The US has seized the internet domains for three major piracy sites—Zamunda.net, ArenaBG.com, and Zelka.org—known for circulating bootleg copies of movies, TV shows, and video games to users in Europe.
The sites now display a domain seizure notice that accuses them of criminal copyright infringement. Federal officials said the three domains were among the largest piracy sites in the European Union. They operated from Bulgaria, but their internet domains were registered in the US, allowing the US Department of Justice to seize them.
(Credit: Zamunda.net/DOJ)
“The three domains receive tens of millions of visits a year, offer thousands of infringed works, and result in millions of downloads of those works, the retail value totaling millions of dollars,” the agency says.
The sites circulated illegal copies via torrents. The three domains were particularly popular in Bulgaria, with Zamunda.net even ranking among the top 25 most visited sites in the country.
The Justice Department says it took down the sites with the help of Bulgarian authorities, which noted they worked with US investigators to carry out “searches and seizures at 30 addresses across the country.” The crackdown also involved authorities seizing “numerous computer configurations, equipment, and other electronic evidence used to commit crimes against intellectual property.” This includes identifying the individuals who administered the torrent trackers for the three domains.
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Bulgarian officials first requested help from the US in 2020 to shut down Zamunda and ArenaBG, citing their use of US internet services, according to TorrentFreak. Despite the seizure, users have spotted an alternative domain, Zamunda.se, still online.
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I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
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