aXXo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Years active | 2005–2009 |
| Known for | Content distribution |
aXXo is theInternetalias of an individual who released and standardized commercial filmDVDs as free downloads on the Internet between 2005 and 2009.[1][2] The files, which were usually new films, were popular among thefile sharing community usingpeer-to-peer file sharingprotocols such asBitTorrent. A download-tracking firmBigChampagne found — in a sampling period in late 2008 — that almost 33.5% of all movie downloads were aXXo torrents.[3] aXXo encoded files to approximately 700 MB – the same size for acompact disc.[3] Due to the re-encoded quality of an aXXo file, the suffix "aXXo" was often used by imitators.[3]
aXXo first appeared in November 2005 on themessage board "Darkside_RG".[4]
In November 2007, aXXo deleted all of their files released after September 7, 2006 fromThe Pirate Bay protesting that the site was allowing harassing comments to be added to their torrents by "possible members ofMPAA".[2] While past aXXo torrents remained available on other torrent sites, uploads of new aXXo files stopped on November 11, 2007.[1][2] After an absence of four months aXXo returned to uploading, starting with the movieI Am Legend on March 9, 2008.[1][5][6]
On December 15, 2008, aXXo's thousandth movie upload, a copy of theKiefer Sutherland horror filmMirrors, appeared on an Internet forum for the Darkside Release Group.[7]
On March 11, 2009, aXXo stopped uploading new files after releasingPunisher: War Zone. For a while, they logged intoMininova until the site switched to only hosting torrents that were Content Distribution free or torrents with no copyrights.[8]
On April 19, 2009 aXXo made their last known comment onmessage board "Darkside_RG", in response to rumors that they had stopped posting on Darkside_RG. They stated:
I can only say a big thank you for your appreciation mates, hope you all enjoy the darkside as much as you can My home is my beloved Darkside and as I've said so many times before on each of my torrents.... Be aware of bogus sites and lamers See ya.[9]
aXXo converted commercialDVD movies into approximately 700 MB.avi files which were then used to create a.torrent file that wereuploaded toBittorrent Trackers allowing the movie to bedownloaded.[10] Onfile sharing websites, aXXo files attracted large followings with more than a million users downloading aXXo files each month.[11] Files released by aXXo followed the naming convention "Name.Of.Movie[year]DvDrip[Eng]-aXXo.avi",[12] where "DvDrip[Eng]" implied it was ripped from an English-language disc and "avi" referred to the resultingfile format. The video was encoded according to theMPEG-4 ASP standard, compatible with theXvid codec. The aXXo postings also carried a.nfo file about the movie and an attached text file that states, in part: "Be aware of bogus sites and lamers, download your aXXo files from aXXo accounts. Enjoy!"
In a purported interview of a person claiming to be aXXo, they described themselves as a single individual who has been ripping DVDs since they were a teenager.[1][11]
Due to its popularity in the file sharingsubculture, thepseudonym aXXo is falsely assumed by a variety of individuals and groups to mimic the source identity as a disguise for their own uploads on file sharing websites. A portion of such decoys is made available by a range of companies in the field of copyright enforcement, such as BayTSP,MediaDefender, orMediaSentry, with the aim of suing to make a profit. These faked files, or groups of files, would normally contain useless or potentially malicious data. The type of maliciously fake files includeRAR format files that require the users to download atrojan disguised as acodec needed to view associatedAVI format files. Other fake files encourage the users to register on dubious websites or require the users install theDomPlayer software. Fake files may also containmalware with the capability to send theIP address of the user's computer to a private server.[12][13]For years, aXXo has been warning followers to “beware of bogus sites and lamers” in the .nfo files which accompany their torrents.[14]
About a year after aXXo signed off in 2009, another user YIFY began uploading torrents and eventually launched its own website known as YTS.[15]
| Companies | |
|---|---|
| People | |
| Technology | |
| Clients (comparison, usage share) | |
| Tracker software (comparison) | |
| Search engines (comparison) | |
| Defunct sites (comparison) | |
| Related topics | |
