Peer to Peer [P2P] traffic is the stowaway traffic of the net. It is latency and QoS insensitive, and happy to fill the unused capacity of broadband connections. The big growth rate on the chart below gives P2P the illusion of being important- the reality is it is just being efficient. P2P is using the [...]

Video-sharing website YouTube quietly launched a new service Friday that allows members to instantly record a video to the site rather than having to pre-record a clip and upload it. The service, dubbed Quick Capture, uses a computer’s built-in or plugged-in webcam to record the video with the help of a Flash-based interface. Flash is [...]

A new report from the Open Society Institute makes a number of recommendations for the future of European copyright law, aimed at making sure that user’s rights are harmonized across the continent. Right now, every nation in the Union has to set out the same minimum rights for copyright holders, but the rights they give [...]

Gamers love Sony Corp.’s (6758.T) new PlayStation 3 for its graphic capabilities and firepower, but the advanced Blu-ray DVD drive is annoying some by raising the cost, slowing production and forcing them to buy into a format they’ve not yet aligned with. Sony’s move to put a Blu-ray drive into the PS3 video game console [...]

Most business computers in North America do not meet the minimum requirements to implement Microsoft’s new Windows Vista operating system software, according to a new report. The analysis released on Thursday by the Toronto-based Softchoice Corp. found that half of the business PCs being used in North America today are incapable of handling Vista’s needs. [...]

Paul McCartney, U2 and Eric Clapton joined thousands of other musicians Thursday in an appeal to the government to extend the British copyright protection on their recordings. The performers took out a full-page advertisement in the Financial Times newspaper calling for “fair play for musicians,” in response to a report recommending that the government maintain [...]

In Chicago, Illinois, a Kazaa customer has filed a class action against Kazaa, Lewan v. Sharman, U.S.Dist. Ct., N.D. Ill 06-cv-6736. The lead plaintiff, Catherine Lewan, was a Kazaa customer who was sued by the RIAA for her use of Kazaa, and paid a settlement to the RIAA. In her complaint she alleges, among other [...]

Less than a month after the troubled launch of its PlayStation 3, Sony has rolled out its new high definition DVD recorder in Japan as it struggles to restore its tarnished reputation. In a replay of the VHS-Betamax battle between two types of video cassette tape in the late 1970s, two different DVD formats are [...]

The days of burning songs onto a CD for a friend is fast becoming a a thing of the past. With new cell-phones coming equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology, swapping music has never been easier or more prevalent. The main concern for the music industry has been the swapping of music online but, apparently new [...]

There’s a rumor going around that Google is investing a major stake in a Chinese P2P startup called Xunlei1 (or Thunder). Xunlei is reported to have between 75 million to 100 million downloads of its software, and has raised previous funding from Morningside2 and IDG Ventures3. The rumor is that Google, along with Ceyuan Ventures4, [...]

It seems like everybody’s trying to legit these days and apparently uTorrent is no exception. A few days ago Azureus 3.0 BETA was released to mixed reviews over it’s new Zudeo service. Zudeo is seemingly an attempt by Azureus to begin offering paid content for download via the clint server. In fact, Azureus is seemingly [...]

At the Credit Suisse Media and Telecom Week Conference the other day, records execs discussed profit margins, music publishing, and digital growth. Amidst all the hoopla, the most interesting comment was made by Vivendi CFO, Jacques Espinasse, who said that “The erosion of physical sales…is more than compensated by (digital , and)…the long-term trend is [...]

After its previously failed attempts at attracting consumers, it was announced yesterday that the EVD, or Enhanced Versatile Disc, is being rereleased in a new massive campaign to promote the alternative Chinese technology. It was first released in 2003 but, was later later dropped due to a lack of demand from consumers and also because [...]

With all the portable devices out now, there is a wave of video storage devices that have crossed my path. I read about them, see commercials and notice the sales papers that advertise them. If you are looking for a portable video player during this time of year, let me show you a few choices [...]

The Zune player has had reviews left and right but now we’re being told that 100 Zune’s have been colored pink. The Zune has been touted as the “iPod killer” and the jury is still out on that but Zune is trying hard to get ahead in that race. This limited edition color is only [...]

France’s first international news channel has been launched into competition with BBC World and CNN. France 24 was unveiled on the internet at on Wednesday evening, and will launch on satellite and cable TV 24 hours later. The channel has the backing of French President Jacques Chirac, who despaired at the lack of an outlet [...]

Although the Zune has fallen some in the sales ranks, Microsoft says it expects to sell more than 1 million of the music players by the end of June. The software maker said Wednesday it was pleased with response to the device, which debuted at No. 2 in research firm NPD’s weekly sales ranks, but [...]

In recent arguments over the constitutionality of the Child Online Protection Act, both sides have argued over the efficiency of Internet blocking software. While COPA would prohibit commercial U.S. websites from publishing freely available material that is “harmful to minors”, the ACLU has argued that blocking software is a far more effective alternative, since among [...]

Andrew Gowers, former editor of the Financial Times, has spent the last year heading up a committee looking into intellectual property laws in the UK. The final report was made public today, and it offers 54 policy recommendations to the government. As is usually the case when someone tries to balance the rights of producers [...]

Privately-held Oz Communications, a maker of wireless messaging technologies, will announce on Wednesday a new product allowing people to access social network sites over their cellphones. Oz will offer a technology that lets cellphone companies and handset makers load a connection to social networking sites onto phones in a bid to capitalize on the growth [...]