May 31, 2006, 65 police officers raided The Pirate Bay's Stockholm servers acting on pressure from Hollywood and the US government. The raid would have ended the site's existence if not for a quick-thinking backup made by co-founder Fredrik Neij moments before police arrived. This simple technical decision allowed the torrent site to resurrect within three days.

The US involvement became clear through diplomatic cables showing Hollywood's MPA pushing Swedish authorities. Ironically, the raid backfired, generating massive publicity. The site rebranded as The Police Bay with a logo mocking Hollywood, then transitioned to a Phoenix symbolizing rebirth. Traffic spiked rather than declined.

Two decades later, The Pirate Bay bills itself as 'the galaxy's most resilient torrent site.' After facing criminal charges and prison time, original founders handed control to anonymous operators. The site survived another major raid in 2014, demonstrating 20 years of defiance against takedown attempts that Hollywood hoped would end its existence.