“Netflix for torrents” service Popcorn Time has always dealt with legal threats from copyright holders. Since it launched in 2014, its original founders bounced so they didn’t have to deal with copyright headaches, and European regulators suspended its domain. But now, even people spreading information about Popcorn Time can run into legal problems.
Two men who ran websites that told people how to use Popcorn Time were arrested in Denmark simply for pointing to the information. Torrent Freak has the details on the arrests:
Following a court order dated June, local police report that yesterday morning they arrested two men in their thirties said to be the operators of a pair of Popcorn Time related websites. Popcorntime.dk and Popcorn-time.dk have now been shut down, with their domains placed under the control of the state prosecutor.
“The Danish State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime is presently conducting a criminal investigation that involves this domain name,” reads the seizure notice.
“As part of the investigation the state prosecutor has requested a Danish District Court to transfer the rights of the domain name to the state prosecutor. The District Court has complied with the request.”
Neither man ran a website that hosted Popcorn Time. They simply told people about the torrent service.
That’s something Gizmodo has done repeatedly since the streaming torrent service launched, and it’s absurd that the Danish State Prosecutor is treating people like criminals for discussing piracy. Might have to reschedule my trip to Copenhagen...