Foxtel adds another 128 torrent and streaming sites to its hit list

 

After having successfully lobbied for an injunction against five torrenting and streaming sites back in December 2016, Foxtel (who has recently revealed its own horse in the streaming race, Foxtel Now) has since added dozens more sites to its list of claimed infringers. 

Some of these sites have since been blocked by the Federal Court, while others are still pending review. Now, the pay TV company is taking aim at an even bigger swathe of sites, targeting another 128 domains linked to piracy.

The initial case was brought to the Australian Federal Court by Roadshow Films, Foxtel, Disney, Paramount, Columbia, and 20th Century Fox, and resulted in the court-ordered injunction for all major Australian ISPs to block access to five prominent piracy sites – specifically The Pirate Bay, Torrentz, TorrentHound, IsoHunt, and SolarMovie.

Since that landmark decision, these rightsholders have both individually and collectively targeted a number of further websites and their related domains and mirror sites. Most recently, Foxtel filed an injunction in May 2017 that is the case they presented on Tuesday, August 8.

While the rightsholders involved in said cases have pressed for a rolling injunction which would allow them to somewhat effortlessly add domains to the list of blocked sites, this motion hasn’t been granted by the Court, meaning that each case must still be presented individually.

What's the damage?

 

The timing of this most recent court hearing lines up quite neatly with Foxtel’s airing of the latest season of Game of Thrones, a show the presiding judge Justice Burley confesses to be a fan of. 

This could explain why a good portion of the 128 targeted domains are streaming sites rather than torrent networks, reflecting the broader shift in preference for how pirates are watching movie and TV content.

Below is a list of the key affected domains courtesy of ComputerWorld:

YesMovies, Vumoo, LosMovies, CartoonHD, Putlocker, Watch Series 1, Watch Series 2, Project Free TV 1, Project Free TV 2, Watch Episodes, Watch Episode Series, Watch TV Series, The Dare Telly, Putlocker9.is, Putlocker9.to, Torlock and 1337x.

Justice Burley has described the process of hunting down and blocking websites with all their affiliated mirrors and proxies as something like “whack-a-mole”, referring to the apparently futile attempts to squash the ever-multiplying piracy sites. 

Harry Domanski
Harry is an Australian Journalist for TechRadar with an ear to the ground for future tech, and the other in front of a vintage amplifier. He likes stories told in charming ways, and content consumed through massive screens. He also likes to get his hands dirty with the ethics of the tech.
Latest in Streaming
Lilo & Stitch Official Trailer
Stitch crashes into earth and steals our hearts with the first trailer for the live-action Lilo & Stitch
Y2K cast looking shocked
Y2K has a streaming release date on Max, so you can witness the technology uprising at home
The Discovery+ homepage
Discovery+ just got a big update to its streaming app that makes it more like Max – here are 5 great new features to try
Elayne, Egwene, and Nynaeve dressed regally and on horseback in The Wheel of Time season 3
'There's a reason why we do it': The Wheel of Time showrunner responds to fans who are still upset over the Prime Video show's plot alterations
Susan holding her baby in Toxic Town.
Netflix's #3 show has a flawless 100% on Rotten Tomatoes – here are 3 more powerful dramas to watch after Toxic Town
Devil May Cry's Dante has his back to the camera, holding onto a large sword
Netflix's official Devil May Cry trailer features music from my favorite alternative rock band and it's taken me on a serious nostalgia trip
Latest in News
Google Gemini Robotics
Gemini just got physical and you should prepare for a robot revolution
Lilo & Stitch Official Trailer
Stitch crashes into earth and steals our hearts with the first trailer for the live-action Lilo & Stitch
GTA 5
GTA Online publisher Take-Two is gunning for a black market that’s basically heaven for cheaters
Y2K cast looking shocked
Y2K has a streaming release date on Max, so you can witness the technology uprising at home
The Discovery+ homepage
Discovery+ just got a big update to its streaming app that makes it more like Max – here are 5 great new features to try
Two Android phones on a green and blue background showing Google Messages
Struggling with slow Google Messages photo transfers? Google says new update will make 'noticeable difference'