← Rainberry Increviewed 2026-10-16 · 23 claims checked
Fact-check findings
What an automated fact-checker found when it re-read Rainberry Inc against the sources the page cites. Only the most recent review is shown.
Read this first
These findings are produced by an automated reviewer, and its results vary between runs: the same page, checked three times on the same day, came back with 15%, 20% and 34% of its claims disputed, mostly because each run extracted a different number of claims. Treat what follows as leads, not rulings.
“Disputed” means the reviewer could not reconcile the claim with the evidence it cited. It does not mean the claim is false. “Unverifiable” means no reachable source settled it either way.
Nothing here changes the page on its own. A proposed correction is applied only after a human moderator approves it; until then the page reads as it did when reviewed.
disputed
5 claimsThe reviewer could not reconcile the claim with the evidence it cited. This is a lead, not a ruling that the claim is false.
- #4[disputed][awaiting moderator]in the timeline
“Justin Sun acquires Rainberry Inc (BitTorrent) for a reported $140 million following a competitive bidding process.”
reviewerJustin Sun acquired Rainberry/BitTorrent for $140 million 'following a competitive bidding process.'This timeline entry directly contradicts the page's own Company Background section, which correctly describes a disputed process in which Sun obtained a TRO to prevent competing bids. Independent reporting backs the section's framing, not the timeline's 'competitive bidding process' characterization, which understates the dispute.Proposed correction (not yet applied)Justin Sun acquires Rainberry Inc (BitTorrent) for a reported $140 million following a disputed acquisition process that included a temporary restraining order Sun obtained to prevent competing bids. - #14[disputed][awaiting moderator]in section: Celebrity Promotion Scheme — Co-defendants and Parallel Settlements
“paying approximately $400,000 each in combined disgorgement, interest, and penalties, without admitting or denying the SEC's findings.”
reviewerSix of eight celebrity defendants (Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Ne-Yo, Lil Yachty, Kendra Lust, Akon) settled, each paying approximately $400,000 in combined disgorgement, interest and penalties.The cited SEC press release explicitly describes $400,000+ as a combined total for all six settling celebrities (e.g., Lindsay Lohan's individual settlement was reported at $40,000), not $400,000 each as the page states. This overstates the celebrities' individual payments roughly six-fold.Proposed correction (not yet applied)paying a combined total of more than $400,000 in disgorgement, interest, and penalties, without admitting or denying the SEC's findings. - #15[disputed][awaiting moderator]in the timeline
“Six celebrity defendants (Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Ne-Yo, Lil Yachty, Kendra Lust, Akon) settle SEC charges, paying approximately $400,000 each without admitting or denying findings.”
reviewerSix celebrity defendants settled SEC charges, paying approximately $400,000 each without admitting or denying findings.Same underlying error repeated in the timeline; see sections[3] finding in the same defect group.Proposed correction (not yet applied)Six celebrity defendants (Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Ne-Yo, Lil Yachty, Kendra Lust, Akon) settle SEC charges, paying a combined total of more than $400,000 without admitting or denying findings. - #17[disputed][awaiting moderator]in section: Copyright Infringement Allegations
“In January 2020, former Rainberry employees Richard Hall and Lukasz Juraszek filed a lawsuit in California federal court”
reviewerFormer Rainberry employees Hall and Juraszek filed their piracy-related lawsuit in January 2020.The page's own cited source says the suit was filed in October 2019 and only reported on in January 2020; the page conflates the reporting date with the filing date.Proposed correction (not yet applied)In October 2019, former Rainberry employees Richard Hall and Lukasz Juraszek filed a lawsuit in California federal court - #18[disputed][awaiting moderator]in the timeline
“2020”
reviewerThe Hall/Juraszek lawsuit timeline entry is dated 2020.Same underlying date error as the sections[4] finding, carried into the timeline's date field; corrected per the page's own cited source.Proposed correction (not yet applied)2019
unverifiable
3 claimsNo source the reviewer could reach confirms or contradicts the claim.
