Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Putlocker

Putlocker was an online platform originating in the United Kingdom in 2011 that enabled users to stream movies and television series for free by aggregating links to unauthorized copies of copyrighted content hosted on third-party servers.^[1] The service rapidly expanded in popularity after the 2012 shutdown of the file-sharing site Megaupload, drawing millions of daily visitors at its peak and becoming one of the most accessed piracy destinations worldwide.^[1] Putlocker's model relied on user-uploaded links rather than direct hosting, which allowed it to evade some initial enforcement but still violated copyright laws by facilitating illegal distribution without licensing agreements.^[2]^[3] Legal pressures mounted, culminating in a 2016 UK High Court order mandating internet service providers to block access to the site due to widespread infringement complaints from rights holders.^[4] The original domain underwent a temporary closure later that year, though the absence of a centralized operator enabled the swift emergence of numerous mirror sites and clones perpetuating the Putlocker name and functionality.^[2]^[3] These successors have sustained the brand's notoriety amid ongoing controversies, including associations with malware distribution, phishing risks from pop-up advertisements, and repeated takedown efforts by authorities in multiple jurisdictions.^[5]^[6]

History

Origins and Launch (2011–2013)

Putlocker originated in the United Kingdom in 2011 as an online service enabling users to stream movies and television shows for free via embedded links to videos hosted on third-party file-sharing platforms.^[7] The platform, initially accessible at putlocker.com, required no user registration or subscription fees, relying instead on user-uploaded content that often consisted of unauthorized copies of copyrighted material.^[8] Its launch capitalized on the growing demand for accessible digital media amid limited legal streaming options, positioning it as an early prominent aggregator of pirated video content. In its formative phase through 2013, Putlocker focused on user-friendly interface design, featuring searchable catalogs organized by genre, release year, and popularity, which facilitated easy navigation to streams sourced from services like those affected by the 2012 shutdown of Megaupload. The site avoided direct hosting of files to minimize legal exposure, instead directing traffic to external servers, a model that allowed rapid content updates but exposed users to variable playback quality and potential malware risks from unvetted links. By late 2012, enforcement scrutiny emerged, with U.S. authorities noting Putlocker as a conduit for infringement, though operations continued unabated into 2013 amid domain stability and increasing daily traffic. The anonymity of Putlocker's operators, who have never been publicly identified, underscored its decentralized setup, with initial development likely driven by individuals exploiting gaps in international copyright enforcement.^[9] This period marked the site's transition from niche tool to a scalable piracy hub, as evidenced by early user reports of reliable access predating widespread blocks, though it drew criticism from industry groups for undermining legitimate revenue streams without compensating rights holders.^[10]

Rise to Prominence (2014–2016)

Between 2014 and 2016, Putlocker streaming variants, particularly putlocker.is, experienced substantial growth in user engagement, becoming a dominant platform for unauthorized video streaming. The site aggregated links to copyrighted films and television episodes hosted on third-party cyberlockers, enabling users to access content via embedded players without mandatory registration. This period marked a peak in its operations, driven by demand for free, on-demand viewing of recent releases amid limited affordable legal alternatives.^[11] Traffic metrics underscored this ascent: putlocker.is drew approximately 11.1 million unique visitors in August 2014, surging 60% to 17.8 million by August 2015, per comScore data cited in industry reports. By August 2016, monthly unique visitors reached 23.16 million worldwide, according to SimilarWeb analytics. Concurrently, the site's Alexa rankings reflected high prominence, placing it 395th globally and 238th in the United States in 2015, signaling widespread adoption among internet users seeking pirated media.^[11]^[12] The platform's library encompassed over 22,100 infringing movie titles and 500 television series by 2015, facilitating direct streaming that bypassed traditional download methods and appealed to convenience-focused audiences. Hosted infrastructure in Switzerland with apparent operations in Vietnam contributed to its resilience against initial enforcement efforts. However, this visibility as a leading piracy hub drew international attention, including site-blocking orders in countries like Italy, presaging broader legal challenges.^[11]

Shutdown and Immediate Aftermath (2016–2017)

In May 2016, the High Court in the United Kingdom issued an order requiring major internet service providers, including Virgin Media and Sky, to block access to Putlocker and several associated streaming sites, following complaints from the Motion Picture Association regarding unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content.^[13]^[4] This enforcement action significantly restricted access for UK users but did not immediately halt operations, as the site shifted domains and continued serving global traffic.^[14] By late 2016, specifically around October, the primary domain putlocker.is went offline, marking a temporary closure of the core platform amid escalating legal pressures from copyright holders.^[15] Operators responded swiftly by launching mirror sites, such as putlocker.ch and putlocker9.com, which redirected traffic and attempted to replicate the original service, though these faced immediate scrutiny for potential security risks and inconsistent content availability.^[15] In February 2017, a Belgian court ordered the suspension of the putlocker.is domain at the request of the Belgian Entertainment Association, further disrupting remaining access and underscoring international coordination against the platform.^[16] This ruling, enforced by the domain registrar, contributed to a decline in reliable streams, with surviving links increasingly redirecting to unrelated or fraudulent video services by early April 2017.^[14] The immediate aftermath saw fragmented user migration to unverified alternatives, amid reports of heightened malware risks on proxy and mirror iterations, though core operators remained unidentified and unprosecuted.^[14]

