Hong Kong companies in talks about using file-sharing technology to reduce illegal online traffic in movies
Using BitTorrent software to download Chinese-language films could be legal by year's end - the owner of the world's most popular file-sharing program plans to offer them for legitimate downloading.
Speaking yesterday at the Cannes Film Festival, BitTorrent's co-founder and president, Ashwin Navin, revealed that over the past couple of months, the company had been negotiating with various film companies in Hong Kong and on the mainland about the possibility of launching a service.
BitTorrent uses a technique called 'file swarming' to distribute large files. Rather than download a single large file from one central computer, BitTorrent assembles files from separate bits of data downloaded from other computer users across the internet.
'We are very interested in Cantonese and Mandarin films and TV shows for distribution in the Chinese-speaking market and also for expats living in non-Chinese- speaking territories,' Mr Navin said. 'In some cases when there's a small Chinese population the best way to reach them is through the internet. [Otherwise] there's no way of distribution.'
Mr Navin said he had spoken to several Hong Kong film companies but would not specify which ones.