July 5, 2010
Volume XXXI, Issue 5
mSpot Debuts Cloud Music Service
Popular cloud entertainment provider mSpot this week publicly launched its cloud-based music service that offers users instant access to their music collections via smart-phones and PCs/Macs. The service enables users to quickly upload their music to the mSpot Cloud and then immediately start listening from both desktop browsers and mobile phones for free.
Initially launched in private beta last month at Google's I/O conference, the new service provides the easiest way to get music on a smart-phone. It is currently available at the company's website for PC and Mac, and in the Android Store for Android mobile users.
"With a rapidly growing number of fixed and portable devices capable of playing music, our service makes 'entertainment anywhere' a reality without the hassle of manually syncing devices," said mSpot CEO Daren Tsui. "We plan to be consumers' first choice in this space by offering a service that is extremely portable, easy to use, and reliable even when cell coverage is spotty."
Online and mobile music services are expected to grow by 15% in 2010, and another 22% in 2011 according to a recent report by AccuStream Research.
mSpot has spent the past four years developing a proprietary progressive playback technology that allows users to play songs from the cloud instantly while caching them in the background concurrently.
This technology allows for very efficient use of network bandwidth and delivers the most reliable and responsive experience over 2.5G, 3G, or WiFi. The mSpot mobile application automatically senses network conditions and adapts playback accordingly even without network coverage.
mSpot's cloud service automatically re-syncs music when new songs and albums are added - eliminating the need for USB cords and manual syncing. Additionally, users don't need to keep their computers on when using their cell phones to access their library.
mSpot offers free storage for the first 2 gigabytes (approximately 1,600 songs). Additional storage is available for purchase ranging from 10 gigabytes (8,000 songs) for $2.99 per month, 20 gigabytes (16,000 songs) for $4.99 per month, 50 gigabytes for $9.99 per month, all the way up to 100 gigabytes for $13.99 per month.
A leading innovator in cloud entertainment services, mSpot is the first company to stream full-length feature movies on both the iPhone and the iPad with the launch of its Mobile Movies service.
The service is available via the mobile web on all four major US carriers and across 50 different handset devices, including iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Palm, Windows Mobile and many high-end feature phones. mSpot Movies is also available on the web here.
Dutch Public Broadcaster Tests Torrent Downloads
Excerpted from Broadband TV News Report by Robert Briel
The Dutch public broadcaster NPO will test torrent downloads using a peer-to-peer (P2P) network for its catch-up TV service Uitzending Gemist. During a six-month trial, viewers will be able to download a number of programs and view them offline.
As part of the broadcaster's Omroep NL Testlab, people will be able to download and watch programs in high quality. They will need to download a special player, which for the time being is only available for Windows computers.
During the trial, people will be able to download programs and watch them on a variety of devices.
"We want to test two things," according to the Omroep NL Testlab website, "First, if people want to watch our programs offline. Second, to test distribution using a P2P network."
For the broadcaster, using a torrent network will be much more efficient than having all programs played out from their own servers. Uitzending Gemist is an extremely popular catch-up TV service with millions of requested streams a month.
For the test, the broadcaster uses a platform developed by online video company Bitnomica, a spin-off from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands. The university has been at the forefront of developing P2P delivery of video content over the Internet.
The player and the programs are available from the Bombykol website of Bitnomica, and can be accessed here.
GOP Hypes Skype for Congress
Excerpted from Politico Report by Tony Romm
US House Republicans are again pushing their Democratic colleagues to permit the use of P2P telephony service Skype for calls on Congressional computers - and they're turning to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for some help.
The party hopes to capitalize on a recent FCC post on Twitter, which urged consumers to try the free video service to save money and minutes each month. The GOP's new-media leaders say that mentality should also apply to the House, where a chamber-wide block on access to Skype means lawmakers must rely on expensive teleconferencing services to chat with constituents over web video.
"While Americans are communicating in more direct and innovative ways every day, this Congress, as usual, is stuck in the mud," said Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), a member of the House Administration Committee, which would have to approve such a change.
"Unless Speaker Nancy Pelosi has some reason to contradict the administration on this issue, she should let Americans speak with those who represent them through this secure and increasingly popular medium," he told POLITICO.
House Democrats originally designated Skype as an "unauthorized" website out of fears it could pose a cyber-security risk to crucial chamber computers. While Democratic leaders on the Administration Committee have since signaled they would explore lifting the ban - which would require a committee vote - it is unclear whether or when they might do so.
The office of committee Chairman Robert Brady was unavailable for comment Tuesday.
