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Swedish web site The Pirate Bay, the biggest ad-supported site using the software of BitTorrent which offers thousands of illegal programs and media files, has now started developing a new download format that could keep the flow of pirated material going.

One of the reasons for a new and improved protocol is the massive number of spammers and anti-piracy organizations that abuse the BitTorrent protocol, either to make money or to bust people who download infringing material. The new protocol will be designed with these potential problems in mind.

The protocol will most likely use the .p2p file extension compared to the .torrent extension BitTorrent uses right now. “The good thing is that the .p2p files will be backwards compatible which should ensure a smooth transition from .torrent to .p2p files” says Ernesto, Founder and Head editor of TorrentFreak.

“BitTorrent has seen some long-awaited success in working with major media companies, and as its ties with the industry grow, it might add features to discourage trading pirated materials”, said Pirate Bay's co-founder, Peter Sunde. “If they go and do something stupid, it will affect a lot of people,” Sunde said in an interview, noting the site gets 1.5 million visitors on a typical day. BitTorrent estimates there are about 150 million people using the technology. The company last month launched an Internet distribution service for media companies that could boost user numbers to about 1 billion over the next 18 to 24 months.

Pirate Bay also wants to raise USD 50,000 to buy an island and create its own nation-state where piracy would be legal. So far it has about USD 20,000, Sunde said. It’s three founders have often faced criminal charges related to piracy, but they're not worried because the stiffest sentence they could get in Sweden if found guilty is a USD 300 fine, Sunde said.