File-Sharing Service IsoHunt Shutting Down

MPAA declares victory

The operator of the popular file-sharing service isoHunt, which the courts have declared a massive copyright scofflaw, is shutting down to settle a long-running lawsuit from the Motion Picture Association of America, according to court records lodged today.

Gary Fung, the site's Canadian operator, also agreed to pay $110 million in damages as part of the deal to end the long-running legal battle. He is unlikely to get his hands on that much money, but the Hollywood studios get what they want: the shuttering of a torrent search engine that pointed the way to pirated movies, music, videogames and software. The deal (.pdf) includes Fung sites called IsoHunt, TorrenTBox and Podtropolis.