The death of Nyaa-Torrents(an animu and vidya torrent site) - "Cut off one head, two more shall take it's place"

[TwoNumberNines]

Apparently /a/ went up in a big salt-storm when this happened, but Kiwifarms doesn't seem to have a topic about it, and I'm not sure which forum this belongs to. Technically this should be in Articles & Happenings, but probably no one in A&H will give a shit about an animu and vidya torrenting website, so here we go.

Nyaa-Torrents(a.k.a. NT for short) was one of the internet's largest aggregator and index of torrents related to Japanese anime or video games in general. Think of it as the Otaku neckbeard's version of ThePirateBay. NT is separated into two parts: SFW anime torrent index website nyaa.se(a.k.a. Nyaa for short) and the NSFW anime torrent index website sukebei.nyaa.se(a.k.a. Sukebei for short).

On May 1, NT was down without prior notice. It took a while for the people at 4chan to notice this anomaly, and to take in the truth that the site many had treated as commonplace as air, was gone in an instant. Immediately many threads sprung up in the anime and vidya boards: /a/, /d/, /h/, /t/, etc. Then the commotion leaked to /g/, where people began constructing plans to regenerate the hydra head that had been severed. It was a momentous situation, much like what happened when the owner of KickassTorrents was arrested a year ago.

Not much after NT was taken down, traffic surged to many other alternative, such as BakaBT and Sadpanda. TokyoToshokan, another file-sharing site of similar content. was so overloaded with traffic, that it was also down for a while.

It was two days after the site was down that the former owner of Nyaa cleared up the situation. The site was taken down by the owner of the site, and no one else. By the time of this writing, the exact reason for the takedown is still unknown. Former NT associates surmised that the takedown was "in response to recent court rulings that had the potential to affect site operations in the future." Furthermore, "there are no plans to continue any activity under the NyaaTorrents banner. Any projects that occur from here on out are not associated with the original site." Furthermore, the twitter account for the owner of HorribleSubs, a controversial "fansubbing" group which subsisted on NT for distribution confirmed the fact that the site was shut down due to EU ruling. Now two authoritative death certificates of NT are now issued out.

Evidently, the anti-pirate European normies are no much for 4chan's arsenal of weaponized autism. Soon, /g/ managed to salvage files from the original Nyaa website, and partially reconstructed another domain: https://nyaa.pantsu.cat & https://sukebei.pantsu.cat. Someone even began a vote on the technology they were going to use to reconstruct NT where the majority proposed to construct NT with their own technology. And it wasn't long until some madlad on /g/ managed to salvage every magnet in Nyaa and sukebei in a single .txt file.

So now what happens? Even if NT got taken down due to EU ruling, people will just relocate the archived metadata and the magnets to some other continent with more lenient internet rules even though some obscure magnets will be forever lost due to the reduction of the amount of seeders in the progress. This has happened before in 2013 when Nyaa lost the .eu domain name and relocated to its domain to .se. Piracy may reincarnate, but it never dies.

P.S. If I missed something important PM me.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

Meh, I don't think it deserved its own thread, it could've just all been cleared up in the Anime/Manga thread, but I think a thread on torrent sites could be a thing. There was that fiasco about The Pirate Bay being shut down a while back, right? Surprised that didn't get a thread and spark up conversation on digital piracy.

I have no real opinion on this anyway since I didn't use Nyaa. I've only had to download actual torrents I think maybe no more than ten times since 2011/2012 when I got more into anime--pretty sure the last one I torrented was Landlock, which was notoriously difficult to find (wasn't worth it in the end), and I don't think it was even through Nyaa. Everything else I just found through other online streams (that probably do get their videos from torrents like Nyaa and HorribleSubs, so I dunno) like KissAnime, AnimeSoul (which is also down, but more for "reconstruction" purposes, apparently?), GoGoAnime, things like that that I can find through a single Google search. And now that I have the Amazon Firestick, I can just use Kodi and the 9Cartoon add-on to watch whatever I want, so I don't have to bother with torrents anymore--at least not with the hassle of downloading it onto my computer, anyway.

Since /g/ was able to get everything back on their own and host it themselves, I don't think it's that big of an issue at this point. It's like you and everyone else has said: piracy is a giant hydra. If countries were really and truly serious about combating piracy, they would've nipped it in the bud years ago before online streaming became a thing, and then adapted those tactics for the Internet. Instead, they waste billions of dollars trying to pass laws and stop it, and the digital pirates just laugh and laugh.

 

[Trilby]

Meh, I don't think it deserved its own thread, it could've just all been cleared up in the Anime/Manga thread, but I think a thread on torrent sites could be a thing. There was that fiasco about The Pirate Bay being shut down a while back, right? Surprised that didn't get a thread and spark up conversation on digital piracy.

