…to keep a large BitTorrent P2P network afloat. There are 100 groups, relatively easily identifiable , who are responsible for the distribution of most content on Mininova and PirateBay.

At least this is what this short article from Gizmag is stating to be the result of a recently published study. Even if it is true (which I doubt, because if it were the case, tracking down 100 seeders can’t be beyond the reach of….hmm lets say the RIAA), it does not really matter. Chasing down the culprits or reducing the financial gain for such mega-sharers (which the article claims comes out of advertising and registration fees) will not solve the so called “problem”. Why? Because if its only 100 users (or 200 or a 1000,), than they are easily replaceable, regardless of the financial gains involved. Furthermore, the technological advances will not wait for a solution to copyright enforcement. Today it is BitTorrent, tomorrow it will be something else (RapidShare?).

The solution needs to be something completely different. It has to be a solution that will change the current set of rules that exist, both socially and economically. Something along the lines of taxing internet usage or a file sharing tax, in my humble opinion, is the correct approach. Canada already has a levy, which is a step in that direction, though the proceeds are not distributed to the Copyrighted material owners.

Eventually, creating content and software costs money. The consumers of the content and software should pay for it. P2P technologies will drive the price down but I believe everyone agrees the price can’t be zero. I suggest we focus on the simple economic solution of changing the price and making sure the proceeds reach the right people, as opposed to devising a technological solution.

Why? Because if it only takes 100 people to populate the most extensive BitTorrent sites today, think of the number of people it will take tomorrow.

Hey- I know these guys! So first of all- congrats!!

I’ve met with Alon several times when Covertix & ReadEasy were at Maayan Ventures Incubator program. Alon, as the more veteran company’s CEO, was always very helpful with advice and suggestions, specifically regarding Maayan (oh how right you were…) and in general about Startup culture. The technological solution Covertix has developed offers protection and monitoring of changes to various files. In other words- Covertix offers security on a per file basis. I was very impressed with the system I’ve seen and that was a while back, so I believe it is even better now. With Wikileaks drama being generated on an almost daily basis its about time companies realize the value and importance of the type of solution Covertix offers.

Kudos and good luck!

Linky

With all due respect to Apple and its DRM , removing VLC from the App Store is not the smartest move. What exactly did Apple gain by this move apart from negative PR? The porting was done for free by Applidium, VideoLan releases all of its software for free and the app didn’t cost a dime on the App Store. There is no money trail here.  So who is gaining from this?

VLC has a steady following and is a recognized leader it its field.  It is freely distributed on every platform. This action by Apple makes no sense especially with the decent argument TUAW is making as to the reasoning behind it (tldr- that this was done by a Nokia Employee who is involved in the VLC project and obviously Nokia benefits from damaging Apple). Following my favorite razor, this makes sense. But at the end of the day,  Apple’s customers lose and hence Apple itself loses from the removal of VLC , no matter what the real motives are.

Apple –  please fix this.