Pirate Bay Sale Looking Even Less Likely

from the was-it-ever-real? dept

At the beginning of July, we questioned whether or not the announced purchase of The Pirate Bay by GGF was ever really going to happen. From the statements made by GGF CEO Hans Pandeya, it really seemed quite doubtful. Not only did he do a terrible job of explaining the plan, he contradicted himself multiple times and suggested a few times that the deal could fall through. That may in fact be happening. Two weeks ago, we noted that Pandeya had supposedly hired Wayne Rosso (former Grokster boss) to negotiate with record labels concerning a business model that didn't make much sense to us. Rosso has now admitted that he's no longer working with GGF and doesn't believe the company has the money to make the purchase, and has problems with Pandeya's credibility. So, once again, we're left wondering if this deal will ever happen.

Separately, it should come as little surprise that a bunch of entertainment companies are demanding that the Swedish courts shut The Pirate Bay down. It was noteworthy that in the original ruling against the four people associated with The Pirate Bay, the court did not issue any sort of injunction to stop the site from functioning. The folks at The Pirate Bay are claiming this sudden demand for a shut down is because the entertainment industry is trying to mess with the sale to GGF, but it certainly looks like that's falling apart on its own (as if there was ever any real meat there). Still, for all of the complaining by the entertainment companies, it seems quite premature to shut down the site when the original ruling is still under appeal. But, since when has that ever stopped the industry? In the meantime, it might not matter much even if it is shut down. Since the announcement of the GGF plan, lots of others have stepped up to try to take the place of The Pirate Bay as a key source for torrent searches. It makes you wonder who the entertainment industry will single out next? After all, The Pirate Bay was a relatively small player itself before the US entertainment interests first called it out...

Filed Under: hans pandeya, wayne rosso
Companies: ggf, the pirate bay