Openload
Screenshot
Screenshot of a file's download page on Openload
Type of site
File-sharing
DissolvedOctober 31, 2019 (2019-10-31)
URLopenload.co
Current statusShut down

Openload was a file-sharing website 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

Message that appears on openload.co after the takedown

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 was shut down after the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) took legal action against them in Germany.[11] All Openload domains 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 ten seconds the page redirects to Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment's website.[12]

Streamango

Streamango was a similar streaming website, long-believed to be operated by Openload. Streamango was 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

  1. ^ "openload". Virustotal. July 30, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  2. ^ "openload". Wayback Machine. October 23, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-10-23. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  3. ^ Maxwell, Andy (July 26, 2016). "Openload Domain Suspended By Namecheap". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Meshkov, Andrey (December 13, 2017). "Crypto-Streaming Strikes Back". AdGuard. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ a b 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.
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