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Macrovision Applies for P2P Interdiction Patents

Posted by Hemos on from the of-course-they-did dept.

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."

3 of 259 comments (clear)

  1. P2P Interdiction Patents? by hostyle · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Say what?

    interdiction

    noun

    1. A refusal to allow: ban, disallowance, forbiddance, inhibition, prohibition, proscription, taboo. See allow/prevent.
    2. A coercive measure intended to ensure compliance or conformity: interdict, penalty, sanction. See reward/punish/deserve.

    I still don't get it. They have applied for patents to ban filesharing?

    --
    Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
    1. Re:P2P Interdiction Patents? by nutrock69 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I call previous art. Kazaa has been useless for several years because half the files out there are hash spoofed - you can't download anything on Kazaa anymore without part of the file being corrupt because of this. When was this patent filed?

      Also - most sharing networks have it in their EULA saying that this type of activity will make it ok to ban the server. I say a bunch of them should sue Macrovision under their EULAs and potential DMCA infringement for unlawfully reverse engineering their "encryption" (hash method).

  2. Good. by CarpetShark · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This shows a big weakness with patent-oriented companies. Their greedy ideas combined with the need to file a patent on those ideas mean that we'll be TOLD how they're doing it, and can then work out how to get around it. Score one for openness and co-operation vs. secrecy and underhandness.