GOP-ers still plan to push the issue hard while they await Democrats' decision. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) recently emphasized the need for Skype in a video posted on America Speaking Out, the GOP's hub for user-generated videos and posts about politics.
House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio also plans to take up the issue in a blog post this week.
Report from CEO Marty Lafferty
 Congratulations to Ned and Paul Sherman for their expertly planned, superbly executed, and very well-attended seventh annual Digital Media Conference in Washington, DC last week.
The DCIA was pleased to contribute to this informative and stimulating conference, and is grateful especially to the speakers who participated in our afternoon session "Content in the Cloud."
Panelists included Chris Cali, CEO & Co-Founder, Panvidea; Chris Phenner, EVP, Business Development, Thumbplay; Bob Stankey, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine; Moritz Steiner, Member of Technical Staff, Bell Labs; and Claude Tolbert, VP, Business Development, BitTorrent.
Digital Media Wire asked: in the ten years from Napster to Spotify, how have distributed computing technologies for content delivery evolved - through file-sharing to P2P and now "the cloud?" What are the latest technological solutions and legal mechanisms for combating copyright infringement in this space? How are business models progressing and what more needs to be done to fully legitimize this channel? What kinds of marketing and promotional tactics show the most promise for profitably exploiting these uniquely consumer-based systems?
Chris Cali defined Panvidea's role as an enabler of multiple platform distribution for content providers, by using cloud computing to efficiently provide high-quality transcoding services. Media companies are now getting more aggressive in adopting cloud computing for mass video production and distribution, as exemplified by ABC, Fox, and Getty Images. The cloud does not inherently mean reduced security. Applications that will provide increasing value to consumers include those that will help them find exactly what content they are seeking as online options expand dramatically.
As competing distribution platforms proliferate and content providers want to customize their content to target niche audiences for each of these, cloud computing will become more-and-more attractive in managing all the differences. With respect to delivery, the tried-and-true models of ad-support, subscription, and paid will persist with certain variations in the cloud. Chris concluded that, ultimately, cloud computing will revolutionize the way content is distributed.
Chris Phenner summarized Thumbplay as a $10/month cloud-based subscription music service. The company has licensed music from all major labels and, since March, Thumbplay has delivered its offering to five platforms. The year-over-year decline in iTunes' download business suggests that consumers, especially in the mobile space, no longer feel that they need to download-to-own music, as long the service streams their selected music reliably and efficiently on demand.
The keys are to license, host, and make music available across as many devices as possible. The thinking has evolved from having to access a content repository to surfing from-app-to-app seeking optimal benefits. A new model that the cloud will help perpetuate is trial-before-download. Issues of trust and security of storage are critical. Thumbplay intends to introduce a sixth platform in the next year, and expects to see a lot happening in terms of content delivery from within browsers.
Bob Stankey, a partner at Davis, Wright, Tremaine, has just returned to the US having served as a private practice lawyer in London for the past nine years, including relevant work on net neutrality and online privacy matters in Brussels. Flexibility and facilitating ease-of-entry will become more important success factors in harnessing the cloud for entertainment delivery. The ubiquity of the Internet itself is threatening to established major content licensing models, which are territorial.
Obtaining sign-off on all requisite rights for back catalog content in particular has been challenging and delayed adoption of advanced distribution systems like those made possible by the advent of cloud computing. Services that are free-to-the-consumer and ad-supported with a focus on targeted ads based on behavioral marketing will become more popular. Bob expects that the next year will hopefully see some resolution in terms of who should regulate the cloud and how.
Moritz Steiner explained how Bell Labs works in many different ways to help companies leverage cloud computing technologies. Of all contemporary entertainment genres, videogames have been the most advanced in terms of adopting cloud computing for content delivery. Gamers are accepting that they don't need to download-to-own the game or upgrade to more powerful consoles when, instead, they can access the game they seek and leverage the computing power of shared infrastructure.
From a technology standpoint, everything is ready now for other entertainment categories to move into the cloud. Solutions are available to eliminate concerns with latency and heavy processing with cloud computing. The complexities of legal considerations seem to be holding back adoption. The cloud itself will not determine or necessarily even favor certain business models over others. Cloud solutions will be selected because of their cost-saving characteristics. Newer media companies will be faster to adopt and succeed with the cloud than established firms.
Claude Tolbert highlighted BitTorrent's plans for its next version, which will offer content providers a diverse array of options for taking advantage of this very popular and highly efficient distribution technology. BitTorrent currently reaches 80 million active unique users. Larger entertainment companies have greater challenges adopting to new distribution models for many reasons, while smaller newer content creators appreciate the lower barriers to entry that such systems offer and can succeed in taking advantage of them.
