A Russian company, backed by Microsoft, has developed software it says can disrupt and prevent people from downloading pirated content known as Pirate Pay. The software has so far worked with Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures to stop “thousands” of downloads.

The tool poses as real bit torrent users but then “confuses” peer-to-peer networks, causing disconnections. Despite that, critics argue that the method will be ineffective in the long term.

The entertainment industry claims that the downloading of pirated material costs copyright holders billions of dollars in lost revenue every year. For example last month, the British Phonographic Industry won a court battle to force UK internet service providers to block its customers from accessing high-profile piracy site The Pirate Bay. This has instigated software giants to act and develop software capable of blocking piracy

However, the true extent of the financial impact is strongly questioned by internet rights campaigners.