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

Angela White Stars in New Interactive Scene From Brazzers

Multi-XMAs winner Angela White stars with reigning and two-time XMAs Europas Male Performer of the Year Christian Clay in a new interactive release from Brazzers, titled “Taking Angela Back To Your Place.”

Marvin Love Directs 'Rich and Horny Weirdos' for Brazzers

Brazzers has released a new scene directed by Marvin Love, titled “Rich and Horny Weirdos.”

Julia James, Sage Hunter Topline 'Lesbian Sister In-Laws' Sequel

Julia James and Sage Hunter headline the latest release from Girlfriends Films, titled “Lesbian Sister In-Laws 2.”

Jade Greene Fronts Latest From TeamSkeet

Jade Greene stars with Nicky Rebel in the latest release from TeamSkeet.

Bree Mills Wraps Production on Pure Taboo Thriller 'Let Me In Too'

Adult Time has announced that production has wrapped on the Bree Mills thriller sequel "Let Me In Too."

Emma Rosie, Rebel Rhyder Topline Latest Volume of 'Hookup Hotshot: E-Girls'

Emma Rosie and Rebel Rhyder headline Brian Gozzling’s “Hookup Hotshot: E-Girls 28” from Evil Angel.

Agatha Vega Fronts Latest From Ricky's Room

Reigning XMA Europas Female Performer of the Year Agatha Vega stars in the latest release from Ricky's Room, titled "Agatha Habla Sucio."

Taylor Vixxen Makes Her MILFY Debut

Taylor Vixxen has made her debut for Vixen Media Group (VMG) studio imprint MILFY, alongside Dan Damage.

Catherine Knight Makes Her Vixen Debut

Catherine Knight has made her Vixen debut alongside Dan Damage.

Andi Avalon Headlines 'Slutty Nurses 3' From Reality Junkies

Andi Avalon toplines the third volume of "Slutty Nurses" from Mile High Media studio imprint Reality Junkies.

Show More