- #19[unverifiable][awaiting moderator]in section: Copyright Infringement Allegations
“filed a lawsuit in California federal court”
reviewerThe Hall/Juraszek lawsuit was filed in California federal court.Neither cited source, nor other coverage found, specifies which court or state the suit was filed in. The 'California federal court' detail could not be independently confirmed or refuted. - #20[unverifiable][awaiting moderator]in section: Copyright Infringement Allegations
“A related class-action suit was reportedly filed in 2025 asserting that Rainberry's BitTorrent File System (BTFS) infrastructure — which rewards users with BTT tokens for storing and distributing content — could facilitate distribution of copyright-infringing material.”
reviewerA related class-action suit was reportedly filed in 2025 over Rainberry's BTFS infrastructure facilitating copyright-infringing material.No source in the section's own citation list supports this sentence, and extensive searches turned up no news coverage, docket, or press release describing a 2025 BTFS class action. This reads as an unsupported addition; it should be either sourced or removed. - #23[unverifiable][awaiting moderator]in section: BitTorrent Token (BTT) — Token and Market Context
“Critics have also noted that the utility case for BTT is debated, given that the BitTorrent protocol operated at scale without a native token prior to the Tron acquisition.”
reviewerCritics have noted that BTT's utility case is debated given BitTorrent operated at scale without a native token before the Tron acquisition.The underlying fact (BitTorrent operated at scale pre-token) is true, but the attributed 'critics have noted' framing is vague and backed only by low-credibility opinion sites; treated as unverifiable as a sourced claim rather than confirmed or disputed.
confirmed
15 claimsThe cited evidence supports the claim as written.
- #1[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Company Background
“The company was originally incorporated as BitTorrent, Inc. in 2004 by Bram Cohen and Ashwin Navin”
reviewerBitTorrent, Inc. was incorporated in 2004 by Bram Cohen and Ashwin Navin.Widely corroborated fact about BitTorrent Inc's founding; not contested by any source found. - #2[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Company Background
“quietly renamed to Rainberry Inc in 2017”
reviewerBitTorrent, Inc. quietly renamed itself Rainberry Inc in 2017.The underlying fact checks out against independent reporting, but the page's only cited source for this timeline entry is Grokipedia, an AI-generated wiki that is not an authoritative primary source. Flagged as a source-quality concern rather than a factual error. - #3[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Company Background
“Tron founder Justin Sun acquired the company in June 2018 for a reported $140 million following a disputed acquisition process that included a temporary restraining order Sun obtained to prevent competing bids.”
reviewerJustin Sun acquired BitTorrent/Rainberry in June 2018 for a reported $140 million through a disputed process that included a TRO Sun obtained to block competing bids.Confirmed by multiple contemporaneous outlets: Sun signed a letter of intent, BitTorrent allegedly solicited other bidders in breach of a no-shop clause, and Sun sought a TRO to block that. Variety's own URL currently returns an HTTP 402 paywall redirect (tollbit.variety.com), but the claim is independently corroborated by TechCrunch, Finance Magnates and CryptoSlate. - #5[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Company Background
“Following the acquisition, Rainberry launched the BitTorrent Token (BTT), a TRC-10 utility token on the Tron blockchain, through a January 2019 initial exchange offering on Binance.”
reviewerBitTorrent Token (BTT) launched in January 2019 via a Binance IEO.Confirmed: BTT's IEO ran January 28, 2019 on Binance Launchpad as a TRC-10 token, matching timeline[4]. - #6[confirmed][no action needed]in section: SEC Enforcement Action — March 2023 Complaint
“On March 22, 2023, the SEC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (LR-25676) against Justin Sun, Tron Foundation Limited, BitTorrent Foundation Ltd., and Rainberry Inc., alleging three categories of securities law violations.”
reviewerOn March 22, 2023, the SEC filed a complaint (LR-25676) in SDNY against Sun, Tron Foundation, BitTorrent Foundation, and Rainberry alleging unregistered securities sales, wash trading, and celebrity touting.Matches the SEC's own litigation release and press release exactly. - #7[confirmed][no action needed]in section: SEC Enforcement Action — March 2023 Complaint
“First, the SEC alleged that Sun and his companies offered and sold TRX and BTT as unregistered securities through so-called 'bounty programs' that directed participants to promote tokens on social media in exchange for TRX and BTT distributions.”
reviewerSEC alleged Sun's companies sold TRX/BTT as unregistered securities via 'bounty programs' directing social-media promotion in exchange for token distributions.Accurately summarizes the SEC's bounty-program allegation. - #8[confirmed][no action needed]in section: SEC Enforcement Action — March 2023 Complaint
“Second, the SEC alleged that from at least April 2018 through February 2019, Sun directed employees to conduct more than 600,000 wash trades of TRX between two accounts he controlled, with between 4.5 million and 7.4 million TRX wash traded daily, creating the false appearance of an active trading market.”
