View source for Software:Popcorn Time

{{Short description|BitTorrent client and media player software}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Infobox software
| title = Popcorn Time
| name = Popcorn Time
| logo = Popcorn Time logo.png
| screenshot = 
| caption = Application user interface from March 2014
| author = Federico Abad, Matías Fork, et al.
| released = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD/no}} -->
| discontinued = 
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|reference|P348}}
| latest release date = {{date|12 July 2022}}
| programming language = [[HTML]], [[JavaScript]], NodeJS, [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]]
| operating system = [[Software:Linux|Linux]], [[Software:MacOS|macOS]], [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Software:Android (operating system)|Android]]
| platform = [[Software:Node.js|Node.js]]
| language count = 44
| language footnote = <ref name=lang>{{cite web|url=https://www.transifex.com/popcorn-time/popcorn-time-app/|title=Transifex|work=transifex.com}}</ref>
| genre = BitTorrent client / [[Peer-to-peer]]
| license = [[Software:GNU General Public License|GPL]] v3
| website = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402042958/https://popcorntime.app/ |date=April 2, 2021 |title=popcorntime.app}}
| repo = {{url|https://github.com/popcorn-official}}
}}

{{Filesharing sidebar}}

'''Popcorn Time''' is a [[Cross-platform software|multi-platform]], [[Free software|free software]] [[Software:BitTorrent|BitTorrent]] [[Client (computing)|client]] that includes an integrated media player. The application provides a [[Online piracy|piracy-based]] alternative to subscription-based [[Engineering:Video on demand|video streaming]] services such as [[Company:Netflix|Netflix]]. Popcorn Time uses sequential downloading to stream video listed by several torrent websites, and third-party [[BitTorrent tracker|trackers]] can also be added manually. The legality of the software depends on the jurisdiction.

Following its creation, Popcorn Time quickly received positive media attention, with some comparing the app to Netflix for its ease of use.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://torrentfreak.com/music-group-threatens-popcorn-times-blog-platform-150129/|title = Music group threatens popcorn times blog platform|access-date = January 31, 2015|quote = when the 'Netflix for Pirates' celebrates|publisher = Torrent Freak}}</ref> After this increase in popularity, the program was abruptly taken down by its original developers on March 14, 2014, due to pressure from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).<ref name="MPAA">{{cite web|url=https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-tries-crush-popcorn-time-141219/|title=Hollywood Tries to Crush Popcorn Time, Again - TorrentFreak|date=December 19, 2014}}</ref> Since then, the program has been [[Software:Fork (software development)|forked]] several times with several other development teams such as Time4Popcorn and the [[Software:Butter Project|Butter Project]] to maintain the program and produce new features. Time4Popcorn reportedly gained millions of users within four months of launching in 2014 and became the first fork to bring Popcorn Time to Android devices.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/10/23/9600576/popcorn-time-history-timeline |title=A brief history of Popcorn Time, the piracy service everyone's watching |last1=Kastrenakes |first1=Jacob |last2=Vincent |first2=James |date=October 23, 2015 |website=The Verge |access-date=June 18, 2020}}</ref> In September 2014, Time4Popcorn became available on jailbroken [[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple]] devices, and eventually non-jailbroken [[Software:IOS|iOS]] devices via a Windows installation tool.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|title=How Popcorn Time's Piracy App Is Sneaking Onto iPhones|language=en-us|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/04/popcorn-times-piracy-app-sneaking-onto-iphones/|access-date=2020-12-18|issn=1059-1028}}</ref> The iOS version of Popcorn Time is no longer maintained.<ref>{{Citation|title=popcorn-official/PopcornTimeTV|date=2020-11-26|url=https://github.com/popcorn-official/PopcornTimeTV|publisher=Popcorn Software|access-date=2021-01-27}}</ref>

On January 5, 2022, a popular copy of Popcorn Time was shut down due to "a lack of use".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-shuts-down-due-to-a-lack-of-use-220105/|title="Popcorn Time" Shuts Down Due to a Lack of Use|last=Van der Sar|first=Ernesto|date=2022-01-05|website=TorrentFreak|access-date=2022-01-06}}</ref>

== Functionality ==
[[File:Big Buck Bunny on Popcorn Time 0.3.8.png|thumb|left|''Big Buck Bunny'' on Popcorn Time 0.3.8]]

