File-sharers to be paid on new Pirate Bay

The new owners of the Pirate Bay have suggested that users could be paid for sharing files.

Users of the Pirate Bay could be paid for sharing files under a new legal downloading service being planned by its new owners.

The Global Gaming Factory bought the Pirate Bay after its founders were sentenced to a year each in prison for copyright infringement.

Earlier this week it was reported that the Swedish gaming company could transform it into the new Napster, offering legal downloads and paying royalties to copyright holders.

A spokesman for the firm has now told the BBC that it is planning to modify the service to ensure that legal downloading is attractive to consumers.

Hans Pandeya said this is the only way that the music industry will be able to stamp out illegal file-sharing and tackle the intellectual property issue.

Indeed, he explained that at the moment, illegal downloads are more attractive because they are free.

Under the new Pirate Bay system, users will have to pay for their downloads so that copyright holders can be paid, but they will receive money back for hosting files on their computers.

"We are going to set up a system where the file-sharer actually makes money," explained Mr Pandeya.

He said this model will also take off some of the web traffic pressures currently on internet service providers by using a network of file-sharers to reduce overload.

"We're talking about next-gen file sharing so you can create revenue from storage and internet traffic optimisation," he remarked.

Virgin Media recently announced the launch of a new legal downloading service, which it is offering in conjunction with Universal Music and any other record labels who wish to sign up.

Users will pay a monthly fee and will be able to stream or download as many tracks as they wish in return.