BitTorrent is an open source, peer-to-peer protocol for distributing files. It makes use of the upstream bandwidth of every downloader to increase the speed and effectiveness of the distribution as a whole. It provides a valuable service – but has also attracted those who want to swap unauthorised copies of movies.
In the meantime, and perhaps in the light of enforcement action by the US movie industry against websites using BitTorrent for illegal file-swapping, BitTorrent’s creator, Bram Cohen, has set up a company that aims to use the software for the legal distribution of films and other material online.
According to reports, this new venture is leading the company to assess how others are using its name.
Speaking to CNET News.com, BitTorrent President Ashwin Navin revealed that the firm was concerned.
"We're sensitive to people calling their software BitTorrent to achieve a certain level of popularity in order to distribute spyware and adware," he said.
BitTorrent is therefore setting up a new licensing programme, which will require licensees to pay a ‘nominal’ fee and to submit to a software review, designed to uphold the standards of the BitTorrent software, he said.
First of these licensees will be browser firm Opera Software, which announced on Monday that it had signed up to the programme.