The Popcorn Time interface presents thumbnails and film titles in a manner similar to Netflix. This list of media can be searched and browsed by genres or categories. When a user clicks on one of the titles, the film is downloaded via the [[Software:BitTorrent|BitTorrent protocol]].<ref name=pcmag-pctime/> As with other BitTorrent clients, as soon as Popcorn Time starts to download a film, it also starts to share the downloaded content with other users (in technical terms, it seeds the torrent to others in the [[Software:BitTorrent#Description|BitTorrent swarm]]).<ref name=arstechnica-pulled>{{cite web|title=Netflix-like torrenting app Popcorn Time disappears|url=https://arstechnica.com/business/2014/03/netflix-like-torrenting-app-popcorn-time-disappears/|work=Ars Technica|date=14 March 2014|access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref><ref name=ars-reinvent>{{cite web|title=Popcorn Time reinvents the seedy process of torrenting|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/popcorn-time-reinvents-the-seedy-process-of-torrenting/|work=Ars Technica|date=11 March 2014|access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref> It continues to make the downloaded content available to others until the movie is deleted, which is normally done automatically once the application is closed.

== History ==
Popcorn Time was developed "in a couple of weeks" by a group from [[Place:Buenos Aires|Buenos Aires]], {{wipe|Argentina}}, who elected "Pochoclín" (derived from ''pochoclo'', which means ''popcorn'' in [[Place:Buenos Aires|Buenos Aires]] parlance) as their mascot. They believed that [[Copyright infringement#"Piracy"|piracy]] was a "service problem" created by "an industry that portrays innovation as a threat to their antique recipe to collect value", and also argued that streaming providers were being given too many restrictions and forced to provide inconsistent service between countries, noting that streaming providers in their native Argentina "seem to believe that ''There's Something About Mary'' [1998] is a recent movie. That movie would be old enough to vote here."<ref name=medium-goodbye>{{cite web|title=Goodbye Popcorn Time|url=https://medium.com/p/93f890b8c9f4|publisher=Popcorn Time developers|access-date=March 16, 2014|archive-date=August 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810092848/https://medium.com/p/93f890b8c9f4|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Made available for [[Software:Linux|Linux]], [[Software:MacOS|macOS]], [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Windows]] and [[Software:Android (operating system)|Android]], Popcorn Time's [[Source code|source code]] was downloadable from their website; the project was intended to be [[Free software|free software]]. Contributors localized the program into 44 languages.<ref name=lang/><ref name=medium-goodbye/><ref name=time-removed/>

=== Reception ===
Popcorn Time became the subject of mainstream media attention for its ease of use, with ''PC Magazine'' and ''CBC News'' likening Popcorn Time to Netflix, and noting its obvious advantages over Netflix such as the size of its library, and the recent selections available.<ref name=cbc>{{cite web|last=Misener|first=Dan|title=Popcorn Time is like 'Netflix for pirates'|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/popcorn-time-is-like-netflix-for-pirates-dan-misener-1.2567929|publisher=CBC News|access-date=March 12, 2014}}</ref><ref name=pcmag-pctime>{{cite web|title='Popcorn Time' Is Like Netflix for Pirated Movies|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2454833,00.asp|work=PC Magazine|access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref> Caitlin Dewey of ''{{wipe|The Washington Post}}'' said Popcorn Time may have been an attempt to make the normally "sketchy" [[Software ecosystem|ecosystem]] of [[Software:BitTorrent|torrents]] more accessible by giving it a clean modern look and an easy-to-use [[Graphical user interface|interface]].<ref name=wp-popcorntime>{{cite news|title=How to easily watch any movie from your computer for free|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/03/11/how-to-easily-watch-any-movie-from-your-computer-for-free/?tid=hpModule_1728cf4a-8a79-11e2-98d9-3012c1cd8d1e&hpid=z13|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref>

=== Legality ===
{{main|Legal issues with BitTorrent}}

The legality of the various Popcorn Time clients matched that of all other BitTorrent clients plus the additional issues that apply to sites like [[Social:The Pirate Bay|The Pirate Bay]] and YTS itself, due to the explicit linking to movie content; its website claimed that the software was possibly illegal depending on local laws.<ref name=medium-goodbye/><ref>{{cite news|last1=David|first1=Fishcher|title=Everything you need to know about popcorn time|url=https://buttertime.nl/popcorn-time/|access-date=3 October 2017|work=Buttertime.nl|agency=Popcorn Time News|date=4 January 2016|language=nl-NL|archive-date=3 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003224654/https://buttertime.nl/popcorn-time/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the UK a court order was given in April 2015 to ISPs to block URLs that provided either the Popcorn Time application software (PTAS) or "sources of update information" (SUI), i.e. pointers to torrent-indexing sites. The court found that, unlike previous cases concerning indexing sites directly, neither websites providing the PTAS nor the SUI could be construed to be "communicating a work to the public", since neither contained any specific information about any specific work. It considered it entirely probable that both the providers of the PTAS and the SUI could be held to be "authorising acts of infringement" by users, but this was not the case that the claimants had raised at the hearing. Instead, they had claimed that the providers had been authorising acts of infringement by content-hosting websites, but then that claim had not been made out.

