Things or people can still get popular, that is become famous and have fame both with a positive review and a negative review about them. It takes very good news or very bad news for things to trend because people get to hear about it in those situations.

 So OP, bitcoin is still getting attention even  though some governments have labelled it as bad and placed restrictions on it because as it is restricted, the people in that country will have to be updated with what the government has just restricted, in doing so more persons hear about bitcoins. I understand that this can be a kind of negative publicity for bitcoins, but the truth is that people will always get to find out after a while of hearing the government's side and reason for the restrictions, the real truth, the identity, the benefits and reason behind the creation of bitcoins which threatens government institution and what the government is really afraid of.