Download Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.comDownload Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/media/feedlogo.gifDownload Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.comen-usCopyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Cabos is Limewire for Minimalistshttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/08/cabos-gnutella-client-limewire-for-minimalists/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/08/cabos-gnutella-client-limewire-for-minimalists/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/08/cabos-gnutella-client-limewire-for-minimalists/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


We've tried plenty of Gnutella clients that just aren't any good, and usually end up back with Frostwire or Limewire by default. Thankfully, Cabos has an excellent alternative for Windows and Mac users.

Cabos doesn't support torrents, and it doesn't have a built in media player, but who needs that anyway? Most of us have favorite apps for handling those files anyways, and Limewire probably isn't either of them. It simply searches the Gnutella network, displays your results, lets you filter and sort them six ways from Sunday, and downloads them quickly. It even offers basic iTunes integration.

There's no lime green splashed around the UI, just a tranquil, muted gray, and 21 languages are supported. It's totally ad-free and there are no nags - Cabos just does what you want it to and doesn't get in the way.
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]]>filesharinggnutellalimewirep2ppeer to peerPeerToPeerLee Mathews2008-07-08T12:00:00+00:00QTrax launches free, legal, and limited P2P music apphttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/18/qtrax-launches-free-legal-and-limited-p2p-music-app/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/18/qtrax-launches-free-legal-and-limited-p2p-music-app/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/18/qtrax-launches-free-legal-and-limited-p2p-music-app/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Qtrax
Want to download popular music without paying and without breaking the law? Qtrax is a new advertising-supported service that lets you download music from two of the four major labels, Universal and EMI as well as several smaller labels. The service uses a modified version of the Songbird Media player to let you search or browse for music and download tracks. Some music willbe available through P2P connections while music from Universal and EMI will be hosted on Qtrax servers.

The files use Windows Media digital rights management and are designed to be played with the Qtrax media player. But once you play a song using the Qtrax software and acquire a valid license key, you shold be able to play it using the media player of your choice. The one thing you cannot do is transfer songs to a portable media device like an iPod. That makes sense, since Qtrax makes money by showing ads while you search for and listen to music. There's no particularly good way to do that on a mobile device.

The music selection is somewhat limited at the moment. Not only are Sony and Warner Music Group tracks missing, but there are plenty of albums that show up in the Qtrax interface even though the songs are not yet available for download. But since the service just launched in beta, we're willing to cut Qtrax some slack.

The Qtrax client is Windows only for now, but a Mac version is in the works.

[via Silicon Alley Insider]
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]]>drmmusicqtraxtweet-thiswindows-mediaBrad Linder2008-06-18T20:00:00+00:00Skype 4.0 beta puts video front and center, takes over your screenhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/17/skype-4-0-beta-puts-video-front-and-center-takes-over-your-scre/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/17/skype-4-0-beta-puts-video-front-and-center-takes-over-your-scre/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/17/skype-4-0-beta-puts-video-front-and-center-takes-over-your-scre/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Skype 4.0
Skype 4.0 beta for Windows is due out tomorrow. And this beta will represent a major shift for the VoIP client. While nearly a third of Skype calls are video, each version of Skype up until now has been designed with audio in mind. The client is small and easily resizeable and feels like an application for making phone calls. TechCrunch reports that Skype 4.0 beta will be a full screen application designed with video in mind.

The new version takes advantage of the larger window by spreading out the buttons a bit and adding support for new video features like picture in picture. There's also more room on the screen for text chat or for sharing files while conducting voice or video calls.

Skype 4.0 beta also features improved hardware deection and tools for testing your connection. But honestly, we're not convinced that this whole full-screen design is the way to go. There's no doubt that the updated Skype client looks like it will make video calls far more pleasant. But more than 70% of the calls placed on the Skype network are still audio-only. And we're guessing that a lot of the people placing those calls like to have a bit of space on their desktops to multitask while making phone calls.

Of course, if you're just using Skype for voice communication, you can always minimize the application while you're talking, web browsing, and playing World of WarCraft. Or whatever it is you do when you're on the phone.
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]]>skypeskype-4.0skype-4.0-betavideovideo-chatBrad Linder2008-06-17T23:00:00+00:00Vuze adds social features to BitTorrent video clienthttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/16/vuze-adds-social-features-to-bittorrent-video-client/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/16/vuze-adds-social-features-to-bittorrent-video-client/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/16/vuze-adds-social-features-to-bittorrent-video-client/#commentsFiled under: ,

Vuze 3.1
When Azureus launched the Vuze desktop video player with built in BitTorrent support last year, a lot of folks shrugged. A few checked out the new Vuze client, but many kept using the company's trusty old BitTorrent client. Now the company is killing off the standalone client and changing its name to Vuze. There's also a new version of the Vuze client which adds a few new features.

