BitTorrent Site BTjunkie Closes In Megaupload Aftermath

BTjunkie, the popular torrent search engine, has been shut down voluntarily by its owners after seven years of operation.

The move comes amidst intense anti-piracy action this year including the FBI’s closure of Megaupload, the signing of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement and the finalised punishment against Pirate Bay operators at a Swedish court.

End of the line for sharers?

A message on BTjunkie’s site tells users: “This is the end of the line my friends. The decision does not come easy, but we’ve decided to voluntarily shut down. We’ve been fighting for years for your right to communicate, but it’s time to move on. It’s been an experience of a lifetime, we wish you all the best!”

Speaking to TorrentFreak, the site’s owner stated that recent events concerning The Pirate Bay and Megaupload played a significant role in the decision to shut BTjunkie. However, he expressed a hope for the future of other BitTorrent sites. “I really do hope so, the war is far from over for sure,” he told TorrentFreak.

BTjunkie’s voluntary shut down follows a small and recent trend by file-sharing sites to protect themselves from US federal prosecutors. FileServe and Filesonic, two file-sharing sites, have disabled their sharing service, only allowing users to download and retrieve files they personally uploaded. Uploaded.to, another cyberlocker, took the measure of denying US visitors access to the site.

Despite not being directly targeted by the US authorities or any major recording label or film studio, BTjunkie was among the top five most popular torrent sites in the world and caught the attention of both the MPAA and RIAA, both listing the site as a facilitator of copyright infringement.