Google Removes ExtraTorrent Homepage From Search Results

[DreamTheater]

ExtraTorrent, one of the most prominent torrent sites on the Internet, has been at the center of several anti-piracy initiatives recently. The site lost its .com domain after an intervention by City of London Police last month but quickly bounced back on a new .cc domain. However, that has now been removed from Google’s search results after several movie studio complaints. Initially Google rejected a request from the MPAA to remove ExtraTorrent’s homepage but a follow up notice from Fox eventually got the job done.

 

extratorrent-logoWith millions of visitors every day ExtraTorrent is one of the most-visited torrent indexes on the Internet.

 

The site is a thorn in the side of the entertainment industries who have labeled it a “rogue site†on numerous occasions. In recent weeks, however, more concrete actions have been taken.

 

In September, ExtraTorrent suffered a massive blow when City of London Police convinced its registrar to seize their .com domain. ExtraTorrent was not happy with this decision and threatened legal action.

 

The registrar eventually decided to redirect the .com domain to the new .cc TLD, but still refuses to return it.

 

Smelling blood, the MPAA jumped in last week by sending a DMCA request to Google, asking the search engine to remove ExtraTorrent’s new homepage from its search results. The Hollywood group sent a targeted DMCA notice listing only two URLs including ExtraTorrent.cc.

 

Interestingly, Google refused to take action and decided to keep the site listed, presumably because the copyrighted content referenced by the studios was no longer linked there. Needless to say, ExtraTorrent’s staff was delighted with Google’s backing.

 

“We are happy to know that Google took the right decision,†ExtraTorrent’s Sam told TorrentFreak earlier this week, when we asked for a comment on Google’s refusal.

 

“MPAA thought that we would be vulnerable after the domain drama, and that the time was right to go after us using the same tactics London police used with our old clumsy registrar. However, they forgot that Google is not like our old registrar and that they are not as easily manipulated,†he added.