidante is “creative, brilliant and tech-savvy enough to be the next Steve Jobs.” Lucky for him, he’s got a great sense of humor (“a la John Cusack in his teen prime”) that helps him navigate the halls of his high school. What’s more, Noah possesses “an encyclopedic knowledge of books, films, TV, apps, etc.” Margaret “Maggie” Duval: Harper’s mom, in her early to mid-40s, is the town’s medical examiner, “a grown-up science geek who plays down her beauty.” Maggie spends a lot of her time trying to make up for the fact that Harper’s dad abandoned them. Oh, and she’s harboring “a dark secret from her past.” Written by Jill Blotevogel (Ravenswood, Harper’s Island, Eureka), the pilot starts with a YouTube video going viral, which soon leads to problems for teenager Audrey and seemingly serves as the “catalyst for a murder that opens up a window to [her] town’s troubled past.” BloodyDisgusting reports that Wes Craven, who helmed all four of the Scream films, will direct the pilot this summer. From these plot and character descriptions, there’s no indication that the new series will have any direct correlation to earlier events in the franchise, yet it’s almost guaranteed there will at least be references to the four films as nods to fans. For one, it’s quite possible that the town these characters live in with the “troubled past” is the fictional Woodsboro from the original series. It’s also possible the YouTube video that goes viral is tied to a past murder from the films, maybe even footage that Emma Roberts’ character Jill shot during Scream 4. We’ll just have to wait until more details or a script are leaked to know for sure. Do these character descriptions give you hope for a new entry in the Scream franchise, especially now that Wes Craven may also be involved?

Our Rob Keyes’ dreams of a Halo movie have been on the verge of coming true for years now, without anything ever managing to make it beyond the development stage. All that could be about to change, though: the hugely popular video game franchise is getting adapted into a TV series, with Steven Spielberg as executive producer, and a recent rumor claimed that Ridley Scott is set to produce a Halo digital feature film. At the time, Microsoft denied the existence of the movie, saying that although the company has “many projects in the works” there were “no plans for a Halo motion picture.” Based on the latest news, however, the rumor was either remarkably prophetic or Microsoft was telling a bit of a fib. TheWrap has confirmed that the Halo film is in development, with Scott producing and Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (Falling Skies) set to direct. The film is being co-produced by three studios: 343 Industries, Xbox Entertainment Studios and Scott Free Productions. There isn’t a script yet but apparently Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring is the top pick for screenwriter. Whereas many video game movies try to recreate stories already told in the original games, the Halo feature will will follow a different path, according to an individual familiar with the project. The protagonist is not Master Chief, but is instead a different surgically-enhanced soldier who may or may not get to actually show his face. Like the games, the movie will be set in the 26th century. Although the Halo TV series and the feature film are two separate projects, they have a common link (aside from Halo, obviously): Mimica-Gezzan has frequently collaborated with Spielberg and worked as a first assistant director on many of his projects, including Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan and Minority Report. Neill Blomkamp was originally set to direct a live-action Halo movie, but when it eventually got cancelled he made District 9 instead. This might be why District 9‘s plot felt so much like that of a video game, with the protagonist gaining new abilities and unlocking better weapons as the story progressed. A recent rumor suggested that Blomkamp may direct the pilot episode of the Halo TV series, so perhaps he’ll get to live the dream yet.

If you’ve been listening to the Screen Rant Underground Podcast of late, then you know we’re in Bryan Singer’s corner, when it comes to the director pulling off his latest, biggest, and by far most ambitious X-Men project yet, X-Men: Days of Future Past: the (potentially) most expensive superhero blockbuster ever assembled, which blends the casts of the previous X-Men movies (as well as their subtext about prejudice in society) with elements of the futuristic dystopia, time-travel, and historical thriller sub-genres. Problem is, while other Marvel superhero films of 2014 have pulled us in by teasing splashy new visions of established properties (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Amazing Spider-Man 2) or gonzo worlds and characters that are new to the screen (Guardians of the Galaxy), the next X-Men installment has us most intrigued to learn more about the story – not so much its expanded cinematic scope or world, per se. (The improvements in mutant power special effects have impressed, though.) For better or worse, that outlook towards the film doesn’t change so much after watching the half-dozen Days of Future Past featurettes and set videos that have been made available online for viewing. These clips were unlocked from the film’s official site by fans (hat tip to CBM), as part of a marketing tie-in strategy with Pringles. The first of these featurettes (see above) reaffirms that in Simon Kinberg’s Days of Future Past script, it’s Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) who sends “future” Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back to the 1970s – unlike in John Byrne and Chris Claremont’s source comic book mini-series, where it was Kitty who jumped back in history. However, in addition we also get more details on the intricacies of time-travel in the X-Men universe, revealing that certain key aspects of the series mythos – such as Logan’s healing abilities being the reason he can withstand the wear and tear of time-travel – have been smartly incorporated into the proceedings. Similarly, having strain on Kitty to keep Wolvie so far back in time, on top of the danger that Sentinels will find and/or kill the remaining future X-Men before Logan completes his task in the past, sounds like a logical move story-wise, as it adds even more tension to the situation (and raises even more questions about what could happen, should Wolvie be successful in his quest). The three videos posted above, however, aren’t so insightful; they’s pretty straight-forward set tour videos, with Singer leading the cameraman around the interior of the underground X-Men facilities and Cerebro in the film’s past setting, then to examine the finer details of the production design for Xavier’s mansion in the second clip, and finally to glimpse at the abandoned monastery where, in the future, the surviving X-Men make their last stand (pun intended). Nonetheless, these featurettes aren’t too long and are worth a look – if only for the sight of Jackman dressed up in his full Wolverine getup, chatting on his cellphone. Lastly, the two videos above offer the customary interviews with Singer talking up how Days of Future Past offers a fresh X-Men movie experience, through its time period-hopping storyline and the visual tweaks (redesigned costumes, grander sets, etc.) made by his trusted production team and behind the scenes collaborators. In addition, here we also get cast members praising Singer for being the filmmaker to kickoff the modern renaissance in the superhero movie genre, with X-Men back in 2000. On the whole, though, these video (arguably) leave the same impression as previously-released Days of Future Past footage; the film looks to offer a healthy amount of bang for your buck, yet it’s really the latest story detail revelations and hints at developments to come that truly get you excited to learn about (and see) more of the film. Fingers crossed, we hope the most innovative spectacle in this X-Men installment is simply being held back for the actual movie, where it can be unveiled in all its full, 3D glory. __________________________________________________ Bryan Singer is directing X-Men: Days of Future Past, with a cast that include franchise newcomers Peter Dinklage, Omar Sy, Boo Boo Stewart, Fan Bingbing, Evan Peters, Adan Canto, Josh Helman, and Evan Jonigkeit, along with returning stars Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Halle Berry, Lucas Till, and Daniel Cudmore.

