Anti-Piracy Group Shuts Down More Torrent Sites

HOOFDDORP, Netherlands — The Dutch anti-piracy organization BREIN has announced the closure of six more torrent sites hosted in the Netherlands, with a total of approximately 70,000 users and 9,000 links to illegal files, according to a statement issued Monday.

BREIN, which is Dutch for "brain" and is a Dutch acronym for “Protection Rights Entertainment Industry Netherlands,” is a joint anti-piracy effort initiated by Dutch authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers and software publishers who have joined forces to combat intellectual property theft, according to the organization’s website.

Three of the recently closed torrent sites were hosted by LeaseWeb, a Dutch hosting company that was forced to hand over information concerning the sites as a result of a lawsuit initiated by BREIN.

In June, a Dutch court ruled that LeaseWeb had to disable the BitTorrent site Everlasting.nu and Demonoid.com, and ordered the company to provide personal information concerning the owners of the sites to BREIN.

LeaseWeb appealed the decision, stating that at the time the company was “of the opinion that upholding the judgment resulting from the preliminary injunction proceedings would constitute an unacceptable and unjustified violation of the freedom of expression, which is inherent to the Internet and the protection of privacy.”

In July, LeaseWeb relented and supplied information concerning Demonoid.com, which was at that time among the top 500 most-visited sites on the Internet, according to Alexa.com.

In a statement issued at the time of LeaseWeb’s capitulation regarding Demonoid.com, BREIN director Tim Kulik said that there was “nothing wrong with BitTorrent technology, what matters is how you use it.”

“Demonoid makes systematic and structural use of the availability of illegal files and that is not allowed,” Kulik said, adding that his organization frequently hears the argument that since the illegal content is not stored on the torrent sites themselves, the sites are not doing anything illegal. Kulik rejected that notion, saying that if a site is “making use of illegal files, that is illegal too.”

Kulik said that BREIN’s goal is to create an environment in which “the Netherlands [will] no longer serve as a safe haven for illegal sites.”

“Last year we addressed illegal Dutch sites which tended to be smaller,” Kulik said. “Now we are after the large international illegal sites.”

According to BREIN, the organization’s efforts thus far have led to the shutdown of more than 150 peer-to-peer sharing sites with a total of approximately 1.6 million subscribers.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Keiran Lee Gets Star Send-Off from Brazzers Ahead of UK Homecoming

Keiran Lee is coming home. Two decades after moving from England to the United States to sign an exclusive contract with Brazzers, the award-winning performer is moving back to the U.K. this week along with his wife, fellow performer Kirsten Price, and their three children.

Taylor Nicole Launches New Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Creator Taylor Nicole has launched her new official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Lady Dee Stars in Latest From Immoral

Lady Dee stars with Paul Stalker and Charlie Dean in a new three-part release from Immoral Productions.

Adult Time Drops 'Busting Porn Myths Vol. 1' Informational Video

Adult Time has released the first volume of its new Performer Center series, “Busting Porn Myths.”

Octavia Red Stars in Final Episode of Bree Mills' 'Escape From Camp Conversion' From Adult Time

Octavia Red stars in the final episode of the Bree Mills-helmed thriller "Escape From Camp Conversion," from Adult Time studio brand Girlcore.

Octokuro Makes Her Vampired Debut

Octokuro has made her Vampired debut alongside Sata Jones in “Vampirella Unleashed.”

Adult Networking Platform SpicyGigs.com Launches

SpicyGigs, a new adult industry networking platform, has officially launched.

Pineapple Support to Host 'Cream Pie Challenge' Fundraiser

Pineapple Support is hosting its Cream Pie Challenge through August to raise funds for mental health services for industry performers.

Kyrgyzstan President Signs Measure Outlawing Internet Porn

President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed into law legislation outlawing online adult content in the country.

NC Legislature Overrides Veto of Extreme Anti-Adult Industry Bill

The North Carolina state legislature on Tuesday voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of a bill imposing regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most creators and content.

Show More