{
  "id": 7655455,
  "title": "“Filmmaker” suing PassThePopcorn may be banned user out for revenge",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/filmmaker-suing-passthepopcorn-may-be-banned-user-out-for-revenge-7655455",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-15T20:19:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ars Technica",
    "slug": "ars-technica",
    "url": "https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/09/filmmaker-suing-passthepopcorn-may-be-banned-user-out-for-revenge/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A filmmaker suspected of suing private torrent trackers may have been attempting to seek revenge, according to TorrentFreak. Matthew Schneider, an alleged independent filmmaker, initiated legal action against six private trackers, including PassThePopcorn, BroadcasTheNet, and HDBits. The trackers targeted were accused of infringing copyrights on films that Schneider claimed he had made. In an ongoing fight, the filmmaker sought Cloudflare to unmask the operators of the trackers, which led to the trackers alerting the court that Schneider appeared to be an impostor. A sworn declaration from the actual filmmaker behind the movies cited in the complaint confirmed he had no association with Schneider. The actual filmmaker wrote, \"I am not involved in, nor have I ever appeared in, this case.\"",
  "summary": "Allegedly fake filmmaker targeted trackers like PassThePopcorn, BroadcasTheNet, and HDBits.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ars Technica Policy",
        "title": "“Filmmaker” suing PassThePopcorn may be banned user out for revenge",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/filmmaker-suing-passthepopcorn-may-be-banned-user-out-for-revenge",
        "published": "2026-09-15T20:19:17.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}