WWE Lawyer Offers Gifts to Obtain Streaming Pirate’s Home Address

[shamu726]

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) "apologized" last week to a streaming links site owner for wrongfully taking down his Facebook page on copyright grounds. On offer was a compensatory WWE gift bag, but it quickly became clear that nicely wrapped presents were probably the last thing the wrestling outfit had in mind.

After launching its own streaming network and speculation surrounding a takeover, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is now worth a reported $2.3 billion.

Like many large entertainment industry companies, WWE is an aggressive protector of its copyrights and for several years has been pursuing companies and site owners who dare to step over the line. Part of that strategy is to force fan sites to hand over their domains, should they include ‘WWE’ in their URL. For owners of sites which threaten their PPV and streaming sales, things aren’t much better.

During March 2013, Facebook said that WWE Intellectual Property Director Matthew Winterroth was behind the closure of a page operated by Wrestling-Network, a site offering links to WWE streams and shows. Wrestling-Network operator ‘BeBe’ was told by the social network that he would need to contact the lawyer directly to solve the dispute. BeBe decided to quit Facebook and moved to Twitter instead, but by the summer WWE had raised its head again, this time after PayPal disabled an account used for the site’s finances.

BeBe says that in October WWE sent a takedown notice to Cloudflare, who handed over the details of the site’s actual host. For a few months things went calm, but last week all that changed. PayPal closed the site’s new account which had been opened by a third-party, and Facebook shutdown Wrestling-Network’s new page and BeBe’s personal page while they were at it. At this point things took a turn for the unusual.

After being given Winterroth’s contact details by Facebook, BeBe contacted the lawyer to see what could be done.

“My Facebook page was removed, care to share why?” BeBe wrote in an email to WWE last Saturday.

Without being given any further details (aside from BeBe’s email address which is enough to connect him with Wrestling-Network via a simple Google search), Winterroth wrote straight back suggesting there might have been some kind of mistake.

“What is your name, address and Facebook page that was potentially inadvertently removed and I’ll look into it,” the lawyer wrote.

"http://facebook.com/WrestlingNetworkHD," BeBe responded.

Since Winterroth was the person named by Facebook as being responsible for the takedowns, it would be reasonable to presume that he already knew the circumstances behind the page’s disappearance, so suggesting at this point that there might have been some kind of error seems somewhat unusual. Nevertheless, Winterroth further underlined that notion in a rather unusual follow-up email.

Needless to say, BeBe wasn’t tempted to take up the offer.

“I just woke up and while I was checking my phone, I read the email and started laughing hysterically,” BeBe informs TF.

“I mean, I heard a long time ago about a case where in order to arrest them on US territory, some guys were attracted to the USA by undercover FBI agents who promised them money and girls, but a gift bag from WWE? Really? He could at least given me some WrestleMania tickets.”

BeBe says he politely declined the offer.

“Oh, that’s so generous of you, but no thanks,” he told Winterroth. “I just want my page back since I didn’t post any links to copyrighted materials like you claim.”

Exactly 20 minutes later, the WWE lawyer’s tone had changed.

“Thank you for your correspondence. We have shut down your Facebook page and also worked with PayPal to permanently suspend your payment processor account with them. We now have your address and whereabouts in Romania,” he explained.

“Should you not shut down the website and agree not to infringe WWE intellectual property in the future in an immediate fashion, WWE will continue to work with our counsel in Romania, as well as the relevant legal authorities, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs/Bucharest City Police and Romanian National Audiovisual Council on our ongoing criminal complaint against you.”

What followed were demands for BeBe to hand over his domain but with tempers beginning to fray, that seemed unlikely.

“[..] If you don’t know, Romania is not a state in the United States of America. Romania is a country in eastern Europe. Unless you figured it out by now, US law does not apply here and no Romanian law is being violated,” BeBe told the WWE in an Anakata-inspired response.

“Yes, this is why we are working closely with Romanian legal authorities on this matter, who have more knowledge of the current state of Romanian law that [sic] either you or I,” BeBe was informed. “Your website exists to infringe WWE intellectual property in a wholesale fashion, and such illegal use will not be tolerated.”

At this point, relations truly broke down.

“Ok, ok, I’m gonna go outside and wait for the SWAT team, or are you gonna send Seal Team 6? Well, whatever, in the meantime, you can go fuck yourself ‘Captain Skinny-Dick’,” BeBe told Winterroth.

