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Popcorn Time

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For the telephone number POP-CORN (767-2676) to hear the time announced, seeSpeaking clock § United States.

Popcorn Time
Original author(s)Federico Abad, Matías Fork, et al.
Stable release
0.3.6[1] / 12 July 2022
Repositorygithub/popcorn-official
Written inHTML,JavaScript,NodeJS,CSS
Engine
  • NW.js
  • V8
  • Google Native Client
Edit this at Wikidata
Operating systemLinux,macOS,Windows,Android
PlatformNode.js
Available in44 languages[2]
TypeBitTorrent client/Peer-to-peer
LicenseGPLv3
Websitepopcorntime.appat theWayback Machine(archived April 2, 2021)
Part ofa serieson
File sharing
Technologies
Video on demand sites
BitTorrent sites
Academic/scholarly
File sharing networks
P2P clients
Streaming programs
Anonymous file sharing
Development and societal aspects
By country or region
Comparisons

Popcorn Timeis amulti-platform,free softwareBitTorrentclientthat includes an integrated media player. The application provides apiracy-basedalternative to subscription-basedvideo streamingservices such asNetflix.Popcorn Time uses sequential downloading to stream video listed by several torrent websites, and third-partytrackerscan also be added manually. The legality of the software depends on the jurisdiction.

Following its creation, Popcorn Time quickly received positive media attention, with some comparing the app to Netflix for its ease of use.[3]After this increase in popularity, the program was abruptly taken down by its original developers on March 14, 2014, due to pressure from theMotion Picture Association of America(MPAA).[4]Since then, the program has beenforkedseveral timeswith several other development teams such as Time4Popcorn and theButter Projectto maintain the program and produce new features. Time4Popcorn reportedly gained millions of users within four months of launching in 2014 and became the first fork to bring Popcorn Time to Android devices.[5]In September 2014, Time4Popcorn became available onjailbrokenAppledevices, and eventually non-jailbrokeniOSdevices via a Windows installation tool.[6]The iOS version of Popcorn Time is no longer maintained.[7]

On January 5, 2022, a popular copy of Popcorn Time was shut down due to "a lack of use".[8]

Functionality

Big Buck Bunnyon Popcorn Time 0.3.8

The Popcorn Time interface presents thumbnails and film titles in a manner similar to Netflix. This list of media can be searched and browsed by genres or categories. When a user clicks on one of the titles, the film is downloaded via theBitTorrent protocol.[9]As with otherBitTorrent clients,as soon as Popcorn Time starts to download a film, it also starts to share the downloaded content with other users (in technical terms, itseedsthe torrent to others in theBitTorrent swarm).[10][11]It continues to make the downloaded content available to others until the movie is deleted, which is normally done automatically once the application is closed.

History

Popcorn Time was developed "in a couple of weeks" by a group fromBuenos Aires,Argentina,who elected "Pochoclín" (derived frompochoclo,which meanspopcorninBuenos Airesparlance) as their mascot. They believed thatpiracywas a "service problem" created by "anindustrythat portrays innovation as a threat to their antique recipe to collect value ", and also argued that streaming providers were being given too many restrictions and forced to provide inconsistent service between countries, noting that streaming providers in their native Argentina" seem to believe thatThere's Something About Mary[1998] is a recent movie. That movie would beold enough to votehere. "[12]

Made available forLinux,macOS,WindowsandAndroid,Popcorn Time'ssource codewas downloadable from their website; the project was intended to befree software.Contributorslocalizedthe program into 44 languages.[2][12][13]

Reception

Popcorn Time became the subject of mainstream media attention for its ease of use, withPC MagazineandCBC Newslikening Popcorn Time to Netflix, and noting its obvious advantages over Netflix such as the size of its library, and the recent selections available.[14][9]Caitlin Dewey ofThe Washington Postsaid Popcorn Time may have been an attempt to make the normally "sketchy"ecosystemoftorrentsmore accessible by giving it a clean modern look and an easy-to-useinterface.[15]

Legality

Main article:Legal issues with BitTorrent

The legality of the various Popcorn Time clients matched that of all other BitTorrent clients plus the additional issues that apply to sites likeThe Pirate BayandYTSitself, due to the explicit linking to movie content; its website claimed that the software was possibly illegal depending on local laws.[12][16]

In the UK a court order was given in April 2015 to ISPs to block URLs that provided either the Popcorn Time application software (PTAS) or "sources of update information" (SUI), i.e. pointers to torrent-inde xing sites. The court found that, unlike previous cases concerning inde xing sites directly, neither websites providing the PTAS nor the SUI could be construed to be "communicating a work to the public", since neither contained any specific information about any specific work. It considered it entirely probable that both the providers of the PTAS and the SUI could be held to be "authorising acts of infringement" by users, but this was not the case that the claimants had raised at the hearing. Instead, they had claimed that the providers had been authorising acts of infringement by content-hosting websites, but then that claim had not been made out.

