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Revision as of 02:29, 8 May 2020 by 62.219.124.7 (talk) (→2016–present)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Online illegal movie streaming site network
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 Screenshot of Putlocker's homepage, 2016 | |
| Type of site | File hosting index (or cyberlocker) |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Revenue | Advertisements |
| Registration | None |
| Current status | Offline (clones and copy sites available) |
Putlocker refers to various online file hosting index websites used for streaming entertainment media, particularly films and television series, for free. The initial website originated in the United Kingdom as early as 2011, and grew to receive millions of daily visitors after the shutdown of Megaupload. In May 2016, the website was blocked in the UK by a High Court order, and at its peak prior to a temporary closure in late 2016, Alexa Internet listed Putlocker as ranking among the top 250 most-visited websites worldwide. Putlocker has been reported by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) as a major piracy threat.
Putlocker's domain address has changed multiple times throughout its history, with a number of URLs bearing the Putlocker name being suspended or seized. It is not publicly known whether an official Putlocker website maintained by the original team remains available online, but at least fifty mirror or proxy websites, many of which use the Putlocker name, have been identified.
History
Launch and popularity
Putlocker originated in the United Kingdom under the URL putlocker.com. In early January 2012, the website received about 800,000 visitors a day, but after the popular website Megaupload was shut down due to copyright infringement, Putlocker began receiving approximately 1.6 million visitors a day. The website's operations officer, Adrian Petroff, found Megaupload's closure worrying, stating "who needs SOPA when a studio exec can make a wish/hit list and sites 'voluntarily' shut down?"
In March 2012, Putlocker was identified by Alfred Perry, vice president for worldwide content protection at Paramount Pictures, as one of the "top 5 rogue cyberlocker services". The website's URL was changed to putlocker.bz, an address which was seized by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit of the UK in June 2014, and was subsequently changed to putlocker.is, a domain located in Iceland.
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See also
- List of websites blocked in the United Kingdom
- 123Movies, a similar online movie streaming network
- PeerTube, a peer-to-peer video platform
- Popcorn Time, a free software program allowing users to watch movies through torrenting on several platforms.
- YIFY Torrents (or YTS Torrents), an online movie file downloading network
References
- Scaria 2014, p. 33.
- Bolton, Doug (26 May 2016). "Putlocker blocked in the UK by internet service providers after High Court order". The Independent. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- Cite error: The named reference
ibewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - Prabhu, Vijay (17 October 2016). "Yet Another Video Streaming Service Bites The Dust, Putlocker Shuts Down". TechWorm. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- Lana Martinez (11 June 2017). "Putlocker Proxy - 50+ Fast Putlocker Mirror & Proxy Sites List". Supportive Guru. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- Tung, Liam (5 April 2012). "Hollywood bloodlust cripples another filelocker". IT News. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- Enigmax (3 April 2012). "We're No Rogue Site: PutLocker Responds To Hollywood". Torrent Freak. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- Sandoval, Greg (31 March 2012). "MPAA wants more criminal cases brought against 'rogue' sites". CNET. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- Harblson, Cammy (4 June 2014). "Is Putlocker.bz Down Or Not Working? Domain Seized But Free Movie Streaming Site Lives Under New Domain Name". iDigitalTimes. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
Sources
- Scaria, Arul George (2014). Piracy in the Indian Film Industry: Copyright and Cultural Consonance. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107065437.
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