The "piratebay" sale, An Update

The Pirate Bay was due to be sold to GGF in the near future, however the sale has been halted by Swedish stock market authorities due to a lack of immediately verifiable funds. Also, a number of Pirate Bay clones are surfacing due to the posting of a torrent file of the website's entire database. As a result, commentators consider the deal dead in the water.

Source

Trading in The Pirate Bay bidder stopped over deal funding
(LINK)

UPDATE - 25 August 2009

A Swedish court threatened the Pirate Bay's main ISP with heavy fines if it does not block access. The ISP complied although the website is expected to be working normally very soon.

Source

Swedish court orders The Pirate Bay shutdown
(LINK)

UPDATE - 26 August 2009

"Don't mess with our torrents" seems to be the message that the Pirate Bay's users deliver when they engage in what has been described as "sabotage" of the ISP that complied with the Swedish court's order.

Source

ISP that cut off Pirate Bay hit hard, site is back online in hours
(LINK)

The New Copyright Model

The Pirate Bay is apparently up for sale, and if it ends up being purchased by Global Gaming Factory X the new owners intend to implement a new system that will appease copyright holders while still appealing to the Pirate Bay's die hard clientele. In effect it will legalise the Pirate Bay.

The new system will effectively require users to pay a monthly subscription to gain access to licensed content from copyright holders. Alternatively, when infringing content is found copyright holders will have the choice of having the content taken down or receiving an undisclosed sum of money.

A benefit of the new system would be that the quality of files would be assured. Similarly it would allow copyright holders to receive some payment for a practice that will continue with or without the Pirate Bay.

Watch this space.

Source

GGF plans to steer The Pirate Bay freeloaders straight
(LINK)