It will become increasingly important to help users find the content that will satisfy them as the selection of options continues to explode, noted Claude. Curation, search, and discovery will be key. It is possible now to envision a virtual PBX, which offers scalability of service e offerings absent massive capital investment. BitTorrent's strategy is to attract content providers and users to engage around a number of different models, which BitTorrent can sustain as it helps drive audience attention and revenue sources for rights holders. In the next year, BitTorrent's growth is expected to be substantial.
The DCIA again thanks each of our panelists who participated in this very interesting session. We are extremely concerned, however, that while attendees began following up on promising business leads generated at this well-conducted conference, a compliant US Senate committee thoughtlessly approved a misconceived and truly outrageous proposal: US Presidents (starting with Barack Obama) are now granted the power to "shut down" the Internet for periods of up-to-four months - without even being required to obtain Congressional oversight. Industry participants and observers are encouraged to join us in protest. Share wisely, and take care.
Distributed Computing Experts Gather in Chicago
Excerpted from International Science Grid Technology Weekly Report
Last week, distributed computing experts from around the world converged on Chicago to attend the twenty-ninth Open Grid Forum (OGF29) and the ACM International Symposium on High Performance Distributed Computing 2010 (HPDC) .
"It's been a quite successful HPDC," said Peter Dinda, the event's program chair. "In terms of the grid context, it's good to have it co-located with OGF."
Both events benefited from the co-location, reporting increases in attendance.
Although the conference chairs did not actively seek out programming on the topic of clouds, this emerging technology became a major theme throughout both conferences.
OGF29's second day featured a status update on the Open Cloud Computing Interface, and cloud technology demonstrations by the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA), FutureGrid, and Grid 5000; and the Open Cloud Consortium. Day three included a workshop on data clouds, followed by an inter-cloud workshop.
HPDC featured a day-long workshop on science clouds, a session entitled "Resources and Clouds," a panel addressing how clouds will shape our world, and a smattering of cloud-related posters and paper presentations throughout the week.
"This conference as a whole showed the impact of clouds - it's a sign of the times," said Kate Keahey, HPDC co-chair. "It raises interesting questions. People are looking at the relevance of clouds to science."
Despite the number of sessions dedicated to cloud programming, both conferences managed to include a heterogeneous mixture of topics.
"We had more of a wider mix of papers than we expected," Dinda said. For example, he added, "The focus on parallel programming is a departure from what we've traditionally covered."
Philip Rhodes, an associate professor at the University of Mississippi, was pleased that the programming mixture brought up topics that are often neglected.
"I was glad to see a discussion of the role that advanced knowledge of the access pattern can play in performance," Rhodes said. "I think this is a key technique for improving performance in distributed computing."
Next year's HPDC will take place in San Jose, CA co-located with the ACM Federated Computing Research Conference (FCRC). FCRC takes place every four years, co-locating with at least fifteen major computing conferences. OGF30 will take place October 25th - 29th in Brussels, Belgium; the location and date of OGF31 has not yet been chosen.
The Rise of Cloud Computing
Excerpted from the Vancouver Sun Report by Boyan Tsolov
Cloud computing is the methodology of processing something over many machines spread across a network. The idea is that you "outsource" the processing that your computer would normally do itself to another computer(s) on a network.
You do not necessarily know where this computer resides in the world or how many computers are being used. That is why it is called a "cloud."
In short, the processing is outsourced to a third party and the result is returned to you. There are three principal ways to provide cloud computing:
Software as a Service (SaaS): In this type of computing, the software is offered online through a browser. It is hosted on the provider's servers. The users do not need to install the software on their machines. The provider manages the servers that host the software, they update the software at their convenience and they fix bugs on it directly.
Platform as a Service (PaaS): In this type of computing, the provider has exposed a means for writing applications on its servers. This is possible because the third party company has provided its own application programming interfaces (APIs) for you to program with. When the developer programs its components, these components then run on the servers, in the cloud. The developers don't need to worry about hosting them on a website; the provider takes care of that.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): In this case, companies provide a means for their users to use an entire computer "in the cloud" as if it is in your office. This means that you do not need to buy new machines and set them up with a network in your office. You can "create" a new machine through the provider and then log into it using common software like remote desktop. If you feel that you need more machines to run your website, you can add more at the click of a button.
