p2pnet news view Freedom | P2P:- The so-called file sharing issue is about a lot more than greedy corporate interests trying to rip off the people who keep them alive.

It’s about domination and control. And it’s about to emerge as a major international issue.

“The 1929 depression was solved through the repeal of prohibition. As a result of that repeal immediately breweries ordered more trucks to do deliveries, they ordered in more bottles, and they increased their orders for hops and other raw materials.

“Could it be that in time, the legalization of P2P could solve the current problems of the US, and hence, the global economy?”

That’s Chris Gilbey, a mate and partner of p2pnet contibutor Tom Koltai in a Reader’s Write responding to a fascinating article by Crosbie Fitch.

With the corporate music industry attack on The Pirate Bay front and centre, Crosbie wondered what things would look like, “if the news story was remixed to make it appear as if it related to issues that would have been familiar around 80 years ago?”

There’s no question about whether or not P2P could, “solve the current problems of the US, and hence, the global economy”.

In fact, it isn’t even a question. It’s an inevitability, and has been since the first person used Napster to share the first music file online.

Within two or three years – maybe sooner – P2P networks and technology will dominate, completely changing the faces of communication and distribution as we know them today, on and offline.

“Chris, I think you`re absolutely right,” Crosbie answers, going on »»»

P2P or distributed systems represent a revolutionary improvement in communications technology. It is an extremely Luddite notion to hold this back so the copyright cartel can continue to sell copies that no-one needs.

Given the promise of instantaneous diffusion we can move to a system of exchanging intellectual work for money, instead of parcelling it into discrete copies whose price is protected by an anachronistic monopoly.

I almost mentioned the depression as a probable consequence of handouts, but didn`t want to bring the tone down. :-/ It could well be the case that we are subject to allegorical determinism (aka psychohistory) and in being doomed to repeat history must go through a depression prior to abolition.

And while, and until, the depression resolves itself, it’ll continue to be wack-a-mole

The TPB, and the other sites, have angered the entertainment industry by opening channels of communication and distribution they don’t, and can’t, control, and under the major movie studio and record label concept of commercial enterprise in which they dominate everything under the sun, this can’t be allowed, p2pnet posted a couple of days ago, adding:

“So Hollywood, with the Big 4 immediately behind, is trying to sue The Pirate Bay out of existence, with similar sites lined up for similar treatment.

“It’s wack-a-mole. The cartels can’t win. But it looks good in the media, significant elements of whom they control directly or indirectly and once upon a time, that was enough because there were no other universally accessible sources of information.

“However, with the advent of the Net blogs, chat, IM, texting, and so on, information is now free, literally as well as metaphorically.”

And that’s what’s making the difference.

Stay tuned.

JN

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April, 2009