Macrovision Applies for P2P Interdiction Patents

schmecky05 writes "From Macrovision, the folks whom recently mandated "Thou shalt delete content promptly from thy Tivo" come the following 2 USPTO patent applications for Peer to Peer interdiction methods: "Interdiction of unauthorized copying in a decentralized network" and "System and methods for communicating over the internet with geographically distributed devices of a decentralized network using transparent asymetric return paths." These patent applications describe (in pain staking detail) how Macrovision interdicts on Peer to Peer networks to prevent illegal copyrighted file sharing from many locations across the globe and avoid ban lists as well."

Comments

Re:From TFA:

[Nexx]

I actually interviewed for a position on this team, albeit in operations and not development, so I might be able to shed some light than someone completely on the outside.

My understanding is that some of the hash spoofing isn't spoofing cryptographically-strong hashes; not all networks use them.

If my interviewer's claims were correct, then this technology is v. effective at taking down certain files on certain networks. I unfortunately can't say more, because my interviewer declined to say more until I signed a NDA.

Groklaw and prior art.

[AltGrendel]

Groklaw has an listing of a HOW-TO on prior art. You need to scroll down to the third article.

Re:From TFA:

[Anonymous Coward]

Since patents have a lifetime of 17 years it would be a waste of time patenting something that is not implementable (and I thought anyway that patents required that there be implementations) until 15 years hence.

Re:From TFA:

[cpt kangarooski]

No, patents filed these days have a term of 20 years from filing, not the old term of 17 years from issuance.

And while you need to reduce the invention to practice, in order to get a patent, that doesn't mean that you need to actually implement it. Implementation is merely a good way of demonstrating reduction to practice.

Microdarkness

[Doc Ruby]

I watch DVDs on my PS2. Some of the Macrovision "protected" ones (all legal, prepackaged commercial copies) swing through dark/light cycles while playing. That's not in the DVD specs! Has someone sued these Macrovisioned version vendors for violating the DVD trademark, with its quality assurances?

Re:From TFA:

[cpt kangarooski]

The actual rule is this:

If it was issued on June 7, 1978 or earlier, it's 17 years from issuance.

If it was filed on June 7, 1995 or earlier, but did not issue until June 8, 1978 or later, it's the longer of 17 years from issuance or 20 years from filing.

If it was filed on June 8, 1995 or later, it's 20 years from filing.

In a nutshell...

[Bugmaster]

This is what Macrovision wants to do:

* Set up a bunch of fake P2P clients that look just like real clients (down to a faked version number, presumably). Give them a variety of IPs to appear as though the clients are widely distributed all over the globe.
* Give these clients enough resources so that at least some of them become supernodes.

And this is what the fake clients will be doing:

* Intercept search requests, and consult with their own private server before sending a reply.
* If the search includes a result for one of the copyrighted files on their blacklist, interfere with the results as follows:
o By removing the file from the list of search results
o By returning a fake search result that points to a nonexistent node as the source for the file
o Same as the above, but return a link to a functioning node that serves white noise
* If needed, the fake search results will include fake file hashes, or even true file hashes gleaned from the rest of the network. Any attempt to actually download the files pointed to by the search results will still fail, but it will consume valuable resources of legitimate P2P users.

In addition, Macrovision is thinking of somehow isolating certain legitimate nodes from the network -- by surrounding them with fake nodes "on all sides", as it were.

Essentially, Macrovision's plan is a DDoS on the network; or, rather, a way for the network to DDoS itself (by flooding it with fake search results and fake nodes). I don't know much about how BitTorrent or ED2K are actually implemented, but it seems like this attack would work, especially if Macrovision's fake clients manage to become supernodes.