BitTorrent Goes Mainstream

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BOSTON - Reuters reported Tuesday that peer-to-peer site The Pirate Bay is racing to develop its own file-sharing software as the provider of its current application, BitTorrent, seeks partnerships with mainstream entertainment companies.

BitTorrent, which enjoys some success with major media companies, is looking to add features that prevent the trading of pirated material, said The Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde.

"If they go and do something stupid, it will affect a lot of people," Sunde said, noting that the site typically has 1.5 million daily visitors.
The Pirate Bay has come under fire from law-enforcement agencies seeking to shut down its trading of copyrighted material, which is illegal in several countries. The site is based in Sweden.

Sunde said he hopes to have the first version of his site's software ready by early 2008. He has called for developers to pitch in at SecureP2P.
BitTorrent co-founder and President Ashwin Navin said his company has little to lose.

"We are not really disappointed here," he told Reuters. "The pirate community has never paid us a dime."
Navin estimated that 150 million people use the BitTorrent technology.

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