Popular BitTorrent site goes legit, looks for buyer

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

April 14, 2008, 12:02 PM

Likely a move to avoid the legal pitfalls besieging other file sharing sites at the moment, YouTorrent has announced that it will only index sites that compile licensed content.

The indexer only launched in early January, but it has quickly become one of the Web's most visited BitTorrent sites. According to the company, the site now averages about 10 million unique visitors a month.

YouTorrent has been well received in the file sharing community for its differences from other BitTorrent sites. It does not include advertising, and features the ability to search the larger sites and an easy to use interface.

An official for the site told TorrentFreak that the "uncertainty and accuracy" of some search sites influenced their decision.

In addition, the site had grown bigger than the original owners could handle, so they were looking to sell it. With the switch to a "legal" format, YouTorrent may be palatable to some traditional media companies.

It was not known who may be on the site's short list of buyers. However, with the site not generating revenue due to its lack of ads, this may be the only way to go for its owners.