Benefits of cloud computing include: maintenance - the provider maintains the computers, meaning the users need not know anything about computers - they just need a connection to the Internet; security - the providers are responsible for this, instead of the users if the software/website was on their own machines; reliability - when something is in the cloud, it is usually very reliable in terms of up-time; scalability - you can grow the computing power at an instant; location - as you add more computing power, it can appear anywhere in the world; cost - since you are paying per machine or per resource (e.g., per CPU, per GB used, per software feature) it is cheaper to afford as much computing power as you need. Small businesses can use this to get started because they might not have money to buy big servers to place in their office from the get-go.
Drawbacks include: data privacy - the provider has all of your data on its servers; a hacker can get to it; the company might go bankrupt; negligence on the provider's part can lose your data; you have less control of the software and the data; security: Just as it is a pro because you don't have to worry about it, if the provider is not careful it might expose a lot of your data.
Cisco Expands its Data-Center Strategy with Cloud Services
Cisco Systems, in launching a slew of cloud-system offerings, said it doesn't intend to compete with other providers such as Amazon.
"We help our customers in their cloud journey to build their own public and private clouds, so they can in turn sell their own services," said Rashesh Jethi, Director of Cisco Cloud Services. The enhanced Cloud Enablement Services is part of Cisco's Data Center 3.0 channel effort aimed at the midmarket.
Read more about this at eWeek or Channel Insider.
Music Licensing Service Goes Mainstream
Giving artistic license to auteurs of all shapes and sizes, music licensing company Rumblefish has debuted a new music program for YouTube users that lets them buy a lifetime, worldwide music license on a particular music track for $1.99, which they can then fully edit into their videos. Visitors to the FriendlyMusic online store can access Rumblefish's catalog of copyright-cleared songs - of about 35,000 tracks - which they can use to create soundtracks for their videos.
The service, which launched this week, provides a solution to user-generated videos getting pulled because they used copyrighted music. "Buyers receive an official license for every song they use, so when they upload their finished video to YouTube they can be confident it will not be blocked or deprived of its audio," writes TechCrunch.
FriendlyMusic offers royalty-free songs by artists in generic styles ranging from rap, reggae, and R&B to country, pop, and techno, as well as full orchestral recordings of classical compositions. New music is reportedly added to the catalog on a daily basis, while, in the coming months, the company says the FriendlyMusic catalog will expand to include "handpicked collections of name artists.
DocuSign Helps Salesforce.com Close Deals in the Cloud
DocuSign, the leading provider of the most trusted cloud computing e-signature platform, this week announced an alliance with Salesforce.com to provide electronic signature services on the Force.com platform for customers. This agreement enables DocuSign to offer its e-signature services as a best practice for Salesforce customers to close business transactions in the cloud.
Just as cloud computing has dramatically transformed how businesses operate, electronic signatures are further transforming business transactions, by conducting them entirely in the cloud. By moving document signing into the cloud, businesses can gain real-time insight into the agreement signing process. And, through the integration of DocuSign with Salesforce Chatter, businesses can collaborate and have real-time visibility into who has received, reviewed, and signed a document.
"Our work with DocuSign is moving the last mile of business transactions, contract signatures, to Cloud 2," said Kendall Collins, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Salesforce.com. "Bringing together Salesforce CRM and Salesforce Chatter with DocuSign's e-signature technology will deliver real-time collaboration around contract workflow processes, helping customers close deals entirely in the cloud."
The companies have developed a joint go-to-market program empowering the salesforce.com sales team to help bring DocuSign to more than 77,300 salesforce.com customers.
"The synergy of DocuSign and Salesforce CRM creates a powerful, comprehensive and cohesive relationship that extends beyond product, customer and distribution," said Steve King, President & CEO of DocuSign. "DocuSign is excited to align with the leader in enterprise cloud computing. We look forward to collaborating with salesforce.com to further extend the power of DocuSign and Salesforce CRM in streamlining business processes, reducing costs and ensuring the continued success of our joint customers."
LimeWire Plans to Relaunch as a Cloud-Based Service
Excerpted from Consequence of Sound Report by Joe Marvilli
As of May 2010, it looked like LimeWire was nearing the end of its reign. Judge Kimba Wood of the United States District Court had ruled that the file-sharing site committed copyright infringement, engaged in unfair competition, and induced others to commit copyright infringement.
Like Napster did before it, LimeWire is now responding by relaunching as an authorized, subscription-based website in late 2010.
So what will LimeWire's relaunch plans involve? Unsurprisingly, they're very ambitious. Executives at the company described an upcoming, subscription-based "ecosystem" that includes desktop and mobile apps, a web-based component, and both downloading and streaming aspects. The development teams are also working on new components such as push playlisting and curated content.
