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Openload

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Openload

Screenshot

Type of site

File-sharing

Dissolved

October 31, 2019 (2019-10-31)

URL

openload.co

Current status

Shut 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[edit]

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[edit]

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.

References[edit]

^ "openload". Virustotal. July 30, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2020.

^ "openload". Wayback Machine. October 23, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-10-23. Retrieved December 17, 2020.

^ Maxwell, Andy (July 26, 2016). "Openload Domain Suspended By Namecheap". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.

^ 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.

^ Meshkov, Andrey (December 13, 2017). "Crypto-Streaming Strikes Back". AdGuard. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.

^ "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.

^ 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.

^ 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.

^ 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.

^ 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.

^ 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.

^ ^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.