The judge, however, found that the Popcorn Time suppliers did "plainly know and intend" for the application to be "the key means which procures and induces the user to access the host website and therefore causes the infringing communications to occur"; and on this basis had "a common design with the operators of the host websites" and therefore shared a joint liability for the copyright infringements (joint tortfeasance). It was therefore appropriate to order the ISPs to block the websites as provided for by section 97A of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.<ref>Eleonora Rosati, [http://ipkitten.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/popcorn-time-blocking-order-like-any.html Popcorn Time: a blocking order like any other? Birss J's decision in the post-Svensson debate], ''IPKat'' blog, April 29, 2015</ref><ref>{{cite BAILII | litigants = Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation & Ors v Sky UK Ltd & Ors | link = | court = EWHC | division = Ch | year = 2015 | num = 1082}}</ref>

On May 20, 2015, the government of [[Place:Israel|Israel]] blocked all access to the official downloads of Popcorn Time, following a lawsuit from its biggest cable and satellite providers for copyright infringement. Although the download sites were blocked, internet users still possessing a copy of the installation file and/or the program were not affected, and there were other sharing sites that distributed installation files. Less than a month later, the government reversed the ban.

On August 17, 2015, the Danish website popcorntime.dk was shut down by {{wipe|Denmark}} police and two arrests were made.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://torrentfreak.com/police-arrest-men-for-spreading-popcorn-time-information-150819/|title=Police Arrest Men For Spreading Popcorn Time Information - TorrentFreak|date=19 August 2015}}</ref> The case has caused controversy given that the website is not affiliated with the Popcorn Time developer teams but only distributed information about the service.

As with other BitTorrent clients, the IP addresses of users of the original app or its forks can easily be determined by third parties. In early 2015, many German Popcorn Time users received demands for damages of €815. The high amount was justified by the fact that the application not only downloads but also distributes movies,<ref>{{cite web|title=Anwälte verzeichnen viele Abmahnungen zu Popcorn Time|work=golem.de|date=January 19, 2015|url=http://www.golem.de/news/streaming-anwaelte-verzeichnen-viele-abmahnung-zu-popcorn-time-1501-111793.html|language=de}}</ref> a fact that not all users were aware of.

==== ''Cobbler Nevada, LLC v. Anonymous Users of Popcorn Time: Does 1-11, Case No. 3:15-cv-1550'' ====
In 2015, Cobbler Nevada alleged that Popcorn Time users illegally downloaded copies of the Adam Sandler movie ''The Cobbler''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=NBC15.com|title=Lawsuit claims locals illegally downloaded Adam Sandler movie|url=http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/Lawsuit-claims-Madison-area-residents-illegally-downloaded-Adam-Sandler-movie-321818162.html|access-date=9 March 2016|website=NBC15.com}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Popcorn Time attempted to differentiate itself from "all technological applications" by claiming that Popcorn Time had no legitimate purposes, however, the evidence in favor of this assertion was the Wikipedia article "Popcorn Time."<ref>{{cite web|title=Complaint|url=https://torrentfreak.com/images/popcorn-complaint.pdf}}</ref>

