 | |
Screenshot  | |
Website type | File-sharing |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | October 31, 2019 |
| Website | openload.co |
| Launched | October 2015 |
| Current status | Shut down |
Openload was a file-sharing website that shut down in 2019 after legal action by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment. The site was highly-used before its shutdown, making most of its money from advertising and cryptojacking. The site was designated as a notorious market and often used for copyright infringement.
History
Openload was available as an open alpha in July 2015,[1] and fully launched as of October 2015.[2]
In 2016, Openload's domain was suspended by Namecheap due to the large number of DMCA reports they generated. The domain was later reinstated by Namecheap.[3]
In 2017, Openload was criticized for using their users' browsers to mine the cryptocurrency Monero, using code similar to Coinhive.[4] Openload earned an estimated $95,000 per month from the mining, while their suspected subsidiary Streamango earned an estimated $7,200 per month.[5]
In 2018, Openload was listed as a notorious market.[6] Openload accounted for more network usage than services such as Hulu.[7]
In February 2019, Reddit was found to be shadowbanning links to Openload.[8] In April 2019, Openload stopped paying uploaders as part of its affiliate program.[9] In June 2019, Openload's main domain name, openload.co, was suspended.[10]
In October 2019, Openload agreed to shut down after the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) took legal action against them in Germany.[11] ACE then acquired all of Openload's domains, which now redirect to a page stating that the site is no longer available due to copyright infringement, along with a warning against subscribing or using illegal streaming services. After a ten second countdown, the page redirects to a page on ACE's website on watching content legally.[12]
Streamango
Streamango was a similar streaming website, long believed to be operated by Openload. Streamango shut down at the same time as Openload, with the same reasons given.[12] Streamango domains also redirect to ACE's website.
See also
References
- ↑ "openload". Virustotal. July 30, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
- ↑ "openload". Wayback Machine. October 23, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-10-23. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ↑ Maxwell, Andy (July 26, 2016). "Openload Domain Suspended By Namecheap". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ↑ Gibbs, Samuel (December 13, 2017). "Billions of video site visitors unwittingly mine cryptocurrency as they watch". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ↑ Meshkov, Andrey (December 13, 2017). "Crypto-Streaming Strikes Back". AdGuard. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ↑ "2018 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets" (PDF). Office of the United States Trade Representative. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ↑ Van der Sar, Ernesto (October 2, 2018). "File-sharing Site Openload Generates More Traffic Than Hulu or HBO Go". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ↑ Van der Sar, Ernesto (February 2, 2019). "Reddit 'Shadowbans' Posts With Openload URLs". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ↑ Maxwell, Andy (April 19, 2019). "Huge Video-Hosting Site Openload Stops Paying Uploaders". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ↑ Van der Sar, Ernesto (June 19, 2019). "File-Sharing Giant Openload Has its Domain Suspended (Updated)". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ↑ Maddus, Gene (October 31, 2019). "Studios Shutter Pirate Site That Got More Traffic Than Hulu". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- 1 2 Van der Sar, Ernesto (October 31, 2019). "Openload and Streamango Shut Down by Anti-Piracy Alliance ACE (Updated)". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.