Kickass Torrents has switched domain names, now using a new domain located in the Isle Of Man. Rival Pirate Bay may also be forced to switch domain names next week.

File sharing site Kickass Torrents is now the number one site of its kind in the world, having overtaken The Pirate Bay when the latter was raided last December and subsequently experienced almost two months of downtime. During that time, Kickass Torrents overtook its rival in the Alexa rankings and remains the number one most popular torrent site in the world.

Now, Kickass Torrents has changed its domain name to an Isle Of Man location. When the site was contacted for comment as to whether the move was made as a result of legal issues associated with its prior domain, the site team stated, "The domain name change is a planned move which Kickass Torrents does every six months. Nothing special."

Kickass Torrents indeed does switch their domain name from time to time, and though no specific reason has been given it can be assumed that at least one reason is in order to "reset" the site with Google. Each time the file sharing site switches domains, DMCA copyright notices blocking millions of files are rendered moot. In addition, Google's algorithm, which places the site lower in search results, is temporarily bypassed.

The site's current domain remains up and running and is redirecting to the Isle Of Man domain. The Isle Of Man is a self-governing British "crown dependency" located in the Irish sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. The Isle makes its own laws and legislation, and as far as copyright infringement is concerned, its registry states that "... each case is reviewed separately by the Designated Official within the Isle of Man Government. It should be noted though that we have a zero tolerance policy on copyright infringement."

Numerous countries have blocked access to Kickass Torrents outright, and now the site will again be accessible in those territories, at least temporarily until their governments catch up with the site's new home, after which we expect another domain move in the constant cat and mouse game played by file sharing sites and legislators.

Meanwhile, The Pirate Bay may also be in for a domain name change. A Swedish prosecutor is moving to have its current domain name, which is based in Sweden, seized next week due to the fact that the site has been deemed illegal in the country. If so, The Pirate Bay will have to change its domain to another territory.

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