I have no real opinion on this anyway since I didn't use Nyaa. I've only had to download actual torrents I think maybe no more than ten times since 2011/2012 when I got more into anime--pretty sure the last one I torrented was Landlock, which was notoriously difficult to find (wasn't worth it in the end), and I don't think it was even through Nyaa. Everything else I just found through other online streams (that probably do get their videos from torrents like Nyaa and HorribleSubs, so I dunno) like KissAnime, AnimeSoul (which is also down, but more for "reconstruction" purposes, apparently?), GoGoAnime, things like that that I can find through a single Google search. And now that I have the Amazon Firestick, I can just use Kodi and the 9Cartoon add-on to watch whatever I want, so I don't have to bother with torrents anymore--at least not with the hassle of downloading it onto my computer, anyway.

Since /g/ was able to get everything back on their own and host it themselves, I don't think it's that big of an issue at this point. It's like you and everyone else has said: piracy is a giant hydra. If countries were really and truly serious about combating piracy, they would've nipped it in the bud years ago before online streaming became a thing, and then adapted those tactics for the Internet. Instead, they waste billions of dollars trying to pass laws and stop it, and the digital pirates just laugh and laugh.

It is an endless cycle in some ways. I don't think I used Nyaa more than a few times during its lifespan, often certain stuff I may have been curious to see weren't even seeded anyway.

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

It is an endless cycle in some ways. I don't think I used Nyaa more than a few times during its lifespan, often certain stuff I may have been curious to see weren't even seeded anyway.

Yeah, Nyaa was terrible at seeding older stuff. Hell even the newer shows were often a crapshoot. I found BakaBT to be better at seeding the older stuff, but the fact they were a private tracker I felt worked against them. The search functions should be used for everyone dammit. And their password recovery system was a complete joke, to say nothing about their penalization of having more than one account.

Then again, I just stream most of my anime viewing. So I'm not missing a whole lot as it is.

 

[Trilby]

Yeah, Nyaa was terrible at seeding older stuff. Hell even the newer shows were often a crapshoot. I found BakaBT to be better at seeding the older stuff, but the fact they were a private tracker I felt worked against them. The search functions should be used for everyone dammit. And their password recovery system was a complete joke, to say nothing about their penalization of having more than one account.

Then again, I just stream most of my anime viewing. So I'm not missing a whole lot as it is.

I recall the pain downloading episodes of some goofy 80's show called "Machiko-sensei" and only getting half of it. I'm glad to know that is/was up on Crunchyroll for all to see that it's really about grade school kids perving on their teacher!
http://www.crunchyroll.com/miss-machiko

 

[XYZpdq]

I was around for the Megapocalypse, so I was just, to wax weeb as appropriate to the subject at hand, "heh, looks like it's time to use that."

Besides, there's always mailing blank media around like the old VHS days, and usenet is still lurking down there.

 

[Cosmos]

I just found out about this and I'm fucking bummed out. I used Nyaa quite a bit

This website has a good list of alternative sites and mirrors of Nyaa, btw.

 

[I Love Beef]

https://torrentfreak.com/mpa-lawyers-are-trying-to-shut-down-pirate-anime-giant-nyaa-si-201104/

MPA Lawyers Are Trying to Shut Down Pirate Anime Giant Nyaa.si​

November 4, 2020 by Andy Maxwell
TorrentFreak understands that the MPA has delivered cease-and-desist letters to several individuals with alleged connections to massive anime torrent site Nyaa. Claiming that they are members of the so-called "Anime Cartel", the notices make several demands including the total shutdown of the site plus cash settlements totaling tens of thousands of dollars.




Every year, TorrentFreak compiles a list of the most popular torrent sites in the world. The vast majority are general purpose sites that link to a wide variety of content, meaning they are of interest to most people.
However, a major outlier is Nyaa, a site focused on anime and other East Asian media. That makes its position among the top five torrent sites in the whole world even more impressive since it derives large volumes of traffic from a relative niche audience
Located at Nyaa.si, the platform is a reincarnation of the now-defunct Nyaa.se and like its predecessor has had its fair share of copyright-related issues. In 2018, Nyaa.si was kicked out by Cloudflare for alleged abuse of its copyright systems, a claim denied by the site. Now, however, things have become much more personal.