Probably the most significant change in Vuze 3.1 is support for searching multiple BitTorrent tracking web sites. Previously if you wanted to find a video, you could only search through the Vuze catalog of free and for-pay downloads. Now you can find a whole lot of results from other sites including Mininova and Sumotorrent as well. You can also add other sites to search simply by clicking the add/edit button.

Vuze 3.1 also adds some basic social networking features. Users can create profiles, add friends, and recommend torrents that they think their friends would like. There's no way to chat or see if your friends are online, so these social elements feel tacked on rather than tightly integrated into the experience.

When you install Vuze 3.1 you'll be asked to install a browser toolbar as well. Feel free to uncheck the box next to this option. The wording is a bit tricky since it makes it sound a bit like you need to accept the terms and install the toolbar to continue the installation. But this is not the case.

[via NewTeeVee]
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]]>bittorrentvuzevuze-3.1Brad Linder2008-06-16T19:00:00+00:00Wiki lists legal uses of P2P software http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/08/wiki-lists-legal-uses-of-p2p-software/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/08/wiki-lists-legal-uses-of-p2p-software/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/08/wiki-lists-legal-uses-of-p2p-software/#commentsFiled under:

P2P wiki
It's no secret that people use peer to peer software like BitTorrent or Lime Wire to download copyrighted movies, music, and software. But that doesn't mean there aren't legitimate uses for the technology. Next time you need to explain to your ISP that while you've been using massive amounts of bandwidth, you haven't actually been doing anything illegal, you might want to check out this wiki listing legal uses of P2P software.

The wiki shows a rather impressive list of legitimate P2P applications, ranging from VoIP client Skype to FAROO, a search engine built using peer to peer technology. Of course, there are also plenty of sites offering legal music and movie downloads, including Joost, Babelgum, Miro, and the BBC iPlayer. And plenty of filmmakers and musicians including Trent Reznor and have decided to release free copies of their works over BitTorrent.

Since this site is a wiki, anyone can login and edit the list. So if you're aware of individuals or groups that are using P2P software in innovative ways, you can add to the list.

[via Boing Boing]
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]]>bittorrentp2ppeer-to-peerBrad Linder2008-06-08T10:00:00+00:00CloudFire Invites Part Deuxhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/06/cloudfire-invites-part-deux/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/06/cloudfire-invites-part-deux/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/06/cloudfire-invites-part-deux/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

CloudFireSo in our last post about the P2P media sharing site CloudFire, y'all jumped in and answered our question about BitTorrent's Bram Cohen.

This time around, there are no questions to answer. It's first come, first serve.

We have 100 invites to the first lucky folks who use "downloadsquad" without quotes naturally to sign up here.

We've had a bit of a play with CloudFire and the things that jump right out to us is that it seriously is easy to share media files with people who might not be as geeky as a lot of us are. And you know what, us geeky people like easy things too, that's why a lot of us use Macs.

There are some random issues as expected, and you have to make sure that the person connecting to your media has the most updated version of Flash, but other than that it works nicely. A good amount of bandwidth on your end doesn't hurt either.

They're completely open to your feedback and have been asking us what we think.

It's still very pre-beta and stealthy so here's your chance to join in!

UPDATE: If the code doesn't work then you might not have gotten in on the 100 invites. If we get more, we'll pass along the word!
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]]>bittorrentcloudfiremediamusicp2pphotosvideoDrew Olanoff2008-06-06T10:00:00+00:00CloudFire - Stealth P2P service, reveals itself to us...and maybe you!http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/03/cloudfire-stealth-p2p-service-reveals-itself-to-us-and-mayb/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/03/cloudfire-stealth-p2p-service-reveals-itself-to-us-and-mayb/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/03/cloudfire-stealth-p2p-service-reveals-itself-to-us-and-mayb/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

CloudFireA while back we wrote about a new super sekret stealth P2P file sharing for the masses service called CloudFire.