LimeWire's content will be also be cloud-based, meaning you can access it from anywhere. But the company isn't looking to step on iTunes' turf though. "Users will have complete and instant access to their entire library and catalog across their desktop, devices, and in the cloud," a company executive relayed. "By syncing iTunes playlists and content to the cloud, users' existing libraries are available to access and stream to a wide range of connected devices."
Plus, once a song is downloaded through LimeWire, it will get added back into your existing iTunes collection too.
The big record labels like the new direction that LimeWire's pursuing but are keeping the legal pressure on for now. An anonymous LimeWire source said, "we can confirm that in our ongoing dialogues with numerous industry executives, this service has been very well received." Looks like the site may be able to cut down on its lawyer fees soon enough.
Damaka Awarded Four Patents, Sixteen More Pending
Damaka, a P2P technology pioneer in mobile unified communications and collaboration (UCC), this week announced that it has been awarded four patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its unprecedented mobile collaboration technologies, and has sixteen additional patents currently pending review.
"With the introduction of our innovative suite of mobile collaboration solutions, Damaka is providing businesses with unrivaled tools that support today's mobile workforce, allowing users to connect with any device, anywhere, any time on any network," said Satish Gundabathula, CTO of Damaka. "The strength of our technology portfolio, including these key patents and the 16 additional pending patent applications, bolsters our confidence that we have created a solid foundation on which to build and extend our leadership position in the market."
The new patents include: 7,570,636 - system and method for traversing a NAT device for P2P hybrid communications, 7,623,476 - system and method for conferencing in a P2P hybrid communications network, 7,623,516 - system and method for deterministic routing in a P2P hybrid communications network and 7,656,870 - system and method for P2P hybrid communications.
The groundbreaking Damaka mobile UCC solution is available in both P2P and traditional client-server architectures. Damaka's software application is based on patented "direct peering" P2P technology with a highly optimized footprint for smart-phones and numerous operating systems. The Damaka mobile UCC offering provides a unique solution for service providers, enterprise organizations and SMBs.
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The Truth about File Sharing
Excerpted from Computeractive Report by Jonathan Parkyn
File sharing has been in the news a lot recently, but there is also a lot of misinformation. So, how does file sharing work? Can you use it without expecting a knock on the door from the recording industry police? And why would you want to try it anyway?
In this article we will expose all the myths, explaining the best-kept secrets about this handy new technology.
Probably the least known fact about file sharing is that it's legal. There are people who use file sharing for unauthorized purposes but that does not make the technology against the law.
There are plenty of people who use file-sharing technology in lawful ways and for legitimate reasons. To better understand the difference between unauthorized and authorized file sharing, let's have a look at how file sharing works.
File sharing is usually accomplished by something called peer-to-peer (P2P) technology. This is an alternative to traditional networking, where files being shared are stored on a big central computer known as a server.
An example of this might be a web page, with images and text. The web page's content is stored on a server somewhere, and when you type the address into your web browser, these files are transferred to your computer to be displayed.
With P2P, the files are not stored on a single server. Instead they remain on other users' PCs, and when your computer requests a file, it can be sent from any other computer that has a copy. If many have a copy, they can all contribute different parts of the file, which is then reassembled at its destination.
Benefits of this approach include the fact that server computers cost money to buy and run and this approach removes that cost. And downloading a file in pieces from a number of computers rather than just one can make the process far faster.
The technology required to do this does not break any laws. However, many press reports carelessly use the term P2P when referring to using this technology to share files that are protected by copyright, such as some music, videogames, and movies. Downloading these files without paying the copyright owner is not authorized, no matter how you choose to do it, and it is wrong to malign P2P by associating it with infringement.
Another popular misconception is that file sharing is confusing and difficult to start using. This stems largely from the fact that you cannot simply download files from file-sharing services using a web browser: instead, you first need to install a software program in order to manage the download.
As well as having various programs to choose from, there are various file-sharing systems that are available to use.
Admittedly this can seem off-putting at first, but assuming you want to download authorized files safely, one service you should consider is BitTorrent. And an exemplary file-sharing application that you can use with BitTorrent is uTorrent.
Owned and developed by BitTorrent, uTorrent is a simple application for managing downloads. It takes up few system resources and its minimum requirements are low - you could even run it on an old Windows 95 PC. It also does a lot of the hard work for you during its set-up procedure, making it easy to get started.
Visit the uTorrent website to download the small installation file and double-click it to start the installation wizard. Follow the on-screen instructions. You will notice that uTorrent will automatically configure settings for your Windows Firewall if necessary.
