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BitTorrent Blamed for Matrix2 Downloads
MartyJG writes "The BBC are running a story on how Matrix Reloaded is available via P2P. This time BitTorrent is taking the heat for the distribution - even though there's no company behind it to drag over the coals. The story speculates about the source of the copy, suggesting it's from a film or digital source rather than a cinema-screen-leech." Despite this piracy, the flick has made over $365M already. Including my tickets. Twice.
Without a company to go after, it's only a matter of time before the MPAA goes after a few users a la the RIAA over the last couple months. Considering that studios put oodles more money into a major movie release than a music CD, they have plenty more to "lose" from P2P trading...
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
I've paid about $30 so far to watch The Matrix: Reloaded. Reloaded has provoked many philosophical debates. Is Neo a genuine Jesus-like messiah? Is there a Matrix within a Matrix? Then there is speculation on what will happen next. Is it so wrong, after paying $30 total to see it in theatres, to download a low quality telesync just to double check your facts for arguements sake?
So all I can say is: Bah.
Hoist Number One and Number Six.
You'd actually want more people trying to download it at the same time... because that provides many more upload sites at the same time.
Bittorrent is a really clever technology... I was able to download RedHat 9.0 in minutes rather than hours when it was made available.
BlackNova Traders
This has been proved by the Slashdot effect in the past.
For example, the latest Doom 3 video, although just 31mb, was almost impossible to get hold of by regular download, yet I found that BitTorrent maxed out my connection, giving me 60k/sec all through.
The days of smoking servers are over, Slashdot is powering the age of fast downloads.
Well, with a bit of imagination anyway.
"Those who cast the votes decide nothing; those who count the votes decide everything." (attrib. Joseph Stalin)
There has been quite some interest around designing a p2p hypertext transfer protocol. P2P has been proven to work very well with large files, where latency isn't much of an issue. When you download two gigs, you don't care if it takes thirty seconds for the download to begin.
.debs
A decentralized p2p web-server network would be an interesting project, and certainly the bittorrent protocol could be a base for serving large files, but for serving small files direct connections are better. Perhaps a giant web-server pool that would simultaneously request webpages from the entire network and initiate a transfer with the first server to respond would work. However, there has so far been no development work towards this.
The Circle is an interesting project which aims to create a p2p network for
Piracy: a crucial part of viral marketing.
Pirates have been given a bad rap, historically. History is written by the victors, remember. Many of the pirates from the great sailing age freed slaves and the indentured, set up their own kingless mini-republics and functional anarchies, and would appear more modern to us than their other contemporaries.
See this excert from TAZ on pirate utopias or this article or google it. And of course if you're really into the spirit of things, you could goof around reading No Quarter Given.
"They vilify us, the scoundrels do, when there is only this difference, they rob the poor under the cover of law, forsooth, and we plunder the rich under the protection of our own courage. Had you not better make then one of us, than sneak after these villains for employment" - D. Defoe
Damn those pesky terrorists
*yawn*. All things can be used for good or evil. Duh. What would be ideal would be for the BitTorrent folks to publicly denounce this. Or add a little disclaimer to their page (like Apple did with Rip Mix Burn) saying "We do not endorse or support the use of BitTorrent for illegal activities".
Now, here come the cries of "waaah, censorship, you're a fascist, etc". But think about it for just a second. All BitTorrent would be saying is "look, we created this to solve the problem of distributing things like ISO images to hundreds of people. We didn't create this to help you download the matrix. We stronly encourage you not to use it for that". That's not censorship, nor is it selling out. (Unless, of course, they really did create BitTorrent specifically for downloading movies.) They can't actively prevent you from downloading illegal files, but they can tell you that they think it's not such a bright idea.
Napster, Kazaa, and all the others really couldn't pull the "people can download anything from our networks, not just music" without the entire world laughing. Seeing as how BitTorrent has been used by RedHat and others to distribute ISOs, they actually can pull that argument and have it stick. And I really hope the BitTorrent folks don't pass on this opporuntity. Because then the RIAA has two choices: 1) accuse RedHat and others of supporting piracy by encouarging BitTorrent (which, while it would have MSFT dancing with glee, just isn't going to stick in this day and age); 2) suck it up and realize that tools can be used for both good and evil
There is no sig, there is only Zuul.
Who modded the parent redundant?