Just to refresh your memories, CloudFire aims to let you share photos, movies, music, from your desktop right to the web. And not just to the web, but in a very lovely and seamless way based on the screens we've seen. They really want to make P2P mainstream. This is quite a hurdle to jump.

Their "manifesto" states that media shouldn't be a chore. It should be easy to create and share everything that you make to show other people. They want to make the act of uploading media files to outside servers extinct.

Rock on!

But when will we get to see it and play around for ourselves?

Now's the time. We were able to sleuth some invites to their private beta. Ok, they emailed them to us.

Just for you guys, the DLS faithful.

"But what do we have to do to get such an invite" you ask?

Well it's quite simple. Be one of the first 5 people to correctly answer the following question and you get the invite.

Who wrote a parody of a manifesto in 2001 that also has their hand in P2P?

UPDATE: Wow, that was fast. All 5 invites gone. Correct answer? Bram Cohen, creator of BitTorrent! We'll let you know if we get some more invites.


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]]>cloudfireinvitesp2pDrew Olanoff2008-06-03T09:00:00+00:00Revision3 attack traced to anti-piracy company MediaDefenderhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/05/29/revision3-attack-traced-to-anti-piracy-company-mediadefender/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/05/29/revision3-attack-traced-to-anti-piracy-company-mediadefender/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/05/29/revision3-attack-traced-to-anti-piracy-company-mediadefender/#commentsFiled under: ,

DDoS attacks are hardly unusual. A site says something controversial that gets under the wrong person's skin, and it's not long before they get flooded with enough requests to knock out their servers temporarily. When an attack happened over the weekend at the popular webshow site Revision3 , they started to wonder what they had to done provoke it. Now Rev3 has found the source of the attack, and that's raising even more questions. Rev3 was hit by MediaDefender, the self-described "leading provider of anti-piracy solutions in the emerging Internet-Piracy-Prevention industry."

Rev3? Piracy? They're a site that produces original shows! Why would some kind of draconian piracy-enforcement have a bone to pick with them? Turns out that the attack was targeted at Revision3's BitTorrent ports. They've been using BitTorrent, a popular peer-to-peer sharing protocol, to push their shows out to the public more quickly and cheaply through a distributed model. It's good for business, good for their fans, and nothing at all like piracy.

Rev3 talked to MediaDefender and discovered that the anti-piracy company had been covertly using the Rev3 BitTorrent tracker to move its own files, quite without the knowledge of Revision3. The attack happened when Rev3 caught on and blocked MediaDefender's torrent traffic. This apparently caused the MediaDefender servers to go completely nuts with attempts to reconnect -- over 8,000 a second -- and took down the entire Revision3 infrastructure, including the servers for all their video content, their advertising, and their internal email.

MediaDefender claims it didn't intend to attack Revision3, but as for using Rev3's resources for their own torrents, it's going to be hard to call that an accident. Rev3 has involved the FBI at this point, and it looks like MediaDefender is going to have some explaining to do. Also this seems like a happy enough ending, we can't help wondering whether there are hidden MediaDefender torrents lurking on the servers of any other legitimate services.
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]]>bittorrentDDoSMediaDefenderpiracyRev3Revision3Jay Hathaway2008-05-29T16:30:00+00:00TorrentSpy hit with $111 million fine for copyright violationhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/05/08/torrentspy-hit-with-111-million-fine-for-copyright-violation/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/05/08/torrentspy-hit-with-111-million-fine-for-copyright-violation/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/05/08/torrentspy-hit-with-111-million-fine-for-copyright-violation/#commentsFiled under: ,

TorrentSpy shuts down

BitTorrent tracker TorrentSpy may have shut down last month, but that wasn't enough to prevent a federal judge from slapping the site with a $111 million fine yesterday. While BitTorrent didn't host any copyrighted materials on their own servers, the service did make it easy for users to illegally trade files. And the judge ruled that TorrentSpy's operators should pay $30,000 for each of the 3,699 instances of copyright infringement shown in the case.

Anyone familiar with sites like TorrentSpy knows that it's possible the site got off easy, as there were probably far more than 3699 copyrighted files made available through the site. On the other hand, TorrentSpy has already declared bankrupty and is incapable of paying the high fine. If the site hadn't already shut down, this ruling would most certainly have forced it to do so. A lawyer for TorrentSpy says the company plans to appeal.

This case was the first major test of the legality of BitTorrent sites in the US. Something tells us it won't be the last.

