Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - TorrentSpy, the BitTorrent search engine which was fined $30,000 after losing a lawsuit brought by the Motion Picture Association of America, has closed its doors.

"The legal climate in the USA for copyright, privacy of search requests, and links to torrent files in search results is simply too hostile," TorrentSpy founder Justin Bunnel wrote in a statement placed on the service's Web site.

In December a Los Angeles judged ruled for the motion pictures industry after TorrentSpy destroyed evidence that had been requested as part of a copyright infringement lawsuit.

"We now feel compelled to provide the ultimate method of privacy protection for our users - permanent shutdown," Bunnel wrote.