BitTorrent, the peer to peer file distribution client application developed by programmer Bram Cohen has become one of the widely used applications to distribute data over the Internet. The Wikipedia free encyclopedia states that BitTorrent is responsible for over a third of traffic on the Internet, this they say is according to CacheLogic.
This easy to use file distribution application has become all the rage with users as it does not utilize as much server bandwidth and server reources.
Although surfers do benefit as they can find, share and distribute film and musical content they like online, the Film and Music industries are not amused at this innovation. In November 2005, the global recording industry launched a massive worldwide campaign of initiating legal procedures against individuals suspected of sharing files related to music and films over the Internet. Around sixteen Nations and about 2100 individuals who were using the file sharing networks to upload were targeted.
The Motion Picture Association of America {MPAA} has now got into the action. It has filed around seven lawsuits against the search engine portal, www.torrentspy.com for breach of copyright. Torrentspy is widely used by surfers to find links of movie and music files stored and shared in the BitTorrent format. Torrentspy has been accused of directing its users to sites that contain copyrighted content which can be downloaded or shared illegally.
The MPAA offensive has prompted Torrentspy to file a motion to dismiss lawsuit at a Federal Court in Los Angeles. Torrentspy has argued in its defense that it does not host any copyrighted materials and when requested by parties, removes links that infringe on copyright.
Torrentspy also stated in its defense that it is only doing on a small scale what Google does better and on a massive scale. Torrentspy's major argument is that the move by the MPAA is to end the .torrent file format altogether. A judgment is soon awaited on an issue which can go either way.