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]]>bittorrentcopyrighttorrentspyBrad Linder2008-05-08T10:00:00+00:00Skype for Windows hits version 3.8http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/29/skype-for-windows-hits-version-2-8/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/29/skype-for-windows-hits-version-2-8/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/29/skype-for-windows-hits-version-2-8/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Skype 2.8
Less than a month after releasing a public beta of Skype 3.8 for Windows, the company has launched a public version of the updated internet telephony client.

As a point release, you shouldn't expect to find a ton of new features in Skype 3.8. Most of the changes are under the hood, but users should notice improved call quality, meaning fewer dropped calls, less delay, and less background noise. The new version should also do a better job of automatically configuring your firewall and router settings.

Skype has also hidden away user profile images from incoming requests. This might not sound like a big deal, but if you've ever received a request from someone with an avatar you'd rather not display on your work computer, this update could be a life saver.
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]]>skypeskype-3.8Brad Linder2008-04-29T13:00:00+00:00Pirate Bay gets a new name: Liberty Bay?http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/26/pirate-bay-gets-a-new-name-liberty-bay/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/26/pirate-bay-gets-a-new-name-liberty-bay/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/26/pirate-bay-gets-a-new-name-liberty-bay/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

liberty bay
Perhaps it's a blatant F.U. to content creators everywhere or maybe it's just an F.U. to Rockstar, but the Pirate Bay has gone out of its way to temporarily rename itself "Liberty Bay" in honor of the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV.

The purpose for the publicity stunt is unclear, but -- considering the company's line of work -- it's likely to get the word out on the highly-rumored rumored Grand Theft Auto IV torrents that all the young kids blab about nowadays. Though we don't think the site's blog will address the gutsy move unless Rockstar starts throwing a fit, we'll let you know if things gets messy.

[via Kotaku]
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]]>legalp2ppirate bayPirateBaypublicity stuntPublicityStuntDanny Mendez2008-04-26T10:00:00+00:00LOOKTorrent: It's like YouTorrent but less usefulhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/24/looktorrent-its-like-youtorrent-but-less-useful/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/24/looktorrent-its-like-youtorrent-but-less-useful/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/24/looktorrent-its-like-youtorrent-but-less-useful/#commentsFiled under: , ,

LookTorrent
Now that YouTorrent is exclusively dedicated to boring, legal torrents, you might be looking for another BitTorrent search engine that searches a large number of BitTorrent trackers. LOOKTorrent fits the bill. Kind of.

The site lets you choose from a list of 25 BitTorrent trackers that you want to search. Enter your search term, and you'll start to find results from those pages. But unlike YouTorrent, which combines the results from each site onto one easy to use page, LOOKTorrent basically takes you to Mininova, The Pirate Bay, or whatever other sites you choose, while keeping a LOOKTorrent navigation tab at the top of the screen. If you don't find what you're looking for at one site, you can search the next. One at a time.

LOOKtorrent could come in handy if you can't find what you're looking for on one site, and need a good list of 25 BitTorrent trackers. But if you want all of your results on one page, you're probably better off with NowTorrents, ScrapeTorrent, or PizzaTorrent.

[via MakeUseOf]
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]]>bittorrentlooktorrentsearchBrad Linder2008-04-24T13:00:00+00:00Deluge: Cross-platform BitTorrent clienthttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/17/deluge-cross-platform-bittorrent-client/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/17/deluge-cross-platform-bittorrent-client/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/17/deluge-cross-platform-bittorrent-client/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



Deluge is an up-and-coming BitTorrent client for Mac, Windows, and Linux that looks strong enough to compete with the likes of Azureus, uTorrent, and Transmission.

Deluge supports the most common P2P features, including encryption, UPnP and NAT-PMP, Mainline DHT, proxy support, and more. The main strengths of Deluge, however, come from its design:
  • The program has a clean interface and is easy to look at, which makes for simple and unobtrusive torrent downloading.
  • The program was built to be extensible, with a rich plugin collection (many plugins are included in the software already)
  • The progam was designed to be lightweight; it doesn't tax your system like other BitTorrent clients.
Best of all, like previously stated, Deluge will run on Mac, Windows, and Linux. If you're willing to give Deluge the old college try, you can download it here - and be sure to report back what you like and don't like about it.

