Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Professor and Student Thwart P2P File Sharing

Posted by timothy on from the oh-the-humanity dept.

Digitus1337 writes "Wired has the story. 'A computer science professor and graduate student have been awarded a patent for a method of thwarting illegal file sharing on peer-to-peer networks by flooding the network with bogus files that look like pirated music.' This raises the question of whether or not companies that are already using such techniques are in violation of the new patent. Good news for subscription services?"

15 of 382 comments (clear)

  1. Great! by nuclear305 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now I know who to sue for permanent hearing loss from those annoying shrieks and beeps in those decoy files. Maybe I'll send them a nice Beach Boys CD filled with brown noise...

  2. Technology Lifespan by BCoates · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. Invent product
    2. Deploy into market
    3. Product becomes obsolete
    4. Patent awarded

  3. Phase 2 of the plan... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Ladies and gentlemen of the RIAA, we will be happy to allow you to license our patent to continue your technology-based counter-p2p operations.... for ONE BILLION DOLLARS!" [touch pinkie to corner of mouth, for added effect]

    And of course, phase 3: Profit!!!!

    1. Re:Phase 2 of the plan... by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Funny

      we will be happy to allow you to license our patent to continue your technology-based counter-p2p operations.... for ONE BILLION DOLLARS!" [touch pinkie to corner of mouth, for added effect]

      It's a technology for p2p Haters, therefore we shall call it "Preparation-H"! Because it's good on the whole.

      --
      "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    2. Re:Phase 2 of the plan... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Easily enough done. All they have to do is stop contacting a couple more artists about their royalty payments.

  4. P2P spam by whovian · · Score: 4, Funny

    From the article It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

    Much like legitimate email in our inboxes.

    --
    To-do List: Receive telemarketing call during a tornado warning. Check.
  5. How can they call themselves a student?! by jals · · Score: 2, Funny

    I hope that "student" gets a punch from each of his fellow students. A student attempting to stop filesharing? What is the world coming to.

  6. Lame! by Imidazole · · Score: 1, Funny

    So, basically they were awarded a patent for being lame.

    We're all in violation of that patent at least once every now and then!

    --
    -Imidazole
    Hilarious Office Prank!
  7. Re:Uh, prior-art? by JamieF · · Score: 4, Funny

    >You can't trust anyone in a true P2P network.

    Man oh man... what is the world coming to when you can't trust anonymous criminals anymore?

  8. Re:Not quite by sydb · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't you need:

    4.5. Sue somebody

    ?

    --
    Yours Sincerely, Michael.
  9. Your sig by base3 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Translating "all your base are belong to us" into Latin is surely some kind of punishable crime :).

    --
    One CPU cycle wasted on digital restrictions management is ONE TOO MANY.
  10. Madonna has prior art? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Does the Modonna p2p file that is blank except "What the fuck do you think you're doing" count as prior art.

  11. This raises the question.. by yoshi_mon · · Score: 2, Funny

    Does this kid have *any* friends at all?

    --

    Really, I know what I'm doing...Ohhhh, look at the shiny buttons!
  12. This is nothing new! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    flooding the network with bogus files that look like pirated music

    People have been doing this for years now.
    Britney, Justin, Christina, they've all been making bogus files that look like music and getting them spread on the P2P networks.

  13. So... by Lord+Kano · · Score: 2, Funny

    Can I get a patent for my method of weeding out bogus files so that people can pirate the right files?

    LK

    --
    "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano