14 DAY TRIAL // A film distributor from Costa-Rica is trying to get online pirates on the path to righteousness by launching a KickassTorrents copycat site. Called LegalTorrents, the site copies the layout, color scheme and loads of other details from the famous, now deceased site.
This seems to be a first for the fight against Internet piracy. Over the years, this fight has taken many forms, although the most-used tool seems to be the takedown notice, followed by the pressure put on ISPs to block various sites. Creating a site that's a copy of one of the most used pirate sites in history is certainly a new page in this book.
According to TorrentFreak, Costa Rica film distributor Romaly is the one using this new tactic. This is clearly a copy of the KAT domain, using a similar logo, and even the word cloud in the upper area of the screen.
There's even a list of "latest Torrents" with the number of seeds on the right side of the screen. When you try to tap on one, however, you'll get pushed to a page offering information about the movie, including images, the IMDb rating, and a list of main actors in the film. There's even a download button and a feature for magnet links.
Innovative tactics
Now the weird part begins. The torrent is actually there. You can download it like any other torrent file, but it's not what you're expecting. Once you download it, you'll find the movie you were expecting to see is a short trailer followed by a message trying to guilt-trip you into buying the DVD or going to see the movie because online piracy affects the movie industry.
The company takes things a step further, however, and gives people who downloaded the torrents an email address they can use to get two free cinema tickets for the movie they tried to download.
"With the creation of our own torrent download page, we seek to approach all those who try to carry out this type of illegal action and create awareness on the subject through positive reinforcement. By providing tickets, we want you to remember that cinema is an experience that goes beyond a computer. In the cinema, people enjoy an entertainment space that allows them to get rid of their occupations and dedicate one or two hours to themselves," Romaly marketing manager Alonso Solis said about the ploy.
Of course, there's the question of what happens if you try to download a film that's not currently being played in a cinema near you.