Yesterday, popular Bit-Torrent archive and forum kickass.so was banned from use, most likely due to copy-right claims against it. Kickass has been known to change its domain suffix with some frequency, probably in efforts to avoid attention and possible legal issues. The .so(Somali) registry was recently adopted, most likely because it was seen as a safe haven, away from the reach of copyright enforcers. In the end, it seems that the "so" domain suffix was not as safe as some had hoped. Wired.co.uk reported that many related sites were banned from the registry today.
However, Kickass wasn't down for long. The site seems to be fully functional and running on their older domain, kickass.to, at this very moment.
Kickass Torrents is a popular file-sharing address-archive that allows viewers to search for nearly any type of computer file, which can then be downloaded with a Bit-Torrent client. The site boasts many useful features to file sharers, such as user-achievements and file ratings. Some of these features quickly allow users to identify bogus or malicious files which are then swiftly removed from the archive. The user-rating system allows paranoid file-sharers to identify trusted uploaders.
In the world of file-sharing Kickass Torrents is one of the safest sites to get programs, apps, and media. The community at Kickass is typically very helpful, often including detailed walkthroughs and instructions in the comments sections of the various archived files.
With so many useful features, it is no wonder that Kickass Torrents has held a position in the top 5 most popular file sharing websites, and it's renown has only been increasing. After the recent drama with The Pirate Bay, Kickass assumed the position of the #1 most popular file sharing website in the world. A distinction it has managed to keep, despite the fact that The Pirate Bay has since become fully operational.
While Kickass has bounced back from this ban rather quickly, it is unknown whether they will be able to withstand the scrutiny and legal attacks that are surely bound to follow in the wake of its new rank and popularity — indeed, this incident is probably the first of many to come.
Do any of our readers use these types of sites? If so, which ones are your favorites? If not, do you think it'd be best if these sites were shutdown permanently? Let us know what you think about all this in the comments below.
