ThePirateBay’s guilty verdict (pending an appeal) has had a tremendous impact on Sweden’s trackers - both public & private. Once thought to be one of the safest havens for private trackers among first-world countries, Swedish tracker owners have recently done an about-face. www.TTi.nu (The Internationals) - one of the largest and most popular of the bunch, announced that they’re removing all illegal torrents and going legit - which, in the tracker world is the same thing as closing down. SceneHD.org will follow suit on April 28th by removing the tracker - so the question remains: where’s the Hydra?
Below is an actual copy of the letter (translated into English) that most Swedish trackers received from anti-piracy group antipiratbyran.se; this one in particular was sent to Swedish tracker SwePiracy.nu, which promptly encouraged them to take down the tracker:
We write to you as agents of a large number of Swedish right holders to films.
Stockholm District Court ruled April 17, 2009 people behind the file sharing service The Pirate Bay for abetting the violation of copyright law. The penalty was set at one year’s imprisonment for each of the defendants, which also will pay over 30 million in damages to right holders. The criminal offense included in that the defendants through the operation of The Pirate Bay promoted to other people via transmissions on the Internet for files containing certain copyright works made available to the general public, and those promoted to second produced copies of works.
We have noted that you, through the activities with swepiracy.org, similarly engaged in copyright infringement of several works whose rights to our principals.
You are hereby requested to immediately take the necessary measures to prevent the ongoing incursions. You are therefore invited to:
- Delete all. Torrent files from swepiracy.org referring to copyrighted works,
- Take steps to prevent future uploads to swepiracy.org of. Torrent files mentioning, as well
- Take measures to prevent the ability to load up or down plants or parts thereof by swepiracy.org ’s tracker.
Unless your contribution to the incursions have stopped by 27 th April 2009, we have our clients to take legal action against you.
Sincerely
Anders Nilsson
Swedish Anti-Piracy Agency
S: t Erik Street 117a
Box 23021
104 35 Stockholm
Tel: 08-545 475 50 (switchboard) Telephone 13.00 - 15.00
Fax: 08-34 38 10
http://www.antipiratbyran.se/
It looks bad friends. Maybe open Swepiracy in the future with the other owners from other parts of the world, but now speaks much to the site shut down completely.
View the same message sent to SweDVDR here.
Swedish Trackers That Are Now Closed (or offline)
www.tti.nu
Online since: June 2007Tracker: Illegal torrents removed April 22, 2009
TTI.nu Update: Returned with regular releases May 24th, 2009.
All of us in Staff just came back from a 1 hour long meeting regarding the future of TTi. The meeting is now over and we have finally come to a conclusion.
From now on, TTi will only concentrate on bands/artists that want to spread their material on the Internet and waiting for a record contract. As you might have noticed, we have had our own music releases with bands that want to be spread around the Internet, hoping for a record label to spot them for quite some time. Because of all the turbulence and insecurity about whether it’s okay to run a tracker or not, we have now decided to go full out on bands that want to be discovered through the Internet.
The forum will stay as normal. We know how much you like our forum, and we will do everything we can to keep up the awesome spirit that we have today. We will however make some small changes, all for the greater good.
More things will come up, but more info about that will come up later on.
We of course realize that many of you are disappointed about this suggestion, but we have decided that this is the best for the future of TTi, because closing down the site completely is something that will never happen. We hope that you will still hang around the site and help us out keeping the site as good as we have always been!
Best regards,
TTi Staff
www.swepiracy.nu
Online since: 2006Tracker: Torrents removed from tracker on April 20, 2009.
SwePiracy Update: Returned in early May, 2009.
Dear members!
Swepiracy is now a row of file sharing sites close tracker of concern after The Pirate Bay conviction. Obviously, it is with a tear in the eye, we choose to take this decision, but as you might understand, it is none of us want to risk everything for a non-profit activities Swepiracy has always been.
Of course, home to remain, but the tracker will also be closed. Perhaps one day we open it again!
We want to thank all the loyal members who have supported us through donations and made the business possible, you are all worth gold.
Sincerely Staff
www.zinebytes.org
Online since: Oct. 2007Tracker Closed: April 2009
Translated — We drove and maintenance Zinebytes now have for a long time lacked the motivation to develop and run the page on. When the activity on file-sharing front, this almost completely stalled since IPRED-law came into force. And maintenance of the tracker can sometimes be a big time thief. So is now ZineBytes on ice.
Instead of a few other torrent sites just disappear one day. How do I let the forum and the ability to send private messages to be active for a while, if anyone would like to say goodbye to someone they met here, or organize their own alternative. Bittorrent tracker and all parts relating to that part of the ZB has become inactivated.
Appear any interesting method to hunt pirates in the future so we might start up again ZB. Or organize something similar for audiobook lovers out there.
It has been fun getting to know all of you.
Thank you everyone who helped to build ZineBytes. //Staff
www.wolfbits.org
Online since: Feb. 2006Tracker Closed: April 21, 2009
Translated — We have decided to put WolfBits on the shelf. Then there is a wave of rinses away by torrents of pages. The Swedish Anti-Piracy Agency has triumphed over us, and we do not take it bad for the safe.
