Pirate Bay

Somehow, despite for many moments feeling that it might be sinking, the Pirate Bay ship continues to sail on. For a time many felt that low-cost film and music subscription services such as Netflix and Spotify might have delivered a few telling shots onto the torrenting site and in fairness, there is evidence to support that. The Pirate Bay founder, however, insists that such websites will never impact heavily enough to kill them.

In a report via the Independent, Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde has said that he feels that companies such as Netflix and Spotify might actually be counterproductive. Despite many believing that their low subscription charges (based on the volume of content users have access to) has caused a significant decrease in online piracy). Peter Sunde, however, feels that is not the case and in addition, all companies such as those do are give more power to the big players.

Does he have a point?

It’s hard to deny that there have been successful attempts to prevent piracy. I don’t think it unfair to say that even as recent as 5-6 years ago, online piracy was massive. While I am not suggesting its necessarily any better now, it’s certainly a lot harder.

The Pirate Bay operates by the skin of its teeth and has become a minefield for pop-up adverts. Many of the other major torrenting portals have either closed or continue, like the bay, to limp on to its next existence.

I personally think the biggest problem that piracy has is that within the last 3 years, it became a little too mainstream for its own good. This isn’t just torrenting websites either. The Kodi app was probably at its peak then and now, well… the writing is on the wall for Kodi I think. All this, I might add despite the fact that the EU has found no evidence linking piracy to loss of sales.

The Pirate Bay founder has, however, even gone so far as to say that the term ‘piracy’ needs to be redefined and offered that the: “solution to piracy is to redefine piracy. Make things available to everyone, without that being a crime.”

I think at the end of the pay, piracy will always exist, but I think it is definitely either in the decline or at the very least is going back underground. Which is perhaps where it belongs.