Persistence of Mirrors and Clones (2017–Present)

Following the disruption of primary Putlocker domains in early 2017, when the main site became unusable and redirected users to potentially fraudulent video pages, independent operators launched mirror sites and clones using variant domains such as putlocker.is, putlocker.ch, and putlocker.biz to replicate the streaming service's interface and content library.^[14]^[17] These successors maintained access to unauthorized films and television episodes by linking to third-party hosts, evading initial shutdowns through rapid domain migration and decentralized hosting.^[17] Legal enforcement persisted, with antipiracy groups securing injunctions against specific variants; for instance, in March 2017, Hollywood representatives issued warnings to operators of putlocker.run and putlocker.live ahead of potential blockades.^[17] By 2022, the original putlocker.com domain, dormant for years, was auctioned for $102,499, signaling the original operation's cessation while clones proliferated elsewhere.^[18] Domain hopping proved effective, as new iterations replaced seized or blocked ones, often within days, supported by user communities sharing updated links on forums.^[18] Into the 2020s, clones faced intensified site-blocking orders, including Australian Federal Court mandates in May 2024 targeting domains like putlocker.onl and putlockersgo.net.^[19] Cloudflare implemented widespread blocks in the UK by August 2025, affecting over 150 domains incorporating "Putlocker," yet proxy lists and mirrors continued to circulate, with verified active sites such as putlocker.to and putlocker.pe reported as operational.^[20]^[21] This pattern underscores the clones' endurance amid enforcement, though many hosted malware or low-quality streams, prompting user reliance on VPNs for access.^[14]^[21]

Operational Features

Content Delivery and User Experience

Putlocker sites delivered content primarily through embedded iframe players linking to videos hosted on third-party file-sharing and streaming servers, avoiding direct hosting of copyrighted material on their own infrastructure.^[22] This method aggregated links from various external sources, such as video upload platforms, enabling users to stream movies and television episodes in formats ranging from 480p to 1080p resolution, though actual quality depended on the upstream host's capabilities and the user's internet connection.^[22] Playback often utilized adaptive bitrate streaming where supported by the embedded players, adjusting resolution dynamically to reduce buffering.^[22] The user interface emphasized simplicity, featuring a prominent search bar, alphabetical listings, and genre categories for navigation, with no mandatory registration required for access.^[22] Videos initiated playback via a single click on selected links, sometimes offering multiple server options if the primary source failed.^[22] However, this convenience was undermined by pervasive advertisements, including intrusive pop-ups, auto-redirects, and overlay banners that frequently interrupted the viewing process and exposed users to potential malware or phishing risks.^[23] Overall, while Putlocker's model provided free, on-demand access to extensive media libraries, the user experience suffered from unreliable stream stability—due to frequent link dead-ends or takedowns—and the necessity of ad-blocking tools or antivirus software for safe usage, as reported in security analyses of similar platforms.^[23] No official mobile apps were distributed, forcing reliance on mobile browsers, which exacerbated issues with pop-up handling and touch-based navigation.^[22]

Technical Infrastructure

Putlocker operates as an indexing platform that aggregates and links to video streams hosted on third-party servers, rather than storing copyrighted content on its own infrastructure. This linking model embeds external video players or direct URLs within the site's interface, allowing playback via HTML5-compatible browsers without the site handling data transmission for the media files themselves. By design, this architecture shifts the burden of content hosting to external file-sharing services, reducing direct exposure to copyright enforcement actions targeting storage providers.^[24]^[25] The site's persistence relies on a decentralized network of mirror domains and proxy sites, which duplicate the core database of titles, metadata, and links across multiple top-level domains (TLDs) such as .is, .to, .plus, and .ch. Domain registrars and hosting providers are frequently rotated to circumvent seizures; for example, following the 2016 injunction against putlocker.is and related domains, operators quickly launched mirrors like putlocker.plus to restore access. These mirrors are often hosted on offshore or "bulletproof" servers that tolerate DMCA notices minimally, with IP addresses traced to providers like Linode in some cases.^[26]^[27]^[28] Content delivery to users involves progressive streaming or segmented protocols like HLS from third-party hosts, with the site's role limited to curation and user interface. Instances have incorporated Cloudflare for DDoS mitigation and caching of static elements such as JavaScript libraries via CDNJS, though core video traffic bypasses this to maintain the non-hosting claim. Backend operations typically involve user-submitted or manually curated link databases, updated to reflect working embeds amid frequent host takedowns.^[29]^[30]

