Bizarre uTorrent, PeerFactor deal
p2p news / p2pnet: “PeerFactor et l’éditeur Suédois µTorrent signe un accord expérimental d’une durée de six mois. Le but est le développement de nouvelles applications de distribution de contenu sur le web,” and, “PeerFactor and the Swedish editor µTorrent sign a six months experimental agreement. The aim is to development new content distribution applications on the Web.”
That, and nothing else, is what it says on PeerFactor, a distinctly anti-p2p enterprise launched in April, 2004, and owned by France’s RetSpan, with Didier Wang at its head.
Mission? To poison the p2p networks on behalf of the Big Four record labels.
µTorrent, on the other hand, is now one of the leading indie p2p file sharing applications. Its site doesn’t say anything about the collaboration. But µTorrent author and programmer Ludvig Strigeus, aka Ludde, recently did a Q&A with p2pnet’s Alex H, and in it said, “File sharing applications accomplish many things. They lower distribution costs. They increase the availability of content. They help distribute that content faster. And it’s all made easy and accessible. But more importantly, it sends a message: the information super highway is finally living up to its name.”
In other words, on the face of it, µTorrent and PeerFactor make bizarre and unwholesome bedfellows.
RetSpan scans p2p networks to find out how many times a fake file has been downloaded and content editors set earning tariffs for file-sharers who were responsible for the pollution.
As p2pnet correspondent Thuan Huynh wrote when PeerFactor was launched, “However, because the files they spread are fake doesn’t protect Restpan users: they can be treated in the same way as other p2p file sharers and could potentially be sued by the Big Five record labels.
“In fact, they could be in even more danger than real file sharers because RetSpan keeps a track of all members’ IPs. Just in case. Moreover, cynics might think the whole process isn’t much more than a way to for this at the moment ‘non-profit’ outfit to eventually create a lucrative PeerFactor and IP monitoring business.”
So what’s with PeerFactor and µTorrent?
Strigeus says he wasn’t aware of PeerFactor’s history but now he does know, “Just because I sell cleaning services to Microsoft doesn’t mean I like Windows,” Slyck quotes him as saying.
Meanwhile, “By developing the PeerFactor software, which uses the BitTorrent protocol, Strigeus will be entitled to a share of any advertising revenue generated by the final product,” says the story, going on, “News that µTorrent are selling their software will fuel speculation as to why uTorrent has remained close source, which is extremely uncommon for BitTorrent clients.”
But, “This doesn’t affect µTorrent, it’s just a side project,” states Strigeus. “If people like to be paranoid, I won’t stop them.”
He denies that he’s helping PeerFactor fight the p2p community by providing the code.
“The agreement says that the software will be used to distribute legal content over the internet. In my understanding, everything in our agreement says that it will be used for downloading legal content.”
Also See:
Q&A – p2pnet uTorrent interview, October 15, 2005
fake – The Good, the Bad and RetSpan, April 26, 2004
Slyck – uTorrent Sign Six Month RetSpan Agreement, March 4, 2006
March 6th, 2006 at 7:44 pm
uTorrent is dead, period.
March 6th, 2006 at 8:52 pm
Discussed at great length on slyck.com. Summary:
1. Can’t trust uTorrent anymore
2. No, uTorrent is great, don’t worry
3. Developer sold out
4. You hypocrite, stealing files and criticizing others
5. It’s a scam like Loki Torrent
6. Wait and see
7. What kind of deal is it?
…
March 6th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
Ah crap. And just as I was gettug used-to a low-mem P2P app. Azureus seems to take up around 15 (?) times-plus more mem than uTorrent; anything else out there which draws low-mem and _hasn’t_ sold out (as has Bram?
March 7th, 2006 at 3:47 am
Bitcomet to the rescue
March 7th, 2006 at 10:12 am
that says it all to me:
http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?pid=160920#p160920
(12:43:20) (@segosa) so, since you didn’t answer in the thread, did you really have no clue about them before you signed, ludde?
(12:44:35) (~ludde) I knew that they had done some anti p2p, but I didn’t think it was such a big deal.
(12:44:48) (~ludde) and the stuff I was involved it wasn’t related to that anyway.
March 8th, 2006 at 7:30 pm
Try ABC, yet another bittorent client.. its still opensourced, but it isnt being updated as often as i would prefer.
March 9th, 2006 at 6:16 pm
This article is one of the reasons people are jumping to conclusions.
First of all the deal is not with UTorrent but with its developer.
Secondly PeerFactor is no longer part of Retspan, the parted ways 6 months ago.
Thirdly The only thing that Ludde has sold is a .dll file, not UTorrent or any of its code.
Ludde has stated that absolutly nothing in UT will change other than further upgrades.
Quote
Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2006 1:12 pm Post subject:
Hi,
I’m not a hard core P2P-fan that’s constantly at war with media companies. But I do like unrestricted file sharing, otherwise I wouldn’t have made µTorrent.
I’m also not at all a fan of RIAA or companies trying to limit the user’s right to do stuff on his/her computer, and I hate the practises of limiting file sharing. (Encryption was implemented for a reason).
File sharing is here to stay, both for file sharers that like to download illegal content, and by file sharing companies to promote legal content. Why am I not allowed to use my expertise to help companies distribute content over BitTorrent?
I’m netural, and not on anyone’s side. I’m working with file sharers using it for illegal purposes, and I’m working with companies trying to give BitTorrent a better name.
I’m however not putting my hands on anything that would limit the effectiveness of BitTorrent, or reduce the ability for people to use it for whatever purpose they like.
If the recent deal with PeerFactor turns out to be about limiting file sharing, or making it harder for pirates in any possible or imaginable way, then I will terminate our agreement promtly and concisely.
/Ludvig
End Quote.
So I think that the reporters should do a little better investigating before posting and spreding untrue and misleading information. Get it together guys we look to you for truth not hearsay.
Regards;
Guynewbie
March 12th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
Why exactly is that? Is that your opinion maybe because you have little understanding of how bittorrent works?
Please explain to me why this is such suspicious behavior. What is it you think is a possible effect on bittorrent or even the utorrent client?
Nada. Zip. Zero. None. You can’t show me one thing possibly adversely affected, besides possibly Strigeus’ standing in the community for “dealing with the enemy”.
People need to realize that even p2p idols need to eat.
It would be so refreshing to see someone actually do their research before offhandedly condemning last week’s hero as this week’s traitor.
note: these remarks are directed at this readers write imbecile, not p2pnet. Keep up the good work Jon and crew.