TorrentSpy already shut its doors earlier this year, and even though the company’s founder Justin Bunnell insisted that it’s trying legal loss was not behind the decision to close down the site, it appeared to be the only feasible reason for TorrentSpy moving towards oblivion. After a defeating battle against the MPAA, TorrentSpy was out of tricks for continuing to fight against the American Hollywood structure.
And if its own decision to shut things down wasn’t enough to do that, then the $110 million judgment against its parent company, Valence Media, may just do the trick, reports Slyck. Being hit with such a hefty sum, even after closing down the site, is a sure fire way to send a message to TorrentSpy–and beyond.
This isn’t the first time the MPAA has beaten a dead horse. A legal suite against DVDr-core seemed to drag on for years longer than it needed to, even though the MPAA has likely dropped this particular lawsuit earlier this month. The MPAA wants to really make sure that there won’t be any ongoing issues with services like TorrentSpy, as an injunction was also ordered against the company.
While Valence Media can retain possession of the site, the company is prohibited from indexing any copyrighted content. To top things off, the MPAA has been awarded statutory damages of $30,000 “per infringement pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 504(c), for each of the 3,699 infringements shown, for a total judgment in the amount of $110,970,000…” It just doesn’t pay to be a torrent company in the US. Do you think this will encourage others in the industry to give it up?
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And that's why we take copyright seriously, here at Spiked Humor. We want the site to live and shield it from million dollar lawsuits.