Chronicle director Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four reboot is pretty much the red-headed step child of upcoming superhero movies, due largely to its controversial casting and alleged changes to the source material. Aside from an African-American version of the Human Torch (Michael B. Jordan), we’re also getting a British actor playing Ben Grimm/The Thing (Jamie Bell) and a second British actor (Toby Kebbell) is in talks to play the new Doctor Doom. Needless to say, fans have been apprehensive about the alternate approach to this Marvel comic book property. However, while many things from Fantastic Four lore may look different in Trank’s reboot, we will reportedly be getting certain things in the film that will be more familiar to longtime Fantastic Four fans: namely, The Doombots. Nerdist reports the exclusive rumor that Fantastic Four will include the Doombots (see the video below). However, like so many things with this reboot, the Doombots we could be getting might be slightly altered from the ones we know and love from comic books and cartoon series. In the source material, Doombots are robot henchman (often replicas) of the real Doctor Doom – and like Doom, they are heavily armored and armed with an array of destructive weapons. Doctor Doom uses his Doombots as guards, militarized combat soldiers, diplomatic envoys, and occasionally as decoys to fool opponents or fake his own death. In short, Doombots are an easy way for a solitary villain to have an army behind him, providing plenty of targets for the F4 to pound on. However, according to Nerdist, in the Trank’s film, The Doombots are going to be drones that Doom controls telekinetically. From that description alone, one can already see where further alterations to the source material could be made – and why fans may therefore be upset all over again that Trank’s film does not resemble their beloved (and familiar) Fantastic Four comic books. “Drones” are a very specific word to employ when describing the new Doombots. The term suggests that instead of doppleganger robots, we’re going to be getting smaller flying machines; the notion that Doom could be controlling them telekinetically also suggests that the Doctor will have a set of powers fans may not readily associate with the character. Now it’s possible the Nerdist video host simply got the terminology wrong, because in the comics, Doom is “Technopathic,” possessing the ability to exert control over certain machines with his mind (used mostly to control the Doombots). Therefore, the movie reboot version of Doom would technically fall in line with the classic version, if he is able to still access this ability. In other words: Doom mentally commanding a squad of robots is not something that Josh Trank would be making up for the reboot. All in all, this is an easy rumor to believe. A team of superheroes needs more than one central villain to battle, so that the team battle dynamics (and the film’s action sequences) can be fully utilized and enjoyed on a blockbuster scale. Whether they’re replica robots or some other technological innovation, it would be cool to see Doctor Doom using nothing but his mind to engage in battle with the Fantastic Four, who would need all their powers and tricks to take on Doom’s army. More to the point: seeing Doctor Doom seated in a chair with his hands pressed together, watching the F4 battling for their lives against his superior mind? That’s almost a perfect encapsulation of who this villain is. Julian McMahon’s version from the original film (complete with is Ultimate Universe transformation into living metal and hokey lightning powers) is something I’m all too happy to move past.

[This is a review of Arrow season 2, episode 18. There will be SPOILERS.] - When an episode of Arrow is titled ‘Deathstroke,’ the assumption is that there will be a great deal of Queen family infighting, right? Well, no. The assumption rightly is that Slade Wilson will be taking center stage in rather dramatic fashion, doing his best to bring Oliver Queen to his knees – presumably before ending the young man’s suffering with his bare hands. As season 2 gears up for its run into the finale, Arrow has instituted a laser-like focus when it comes to plot, and in that regard, the depiction of Slade Wilson plotting his mildly disproportionate revenge against the Oliver Queen and his associates. But with a handful of episodes left until the finale, ‘Deathstroke’ doesn’t merely pit Oliver against a physically daunting villain; the episode reveals the level of dedication, intelligence, and development Slade’s willing to put into his master plan. The magnitude of Wilson’s scheme is revealed to be so large, and so all-encompassing that it plainly tells the audience two incredibly important details about the illustrious Mr. Wilson: 1) He’s not just an unstoppable killing machine; he’s a master tactician, 2) Slade Wilson may be just a wee bit obsessive when it comes to detail. Now, that’s certainly an understatement, but it is one that does great things with regard to demonstrating the depth and breadth of Slade’s plan, primarily by the fact that it incorporates all the key cast members into one compelling, cohesive storyline. Last week left off with Thea unknowingly falling into Slade’s hands, and when proof of her abduction is broadcast during the Blood-Queen mayoral debate, it sets off a Team Arrow scramble to find Slade and thereby his abductee. Being part of his master plan, Slade makes the first part easy for them, and winds up taking a punch from Roy with a level of nonchalance that demonstrates just how difficult it will be for Oliver and his associates to hurt him – physically or otherwise. Thea is eventually released without a physical scratch on her, but while her abduction was meant to rile the Arrow and elicit a rapid, perhaps poorly thought out response, it naturally served another purpose and carried with it ramifications that went well beyond the Slade-Oliver conflict. In essence, the value of ‘Deathstroke’ was that it successfully altered the Arrow landscape in terms of where nearly every character stood. Thea is told the truth about Malcolm Merlyn being her father, while Slade personally stops by Laurel’s apartment to unmask the Arrow, so to speak. Meanwhile, Det. Lance is brought up on conspiracy charges, and, unsurprisingly, Isabel Rochev makes known her allegiance to Slade, by conning Oliver out of his ownership of his family’s company. The impact of Slade’s machinations is deeply felt, as the first salvo briefly appears to rob Oliver of his confidence, convincing him he’s “his own worst enemy.” In true hero fashion – and with the help of Diggle and Felicity – Ollie vows to fight back, however. It’s a fantastically paced episode that puts its heroes through their paces, and establishes the primary antagonist as someone who isn’t merely a physically intimidating adversary, but also a cold, calculating one with the ability to permanently upset the series’ status quo.

