TamilRockers is a torrent website based in India which facilitates the distribution of copyrighted material, including television shows, movies, music and videos.[1] The site allows visitors to search for and download copyrighted material with the help ofmagnet links andtorrent files, which facilitatepeer-to-peerfile sharing. It also operates multipleTelegram channels and groups with thousands of subscribers.[2] TamilRockers is the tenth most popular torrent site inTorrentFreak's Top 10 Most Popular Torrent Sites of 2020 list.[3]
In India,ISPs have been ordered to block access to the website.[4][5][6] The website continues operation by switching to a series of new web addresses.[7] Aside from its traditional list of pirate sites, apps, and hosting providers, the movie industry groupMotion Picture Association (MPA) lists TamilRockers as one of thenotorious markets.[8][9]
TamilRockers was abootleg recording network which was founded in 2011 and later became a public torrent website that links to pirated copies ofIndian films, particularlyTamil, in addition to Hollywood films dubbed into Indian languages along with the original English audio.
On March 14, 2018, three men said to be behind the site were arrested. One of the men was believed to be the site administrator.[10] On 23 May 2019, more members of TamilRockers were arrested inCoimbatore.[11]
On October 19, 2020, the site went offline but came back online after a while; it was speculated thatAmazon intervened by issuing severalDMCA takedown notices.[12]
On July 28, 2024 another person who was reported to be an admin of the site was arrested by Thiruvananthapuram police while recording a movie in the theatre for pirating.[13]
Since the official TamilRockers went offline, there has been two prominent clone websites called TamilMV and Tamil Blasters, which are also been targeted by ISPs to block them. In May, 2022,Disney Star, a subsidiary ofThe Walt Disney Company, filed complaint with police in India, targeting Tamil Rockers, TamilMV, and Tamil Blasters.[14][15][16]
The TamilRockers name has madecameo in many Tamil movies, including a Tamil movieTamil Rockers starringPremgi Amaren released on December 31, 2021.[17][18]