The judge, however, found that the Popcorn Time suppliers did "plainly know and intend" for the application to be "the key means which procures and induces the user to access the host website and therefore causes the infringing communications to occur"; and on this basis had "a common design with the operators of the host websites" and therefore shared a joint liability for the copyright infringements (joint tortfeasance). It was therefore appropriate to order the ISPs to block the websites as provided for by section 97A of theCopyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.[17][18]

On May 20, 2015, the government ofIsraelblocked all access to the official downloads of Popcorn Time, following a lawsuit from its biggest cable and satellite providers for copyright infringement. Although the download sites were blocked, internet users still possessing a copy of the installation file and/or the program were not affected, and there were other sharing sites that distributed installation files. Less than a month later, the government reversed the ban.

On August 17, 2015, the Danish website popcorntime.dk was shut down byDanishpolice and two arrests were made.[19]The case has caused controversy given that the website is not affiliated with the Popcorn Time developer teams but only distributed information about the service.

As with other BitTorrent clients, the IP addresses of users of the original app or its forks can easily be determined by third parties. In early 2015, many German Popcorn Time users received demands for damages of €815. The high amount was justified by the fact that the application not only downloads but also distributes movies,[20]a fact that not all users were aware of.

Cobbler Nevada, LLC v. Anonymous Users of Popcorn Time: Does 1-11, Case No. 3:15-cv-1550

In 2015, Cobbler Nevada alleged that Popcorn Time users illegally downloaded copies of theAdam SandlermovieThe Cobbler.[21]Popcorn Time attempted to differentiate itself from "all technological applications" by claiming that Popcorn Time had no legitimate purposes, however, the evidence in favor of this assertion was the Wikipedia article "Popcorn Time."[22]

Popcorn-Time.no

On March 8, 2016,Norway'spolice unit for economic crimes,Økokrim, seized Popcorn-Time.no domain name.[23][24]The original site did not host the Popcorn Time application but instead had news articles and external links to other applications. The seizure is being contested by the Norwegian member organizations NUUG and EFN.[25][26]

Discontinuation

On March 14, 2014, Popcorn Time's original website andGitHubrepository were removed afterallegations of copyright infringement.It was later revealed by theSony leaksthat the MPAA did indeed prevent the original developers of Popcorn Time from continuing to work on the program.[4]Despite the copyright complaints that the software received, Popcorn Time's developers simply wanted to move on. They said, "our experiment has put us at the doors of endless debates about copyright infringement and copyright,legal threatsand the shady machinery that makes us feel in danger for doing what we love. And that's not a battle we want a place in ".[11][13][27]

The developers claimed that the majority of their users were those outside of the United States, and that it was "installed on every single country on Earth. Even the two that don't haveinternet access,"by users who would" risk fines, lawsuits and whatever consequences that may come just to be able to watch a recent movie in slippers. Just to get the kind of experience they deserve ". They also praised media outlets for not antagonizing them in their coverage of Popcorn Time, and agreeing with their views that themovie industrywasanti-consumerand too restrictive in regard toinnovation.[12]

Successor

After its discontinuation, the Popcorn Time application was forked by various different groups to continue development of the project.[27]On August 8, 2015, the website of the original Popcorn Time application was redirected to the popcorntime.io website.[28]A few days later, members of the original Popcorn Time project announced that they would endorse the popcorntime.io project as the successor to the original discontinued Popcorn Time.[29]

Forks

Popcorn Time lineage
Popcorn Time
getpopcorntime.me
(dead)
Time4Popcorn
(closed source)
time4popcorn.eu
popcorn-time.se
popcorn-time.to
popcorn-time.tw		Popcorn Time
(official, dead)
popcorntime.io
Popcorn Time CE
(clone community edition)
popcorn-time.is
popcorntime.ag		Popcorn Time CE
(original community edition, dead)
popcorntime.ml
popcorntime.tk
popcorntimece.ch		Popcorn Time
popcorntime.sh
popcorntime.app
Argentinian programmer Niv Sardi, one of the developers of the Popcorntime.io fork[30]

After the original developers discontinued the program, other teamsforkedthe original Popcorn Time source code and continued development independently. These groups continued using the name "Popcorn Time", but other than the Popcorn Time project, these forks are not associated with the developers of the original application. The developers of the original Popcorn Time had members join the Popcorn Time project, and endorsed this as the successor to the discontinued old Popcorn Time.[29]Popcorntime.app, formerly popcorntime.sh, is sponsored by private VPN company VPN.ht.[31][32]

