TPB goes legit? Bought by private company?

[XHipHop]

Pirate Bay to sell to private company, go legit (?) (!) - Boing Boing

[Jam]

Looks interesting, here's hoping they've got a viable business plan that benefits all the involved parties.

James

[chrisso]

I thought this line from the press release was ironic

The Pirate Bay is a site that is among the top 100 most visited Internet sites in the world. However, in order to live on, The Pirate Bay requires a new business model,

Seems like we've been discussing whether music creators should embrace a new business model this last few months, not the other way around.

Anyway, this is potentially good news as far as I'm concerned.
But the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

[soulsenseii]

Originally Posted by chrisso

I thought this line from the press release was ironic



Seems like we've been discussing whether music creators should embrace a new business model this last few months, not the other way around.

Anyway, this is potentially good news as far as I'm concerned.
But the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

It's the other way around because the industry did NOTHING to try and make some money. Once again, TPB is ahead of it's time.

[rectifier]

So that's the end of the Piratebay. Wonder what they will use as the name for their next setup.

[chrisso]

The Privatised Bay?

[JJAM]

Originally Posted by XHipHop

Pirate Bay to sell to private company, go legit (?) (!) - Boing Boing

Not exactly sticking it to the man, is it? And as for the founders not making money out of the sale, yeah, right...bunch of arseholes...

[Volodia]

They were being arrogant at the time of the trial , saying it's not the end ..yada yada and now they're selling .

It goes to show that torrent sites are going to be under pressure .

And please don't come with the argument , they'll put servers in other countries cause it doesn't work like that . if you live in a european country you'll be convicted even if the servers are abroad .

[Mike Brown]

Originally Posted by Volodia

They were being arrogant at the time of the trial , saying it's not the end ..yada yada and now they're selling .

It goes to show that torrent sites are going to be under pressure .

And please don't come with the argument , they'll put servers in other countries cause it doesn't work like that . if you live in a european country you'll be convicted even if the servers are abroad .

Lets all gloss over the more interesting bits of this story.... the site will continue to run as usual or all the users will go to any number of other popular trackers which are all linked together by several different services.

[rack gear]

I suspect you are correct, but let's not overlook that this is a big shot over the bough.

Domino effect - if there is precedent, and the forming of international cooperation via fair trade (which Hollywood will see to), it is still, the beginning of the end... the end however, could be a long way off...

Originally Posted by Mayor999

Lets all gloss over the more interesting bits of this story.... the site will continue to run as usual or all the users will go to any number of other popular trackers which are all linked together by several different services.

[XHipHop]

BB Video - Pirate Bay Surrenders to Hollywood: Peter Sunde interview - Boing Boing

interview with cofounder.

[chrisso]

I'm sorry I find Boing Boing a highly biased news source.
I picked up the flipside of this story from (the somewhat more impartial) Reuters.

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -

Global Gaming Factory X AB, which operates Internet cafes and provides software, said Tuesday that it had agreed to buy Pirate Bay for 60 million Swedish crowns ($7.7 million).
Sunde told TT that the money would be placed in a company outside Swedish borders and it would be used for Internet projects other than downloading sites.

........

Analysts were unimpressed by the move, comparing it to Napster, an online file-sharing site that quickly lost popularity after it started to charge its users.

"It looks like they are going to Napsterize it," said Leigh Ellis, intellectual property partner at Gillhams Solicitors.

Mark Mulligan, vice president at research firm Forrester, said that many of Pirate Bay's around 20 million users would move on to other free downloading options.

"The bottom line is that most people who use file-sharing networks use it because it's free. They are not likely to start paying just because the owners have a new business model," he said.

"There has not yet been a single example of a file-sharing network which has made a successful transition to a legal business."

Veeeery interesting.
Please note these commentators aren't old farts on Gearslutz, or music industry stalwarts.

[mobius.media]

Another amusing article

Angst Rules After The Pirate Bay Announces Sale - News and Analysis by PC Magazine

Didn't know mininova was under suit as well.

