Certain stream-ripping sites have been effectively blocked by strict court orders from the Federal Court in Australia. Local Australian ISPs—Telstra, Foxtel, Optus, TPG, Vodafone, and their subsidiaries—were forced to implement these orders after the Australian Performing Right Association successfully obtained the court orders.
These stream-ripping sites allow downloading of audio and video content from websites like YouTube and Spotify. Read on to find out more about the latest story that is bound to change the fate of the music industry in Australia.
Four stream-ripping sites blocked in Australia
The music industry doesn’t have much love for these so-called stream-ripping websites. What these sites do is that they allow users to convert and download video and audio files from websites like YouTube and Spotify into their computers.
Here’s what you need to know about the story of this long-existing issue:
- Ongoing battle: Even though the music industry fought this issue for a long time, it wasn’t until early this year that the industry made a significant breakthrough. In April, music labels Sony, Warner, and Universal, with the assistance from Music Rights Australia, appeared in Federal Court to ask for fitting actions be placed against four key stream-ripping websites. The music industry asked the court to take reasonable actions to prevent local ISPs from providing access to such sites.
- The four key stream-ripping websites: Australia’s music industry considered these four to be the most threatening stream-ripping websites: 2conv, Flv2mp3, FLVto, and Convert2mp3. None of them are located in Australia, which is actually convenient. Australian laws require sites to be based overseas to be able to enforce a blocking injunction.
It is clear to the public that websites like YouTube and Spotify are easily exploitable. Audio and video has been continuously downloaded and can be permanently stored on users’ devices. Despite being sued multiple times in the past by record labels, these stream-ripping sites were able to hold their ground until these recent court orders.
What does this mean for stream-ripping sites?
It is apparent that stream-ripping websites have been hit hard by this move. The Federal Court orders ISPs in Australia to restrict access to stream-ripping websites. However, there are still other ways to access restricted sites, and it is through VPNs.
Choose a VPN provider which allows torrenting. These two are our favorite for this task right now:
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You can switch from ripping to downloading these songs, knowing that this is now for sure a copyright violation. Don’t know any sites? Check out the top 10 sites for downloading.
VPN to the rescue
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Unblocking geo-restrictions
VPNs who specialize in geo-unblocking will allow you to change your virtual location and bypass geo-based restrictions. By rerouting your Internet connection and applying iron-clad encryption, VPNs will let you access your favorite sites, even the restricted ones.
Considering that Australia is getting serious against piracy, Australian users might want to get used to using VPNs if they want to enjoy continuous access.
How to choose the perfect VPN for me?
Not all VPNs are the same. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of
If you wish to access restricted sites without falling into legal trouble, you have to do some research. To make your life easier, we reviewed the top VPNs in Australia to help you bypass content restrictions and access blocked sites once again. Make sure to read our reviews to get one which allows torrenting if you’re going that route, otherwise our top
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