BitTorrent Urges Sony to Release ‘The Interview’ Via Their Bundle Platform

“Like everyone else around the world, we’ve been following this egregious hacking of Sony‘s servers over the past few weeks.

“A trend has emerged among commentary in the days since Sony announced they would not release the motion picture, ‘The Interview.’ There have been calls for Sony to release the film online. And many have contacted us asking: Would they be able to release the movie using BitTorrent?

READ MORE: How Would the Indie Film Community Handle ‘The Interview’ Fiasco?

“Though we normally would not offer commentary during such a trying time for another company, the answer is ‘yes.’ BitTorrent Bundle is in fact the very best way for Sony to take back control of their film, to not acquiesce to terrorists threats, and to ensure a wide audience can view the film safely. It would also strike a strong note for free speech. 

“Bundle has a self-publishing platform that anyone from Sony can use: https://bundles.bittorrent.com/publish. Using the paygate option, Sony are able to set the price for the film and release it widely without implicating anyone or exposing any third party to a terrorist threat. 

“We disagree, however, with some that have suggested that Sony should make the film available through piracy sites. That would only serve to encourage bad actors. It’s also important to make the distinction that these piracy sites are not “torrent sites.” They are piracy sites that are wrongfully exploiting torrent technology. 

“BitTorrent Bundle is a safe and legal way for Sony to release this film and they would join the nearly 20,000 creators and rights holders now using the Bundle publishing platform.”

BitTorrent Bundle was designed to support free speech and open creativity, using decentralized technology to protect digital artifacts from being destroyed or censored. The BitTorrent Bundle for “The Act of Killing,” for instance, features interviews, essays and stills from videos from the award-wining documentary’s director Joshua Oppenheimer as well as Werner Herzog and Errol Morris, who served as producers of the film. It also features reporting on the impact of the film on Indonesia, as documented by TEMPO Magazine. Previous BitTorrent Bundles include the Madonna-directed “secretprojectrevolution,” which launched  “Art For Freedom,” an online global initiative to support freedom of expression, and “The Lady Gaga Bundle.”

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