Aardman Animation is beloved for its charming characters and imaginative world-building, be it the various hens and Great Escape-esque farm setting of Chicken Run or the home of Wallace the oddball inventor and his silent companion Gromit, featured in a number of award-winning shorts (as well as the Oscar-winning feature The Curse of the Were-Rabbit). That much of their output – with exceptions like CGI Arthur Christmas - are brought to life through the tedious process of stop-motion animation, means that most Aardman’s projects end up being real labors of love – and, thankfully, that passion generally shines through in the final product. Hence, there’s good reason to be excited for their latest venture, with the upcoming Shaun the Sheep. Shaun, for those unaware, is the sheep who was featured in the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit short “A Close Shave”, who thereafter became the star of his own British stop-motion animated kids program. In the upcoming Shaun the Sheep movie, the character “get a little more action than he bargained for” when his misdeeds land his Farmer boss in trouble and force Shaun (along with his flock) to travel to the Big City to save their overseer. Of course, as the first Shaun the Sheep trailer is merely a teaser, it serves up Aardman’s preferred brand of irreverent humor instead of actual plot; that includes multiple sight gags and funny attention to detail, like having one of the sheep production team filming Shaun via an iPhone-like device. Similarly, the first poster is just a reminder that Shaun the Sheep is being developed, as well as a refresher on Aardman’s past hits. Check out said poster below (click to enlarge): Shaun the Sheep was co-written and co-directed by first-timers Mark Burton and Richard Starzack. The former has spent years earning his keep and moving up the ladder by working on the scripts for animated features like Chicken Run, Madagascar, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and Gnomeo & Juliet; the latter, however, has fewer projects to his name, though he did work on the animated TV series Canimals in the past. Animation, even more so than live-action filmmaking, is a collaborative process, so one imagines that Shaun the Sheep will continue the proud Aardman tradition of quality material by moviemakers who take pride in and enjoy their work – something that was touched upon in both the story (and subtext) of one of the studio’s more recent works, The Pirates! Band of Misfits.

It’s hard to hate the eponymous mutated giant lizard of Gareth Edwards’ upcoming Godzilla reboot. After all, when human beings are relatively the size of ants it’s probably easy to miss the fact that they’re being crushed underfoot or their homes are being destroyed. But even if we can’t hate the big lug there are plenty of reasons to be afraid of him (or her, in the Roland Emmerich version). One such reason, just to get things started, is that the trailers have showcased a Godzilla that’s larger than any of the previous incarnations. He’s so huge, in fact, that a series of nuclear missile strikes designed to take him out failed to do, and with a force so enormous and destructive it’s little wonder that the latest set of Godzilla TV spots have a distinctly apocalyptic feel. Look past the enormous rampaging monster and it seems clear that Godzilla will have quite a human heart to it, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson playing Lieutenant Ford Brody, a soldier who is thrown in over in his head when tasked with going up against the creature, and Elizabeth Olsen playing his wife. In many ways the focus on a military protagonist gives these new TV spots a war movie tone, though it’s definitely a strange kind of war. The final video is a US version of the international TV spot that was released earlier this week, warning that Godzilla won’t be taken out easily. That’s certainly true in the sense that Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. are no doubt hoping to get a full franchise out of this property rather than just a single standalone movie. With Godzilla having been built up so much in the trailers and teasers, it’s getting hard to imagine the creature ever going down permanently. The final TV spot also contains a nice visual representation of the hype train for this movie: it is on fire, and it can’t be stopped.

Shifting over 50 million copies in just a few months, Flappy Bird is one of the biggest gaming success stories of recent times. This weekend, however, its creator withdrew it, claiming it had ruined his life. But for those who know where to look, getting hold of an unauthorized copy right now is easy and since it's no longer officially available, that makes it perfectly OK to 'pirate' a copy - doesn't it? From humble beginnings a few short years ago, the smartphone and tablet app market has turned into a monster, with some predicting sales nearing $30 billion this year. However, while millions of apps are sold with a price tag of a few cents to a few dollars, the real beauty of the market is that countless games and utilities are completely (or at least initially) free of charge. These apps make their revenue from advertising or in-app purchases, reducing the barrier to entry to the lowest possible level and elevating user-bases to previously unimagined levels. One such app that has done incredibly well is Flappy Bird. The game was introduced in May 2013 but in just over six months has turned into a giant, clocking up 50 million downloads on iOS and Android. The game is a social media phenomenon but now the dream is coming to an end. Over the weekend Dong Nguyen, the creator of Flappy Bird, announced that he would be removing the game from sale, claiming it had ruined his life. While some gamers reacted with relief that they could reclaim some of their lives back, others late to the game are bitterly disappointed that it’s no longer available. But of course, it is. Torrents for both the iOS and Android versions of Flappy Bird are currently doing very well indeed on The Pirate Bay and other torrent sites. So-called DDL (Direct Download) sites, forums and associated file-hosting sites are also doing a roaring trade on the game’s withdrawal, and posts have been appearing around the web on where to get a copy of the game and how to install it. But to have people bending over backwards to pirate what was until recently a free game is a huge opportunity lost. There are reports that Nguyen had been making $50K a day from Flappy’s in-game advertising, which is money that dozens of charities would happily fight over. Still, it’s Nguyen’s game to do with as he likes. Which raises an interesting point. The introduction of ad-supported models have removed a significant incentive for many people to pirate and have allowed free products like Flappy Bird to thrive and generate revenue for their creators. But what happens when their creators decide they’ve had enough? Someone illegally downloading Flappy Bird today is definitely not depriving Nguyen of any revenue and he’s on record as refusing to sell the game and has stated that he’s not interested in its future. Does that make it completely Ok then, morally and by any other barometer, to snag a ‘pirate’ copy of a piece of gaming history and help stop it drift into oblivion? With the Internet Archive now proudly and openly offering a torrent containing thousands of MAME arcade games from the 70s, 80s and 90s for free download, there is definitely a feeling that much-loved, abandoned (but probably still copyrighted) games should be kept alive. Whether a game that died just 48 hours ago qualifies for resurrection is something up for debate but one thing is certain. The press this game has got will ensure that Nguyen’s next creation is a huge hit from the second it lands, even if it did take the needless death of a bird to achieve that. Or maybe its sacrificial slaughter had been on the viral marketing agenda for some time….

