AfterDawn: Tech news

TV-Links shut down and owner arrested

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Oct 2007 9:51 User comments (67)

TV-Links shut down and owner arrested TV-links.co.uk, the UK's most used piracy film website has been closed down and its owner arrested after a raid by the anti-piracy group, Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact).
The closure was a first for major UK-based pirate sites and the owner, a 26-year-old man from Cheltenham, was arrested for charges relating to facilitating copyright infringement over the internet.

FACT claims that the site was providing links to pirated films as well as American TV shows.

"Sites such as TV Links contribute to and profit from copyright infringement by identifying, posting, organising, and indexing links to infringing content found on the internet that users can then view on demand by visiting these illegal sites," said a spokesman for FACT.

Kieron Sharp, director general of FACT said the site was just the first of what they hope will be a successful campaign to crackdown on piracy over the internet.

"The theft and distribution of films harms the livelihoods of those working in the UK film industry and in ancillary industries, as well as damaging the economy,"
he said.



The British Video Association (BVA) has stated that piracy caused an estimated £459 million in losses to the video, film and TV industries last year.

Source:
Guardian

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67 user comments

120.10.2007 22:15

Tv link realy is the best tv network out there, today is a very sad day for those who don't dowload moves. lets hope that tv link owner win is case. is bittorent programs illegal in england?

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 20 Oct 2007 @ 10:16

220.10.2007 22:23
armorthis
Inactive

Sad day
I used this site a lot when I first found out about it.

320.10.2007 22:38

It now makes sense why it hasn't been working for the past few days, lol.
But yes, very sad day indeed.

420.10.2007 23:26

I use to use this site all the time. I am very sad to hear that it got shutdown. Is it me or are all these friggin anti-piracy groups as well as the RIAA and MPAA going buck crazy with all the raids and law suites? This is insane.

520.10.2007 23:43

now that tv links my all time FAV site it shut down --what is the next best sire that is the same as it--so i can watch more movies lol i bet there is more hmmmm lmao hit me up guys im missing movies --now my night s are boring

620.10.2007 23:44

Originally posted by bpanther:
now that tv links my all time FAV site it shut down --what is the next best sire that is the same as it--so i can watch more movies lol i bet there is more hmmmm lmao hit me up guys im missing movies --now my night s are boring

720.10.2007 23:45

Mirrors are fun!

http://www.pazoena.com

:D

<3

820.10.2007 23:49

ty u ,an your awesome your the man thank god some one took over the site lucky man but hell dont get caught like that last guy --we need to do better on retracing our steps guys--be on the look out watch for these buggers lol any ways im gonna be happy now

920.10.2007 23:51

Originally posted by bpanther:
ty u ,an your awesome your the man thank god some one took over the site lucky man but hell dont get caught like that last guy --we need to do better on retracing our steps guys--be on the look out watch for these buggers lol any ways im gonna be happy now
Not mine, just googled tv-links mirror :)

Hope it stays up for a while. I wouldn't have the balls to run something like that so soon after tv-links was raided ^_^

1020.10.2007 23:53

so i say its not gonna be updated then right??/ it be nice if who ever made the mirror would update it lol

1120.10.2007 23:57

Originally posted by bpanther:
so i say its not gonna be updated then right??/ it be nice if who ever made the mirror would update it lol
Not really sure if it will be updated.

*REALLY* not sure how the hell they mirrored the code to handle movies.. You can't just mirror php code... unless it was "leaked" by tv-links.co.uk or written from scratch (unlikely)

raises many many questions... but screw it. I can now watch my MST3K :D

1220.10.2007 23:59

kool but if u want more i found this aswell http://www.realtvlinks.com/ it has some stuff u all might like

1321.10.2007 00:19

This sucks, I used TV-Links yesterday. Today it doesn't work, no more movies, Simpsons and music videos! :'(

1421.10.2007 01:33
xhardc0re
Inactive

i'm sorry the owner of the site was arrested. May he find good, cheap counsel & get him out of that situation ASAP. Godspeed to him.

now, let me get on the soapbox. Except for a few good series (Simpsons, House, Heroes) there is def not as much to watch on TV as there was a few years ago. I spend more time away from the TV then around it. So why be all hung up on dL stuff from TV? How much time do you have to actually watch it? Doesn't Hollywood want us to believe that they are important. They aren't. Time to pull the plug on popular media & create your own. In an average day, I get more out of a site like afterdawn then anything I see on TV. Coming from a former couch potato, you should realize things. Hollywood is going down. Let's help them on their way. By not watching their junk.