Once installed, uTorrent will run a couple of simple bandwidth and network tests on your system to make sure your router is configured properly and gauge upload and download speed limits. Once these tests have completed, you are ready to start file sharing.
File sharing comes with its own lexicon of jargon - "peers," "ports," "torrents," "trackers," and so on. This can be enough to convince many people that it's just too complicated to be bothered with.
Most of this technical nonsense can be ignored, however.
When you install uTorrent, the program will associate itself with various types of BitTorrent files. Once this is done, all you need to do is find a torrent you want to download and click on it; uTorrent will then download the file.
A progress bar in the main uTorrent window displays the percentage of how much of the file you have downloaded so far and a message will alert you once downloading has completed.
It's important to note that during and after downloading, the file you are getting is simultaneously being shared to other downloaders from your computer. This is an essential part of how file sharing works: every person downloading the file is also helping to share it to other downloaders.
It's generally considered polite practice to ensure that you share at least as much data from each file as you downloaded yourself. So, for example, if downloading a 200MB software program, you would also share 200MB of it with other users.
The easiest way to do this is normally to leave uTorrent running for an hour or so after you finish downloading. Once the entry next to the file in the ratio column reaches 1 - that's a 1:1 ratio of downloads and uploads - right-click the file and select "Remove" to stop sharing it.
Here's how to download with uTorrent step-by-step.
1. Download and install uTorrent. Visit the Open Office home page. Click the "Download" tab on the page that opens, followed by the "Peer-to-peer downloads" link. From the top dropdown menu, select "Windows," then choose the version of "Open Office" and language you require from the bottom two dropdown menus.
2. A "download file" (or similar) message should appear at this point - if it doesn't, check along the top edge of your browser window for a security warning and take any additional actions as necessary. Agree to open the .torrent file and uTorrent should launch automatically. Click "OK" in the dialogue box that appears to begin the download.
3. In the main uTorrent window, your download will be listed with a progress bar, download speed, and other information. Click the download and you'll see a graphical representation of the download progress towards the bottom of the window. To access the file once it has reached 100%, right-click the torrent and select "Open containing folder" from the list.
Finding authorized downloads is easy.
Perform a quick online search for "torrent," the generic name given to BitTorrent downloads, and you will immediately see a lot of copyrighted material that is not authorized to download. You could be forgiven for thinking this means there isn't much authorized material to download, but that is really not the case.
There is little point in using file-sharing tools to download small files, as these will download in seconds. When it comes to getting large files such as big software programs or even an entire operating system, however, it can be a huge help.
For example, you will find BitTorrent downloads available for many of the biggest free applications and operating systems.
If a file is available to download via a file-sharing service, a torrent should be listed somewhere in the download options, although occasionally you may have to do a little hunting around on the relevant web page.
Alternatively, you could search for a torrent online yourself. Running a Google search is a bit of a minefield, however, since you will not always be able to tell which files are legal and which are not.
Instead, you could visit a torrent indexing website, many of which specialize in tracking authorized downloads. These sites do not store the files. They simply link to a selection of authorized files that can be obtained using your file-sharing client.
There are dozens of these to choose from; and here are a few to get you started. LegalTorrents, for example, gives links to hundreds of free music, movies, computer programs, and more - all of which are free and authorized to download.
Public Domain Torrents provides file-sharing access to dozens of copyright-free films and video, including classic Sherlock Holmes adventures and some silent comedy greats from Chaplin, Keaton, and company. From Etree you can download CD-quality live recordings of "trade-friendly" musical artists - performers who allow legal non-commercial recording of their concerts.
Jamendo provides a means of sharing and downloading music published under the sharing-friendly Creative Commons licenses rather than copyright.
If you are a gamer, you might be interested in Gameupdates, which provides torrent links to patches, updates, trailer videos, and more. Linux users will find a wealth of download links at Linux Tracker.
All the other file-sharing secrets we have revealed so far should come as a pleasant surprise, but there is one that could come as a rather unpleasant shock when you receive your next broadband bill: if used without caution, file sharing could end up costing you.
The reason for this is simple. File sharing allows you to download a lot of data, and while downloading you will be sending information to other users (uploading) at the same time. If your broadband service has a cap on the amount that can be downloaded or uploaded then becoming an enthusiastic file-sharing user could end up pushing you past it.
UK Internet service provider (ISP) Talktalk, for example, currently offers a $10 per month "Essentials" package that has a 40GB monthly download allowance. That might sound like a lot, but if you are file sharing it could quickly evaporate, especially if you already use other bandwidth-intensive online services, such as BBC iPlayer, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services, and music streaming sites.
