BitTorrent Inc. - the San Francisco company still hoping to make some money from Bram Cohen's world famous p2p file sharing protocol - has apparently laid off about half its staff.

According to a source chatting with The New York Times, the outfit sacked 18 people today - the same day it announced the appointment of a new CEO. This comes after the company laid off 20 per cent of its staff in August.

The company did not respond to requests for comment.

The Times also reports that the company will soon close its BitTorrent Entertainment Network - an online digital media store meant to compete with the iTunes of the world. Apparently, new CEO Eric Klnker and his (small) crew will concentrate on BitTorrent DNA (delivery netwotk accelerator), a content delivery service for businesses looking to distribute audio, video, and games over the net.

Yesterday, BitTorrent Inc. co-founder Ashwin Navin said he was leaving the company, six months after telling the company's board he would do so. ®

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