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LegalTorrents Launches Copyright-Compliant Tracker

Posted by timothy on from the presumption-of-download dept.

drDugan writes "Many legitimate media providers are using Bittorrent to distribute content, but the recent Pirate Bay legal verdict and closures left many content downloads unavailable. Along with the ongoing legal issues at Mininova and other sites, options have been scarce for legitimate Bittorrent tracking service. Once a torrent is created with a tracker URL, that tracker has to stay running for normal distribution to continue. LegalTorrents.com has quietly launched a solution with three open Bittorent trackers for its members, including a fully automated, community-based flagging system to blacklist and immediately remove copyright-infringing content. Users submit SHA1 hash values for content with infringing materials. Site members can include and track their own published materials regardless of flagging."

4 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. slashvertisement by sopssa · · Score: 5, Informative

    This slashvertisement conveniently left out the fact that
    1) You need to add the hash via their website, which for you need a member account and
    2) Member accounts start at $20 an year up to $399 an year

    While the trackers itself are "open", as in everyone can get the peers via them, you need to add the hash first for it to function. So no, this isn't open tracker.

    1. Re:slashvertisement by drDugan · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, this is not accurate, the trackers are open, and can be used without adding the hash to the website. Unfortunately, a completely open system is open to abuse, copyright infringement, and other issues.

      To publish your own content, or content you have a license to distribute, membership is required to "whitelist" content, and prevent automatic removal by blacklisting. This is the solution we have come up with to minimize and prevent abuse.

      Any logged in user can flag content as copyright infringing, here
      http://www.legaltorrents.com/flag_content
      and unless that hash value is in the whitelist (added by a member), the tracker will remove it in about 15 minutes.

    2. Re:slashvertisement by drDugan · · Score: 3, Informative

      There are several steps to qualify for safe harbors, and we will follow each of them to the letter. We have not yet had to reply to any DMCA takedowns yet - all the content on the website must have a share-friendly license before content can be uploaded.

      In such a situation, we will both defend the rights of our customers and provide them all the information possible to resolve the issue. I disagree the FAQ is slanted toward "IP-thieves". This does not represent the ethos of LegalTorrents.

      Fred von Lohmann from the EFF provides an excellent .pdf review for service providers; there is a recently updated version here:
      http://www.law.depaul.edu/centers_institutes/ciplit/niro_symposium_09/pdf/paper_cohn1.pdf
      plus EFF has a wiki page with additional details: http://ilt.eff.org/index.php/Copyright:_Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act

  2. Re:Still, it validates the technology by MBCook · · Score: 3, Informative

    I'd think the use of BitTorrent for things like World of Warcraft updates, for about 5 years, is more validation than someone hosting a pay-to-join tracker for legal content.

    Aren't there already totally free trackers for legal content (like Linux ISOs, etc)?

    --
    Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.