[Alpine]

Ex-Pirates of the Caribbean

HAVING LED a crusade to banish pirates from the airwaves, film studio Warner Brothers is preparing to distribute its output using BitTorrent peer-to-peer network.


BitTorrent says it will become the first "peer-assisted technology platform" to offer consumers content on both a video-on-demand (VOD) and electronic sell-through (EST) basis.

The service will launch in summer of 2006 and will only be available in the US. Moving pictures will be placed on the site for distribution on the day of the associated DVD release.

Warner Bros says it will initially post around 200 new releases, catalogue favorites and television series on the site. Having gone legit and agreed with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to remove copyright infringing content from its search results, BitTorrent says it is working with studios to replace that content and "provide a secure, legal venue for consumers".

The INQuirer