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Apple is latest to clamp down on Bittorrent pirates
22 December 2004
Apple has sued three software developers for illegally distributing test copies of the new version of its Mac OS X operating system. According to Reuters, the men were part of a network of independent developers who receive test copies of new Apple software before it goes on sale to the public. Despite being bound by a strict confidentiality agreement, they copied the software and made it available on the Internet.
The law suit is the second by Apple in as many weeks aimed at preventing illegal distribution of Mac OS X. It is also yet another example of the technology and entertainment industries clamping down on ‘BitTorrent’ – an increasingly popular programme which allows very large files to be traded online. In fact, Bittorrent has become so popular that it now accounts for over a third of all traffic on the Internet, according to network monitoring company Cachelogic.
Last week, according to China’s Xinhua.net, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) launched a series of international legal actions, targeting sites that list sources of Bittorrent files and those that encourage illegal file trading. The action has already resulted in the closure of the largest BitTorrent site, SuprNova.
A statement posted on the SuprNova site read, "We do not know if SuprNova is going to return, but it is certainly not going to be hosting any more torrent links…. we are very sorry for this, but there was no other way, we have tried everything."
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