copyright troll
- noun
- /ˈkɔːpiraɪt troʊl/
- Jargon
:
troll de derechos de autor
- The copyright troll sent letters to dozens of unsuspecting internet users, demanding large payments for unauthorized downloads.
Examples
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Many independent filmmakers fear becoming a victim of a copyright troll, who might sue them over their use of music in a short film.
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The case centers around known copyright troll Malibu Media, an adult entertainment company, which has filed 349 mass lawsuits against thousands of web users in the U.S. Malibu files these suits with no intention of taking those targets to court.
Blog text (1) -
Given the potential for this case to jam a stick in the spokes of copyright trolls across the U.S., we'll be sure to
Blog text (1) -
This argument, long used by savvy web goers against so-called "copyright trolls," companies that make money by filing mass lawsuits against people whose IP addresses are linked to BitTorrent downloads, will soon be put to the test in court for the first time in the United States.
Blog text (1) -
After receiving a threatening letter from a copyright troll, she felt anxious about the legal consequences of her online activities.
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts give useful cues: 'copyright' clearly marks the legal domain and 'troll' signals a hostile or exploitative actor, so a B1 learner would likely guess it refers to a negative person/actor connected to copyright. However, the precise sense — aggressive, profit-driven enforcement of claims (often without producing original work) — is a specialized, culture-specific/legal extension of 'troll' that is not fully predictable from the constituents alone.
Etymology
Copyright troll imagines a person like a troll who hides under a bridge and forces people to pay, and links to copyright, the right over creative work. That's why the term means 'someone who uses copyright to demand money, often without making their own work'.