Lasse Penttinen
21 Dec 2004 9:50
The raids have definitely had an impact. The authorities have recently had their target on the sites offering BitTorrent links, busting down web sites around the globe. Since the MPAA raids last week, several major BitTorrent sites have been quick to shut down their operations. BitTorrent was the rising star in the P2P scene, but now it seems that in the future it will only be used what it was designed for - efficiently distributing legal content, and saving content provider bandwidth.
Nevertheless, the creator of the technology, Bram Cohen, said he's not surprised at the latest developments. BitTorrent was always designed for efficient distribution of big files, not underground file-swapping that has to keep a step ahead of the law, he said. Some of the same features that made it useful have rendered it deeply susceptible to the overnight crisis in which the file traders have now found themselves.Source: CNET.com
"It's weird that it hasn't happened sooner," Cohen said. "The main reason warez (a slang term for illegally distributed software) has become so big is that it hasn't been cracked down on. They've been getting away with being pretty flagrant."