R.I.P WolfBits 2006-2009
http://scenehd.org
Online since: April 2007Tracker Closed: April 28, 2009
SceneHD Update: Returned in mid-May, 2009.
IMPORTANT NEWS!
Sorry fellow SceneHD users but we will close down the tracker (download/upload) on 28th April. Due to emails from the Swedish Anti-Piracy Bureau. We don’t want to risk getting sued.
Forum and IRC will works as usual.
www.nordicbits.org
Online since: April 10, 2005Tracker Closed: April 17, 2009
We have to shut down the site now due all circumstances. We don’t have time to do anything to the code, we don’t have interest to it, we don’t have any more money and the biggest reason is The Pirate Bay info.
We want to say thanks to everyone who made NordicBits possible, users, uploaders, seeder, moderators and administrators.
Hopefully the page will come back online late, but we new design, new information.
Thanks for us and keep the leeching up!
RIP Nordicbits (2005-04-10 - 2009-04-17)
www.softmp3.org
Online since: March 2007Tracker Closed: April 21, 2009
Translated — Site closed due to the new swedish law hunting down siteowners.
http://seedit.org
— Now links to anti-IPRED site at www.stoppaipred.nu.
Online since: 2005Tracker Closed: April 19, 2009
RiP.SeedIT.We.Have.always.been.the.best.of.the.best.Love.love.love.XXX-RIP
www.swedvdr.org
Online since: Dec. 2005Tracker Closed: April 22, 2009
2009-04-22 - Swedvdr’s future
Most Swedish trackers including Swedvdr has received threats from the Anti-Piracy Office so torrent activity must stop. Since I do not want litigation against me will be sadly Swedvdrs tracker and torrents disappear within a week. Like Swebits page will still be evident, including the Forum remains. / / Soft
http://swedbay.net
Online since: March 11, 2009Tracker Closed: April 19, 2009
R.I.P
Now we close the page due that I as sysop does not want to risk fines or imprisonment. The page will be closed until further notice. We hope all who have been members of the page has liked it and so I thank all who supported and helped me with swedbay! You will hear more from staff when we open again!
The Forum will be open and it will still go to login page.
RIP SwedBay, 11 mars 2009 - 19 april 2009
http://hdbyte.org
Online since: Feb. 2009Tracker Closed: April 20, 2009
HDByte Update: As of Sept. 1st, 2009 - signups are open, but with no torrents on tracker (still down).
2009-04-20 - As I have been fearing for some time now it is time for the tracker to close down for a while. Hopefully we will be back in a week or so registered under another name in another country. But for now the tracker must be resting becouse of my legal council recommending it to be shure of not getting jail and fines like the owners of The Pirate Bay did (one year in jail and 30 million swedish krona in fines) it will close down at 24.00 this evening. The site will still be up but you will not be able to upload/download anything until the legal issues has been figured out properly.
http://starbits.se
Online since: Jan. 25, 2007Tracker Closed: April 22, 2009
RIP StarBits.se
2007-01-25 - 2009-04-22
Today, the decision to close the Star Bits indefinitely.
As you all noticed, there has been unsettled for some time when, against ThePirateBay came.
We would like to thank the Staff, Rechargers and all Users that have made Star Bits to what we were!
http://swebits.org
Online since: 2004Tracker: Site up, but tracker taken down April 20, 2009
SweBits Update: Returned in late July, 2009.
http://piratebits.org
Online since: Mid-2005Tracker Closed: April 18, 2009 - site offline
www.hyperbits.org
Online since: July 2006Tracker Closed: early April, 2009 - site offline
www.powerbits.org
Online since: Aug. 2005Tracker Closed: April 18?/2009 - site offline
www.mp3nerds.org
Online since: Aug. 2006Tracker Closed: April 2009 - site offline
http://glorybits.org
Online since: March 2008Tracker Closed: April 2009
GloryBits Update: Returned on August 15th, 2009.
http://feedtv.org
FeedTV.org has now removed all torrents from the site (April 2009).
Swedish/Nordic Trackers That Are Currently Online:
As of today, these private trackers are still online, but the fate of their actual “tracker” is not known.
- http://scarethe.net
- http://www.swetv.org
- https://tecknat.net
- http://www.speltorrents.se (legal games torrents only)
- http://piratetorrents.nu
- http://www.pirathub.org
- http://www.sherwoodskogen.nu
- http://www.softmupparna.net
- http://www.swemovie.se
- http://swepirates.org
- http://sweshare.org (nothing going on here)
- https://www.swetracker.org
- http://smurfbits.org - just 8 torrents
Andrew Says:
What a shame
:(
Oleg Says:
Anybody save torrent-files from this trackers ?
it can be helpfull for future fighting against RIAA and co..