=== Popcorn-Time.no ===

On March 8, 2016, {{wipe|Norway}}'s police unit for economic crimes, Økokrim, seized Popcorn-Time.no domain name.<ref>[https://torrentfreak.com/norwegian-police-seize-popcorn-time-information-site-160308/ Norwegian Police Seize Popcorn-Time “Information” Site] TorrentFreak Retrieved March 8, 2016</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Hafsahl|first=Gunhild|date=March 8, 2016|title=Beslag i domenet popcorn-time.no|url=http://www.okokrim.no/beslag-i-domenet-popcorn-timeno|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311191746/http://www.okokrim.no/beslag-i-domenet-popcorn-timeno|archive-date=March 11, 2016|access-date=March 11, 2016}}</ref> The original site did not host the Popcorn Time application but instead had news articles and external links to other applications. The seizure is being contested by the Norwegian member organizations NUUG and EFN.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Enonic|title=Press Release: Popcorn-time.no – NUUG and EFN appeal decision for judicial review of the case and get the legal owner IMCASREG8 onboard.|url=https://efn.no/en/home/press-release-popcorn-time.no-nuug-and-efn-appeal-decision-for-judicial-review-of-the-case-and-get-the-legal-owner-imcasreg8-onboard|access-date=2021-03-31|website=EFN|language=no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Pressemelding: NUUG og EFN begjærer rettslig prøving for DNS-domenebeslag av popcorn-time.no - Nyheter fra NUUG|url=https://www.nuug.no/news/Pressemelding__NUUG_og_EFN_begj_rer_rettslig_pr_ving_for_DNS_domenebeslag_av_popcorn_time_no.shtml|website=www.nuug.no}}</ref>

=== Discontinuation ===
On March 14, 2014, Popcorn Time's original website and [[GitHub]] repository were removed after allegations of copyright infringement. It was later revealed by the Sony leaks that the MPAA did indeed prevent the original developers of Popcorn Time from continuing to work on the program.<ref name="MPAA" /> Despite the copyright complaints that the software received, Popcorn Time's developers simply wanted to move on. They said, "our experiment has put us at the doors of endless debates about copyright infringement and copyright, legal threats and the shady machinery that makes us feel in danger for doing what we love. And that's not a battle we want a place in".<ref name=ars-reinvent/><ref name=time-removed>{{cite magazine|title=Popcorn Time Is Over: Potent Piracy App Quickly Calls It Quits|url=http://time.com/25604/popcorn-time-is-over-streaming-movie-app-quickly-calls-it-quits/|magazine=Time|access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref><ref name=gizmodo-forked>{{cite web|title=Torrent Site Popcorn Time, Shut Down Yesterday, Is Alive Again|url=https://gizmodo.com/torrent-site-popcorn-time-shut-down-yesterday-is-aliv-1544484728|work=Gizmodo|date=15 March 2014 |access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref>

The developers claimed that the majority of their users were those outside of the United States, and that it was "installed on every single country on Earth. Even the two that don't have [[Internet access|internet access]]," by users who would "risk fines, lawsuits and whatever consequences that may come just to be able to watch a recent movie in slippers. Just to get the kind of experience they deserve". They also praised media outlets for not antagonizing them in their coverage of Popcorn Time, and agreeing with their views that the movie industry was anti-consumer and too restrictive in regard to [[Social:Innovation|innovation]].<ref name=medium-goodbye/>

=== Successor ===
After its discontinuation, the Popcorn Time application was forked by various different groups to continue development of the project.<ref name=gizmodo-forked/> On August 8, 2015, the website of the original Popcorn Time application was redirected to the popcorntime.io website.<ref name="website-redirect">{{Cite web|date=2015-08-03|title=Popcorn Time - Goodbye!|url=http://getpopcornti.me/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803141642/http://getpopcornti.me/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-08-03|access-date=2020-12-18}}</ref> A few days later, members of the original Popcorn Time project announced that they would endorse the popcorntime.io project as the successor to the original discontinued Popcorn Time.<ref name=io-official-announcement>{{cite web|title=Popcorn Time's origins in terms with today|url=https://blog.popcorntime.io/popcorn-times-origins-in-terms-with-today/|work=Popcorn Time Blog|access-date=August 13, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906102438/https://blog.popcorntime.io/popcorn-times-origins-in-terms-with-today/|archive-date=September 6, 2015}}</ref>

