The Most-Downloaded Torrent of 2013 Is Completely Free And Legal

Just the mention of the word "BitTorrent" is enough to get copyright zealots up in arms, but what happens when a "legitimate" artist wants to use the file-sharing platform to get his or her work out there more widely?

BitTorrent Inc. has spearheaded a number of publicity campaigns for authors and musicians who want a free and easy way to disperse their work.

The company notably teamed up with Tim Ferriss, author of "Four Hour Chef," to put out a torrent of bonus pages and book material to drum up some publicity. It was downloaded more than 1.5 million times.

It was a similar type of promotional torrent from musician Moby last year, featuring several tracks from his upcoming album "Innocents" that nabbed the top spot, however: 8.9 million people downloaded it and more than 150,000 people are still sharing it and making it further available for download, reports Torrent Freak.

Moby's legit torrent occupies the No. 1 spot, and the No. 2 and 3 torrents, which come from the Epic Meal Time cooking Web series and a band called Kaskade, respectively, are also out there with the creators' blessings.

BitTorrent's not about piracy. If anything, it's proving itself to be a moneymaking promotional tool.