And if all users are enable DHT, peer exchange and local peers discovery, which not requiering tracker
Yep, we can beat they all..
cpx Says:
This is unbelievable… SweDVDR, softmp3, SceneHD, HDByte… I will miss these places…
I hope most of the trackers will come back online with servers in other, safer, places and with fake owners. I hope we’ll get them back
NoOne Says:
Where’s the hydra? On decentralized networks like Gnutella and eDonkey/Kad
HiSJAM Says:
Shit shock horror!
All the best to http://www.PRiMO-NORDiCA.net
Run free.
Karim Says:
http://www.thelocal.se/19028/20090423/
ruudy Says:
This is surprising. Really. So many trackers going down, most of them swedish and all of them nordic or scandinavian.
Something is fishy here. Why many trackers from USA, Netherlands, Germany, China still present? They are not taken down by these entertainment and music companies baffles me.
I left out Canadian trackers but they fighting and not taken down yet.
Entertainment and Music companies have not been after those trackers in USA, China, Germany, Netherlands, etc. Why not?
I hope someone comes up with an answer to my above mentioned conspiracy theories (in your eyes). Do let me know.
Sharky, i apologise, if i have asked something out of line. I have not named any tracker from these above mentioned countries, but many of us know which ones.
Vespasianus Says:
SweDVDR follows on 30th April. Another one bites the dust.
Trackback :: Topics about Swedish » Blog Archive » 18 Swedish Trackers Closed - TTI.nu Latest to Jump Ship | THE …
[…] sharky created an interesting post today on 18 Swedish Trackers Closed - TTI.nu Latest to Jump Ship | THE …Here’s a short outlineThePirateBay’s guilty verdict (pending an appeal) has had a tremendous impact on Sweden’s trackers - both public & private. […]
Pirl Says:
R.I.P.
anon Says:
let’s face it, torrent is prety a fragile protocol, yeah someone can say it is “descentralized” but how if it become useless without trackers and fragile websites to download the “content”, and with MAIN client becoming adware/untrusted/sold to **AA there is no place to run…
Harry Says:
this was expected when tpb case was lost, but there is hope as news report that the judge was bias > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8014626.stm
Joaquin Phoenix Cant Rap Says:
i’ll miss softmp3 - definitely the best for scene mp3!
anon Says:
waffles.fm is still online. in sweden
GoldWing Says:
f*ck the law grrrr
bye soft :weep:
one of my favo sites is gone …….
Sharky Says:
The case against TPB isn’t really against TPB (the site) - it’s a civil suit aimed towards the owners/staff. Thus, even if these 4 dudes get off the hook, it doesn’t mean the same thing can’t be launched towards a different tracker staff (who have much, much less money to fight than TPB) and the case will be entirely different.
Think of it this way: If the RIAA came after you for MP3s you shared, and you won the case (probably because you have mad dollars for a legal team) - does this mean that all other future cases will be automatically won by your example? Not a chance. antipiratbyran has played their hand smartly here - by going after individuals specifically. Now owners are spooked - not because they fear the site being shut down - but for facing real jail time and real fines. I don’t blame Swedish trackers one bit for taking themselves offline willfully; the alternative just isn’t worth it.
Fair weather pirates? Says:
To paraphrase the old saying, “If you can’t stand the heat, you should have never came in the kitchen.” Thank god most trackers have some backbone and a set of balls.
brent Says:
meh, they will all come back under new names
Joaquin Phoenix Cant Rap Says:
someone needs to create a good scene mp3 one. what.cd and waffles are too eliteist
FATSO Says:
primo-nordica seems like a really good site that’s growing fast<3
blah Says:
Primo-nordica is fail. Why are they trying to steal members of closed sites and calling it a gathering or continuation. To me, that is pure fail. If the swedish trackers that were closed down return, primo-nordica will be the king by then. nice tactics. None of these swedish tackers will be gone forever. they will return
dezza Says:
Sure but why make it hard for those that just are users, what is the problem the current situation is close to chaos and it could have been any alternative listed, but at least we have some features that none of the other trackers do have.
gadffdgdhs Says:
hahaha. sweden sinks and everyones bailing out xD
hannes Says:
Good dam why even ask they go after trackers in sweden/Nordic countries
conspiracy nahh..Thus are the answer to fast connections offered in theese countries
100/100 line 1000/1000 line 10/10 line Fiber 24/3 30/30 60/24 on ADSL line
all over the country…
Where in other countries can they offer that fast isp:s to all the people
none i read not to all people in there countrys.
All foreign trackers/none nordic trackers i read about
there admins /sysOP.s gladly welcome uploaders from sweden etc
and a lot other countries like the U.S know sweden isp:s offer that fast connections…
So now swedish music and film companys and anti-piracy firms go after all those in sweden using the fast net providing the copyrighted stuff from trackers
dezza Says:
HANNES: I say it’s pure random .. If TPB started in US the reaction would have been the same, was it located in russia or china I would imagine it just being blocked like allofmp3 ..
OpenVPN rules Says:
Most of theese trackers are up and running again…
Azzie Perza Says:
Extremely interesting post thank you for writing it I have added your website to my bookmarks and will be back.