Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minute“Old Pirate Bay” was not The Pirate Bay returning. After Swedish police took the original site offline in December 2014, isoHunt made a separate clone/archive from an earlier copy of The Pirate Bay’s database and search engine. The original service came back online in early 2015 in a distinct relaunch.
What happened to The Pirate Bay in December 2014?
On 9 December 2014, Swedish police raided a server room and The Pirate Bay went offline. Contemporary coverage connected the action with copyright enforcement. TIME reported on the raid and outage.
What was “Old Pirate Bay”?
In the days after the shutdown, isoHunt made Old Pirate Bay available as a snapshot-based clone/archive. The Guardian reported that it contained a copy of The Pirate Bay’s links database and search engine, based on a version from before the raid. The Guardian’s contemporaneous account described the copy; The Washington Post characterized it as a limited archive and noted that the timing of the archived data was unclear at the time. The Washington Post’s report provides that qualification.
It was therefore a copy made available by a rival site, not an official restoration or a live continuation operated by The Pirate Bay’s original team. “Snapshot” matters: a saved version of a site’s data and search functionality is different from the original service continuing to operate and update.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →#1 Best Overall
How was it different from The Pirate Bay’s return?
The original Pirate Bay returned online in early 2015, after the outage. That was separate from isoHunt’s Old Pirate Bay archive. TIME covered the original service’s return on 1 February 2015.
| Service | Provenance | What it represented | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Pirate Bay | Created by isoHunt, according to contemporary reporting. | A clone/archive based on an earlier copy of The Pirate Bay’s database and search engine; not the original service. | Made available after the December 2014 raid. |
| The Pirate Bay | The original service. | The site itself, returning after its outage rather than through the Old Pirate Bay archive. | Returned online in early 2015. |
The contemporary reports do not establish Old Pirate Bay’s present availability, current operator, or current domain status. No current address should be inferred from its historical name.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did the 2017 EU court ruling decide?
In its judgment of 14 June 2017 in Case C-610/15, the Court of Justice of the European Union considered The Pirate Bay under Article 3(1) of Directive 2001/29. It held that, in the circumstances before it, making available and managing the platform constituted a “communication to the public.” The Court explained that the platform indexed metadata about protected works and provided a search engine that let users locate and share those works through a peer-to-peer network. Read the Court’s judgment in Case C-610/15.
The ruling concerned The Pirate Bay in that case; it was not a specific finding about Old Pirate Bay. It also should not be stretched into a claim that all BitTorrent use is unlawful.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #3
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
