Could Bitcoin (protocol) kill file sharing?

[BTCisthefuture]

Very interesting topic/question!!  I don't know enough about it to really say much,  but in theory it sounds like something that could be implemented to reduce online piracy , at least in products that are digital online (ebooks etc etc).

[Kazimir]

DRM is a lost cause.

The protection in Bitcoin is in that spending money requires others to accept your money. And spending bitcoins = by defintion the transaction appearing in the public ledger. And once you spent it, people simply won't accept transactions in which you spend that money again.

With DRM however, this dependency on others does simply not exist. We can't have a construction where you have to publicly declare that you watch a certain movie, and then the world denies any further claims to watch it again. You're not dependent on them.

Even if you try to enforce something like this, it's an artificial dependency that can (and will) be worked around. For typical passive single-person-usage content like movies or music or ebooks, if you can play it once (no matter the technical requirements) you can always re-store it in any DRM-free format you prefer, and share that.

This is the fundamental problem with DRM: there is no intrinsic dependency on any external factors about music or movies or ebooks, that it can't do without. Unlike financial transactions which by definition require an accepting counterparty or payee.

[niothor]

Till now , I've seen only one thing that can really hurt piracy , and it's not DRM or other encryption /security  , it's called Netflix.

Also , most of the file sharing is done for money , people posting for the 30/45 % in sales from filesharing websites.
In torrents is for the adds on their own imageservers where they upload the so called screens or previews/ Check tpb pronsection.

90% of the pirate websites will die if they can't get money out of it.
out of the remaining 90% will get killed once services like netflix will improve their delay and world coverage.

The rest , ... who cares about 1%?

[uxchallenge]

DRM is a lost cause.

...

This is the fundamental problem with DRM: there is no intrinsic dependency on any external factors about music or movies or ebooks, that it can't do without. Unlike financial transactions which by definition require an accepting counterparty or payee.

Exactly. And the fact that an authorized user can very simply create an unprotected copy of the digital media he is consuming.

For some software, however,piracy may become less of an issue as more and more of the services we depend on are actually running on the software/cloud provider's hardware. i.e. the user runs a lightweight client that interrogates an API running on some remote server.

For consumables - music - videos etc, it really is a lost cause and there is seriously nothing that can be possibly done apart from providing alternatives like deezer/netflix etc.

[Aswan]

I had an idea today that Bitcoin or a similar protocol might be used as a digital signature on computer software, movies, or any other form of digital medium. It would prevent the installation or operation of the software unless the license was granted directly to the owner or buyer of the software.

Essentially your computer or device would contain a unique address provided within the operating system. The first time a piece of software is installed it would transfer a portion to the address associated with the digital media owned by the creator of the software. The digital media would require a confirmed "payment" to run...

What do you think?

Edit: Added (Protocol) to the title. Obviously Bitcoin won't kill file sharing. What about the protocol?

The private key required to use the software could be shared in the same way as cracks are shared in order use some software.

Also, how would this payment be checked? People could run small servers with an alternative blockchain. Lets call it the crackchain. You then point to this crackchain instead of the bitcoin blockchain and there you can have all you want. Being a hard fork you can use all your bitcoins on crackchain without actually spending them on the bitcoin blockchain. Crackchain coins could be so cheap a software would cost a few cents at most.

[BTCisthefuture]

Till now , I've seen only one thing that can really hurt piracy , and it's not DRM or other encryption /security  , it's called Netflix.

Also , most of the file sharing is done for money , people posting for the 30/45 % in sales from filesharing websites.
In torrents is for the adds on their own imageservers where they upload the so called screens or previews/ Check tpb pronsection.

90% of the pirate websites will die if they can't get money out of it.
out of the remaining 90% will get killed once services like netflix will improve their delay and world coverage.

The rest , ... who cares about 1%?

While I agree netflix is pretty awesome and it's true that a lot more people use it nowadays when in the past they would have downloded stuff for free..... Services like netflix still have a LOOOOONG way to go to compete with piracy to the point where only a small % of people download stuff for free. And there are no signs of content creators backing down and allowing services like netflix to get movies any quicker, there really is no time table on when or even if that will ever happen.

I'll give you one quick example. I want to watch both hobbit movies tonight. The first one has been out on dvd for almost a year now, yet it's STILL not on netflix streaming , this is all too common with big name movies. It takes literally years if ever to show up on netflix. So if I want to watch both tonight I have to drive to the store and buy the dvd, and then im still left with the fact that the dvd of the 2nd one still isnt out..... however , both can be downloaded in about 10-15minutes total for FREE in HD with a few clicks of a button on my computer.  You tell me what most people will and what most people DO choose to do.

It may be true that someday in the future online streaming services are so quick and efficient that few people ever want to download anything for free, but I don't see that day coming for at least a few more decades.

In regards to people running piracy sites to make money....there are also no signs of that going away. Piracy sites are making more money than ever before actually even after a decade or two of trying to stamp them out and or offer other services to get people not to use them.

Even tv series that are aired on a tv stations website within 12-24 hours have a hard time competing with something like torrent sites since shows typically appear on there within 30mins of being aired and without commercials.

This doesn't even take into consideration the issue of streaming services being blocked in a large % of the world. Netflix is blocked where I'm at right now, so are the streaming services American TV companies offer for their shows.  In these situations my only options are  1) pay for a vpn  2) download for free


Overall though I agree with you that the best way to stamp out piracy is to simply offer better services so people no longer have much of a need/desire to download stuff illegally. We are still pretty far away from that day though imo.

