android Prominent Android piracy sites seized by US government

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Prominent Android piracy sites seized by US government

Three of the most popular sites for illegally downloading Android apps have been seized by law enforcement agencies as part of a operation that also involved Dutch and French police. Both Appbucket and Snappzmarket now display FBI seizure notices, and according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) a further site, Applanet, has also been seized. At the time of writing Applanet remains active, but its marketplace is currently offline.

In a statement on its site, the DOJ says that "this is the first time website domains involving cell phone app marketplaces have been seized." With Android piracy rates reportedly at 60 percent, the DOJ's move will undoubtably please many developers. It's not only Android that suffers from piracy, however, and iOS piracy havens such as Hackulous may well be next on the DOJ's list.

Source: The Verge

[techbeck]

Where one site is taken down, more will take its place. Not going to stop things like this, only slow it a little.

[Detection]

Where one site is taken down, more will take its place. Not going to stop things like this, only slow it a little.

Taking them down makes the problem worse in some cases, even blocking TPB made it even easier to access it with the huge amount of TPB proxies that are now alive

[Ci7]

Where one site is taken down, more will take its place. Not going to stop things like this, only slow it a little.

the alternative is letting those pirate scout free to get more $$$ of illegal practice

[Guest LiquidCrystalMeth]

well ive never heard of those ones, but they didnt get the ones i thought they might have...so.....FAIL

[firey]

it's like the song.

5 piracy sites on the net, 5 piracy sites. Take one down pass it around, 25 piracy sites on the net.

But honestly, I'd never heard of those sites and I sail the seas of binaries...

[techbeck]

the alternative is letting those pirate scout free to get more $$$ of illegal practice

Never said to let it happen...just said this will do little to stop it.

Taking them down makes the problem worse in some cases, even blocking TPB made it even easier to access it with the huge amount of TPB proxies that are now alive

Yea, look what happened when they took down Napster. A dozen other P2P programs popped up in its place.

[HoochieMamma]

well ive never heard of those ones, but they didnt get the ones i thought they might have...so.....FAIL

haha same here

[xeleraph]

Never said to let it happen...just said this will do little to stop it.

So what do you suggest?

[Pupik]

Why I'm only now hearing about those sites :( ?

[javagreen]

Why I'm only now hearing about those sites :( ?

Perhaps because your googling skills suck :p

[giantpotato]

People really need to pirate $0.99 apps? Honestly, it's more cost effective to buy them if your time is worth anything to you. It's easier, you get everything one one place, you can always re-download a copy and it'll update on its own.

[Anibal P]

Why I'm only now hearing about those sites :( ?

People really need to pirate $0.99 apps? Honestly, it's more cost effective to buy them if your time is worth anything to you. It's easier, you get everything one one place, you can always re-download a copy and it'll update on its own.

Yeah, pirating apps never made sense to me, even the more expensive $10+ ones, heck usually the free ones are as good or better than most pay apps anyways, and you can only play so many games on a mobile device, do you really need more than one game per genre?

[Osiris]

Id say the only feasible solution is for the the proprietor of the platfoms to make things as hard as possible to pirate or tie in live server services that check for legitimate checkpoints upon access each and every time. Lets look at the xbox 360...this was pirateable for years before the ps3 was finally hacked. Even though the xbox is hackable its a pita and requires hardware intervention so many people won't bother and the issue is relegated to a small minority. Windows Phone...pita and..probably not the community there to really streamline that but still, small amount compared to other platforms.

I just contend the only real way to defeat it is to make it inconvenient for people to hack the system and pirate..$1 apps or $1000 sofrware if its convenient there will always be a % that will...I guess the other approach, you have to go in the opposite direction and tie your product into amazing live services that people want and which you can check in with legitimate checkpoints at every turn to prevent its use by a hacked platform.

Eitherway interesting that the DOJ cares about mobile platforms but yeah this won't stop squat...except maybe people like pupik that can't google (jj :p mate)

[Intersect]

People really need to pirate $0.99 apps? Honestly, it's more cost effective to buy them if your time is worth anything to you. It's easier, you get everything one one place, you can always re-download a copy and it'll update on its own.

build it and they will pirate it

[Rudy]

apptrackr.....I hope you're next

[Osiris]

apptrackr.....I hope you're next

I welcome the arrival of Apptrekr...the relaunch of the apptrackr site taken down in rudy's dreams :p

[bigmehdi]

People really need to pirate $0.99 apps? Honestly, it's more cost effective to buy them if your time is worth anything to you. It's easier, you get everything one one place, you can always re-download a copy and it'll update on its own.

You just implicitely stated that the available piracy won't prevent people from buying the android apps, and hence this anti piracy fight is moot. I'd also add that not in every country buying stuff online is something natural, I'm thinking especially of africa.

[giantpotato]

You just implicitely stated that the available piracy won't prevent people from buying the android apps, and hence this anti piracy fight is moot. I'd also add that not in every country buying stuff online is something natural, I'm thinking especially of africa.

Sorry but that logic doesn't make sense. That's like saying since some people have jobs and will earn money legitimately, the fight against money counterfeiters is moot.

[KingCracker]

Who cares people should get a job or stop being cheapskates and buy the apps.

[bigmehdi]

Sorry but that logic doesn't make sense. That's like saying since some people have jobs and will earn money legitimately, the fight against money counterfeiters is moot.

Well if counterfeiting money was easy, I bet lot of people would stop to work.

The usual argument against piracy, is that it induce profit loss. I'm saying that the apps are so cheap, that most likely in this case that's not true.

Also I add , that people are pirating not necessarily only because they cannot afford an app.

Buying stuff online is not easy in all countries of the world, I'd like to remind it.

[techbeck]

So what do you suggest?

Why do I have to suggest anything?

[+Xinok Subscriber²]

Torrents (and P2P in general) are harder to take down because they're decentralized. They don't host any of the material which gives them some defense, and shutting down the website doesn't destroy the torrent as there are plenty of copies on dozens of other websites.

But with these websites and file lockers like MegaUpload, when you take these sites offline, the content goes with it. The MegaUpload shutdown sent a tremor through the business, with many taking drastic measures (such as blacklisting US users) to avoid action against themselves. So it does have an effect, even if it's a negligible one.

[Seahorsepip Veteran]

People really need to pirate $0.99 apps? Honestly, it's more cost effective to buy them if your time is worth anything to you. It's easier, you get everything one one place, you can always re-download a copy and it'll update on its own.

It's because the VS is the only place where all people have a creditcard, here in europe just a few people have a creditcard and youngsters can't buy a creditcards because their parents aren't going to allow it and buying a $20 prepaid creditcard is just plain stupid when you only want a $0.99 game/app...

Google needs to just add better support for alternate payment methods to decrease the piracy since the credit card part is the main reason why people pirate apps.

It's not that hard to solve, remember when you had one of those old Sony Ericson's/Nokia's and bought a game by just sending 2 sms's? that's way more userfriandly for youngersts with a prepaid simcard and make them avoid the trouble of pirating it :p

[Growled Member]

People really need to pirate $0.99 apps?

I thought that too. That is ridiculous.