With a relaxed regulatory environment unlike the US, Chinese developers have created file-sharing protocols that offer downloads 50 times faster than BitTorrent and real-time streaming of DVD quality video.
It’s no secret that China is emerging as an economic powerhouse in its own right, developing a burgeoning manufacturing industry that produces everything from cars to iPods, but it’s also rapidly developing a P2P and file-sharing services industry that people of other countries like here in the US could only dream of.
In a recent interview with Kaiser Kuo, Ogilvy China’s digital guru and web 2.0 expert, discussed the rapid growth of P2P and file-sharing services in China in contrast to the United States where its growth has long been hampered by copyright concerns and the lack of effective DRM restrictions.
China’s relaxed regulatory environment in regards to copyright infringement and enforcement and has made it possible for P2P services to be where Kuo says some of the “finest minds have gone” and developed “incredibly fast protocols on their own.”
An example is Blin.cn that has created a client that is reportedly an unbelievably 50 times faster than BitTorrent! The amazing download speeds lie in the fact that it is “really, really aggressive in being able to grab bandwidth from available resources.”
As an example of the speeds made possible by Blin he describes how he had his wife set out to watch the TV show “24″ season 6 in DVD quality from start to the moment of actual viewing. From the moment she entered the keyword “Blin” in a search engine, visited the site, downloaded and installed the client, and was actually able to watch it with 2.2% downloaded a measly 3 minutes had passed! That’s right, it took a whole 3 minutes to begin watching DVD quality video content. Try that with BitTorrent.
Now to be fair, what Kuo’s internet connection speeds are isn’t stated in the video, but it nonetheless is an interesting feat by any P2P or file-sharing standards.
The most interesting thing to note from his interview is the fact that P2P and file-sharing services enjoy so much free reign in China, and that developers have the ability to innovate and create new clients and protocols without too much fear of government or corporate interference.
Here in the US and pretty much anywhere else the MPAA and RIAA are allowed to have their way, content seems to take precedence over its distribution, thus hindering the development of new P2P and file-sharing services for consumers. The effect is that digital distribution is stifled to a snails pace, and that we have one of those rare cases where laws impede technological advancement and progress.
Without the approval of copyright holders groups like the RIAA and MPAA and effective content filtering mechanism in place, new P2P and file-sharing upstarts have no chance to succeed. As a result, “the finest minds,” whom Kuo says describes many of those who have entered China’s P2P services market, don’t want to get involved in their development here in the US and elsewhere. They don’t want to get embroiled in nightmarish talks with copyright holders demanding a still elusive 100% DRM protection scheme for their content, or even worse, be potentially held label for any instances of copyright infringement that the P2P service may allow to occur.
The risk is great for it means that China will inevitably be the leader in products and services that deliver content to consumers quickly and efficiently. Web 2.0 is supposed to herald a social network revolution, but so long as the creation of faster and more effective P2P – peer to peer – solutions is hampered it may mean that Web 2.0 may become a reality for some and languish as just a dream for others.
Moreover, P2P and file-sharing services is just the latest example of China’s roaring economic development and innovation and they will only get better as time goes on. China truly seems to be taking P2P to the next level.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH KAISER KUO
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Ive said it before and I will say it again. Unless the United States is willing to reform copyright and patent laws to be less restrictive they will start to loose allot of market to China. The current laws are hampering innovation at the benefit of big firms and patent sitters. Things have to change and the only way to that to happen is to have a political party with balls to do the right thing. In fact its not just the United States as he said any country willing to allow the Mpaa or RIAA some control is affected. When will someone high up see the damage all these restrictions are causing.
I would bet my left testicle over the fact that within the next 10-20 years the US will NOT be the top dog. Think about it. We have screwed ourselves so HARD that you can’t even manufacture in this country. We import literally everything we have. I mean think about it. You get up and put on your shirt made in Turkey. Sit at your desk made in China.. and get on your computer made in Taiwan… listen to your headphones made in Japan. The technology leader is China. (Which is the future.) The US currency worth goes down every year due to inflation. (1 U.S. dollar = 0.704970039 Euros) We keep making up BS laws to eff ourselves…. things just aren’t looking good for us.