One of the most important features of Bittorrent is that it is almost completely decentralized. Rather than even p2p sharing, it's just swarm downloading. This decentralization is ultimately what will protect it from the incredible litigation powers of the MPAA and RIAA.
Also of note is its noted ability to be used for non-infringing purposes, such as the download of the aforementioned Redhat 9 ISOs. I'm certain that Redhat is *gleeful* that the ISOs are available over Bittorent rather than everyone trying to pull them off of their server and their mirrors. This non-infringing use will be a saving grace when legal-types start examining bittorrent for lawsuit fodder.
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
BitTorrent enforces balanced downloads. If you are on an asynchronous line, expect to see download rates no greater than your upload rate.
Here's the relevant section from the BitTorrent FAQ:
Q: I don't want you stealing my bandwidth! How can I stop it from uploading?
A: You could hack the source to not upload, but then your download rate would suck. BitTorrent downloaders engage in tit-for-tat with their peers, so leeches have very little success downloading.
--Pat / zippy@cs.brandeis.edu
I wonder if anybody at the MPAA has bothered to see "A Beautiful Mind"? If they did, they might realize that getting a piece of a really large pie is sometimes better than getting an entire small pie.
That isn't entirely accurate.
:)
Many times, i've been the only leech on a file with 2 or 3 seeds, and I download just fine, even though there's nothing for me to upload.
Also, even when I'm not the only leech, my downloads commonly go 50 to 60 k/s, while the uploads only go 10 or 20. I suppose it all depends on the popularity of the file, though. My connection is capped at 150 down and 50 up. In the past, I've had one torrent that maxed both of those
When you read that FAQ entry, it's probably more accurate to say that your client's willingness to upload will allow it to download quickly, not so much the rate at which you are actually uploading.
In 1999, I saw the Matrix 3 times in theaters - $25
:), deviant behavior, pirate broadcasting, fighting power). Ironic. For all the money turned over to them, they are not happy. For all the profit they are making on an excellent work, they are not happy.
I already saw the movie in theaters once. $10.
I will see it with my dad. $20
I bought the first Matrix DVD. $20
I bought the Matrix Revisited DVD $20
I will buy the Animatrix DVD -- unknown cost.
I will buy Reloaded on DVD - $20
I will see Revolutions, twice in theaters, $20
I will buy Revolutions on DVD - $20
Lets see. I spent (or will spend) at least $155 dollars on a high quality movie trilogy. I really like the movie. I might even buy the videogame.
The Matrix Reloaded has made $355 million dollars. In two weeks. It could easily make upwards of $1 Billion. The first one might have made that much when everything globally is added up.
Production costs for all 3 movies, I am guessing are at least $350 million dollars (Matrix - 50, Reloaded, 150, Revolutions, 150).
The movie studio is turning a profit from a well-made movie with a huge following. They are decrying the very themes the movie espouses (hacking -- I mean cracking
If you want to completely eliminate movie piracy, do not make movies. Somewhere, someone will use a DVcam and film a movie. Somewhere, someone will bribe a pimply-faced projection operator to transfer a film print onto a computer.
Somewhere, someone will use DeCSS to watch a DVD they BOUGHT to remove territorial restrictions. Maybe someone with less ethics will make it widely available to downloaders everwhere else.
Billions of dollars. Many hours involved in a fictional story by millions of people. That money could have easily have gone elsewhere, whether the movie was "pirated" or not. You made a good movie. Be happy. We are paying to see it. Laugh to the bank. Gleefully. Keep making good movies and you will have our business. Just accept the fact that some people will redistribute copies of movies. If it gets people to be bigger fans of movies, then its just a cost of business.
Microsoft doesnt care too much about piracy. Why? People get hooked on their software like drug addicts. When they get in a corporate environment, its what they know. Their companies want to be properly licensed, so they pay for software.
Look at Macromedia. People download and crack trials of their software. They learn how to use it. When they get into corporate environments, they have users who will put it to good use and put it on a corporate expense account.
Piracy will always happen. Get over it and spend money on making GOOD movies, not inane shit. Your industry has the luxury of making people pay for movies before seeing them. True, somone can download a crappy cam version, but to see it in full cinematic glory on a digital projection screen is well worth the money being charged. Be happy. For your own sake and bottom line.
After all, the Matrix is not ISHTAR