The most popular piracy site on the Internet, the Pirate Bay, is going down. Like Napster, it will be sold to a company who is planning to convert it into a legal service (read: paysite). The news came somewhat unexpected as the site kept running even after the infamous police raid of 2006 and the recent conviction by a Swedish court.It's pretty sad that the iconic Pirate Bay, who was so bravely resisting the wicked attacks upon her, will soon cease to exist. There are rumours that the media industry is behind all of this. The deal will give the Pirate Bay owners a way of paying their fines while the media industry can make sure that the site is taken down without having to wait for the end of the trial - which could take several years.
But the real question now is "what's next"? File sharing has not started with the Pirate Bay, it also will not end with it. There will be a new flagship for the anti-copyright movement. There always is. And every time it has been stronger than the previous one.