Legal Challenges and Controversies

Copyright Enforcement Actions

In May 2016, the UK High Court issued an order requiring major internet service providers, including BT, Sky, and Virgin Media, to block access to Putlocker and related domains such as putlocker.is, following legal action initiated by the Motion Picture Association (MPA).^[13]^[4] This injunction, granted on grounds of the site's facilitation of unauthorized streaming of copyrighted films and television programs, marked one of the earliest major site-blocking efforts against streaming piracy platforms in the UK and affected sites including CouchTuner and Watchfree.^[26] The MPA argued that Putlocker enabled users to access infringing content on an industrial scale, bypassing traditional distribution channels.^[31] The 2016 blocking order contributed to the temporary shutdown of Putlocker's primary operations later that year, with the site going offline amid heightened legal pressure and domain disruptions.^[32] Prior to this, enforcement actions had targeted earlier iterations; for instance, in June 2014, UK authorities seized the domain putlocker.bz through the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit as part of broader anti-piracy operations.^[33] Putlocker.com itself faced multiple takedown notices and enforcement measures in 2012 and 2013, prompting operators to rebrand the service as Firedrive.com by 2014 to evade scrutiny.^[34] In February 2017, further action occurred when a Luxembourg court, specifically the Tribunal d'arrondissement, ruled in favor of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), ordering the suspension of the putlockers.ch domain.^[16] The BEA contended that the site hosted or linked to millions of unauthorized copies of audiovisual works, constituting direct facilitation of copyright infringement across Europe.^[16] This decision required the domain registrar to disable the site, highlighting cross-border cooperation in piracy enforcement but also the challenges posed by jurisdictional differences in domain management. These actions, primarily driven by industry groups like the MPA and BEA rather than individual copyright holders, demonstrated the shift toward ISP-level blocks and domain seizures over direct operator prosecutions, though mirrors and clones often resurfaced shortly after.^[32] No large-scale criminal indictments of Putlocker operators were publicly reported, with efforts focusing instead on disrupting access and revenue streams.^[35]

Debates on Piracy Legality and Morality

The operation of streaming sites like Putlocker constitutes copyright infringement under laws such as the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, which grants exclusive rights to reproduction, distribution, and public performance of protected works, with violations punishable by civil penalties up to $150,000 per infringed work and potential criminal charges for willful large-scale distribution.^[36] Courts have consistently rejected defenses based on transient buffering during streaming, classifying it as unauthorized reproduction, as affirmed in cases like MAI Systems Corp. v. Peak Computer, Inc. (1991), which established that temporary copies in RAM infringe reproduction rights.^[37] While some users perceive ambiguity in personal streaming legality due to lack of permanent file retention, empirical legal analyses confirm that accessing unauthorized streams engages in secondary infringement by inducing or materially contributing to primary violations by site operators.^[38] Debates on legality often hinge on fair use doctrine under 17 U.S.C. § 107, which permits limited uses for criticism, education, or transformative purposes, but full-feature streaming for entertainment on platforms like Putlocker fails the four-factor test—favoring commercial nature, substantiality of use (entire works), and market harm to licensors—rendering it ineligible.^[39] Proponents of lax enforcement argue international jurisdictional challenges and user privacy protect casual viewers, yet enforcement actions, including the 2017 shutdown of Putlocker.to via UK High Court orders under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, demonstrate effective cross-border remedies against aggregators.^[40] Critics of strict regimes, including some academic sources, highlight overreach in DMCA takedowns, but these overlook causal links between unchecked sites and systemic infringement, with studies estimating U.S. video piracy losses at $113 billion cumulatively from 2020–2025 due to displaced legal sales.^[41] Morally, opponents frame digital piracy as a violation of property rights, akin to unauthorized use of labor outputs, with first-order effects reducing incentives for content creation; a 2023 Global Intellectual Property Center report quantified global film/TV piracy losses at $29.2 billion annually in foregone U.S. revenues, correlating to fewer jobs and diminished investment in original productions.^[42] Empirical data from peer-reviewed analyses, such as those in Journal of Cultural Economics, show piracy spikes (e.g., 41–66% increases in select countries during 2020 lockdowns) directly undermining box office and streaming revenues without compensatory "discovery" effects outweighing harms.^[43] Philosophers like Hugh Breakey argue piracy fails deontological tests by disregarding creators' autonomy over distribution, even absent physical deprivation, as infinite digital copies erode exclusivity without consent.^[44] Advocates for piracy's morality invoke utilitarian access arguments, positing it democratizes culture in low-income regions or preserves media against corporate gatekeeping, as in defenses of "guerrilla open access" for underserved audiences.^[45] However, such claims lack robust empirical support; consumer behavior studies indicate pirates rarely convert to paying customers, with financial motivations driving 70–80% of engagements rather than unavailability, and legal alternatives like ad-supported tiers on Netflix or YouTube mitigating access barriers.^[46] Mainstream media and academic sources sometimes amplify pro-access narratives, potentially reflecting institutional biases favoring anti-corporate redistribution over creator incentives, yet causal realism reveals piracy's net disutility: reduced R&D budgets (e.g., Hollywood's $20–30 billion annual shortfall tied to leaks) hampers innovation, as evidenced by econometric models linking infringement rates to output declines.^[47] Thus, while debates persist, data privileges the moral imperative of respecting enforceable copyrights to sustain cultural production.

