Bulgaria: International Authorities Seize Domains of Zamunda and ArenaBG

Zamunda.net and ArenaBG.com—two of the largest torrent trackers not only in Bulgaria but across the region—have become targets of a joint operation involving U.S., European, and Bulgarian authorities. So far, the international effort has resulted in the seizure of some domains, but not the shutdown of the platforms’ full technical infrastructure.

When attempting to access the seized domains, users see a notice stating that the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, Europol, Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (DANS), the National Investigation Service, and the Bulgarian Prosecutor’s Office are acting jointly against large-scale and deliberate copyright infringement. The domains were seized under an order issued by U.S. magistrates.

Despite this, as of 9:30 a.m. local time, both Zamunda and ArenaBG remained accessible to some users due to the technical nature of DNS systems, which temporarily retain outdated records. The alternative domain zamunda.ch has not been seized either, indicating that the operation has not reached the trackers’ servers or core infrastructure.

Access was also restricted to other piracy-related websites, including The Pirate Bay. Experts note that even a complete shutdown of torrent trackers would not fully stop file sharing, as the torrent protocol allows users to exchange already existing content directly.

Zamunda and ArenaBG (previously known as Linkos Torrents) have existed for more than 20 years and played a crucial role in the rise of torrenting in Bulgaria following the closure of local free servers. Over the years, Bulgarian authorities attempted to investigate administrators and users, but with limited success.

As early as five years ago, Bulgarian institutions requested assistance from U.S. authorities, according to TorrentFreak. Ongoing investigations in Bulgaria focus on tax-related crimes and intellectual property violations.

Both Zamunda and ArenaBG have also been placed on the U.S. “blacklist” of notorious piracy sites, ranking among the most visited not only in Bulgaria but across the region, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Despite expectations that streaming services and platforms such as Steam would gradually eliminate piracy, illegal consumption has surged again following the pandemic. Rising subscription prices, software fees, and the increasing commercialization of video games through DLCs and microtransactions are pushing users back toward illegal channels.