The Suprnova.org announced its closure with a message that did not make reference to legal pressures, but simply said: "We are very sorry for this, but there was no other way, we have tried everything," according to a report by the BBC. The site is now off-line.
BitTorrent is a protocol designed for transferring files. BitTorrent users connect to each other directly to send and receive portions of any file – rather than entire file being swapped at once, as on a Kazaa or Grokster-type network.
A central server called a BitTorrent tracker coordinates the action of all such peers. Crucially, the tracker manages the P2P connections to share distribution of a file, rather than sharing the file itself. This way, many users can access a file such as a movie as it is being downloaded, using less bandwidth than if each user had to stream the movie separately. Meanwhile, the co-ordinating server has no knowledge of the contents of the files being traded.
There are other P2P networks like BitTorrent. Each relies on servers named after its particular brand of software: BitTorrent "trackers" become eDonkey "servers" and DirectConnect "hubs". The central servers index and link to digital files of all kinds and when accessed by a user, deliver the chosen movie, game, software or music track using the relevant software.
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) targeted these server operators only last week, filing over 100 lawsuits in the US and UK, accusing the web site operators of helping on-line pirates steal hundreds of millions of illegal copies of movies and TV programs.
A number of web sites have closed so far, but Suprnova.org is the most prominent of these to go.