When I wrote about Popcorn Time earlier this week, I said it wasn’t likely to disappear anytime soon despite its legally dubious nature.
That turned out to be wrong, as the creators of Popcorn Time have abruptly pulled the software from their website and shut it down. Even if you downloaded Popcorn Time already, it will no longer function.
A post on Medium and on Popcorn Time’s website vaguely explains the shutdown:
The creators remain proud of the project, saying that many of Popcorn Time’s users live in countries where it’s impossible to purchase movies that are even remotely new. The farewell post criticizes the movie industry’s “ridiculous restrictions” and argues that users deserve better.
Because Popcorn Time’s code was made public and open-source, there’s always a chance that some other developers could bring it back. But for now, the program that made movie piracy shockingly easy is out of commission.
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