Santa Monica, CA (PRWEB) February 10, 2014 ArborBridge, the world leader in online test preparation for overseas students, is pleased to announce its support for The Worlds Within, an important new project aimed at giving voice to the TCK experience. The Worlds Within will be an anthology of writing from school-age and young adult TCKs. The Worlds Within will be edited by Eva László-Herbert, Cerine Jin, and Jo Parfitt; all are authors and longtime advocates for TCK's and expat writers. It will be published through Parfitt's imprint, Summertime Publishing. Their goal is to help TCK's celebrate their international experiences while also exploring the challenges they have faced. These challenges can include feelings of displacement and isolation, as children struggle to situate themselves in a particular culture. "We hope that young global nomads will not only welcome being given a voice for how life overseas affected them but will also find themselves in the words and artwork of others who are just like them," said Parfitt. "We believe this is a unique opportunity for them to share their stories with people who care and want to listen." ArborBridge is one of several sponsors lending financial support and publicity to The Worlds Within. "ArborBridge has been pleased to serve the TCK community and to be involved with organizations like Families in Global Transition," said ArborBridge Director of International Development Josh Stephens. AborBridge frequently provides SAT and ACT preparation to TCK’s and other global youth who are applying to university in the United States. A former journalist and teacher, Stephens will be helping with copy-editing. He hopes that many ArborBridge students will consider submitting to The Worlds Within. "The Worlds Within complements ArborBridge's mission perfectly,” added Stephens. “Test scores are important for college applications, but so are writing skills, creativity, and emotional well-being. This project helps TCK authors and readers in all of those respects." "To be supported by an organization like ArborBridge is proof that people do want a book like this, knowing they share a similar mission – to teach, support and inspire third culture and cross culture kids," said Parfitt. Students up to age 27 may submit artwork and essays and stories of any length. Submission guidelines can be found at submissions. The deadline is March 31. About The Worlds Within The Worldsis an anthology of TCK art and writing: young, global and between cultures. Eva Laszlo-Herbert, Jo Parfitt and Cerine Jin are compiling an anthology of TCK art and writing, as a first volume of a bigger project, which aims to make the lives and stories of worldwide TCKs and TCAs visible and graspable. Editors will select up to 100 contributions and publish them at Summertime Publishing a publishing company that specialises in book by and for people living abroad. Submissions are invited of writing and artwork (will be reproduced black and white) from under 27s. The deadline closes 31 March 2014. Publication is scheduled for late 2014. About ArborBridge Geared towards students who are applying to American universities, provides online SAT, ACT, and Subject Test preparation to students around the world -- currently in over 30 countries on all six continents. ArborBridge's tutoring takes place online, enabling its elite tutors to reach students anywhere, anytime. Programs are customized according to each students' needs, enabling ArborBridge to help students achieve outstanding test scores as conveniently and efficiently as possible.

he government is attempting to block all online extremist videos that help to radicalise impressionable young men. The Home Office is in talks with internet companies to refuse access to violent films that are hosted abroad. The plans have been drawn up by James Brokenshire, the ex-security minister who was promoted to immigration minister after the resignation of Conservative colleague Mark Harper. Ministers are keen to tackle the threat from jihadists in Syria. One minister told the BBC that about 2,000 Europeans are thought to be fighting in Syria, including at least 200 known to the British security services. 'Family-friendly filters' It is feared that fighters returning to the UK will seek to radicalise young men in particular to launch terrorist attacks both at home and abroad. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote Politicians and civil servants should not be deciding what we can see online” Emma Carr Big Brother Watch Currently, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service can demand that videos posted on websites hosted in the UK be taken down. Since February 2010, the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, or CTIRU, has taken down more than 21,000 pieces of illegal terrorist online content. If the CTIRU and prosecutors deem material to be illegal it can be blocked from parts of the public sector, including schools and hospitals. But this does not extend to domestic users - and filters can be turned off. The BBC has also been told it has proved difficult for the government to act against sites hosted abroad, both in the Middle East and in the US, where freedom of speech is protected by the constitution. "Through proposals from the extremism taskforce announced by the prime minister in November, we will look to further restrict access to material which is hosted overseas - but illegal under UK law - and help identify other harmful content to be included in family-friendly filters," James Brokenshire said. 'Oppressive regimes' The taskforce was set up to examine the government's strategy for dealing with extremism and radicalisation after the murder of the soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich in south east London in 2013. Mr Brokenshire added that the new controls could also be used to block access to images of child abuse online. Last October, Prime Minister David Cameron condemned Facebook's decision to allow videos showing people being decapitated back on its pages. He said it was "irresponsible" of the social network. The Home Office also hopes it can also make it easier for people to report extremist content online. Emma Carr, deputy director of campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: "Politicians and civil servants should not be deciding what we can see online. If content is to be blocked then it should be a court deciding that it is necessary and proportionate to do so. "As people riot on the streets of Turkey over freedom of speech online and government censorship, this issue must be handled in a way that cannot be exploited by oppressive regimes around the world."

