The file-sharing website KickAss Torrents was temporarily knocked out from the Internet, but apparently bounced back after making a few adjustments to its domain name.
KickAss Torrents had to be taken down due to a domain name seizure. However, it returned as "KickAss.to," taking out the ".so" that it had been known for since fall last year. The ".so" on the web address was taken from the domain's country of origin, Somalia.
In the previous weeks, there had been a cracked down on domains that ended with ".so;" probably an effort made by a country that had the notoriety as a pirate haven to clean up its lawn. Although, KickAss Torrents thought that their domain was settled in a relatively "safe haven," this did not stop the Somalian registry from closing down the site.
Observers also considered this operation was a veil from the real reason behind the shutdown. Many copyright holders had been longing for the day that the file-sharing website would be out of business especially with the recent emergence of websites that offer cheaper access to media content over the Internet. However, people who have benefited from the file-sharing website would declare that nothing would be comparable to anything that's free.
Also, KickAss Torrent's relative girth and its law enforcement evasion abilities enabled the mammoth file-sharing website endure the the punches and adapt immediately when necessary. The website had been used to waltzing with authorities; making subtle changes on its domain name had been its trademark since evolving from Kat.ph to KickAss.to then KickAss.so until going back to KickAss.to just recently.
When Piratebay was closed, KickAss Torrent absorbed much of the traffic. By doing so, the file-sharing website was able to score high on its share of loyal users. What's more interesting would be KickAss Torrent's "compliance" to laws regulating copyrights; the website would be unabashed to declare that they have been complying to the requests of the "Digital Millennium Copyright Act."
Join the Conversation