Clickonomics: Determining the Effect of Anti-Piracy Measures for One-Click Hosting

Piracy is a mass phenomenon on the Internet today. Various file sharing platforms offer free access to unauthorised copies of copyrighted works such as media content and software. Copyright holders are using a range of legal and technical methods to protect their rights, and they are lobbying for legislation that would give them additional ways of enforcing their copyright online. However, little is known about how effective current forms of copyright enforcement are and how enduring the effect of proposed new measures can be. In this paper, we report on the results of a largescale measurement study of the piracy ecosystem that has emerged around One-Click Hosters or “cyberlockers” such as Rapidshare, Megaupload, Mediafire, and Hotfile. Our data shows that current anti-piracy efforts are visible, but their overall impact appears to be rather limited. Furthermore, our analysis of the file sharing ecosystem suggests that future antipiracy measures that are currently under discussion may not be as successful as their proponents might expect. Ongoing legal proceedings and efforts by payment processors, however, may force hosters to increase their own anti-piracy efforts.