BREIN report highlights the importance of bittorrent sites to disseminate illegal content

By Emmanuel Legrand

Bittorrent sites remain "by far the most popular protocol for illegal use" of content, according to the Netherlands' anti-piracy organisation BREIN.

  In its Annual Report 2020, the BREIN Foundation disclosed that while bit torrent sites continue to provide access to illegal content, other popular ways to access unlicensed content include streaming/download link sites for cyberlockers, as well as illegal IPTV subscription services with VoD for audiovisual content. 

Taking action against uploaders

  "Bittorrent and link sites mainly generate revenue from advertising, although VPN sales also make money," notes BREIN. BREIN's approach focuses on "all forms of illegal supply, regardless of the technology used for this." 

  The organisation said that due to the Covid lockdown measures, there has been "an increase in online use, both legal and illegal."

  BREIN often takes action against sites and uploaders that act as sources, intermediaries such as hosting providers and access providers, and works with payment services, advertisers and search engines to help curb piracy.

Victory with the Pirate Bay

  Recent successes include getting courts to block access to the bittorrent site The Pirate Bay, which has led "to a decrease of more than 95% in Dutch visits." BREIN will use this benchmark against The Pirate Bay to ask courts for similar decisions regarding other popular illegal sites helping disseminate illegal content.

  BREIN regroups about thirty industry and collective management organisations and their members from the creative sector, such as producers, publishers, broadcasters, distributors and platforms.

  Here are some of BREIN's key facts and figures for 2020:

  > 479 investigations completed, 183 ongoing;

  > 466 illegal sites/services removed;

  > 1 site – The Pirate Bay (TPB) – and 180 TPB proxies/mirrors blocked;

  > 338 TPB proxies ceased their services;

  > 23 illegal traders stopped selling IPTV subscriptions; 

  > 33 illegal streaming sites taken offline;

  > 18 Facebook groups with illegal offers stopped;

  > 20 platforms offering illegal ebooks taken offline;

  > 1,145,133 illegal search results removed

  > 12 repeated providers identified and stopped;

  > 42 settlements reached with identified perpetrators.