Sounds about right. Although I wonder what the Chinese authorities will think of the content on offer once these P2P app.s take off given their political stance.
Maybe times are changing? Where can i download this P2p beast
You can blame the decline of innovation in p2p and technology in the US on the idiotic media mafia that has a stranglehold on lawmakers. Until they wise up in congress I am afraid technology and related jobs are going to continue to decline.
Isn’t it ironic how a locked down government like China is starting to surpass us? But realistically thinking its not like were totally free…the media lobbyists and big business control our lives.
@Zioness
especially if u consider how they go to great lengths to hold hostage be it in a closed wi-fi network or the iPhone cell phone contracts etc etc.
Well if their developing these super fast clients and protocols whats stopping it from getting out of China????
Why doesn’t someone just grab a client from a site Reverse Engineer it and create an new (maybe even improved) client for other nations???
Also although this makes China sound good don’t forget their HORRIBLE human rights record and the constant stifling of free speech free press etc.
What do you think will happen to this tech when people start viewing video’s of Tienanmen Square or speeches from the Dali Lama?
The protocols will be blocked by “the golden shield” and it’ll be considered and “Enemy of the People” and anyone caught with it will be sent to be “reeducated.”
Don’t forget the crimes that for decades these amoral oligarchs have committed against their own people just to stay in power waaaay worse then the stuff that goes on in Guantanamo Bay.
We never said they aren’t being atrocious towards their people gamer but truth be told they are more progressive with their patent and copyright restrictions which is allowing their technology sector to balloon. That innovation is unrelated to their human right issues.
@Gamer
What good is a file-sharing or P2P service if the RIAA and MPAA try to bust any US user who connects to it?
TorrentSpy KaZaA Grokster and now Usenet the land is filled with examples of the MPAA and RIAA making it so that users in the US are limited in their options and choices when it comes to P2P sites and services.
Sure check out Blin.cn but the CONTENT’s IN CHINESE for heaven’s sake and what good is a client without hosted content? Who would hosts be? Would the whole world be asked to be the servant hosts of the US so we can grab content as we please? P2P imperialism? It certainly wouldn’t be people in the US because even absolute file-sharing anonymity would merely ensure the RIAA and MPAA’s aggressive pursuit of ISP content filtering.
And the human right abuses bring up a good point in that if a country is so backward in its treatment of people as human beings then why are they so progressive in other areas? Could it be because they actually keep business and corporate interests on a short leash unlike supposed “enlightened” countries like the US? It really makes you wonder what the lesser of the two evils is – a society run according to the dictates of govt or that of big business.
Could it be that we are in fact the backward ones when it comes to the issue of copyright and intellectual property laws?
It should serve as a wake up call that maybe just maybe the US is doing something wrong. Imagine that.
I think people are jumping the gun a bit on usenet but it is true that the RIAA and MPAA think they own the US technology section which they clearly do not.
But I don’t think the battle on filesharing is over. Far from it.
In order to win this war you have to actually control every aspect of p2p….something the RIAA and MPAA will not be able to do ever.
Look at how filesharing has GROWN….not diminished……despite all these new laws and restrictions. You would think the opposite would have happened but it hasn’t.
They knock down one p2p service only to have ten more like it take it’s place….if they were smart….the RIAA would have stopped at Napster and tried to make a deal. Too late now.
No matter what they try it is simply not going to be successful….they may have victories here and there but I would say that this p2p war with the RIAA and MPAA is going about as well as the war on drugs between the drug dealers and the police!
They won’t be successful because their is no longer a need for them. The only use for them in the marketplace now is as a money lender to acts or an investment partner. No one needs the RIAA anymore for distribution so the only thing left is to help fund tours videos and merchandise. But even then they are fighting in a much bigger arena.