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uTorrent -- Now With Ads
BitTorrent Keeps Trying to Monetize Cohen's Creation
BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen has been trying to monetize his creation for the better part of the decade, and while it may have somewhat revolutionized file delivery, efforts to build a legal business model around the technology have seen mixed results. You'll recall the now-defunct BitTorrent store, which floundered in 2007 due to a clunky GUI, DRM, and games that came with complimentary spyware. After buying uTorrent back in 2006, BitTorrent's latest effort to monetize Cohen's creation comes courtesy of new ads that will be injected into the client. According to a forum post, BitTorrent says they're taking "a fresh approach to creating a no-nonsense and free torrenting experience." After users became annoyed, uTorrent announced they'd allow users to opt out -- but many are already looking for other options.

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buzz_4_20
join:2003-09-20
Dover, NH
(Software) Sophos UTM Home Edition
Ruckus R310

3 recommendations

buzz_4_20

Member

Yes, that makes sense.

Let's advertise in a place where many users are trying to avoid paying for things. That's an excellent business plan.

Also many pirates very much dislike ads.

Some even download TV shows from torrents because they don't include ads.

Transmission, rTorrent and a ton of others do the same without ads. Or users will just opt to not upgrade.

Or they won't notice because they have so many things blocked at the router/hosts file already.

Some people will go very far to not see advertisements.