BitTorrent goes upmarket

IN THE wake of a Supreme Court Ruling that says that companies which market their products as being good for violating copyrights, many had wondered if BitTorrent would be next on the music industry's list of people to be sued.

It seems that Bram Cohen has moved from Seattle to San Francisco, and he and his chief operating officer are making the rounds on Sand Hill Road looking for venture capital for their new company. The company, with the original title BitTorrent has already inked a deal with search provider Ask Jeeves.

BitTorrent also has reached agreements with game publishers to distribute about 1,000 licensed titles in the coming weeks, including "Tomb Raider 3" and "World of Warcraft".

Perhaps more interestingly, the pair were seen in Burbank for words with the Motion Picture Association of America. According to SiliconValley.com, the MPAA need his technology.

Senior bodies in Warner are saying that they have no aversion to peer-to-peer technology, which they see as a promising delivery method. They are more concerned about its use for piracy, but they are keen to get the system legitimised. µ

L'INQ
Silicon Valley