For many, The Pirate Bay's decision to sell itself to Global Gaming Factory X on Tuesday for $7.74 million has shattered what some had begun to accept as a truism: that piracy was acceptable, and that The Pirate Bay would fight for their rights until the bitter end.

This sale actually does amazing things for shattering image of torrent owners as noble Davids against the evil corporate Goliaths.

Now we see the figurehead of the biggest one going back on everything he ever said to cash it all in for a big pay day.

So much for all that.

[author]

And as the Pirate Bay falls, so does the pirate BRAND!

I mean, who wants to be a pirate now?

Have a look at the forums: Glamour vanished overnight -- now, even pirates think that pirates stink!

[dlmorley]

I like the way the TPB was fighting against all things corporate and evil and those nice fighters of liberty and freedom have sold up for just shy of $8 million

Just remember kids, they did it for you



fuuck

[soulsenseii]

Originally Posted by dlmorley

I like the way the TPB was fighting against all things corporate and evil and those nice fighters of liberty and freedom have sold up for just shy of $8 million

Just remember kids, they did it for you



fuuck

No. They did it to keep the site running. Get your sources right.

Originally Posted by The Pirate Bay Blog

Yes, it's true.
News reached the press today in Sweden - The Pirate Bay might get aquired by Global Gaming Factory X AB.
A lot of people are worried. We're not and you shouldn't be either!
TPB is being sold for a great bit underneath it's value if the money would be the interesting part. It's not. The interesting thing is that the right people with the right attitude and possibilities keep running the site.
As all of you know, there's not been much news on the site for the past two-three years. It's the same site essentially. On the internets, stuff dies if it doesn't evolve. We don't want that to happen.
We've been working on this project for many years. It's time to invite more people into the project, in a way that is secure and safe for everybody. We need that, or the site will die. And letting TPB die is the last thing that is allowed to happen!
If the new owners will screw around with the site, nobody will keep using it. That's the biggest insurance one can have that the site will be run in the way that we all want to. And - you can now not only share files but shares with people. Everybody can indeed be the owner of The Pirate Bay now. That's awesome and will take the heat of us.
The old crew is still around in different ways. We will also not stop being active in the politics of the internets - quite the opposite. Now we're fueling up for going into the next gear. TPB will have economical muscles to let people evolve it. It will team up with great technicians to evolve the protocols. And we, the people interested in more than just technology, will have the time to focus on that. It's win-win-win.
The profits from the sale will go into a foundation that is going to help with projects about freedom of speech, freedom of information and the openess of the nets. I hope everybody will help out in that and realize that this is the best option for all. Don't worry - be happy!

[chrisso]

You don't actually buy all that PR spin you just quoted above do you?

They realised they were marked men and couldn't keep going the way they were.
Someone came along and offered them some money to sell the site.
They took the money and ran.

[dlmorley]

Originally Posted by soulsenseii

No. They did it to keep the site running. Get your sources right.

Ok Sorry
So they did do it for the kids
fuuck

[soulsenseii]

Yes. The kids are our future.

[HobbyCore]

Originally Posted by chrisso

You don't actually buy all that PR spin you just quoted above do you?

They realised they were marked men and couldn't keep going the way they were.
Someone came along and offered them some money to sell the site.
They took the money and ran.

That's not the case. The trackers have been de-centralized and they are beginning to endorse (and support) trackerless torrents as well as private swarms. This makes it significantly harder for authorities to track and identify illegal activity.

AND the tpb guys just got paid to do it.

There is a revolution occuring, and it's unfortunately on the side of the pirates. This is a step in the wrong direction.

[soulsenseii]

I don't believe it's the wrong direction, as long as the industry tries to capitalize on it, and distribute the revenue among the artists. Think about it, it's so simple!

[HobbyCore]

Originally Posted by soulsenseii

I don't believe it's the wrong direction, as long as the industry tries to capitalize on it, and distribute the revenue among the artists. Think about it, it's so simple!