[via Freeware Genius]
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]]>bittorrentdelugep2pSimon Kerbel2008-04-17T15:00:00+00:00YouTorrent goes legit, boring, and up for salehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/14/youtorrent-goes-legit-boring-and-up-for-sale/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/14/youtorrent-goes-legit-boring-and-up-for-sale/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/14/youtorrent-goes-legit-boring-and-up-for-sale/#commentsFiled under: , ,

YouTorrentBitTorrent search engine YouTorrent is for sale, according to TorrentFreak. The news isn't particularly surprising. YouTorrent has become quite popular over the last few months, but for some reason the owners have yet to put advertisements on the site, so it doesn't appear to be making any money. At the same time YouTorrent gets over 10 million visitors per month, which has got to be hell on the company's bandwidth bill.

We'd say YouTorrent shouldn't have a hard time attracting a buyer with a good monetization plan. But YouTorrent kind of shot themselves in the foot on their way to the auction block. The company has removed the majority of BitTorrent trackers from its index, which means you can now only search 100% free and legal torrent sites like Vuze, BitTorrent, and LegalTorrents. In other words, you won't find any cracked software, or illegal music or movie downloads. Sure, the move will help the service avoid lawsuits, but it will probably dramatically reduce YouTorrent's user base as well, which could make the site a heck of a lot less valuable.

If you're looking for a good YouTorrent clone that doesn't suck, check out NowTorrents or PizzaTorrent.
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]]>bittorrentnowtorrentspizzatorentyoutorrentBrad Linder2008-04-14T00:00:00+00:00Demonoid will rise againhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/11/demonoid-will-rise-again/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/11/demonoid-will-rise-again/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/11/demonoid-will-rise-again/#commentsFiled under: ,

The closure of Demonoid, one of the most popular torrent trackers online, spread unrest and despair both far and wide. Entire forum topics were set aside for Demonoid refugees, users who had come to rely on Demonoid for its exhaustive torrent listings and wealth of harder-to-find music, programs, and more.

Take heart, you refugeees, and let your weeping turn to rejoicing: it looks as if Demonoid might live again.

The administrator of Demonoid, Deimos, has turned over control of Demonoid to a new admin, a personal friend whom he trusts implicitly. This new admin is charged with the responsibility of bringing Demonoid back online. And, unfortunately, that's all we know for now.

While there might be a lot of speculation as to what the new Demonoid will look like, or how it will avoid being shutdown by the threat of lawsuits again, it looks like we'll just have to wait and see.

[via DailyApps]

Update: Okay, it looks like Demonoid is back up and running. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
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]]>DemonoidtorrentSimon Kerbel2008-04-11T13:00:00+00:00ImageShack offers free Torrent download servicehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/07/imageshack-offers-free-torrent-download-service/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/07/imageshack-offers-free-torrent-download-service/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/07/imageshack-offers-free-torrent-download-service/#commentsFiled under: ,

ImageShack has taken the wraps off its new, and free, BitTorrent downloading service.

Downloading torrent files with ImageShack will essentially be a two-step process: one, you download the torrent files onto the ImageShack server; two, when the download is complete, ImageShack gives you a simple http link to the file, so you can download it to your local machine.

ImageShack is hoping that users will benefit from the use of their servers, especially the users that have experienced ISP limiting of torrent traffic.

It certainly looks as if users are excited. Because of the overwhelming response to their new torrent service, ImageShack has taken the "public" off of the "public beta," meaning the torrent service is not available to new users at this time.

[via Daily Apps]
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]]>ImageShacktorrentSimon Kerbel2008-04-07T14:00:00+00:00Joost to give up on global domination, focus on UShttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/06/joost-to-give-up-on-global-domination-focus-on-us/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/06/joost-to-give-up-on-global-domination-focus-on-us/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/06/joost-to-give-up-on-global-domination-focus-on-us/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Joost
Joost appears to be scaling back its game plan a bit. The Sunday Times reports that the online video platform will focus entirely on distributing content in the US, where it has the largest audience. Up until now, Joost has provided videos globally, although the content you were able to watch was determined by your country of residence.

The company was founded by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, the founders of Skype. The goal was to give users a standalone application for viewing high quality videos over a peer to peer network, rather than spending all day squinting at YouTube style videos embedded in web pages. But while Joost has managed to sign a few major content partners like CBS and Viacom, you can generally find more up to date content from Hulu or the BBC iPlayer.