The MPAA, RIAA and other entertainment industry groups are calling out Canada for its lack of effective anti-piracy enforcement. The groups label Canada a magnet for pirate sites and also want Internet providers to punish subscribers who repeatedly download copyright-infringing content. canada-pirateThe International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) has just published its latest submission to the U.S. Government, providing an overview of countries it believes should better protect the interests of the copyright industry. The IIPA, which includes a wide range of copyright groups including the MPAA, RIAA, BSA and ESA, has listed its complaints against a whole host of countries. As in previous years, Canada was discussed in detail with the recommendation to put it on the 2014 Special 301 ‘watch list’. One of the main grievances against Canada is that the country offers a home to many sites which the copyright industries label as “rogue” businesses. This includes the recently shut down isoHunt.com as well as other popular torrent sites such as torrentz.eu and kickass.to. “Even after the shuttering of Isohunt, Canada is still the home to some of the world’s most popular Internet sites dedicated to piracy, including torrentz.eu and kickass.to, which garnered rankings of third and second place, respectively, on one of the most widely accessed listings of the world’s most popular illicit BitTorrent sites,” IIPA writes. The copyright holders further mention the linking sites cuevana.tv, free-tv-video-online.me, and solarmovie.so as having Canadian connections, as well as the smaller torrent sites fenopy.se and monova.org. Without proper enforcement action against them, Canada remains very attractive to these allegedly infringing sites, they claim. “It is hard to avoid the conclusion that Canada remains a magnet for sites whose well-understood raison d’être is to facilitate and enable massive unauthorized downloading of pirated versions of feature films, TV shows, recorded music, entertainment software, and other copyright materials,” IIPA writes. “The largest of these Canadian-hosted sites attract scores of millions of unique visitors every month, and their corrosive effects on legitimate markets are felt worldwide,” they add. The United States should encourage Canada to take action against these sites, the industry groups recommend. Without proper action the country will not just remain a safe haven for infringing websites, but also a breeding ground for new generations of Internet pirates. According to the IIPA, current policies have resulted in widespread piracy among Canadian Internet users, with instances twice as frequent as in the United States. “In this environment, it is not surprising that Canadians continue to demonstrate a formidable propensity to patronize illegal online sources of copyright material, thus stunting the availability and growth of legal alternatives,” IIPA writes. “A report released in September 2012 found that, on a per-capita basis, Canadians download more unauthorized music than residents of any other country, and two-and-one-half times as much as Americans,” the groups add. “Canadians continue to demonstrate a formidable propensity to patronize illegal online sources of copyright material, thus stunting the availability and growth of legal alternatives.” The industry groups further recommend that Internet providers should partner with copyright holders to tackle the ongoing piracy problems. While some ISPs already forward infringement notices to their customers, they note that repeated infringers go unpunished. Due to this “glaring weakness” the current copyright infringement warnings sent out by some ISPs are not believed to be very effective. “Although more and more notices of infringement are sent by right holders and forwarded by service providers to their customers each year, the providers do not even correlate the notices with individual subscribers to know which are repeat infringers,” IIPA writes. “To treat the first-time violator identically with the serial offender jeopardizes any deterrent effect the notices might otherwise achieve,” they add. The groups recommend that the U.S. Government urges Canada to implement “strong legal incentives” for local ISPs to take action against these persistent pirates by teaming up with copyright holders. The above is just the tip of the iceberg for Canada. Among other things, the groups also call for stronger border protections and hefty jail sentences for copyright infringers. This is not the first time that Canada has been called out on copyright. Based on similar recommendations the U.S. Government has placed its northern neighbor on the intellectual property watch-list for several years in a row. The IIPA’s full 2014 Special 301 recommendation report is available here. This also includes assessments from more than two dozen other countries, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Italy, Russia, Spain and Switzerland.

Upset that you just heard about Flappy Bird and can no longer download it from the App Store or Google Play? Head on over to the Pirate Bay and you’ll find a handful of torrents for the frustratingly addictive game. It’s no surprise to see Flappy Bird torrents appear so quickly. Backing up an .APK file on an Android device is a fairly trivial task. Doing it on an jailbroken iOS device is a bit more complicated, but people have managed to distribute plenty of cracked iOS apps in the past. Before you rush off to install it, a word of caution. When there’s as much buzz about something as there is right now about Flappy Bird, there’s a decent chance what you’re downloading has been tampered with. Android apps like this have been Trojanized before, and it’s hard to imagine that there isn’t a modified version floating around already that will silently run up SMS charges on your phone or try to steal website credentials. It’s a bit of an ethical pickle, too. Presumably the game’s creator, Dong Nguyen, took Flappy Bird down because he no longer wanted it to be distributed. If that’s the case, he’s probably not too keen on the game being shared on torrent trackers. Then again, Flappy Bird was a free app and Nguyuen will see a few more advertising dollars flow in from pirate installs if they’re unmodified. That’s likely a less upsetting thought than, say, a company such as King.com ripping off his creation and making millions.

French Privacy Agency DDoS's Itself In Ordering Google To Link To It From Google France Home Page Last month, Google got hit with a €150,000 fine for its new privacy policy, which French regulators claimed violated the law. Google has been disputing this and has appealed, but as part of the ruling by the French National commission for Computing and Civil Liberties (CNIL), Google was ordered to post a statement to the home page of Google.fr about the fine, along with a link back to CNIL's website which had the full ruling. Google had asked to suspend the order to post the message until after the appeals process was complete, but that was denied. In response, Google posted the message, and promptly caused CNIL's website to go offline, as apparently the technologically clueless folks over there never realized that having a link from Google's home page in that country might lead to a bit of extra traffic.

The US Government has today classified some of the largest websites as notorious piracy venues. The USTR list draws heavily on recommendations from copyright holders and includes popular torrent sites such as The Pirate Bay and cloud-hosting service RapidShare. DVD ripping software vendor Aiseesoft is also mentioned, even though its products are perfectly legitimate in many countries. ustrIn its annual “Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets”, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has listed more than a dozen websites said to be involved in piracy and counterfeiting. The list is based on input from industry groups and copyright holders including the RIAA and MPAA, who submitted their recommendations a few weeks ago. While the USTR admits that the list is not meant to reflect legal violations, the responsible authorities could use the list to take legal action. “The United States urges the responsible authorities to intensify efforts to combat piracy and counterfeiting, and to use the information contained in the Notorious Markets Review to pursue legal actions where appropriate,” USTR states. One of the prime targets is The Pirate Bay. According to USTR the site continues to facilitate downloading of copyright-infringing material. The Government further highlights the site’s resilience, mentioning recent domain name changes and the release of TPB’s censorship-resistant browser last summer. “The site released its own web browser designed to evade network controls and reportedly has plans to offer software to circumvent conventional methods of enforcement. Network security experts have criticized The Pirate Bay for failing to follow security best practices in the development of their software,” USTR writes. While the inclusion of The Pirate Bay comes as no surprise, RapidShare’s listing is quite unexpected. The cloud hosting service has taken extreme measures to deter piracy and as a result was excluded from the most recent “Notorious Markets” list. Even though visitor counts continued to drop in recent years, the USTR now believes that the site deserves to be included again, mentioning a recent ruling where RapidShare was ordered to pay $26,000 to a Czech movie director. “Although RapidShare.com’s popularity has diminished since its 2012 listing, it remains one of the most active sites worldwide as well as in the Czech Republic, where it is best known as Share-rapid.cz,” USTR writes. Another surprising mention was given to Aiseesoft.com, a software vendor that sells video converter and ripping tools. While this software may not be permitted in the US, it’s perfectly legal in other countries. The Government, however, classifies the company as a notorious market and its competitor SlySoft.com was awarded the same label. “Rights holders indicate that this site’s operators, reportedly based in China, develop and make available to customers worldwide various ‘high-quality’ DVD converter tools [...] that, according to the site, allow users to circumvent technical protection measures and view video content in an unauthorized manner,” USTR writes. In addition to the domains listed above, the US Government is also pointing a finger at the following sites: PutLocker, Baixedetudo.net, Darkwarez.pl, Ex.ua, Extratorrent.cc, Free-tv-video-online.me, KickassTorrents.com, Kuaibo.com ,Mp3skull.com, Rapidgator.net, Rutracker.org, Seriesyonkis.com, Torrentz.eu, Uploaded.net, vKontakte.com, Wawa-mania.ec, Xunlei.com, Kankan.com, Zamunda.net, Arenabg.com and Zing.vn. The “notorious markets” list is meant to be a pressure tool on the sites and the countries from where they are operated. Meanwhile, the sites remain accessible in the U.S. itself and thus far no attempts have been made to have local ISPs block any of them.

