tvnzb.com Up for Sale

With the latest round of MPAA lawsuits announced, tvnzb.com has closed its doors. For those who may not know, tvnzb.com was one of the few sites on the internet that provided a RSS feed of NZB files for television shows posted on Usenet. The site never hosted any content but provided pointers on where to find files. As of February 25, 2006, the site had been completely removed and the front page read:

check this space for more news… tvnzb is for sale. If you would like to make an
offer email jon (at) binnzb.com

For those of you looking to fill the void we left, I highly recommend easynews. They have an AWESOME searching feature and http downloads. http://www.easynews.com. Give em a try for a month and I think you’ll like them.

Jon

For more info, join our IRC channel (#binnzb on efnet) or visit our forums.

The vague message did not specify if the domain, website or both are up for sale. In a thread on the forums, user mike10 directly asked:

Does the closure have anything to do with the recent lawsuits against NZB-Zone.com, BinNews.com[?]

To which candy-man, a NZB Server Admin presumably for tvnzb.com, responded:

Yes it does.

There’s too much of a risk involved in running a US-based NZB service. We do not have the resources or money to fight any lawsuit thrown at us. We’d end up loosing everything we have invested and then some.

With the sale of the domain, the buyer will also get the database and all files associated with the site, meaning they could open TvNZB back up if they wanted.

No one can fault the owners of tvnzb.com for shutting their doors. candy-man’s sincere response echos the harsh realities of a world where the owners were forced to face the possibility of fighting on principle against MPAA intimidation tactics or losing everything they had not only invested in the project but beyond the cyber realm and into reality. The most logical choice is to sell the site to someone outside of the United States where the MPAA will have a much harder time prosecuting. No, tvnzb.com was never named in any MPAA lawsuit but it is one of the victims in the war of self-censorship. With that said, I sincerely wish the owners the best of luck in whatever direction they go in next. In the mean time, users will have to a replacement for the service until someone decides to purchase the site and rehost it.

Update (2.25.2006): tvnzb.com has been sold. The front page now reads:

TvNZB has been sold! The new owner should commence operations in a few days, so check back!

February 25, 2006 | Filed Under Tech/Gadgets 

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