[niothor]

Till now , I've seen only one thing that can really hurt piracy , and it's not DRM or other encryption /security  , it's called Netflix.

Also , most of the file sharing is done for money , people posting for the 30/45 % in sales from filesharing websites.
In torrents is for the adds on their own imageservers where they upload the so called screens or previews/ Check tpb pronsection.

90% of the pirate websites will die if they can't get money out of it.
out of the remaining 90% will get killed once services like netflix will improve their delay and world coverage.

The rest , ... who cares about 1%?

While I agree netflix is pretty awesome and it's true that a lot more people use it nowadays when in the past they would have downloded stuff for free..... Services like netflix still have a LOOOOONG way to go to compete with piracy to the point where only a small % of people download stuff for free. And there are no signs of content creators backing down and allowing services like netflix to get movies any quicker, there really is no time table on when or even if that will ever happen.

I'll give you one quick example. I want to watch both hobbit movies tonight. The first one has been out on dvd for almost a year now, yet it's STILL not on netflix streaming , this is all too common with big name movies. It takes literally years if ever to show up on netflix. So if I want to watch both tonight I have to drive to the store and buy the dvd, and then im still left with the fact that the dvd of the 2nd one still isnt out..... however , both can be downloaded in about 10-15minutes total for FREE in HD with a few clicks of a button on my computer.  You tell me what most people will and what most people DO choose to do.

It may be true that someday in the future online streaming services are so quick and efficient that few people ever want to download anything for free, but I don't see that day coming for at least a few more decades.

In regards to people running piracy sites to make money....there are also no signs of that going away. Piracy sites are making more money than ever before actually even after a decade or two of trying to stamp them out and or offer other services to get people not to use them.

Even tv series that are aired on a tv stations website within 12-24 hours have a hard time competing with something like torrent sites since shows typically appear on there within 30mins of being aired and without commercials.

This doesn't even take into consideration the issue of streaming services being blocked in a large % of the world. Netflix is blocked where I'm at right now, so are the streaming services American TV companies offer for their shows.  In these situations my only options are  1) pay for a vpn  2) download for free


Overall though I agree with you that the best way to stamp out piracy is to simply offer better services so people no longer have much of a need/desire to download stuff illegally. We are still pretty far away from that day though imo.

That's basically what I said.
I never said that netflix is killing piracy right now , nor that will kill it unless it improves both the time the shows are delayed and worldwide availability.

But , time will tell.
My opinion , as a retired trusted uploaded / helper on tpb (green/then blue skull) , for the first time in the last decade , legal services are improving at a faster rate than piracy websites.

[BTCisthefuture]

Till now , I've seen only one thing that can really hurt piracy , and it's not DRM or other encryption /security  , it's called Netflix.

Also , most of the file sharing is done for money , people posting for the 30/45 % in sales from filesharing websites.
In torrents is for the adds on their own imageservers where they upload the so called screens or previews/ Check tpb pronsection.

90% of the pirate websites will die if they can't get money out of it.
out of the remaining 90% will get killed once services like netflix will improve their delay and world coverage.

The rest , ... who cares about 1%?

While I agree netflix is pretty awesome and it's true that a lot more people use it nowadays when in the past they would have downloded stuff for free..... Services like netflix still have a LOOOOONG way to go to compete with piracy to the point where only a small % of people download stuff for free. And there are no signs of content creators backing down and allowing services like netflix to get movies any quicker, there really is no time table on when or even if that will ever happen.

I'll give you one quick example. I want to watch both hobbit movies tonight. The first one has been out on dvd for almost a year now, yet it's STILL not on netflix streaming , this is all too common with big name movies. It takes literally years if ever to show up on netflix. So if I want to watch both tonight I have to drive to the store and buy the dvd, and then im still left with the fact that the dvd of the 2nd one still isnt out..... however , both can be downloaded in about 10-15minutes total for FREE in HD with a few clicks of a button on my computer.  You tell me what most people will and what most people DO choose to do.

It may be true that someday in the future online streaming services are so quick and efficient that few people ever want to download anything for free, but I don't see that day coming for at least a few more decades.

In regards to people running piracy sites to make money....there are also no signs of that going away. Piracy sites are making more money than ever before actually even after a decade or two of trying to stamp them out and or offer other services to get people not to use them.

Even tv series that are aired on a tv stations website within 12-24 hours have a hard time competing with something like torrent sites since shows typically appear on there within 30mins of being aired and without commercials.

This doesn't even take into consideration the issue of streaming services being blocked in a large % of the world. Netflix is blocked where I'm at right now, so are the streaming services American TV companies offer for their shows.  In these situations my only options are  1) pay for a vpn  2) download for free


Overall though I agree with you that the best way to stamp out piracy is to simply offer better services so people no longer have much of a need/desire to download stuff illegally. We are still pretty far away from that day though imo.

That's basically what I said.
I never said that netflix is killing piracy right now , nor that will kill it unless it improves both the time the shows are delayed and worldwide availability.

But , time will tell.
My opinion , as a retired trusted uploaded / helper on tpb (green/then blue skull) , for the first time in the last decade , legal services are improving at a faster rate than piracy websites.

Yeah that makes sense.

Go figure, if content providers get with the times and new technologies and use it to improve services instead of trying to fight technology, people don't actually mind paying for things they like

[madmadmax]

You could certainly implement a PoS system in regards to file sharing, you would need to explicitly state that you want to run an app if it has been signed by someone with a low balance in his Bitcoin address.

[IncreaseMyT]

its def a good option instead of file-share, in certain situations IMHO