IsoHunt to shut down, pay MPAA $110 million

[Scorpus]

Well-known BitTorrent search site IsoHunt will shut down its operations worldwide, following a decision from founder Gary Fung to give up his long-running legal battles with various movie studios. As a result of the battles, Fung will also have to pay $110 million to the MPAA, although had the case had gone to trial he might have had to pay up to $600 million.

Fung's decision comes just weeks before having to appear in a Los Angeles federal court. The court appearance would likely have been to determine damages, as an earlier appearance already found Fung liable for "inducing" copyright infringement, despite arguing that the site doesn't actually host any copyright-infringing files.

While it's most active, IsoHunt claims to have around 50 million peers across 14 million torrents, indexing more than 17,000 terabytes of content. Like most torrent search engines, the website was used primarily for piracy, despite indexing both legitimate and non-legitimate content.

MPAA chairman Chris Dodd said that the settlement by Fung sends a "a strong message that those who build businesses around encouraging, enabling, and helping others to commit copyright infringement". He also reinforced the MPAA's position that any copyright infringers will "held accountable for their illegal actions".

IsoHunt hasn't been the only BitTorrent site to face legal and governmental battles. Perhaps the most well-known torrent site, The Pirate Bay, continues to be the subject of many blocking efforts, although so far the website has managed to stay alive. With efforts to stamp out online piracy continuing in full force, who knows what the next site to fall will be.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/54380-isohunt-to-shut-down-pay-mpaa-110-million.html

 

[cliffordcooley]

IsoHunt was already shutdown. It's been two or three years now, IsoHunt has been nothing but links to other sites. IsoHunt used to be my goto source, until they were shutdown years ago.

 

[Ranger12]

Yah, I didn't know they were still around. I found it My friend found it to be sub par compared to other sites when he used it years ago.

 

[wastedkill]

So they owe $110million jesus I didn't know they earned more than $100million in revenue that just shows how much google makes from illegal activity yet they are still alive.

If I was this guy I would hand them a check for the $110million as he obviously has that kind of cash otherwise how stupid would someone be to demand $110million from someone with less than $300k in their pocket.

If MPAA wanted to do some real damage they could have worked with isohunt then that $110million could have became $17trillion or whatever kind of money they said copyright causes worldwide.

 

[matrix86]

Damn. I used to use it for a while then it just became yet another haven for malware and viruses, so I moved to demonoid (LOVED LOVED LOVED that site...trustworthy files, close community that took care of each other). Then it got shut down and went back to ISOHunt...was just really careful with it, though.

 

[Guest]

While they still had valid torrents, most of them were old or useless and it had been that way for years. They also had a lot of public domain stuff. Attaway to go after one of the most harmless of the offenders.

I stopped DLing movies long ago when it became so easy just to find them online and watch them streaming -- don't bother with games and such any longer either. Bit torrent sites really aren't a problem for copyright holders any longer, not like they may have been at one time.

The Times they are a changin', and as usual the legal system isn't keeping up.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

MPAA is a bunch of shortsighted pricks. If they were smart they would embrace technology and find a way to distribute movies through the bittorrent system and make a profit. But rather than try to adapt the technology into a competitive legal source of movies for consumers, the try to beat it into submission so they can continue their greed-induced "our way or the highway" methodology.

 

[psycros]

So if someone finds some buried treasure (or even buries themselves) and then posts a map to in on a bulletin board that I happen to own, I can be sued. Yeah, that's a great legal argument. I guess I can be sued by a neighbor who cuts his arm off with the chainsaw I loaned him too.

 

[Lionvibez]

I was waiting for this.

I have used the site before but in recent years the quality of stuff on the site was dropping.
Most people have already gone else where.

So this shut down doesn't really do anything waste of time and money as usual.

 

[tipstir]

If they wanted to stamp this out they wouldn't have done it the first time. Stop all this skies the limit online access. Lock down internet then. Shut it down then rebuild it was safe guards. How is this guy suppose to come up with 110 million? I guess he'll be in prison for the rest of his life without a PC.

DVD/BD over pricing, TV shows are free to watch over the HDTV ANT but yet we have to pay for them if we miss the series. No regulation about that. HBO over pricing service use to be only like $9 bucks when they first launched. Not it's like almost $20 a month. Broadwalk Empire and Trueblood are good series very popular online also. But if you don't have CATV then you have to purchase the season and a prime price. None are available on Netflix.

So everyone wants everything for free but when it's free online then they all get in trouble with the law. No one wins at this racket. I am sure next PCs with be NSA approved.

 

[mosu]

If they wanted to stamp this out they wouldn't have done it the first time. Stop all this skies the limit online access. Lock down internet then. Shut it down then rebuild it was safe guards. How is this guy suppose to come up with 110 million? I guess he'll be in prison for the rest of his life without a PC.

DVD/BD over pricing, TV shows are free to watch over the HDTV ANT but yet we have to pay for them if we miss the series. No regulation about that. HBO over pricing service use to be only like $9 bucks when they first launched. Not it's like almost $20 a month. Broadwalk Empire and Trueblood are good series very popular online also. But if you don't have CATV then you have to purchase the season and a prime price. None are available on Netflix.

So everyone wants everything for free but when it's free online then they all get in trouble with the law. No one wins at this racket. I am sure next PCs with be NSA approved.

The actual PC running Windows already are NSA approved, Intel is working very hard on that matter. MPAA , on the other hand, only has lawyers.

 

[bugejakurt]

This is done so the rich becomes richer...

 

[Guest]

Yeah, windows is already approved and sponsored by the NSA, just like the Xbone, DON'T underestimate the security solutions you use on windows OS, they are also giving your information to the NSA.

 

[Guest]

Cable ISP's continue to make faster and more reliable networks. Better technology. Funded by the money of their profits. Funded by ? All the customers who joined them so that they could download stuff for free.

If you want, as many people under surveillance as possible, entice them to join the web with free stuff. Then when you have as many people as you can dependent on their media sources coming from the interweb, hike the prices, close all the sites offering free stuff so as to make more money by offering only premium alternatives to jail sentences. And also remove any privacy rights people have.

Welcome to Big Brother 1 0 1 ...

 

[MrV2K]

He should offer to pay the fine off at £5 per month!