== Forks ==
{| class="toccolours" style="float:right; width:300px;font-size:88%;margin:0 0 0.5em 1em;"
! style="background:lavender;" | Popcorn Time lineage
|-
|
{{tree chart/start|style=line-height:100%; | summary=Popcorn Time versions}}
{{tree chart| | | |ORIGINAL| | |ORIGINAL='''Popcorn Time'''<br><del>getpopcorntime.me</del><br>(dead)
|boxstyle_ORIGINAL=background-color:#cccccc;}}
{{tree chart| | |,|-|^|-|.}}
{{tree chart| |EU| |IO|EU='''Time4Popcorn'''<br>(closed source)<br><del>time4popcorn.eu</del><br><del>popcorn-time.se</del><br>popcorn-time.to<br>popcorn-time.tw
|IO='''Popcorn Time'''<br>(official, dead)<br><del>popcorntime.io</del>
|boxstyle_IO=background-color:#cccccc;
|boxstyle_EU=background-color:;}}
{{tree chart| |,|-|-|-|v|^|-|.}}
{{tree chart|CEF| |CE| |SH|CEF='''Popcorn Time CE'''<br>(clone community edition)<br ><del>popcorn-time.is</del><br><del>popcorntime.ag</del>|CE='''Popcorn Time CE'''<br>(original community edition, dead)<br><del>popcorntime.ml</del><br><del>popcorntime.tk</del><br><del>popcorntimece.ch</del>|SH='''Popcorn Time'''<br><del>popcorntime.sh</del><br><del>popcorntime.app</del>
|boxstyle_SH=background-color:;
|boxstyle_CEF=background-color:;
|boxstyle_CE=background-color:#cccccc;}}
{{tree chart/end}}
|-
|}

[[File:Niv Sardi.jpg|thumb|Argentinian programmer Niv Sardi, one of the developers of the Popcorntime.io fork<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://softwareengineeringdaily.com/2015/11/23/popcorn-time-with-niv-sardi/|title=Popcorn Time with Niv Sardi|date=November 23, 2015|access-date=December 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301015928/http://softwareengineeringdaily.com/2015/11/23/popcorn-time-with-niv-sardi/|archive-date=March 1, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>]]

After the original developers discontinued the program, other teams [[Software:Fork (software development)|forked]] the original Popcorn Time source code and continued development independently. These groups continued using the name "Popcorn Time", but other than the Popcorn Time project, these forks are not associated with the developers of the original application. The developers of the original Popcorn Time had members join the Popcorn Time project, and endorsed this as the successor to the discontinued old Popcorn Time.<ref name=io-official-announcement/> Popcorntime.app, formerly popcorntime.sh, is sponsored by private VPN company VPN.ht.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mic.com/p/popcorn-time-the-netflix-for-piracy-is-back-just-in-time-22632795 |title=Popcorn Time, the 'Netflix for piracy,' is back just in time |last=Dellinger |first=AJ |date=March 18, 2020 |website=Mic |access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://hypestat.com/info/popcorntime.app |title=Popcorntime.App - Info |date=March 26, 2020 |website=HypeStat |access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>

=== Time4Popcorn (Time4Popcorn.eu, Popcorn-Time.to Popcorn-Time.se) ===
This Popcorn Time fork was originally launched with the web domain time4popcorn.eu. The domain time4popcorn.eu was suspended by Eurid, as a result of a legal investigation against time4popcorn.eu. The programs that rely on the time4popcorn.eu domain temporarily stopped functioning, but the program and website were updated to a new domain popcorn-time.se.<ref>{{cite web|title=Home|url=http://time4popcorn.com|website=Popcorn Time|access-date=October 11, 2014|date=October 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713222959/http://time4popcorn.com/|archive-date=July 13, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Ernesto|title=PopcornTime stops working after domain suspension|url=https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-domain-name-suspension-breaks-app-141009/|website=TorrentFreak|publisher=TF Publishing|access-date=October 11, 2014|date=October 9, 2014}}</ref> As the original time4Popcorn.eu domain was forcibly removed, the team moved to the popcorn-time.se website.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Matt Burns|title=Popcorn Time Finds A New Home After The EURid Pulled Its Domain|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/10/13/popcorn-time-finds-a-new-home-after-the-eurid-pulled-its-domain/?ncid=tcdaily|website=TechCrunch|date=14 October 2014 |publisher=AOL Inc|access-date=October 14, 2014}}</ref>
On May 13, 2014, the fork released a mobile version for Android phones and tablets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/13/popcorn-time-is-now-on-android/|title=Popcorn Time : Popcorn Time Is Now On Android|author=Matt Burns|date=May 13, 2014|publisher=AOL Inc.|access-date=May 13, 2014}}</ref> In addition, popcorn-time.se added built in VPN on June 9, 2014, provided by Kebrum.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/popcorn-time-anonymous-2014-6|title=The 'Netflix For Pirated Movies' Has Figured Out A Way To Keep You Anonymous|author=Steven Tweedie|date=June 9, 2014|publisher=Business Insider Inc.|access-date=June 10, 2014}}</ref>
The popcorn-time.se developers later added Chromecast support for desktop and Android.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/popcorn-times-netflix-for-torrents-is-coming-to-chrom-1601100023|title=Popcorn Time's "Netflix for Torrents" Is Coming to Chromecast|author=Mario Aguilar|date=July 7, 2014|publisher=gizmodo.com|access-date=July 7, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thenextweb.com/media/2014/07/14/hollywoods-worst-nightmare-just-got-worse-popcorn-times-android-app-gets-chromecast-support/|title=Hollywood's worst nightmare just got worse, as Popcorn Time's Android app gets Chromecast support|author=Paul Sawers|date=July 14, 2014|publisher=The Next Web Inc.|access-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref> On July 30, 2014, popcorn-time.se developers added support for the Apple TV to their desktop app; on September 30, 2014, an app for jailbroken iOS devices was released.<ref>[https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-adds-apple-tv-support-ios-app-coming-soon-140730/ Popcorn Time Adds Apple TV Support, iOS App Coming Soon] TorrentFreak July 30, 2014</ref><ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/popcorn-time-apple-tv-airplay-support-2014-7 The 'Netflix For Pirated Movies' Will Soon Work With Your Apple TV] by Steven Tweedie ''Business Insider'' July 30, 2014, 9:41&nbsp;am</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Matt Burns|title=Popcorn Time Finally Comes To iOS|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/09/30/popcorn-time-finally-comes-to-ios/|website=TechCrunch|publisher=AOL Inc|access-date=November 9, 2014|date=September 30, 2014}}</ref> An anonymous development team created a tool that allows iOS users to download the fork via Windows, thus allowing non-jailbroken devices to install Popcorn Time.<ref name=":0" />