1521.10.2007 02:20

sorry all i have better movie links then the last one http://www.movies-on-demand.tv/ that should be good cuz i watch pirates caribean worlds end and it was dvd quality

1621.10.2007 03:44

Quote:
Sites such as TV Links contribute to and profit from copyright infringement

Then why isnt the admin facing a charge to deal with profiting from copyrighted material?

1721.10.2007 05:30

I used this site allot. but thy did they shut it down ? it didn't host any videos only link them, i never new that was a crime

1821.10.2007 06:22

Hi all I have just moved to Spain from England to work until June.I was so glad to have TV-LINKS it made life a lot more bearable in strange country.Then it was taken off etc.This was a disaster.BUT now I have read and clicked onto another site with the same content above.GREAT GREAT GREAT .Hope he never gets caught.

1921.10.2007 06:24

Originally posted by mododaz:
I used this site allot. but thy did they shut it down ? it didn't host any videos only link them, i never new that was a crime

That is my thought also, I think all the "anti" groups are going after whoever they can just to claim a victory. I think soon when you BUY a dvd it will self destruct after the first viewing.

2021.10.2007 07:55

Originally posted by netster40:
Mirrors are fun!

http://www.pazoena.com

Great, but where are all the document films??
They were the only ones I watched from this site...

2121.10.2007 08:47
Phil0391
Inactive

:( I used this site all the time to downloads all my favorite shows. I hope the owner can win the case.

2221.10.2007 09:23

Originally posted by Phil0391:
:( I used this site all the time to downloads all my favorite shows. I hope the owner can win the case.
Download? You mean watch...

2321.10.2007 09:25
Phil0391
Inactive

Quote:
Originally posted by Phil0391:
:( I used this site all the time to downloads all my favorite shows. I hope the owner can win the case.
Download? You mean watch...
No, I mean download lol.

2421.10.2007 09:28

Quote:
Quote:
Originally posted by Phil0391:
:( I used this site all the time to downloads all my favorite shows. I hope the owner can win the case.
Download? You mean watch...
No, I mean download lol.
So you mean you right-clicked and "Save Target As..."? Either way, of course what you did is illegal...we all watched movies and shows on TV-Links, not download.

2521.10.2007 11:56

:(

I was using TV links to watch Xena. I don't think I ever saw it in order, except for a few weeks at a time while it was in syndication. There was a lot to watch, I figured it would have taken me about a year-year and a half to get through all those seasons with the free time I had.

2621.10.2007 12:34

TV-Links will not be missed long friends... It was good while it lasted.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 21 Oct 2007 @ 12:35

2721.10.2007 12:35

Pff yeah it will!

2821.10.2007 12:39

Originally posted by BTFan:
Pff yeah it will!
"One dies onother takes it's place" Life goes on...

2921.10.2007 13:20
camaro17
Inactive

try Allucit is my fav site for watching t.v. shows and movies, i watch south park laa the time, its got every episode.

3021.10.2007 16:00
Kerpalguy
Inactive

Here are some good documentaries, free of course:

http://www.freedocumentaries.org/

3121.10.2007 16:05

noo!

3221.10.2007 17:59

Its a sad day STUPID (so called copy right infringement)tv-links is no different than youtube

3321.10.2007 19:42

Originally posted by shummyr:
Its a sad day STUPID (so called copy right infringement)tv-links is no different than youtube
It is much different.

R.I.P TV-links. You will be missed.

3421.10.2007 20:03

Quote:
Mirrors are fun!

http://www.pazoena.com

Probably gained using a website downloading proggy. Not too hard to do. A PHP site which just indexes links is fairly straight forward. I'm sure a few people with the right knowledge are doing the same thing with many similar sites.

Re-edited to correct my crappy spelling LOL!
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 21 Oct 2007 @ 8:09

3521.10.2007 20:26

As suspected, it's really easy to do. I used WinHTTrack Website Copier on the mirror site mentioned above and managed to download the whole thing pretty easily. I've now got the whole thing on my hard drive, although I'm stopping short of publishing it... That would get me into trouble I think LOL!

I've got to say that it woulld be highly unlikely to see any sort of update of this site, since the mirroring is done purely in HTML and the PHP stuff is pretty much stripped out. It would be one hell of a tedious job to modify so many HTML files manually. The original site was built on a PHP base and was probably designed as a content management type system. The operator of the original site would surely have had a much easier interface to work with.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 21 Oct 2007 @ 8:31

3622.10.2007 05:39

sucks that they got shut down and stupid lawsuit... Google should be shut down they have way more illegal content if they get shut down.. but for now check out http://www.boxsweeper.com for replacement Enjoy

3722.10.2007 11:20
OhCrap
Inactive

That sucks I really liked that site. They had the best selection of old and new Dr Who vids. Oh well.

