Is BitTorrent Done? Major Torrent Sites Consider Shutting Down
• Ernesto
• February 7, 2012
http://torrentfreak.com/is-bittorrent-done-major-torrent-sites-consider-shutting-down-120207/
News of raids, arrests, seizures, extraditions and jail time in the
file-sharing world hasn’t gone unnoticed by the operators of major BitTorrent
sites. Yesterday, the owners of BTjunkie decided to close their site because
the stress became too much, and there are others who consider doing the same.
While there are still plenty site owners who are determined to continue, doubt
and uncertainty are more present than ever before.
For nearly a decade BitTorrent sites have ruled the file-sharing landscape.
In recent weeks, however, worry about the future has increased drastically
among the owners of some of the largest torrent sites. Yesterday, BTjunkie
closed its doors for good, and TorrentFreak has learned that at least two other
sites in the top 10 have toyed with the same idea.
“There have been talks of shutting our site down, even before BTjunkie did it,”
one admin told TorrentFreak on condition of anonymity.
The aggressive actions against MegaUpload – site founder Kim Dotcom was raided
by an anti-terrorist squad last month – are frequently mentioned as cause for
concern. So much so that several people involved with one of the largest
torrent sites on the Internet have already dropped out.
“A couple guys on the staff decided not to be involved anymore with the site
after the MegaUpload incident,” the admin told us.
The fact that a German citizen can be arrested in New Zealand upon request from
the US authorities signaled that regardless of local laws, people connected to
file-sharing sites have become a global target.
“It’s turning into a witch hunt. It is worrying,” said the admin.
The thoughts of this admin are shared by one of the owners of another major
torrent site, who told TorrentFreak in private that shutting down has crossed
his mind on several occasions.
Things have become more and more complicated in recent weeks. Even those who
are as cooperative as possible with copyright holders, by swiftly responding to
DMCA takedown requests for example, can’t be entirely sure that they won’t
become the next target.
On the other side, however, there are also those who continue undeterred, such
as isoHunt.com owner Gary Fung, who is battling in court with the music and
movie industries.
“After 6 years of 2 civil lawsuits with MPAA and CRIA, we are still here. None
of these events is really new to us. From Lokitorrent to Suprnova, we’ve seen
sites we index come and go. And as long as the Free Internet exists, sharing
will endure. As will isoHunt,” he says.
Ironically enough, isoHunt’s ongoing legal battle might be what keeps Fung
relatively safe. If the authorities planned to launch a criminal investigation
against a torrent site it would be strange to pick one that is already involved
in a civil lawsuit with a copyright holder.
Besides not being worried about the future, isoHunt’s owner is going on the
offensive and is urging the entertainment industries to embrace technology,
instead if fighting it.
“Perhaps more than ever, I wish the content industries will wake up to the fact
you can’t fight technological progress, that battles maybe won, the war is
already lost. Unless Content really starts working with technology to
accelerate spread of culture, as the Internet has naturalized it. And make more
money than ever in the process,” Fung says.
“Because so-called piracy enabled by the Internet and media consumption is not
a zero-sum game, a download does not equal a lost sale, and what pirates really
want is not necessarily free as in beer, but free as in speech and convenience.”
isoHunt’s determination to continue operating is shared by Extratorrent‘s admin
Sam, whose site became the 5th largest torrent site after BTjunkie folded.
“What happened with MegaUpload is not at all good for the torrent world, but I
would say it is impossible to stop the unstoppable. After all, if one site is
shut down, a hundred new sites will open,” Sam told TorrentFreak, adding, “We
have no plans to shut down,we will continue running as usual.”
Another site that’s not going anywhere is The Pirate Bay, the largest torrent
site of all. Although its founders are now very close to serving jail time, the
site itself will remain online. In the coming weeks The Pirate Bay will replace
.torrent files with magnet links, which makes the site more portable and
resilient.
The above shows that the end of BitTorrent is not near, but it’s hard to ignore
the changing climate. People who previously saw no problems with running a
torrent site are now reconsidering their position. The exact fallout, and
whether there will be any newcomers to fill the gaping hole BTjunkie left, will
become apparent in the coming months.
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Just because i'm near the punchbowl doesn't mean I'm also drinking from it.
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