Time4Popcorn (Time4Popcorn.eu, Popcorn-Time.to Popcorn-Time.se)

This Popcorn Time fork was originally launched with the web domain time4popcorn.eu. The domain time4popcorn.eu was suspended by Eurid, as a result of a legal investigation against time4popcorn.eu. The programs that rely on the time4popcorn.eu domain temporarily stopped functioning, but the program and website were updated to a new domain popcorn-time.se.[33][34]As the original time4Popcorn.eu domain was forcibly removed, the team moved to the popcorn-time.se website.[35] On May 13, 2014, the fork released a mobile version for Android phones and tablets.[36]In addition, popcorn-time.se added built in VPN on June 9, 2014, provided by Kebrum.[37] The popcorn-time.se developers later added Chromecast support for desktop and Android.[38][39]On July 30, 2014, popcorn-time.se developers added support for the Apple TV to their desktop app; on September 30, 2014, an app forjailbrokeniOS devices was released.[40][41][42]An anonymous development team created a tool that allows iOS users to download the fork via Windows, thus allowing non-jailbroken devices to install Popcorn Time.[6]

Popcorn Time Community Edition

Following the shutdown of popcorntime.io, users of Popcorn Time created a series of fixes that modified the original software and got it working again.[43]The fixes were added to the Popcorn Time installers and named Popcorn Time Community Edition, giving credit to the community of users that resurrected the software.[44]

Popcorntime.sh (formerly popcorntime.io)

Popcorntime.sh is afree softwarefork of the original Popcorn Time program. In October 2015, PopcornTime.io was shut down, along with theYTSwebsite.[45]

On November 3, 2015, the popcorntime.io domain was obtained by the MPAA after winning court orders in Canada and New Zealand.[46]This came about after winning an injunction on October 16, 2015, to shut the website down, although the project reappeared on a new website (popcorntime.sh).[47][48][49][50]

