[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #271: BitTorrent and the law

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4Cast #271: BitTorrent and the law
February 29th, 2012

<http://www.oplin.org/4cast/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/download-upload1.png>After 
last week's 4cast <http://www.oplin.org/4cast/?p=2548> about possible 
legal issues for Pinterest users, we thought it might be interesting to 
look at the legal issues surrounding BitTorrent. Everybody knows that 
BitTorrent is bad, right? After all, if you do a Google search that has 
the word "torrent" in it, you'll repeatedly see the notice, "In response 
to a complaint we received under the US Digital Millennium Copyright 
Act, we have removed results from this page." Well, things aren't always 
what they seem, and BitTorrent in itself is not evil. The problem (as 
with Pinterest) is in the way people use it.

    * What is BitTorrent?
      <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-bittorrent.htm> (wiseGEEK/R.
      Kayne and L. S. Wynn) "The idea behind BitTorrent is to allow
      massive distribution of popular files without penalizing the
      source by soaring bandwidth costs and possible crashes due to
      demand that exceeds the capability of the server. In this way,
      anyone who creates a popular program, music file or other product
      can make it available to the public regardless of assets, even if
      the file becomes highly popular."
    * In world of copyright craziness, BitTorrent, Inc. soars to new
      heights
      <http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/02/in-world-of-copyright-craziness-bittorrent-inc-soars-to-new-heights.ars>
      (Ars Technica/Jon Brodkin) "In the middle of all these warring
      groups-or perhaps more accurately, completely removed from
      them-stands BitTorrent, Inc., a company whose technological
      innovation gave the Internet important new capabilities, making it
      easier for everyone to share files, both legally and illegally.
      Although the word 'BitTorrent' is often used in context with the
      word 'piracy,' the company itself has steered clear of legal
      problems by avoiding any distribution of unlicensed content, and
      narrowing its focus to delivering the best Internet file-sharing
      technology it's capable of building."
    * Study: BitTorrent piracy doesn't significantly hurt box office
      revenue
      <http://www.dailytech.com/Study+BitTorrent+Piracy+Doesnt+Significantly+Hurt+Box+Office+Revenue/article23997.htm>
      (DailyTech/Michael Hatamoto) "U.S. consumers are more likely to
      head to the theater to watch a movie, even with numerous piracy
      options available. Additionally, there is no direct correlation
      between movie availability on BitTorrent and in-theater movie
      releases, despite the availability of cam releases and DVD
      screeners for free via the Internet. However, international
      consumers are more likely to choose piracy over the box office,
      because of a lack of viewing options overseas."
    * BitTorrent Live: Cheap, real-time P2P video streaming that will
      kill TV <http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/13/bittorrent-live/>
      (TechCrunch/Josh Constine) "Today, Bram Cohen, the author of the
      BitTorrent peer-to-peer sharing protocol, demoed his latest
      creation at the SF MusicTech Summit. BitTorrent Live lets any
      content owner or publisher stream video to millions of people at
      good quality and with just a few seconds of latency...for free or
      cheap. Sports, news events, simulcast TV shows, education, video
      conferencing, or uncensored war zone broadcasts - this technology
      will power the future of video."

*/Bandwidth fact:/*

People using the BitTorrent protocol currently account for about 20% of 
all Internet bandwidth use.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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