The Pirate Bay (TPB) has been acquired by Global Gaming Factory X, a gaming company that provides cyber cafe management software that targets advertising to its users, for a reported $8 million. Their plan for TPB is to monetize the site with advertising and pay content providers.
This move seems similar to the purchase of Napster, the original file sharing site. Napster had its moment in the sun with the highly publicized feud with Metallica. Napster has since been bought and sold and its customer usage can only be described as dismal at best.
TPB being bought, by basically an advertising agency, has users worried of what is to become of the site. Charging users would negate the premise behind why the site started, freedom of information and openness of the net, essentially changing The Pirate Bay to The Banker Bay.
From TPB blog:
A lot of people are worried. We’re not and you shouldn’t be either!
If the new owners will screw around with the site, nobody will keep using it. That’s the biggest insurance one can have that the site will be run in the way that we all want to. And – you can now not only share files but shares with people. Everybody can indeed be the owner of The Pirate Bay now. That’s awesome and will take the heat of us.
The recent lawsuits and court trials have taken a toll on TPB. Perhaps TPB, run by Gottfrid Svartholm (anakata) and Fredrik Neij (TiAMO), believe they cannot take the site any further and believe they can fight their cause in a better way.
The profits from the sale will go into a foundation that is going to help with projects about freedom of speech, freedom of information and the openess of the nets. I hope everybody will help out in that and realize that this is the best option for all. Don’t worry – be happy!
If The Pirate Bay turns into the now Napster I will be sad to see it go. I have never downloaded any illegal torrents myself *wink wink*, but I feel for all the people out there that do use the site.
TPB blog
Press Release