Torrentz.eu, formerly known as Torrentz.com, was the most popular BitTorrent meta-search engine, indexing torrent sites such as KickassTorrents, BTjunkie and The Pirate Bay.
The site was ranked in the top 5 of all BitTorrent sites according to statistics from Alexa. It didn’t offer any downloads on the site but pointed to external torrent sources instead.
Torrentz had a community of more than a million users and lists “verified” torrents on the frontpage.
Here is what happened to Torrentz and why it’s no longer available.
Torrentz shut down in 2016 after being in operation for more than 13 years. The site operator, Flippy, never explained in detail why he took this sudden decision. We do know however that the shutdown was voluntary and the Torrentz domain wasn’t seized or taken over.
Soon after Torrentz.eu said farewell, the unrelated Torrentz2.eu took over.
Torrentz.eu
Founded: July 24, 2003
Founder: Flippy
Closed: August 4, 2016
- Reddit Reports Surge in Copyright-Related User Bans
Reddit’s latest transparency report reveals that user bans for repeat copyright infringement skyrocketed in the last half of 2023. The company attributes the 258% increase to improved detection methods and increased operational capacity. The number of items that were removed from the site following copyright complaints dropped to little over half a million. - Manga Publishers Grill YouTube & TikTok on Piracy and Content ID Restrictions
During a recent copyright meeting at Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, representatives from Google (YouTube) and ByteDance (TikTok) were asked to give presentations on the topic of appropriate compensation. Soon, however, questions turned to Content ID, with a representative for manga publishers noting that, while record labels receive billions of dollars, the manga industry receives nothing. - Key Defendant in Anna’s Archive Lawsuit Denies Any Involvement With the Site
American nonprofit OCLC sued Anna’s Archive in February for allegedly hacking its WorldCat database and posting the records online. The only named defendant, a software developer from Washington, denies any involvement with the hack and the pirate library, suggesting that the plaintiffs targeted the wrong person. With a motion to dismiss, the defendant hopes to end the case here and now. - Pirate Site FMovies Rivals Major Streaming Platforms in U.S. Web Traffic
Every month, many millions of Americans visit pirate streaming site FMovies to bypass paid subscription services and watch movies and TV series for free. The platform is a thorn in the side of the movie industry and a prime exhibit in the quest for local site-blocking measures. According to SimilarWeb’s Top 10 chart of U.S. ‘Streaming & Online TV’ sites, FMovies beats Disney+ and Crunchyroll. - Music Piracy Sites Targeted By Europol & Bulgarian Organized Crime Unit
In coordination with Europol, the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP), a specialist unit within Bulgaria’s Ministry of Interior, says it has shut down a dozen music piracy sites. Carried out under the supervision of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Sofia, the operation was executed within the framework of EMPACT, the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats.