=== Popcorn Time Community Edition ===
Following the shutdown of popcorntime.io, users of Popcorn Time created a series of fixes that modified the original software and got it working again.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Popcorn Time's Alive, Full Comeback In the Works - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-times-alive-full-comeback-in-the-works-151117/|website = TorrentFreak|access-date = 2016-02-23|language = en-US}}</ref> The fixes were added to the Popcorn Time installers and named Popcorn Time Community Edition, giving credit to the community of users that resurrected the software.<ref>{{Cite web|title = POPCORN TIME DEVELOPERS POKE MPAA WITH A NEW FORK|url = https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-developers-poke-mpaa-with-a-new-fork-151202/}}</ref>

===Popcorntime.sh (formerly popcorntime.io) ===
Popcorntime.sh is a [[Free software|free software]] fork of the original Popcorn Time program. In October 2015, PopcornTime.io was shut down, along with the YTS website.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Popcorn Time Chaos Leads to Shutdown - TorrentFreak|url = https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-chaos-triggers-more-downtime-151023/|website = TorrentFreak|access-date = 2015-10-25}}</ref>

On November 3, 2015, the popcorntime.io domain was obtained by the MPAA after winning court orders in Canada and New Zealand.<ref>{{Cite web|title = MPAA shuts down major torrent sites, including Popcorn Time|url = https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/11/mpaa-shuts-down-major-torrent-sites-including-popcorn-time/|website = Ars Technica|date = 4 November 2015|access-date = 2015-11-25}}</ref> This came about after winning an injunction on October 16, 2015, to shut the website down, although the project reappeared on a new website (''popcorntime.sh'').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-hunted-popcorn-time-makes-surprise-comeback-160217/|title=MPAA-Hunted Popcorn Time Makes Surprise 'Comeback'|date=February 17, 2016|publisher=TorrentFreak}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://popcorntime.statuspage.io/|title=Popcorn Time Status}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/2/26/11119290/popcorn-time-io-movie-streaming-piracy-back-online|title=Popcorn Time's best-known app comes back to life|first=Adi|last=Robertson|date=February 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Major-Piracy-Sites-Shut-Down1.pdf|title = Motion Picture Association of America|date = November 3, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095903/http://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Major-Piracy-Sites-Shut-Down1.pdf|archive-date = March 4, 2016|url-status = dead}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Software:Butter Project|Butter Project]]
* [[Software:Comparison of BitTorrent clients|Comparison of BitTorrent clients]]
* [[Software:Porn Time|Porn Time]]
* [[Software:Zona (streaming video software)|Zona (streaming video software)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Filesharing}}

[[Category:Peer-to-peer]]
[[Category:Streaming software]]
[[Category:Free media players]]
[[Category:Streaming media systems]]
[[Category:Video on demand services]]

{{Sourceattribution|Popcorn Time}}