“Oh, since you wanted my name and address, here it is: Mr. Fukhusen, 110 eatshitlane, 6800 Romania. Also, please stop with these legal threats Judge Judy, go back in your room and watch Suits and Law and Order.”

Signing off with a request for Winterroth to say “Hi” to WWE supremo Vince McMahon, BeBe severed his “negotiations” with WWE and has heard no more since.

Whether WWE will be tag-teaming with the Romanian police anytime soon will remain to be seen.

Source: TorrentFreak

Edited March 20, 2014 by shamu726

[locoJoe]

WWE better try alot harder because their content is all over the web. Once more WWE content is by far one of the most posted items on Usenet. I pay for the WWE Network because I am a huge wrestling fan and because it exists and IMO is worth $9.99/mo. That being said the WWE Network is brand new and in all my years I have never missed a WWE PPV nor have I had to pay to see them. Its just too prevalent and easy to get. WWE will never put even a small dent in the amount of their content being "shared" online. :chair:

[mastershake]

imo if they didnt charge ridiculous pay per view costs more people like myself would actually pay for them. 20$ sure. even 25$ but they want like 60-70 or even more sometimes. yeah i dont think so.

[nanoman]

I Don't Like PPV Subscription , KYR Is The Way To Go :P

Edited March 20, 2014 by nanoman

[locoJoe]

imo if they didnt charge ridiculous pay per view costs more people like myself would actually pay for them. 20$ sure. even 25$ but they want like 60-70 or even more sometimes. yeah i dont think so.

If you subscribe to the WWE Network all the PPVs are included in the price. Price is $9.99/mo, but currently I think WWE Network is only available in U.S. They stream in 720p HD and all content is uncensored as it was back in the R-rated Attitude era! The first PPV to air on WWE Network will be Wrestlemania in about 3 weeks! I agree that in the past it was too expensive to buy PPV but at $9.99/mo I am in!

WWE Network is a 24/7 streaming service with both scheduled programming and an on-demand library.

WWE Network will include

• 24/7 streaming service with both scheduled programming, an on-demand library that you can access everywhere
• All 12 live WWE pay-per-view events including WrestleMania 30
• Groundbreaking original series, reality shows and documentaries
• All WWE, WCW, ECW pay-per-views and classic matches - uncut and uncensored
• Replays of Raw and SmackDown episodes from 2012 and 2013
• A live daily studio show coming this summer
• WWE Network will launch with more than 1,000 hours of on-demand content.
• New, video-on-demand content will be added regularly.

WWE Network FAQ:

http://www.wwe.com/help

Edited March 20, 2014 by locoJoe

[nuthut]

imo if they didnt charge ridiculous pay per view costs more people like myself would actually pay for them. 20$ sure. even 25$ but they want like 60-70 or even more sometimes. yeah i dont think so.

If you subscribe to the WWE Network all the PPVs are included in the price. Price is $9.99/mo, but currently I think WWE Network is only available in U.S. They stream in 720p HD and all content is uncensored as it was back in the R-rated Attitude era! The first PPV to air on WWE Network will be Wrestlemania in about 3 weeks! I agree that in the past it was too expensive to buy PPV but at $9.99/mo I am in!

WWE Network is a 24/7 streaming service with both scheduled programming and an on-demand library.

WWE Network will include

• 24/7 streaming service with both scheduled programming, an on-demand library that you can access everywhere
• All 12 live WWE pay-per-view events including WrestleMania 30
• Groundbreaking original series, reality shows and documentaries
• All WWE, WCW, ECW pay-per-views and classic matches - uncut and uncensored
• Replays of Raw and SmackDown episodes from 2012 and 2013
• A live daily studio show coming this summer
• WWE Network will launch with more than 1,000 hours of on-demand content.
• New, video-on-demand content will be added regularly.

WWE Network FAQ:

http://www.wwe.com/help

I also purchased the WWE netowrk. The fact that is 100% uncut and unedited is 100% BS.

You have the service... Watch 1999 Over the Edge PPV. There is a 30 second memorial to Owen Hart before the show starts. But as you watch the PPV there is no mention of his accident. The match he was suppose to be in is cut out, the match when they announced that he was dead, 3 matches later, is cut out also.

SummerSlam 2000. The match between Undertake and Kane. Three quarters of they way into the match, Undertaker says to the camera "I am going take his fucking mask off" When you re-watch it on the network, the curse is bleeped out.

I recall a couple of the bra and pantie matches having nudity in them but I can not recall which ones. I am curious if those were also edited out (Kat was notorious for flashing everyone)