Other deals offer "unlimited" monthly download allowance, but poke around in the terms and conditions and you will often find this is subject to a "fair" or "acceptable" use policy, which essentially means that your ISP retains the right to limit your usage or slow down the speed of your connection if it thinks you're overdoing it.
It's also possible that the terms and conditions of your subscription may include a reference to acceptable upload levels, which may, in turn, affect use of file-sharing services.
Always check exactly how much you are allowed to download or upload each month before you start regularly using file-sharing services. If your ISP has set a limit then you can use free tools to keep an eye on exactly how much are using.
It's also worth briefly bringing up the subject of security. As with any other file you might download from the Internet, anything you obtain through file sharing means should be subjected to a rigorous virus check before you try to open it in an application.
Assuming that you keep all your PC's firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware protection up to date, though, file sharing should pose no more of a security threat than any other form of downloading.
You don't always need to leave a PC running when downloading from file-sharing services. Some home network devices include all the software needed for them to download BitTorrent files directly onto their own storage.
We recently looked at a Qnap TS-119 network-attached storage device that, once fitted with a standard hard disk, can act as an independent file-sharing device.
Similarly, the Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH is a wireless router that can download directly to any hard disk you connect to its USB port.
The recently passed Digital Economy Act in the UK aims to crack down on those who persistently share unauthorized copyrighted files.
Fortunately, it has become easier to listen to copyright-protected music or watch TV video content free online without resorting to unauthorized downloading.
Streaming services such as We7, which is free and supported by advertising, and licensed P2P streaming service Spotify, offer vast libraries of music from all the major artists and more.
Telly addicts, meanwhile, can catch up with the latest episodes of almost any programme by streaming them free via BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD, and Demand Five.
Better still, try out the See Saw service, where you'll find free, lawful catch-up and on-demand content from most of the major terrestrial broadcasters under one roof.
We have set out to dispel some of the myths that surround file sharing, and tell you the secrets about this great technology. The important thing to remember is that file sharing is not illegal, that it's easier than you think, and can be used to quickly download all manner of files.
And, with a few of the websites mentioned earlier at your disposal, finding authorized downloads can be simple. Stay away from unauthorized copyrighted files and keep an eye on your ISP's download limits, and file sharing can be a handy way to get files more quickly than ever before.
How the Entertainment Industry Made File Sharing Worse for Itself
Excerpted from Techdirt Report by Mike Masnick
Paramount's COO, Fred Huntsberry, recently claimed that the new infringement threat facing Hollywood is "digital lockers." The whole issue is a bit silly in a variety of ways, not the least of which is that it's an implicit admission that Hollywood's own tactics have been a complete failure. The funny thing is that even as they're admitting it, you get the feeling they don't realize it. Let's follow the "path," which many people warned about as soon as Napster was sued:
Napster was a Silicon Valley, venture capital-funded start-up that tried to bend over backwards to figure out a way for the industry to embrace it and work with it legitimately. The entertainment industry had every opportunity to work out a reasonable deal, and instead took a hard-line position, suing the company effectively out of business (though the brand later lived on).
After Napster, just as many people warned, the file-sharing market began to fragment and shifted to slightly more distributed operations, such as Grokster, Kazaa, and Morpheus. These were a bit more difficult to work with, but all still involved company entities that had an interest in working with the entertainment industry. Once again, they were sued out of business.
After Grokster, again the market fragmented even more, and a lot of the interest shifted to BitTorrent and tracker sites. These sites were often outside of the US, and not particularly interested in working with the entertainment industry to actually set up any kind of business relationship. And, still, the industry sued to get them shut down (a process that is still ongoing), while also seeking to pass specific laws against them.
So here we are, and the market has fragmented even more, and people have been driven even further underground to things like private cyberlocker sites. Hollywood is claiming that many of these sites are run by organized crime groups, though, we've yet to see any evidence to support that.
So look at the progression here. There was really one company initially, which was entirely aboveboard and open to working with the entertainment industry. At every step down the ladder - each one pushed forward by the entertainment industry's own lawsuits and regulatory efforts - the market becomes more fragmented and more underground, with less and less of an ability for the entertainment industry to embrace and work with these entities.
"Sometimes these sites look better than the 'legitimate' sites," Huntsberry said. "That's the irony."
That's not irony, Fred, that's your company and your colleagues failing for over a decade to come up with a way to properly satisfy consumer demand. All in all, you actually start to wonder if Hollywood has this need to make up some big scary bogeyman to keep pushing its legislative agenda of granting more-and-more control and taking away more and more user rights.
At first it was "file-sharing sites." Then a number of those were sued out of existence. So then it was BitTorrent trackers. And now its lockers.