3822.10.2007 13:00

Plenty more fish in the sea, as they say. It just means fishing in a few different oceans that's all.

3922.10.2007 13:44

What happened whith TV-Links is a real bummer...!! :( but don´t worry guys, i found the best replacement... check out http://www.sidereel.com There you will find whatever you may want. Full episodes for all past seasons and new ones too, extra vids, behind the scenes, anything..!! Lost, Heroes, The Office, Family Guy, Movies... They have so many things, that i don´t where to begin..!! LOL

4022.10.2007 18:43

wow i hate this.it was the only way to keep up with smallville..anyone have a place for tv shows

4122.10.2007 22:06

Quote:
Quote:
Mirrors are fun!

http://www.pazoena.com

Probably gained using a website downloading proggy. Not too hard to do. A PHP site which just indexes links is fairly straight forward. I'm sure a few people with the right knowledge are doing the same thing with many similar sites.

Re-edited to correct my crappy spelling LOL!


Pazoena is now down too...

4222.10.2007 22:07

crap

4322.10.2007 22:22

Originally posted by BTFan:
crap

Pazoena went down sooner then I expected! That’s too bad Pazoena looked promising to me.

4422.10.2007 22:32
Norm9
Inactive

Quote:
Originally posted by mododaz:
I used this site allot. but thy did they shut it down ? it didn't host any videos only link them, i never new that was a crime

That is my thought also, I think all the "anti" groups are going after whoever they can just to claim a victory. I think soon when you BUY a dvd it will self destruct after the first viewing.
Every site you come across has that disclaimer "we dont host the content, just links..." AFAIK it wasnt frowned upon as much in the UK as it is in the US, thats why some sites eg.(tv.video.net) moved their servers to the UK from the US as the law was different here they claimed?

What will that mean for all of the other sites, but as someone posted: There'll be another to take its place

RIP TVLINKS.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 22 Oct 2007 @ 10:33

4523.10.2007 08:15

Quote:
Originally posted by mododaz:
I used this site allot. but thy did they shut it down ? it didn't host any videos only link them, i never new that was a crime

That is my thought also, I think all the "anti" groups are going after whoever they can just to claim a victory. I think soon when you BUY a dvd it will self destruct after the first viewing.
It's terrible what's happened.... lol at your last sentence, probably ?!

4623.10.2007 08:19

Originally posted by shummyr:
Its a sad day STUPID (so called copy right infringement)tv-links is no different than youtube

yh it is, youtube hosts videos. and hopefully the owner can win the case and with a new identity make another tv-links, but base the servers where viewing such content for our own leisure is allowed, such as Canada.

4724.10.2007 03:09

The fact of the matter is that this guy caught and should not be doing it the way he did it.

4824.10.2007 17:47

It looks like it's going to be a huge legal grey area from here on. Was what this guy was doing really tantamount to piracy? That's the real question. Well he's really just providing links to other sites that are hosting this material. I think that indirect action such as this is going to be hotly contested in any future action that FACT takes against their "defendant". My only fear is that he'll cave in and settle out of curt as so many others have been bullied into doing.

4925.10.2007 06:52
elton1
Inactive

Please check out this site I have made:
http://www.save-tv-links.co.uk

The idea behind the site is to create a publicly accessible resource of accurate information on the tv-links case and create a discussion forum around it. It also exists to offer what ever support is possible to give to the innocent.

Anyone who can contribute or has any ideas that would make this site more functional please get in touch; the aim is too get as much information in one place as possible.

Elton1

5026.10.2007 07:20

What ?

5126.10.2007 07:55

Ive never heard of TV-Links lol

5226.10.2007 18:57
Norm9
Inactive

Hmm! i suppose being that popular meant its inappropriate shutdown,
as it was a well-known site with working links,
unlike alluc- turned out to be all-u-see is dead links! & meant a quick exit, not to return!

Another great site with a lot of info, i came across by accident (as usual) praised tv-links was zeropaid
As i didnt feel the need for any filesharing software.


Something i was meaning to get around, but noticed this as it wasnt there the last time!
I dont know if its any better than the usual utorrent/bittorent?
queue quicker downloading?
As it looks like you could set it up in no time compared to the others?

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 26 Oct 2007 @ 7:02

5327.10.2007 05:02

Well tried zeropaid with no joy.Seems as soon as they are putting them up the tech police are taking them down.I'm sorry I just cant feel sorry for those in the entertainment industry running around in their expensive cars, with their fortunes in the bank etc.

544.11.2007 21:28
Norm9
Inactive

Just after tryin it out to see what it was like, 27hrs download & that wasnt a torrent as that would take several days!! LOL.
it works better on RSS Sites to find shows.

