Warner Bros. inks deal with BitTorrent

Linc

In a surprising turn of events, Warner Bros. has turned to BitTorrent as a legitimate distribution strategy for its content.

Darcy Antonellis, executive vice president - distribution technology and operations, Warner Bros, said that the launch of a "legal" BitTorrent online video service allows them to extend their reach to places that content would have otherwise not reached legally. Antonellis said that such agreements are not only a better way to reach existing and potential customers, but that they are also an indicator of the critical role distribution technologies will play in the future of entertainment.

Could this be the next step in a new trend of business execs awakening to the reality of technology and the Internet? TechDirt notes that the RIAA recently asked the UK government to legalize the ripping of CDs.

Source: TechTree

TheSmJ

the RIAA recently asked the UK government to legalize the ripping of CDs.

RIAA is encuraging the legalization of ripping CDs?

EMT

The Techdirt article links [link=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/05/07/cnbpi07.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2006/05/07/ixcitytop.html]this[/link]. It's actually the BPI (the British analogue of RIAA) suggesting this to the government... the article says "it is believed" they're just going to use their own copyright protections, dunno what that means exactly.