In fact, as part of Huntsberry's talk he basically admitted that "three-strikes" laws aren't enough because they don't do anything to stop these file lockers.
In other words, "we fought, and are still fighting, for 'three-strikes' laws that we know are useless." It's as if the entertainment industry has to just keep pointing out some huge new threat so that the government keeps paying attention to them. Along those lines, techflaws.org points us to a German publication's coverage of the same Huntsberry talk, and it's interesting that The Hollywood Reporter version of the story appears to have conveniently left out the part where Huntsberry blames Google for all of this.
In that one, he calls Google the "biggest leech." Of course, the courts recently shot down that claim, but it looks like Viacom and its subsidiaries are sticking to the claim. What's amazing, of course, is that if the folks at Paramount and other studios and record labels stopped looking for enemies everywhere, they would have realized there were tons of opportunities to adapt and embrace these things a decade ago.
But each step of the way they've made things more difficult for themselves. It's a living case study in how not to respond to a disruptive market change.
Judge Orders Cooperation in Mass Infringement Lawsuit
Excerpted from The Hollywood Reporter Article by Eriq Gardner
An important hearing was held this week in DC District Court to settle some tricky procedural questions in a litigation campaign that has thus far resulted in some 14,000 anonymous individuals being sued for allegedly infringing "The Hurt Locker," "Far Cry," and other independent films.
Judge Rosemary Collyer made several important decisions that will allow the cases to continue with some clarifying direction.
At the hearing, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argued that joining thousands of individuals in a single lawsuit constituted improper civil procedure.
Judge Collyer rejected that argument, declining a request to sever any defendant from the lawsuit.
However, in the interest of giving the defendants a fair opportunity to raise legal objections, the judge ordered that plaintiffs work with amici groups such as the EFF and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to draft a notice that could be sent to those individuals whose information is being sought from Internet service providers (ISPs). Until an agreement has been reached on a draft notice, ISPs won't serve its subscribers with notice they have been flagged.
The decision split the middle, and has both sides claiming to be pleased with the outcome.
Corynne McSherry, who argued for the EFF, posted an update at the group's website that said the decision to send out "user-friendly notices" would result in those being targeted having "a better shot at defending themselves."
The judge also made another important decision in the case, relating to the US Copyright Group's battles with Time Warner Cable (TWC) over the burden of complying with a massive number of subpoena requests.
TWC lost its motion to quash the subpoena requests, but got the judge to agree that it had shown that it could only produce 28 IP addresses a month in the two cases before her.
The decision could limit the speed at which these cases proceed. It remains to be seen whether other judges overseeing other lawsuits brought by the "US Copyright Group" will adopt similar procedural guidelines.
More lawsuits targeting more anonymous individuals on more films will also be arriving soon from the US Copyright Group.
Coming Events of Interest
Music Ally Event: Cloud Models - July 14th in London, UK. With an ever-growing list of services, it's clear: music is moving into the cloud. Is ownership over? How will rights-owners get paid? What are the threats and opportunities for labels, publishers, collecting societies, managers, and artists? Don't miss this timely seminar at Deloitte Atrium.
Managed File Transfer (MFT) Offerings - July 20th online. MFT is one service area that smart information technology (IT) organizations are increasingly turning to as the businesses they support become more complex and dispersed, data volumes increase, and existing infrastructures are pushed to its limits. Join this lively eSeminar.
NY Games Conference - September 21st in New York, NY.The most influential decision-makers in the digital media industry gather to network, do deals, and share ideas about the future of games and connected entertainment. Now in its 3rd year, this show features lively debate on timely cutting-edge business topics.
Digital Content Monetization 2010 - October 4th-7th in New York, NY. DCM 2010 is a rights-holder focused event exploring how media and entertainment owners can develop sustainable digital content monetization strategies.
Digital Music Forum West - October 6th-7th in Los Angeles, CA. Over 300 of the most influential decision-makers in the music industry gather in Los Angeles each year for this incredible 2-day deal-makers forum to network, do deals, and share ideas about the business.
Digital Hollywood Fall - October 18th-21st in Santa Monica, CA. Digital Hollywood Spring (DHS) is the premier entertainment and technology conference in the country covering the convergence of entertainment, the web, television, and technology.
Fifth International Conference on P2P, Parallel, Grid, Cloud, and Internet Computing - November 4th-6th in Fukuoka, Japan. The aim of this conference is to present innovative research results, methods and development techniques from both theoretical and practical perspectives related to P2P, grid, cloud and internet computing. A number of workshops will take place.
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