See also

References

  1. ^"Release 0.3.6".12 July 2022.Retrieved26 October2022.
  2. ^ab"Transifex".transifex.
  3. ^"Music group threatens popcorn times blog platform".Torrent Freak.RetrievedJanuary 31,2015.when the 'Netflix for Pirates' celebrates
  4. ^ab"Hollywood Tries to Crush Popcorn Time, Again - TorrentFreak".December 19, 2014.
  5. ^Kastrenakes, Jacob; Vincent, James (October 23, 2015)."A brief history of Popcorn Time, the piracy service everyone's watching".The Verge.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
  6. ^ab"How Popcorn Time's Piracy App Is Sneaking Onto iPhones".Wired.ISSN1059-1028.Retrieved2020-12-18.
  7. ^popcorn-official/PopcornTimeTV,Popcorn Software, 2020-11-26,retrieved2021-01-27
  8. ^Van der Sar, Ernesto (2022-01-05).""Popcorn Time" Shuts Down Due to a Lack of Use ".TorrentFreak.Retrieved2022-01-06.
  9. ^ab"'Popcorn Time' Is Like Netflix for Pirated Movies ".PC Magazine.RetrievedMarch 16,2014.
  10. ^"Netflix-like torrenting app Popcorn Time disappears".Ars Technica.14 March 2014.RetrievedMarch 16,2014.
  11. ^ab"Popcorn Time reinvents the seedy process of torrenting".Ars Technica.11 March 2014.RetrievedMarch 16,2014.
  12. ^abcd"Goodbye Popcorn Time".Popcorn Time developers. Archived fromthe originalon August 10, 2014.RetrievedMarch 16,2014.
  13. ^ab"Popcorn Time Is Over: Potent Piracy App Quickly Calls It Quits".Time.RetrievedMarch 16,2014.
  14. ^Misener, Dan."Popcorn Time is like 'Netflix for pirates'".CBC News.RetrievedMarch 12,2014.
  15. ^"How to easily watch any movie from your computer for free".Washington Post.RetrievedMarch 16,2014.
  16. ^David, Fishcher (4 January 2016)."Everything you need to know about popcorn time".Buttertime.nl(in Dutch). Popcorn Time News. Archived fromthe originalon 3 October 2017.Retrieved3 October2017.
  17. ^Eleonora Rosati,Popcorn Time: a blocking order like any other? Birss J's decision in the post-Svensson debate,IPKatblog, April 29, 2015
  18. ^Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation & Ors v Sky UK Ltd & Ors[2015] EWHC 1082 (Ch)
  19. ^"Police Arrest Men For Spreading Popcorn Time Information - TorrentFreak".19 August 2015.
  20. ^"Anwälte verzeichnen viele Abmahnungen zu Popcorn Time".golem.de(in German). January 19, 2015.
  21. ^NBC15."Lawsuit claims locals illegally downloaded Adam Sandler movie".NBC15.Retrieved9 March2016.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link]
  22. ^"Complaint"(PDF).
  23. ^Norwegian Police Seize Popcorn-Time “Information” SiteTorrentFreak Retrieved March 8, 2016
  24. ^Hafsahl, Gunhild (March 8, 2016)."Beslag i domenet popcorn-time.no".Archived fromthe originalon March 11, 2016.RetrievedMarch 11,2016.
  25. ^Enonic."Press Release: Popcorn-time.no – NUUG and EFN appeal decision for judicial review of the case and get the legal owner IMCASREG8 onboard".EFN(in Norwegian).Retrieved2021-03-31.
  26. ^"Pressemelding: NUUG og EFN begjærer rettslig prøving for DNS-domenebeslag av popcorn-time.no - Nyheter fra NUUG".nuug.no.
  27. ^ab"Torrent Site Popcorn Time, Shut Down Yesterday, Is Alive Again".Gizmodo.15 March 2014.RetrievedMarch 16,2014.
  28. ^"Popcorn Time - Goodbye!".2015-08-03. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-08-03.Retrieved2020-12-18.
  29. ^ab"Popcorn Time's origins in terms with today".Popcorn Time Blog.Archived fromthe originalon September 6, 2015.RetrievedAugust 13,2015.
  30. ^"Popcorn Time with Niv Sardi".November 23, 2015. Archived fromthe originalon March 1, 2016.RetrievedDecember 12,2015.
  31. ^Dellinger, AJ (March 18, 2020)."Popcorn Time, the 'Netflix for piracy,' is back just in time".Mic.RetrievedMay 27,2020.
  32. ^"Popcorntime.App - Info".HypeStat.March 26, 2020.RetrievedMay 27,2020.
  33. ^"Home".Popcorn Time.October 11, 2014. Archived fromthe originalon July 13, 2019.RetrievedOctober 11,2014.
  34. ^Ernesto (October 9, 2014)."PopcornTime stops working after domain suspension".TorrentFreak.TF Publishing.RetrievedOctober 11,2014.
  35. ^Matt Burns (14 October 2014)."Popcorn Time Finds A New Home After The EURid Pulled Its Domain".TechCrunch.AOL Inc.RetrievedOctober 14,2014.
  36. ^Matt Burns (May 13, 2014)."Popcorn Time: Popcorn Time Is Now On Android".AOL Inc.RetrievedMay 13,2014.
  37. ^Steven Tweedie (June 9, 2014)."The 'Netflix For Pirated Movies' Has Figured Out A Way To Keep You Anonymous".Business Insider Inc.RetrievedJune 10,2014.
  38. ^Mario Aguilar (July 7, 2014)."Popcorn Time's" Netflix for Torrents "Is Coming to Chromecast".gizmodo.RetrievedJuly 7,2014.
  39. ^Paul Sawers (July 14, 2014)."Hollywood's worst nightmare just got worse, as Popcorn Time's Android app gets Chromecast support".The Next Web Inc.RetrievedJuly 14,2014.
  40. ^Popcorn Time Adds Apple TV Support, iOS App Coming SoonTorrentFreak July 30, 2014
  41. ^The 'Netflix For Pirated Movies' Will Soon Work With Your Apple TVby Steven TweedieBusiness InsiderJuly 30, 2014, 9:41 am
  42. ^Matt Burns (September 30, 2014)."Popcorn Time Finally Comes To iOS".TechCrunch.AOL Inc.RetrievedNovember 9,2014.
  43. ^"Popcorn Time's Alive, Full Comeback In the Works - TorrentFreak".TorrentFreak.Retrieved2016-02-23.
  44. ^"POPCORN TIME DEVELOPERS POKE MPAA WITH A NEW FORK".
  45. ^"Popcorn Time Chaos Leads to Shutdown - TorrentFreak".TorrentFreak.Retrieved2015-10-25.
  46. ^"MPAA shuts down major torrent sites, including Popcorn Time".Ars Technica.4 November 2015.Retrieved2015-11-25.
  47. ^"MPAA-Hunted Popcorn Time Makes Surprise 'Comeback'".TorrentFreak. February 17, 2016.
  48. ^"Popcorn Time Status".
  49. ^Robertson, Adi (February 26, 2016)."Popcorn Time's best-known app comes back to life".
  50. ^"Motion Picture Association of America"(PDF).November 3, 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on March 4, 2016.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Popcorn_Time&oldid=1171400206"