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3879 repositories have been removed from the platform.
The Bypass Paywalls Clean (BPC) browser extension, which allowed users to bypass paywalls and access content on sites without a paid subscription, was blocked along with 3,879 of its forks. The reason was the appeal of the News Media Alliance (NMA) to the GitHub platform, where the extension code was posted. The organization, which represents more than 2,200 publishers of news, magazines and digital media, pointed out that the BPC violates the rights of its members by circumventing technological content protection measures, which is contrary to the provisions of the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act).
With the advent of digital technologies, the media environment has undergone significant changes. Internet platforms have quickly become the primary tool for distributing and consuming content. On the one hand, this opened up new opportunities for publishers, but on the other hand, it led to serious challenges. Free access to digital versions of newspapers and magazines caused a significant decline in print sales. While advertising was initially the main source of revenue for online publications, over time this flow began to dry up. Ad blocker programs grew in popularity as users sought to protect themselves from intrusive and aggressive advertisements.
In the face of falling revenues, many publishers began to implement paywalls, restricting access to their content only to subscribers. This step allowed some publications not only to survive, but also to improve their financial situation. However, technical solutions that allow users to bypass these toll walls were also not long in coming. One of the most well-known tools for this was Bypass Paywalls Clean, which users could easily install on Chrome and Firefox browsers.
For publishers hoping to grow subscription revenue, the emergence of BPC was a major challenge. The extension provided users with the ability to access content without paying, which compromised the subscription-based financial model. In April 2023, the first complaint against BPC was filed against the GitLab platform, which hosted the extension's main repository. Then the repository was deleted and not restored.
In August 2023, the NMA filed a similar complaint on GitHub. Unlike the previous case, GitHub published the full details of the complaint, including information about who filed it and the legal basis for removing the content. In letters sent to GitHub, the NMA clarified that the complaint is not only about copyright infringement, but also about circumventing technological content protection measures, which directly violates Section 1201 of the DMCA.
The NMA pointed to four repositories containing software products that violate the law. These include "bypass-paywalls-chrome", "bypass-paywalls-firefox", "bpc_updates" and "bypass-paywalls-clean-filters". Each of these repositories included code that allowed you to bypass paywalls on sites protected by various technological measures. Depending on the content protection system used, some publications provide access to a limited number of free articles (the so-called "soft" paywall), while others completely block access without a subscription (hard paywall).
The NMA stressed that all of these repositories contain tools that violate the provisions of the DMCA, as they circumvent technological measures to protect content. GitHub, after reviewing the complaint and conducting its own review, found the NMA's claims to be reasonable. As a result, the platform disabled all 3,879 repositories, including the main BPC repository, which was a serious blow to the community of developers and users who support this extension.
The removal could spell the end for Bypass Paywalls Clean on the GitHub platform. While some projects may continue to exist on other platforms, further support and development of BPC remain questionable, as the extension requires regular updates to work effectively.
Source
The Bypass Paywalls Clean (BPC) browser extension, which allowed users to bypass paywalls and access content on sites without a paid subscription, was blocked along with 3,879 of its forks. The reason was the appeal of the News Media Alliance (NMA) to the GitHub platform, where the extension code was posted. The organization, which represents more than 2,200 publishers of news, magazines and digital media, pointed out that the BPC violates the rights of its members by circumventing technological content protection measures, which is contrary to the provisions of the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act).
With the advent of digital technologies, the media environment has undergone significant changes. Internet platforms have quickly become the primary tool for distributing and consuming content. On the one hand, this opened up new opportunities for publishers, but on the other hand, it led to serious challenges. Free access to digital versions of newspapers and magazines caused a significant decline in print sales. While advertising was initially the main source of revenue for online publications, over time this flow began to dry up. Ad blocker programs grew in popularity as users sought to protect themselves from intrusive and aggressive advertisements.
In the face of falling revenues, many publishers began to implement paywalls, restricting access to their content only to subscribers. This step allowed some publications not only to survive, but also to improve their financial situation. However, technical solutions that allow users to bypass these toll walls were also not long in coming. One of the most well-known tools for this was Bypass Paywalls Clean, which users could easily install on Chrome and Firefox browsers.
For publishers hoping to grow subscription revenue, the emergence of BPC was a major challenge. The extension provided users with the ability to access content without paying, which compromised the subscription-based financial model. In April 2023, the first complaint against BPC was filed against the GitLab platform, which hosted the extension's main repository. Then the repository was deleted and not restored.
In August 2023, the NMA filed a similar complaint on GitHub. Unlike the previous case, GitHub published the full details of the complaint, including information about who filed it and the legal basis for removing the content. In letters sent to GitHub, the NMA clarified that the complaint is not only about copyright infringement, but also about circumventing technological content protection measures, which directly violates Section 1201 of the DMCA.
The NMA pointed to four repositories containing software products that violate the law. These include "bypass-paywalls-chrome", "bypass-paywalls-firefox", "bpc_updates" and "bypass-paywalls-clean-filters". Each of these repositories included code that allowed you to bypass paywalls on sites protected by various technological measures. Depending on the content protection system used, some publications provide access to a limited number of free articles (the so-called "soft" paywall), while others completely block access without a subscription (hard paywall).
The NMA stressed that all of these repositories contain tools that violate the provisions of the DMCA, as they circumvent technological measures to protect content. GitHub, after reviewing the complaint and conducting its own review, found the NMA's claims to be reasonable. As a result, the platform disabled all 3,879 repositories, including the main BPC repository, which was a serious blow to the community of developers and users who support this extension.
The removal could spell the end for Bypass Paywalls Clean on the GitHub platform. While some projects may continue to exist on other platforms, further support and development of BPC remain questionable, as the extension requires regular updates to work effectively.
Source
