File Swapping Sites Multiply Despite Legal Tangles - P2P-Zone

JackSpratts · 29-04-02, 05:42 PM

April 29, 2002

By REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - The number of file- swapping, or peer-to-peer, Web sites, has grown more than five-fold in the past year, a study said on Monday, despite legal efforts by Hollywood, music companies and software firms to shut them down.

Peer-to-peer sites, including Kazaa and Morpheus Music City, have attracted millions of global users who trade all manner of files, primarily copyright-protected songs, films, software and computer games.

The record labels and Hollywood studios have made unsuccessful attempts to clamp down on the sites, which they claim are enabling a wave of mass consumer piracy that is eating into sales.

According to a new survey by U.S. technology firm Websense Inc., the number of peer-to-peer (P2P) sites totals nearly 38,000, up 535 percent in the past year.

Nearly one in three of the most popular applications downloaded off CNet's Download.com are for P2P services, the survey said.

The surge in P2P usage is impacting the workplace as employees increasingly use speedy corporate Internet connections to download songs and software, a potentially unlawful activity, Websense warned.

"Companies that look the other way may have copyright violations occurring in the workplace, and lawsuits are a potential outcome of such activity,'' Jennifer Kearns, an employment attorney at UK law firm Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison, said in a statement issued by Websense.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/techn...tech-tech.html

- js.

Stoepsel · 30-04-02, 01:32 AM

Hi Jack,

I just have to smile at how the media often simplify and categorize things. The new buzz word is P2P (peer-to-peer) and is currently only equated to mean file-sharing a la Kazaa and cohorts.

This undoubtedly gives P2P a bad wrap since it is simply a concept of how peer clients can interact on a distributed, heterogenous network without the need for a central server that coordinates all this.

Yes, file-sharing is at the moment the killer-app for P2P. But there are bound to be more 'meaningful' applications of this concept than to simply exchange files among a large community of users.

Furthermore, P2P is simply a step towards even more 'anarchical' distributed systems, where devices (desktop computers, PDAs, printers, software systems, ...) connect dynamically to a network, advertise their services and likewise find out about and use services provided by other devices on the network.

Concepts like this are currently under development and first results can be seen in projects like Sun's JINI (http://wwws.sun.com/software/jini/).

Stoepsel

JackSpratts · 30-04-02, 10:26 AM

peer-to-peer has undoubtedly been around since the dawn of the first networked computers. the hysteria surrounding it now is a testament to corporate greed and not much else. the companies have decided it's a great way to save gas and wear and tear on the trucks and a fine way to reduce the dependence they've had on their always difficult to maintain relationships with vendors, one stops and stores.

like anything else they didn't invent, develop or somehow contribute to, they've simply got to demonize it before the eyes of the world in order to get the permission they need to steal it.

normally people tend to forget this is how the media business operates (movies - am radio - sound - color - fm radio - tv - color tv - pay tv - vcr - cd - dat - dvdx) but since developments are coming so fast these days most of us easily remember the last time they tried pulling an outrageous act of greed and their self serving justifications they used to control yet another piece of technology. like the vcr that was going to "kill the movie business" but in reality actually saved it from short-sighted hollywood actors, agents and executives, peer-to-peer and other as yet invented retransmission protocols will inspire new ideas and new markets. someone will figure the models and in a short while hollywood will wonder how they got along without it - and in time use their new profits to fight another absurd battle against some as yet invented but self perceived threat.

- js.

29-04-02, 05:42 PM	#1
JackSpratts Join Date: May 2001 Location: New England Posts: 10,018	File Swapping Sites Multiply Despite Legal Tangles April 29, 2002 By REUTERS LONDON (Reuters) - The number of file- swapping, or peer-to-peer, Web sites, has grown more than five-fold in the past year, a study said on Monday, despite legal efforts by Hollywood, music companies and software firms to shut them down. Peer-to-peer sites, including Kazaa and Morpheus Music City, have attracted millions of global users who trade all manner of files, primarily copyright-protected songs, films, software and computer games. The record labels and Hollywood studios have made unsuccessful attempts to clamp down on the sites, which they claim are enabling a wave of mass consumer piracy that is eating into sales. According to a new survey by U.S. technology firm Websense Inc., the number of peer-to-peer (P2P) sites totals nearly 38,000, up 535 percent in the past year. Nearly one in three of the most popular applications downloaded off CNet's Download.com are for P2P services, the survey said. The surge in P2P usage is impacting the workplace as employees increasingly use speedy corporate Internet connections to download songs and software, a potentially unlawful activity, Websense warned. "Companies that look the other way may have copyright violations occurring in the workplace, and lawsuits are a potential outcome of such activity,'' Jennifer Kearns, an employment attorney at UK law firm Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison, said in a statement issued by Websense. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/techn...tech-tech.html - js.

30-04-02, 01:32 AM	#2
Stoepsel Waiting For The Night To Fall... Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 225	P2P is more than just file-sharing Hi Jack, I just have to smile at how the media often simplify and categorize things. The new buzz word is P2P (peer-to-peer) and is currently only equated to mean file-sharing a la Kazaa and cohorts. This undoubtedly gives P2P a bad wrap since it is simply a concept of how peer clients can interact on a distributed, heterogenous network without the need for a central server that coordinates all this. Yes, file-sharing is at the moment the killer-app for P2P. But there are bound to be more 'meaningful' applications of this concept than to simply exchange files among a large community of users. Furthermore, P2P is simply a step towards even more 'anarchical' distributed systems, where devices (desktop computers, PDAs, printers, software systems, ...) connect dynamically to a network, advertise their services and likewise find out about and use services provided by other devices on the network. Concepts like this are currently under development and first results can be seen in projects like Sun's JINI (http://wwws.sun.com/software/jini/). Stoepsel __________________ Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

30-04-02, 10:26 AM	#3
JackSpratts Join Date: May 2001 Location: New England Posts: 10,018	peer-to-peer has undoubtedly been around since the dawn of the first networked computers. the hysteria surrounding it now is a testament to corporate greed and not much else. the companies have decided it's a great way to save gas and wear and tear on the trucks and a fine way to reduce the dependence they've had on their always difficult to maintain relationships with vendors, one stops and stores. like anything else they didn't invent, develop or somehow contribute to, they've simply got to demonize it before the eyes of the world in order to get the permission they need to steal it. normally people tend to forget this is how the media business operates (movies - am radio - sound - color - fm radio - tv - color tv - pay tv - vcr - cd - dat - dvdx) but since developments are coming so fast these days most of us easily remember the last time they tried pulling an outrageous act of greed and their self serving justifications they used to control yet another piece of technology. like the vcr that was going to "kill the movie business" but in reality actually saved it from short-sighted hollywood actors, agents and executives, peer-to-peer and other as yet invented retransmission protocols will inspire new ideas and new markets. someone will figure the models and in a short while hollywood will wonder how they got along without it - and in time use their new profits to fight another absurd battle against some as yet invented but self perceived threat. - js.