You obviously only read one very small part of my post. This means that piracy will continue AND be harder to track.

[dlmorley]

Originally Posted by soulsenseii

Yes. The kids are our future.

That's what I tell mine! I don't sell them propaganda though. Seems profitable. Maybe I should.
You know the system may suck to a certain extent (and I have been more or less in it for 25 years) but the solution isn't the approach TPB took.
As Lynden B Johnson once said: Better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside pissing in
Fix problems from the inside. Argue. Discuss. Let Artists take a lead for once. We have replaced the labels dictating how we sell our music by people like TPB
Don't force all artists to "accept" that no one buys music anymore by making all music available for free against many of their wishes. Let the artists decide or find out for themselves. For me it's more a principle. I am grown up enough to decide how I want to "sell" my music, but being pushed in a direction by people who seem to think they are the good guys (wether they are or aren't), is not fair or right.
Still, you seem sold, so I doubt you or I will agree on much.

[mobius.media]

Originally Posted by HobbyCore

That's not the case. The trackers have been de-centralized and they are beginning to endorse (and support) trackerless torrents as well as private swarms. This makes it significantly harder for authorities to track and identify illegal activity.

AND the tpb guys just got paid to do it.

There is a revolution occuring, and it's unfortunately on the side of the pirates. This is a step in the wrong direction.

Have you actually read anything from GGF? That's not even remotely what's planed for the site.

It's basically going to be paying users for their bandwidth, but only by tracking LEGAL downloads.

Users to be paid for sharing on new Pirate Bay – Tech Products & Geek News | Geek.com

And what's so imposing about private trackers? They can be shut down just like public ones. And decentralization just turns it into limewire all over again. Centralization is what makes torrents effective.

[author]

Originally Posted by mobius.media

It's basically going to be paying users for their bandwidth, but only by tracking LEGAL downloads.

The new owners seem to be creative guys. Interesting new concepts are on the table. And it's wonderful to see that TPB really becomes completely legitimate.

Let's see how (and how much) GGF intend to pay copyright holders -- and if copyright owners can remove their property from circuit in case the deal isn't good enough.

That will be the test.

[HobbyCore]

Originally Posted by mobius.media

Have you actually read anything from GGF? That's not even remotely what's planed for the site.

It's basically going to be paying users for their bandwidth, but only by tracking LEGAL downloads.

Users to be paid for sharing on new Pirate Bay – Tech Products & Geek News | Geek.com

And what's so imposing about private trackers? They can be shut down just like public ones. And decentralization just turns it into limewire all over again. Centralization is what makes torrents effective.

I started another thread which contains a link backing up my claims.

TPB as a domain will be a "legit" site. The operations of the former TPB as a purveyor of illegal material will continue.

[mobius.media]

Originally Posted by HobbyCore

The operations of the former TPB as a purveyor of illegal material will continue.

Ya, that ought to be funny.

Without their moral righteousness and legions of brainwashed fanboys? After a year of jail and with the threat of more to follow?

[rack gear]

kinda like this:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/music...-monetize.html

Originally Posted by mobius.media

Have you actually read anything from GGF? That's not even remotely what's planed for the site.

It's basically going to be paying users for their bandwidth, but only by tracking LEGAL downloads.

Users to be paid for sharing on new Pirate Bay – Tech Products & Geek News | Geek.com

And what's so imposing about private trackers? They can be shut down just like public ones. And decentralization just turns it into limewire all over again. Centralization is what makes torrents effective.

[mobius.media]

Originally Posted by redvelvetstudios

kinda like this:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/music...-monetize.html

Ya and I totally commend them for trying. If a legal torrent site exists, whatever the nature, it further de-legitimizes the illegal ones. It also makes it clear: p2p is not the enemy, just abusive uses.

I am very doubtful in this case it will be profitable though.

[9th Ward Records]

Sounds like ****ing Napster again... and where are they now?