Following legal action initiated by a subsidiary of Warner Music, a Russian court has not only ordered an unauthorized music site's owner to pay damages for copyright infringement, but has handed down a first-of-its-kind ruling to terminate the site's domain name. As the owner of the Spotify-like operation signals his intention to fight back, similar sites in the file-sharing arena will be watching very closely indeed. In order to combat the many hundreds of file-sharing and streaming sites located in Russia, last year local authorities introduced new anti-piracy legislation. The new law, dubbed ‘Russian SOPA’, allowed copyright holders to issue complaints against sites that fail to properly comply with copyright notices, with the ultimate sanction of having their domains blocked at the ISP level. While the new law has reportedly encouraged a wide range of sites to focus on complying with takedown requests, a copyright case just concluded in the Moscow Arbitration Court will be of significant concern to site owners across the country. At the center of the lawsuit was a site called TracksFlow, a professional looking Spotify-like music streaming service with one notable difference – it is completely free of charge. With a decent database of music the site inevitably attracted the attention of copyright holders. According to TracksFlow founder Boris Golikov, Warner Music subsidiary S.B.A. Music Publishing contacted him during 2013 to complain that their music was being offered via his site without permission. Since TracksFlow is only an index, no actual content could be removed, Golikov told the label. “We talked and I explained that there are no files and we do not store any on the site, it’s only a kind of aggregator, a music search engine,” Golikov explained. In response, the label filed a lawsuit in which they complained that TracksFlow was offering music from their 30-year-old singer MakSim without permission. Neither Golikov nor associated company Digital Lab were notified of the case. Now the Moscow Arbitration Court has handed down its ruling, finding the defendants guilty of copyright infringement and ordering them to pay a total of 1,550,000 rubles ($44,300) in compensation. While these fines are fairly small by modern standards the Court also ordered the termination of the TracksFlow.com domain name, a first-of-its-kind action by a Russian court. “It was possible to prove that the resource is absolutely pirate in character,” said Leonid Agronov, CEO of the National Federation of the Music Industry. The likelihood of achieving similar results in other cases has now increased, Agronov added. The big question now, however, surrounds the process which will lead to the loss of TracksFlow’s domain. TracksFlow.com is currently registered with United States company Name.com, so aside from a supporting ruling overseas it is not clear how Russian authorities intend to take control of it. Golikov could hand it over of course, but it appears he is ready to fight the decision. Speaking with Vedomosti, Golikov reiterated that he was never made aware of the proceedings against him and as such will appeal against the ruling. “Naturally, as soon as I get access to the documents I will file an appeal,” he said. According to the Moscow Arbitration Court, he has 30 days to do so.

Does publishing a hyperlink to freely available content amount to an illegal communication to the public and therefore a breach of creator's copyrights under European law? After examining a case referred to it by Sweden's Court of Appeal, the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled today that no, it does not. The European Union has been expanding since its creation in the 1950s and is now comprised of 28 member states, each committed to EU law. One of the key roles of the EU’s Court of Justice is to examine and interpret EU legislation to ensure its uniform application across all of those member states. The Court is also called upon by national courts to clarify finer points of EU law to progress local cases with Europe-wide implications. One such case, referred to the CJEU by Sweden’s Court of Appeal, is of particular interest to Internet users as it concerns the very mechanism that holds the web together. The dispute centers on a company called Retriever Sverige AB, an Internet-based subscription service that indexes links to articles that can be found elsewhere online for free. The problem came when Retriever published links to articles published on a newspaper’s website that were written by Swedish journalists. The company felt that it did not have to compensate the journalists for simply linking to their articles, nor did it believe that embedding them within its site amounted to copyright infringement. The journalists, on the other hand, felt that by linking to their articles Retriever had “communicated” their works to the public without permission. In the belief they should be paid, the journalists took their case to the Stockholm District Court. They lost their case in 2010 and decided to take the case to appeal. From there the Svea Court of Appeal sought advice from the EU Court. Today the Court of Justice published its lengthy decision and it’s largely good news for the Internet. “In the circumstances of this case, it must be observed that making available the works concerned by means of a clickable link, such as that in the main proceedings, does not lead to the works in question being communicated to a new public,” the Court writes. “The public targeted by the initial communication consisted of all potential visitors to the site concerned, since, given that access to the works on that site was not subject to any restrictive measures, all Internet users could therefore have free access to them,” it adds. “Therefore, since there is no new public, the authorization of the copyright holders is not required for a communication to the public such as that in the main proceedings.” However, the ruling also makes it clear that while publishing a link to freely available content does not amount to infringement, there are circumstances where that would not be the case. “Where a clickable link makes it possible for users of the site on which that link appears to circumvent restrictions put in place by the site on which the protected work appears in order to restrict public access to that work to the latter site’s subscribers only, and the link accordingly constitutes an intervention without which those users would not be able to access the works transmitted, all those users must be deemed to be a new public,” the Court writes. So, in basic layman’s terms, if content is already freely available after being legally published and isn’t already subject to restrictions such as a subscription or pay wall, linking to or embedding that content does not communicate it to a new audience and is therefore not a breach of EU law. The decision, which concurs with the opinions of a panel of scholars, appears to be good news for anyone who wants to embed a YouTube video in their blog or Facebook page, but bad news for certain collecting societies who feel that embedding should result in the payment of a licensing fee.