MPA Targets Individuals Allegedly in Power at Nyaa​

Documents obtained by TorrentFreak dated September reveal the MPA, acting through legal representatives, attempting to pressure individuals who they believe are important at Nyaa and could have the ability to shut the site down.
Information suggests that several people in North America, Europe, and Australia have all received similar correspondence. The letters allege massive copyright infringement via the Nyaa site and include a sample of copyrighted works, to which the MPA’s members hold the rights, that were allegedly infringed via the platform.
The MPA clearly states that none of its cited members (Disney, Paramount, Universal, Columbia, Warner Bros, and Netflix, in addition to Amazon) have granted their permission for the works to be made available via Nyaa or the BitTorrent network(s) that underpin it. As a result, “significant, irreparable damage” has already been caused to the copyright owners by the site’s activities.

The Targets and the Demands of the MPA​

While emailed threats are still a common anti-piracy strategy, we are informed that at least two of the individuals were personally served with legal documents at their homes. Others were served with similar documents via regular mail.
We are currently unable to determine exactly how many people were served in total. At the moment the suggestion is around five but that may not be the full picture. What we do know is that some or all stand accused of being part of the mysterious ‘Anime Cartel’ supposedly behind Nyaa.
TorrentFreak has no way to confirm whether those who received letters are in any position of power at Nyaa but we are told that some – if not all – were at some point involved in fansubbing – i.e creating subtitles for anime releases that appeared on Nyaa. Nevertheless, the MPA appears to be operating from the position that these individuals are key to the running of Nyaa so, as a result, are making several demands.
With immediate effect, recipients have been told to take all necessary steps to ensure that Nyaa is completely shut down. The MPA also wants to take control of the site’s domain – Nyaa.si – a common tactic in other anti-piracy actions. Overall, recipients are warned that they must cease-and-desist any and all of their activities related to the site, including making available the copyrighted works of the MPA’s members.

Demands for Cash Settlements​

Documentation seen by TorrentFreak indicates that the MPA’s outreach represents an opportunity to bring the allegedly-infringing activities to an early conclusion, thereby avoiding what could develop into costly legal action. Perhaps unsurprisingly, at least some of the individuals are being given an opportunity to pay a financial settlement to help that along.
We understand that when combined, these settlements (payable in local currency) amount to many tens of thousands of dollars but based on current information, it is unclear whether any of the letter recipients have taken the movie group up on its offer.
In addition to receiving settlements, it appears that the MPA also wants information on the Nyaa service and its operations. The MPA also wants the rights to the Nyaa site and any technologies connected to it, wherever the recipient has the ability to transfer those rights. The MPA also demands that those entering into a settlement agreement should never infringe its members’ rights again.

MPA Demands Silence in Respect of the Settlement Agreement​

It is common for the MPA and associated Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment to demand confidentiality from their targets. On the other hand, it’s also common for them to insist that when they want to publicize a settlement, they may do so.
The settlement offers currently on the table don’t deviate from this standard, noting that while the agreement must remain confidential, the MPA reserves the right to publicize its achievements in the event Nyaa is shut down.

Nyaa is Still Online​

TorrentFreak isn’t able to confirm whether the individuals approached have anything to do with the running of Nyaa or whether any are negotiating with the MPA in some way, either along the lines of their settlement offers or perhaps outside of those less formally.
What we can confirm is that the MPA demanded that the torrent site should be quickly shut down in September and that has clearly not happened. For the site’s tens of millions of monthly visitors that will come as a relief, particularly considering the untimely demise of HorribleSubs, a group dedicated to official stream-ripping, just over a month ago.

https://torrentfreak.com/mpa-lawyers-are-trying-to-shut-down-pirate-anime-giant-nyaa-si-201104/

https://archive.md/cQh9a

Ah, the MPA. Totally different from the MPAA, which has TWO As, not one.

Your thoughts?

 

[Maggots on a Train v2]

They will never kill the piracy of popular series, but they probably can unintentionally kill the existence of older shows that no company will ever try to sell.

 

[I Love Beef]

They will never kill the piracy of popular series, but they probably can unintentionally kill the existence of older shows that no company will ever try to sell.

I'm honestly in wonder what the MPA has to worry about anime. I'd probably think this has to do with Sony going into anime and the whole Japanese Anti-Piracy laws coming into effect, which is making even Youtube bend backwards for globohomo, but has anime really gotten this prolific that the American industry actually gives a shit about the profits incoming from anime? Or is it the US media industry's last resort?

I'd suggest they'd worry about their motion pictures and Hollywood, but that industry is a shitheap and a half to wade through its own problems these days that it shot itself in the foot by its own doing. Worst case scenario, the MPA is strongarming anime out of the States because you can't make anyone watch bilged out tripe, you force them to, but that's me wearing my tinfoil suit and putting old TV antennas on my head levels of conspiratard guessing.