Risks to Users and Operators

Users of Putlocker and its mirror sites face significant cybersecurity threats, primarily from intrusive pop-up advertisements that often redirect to malicious downloads or phishing pages designed to install malware such as viruses, ransomware, or potentially unwanted programs (PUPs).^[5]^[48] These ads exploit the unregulated nature of piracy platforms, where site operators rarely implement robust security measures, increasing the likelihood of device compromise during streaming sessions.^[49] Federal Trade Commission guidance on illegal streaming sites highlights that such platforms frequently harbor malware, which can lead to data theft, system slowdowns, or financial losses from fraudulent activities triggered by infected devices.^[50] Legally, users risk civil penalties for copyright infringement, as accessing unauthorized streams constitutes unauthorized reproduction and distribution under laws like the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and equivalents in other jurisdictions, potentially resulting in fines up to $150,000 per willful violation if pursued by rights holders.^[51] While criminal prosecution of individual users remains rare outside organized operations, Internet service providers (ISPs) in countries like Germany and the UK have issued warnings or throttled connections for detected piracy activity, and some users have received settlement demands from anti-piracy firms representing studios.^[3] Mirror sites exacerbate these risks by varying in legitimacy, with unofficial clones potentially embedding additional tracking scripts that expose IP addresses to monitoring by copyright enforcers.^[52] Privacy concerns arise from the lack of data protection on these sites, where minimal registration or ad interactions can lead to exposure of browsing habits, IP addresses, or personal details to third-party trackers without consent, heightening vulnerability to targeted scams or identity theft.^[53] Although no major Putlocker-specific data breaches have been publicly documented, the ecosystem's reliance on unverified embeds from file-hosting services amplifies general risks associated with unsecured streaming, including surveillance by advertisers or law enforcement via logged access data.^[5] Operators of Putlocker clones encounter severe legal repercussions, including domain seizures and site shutdowns enforced by copyright holders through DMCA takedown notices and international cooperation, as seen in the original site's disruption following pressure from the Motion Picture Association in 2016.^[32] Hosting or linking to pirated content exposes operators to civil lawsuits for contributory infringement, with potential damages in the millions, alongside criminal liability under statutes like 17 U.S.C. § 506 for willful facilitation of large-scale distribution, which has led to indictments in similar cases involving streaming platforms. Persistent evasion tactics, such as frequent domain hopping, invite escalated enforcement, including asset freezes and extradition risks for operators based in jurisdictions with extradition treaties, though many relocate to countries with lax enforcement like Vietnam or the Netherlands to mitigate immediate arrest threats.^[54] Financial risks compound these, as ad revenue from dubious networks can trigger money laundering probes, and server hosting providers terminate services upon infringement notices, disrupting operations and incurring relocation costs estimated in tens of thousands per incident for resilient clones.^[3] Despite these pressures, the low barrier to re-launching mirrors sustains the model, though cumulative legal actions have reduced the ecosystem's scale since the 2017 aftermath.^[32]

Societal and Economic Impact

Popularity and Accessibility Benefits

Putlocker's popularity surged in the mid-2010s, peaking with approximately 1.6 million daily visitors and a ranking among the top 250 most-visited websites globally by 2016, driven primarily by its provision of free, ad-supported streaming of recent films and television series.^[55] This model eliminated financial barriers associated with subscription-based services, enabling users to access content without payments, registrations, or long-term commitments.^[3]^[56] A core accessibility benefit lay in its straightforward user interface, which allowed instant streaming via simple clicks on embedded players, supporting playback across desktops, mobiles, and other devices without specialized software.^[56]^[51] The platform's extensive, genre-organized library—spanning action, science fiction, and top-rated titles—catered to diverse preferences, often updating with new releases faster than some licensed alternatives constrained by distribution agreements.^[51] Post-shutdown mirrors and clones have sustained these advantages for a residual user base, with domains like putlocker.is maintaining measurable traffic into 2025, preserving no-cost entry for individuals in regions where legal streaming subscriptions exceed local affordability or face content licensing limitations.^[57] This persistence underscores Putlocker's role in broadening entertainment access amid economic disparities, though reliant on third-party hosting that introduced variability in stream quality and availability.^[58]