reviewerSEC alleged that from April 2018 to February 2019, Sun directed over 600,000 wash trades of TRX, with 4.5-7.4 million TRX wash-traded daily.Figures and date range exactly match the SEC's own press release. - #9[confirmed][no action needed]in section: SEC Enforcement Action — March 2023 Complaint
“Third, the SEC alleged that Sun and his companies orchestrated a paid celebrity promotion campaign in which celebrities including Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Soulja Boy (DeAndre Cortez Way), Austin Mahone, Kendra Lust, Lil Yachty, Ne-Yo, and Akon promoted TRX and BTT on social media without disclosing that they were compensated.”
reviewerSEC alleged a paid celebrity promotion scheme involving Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Soulja Boy, Austin Mahone, Kendra Lust, Lil Yachty, Ne-Yo, and Akon.List and count of eight celebrities matches SEC filings and contemporaneous reporting. - #10[confirmed][no action needed]in section: SEC Settlement — March 2026
“On March 5, 2026, the SEC filed a proposed final judgment (LR-26496) in the Southern District of New York that would resolve the outstanding claims against all defendants.”
reviewerOn March 5, 2026, the SEC filed a proposed final judgment (LR-26496) to resolve outstanding claims against all defendants.Matches the SEC litigation release directly. - #11[confirmed][no action needed]in section: SEC Settlement — March 2026
“Under the proposed terms, Rainberry Inc agreed to pay a $10 million civil penalty and consented to a permanent injunction barring future violations of Section 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, which prohibits engaging in transactions or practices that operate as a fraud or deceit in securities offerings.”
reviewerRainberry agreed to pay a $10 million civil penalty and accept a permanent injunction against future Section 17(a)(3) violations.Penalty amount, statutory section and its description are all accurate. - #12[confirmed][no action needed]in section: SEC Settlement — March 2026
“All remaining claims against Rainberry, Justin Sun, Tron Foundation Limited, and BitTorrent Foundation Ltd. would be dismissed with prejudice. The settlement was entered without any admission or denial of the allegations by any defendant.”
reviewerAll remaining claims against Rainberry, Sun, Tron Foundation, and BitTorrent Foundation would be dismissed with prejudice, with no admission of wrongdoing.Confirmed directly against the litigation release. - #13[confirmed][no action needed]in section: SEC Settlement — March 2026
“the $10 million penalty falls on Rainberry as a corporate entity rather than on Justin Sun personally, who faced no individual financial penalty under the proposed terms.”
reviewerThe $10 million penalty falls on Rainberry as a corporate entity, not on Justin Sun personally, who faced no individual financial penalty.Consistent with the litigation release, which specifies the penalty only against Rainberry. - #16[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Celebrity Promotion Scheme — Co-defendants and Parallel Settlements
“DeAndre Cortez Way (Soulja Boy) and Austin Mahone remained defendants alongside Rainberry and Tron entities through the March 2026 proposed resolution.”
reviewerSoulja Boy (DeAndre Cortez Way) and Austin Mahone remained defendants through the March 2026 proposed resolution.Consistent with available reporting that only six of eight celebrities settled by 2023, with Way and Mahone unresolved into 2026. - #21[confirmed][no action needed]in section: BitTorrent Token (BTT) — Token and Market Context
“The SEC's 2023 complaint alleged that BTT was offered and sold as an unregistered security through monthly airdrops to TRX holders.”
reviewerBTT was distributed in part through SEC-alleged unregistered monthly airdrops to TRX holders.Matches the SEC's litigation release description of the airdrop mechanism. - #22[confirmed][no action needed]in section: BitTorrent Token (BTT) — Token and Market Context
“BTT experienced extreme price volatility following its launch high and suffered a sharp price decline during the broader 2022 crypto market downturn.”
reviewerBTT experienced extreme price volatility and a sharp decline during the 2022 crypto downturn.Generic but directionally accurate; corroborated by secondary crypto-market coverage, though exact price figures vary by source.
How this fits together. The reviewer reads the published page and its cited sources and records one finding per claim. A human moderator decides whether each proposed correction is applied; those decisions, and the score changes they cause, appear in the audit log. Earlier review runs are not shown here; only the latest reflects the page as it stands.