A Swedish District Court has ordered that the Pirate Bay’s .se domain must be transferred to Swedish authorities. However, within minutes of the judgment, dozens of mirror websites went live, with the Pirate Bay unveiling a new logo showing the mythical Hydra alongside various top level domains from which the website can be accessed. The use of the Hydra is somewhat fitting, as the ancient myth referred to two heads growing back when one was removed from the beast.
Seizing domains used by websites hosting download links to copyright material has become a common tactic in the fight against piracy, although the speed with which mirror websites can be established has undoubtedly undermined the fight by the entertainment industry. The Pirate Bay’s move to use magnet files instead of direct torrent download links has drastically reduced the size of its website, the entirety of which is estimated in megabytes and could easily fit on a standard USB memory stick.
Notwithstanding the difficulties in enforcing their rights, copyright industry groups have broadly welcomed the ruling, hailing the decision as significant in the fight against online piracy. Steps have also been taken in the UK to block access to websites hosting links to infringing material, although users have been quick to adopt mirrors and proxy services to bypass blocks imposed by High Court orders. It would appear that pirates are content to establish new websites once existing ones are blocked or seized, although the creative rights industries may have to consider a change of tactics, given that litigation is expensive and does not appear to be yielding any significant reduction in online infringement.