Harms to Content Creators and Industry

Illegal streaming sites like Putlocker enable widespread unauthorized access to films and television content, resulting in direct revenue losses for studios, producers, and distributors who invest in original creations. A 2019 Frontier Economics study estimated that online piracy, including illegal video streaming, costs the U.S. economy at least $29.2 billion annually in lost revenue, with the motion picture and television industries accounting for a substantial share through foregone ticket sales, subscriptions, and licensing fees.^[59] These losses stem from consumer substitution, where empirical analysis of blockbuster films shows a 46% displacement rate, equating to 4.1% of potential sales diverted by pirated streams.^[60] Content creators, including independent filmmakers and actors, face reduced financial incentives to produce new works, as piracy erodes the return on high upfront costs for development, marketing, and distribution. For instance, theaters screening pirated movies experience amplified revenue shortfalls when allocating fewer screens to affected titles, with losses increasing by 52% due to diminished box-office draw.^[61] This dynamic discourages investment in diverse, high-quality content, potentially leading to fewer projects greenlit and job reductions in production roles, as studios prioritize safer, lower-risk outputs amid uncertain monetization.^[62] The persistence of Putlocker clones compounds these harms by sustaining a ecosystem of free alternatives that undercut legal platforms, with global streaming piracy losses projected to reach $51.6 billion by 2022, driven by sites facilitating rapid content uploads without royalties to rights holders.^[63] While some analyses suggest piracy may indirectly boost awareness for niche titles, the net effect for mainstream creators remains negative, as evidenced by consistent industry-wide revenue erosion and calls for stronger enforcement to protect intellectual property value.^[64]

Influence on Legal Streaming Services

The operation of illegal streaming platforms like Putlocker, which peaked in popularity around 2016 with millions of monthly visitors, demonstrated strong consumer demand for instant, ad-interrupted access to vast video libraries without subscription barriers.^[65] This model indirectly shaped legal services by underscoring the need for seamless user interfaces and broad content availability to compete with free alternatives.^[66] For example, Netflix analyzed download and streaming trends from piracy sites, including indicators of viewer preferences, to guide content licensing and original production decisions as early as 2013.^[67]^[68] Such insights from piracy data helped legal platforms identify high-demand titles, accelerating investments in exclusive originals and global expansions to differentiate from unauthorized sources.^[69] However, the persistent revenue drain—estimated at billions annually from streaming piracy—compelled services like Netflix and Hulu to enhance anti-piracy measures, including dynamic watermarking and collaborations with rights holders, while lobbying for stricter enforcement laws.^[70]^[71] This competitive pressure also contributed to the proliferation of ad-supported tiers in legal platforms, mirroring Putlocker's revenue model legally, as seen in the rise of free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services post-2017.^[72] Empirical studies indicate that expanded legal availability, informed partly by piracy trends, reduced illegal consumption; for instance, Netflix's comprehensive catalogs correlated with drops in torrent searches for available titles.^[73] Yet, as legal services fragmented libraries and raised prices—averaging $50+ monthly for multiple subscriptions by 2024—piracy rebounded, highlighting ongoing adaptations like bundled offerings to recapture users.^[65]^[66] Overall, Putlocker's era catalyzed a shift toward convenience-driven innovation in legal streaming but underscored the causal tension between unauthorized access and sustainable industry growth.^[74]

