NEW PIRATE SITE HAS BACKING OF SPANISH GOVERNMENT

What the website TorrentFreak.com, which tracks BitTorrent usage, calls “the most important” torrent site to launch in recent memory appears to be on a collision course with Hollywood’s film studios and the recording industry. Torrent Freak reports that the “beautifully executed” site is being overseen by Pablo Soto, who has previously successfully fought off multimillion-dollar lawsuits claiming that his business enables copyright infringement. His new projects, being launched as torrent.com and torrent.fm, reportedly received its primary funding — about $2 million — from the Spanish government. Soto’s team, says TorrentFreak, has “not only created a great product, but unlike the vast majority of other torrent site operators they are not hiding away. They are proud of their product and ready to stand by it.” The website quoted Soto as saying, “I received my first multi-million lawsuit from the majors six years ago. We will keep defending ourselves, and so far we’ve won on every court decision. … Sooner or later, every industry that believes they can make a living from litigation ends up eaten by their own business model.”