intendo has asked the U.S. Government to put pressure on foreign countries to do a better job at tackling online piracy. The game company says it's suffering "huge losses" and calls for blocking of file-sharing websites and criminal prosecution against those who pirate games or facilitate copyright infringement. Every year copyright holders get the chance to hand over their list of anti-piracy recommendations for the U.S. Trade Representative’s Special 301 report. The review is published annually and highlights countries that in the eyes of the U.S. are not doing enough to deter copyright infringement. Nintendo is one of the companies to submit recommendations on how other countries should tackle these issues. The gaming company states that piracy is a chronic problem that results in “huge losses,” in part due to the inactivity of foreign countries who do very little to curb copyright infringement. “In the past few years, the scope of online piracy for Nintendo has grown dramatically. Every month tens of thousands of illegal Nintendo game files are detected on the Internet. The legal environment to limit the flow of these files remains extremely challenging,” the company explains in its letter. Like last year, Nintendo’s letter focuses on four countries – Brazil, China, Mexico and Spain – where these challenges remain unaddressed. For each of the countries the game company offers a set of recommendations on how the legal climate can be improved, hoping the United States Government will push for change. According to statistics presented in the letter, no less than 16% of all online piracy of Nintendo products traces back to Spain. With 1.2 million downloads this is the second largest piracy market, just behind Italy with 1.4 million downloads. While the volume of piracy has deceased somewhat compared to previous years, Nintendo wants Spain to take drastic action. Specifically, it points out that the local Intellectual Property Committee (IPC) should block pirate sites wherever possible. “Since so many illegal video games are downloaded in Spain from foreign-based cyberlockers, and accessed through cyberlinkers or P2P linking sites hosted outside Spain, the IPC must address this issue by authorizing the blocking of linking sites,” Nintendo writes. The irony of this suggestion is that Nintendo has made no efforts in the United States to have any of the major torrent or linking sites blocked. This is especially painful because their own research shows that many of the larger Spanish linking sites are hosted in America, and registered though U.S. companies. In addition to blocking websites, the game company wants the U.S. Government to educate and train the Spanish on how to deal with copyright infringers effectively. “The Spanish Government should work with the U.S. Government and rights holders to provide necessary IP training to Spanish prosecutors, judges and IPC officials, particularly focusing on Internet piracy and effective online investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of criminal copyright infringement on the Internet.” Similar recommendations are made for Mexico, Brazil and China. In these countries Nintendo also wants ISPs to be held liable for their role in continuing high levels of Internet piracy. The gaming company says that this can be achieved by introducing notice and takedown procedures as well as stiffer penalties for companies that fail to take responsibility. “Hold Internet Service Providers responsible for facilitating piracy under certain circumstances, including a requirement that ISPs expeditiously remove infringing content when notified by a rights holder representative,” Nintendo advises for Brazil. Companies and individuals who continue to facilitate copyright infringement have to be prosecuted, Nintendo says, and to boost deterrence maximum penalties should be increased. “Bring criminal prosecutions against major infringers, including those facilitating piracy on the Internet. The courts must impose stronger penalties against IP crimes, both traditional forms of piracy and online piracy, to raise awareness and foster deterrence,” Nintendo adds. It is clear that Nintendo wants the U.S. to put more pressure on foreign countries, but whether these efforts will be successful has yet to be seen. In a few weeks the U.S. Trade Representative is expected to release its full Special 301 report.

In a speech earlier today, Australia's Attorney-General George Brandis signaled a looming government crackdown on Internet piracy. In addition to a "three strikes" graduated response mechanism targeting Internet subscribers, Brandis indicated that ISPs could be forced to block websites that allow users to download or stream content without permission. Like all countries under United States entertainment industry influence, for years Australia has struggled with the thorny issue of online piracy. The U.S. has pressured its trading partner for some time, through lobbying efforts and legal action initiated by outfits such as AFACT. It’s fairly ironic then, that in the early moments of his speech to the Australian Digital Alliance forum in Canberra this morning, Attorney-General George Brandis cited the piracy difficulties encountered by Charles Dickens. “One of Charles Dickens’s reasons for travelling to the United States …in 1842, was to advocate for copyright law reform. Dickens was acutely aware of how much money he was losing because his works were being pirated, at the time legally, under American copyright law which permitted publishers to reprint British books at will,” Brandis said, underlining his point that creators should be paid for their work. Of course, times have changed, and in the 21st century the United States is now keen for all other countries to adopt a specific set of copyright-protecting legal mechanisms, even though it has yet to formally bake any of them into its own legal system. This morning Brandis gave clearest indication yet of what Australians have to look forward to. “I believe in strong protections and enforcement mechanisms in support of Australia’s creative industries, but, as I indicated, I am also keen, as one of the achievements in the first – term of the Abbott Government, to modernize, reform and contemporize the Copyright Act,” Brandis said. First up, Section 101 of the Act, which states that an entity which authorizes the copyright infringing activities of others can be held liable for those infringements. The famous Hollywood vs iiNet case, in which the studios tried and failed to hold the ISP liable for the infringements of its subscribers, showed that the law couldn’t be stretched as far as the studios would’ve liked. According to Brandis though, things will change. “The government will be considering possible mechanisms to provide a ‘legal incentive’ for an Internet service provider to cooperate with copyright owners in preventing infringement on their systems and networks,” he said. “This may include looking carefully at the merits of a scheme whereby ISPs are required to issue graduated warnings to consumers who are using websites to facilitate piracy.” While Hollywood successfully implemented its “six strikes” system in the United States, none of that was forced upon ISPs by law. And here’s another US ideal (that hasn’t been implemented locally) that the Aussies appear keen to take on board – site blocking. “Another option that some stakeholders have raised with me is to provide the Federal Court with explicit powers to provide for third party injunctions against ISPs, which will ultimately require ISPs to ‘take down’ websites hosting infringing content,” Brandis said. But while the Attorney General referred to legal options for three strikes, disconnections and website blocking, he noted that his preference “would be to facilitate industry self-regulation, as opposed to active and continuing government regulation.” That, however, hasn’t worked to date, with discussions between Hollywood and the ISPs failing to reach any workable agreement, with the former wanting the reluctant latter to pick up the bill for enforcement. While it remains to be seen whether change is arrived at through voluntary agreement or legislation, the Australian government keen to deal with the online piracy issue once and for all, despite the effectiveness of three strikes and site blocking regimes being continually called into doubt.