References

[1]
What is Putlocker and How Does it Work? - TVovermind
Mar 22, 2019 · ... shutdown of Megaupload. By May of 2016 the site had been blocked in the UK following an order by the High Court. At its peak Putlocker was ...<|separator|>
[2]
Best Putlocker Alternatives that are Free & Legal - Fire Stick Tricks
Aug 4, 2025 · Putlocker was repeatedly shut down because it made it easy for people to stream copyrighted content. Copyright law considers this illegal, even ...
[3]
Is Putlocker Safe? Best Putlocker Alternatives & How to Use
Oct 15, 2025 · No, Putlocker is neither entirely safe nor legal. The original site and its many clones operate without proper licensing, which means they ...
[4]
CouchTuner, Putlocker and Watchfree: UK high court orders ISPs to ...
May 27, 2016 · The UK High Court has ordered internet service providers (ISPs) in the UK to block several hugely popular online video streaming piracy websites including ...
[5]
Is Putlocker Safe? The Truth Behind the Streaming Site - Astrill VPN
Nov 9, 2023 · Putlocker is not the most secure site. It's been accused of distributing malware and viruses. The excessive pop-up ads also make it easy to accidentally ...
[6]
What One Should Know About Putlocker? - SMALL BUSINESS CEO
Jul 27, 2022 · The legal systems in the US, the UK, and Australia have previously involved Putlocker in a number of legal disputes. It has even ...
[7]
Is Putlocker safe & legal? Streaming guide [Must-read]
Sep 5, 2025 · Putlocker was a popular illegal movie and TV series streaming website originating in the United Kingdom in 2011. Unfortunately, if Putlocker ...
[8]
https://setapp.com/how-to/best-putlocker-alternatives
[9]
How does Putlocker get new movies the day or near the date they ...
May 2, 2016 · Putlocker doesnt "get" anything. Its users upload all the content and share the links to it. There are many ways of getting copies of movies before release.Is PUTLOCKER a legitimate website? - QuoraHow do sites like PutLocker work? - QuoraMore results from www.quora.comMissing: origin | Show results with:origin
[10]
putlocker and sockshare not working - streaming - Ask Ubuntu
Jan 19, 2012 · In ubuntu 11.10, the putlocker and sockshare websites do not work anymore. They work perfectly in windows. Within the player there is a message that says ...
[11]
Motion Picture Association of America, Inc.
Oct 5, 2015 · Putlocker.is had 17,832,855 unique visitors in. August 2015, which was a 60% increase compared to August 2014, according to comScore. Media ...
[12]
[PDF] MPAA-Notorious-Markets-2016-Final.pdf - Motion Picture Association
Oct 7, 2016 · The site had with 23.16 million worldwide unique visitors in August 2016 according to SimilarWeb data. Believed to operate from. Vietnam with ...
[13]
Putlocker blocked in the UK by internet service providers after High ...
May 26, 2016 · The UK's major internet service providers (ISPs) have begun blocking Putlocker and a number of other free video streaming sites following a court order.Missing: details | Show results with:details
[14]
Is Putlocker Dead? Streaming Site Directs Users to 'Scammy' Videos
Apr 6, 2017 · Putlocker, one of the most-used video streaming services among pirates, has been unusable for more than a week now. The streaming site no ...
[15]
Putlocker Shut Down: Putlocker back as Putlocker.ch, Putlocker9
Nov 8, 2016 · The original URL Putlocker.is is still offline, but if you click on it, you will be redirected to Putlocker.ch. According to claims reports, ...
[16]
'Putlocker' Loses Domain Name Following Court Order (Update)
Feb 28, 2017 · The court rendered a decision in favor of the Belgian Entertainment Association last week, which required the registrar to suspend the domain.
[17]
Movie Company Lawyers Warn Pirate Sites About Looming Blockades
Mar 4, 2017 · – Putlocker (putlockers.ch, putlocker.is, putlocker.biz) – ... – Putlocker (putlocker.run and .live). Note: Some 'brands' appear multiple ...<|separator|>
[18]
Piracy Relic 'Putlocker.com' Auctioned Off For $102499 - TorrentFreak
Nov 24, 2022 · The owners eventually decided to let go of the name and in 2014 rebranded as Firedrive. $102,499 Auction. Even though Putlocker.com hasn't been ...
[19]
New Piracy Blocking Order in Australia, Perhaps Congress Will Take ...
May 9, 2024 · More Blocking is Always Needed ; 10, putlockersgo, putlockersgo.net ; 11, putlocker.onl, putlocker.onl ; 12, watchseriesclick, watchseries.click ...
[20]
New Cloudflare Pirate Site Blocking May Already Involve Thousands ...
Aug 15, 2025 · Over 60 domains/subdomains have been blocked in the UK containing the word 'bflix', over 150 domains that contain 'Putlocker', and a mind ...
[21]
Putlocker Proxy List [Updated 2025] - The Tech Basket
Jul 30, 2025 · Here's a list of Putlocker proxy sites that we have hand-picked over the internet. The Putlocker proxy site list below is updated regularly and verified by us.
[22]
How do sites like PutLocker work? - NavThemes
Dec 24, 2023 · In this article, we will delve into the intriguing world of sites like PutLocker, exploring their inner workings and shedding light on the mechanisms that ...
[23]
Putlocker Ads - Remove unwanted ads (updated) - PCrisk.com
Aug 23, 2022 · When opened, Purlocker's web page causes unwanted redirects and enables pop-up windows. The opened pages might be malicious or used to trick ...Missing: interface | Show results with:interface
[24]
How Do Sites Like Putlocker Work? - WebFactory Ltd
Dec 27, 2023 · Sites like Putlocker operate by hosting and aggregating content from various sources. They do not host the content directly but act as a middleman.
[25]
Why don't illegal websites with movies or series such as Putlockers ...
