Filesharing Traffic Drops After RIAA Threats

bryan writes "According to CNN, facing the threat of lawsuits from a music industry trade group, fewer people are using online filesharing applications to swap songs. Internet audience measurement service Nielsen Net Ratings said traffic on Kazaa, the leading filesharing platform, fell 15 percent in the week ended July 6 from the previous week. It was during that prior week, on June 25, that the Recording Industry Association of America said it would track down the heaviest users of "peer-to-peer" services like Kazaa and sue them for damages of up to $150,000 per copyright violation." This follows earlier reports, from the filesharing companies themselves, that traffic was actually increasing.

Comments

How were the measurements made.

[expro]

Since these services are peer to peer with no centralized servers, it would be interesting to know how the measurements were made.

If they are merely asking people if they used P2P, it seems like fewer people would openly admit it.

Distinction with a difference

[Fux the Pengiun]

Doh! Read the links...the RIAA is talking about song-swapping going down, while the p2p perveyors are talking about traffic going up. That's a distinction...people are swapping fewer songs, but more other stuff.

My guess: Since they're all Pirates, they're downloading that new Johnny Depp movie. ARRRR!!!

Re:Correction

[qslack]

Actually, it's according to Nielsen Net Ratings via Reuters. CNN did not write the article. It's a syndicated article. Still, you have a good point that is worth noting in most cases; this, however, is not one of them.