A Calgary man is believed to be the first conviction under an anti-piracy law in Canada. From CBC News: A Calgary man is believed to be the first person convicted in Canada under new movie pirating legislation when he pleaded guilty to the unauthorized recording of the Johnny Depp movie Sweeney Todd. Richard Lissaman was arrested in a [...]

Warner Brothers will begin selling its movie as downloads in China in an attempt to stem piracy. From the LA Times: The studio struck a deal with Union Voole Technology in China to offer new movies, as well as those that have never been seen in Chinese theaters, at rental prices ranging from 60 cents to $1. [...]

France’s Senate has passed a three strikes law would cut off Internet access for people who continue to download unlicensed music. From the Hollywood Reporter: France is on a collision course with the EU after the French Senate overwhelmingly voted for an Internet piracy law that directly contradicts European Parliament legislation. The Senate’s “three strikes” or “graduated response” [...]

Counterfeit drugs are being smuggled into the United Kingdom, jeopardizing the lives of millions of patients. From the Independent: Packets of fake pills are being smuggled into high-street chemists and sold as real medicines that prevent heart attacks or fight cancer, putting the lives of millions of British patients at risk. Criminal gangs that cut their teeth [...]

Myspace and MTV is attempting to allow owners of pirated content to profit from their works being display on their websites. From Hollywood Reporter (via Reuters): A new technology that essentially allows content owners to profit from piracy will get a high-profile test this month from MySpace and MTV Networks. Instead of triggering the usual take-down notices, copyright-infringing [...]

As the Philadelphia Phillies attempt to close out the World Series tonight after rain suspended their game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, Major League Baseball has been keeping busy seizing counterfeit apparel from street vendors. From the Philadelphia Inquirer: Since the playoffs began, MLB investigators have seized more than 5,000 counterfeit T-shirts and caps from [...]

Computer users in China are upset at Microsoft for recent measures taken to curb piracy in the country. From the New York Times: The furor stemmed from an update to Windows XP Professional that Microsoft began offering users in China last week. The new version of WGA’s Notifications, the software that provides the messages and other on-screen [...]

Major League Baseball is ramping up its anti-counterfeit program to ensure that World Series Memorabilia is kept safe from counterfeits. From the Boston Globe: Once the first inning of every playoff game ends, Major League Baseball’s authentication program goes into effect. During Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park, groundskeepers rushed onto the [...]

Private Universities are spending close to $500,000 in anti-piracy efforts to prevent students from utilizing file-sharing networks. From the Chronicle of Higher Education: Colleges are spending a good deal of money to prevent students from downloading copyrighted music and movies, says a report released today. And with new requirements recently imposed on institutions of higher education by [...]

President Bush signed a controversial bill aimed to stem piracy of music and movies.  From Reuters (via the Washington Post): President George W. Bush signed into law on Monday a controversial bill that would stiffen penalties for movie and music piracy at the federal level. The law creates an intellectual property czar who will report directly to the [...]