Sep 22, 2022 · Putlocker is a legal service. The content they host might be viewed as illegal to some, but streaming this content is not illegal to you as the ...
[26]
New Hollywood Injunction Blocks CouchTuner, Putlocker & More
The latest order targets several leading streaming sites including CouchTuner, MerDB, Putlocker variants, Watchfree and Xmovies8. mpa Back in ...
[27]
Putlocker.com Whois - Myip.ms
putlocker.com ; PostalCode: 02142 ; Country: US ; RegDate: 1999-01-21 ; Updated: 2023-10-24 ; Ref: https://rdap.arin.net/registry/entity/AKAMAI.
[28]
Putlocker Proxy Mirror Sites List in 2025 | HD & Safely Unblock
Aug 25, 2025 · Putlocker Proxy Mirror Sites List in 2025 | HD & Safely Unblock. Instantly unblock any app and website with global servers securely and freely.
[29]
Putlocker.is Mysteriously Goes Down * TorrentFreak
Putlocker.is, one of the most-used video streaming services among pirates, has been offline for more than three days. The site currently shows a CloudFlare ...
[30]
Web Technologies used by Putlockers.vg - W3Techs
JavaScript Content Delivery Networks. The CDNJS is a content distribution network, hosting a large number of JavaScript libraries, provided by CloudFlare.
[31]
U.K. High Court Orders ISPs to Block 13 Additional Film, TV Sites
Oct 28, 2016 · Specifically, it ordered the top internet service providers in the U.K., including BT, Sky and Virgin, to stop providing access to the sites.Missing: initiated | Show results with:initiated
[32]
[PDF] 2016 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets List - USTR
Oct 12, 2016 · unique visitors (33 percent). Both the Alexa rankings and SimilarWeb ... For example, in. 2016 Putlocker hopped domains from the country ...
[33]
Putlocker - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia
The website's url was changed to putlocker.bz, an address which was seized by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit of the UK in June 2014, and was ...
[34]
[PDF] 2014 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets | USTR
Mar 5, 2015 · Putlocker.com was subject to various enforcement actions in 2012 and 2013. In 2014, the owner rebranded the cyberlocker as Firedrive.com ...
[35]
Mitigating the Risks Associated with Cyberlockers - EverC
Jan 24, 2024 · In 2016, for example, Putlocker, which The Motion Picture Association reported as a major piracy threat, was temporarily shut down and the ...
[36]
When is streaming illegal? What you need to know about pirated ...
Apr 23, 2024 · Streaming laws make it illegal to stream copyrighted material and impose criminal penalties on anyone caught doing it on a large scale.Missing: Putlocker | Show results with:Putlocker<|separator|>
[37]
Is it Illegal to Watch Unauthorized Television Streams Online?
The courts have held that simple private viewing of the stream does not constitute the creation of a copy and is thus not a violation.
[38]
political ideology and the usage of pirated online media
Oct 19, 2021 · In fact, a brief Google search conducted by the authors revealed that users' perceived ambiguity regarding the legality of streaming is high, as ...
[39]
Copyright and Fair Use | Office of the General Counsel
What is the test for fair use? Fair use is actually an affirmative defense to a claim of copyright infringement, meaning that the alleged infringer has the ...
[40]
https://www.depenning.com/blog/fair-use-vs-infringement-understanding-the-lines-in-the-digital-age/
[41]
The Economics and Legal Implications of Streaming Piracy - LinkedIn
May 10, 2025 · In the US, streaming piracy costs are measured in the tens of billions: analysts forecast $113 billion in cumulative losses to US video ...
[42]
[PDF] Digital Video Piracy Impacts on Sales Overestimated in Key Report
1 The headline conclusion of the GIPC paper made bold claims: that global piracy of U.S. film and television costs at least $29.2 billion in lost U.S. revenues ...
[43]
Digital piracy in times of Covid-19 | Journal of Cultural Economics
Mar 8, 2025 · MUSO (2020) suggests that film piracy increased by 41% in the USA, 43% in the UK, 50% in Spain, 62% in India and 66% in Italy during the last ...Digital Piracy In Times Of... · 2 Background · 3 Data And Empirical...
[44]
[PDF] The Ethics of Digital 'Piracy' - Hugh Breakey
Abstract— Is digital piracy – understood as illegally accessing or using copyrighted works, such as through a file-sharing platform – morally wrong?
[45]
Access, ethics and piracy | Insights
Dec 20, 2016 · This article considers both the efficacy and ethics of piracy, placing 'guerrilla open access' within a longer history of piracy and access to knowledge.<|separator|>
[46]
(PDF) Unveiling the Ethical Dilemmas of Digital Piracy - ResearchGate
Oct 21, 2024 · Driven by several elements, including the unwillingness to pay for material, the spread of subscription services, and the profitability of ...
[47]
(PDF) Internet Piracy In The Film Industry: An Economic Analysis ...
Sep 7, 2025 · Based on industry reports and academic research, this study shows how piracy cuts into box office revenue, hurts jobs in creative fields, and ...
[48]
Imitation Putlocker Site Unlocks Path to PUP | Malwarebytes Labs
October 17, 2025 - While Prosper says no funds or accounts were accessed, the stolen data could lead to targeted phishing and identity theft.
[49]
Is Putlocker Safe in 2024? Yes, but Only if You Do This First
Jan 9, 2024 · Putlocker, over the years, has faced legal challenges due to its distribution of copyrighted content without proper licensing agreements. As a ...Missing: controversies | Show results with:controversies
[50]
Malware from illegal video streaming apps: What to know
May 2, 2019 · Illegal pirated content is nothing new. We've alerted you that websites offering free movies and TV shows can infect your computer with malware.Missing: users phishing