Joost is also hardly the only name in the game these days. The company faces competition (if you can call it that) from other online video services including Babelgum, Vuze, VeohTV, and Miro. But there's still one major question that needs to be answered: Does anybody actually use any of these services on a regular basis to watch videos, or are they the sort of programs you download once to check out and then maybe remember to launch every few weeks to see if there's anything new?

Do you actually care if Joost shuts down in the UK and other markets? Would it matter to you if they closed up shop in the US too? Let us know in the comments.

Update: It looks like a spokesperson for Joost denies that the company has any plans to layoff employees or go US-only.

[via Mashable]
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]]>joostonline-videousaBrad Linder2008-04-06T16:00:00+00:00Court to RIAA: Making songs available isn't enough for a lawsuithttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/02/court-to-riaa-making-songs-available-isnt-enough-for-a-lawsuit/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/02/court-to-riaa-making-songs-available-isnt-enough-for-a-lawsuit/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/02/court-to-riaa-making-songs-available-isnt-enough-for-a-lawsuit/#commentsFiled under: , ,

YouTorrent music
A federal judge in New york has ruled that the RIAA cannot sue people for simply making copyrighted music available for download. Rather, the recording industry needs to demonstrate that someone has actually downloaded the file. Otherwise, it's not clear that a crime actually took place.

It's much trickier to demonstrate that someone actually downloaded the files you made available. And when we say you, we mean the figurative you. We're quite confident that no Download Squad readers are actually violating the law. This particular case isn't over yet, since the RIAA feels it can demonstrate that the defendent actually distributed copyrighted files, and didn't just make them available.

The judge in the case also found that while making files available might not be enough to justify a lawsuit, an "offer to distribute" copyrighted works is. What's the difference? If you don't password protect your WiFi router, your neighbors might be able to download files from your computer, which you've "made available." But if you designate a folder on your PC that has files you're willing to share with other Limewire users, that might be construed as an "offer to distribute."
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]]>copyrightlawsuitriaaBrad Linder2008-04-02T17:00:00+00:00LegalTorrents relaunches, with a whopping 44 torrentshttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/03/31/legaltorrents-relaunches-with-a-whopping-44-torrents/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/03/31/legaltorrents-relaunches-with-a-whopping-44-torrents/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/03/31/legaltorrents-relaunches-with-a-whopping-44-torrents/#commentsFiled under: ,

LegalTorrents
While many of the files you can download using BitTorrent are illegal, copyrighted works such as Hollywood movies, music from major labels, or commercial software, there's nothing inherently illegal about BitTorrent. It's just an internet protocol, much like FTP or HTTP.

So it stands to reason that if you want to avoid illegal downloads, there should be a go-to location for legal torrents, perhaps with an easy to remember name like LegalTorrents. Hey, what do you know? There is. LegalTorrents actually launched way back in 2003 when BitTorrent was still pretty new. This week the site has relaunched with a nice, clean interface and a grand total of 44 files you can download without guilt. That includes 9 songs, 9 movies, and 3 video games. We'd complain that there's no way to search for torrents, but the rather tiny selection kind of makes the point moot right now.

Anyone can download files, but you'll need to register for an account to upload torrents of Creative Commons licensed media. Hopefully the selection will grow soon, as LegalTorrents is really a great idea. But could someone please add a search feature before the content library grows too large?

[via NewTeeVee]
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]]>bittorrentcopyrightcreative-commonslegaltorrentsBrad Linder2008-03-31T17:00:00+00:00Joost: Coming to a browser near youhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/03/21/joost-coming-to-a-browser-near-you/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/03/21/joost-coming-to-a-browser-near-you/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/03/21/joost-coming-to-a-browser-near-you/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Joost
Apparently live video streaming isn't the only new feature coming from internet video Joost. Company CEO Mike Volpi tells Portfolio Magazine that the company is also working on a browser-based version of their software.

Right now in order to watch Joost content you need to download and install a standalone application which connects to Joost's peer to peer network. And while Joost has gotten an awful lot of attention for changing the way we think about online video over the last few years, it turns out that a relatively small number of people have actually bothered to install the Joost client, while hundreds of millions of users regularly watch videos in their web browsers.

It's not exactly clear that Joost offers much to pull people away from popular sites like YouTube, Hulu, and DailyMotion. Sure, Joost has full length movies and TV episodes, but so does Hulu, and to be honest, Hulu has far more popular content than Joost.

[via Silicon Alley Insider]
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]]>hulujoostyoutubeBrad Linder2008-03-21T13:00:00+00:00