It’s the ending entertainment kingpins would have ordered Hollywood to produce if the industry’s struggle with peer-to-peer piracy had been a scripted reality show: After years of ferocious legal battles and high-tech hijinx, the unsavory purveyors of illicit music, TV shows and movies come in from the cold, pledging to respect copyrights and to use their popular software to benefit the industry.
It’s the ending the kingpins would have wanted — and it’s the ending they appear to be getting.
Next week, BitTorrent, the creator of software that made it possible to easily exchange full-length movies at virtually no cost, will launch a marketplace of licensed movies, television shows, video games and music. While details of pricing and available titles have yet to be unveiled, the San Francisco company says it has cut deals with 40 studios, production houses and game publishers.
The creators of Kazaa, a once-popular music-sharing program, are seeking similar licensing deals for Joost, a new European-based service that hopes to use its peer-to-peer network to legally distribute TV shows. Joost is currently available only for approved beta testers.
Peer Impact, of Sarasota Springs, N.Y., has deals with three major studios to offer legal downloads of TV shows like “The Loop” and “Firefly,” as well as movies like “X-Men” and “Office Space,” at prices ranging from 99 cents to $3.99.
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It’s the ending the kingpins would have wanted — and it’s the ending they appear to be getting.
EXACTLY HOW is this an ending hollywood wants? Free P2P is STILL the most popular way to get files…and by the BT protocol no less …so I don’t understand how this is true.
Mabye they might have a “drop in the bucket” by putting out this service…and if all goes well…that is STILL all it will be but it could fall flat on it’s face also. Leaving hollywood to go back to the drawing board.