Trusted Computing, Peer-to-Peer Distribution, and The Economics of Pirated Entertainment

The entertainment industry, facing a formidable threat from peer-topeer piracy networks, is exploring every possible means to attack these networks. The industry is also employing defensive strategies to protect media and media players from those who would extract and copy their content. These content protection systems depend on the computer industry’s newly announced ‘trusted computing’ technologies. While ‘trusted computing’ technologies may better protect media and media players from content extraction by pirates, we assert that the very same technologies can be employed to better protect pirates and their peer-to-peer distribution networks from the entertainment industry.