Not all file sharing is piracy. Many file sharing platforms serve legitimate purposes that mainstream hosts refuse to accommodate due to overzealous DMCA compliance:
- Creative commons and open source distribution: Software, music, and media released under Creative Commons and open source licenses is routinely incorrectly targeted by automated DMCA systems that match file hashes without checking license status.
- International content redistribution: Content that is freely available and legal in its country of origin may face DMCA claims in other jurisdictions based on territorial licensing restrictions. Distribution platforms for such content need DMCA-ignored hosting.
- Research and documentation archives: Academic and journalistic archives of documents, datasets, and media may face DMCA claims from organizations documented in those archives.
- Torrent tracker infrastructure: Torrent tracker indexes and DHT bootstrap nodes are frequently targeted despite serving both legal and infringing torrents. Bulletproof trackers require DMCA-ignored hosting to operate persistently.