Popcorn Time is the known brand of free movie streaming but one rising name is 123Movies, and a new report said the latter is no more. Also regarded as a torrenting alternative, 123Movies now has a different domain and renamed GoMovies following the takeover of new owner.

The old 123movies.is and 123movies.to domain names now direct to GoMovies.to, TorrentFreak said, which initially reported that the domain and name change were prompted by the emergence of replica 123Movies. But in an updated report, it appeared that 123Movies "was sold to a new group ... that's why it was rebranded to GoMovies."

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No further details on the takeover were provided in the report but it was speculated that the transition may have been brought about by a host of problems plaguing 123Movies. TorrentFreak recalled that the U.S. government was able to trace the site's operator, who manages the site from Vietnam.

While the operator is yet to be detained despite the pressure on Hanoi coming from U.S. authorities, 123Movies domains are actively blocked in many part of the world. The most prominent blockade is in effect in the United Kingdom, where ISPs have been ordered to deny users access to all known 123Movies domain names.

Additionally, the free movie streaming site is forced to deal with fake mirrors that take advantage of the popular 123Movies brand. A representative of the site informed TorrentFreak that the switch to GoMovies and the use of Gomovies.to domain is expected to deliver fresh momentum for the torrent streaming operation.

But as noted in the same report, fake competitors of the site simply adopted the GoMovies labeling in various forms.

Essentially, 123Movies or GoMovies is fighting for its survival in multiple fronts, which is a predicament not new for so-called torrenting or piracy operations. Authorities and rights holders have likely lumped the free movie streaming site with the likes of The Pirate Bay and similar sites.

And that means 123Movies, even after rebranding to GoMovies, is a TPB or torrenting alternative and will remain a constant target for takedown.