In today’s high-tech society, it should come as no surprise that downloading content over the Internet is as popular as ever. Whether it’s music, movies, video games or software, it’s all available with the click of a mouse.

Napster was one of the first sites to offer files, which started a downloading trend years ago, and programs such as Kazaa and Limewire have continued the movement. Lawsuits against users of these programs have caused their popularity to flounder, while a new technology has surfaced.

Bittorrent, a computer program that makes downloading more efficient, is quickly becoming the most used peer-to-peer file sharing system available. According to Bittorrent’s Web site, torrent sites accounted for over one-third of all Internet traffic last year.

Bittorrent differs from other peer-to-peer technology in that the program filters out corrupted or damaged files to ensure quality downloads. Once a user begins to download a file they are also uploading the file at the same time. This format allows for fast downloads with high-speed connections.

Jeremy Froley, a senior exercise science major, said his brother downloads music for him, and uses a torrent Web site. Froley said the fast download speed is a good reason to use torrents. “It takes about 20 minutes to get an entire album,” Froley said.

In spite of Bittorrent’s popularity, downloading copyrighted material such as music or movies is illegal. The Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America have both targeted torrent Web sites.

On Aug. 31, the RIAA filed its latest round of copyright-infringement lawsuits against 754 Internet music thieves. RIAA President Cary Sherman spoke out on these lawsuits in a press release.

“The message of the Supreme Court’s recent Grokster ruling is clear: both the businesses that encourage theft and the individuals who download songs without permission can be held accountable,” Sherman said.

Sherman refers to the Supreme Court’s ruling in that both Web sites and its users can be held responsible for illegal content. MGM Studios sued Grokster for providing a service in which people were able to exchange copyrighted movies.

The MPAA unleashed its own set of lawsuits against peer-to-peer users. On Aug. 25, the MPAA filed 286 lawsuits against individuals whose names were given during the shutdown of a torrent site earlier this year.

Elite Torrents was shut down in May after “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” was made available six hours before it hit theaters. According to the MPAA Web site, the movie was downloaded more than 10,000 times.

College campuses have been hit hard as 496 students from 33 different universities have been issued lawsuits by the MPAA and RIAA in the past year.

Jonathan Goldsmith, a junior computer science major, downloads music and movies online, but does not use torrents. “Most of those students being sued probably used campus computers for the high speed connection and got caught,” he said.

Regardless of the legal action taken, millions of people share files each day on Bittorrent and other peer-to-peer sites, data show.

Goldsmith said that he uses an Internet relay chat site to share files with other users. “The program is a lot more discrete,” Goldsmith said. He said that torrent sites track IP addresses.

Torrent sites are mainstream, which make them more susceptible to lawsuits than smaller peer-to-peer sites.

Students have comparable motives for downloading from torrent and peer-to-peer Web sites.

“Sometimes an album only has two good songs I want and everything else is filler,” Goldsmith said. He said that $10 is too much to shell out for two good songs.

There are also some good Web sites that offer quality downloads at a small price. According to Cnet.com, iTunes is the No. 1 visited music download site on the Internet.

Goldsmith has taken advantage of iTunes. He said he downloaded a few songs, but only does that for songs he really wants. “I don’t know that I would buy a whole album though,” Goldsmith said.

Froley said he would consider paying for a rare song that he couldn’t get anywhere else.

Blake Hamilton, a self-employed software designer, feels the original reason for the creation of torrent technology was to share files legally. Hamilton shares his free Spyware program on several torrent sites in hopes of reaching a broader audience. “More people can access the program in a more efficient manner,” Hamilton said.

“I don’t think the program was originally started with illegal downloading in mind,” Hamilton added.

The popularity of Bittorrent has spilled over into the business world as companies realize how beneficial the software is. Microsoft has created its own P2P software that is similar to Bittorrent, called Avalanche.

“Eventually the technology will be primarily used for legal downloads,” Hamilton said.

When that happens, torrent users will have to find a new way to download content for free.

Vincent Gesuele can be reached at [email protected]