[51]
Is Putlocker.to Legal and Safe? Complete Guide to Using Putlocker
Oct 6, 2025 · Wondering if Putlocker.to is legal or safe to use? Here's everything you should know about streaming on Putlocker safely.
[52]
Best VPNs to Unblock Putlocker (Tested for Speed & Security)
How a VPN Works to Protect Your Putlocker Streaming. A VPN creates a secure tunnel between your device and the VPN server. All your data is encrypted inside ...
[53]
Is Putlocker Safe in 2025? Yes, but Only if You Do This First - WizCase
Rating 3.9 (3) May 22, 2025 · Putlocker is illegal in most countries as it contains movies and shows that go against copyright laws. We don't condone breaking any laws and ...Missing: issues controversies
[54]
Is the website Putlocker illegal, and if so why hasn't it been taken ...
Jan 22, 2017 · Putlocker has been reported by the Motion Picture Association of America as a major piracy threat. Putlocker - Wikipedia. Your response is ...
[55]
Why PutLocker .com Sold For Six Figures - Domain Name Wire
Dec 22, 2022 · The site used to be a file-sharing site for movies that received around 1.6 million visitors per day, and in 2016 was among the 250 most visited ...
[56]
5 Reasons To Opt For Putlocker Site To Watch Movies - SlideServe
May 27, 2017 · The biggest advantage of putlocker is that users can enjoy unlimited streaming of their favorite movies and tv shows by simply clicking on the ...
[57]
putlocker.is Traffic Analytics, Ranking & Audience [September 2025]
putlocker.is is ranked #5435 in the Streaming & Online TV category and #1809459 globally in September 2025. Get the full putlocker.is Analytics and market ...Missing: 2015 | Show results with:2015
[58]
Putlocker Down? 10 Putlocker Alternatives 2025 for Movies & Shows
Sep 4, 2025 · Putlocker blocked? Don't worry! Here are the top 10 Putlocker alternative websites in 2025 with HD movies, latest TV shows, minimal ads, ...
[59]
Impacts of Digital Piracy on the U.S. Economy
Jun 15, 2019 · The study estimates that global online piracy costs the US economy at least $29.2 billion in lost revenue each year.Missing: Putlocker | Show results with:Putlocker
[60]
Does Piracy Impact Sales? A Look at the Data - Corsearch
Sep 29, 2021 · This translated into a 46 percent displacement rate and 4.1 percent lost sales for blockbuster films. The study found three potential distinct ...
[61]
Full article: The effects of movie piracy on box-office revenue
Theaters that allocate fewer screens to movies being pirated increase their revenue loss due to piracy by 52%. Part of the revenue loss comes from the negative ...Missing: Putlocker | Show results with:Putlocker<|separator|>
[62]
How Does Piracy Affect the Economy and Entertainment Industry
Illegal streaming and downloading of content or online piracy cost the US economy at least $29 billion in lost revenue every year.Missing: Putlocker | Show results with:Putlocker
[63]
Streaming Piracy to Total $52 Billion in Losses by 2022
Oct 30, 2017 · Worldwide revenue lost to online TV and movie piracy grew from $6.7 billion in 2010 to $31.8 billion this year, and will increase to $51.6 ...Missing: Putlocker | Show results with:Putlocker
[64]
Piracy costs entertainment industry billions, says report - Cybernews
Oct 11, 2022 · Online TV and film piracy costs the US economy at least $29 billion in lost revenue each year. What's more, spiralling global visits to such sites are also ...
[65]
impoverished streaming services are driving viewers back to piracy
Aug 14, 2025 · As subscription costs rise and choice diminishes on legal sites, film and TV fans are turning to VPNs and illicit streamers, ...Missing: Putlocker | Show results with:Putlocker
[66]
Piracy Is Surging Again Because Streaming Execs Ignored The ...
Jan 10, 2024 · Back in 2019 we noted how the streaming sector risked driving consumers back to piracy if they didn't heed the lessons of the past.<|control11|><|separator|>
[67]
How Netflix Uses Piracy to Pick Its Programming - Variety
Sep 14, 2013 · Netflix examines what's popular on Internet piracy sites as part of its content-development strategy, according to a company executive.
[68]
How Netflix Turned Piracy into Market Intelligence
Aug 26, 2025 · In the battle between piracy and streaming, Netflix chose a surprising tactic: learn from the pirates. And it worked. In many countries, it's ...
[69]
How piracy became Netflix's secret weapon - YourStory.com
Jul 21, 2025 · Netflix once used piracy data to decide which shows to buy—turns out torrent sites were their secret focus group.
[70]
Streaming Piracy Statistics & Fixes for Pirate Streaming Services
Jun 14, 2025 · Analysts project that streaming piracy will cost U.S. video providers over $113 billion in lost revenues by 2027.Missing: Putlocker affected
[71]
Why Streaming Services Piracy is Booming and How to Stop It?
Sep 2, 2024 · This not only affects the industry economically but also hinders the growth and development of legal streaming platforms.
[72]
HOW THE STREAMING WARS ARE FUELING OTT VIDEO PIRACY
Aside from ISD devices, illegal video streaming sites are thriving because of the size of their content library and how they break down the exclusive content ...
[73]
Pirate and chill: The effect of netflix on illegal streaming
Our data contains piracy search information on over 1300 movies: 141 treatment movies and 1170 control movies. The panel nature of our data allows us to ...
[74]
How the iconic business models of Netflix and Spotify point the way ...
Jan 9, 2019 · Digital piracy enables consumers to obtain copies of media such as music, software or film from unlicenced internet sources, thus sidestepping ...