Newswise — A University of Tulsa computer science professor and a graduate student have been awarded a patent for a software-based method to prevent illegal downloading of music over the Internet.
U.S. Patent 6,732,180 was awarded May 4, 2004, to computer science professor John Hale and to Gavin W. Manes, a doctoral student in computer science.
The invention combats copyright infringement on peer-to-peer networks, or P2P, such as Gnutella, BitTorrent and Kazaa, by systematically injecting decoys into file-sharing networks -- essentially flooding the networks with alternative content that appears authentic.
Currently, songs protected by copyright are copied and uploaded on peer-to-peer networks, allowing anyone with Internet access to download those songs -- without paying the artist or record company for the benefit. The new technology would frustrate illegal downloads by overwhelming pirated music files with hundreds of decoys containing white noise, low quality recordings or advertisements urging users to legally buy the song.
The technology developed by Hale and Manes exploits the very characteristics that make such peer-to-peer environments breeding grounds for copyright infringement. Because anyone can connect to such a network and can do so anonymously, decoys are just as easily placed on the network and are that much harder to detect.
A report last year estimated that $700 million was lost in CD sales due to P2P piracy. Lawsuits filed by the Recording Industry Association of America have failed to stop such piracy, and Hale says the problem may worsen because the next generation of peer-to-peer systems offers superior connectivity, enhanced search facilities and even greater anonymity.
"The beauty of this approach is that it does not impede legitimate uses of P2P networks. It can surgically target pirated media," Hale says.
"Our invention is extremely resilient in terms of its ability to adapt to different networks, clients and protocols," explained Manes. "As long as a user can sign on to a network and trade files -- even anonymously -- our solution is effective."
The inventors and the university are commercializing the technology and exploring new options for licensing the patent.
Hale, who leads a group of researchers at The University of Tulsa in pursuing practical technologies for digital rights management, testified twice before Congress last year on the hazards of file-sharing networks, and sees the situation only growing worse.
"It really is just a massive problem, and one that calls for a combination of legislation, technology and awareness. But as far as technology goes, we believe we may have the most viable countermeasure that will stand the test of time."
Patent information is also available at the website of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, http://www.uspto.gov.
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