LegalTorrents Offers CC Works Via BitTorrent 129
An anonymous reader writes "A site called LegalTorrents has just launched that hosts trackers and seeds for digital media licensed under the Creative Commons license. ('We distribute content with the full permission of the rights holders and use the peer-2-peer file-sharing technology called Bittorrent.') The site even provides a way to donate money to artists you like. (LegalTorrents takes 15% off the top unless you are a member, which costs $50 one-time during the beta period.)" It's always good to see "legitimate" content distributed in ways that make it hard to demonize the distribution system itself — something Lawrence Lessig in particular has been doing for years, and his book "Free Culture" is one of the audiobooks available through LegalTorrents. Note that LegalTorrents has been around for a while now, rather than "just launched," but the current beta period won't last forever.
Also check out The Internet Archive (archive.org) (Score:4, Informative)
Another good place to check for legally redistributable works is The Internet Archive [archive.org], one of the most important sites on the Internet.
They host a lot of things across a wide spectrum of interests. They are the place hosting the digital archives for organizations that frequently publish new work (such as news programs and audio labels). Big files are okay there as well: You might be interested in a copy of the DVDs for "Big Buck Bunny [archive.org]" (most of the material on the DVDs are licensed CC-BY 3.0 [creativecommons.org]), The Story of Stuff [archive.org] (my copy of this came with a signed note that said I should "Feel free to copy and share it freely for any non-commercial use".
Re:Awesome (Score:1, Informative)
LegalTorrents has been around for a while now, it's just that nobody has paid them any attention since they have such a small selection. That can change, though.
Jamendo [jamendo.com] also operates on a similar idea, and they have a much bigger selection (seems to be a lot of French stuff, but whatever). Also have choices between direct download/torrent and mp3/ogg.
Re:So wait... (Score:4, Informative)
Where did you get the idea that you get to tell people how much money they can make? If you don't think the service LegalTorrents provides is worth 15% of your donation, shut the fuck up and donate somewhere else. It's that simple.
It has not "just launched" (Score:4, Informative)