5514.11.2007 04:59

UK’s www.tv-links.co.uk busted

p2pnet news | Movies:- “Welcome to TV Links, for your viewing pleasure we have compiled various links from the latest to some long forgotten TV shows, classics, films, documentaries and much more,” said www.tv-links.co.uk. “How much does this cost you? Nothing, its all Free of charge! Please sit back, relax and enjoy the show.”

“Said” in the past tense because the site has been taken down and a 26-year-old Briton arrested, “in connection with offences relating to the facilitation of copyright infringement on the internet,” says Guardian Unlimited.

Behind the bust was entertainment cartel pseudo cop organisation the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact), also known as Farcical Approaches to Copyright Transgressions.

The arrest and shutdown involved staff from the Gloucestershire County Council’s trading standards, FACT “investigators” and Gloucestershire Police, says the story, failing to mention UK taxpayers funded the corporate copyright operation.

But the cooperation shouldn’t come as a surprise. As p2pnet noted last year, in Britain the entertainment and software cartels have in effect been given full police powers.

The post went on:

For years the movie, music and software industries have been getting away with using scarce, taxpayer-funded police and other enforcement personnel as unpaid industry cops.

This has come about through an amazing PR triumph under which copyright infringement, a purely civil matter with no more than commercial implications, has been dressed up and made to look like major crime on a level with murder and robbery.

Wholly owned cartel ‘trade’ units such as the BPI have had to content themselves with merely ‘assisting’ in the ‘busts’ they’ve initiated. But now, unbelievably, “A police unit dedicated to combating movie piracy and those responsible for the manufacture and distribution of pirated films has launched in London …”

“In partnership with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact), the new unit will pursue individuals and groups profiting from the sale of fake DVDs.”

And the British public will be paying for it.

Meanwhile, Fact says TV Links was a “major target” in a “campaign to crackdown on web piracy”.

TV Links ‘users’ were, “potentially evading licence fees, subscription fees to digital services or the cost of purchase or admittance to cinemas to view the films,” Guardian Unlimited has Fact mouthperson Kieron Sharp saying.

==========

UPDATE:

Also see www.tv-links.co.uk, criminal linker

tv-links showed the truth about our government what was hidden from us. thats why it was shut down wake up world before its to late

5614.11.2007 08:08

"The British Video Association (BVA) has stated that piracy caused an estimated £459 million in losses to the video, film and TV industries last year."


Yes, because all of those people would have gone and bought all the dvds if the site wasn't there...


No wait, they would have just found another way to occupy their time ¬_¬

5714.11.2007 12:34

ofi why dont you just see for yourself instead of being a puppet and beleving every thing you read

5815.11.2007 04:41

Why cant the film industry use their bloody sense and wake up.They are making enemies of many of us.Like the record industry they have recognized they can give free music away and still make their massive multi million pounds profit.I do not believe as in most of us of profits that go to organized crime.And I do believe that most of the time the police are doing a good job.But the way they are doing things is totally stupid and will draw only bad for this industry so you media execs out there use your heads..........

599.12.2007 10:45

Originally posted by elton1:
Please check out this site I have made:
http://www.save-tv-links.co.uk

The idea behind the site is to create a publicly accessible resource of accurate information on the tv-links case and create a discussion forum around it. It also exists to offer what ever support is possible to give to the innocent.

Anyone who can contribute or has any ideas that would make this site more functional please get in touch; the aim is too get as much information in one place as possible.

Elton1
Thats awsome Elton1!!! This is one of those things I know a lot of us wishes we could do but don't know how to start or who is who to set things up properly. I'm joining right now! ;)

6011.12.2007 02:32
grace88
Inactive

Originally posted by simpsim1:
Plenty more fish in the sea, as they say. It just means fishing in a few different oceans that's all.

6130.1.2008 20:28

Tv link is back http://tv-links.cc

6230.1.2008 21:40

Yeah... not so much. Had me going for a second.. ;~) ;~(

637.2.2008 23:19

the real clone out there now is TV-LINKS.CA

648.2.2008 05:53

Great news!!!!!!!!

658.2.2008 08:53

Yeah.. still not so much. Had me going but not as much as the first time. Heres hoping these will fill in over time. Alas, what was lost will probably never return like it was with the true TV Links site... ;~( ;~)

- K

6628.10.2010 16:24

Originally posted by Laadi:
There are many places to watch Tv Shows online,
like pimp my site.
Wow! You are pimping your site, all over the place, but it will soon end, spammer.

6728.10.2010 22:17

http://scenereleases.info/

Best site for prety much everything :D

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 28 Oct 2010 @ 10:18

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