Pixelados and HD-Spain, which offered a large catalogue of films and TV shows, with over 26,000 torrents, have been shut down. According to the Alliance for Creativity and Media (ACE), the sites drew about 300,000 visits per month with almost all traffic coming from Spain. The sites affected several ACE members.
A commenter on bandaancha.eu, said that “In exchange for NOT UNDERTAKE (sic) ANY LEGAL ACTION against those responsible for the websites or relatives, the “Alliance For Creativity And Entertainment” has retained ownership of the existing domains and of course cease the activity of the websites.
No profit motive
“It is well known to all that we have NEVER had any profit whatsoever, but this is a hobby, and as such at the moment that it may present a problem for any person in charge of the web or a relative, close everything for real.”
One might conclude that this commenter was associated with the sites, since the commenter referred to themselves as “we;” and as rationale to be excused from the piracy accusation, disclaimed any profit motive.
The commenter continued: “The domains already belong to the “Alliance For Creativity And Entertainment”, neither the software nor the hardware that maintained the web no longer exists, ALL the data of ALL the users have been deleted AND destroyed, they no longer exist.
Further reading:
Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment Shuts Down Popular Piracy Sites In Spain. Press release, ACE, January 31, 2023
Read the commenter’s post on bandaancha.eu
Why it matters
As with many piracy take-downs, the pirates simply pack their bags and move elsewhere. This one appears to be no exception, according to the post on bandaancha.eu: “We are going to have to go back to eMule, trackers are the weak point of the torrent system.”
ACE touts the current accomplishment undeterred and has probably made note of this path of breadcrumbs back to eMule.
“Thanks to ACE’s rapidly expanding global network and decisive action against illegal piracy operators, the legal marketplace for creative content has never been so well protected,” said Jan van Voorn, Executive Vice President and Global Content Protection Chief of the Motion Picture Association and Head of ACE. “As we enter 2023, our coalition is better equipped than ever to target and shut down the pirates who threaten the legal creative economy.”