Nearly 70% of all Europeans download or stream films for free, a new study from the European Commission reveals. The high costs of legal alternatives such as movie tickets and DVDs are the main justification, with release lags and limited availability also among the top reasons. The European Commission has released a new report on the film viewing habits of Europeans this week. The report, titled “A profile of current and future audiovisual audience”, draws its conclusions based on a survey of 4,608 respondents between the ages of 4 and 50 scattered across Europe. The participants were taken from a representative sample of ten different countries including France, Germany and the UK. One of the main findings is that up to 97% percent of all Europeans are film viewers, but that the majority don’t pay for the films they watch over the Internet. “Nearly 70% of Europeans download or stream films for free, whether legally or illegally,” the European Commission reports. The study does not distinguish between legal and illegal downloads, but half of all respondents said they downloaded or streamed films because cinema tickets and DVDs are too expensive. This suggests that the films they watch come from “pirate” sources. More than two-third (68%) of film viewers said they downloaded movies without paying, and half of this group did so on a weekly basis. Streaming free movies is slightly less popular with 56% of the total, but it’s still something half of the population has experience with. Downloading and streaming is most common among Europeans in the 16-25 age group. In addition, there is a small difference between men and women, with the former downloading and streaming slightly more. One of the main questions is why so many people prefer free copies over paid alternatives. It may come as no surprise that price is an important factor here. The chart below shows that the price of cinema tickets, video on demand services and DVDs is a key motivation. Half of all people say they prefer free films because the legal alternatives are too expensive. The fact that some films are not available yet also plays an important role, and is mentioned by 30% of the respondents.The report also offers some further insight into regional differences in motivations. For example, the high price of legal films is mentioned by only 39% of Romanians, but by 64% of the French. A lack of legal alternatives is often mentioned as a key motivation in Romania, Croatia and Poland, with around 35% in these countries. In France, the UK and Lithuania, availability was least mentioned with little over 20%. According to the European Commission these high download and streaming numbers are no surprise, and it suggests that the film industry itself holds the key to lowering high piracy rates. “The study finds that this is not surprising because, while the public takes a lot of interest in films as a whole, the nearest cinema is often some distance from them and the choice on screen is frequently rather limited,” the European Commission writes. “It suggests that the European film industry can increase revenues by exploiting different types of profit-making online platforms to increase the availability of films and reach new audiences,” the Commission notes. While the report signals some key trends, the movie industry is likely to disagree with the conclusion that it’s up to them to make a change. Instead, Hollywood is likely interpret the findings as an affirmation that pirates are cheapskates out to save money, and therefore tougher anti-piracy measures are required.

Putlocker, one of the world's most popular online storage services, disappeared this week without warning. In its place appeared a brand new site with a whole new look, leaving previous users of the service in a state of confusion. With Putlocker again cited as a notorious market in this week's USTR report, TorrentFreak catches up with the team behind the site to find out about recent developments. Despite only being online for a few years, much of Putlocker’s existence as a file-storage site has been tarnished by accusations from Hollywood. Back in 2011 the MPAA categorized Putlocker as a “rogue site”, operations that amount to a “direct threat to our community and the millions of hard-working Americans that rely on it for their livelihoods.” Hollywood’s problem with Putlocker is that its users regularly upload movies and TV shows to the service without permission. Links to these videos are then posted on third-party streaming portals, enabling visitors to watch the latest blockbusters for free. Putlocker has always insisted that it’s complied with the letter of the law and by 2012 it was fighting back. “Putlocker takes a strong stand against copyright infringement and in the past year and a half we have taken down hundreds of thousands of infringing files and blocked the accounts of hundreds of repeat offenders,” the site told TF at the time. Despite the public statements and apparent copyright takedowns, Hollywood’s position on the site has remained unchanged. Up to and including their latest submission to the USTR, the MPAA has continued to insist that Putlocker is a “notorious market.”arlier this week, however, and in parallel with Hollywood’s latest accusations, Putlocker simply disappeared. Visitors to the domain were redirected to a completely new site with a brand new name – Firedrive.com. What followed was a steady stream of emails to TorrentFreak asking if we could shine any light on developments. Here are our findings. “Putlocker has been under active redevelopment for over a year under a new management and development team. It was decided to rebrand the site, in order to get a fresh start,” the Firedrive team told TF. The new site certainly looks fresh, with a brand new design that makes it look more like a competitor to the revamped Mediafire than some kind of alleged pirate hangout. Firedrive offers 50GB of free storage for everyone, with files accessible on any device along with features to share files as privately or as publicly as the user might like. “Firedrive has all the features of Putlocker like free unrestricted access to files, streaming of media files, and mobile access, but that’s just the start. Firedrive has a wide array of new features that really make it a unique product. These include groups, public profiles, filedrops, advanced file permissions, document viewing, and much more,” Firedrive explains. While Firedrive is clearly looking towards a fresh start, former users of Putlocker will be pleased to know that their data has been fully shipped over to the new site. “Firedrive has all the user accounts and files that were on Putlocker, so users can just login with their old credentials and have access to their data. Anyone who had a Pro account on Putlocker, will continue to have a Pro account on Firedrive,” TF was informed. Other features to make FireDrive even more accessible are currently in the works, including desktop and mobile applications, syncing across devices, and end-to-end encryption. The additions are likely to please users, but whether the changes will be enough to improve the site’s image with Hollywood remains to be seen.