Ares P2P filesharing software

A leading market research firm has recently published the results of a fascinating new study that examined possible links between the current economic recession and illegal file sharing. Contrary to what many industry experts might have expected, there was no strong evidence to suggest a hard and fast link between a reduction in consumer spending habits and illegal file sharing.

With many families facing dire financial difficulties, most experts thought that this would lead to a vast increase in the downloading of music and video files from unlicensed sources, since the sales of CD’s and DVD’s has certainly shown a down turn in recent times. But apparently this is not the case at all.

The only significant findings of the Interpret market research study were that only those people who had made significant cuts in their spending were more likely to engage in the process of downloading music and video files from popular file sharing sites on the Internet. They were also more likely to stop buying CD’s and DVD’s. But since these individuals have little effect on the entertainment industry, it is hardly something for the big boys to lose sleep over.

Torrentreactor.net has recently hit the headlines as stories about its deal to rename the tiny Russian village of Gar flooded the Internet. Many people still believe that the story is a giant hoax, albeit an imaginative one, but the villagers of Gar are apparently looking forward to some newfound wealth and opportunity as a result of the deal.

Torrentreactor.net has allegedly agreed to pay Gar $148,000 for the privilege of renaming the village Torrentreactor. It might seem like a crummy deal to most people, but with all 214 residents relying on sales of vegetables in the nearby town for income, every little helps. The money paid by Torrentreactor will help to pay for new farm machinery and equipment, plus road repairs and additional equipment for the local school.

The company has also agreed to pay out an additional $30,000 for a high-speed broadband Internet connection for the villagers to enjoy, although there are currently only three computers available for public use in the village. Gar might be in the middle of nowhere, and the villagers might not have any idea who Torrentreactor.net actually is, but they certainly look set to benefit from the new village name.

Many users of Apple devices are discovering that the iDisk app allows file sharing of music. Against the wishes of the music companies, Apple has developed the iDisk feature to enable users to stream music files from online storage areas while they are working in other apps. Currently, the big music companies are fighting to force net companies to introduce licenses for users who wish to download, backup, or stream music files from “cloud” services, but it appears that Apple is fighting the good fight on behalf of music lovers everywhere and resisting such draconian measures.

The nifty iDisk device is not listed in any features guide for the app, but users can access it from the menu easily enough. There are a few limitations with the app as there is currently no way to move iTunes music files to an iDisk storage account, but hopefully Apple will address this feature soon. But even with this limitation, the ability to share music files is definitely a step in the right direction for Apple and can only help in the continuing fight to allow filesharing of music and other files without significant penalties.

The Open Rights Group who campaign for freedom on the Internet have attacked the new draft file sharing code written by Ofcom in an attempt to cut down the amount of alleged illegal file sharing in the UK. The ORG has stated that in their opinion the draft code needs to torn up and a whole new code drafted.

Jim Killock from the ORG says the problem with the code is highlighted by its failure to clarify the standard of evidence required when individuals are sued for alleged illicit file sharing. This can lead to problems with the chain of evidence that links the accused to the crime. Unfortunately, this is exactly what has happened in a number of highly embarrassing cases brought by the US music industry against innocent children and elderly people.

Although there is a “quality assurance process” written into the code, the ORG says that this is much too vague and Ofcom have failed to specify exactly how this will work in practice. In the meantime, lawyers acting for the Ministry of Sound have already begun accusing individuals of illegal file sharing, many of whom have expressed puzzlement and anger at such claims.