p2pnet - rss feed: Bram Cohen goes to Hollywood
p2pnet.net News:- BitTorrent’s Bram Cohen says he’s in negotiations with Hollywood, characterizing the talks as “friendly” and, “BitTorrent is also in discussions with two studios he declined to identify”.
Both observations come in a Mercury News story which earlier says, “now that the Supreme Court has clarified the do’s and don’ts of file-sharing, the creator of BitTorrent - which allows video and other large files to be quickly downloaded - has no reason to hide. Indeed, Cohen, 29, recently relocated from Seattle to San Francisco, and he and his chief operating officer are making the rounds on Sand Hill Road looking for venture capital for their new company, BitTorrent. They’ve forged a partnership with paid-search provider Ask Jeeves, and recently the duo flew to Burbank for high-level talks with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).”
Has Cohen ever had a “reason to hide”? And has he ever tried to do so? Be that as it may, in June, the US Supreme court clearly ruled that p2p companies can be held liable if users of their software infringe copyrights and this, one would think puts Cohen squarely in the industry’s sights.
Not, however, if he has something the movie cartel badly wants, which he clearly does. And that’s probably principally why he’s been left unmolested while the studio cartel savages online sites which rely on BitTorrent.
“Cohen’s bid to commercialize BitTorrent is a measure of how far the entertainment industry has come since the late 1990s, when Napster introduced millions of people to the power of peer-to-peer technology for downloading songs - and mobilized scores of lawyers to shut it down,” says the Mercury News.
Tell that to the BitTorrent sites Hollywood’s MPAA has closed down, disingenuously claiming they’re responsible for huge movie industry financial losses.
In reality, that the studios are only now beginning to try to get to grips with p2p technologies and practices, exemplified in their eyes by BitTorrent, is a clear indication of how retarded their efforts to enter the 21st digital century have been, and continue to be.
The studios may despise the BiTorrent sites, doing everything in their power to crush them. But the picture is very different with BitTorrent the application and Cohen the creator and developer.
“We have no aversion to peer-to-peer technology,” Darcy Antonellis, senior vp of worldwide anti-piracy for Warner Bros is quoted as saying. And he probably said it with a straight face. “For us, it is in some respects kind of a promising delivery method. We obviously have issues with its illegal uses, but to the extent that the use of the technology can be legitimized, we’re all for it.”
However, the Mercury News concludes with the bottom line:
“The trick, of course, is converting the 40 million or so people Cohen says have downloaded BitTorrent’s free software into paying customers,” it says.
And think of all those other uses and spin-offs and deals with other corporate entities, if only Cohen could be brought online.
Linspire was one of the companies to illuminate the way ahead, distributing its Linux OS with BitTorrent. And as the story points out, "BitTorrent also has reached agreements with game publishers to distribute about 1,000 licensed titles in the coming weeks" and "Blizzard Entertainment uses an enhanced version of BitTorrent to distribute software updates to the 1 million World of Warcraft players who inhabit its online virtual world. Allowing players to download from one another speeds the process significantly and saves money."
And if the studios were able to sign Cohen up, the act might also provide them with a desperately needed deodorant. Some file sharers might be tempted to think, "Is Bram now in with them? Then everything smells OK.”
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See:-
Mercury News - A whole new world of file sharing, August 1, 2005
August 1st, 2005 at 11:43 pm
i know, i know…everyone is gonna hate me as soon as they read the subject line and then start flaming me. ok, bring it on. i don’t care and i don’t reply to trolls. but at least read and think about what i’m writing:
yes, bram is a genius. obviously. he did what no-one else could do. besides creating the best-ever p2p program, he made it free and open source.
ok, he also says he never intended it to be used for so-called “illegal filesharing” and states that he has never used it in that manner himself.
that’s fine, too. i admire him for what he’s done for millions of people, as well as being available online to help and answer questions, never charging a cent for his services.
i also know that he’d been unemployed for some time and had been looking for work in the software industry.
but now it looks as if he’s getting all cozy with the cartels and the big players, and has got at least a foot in bed with them. and it looks like pretty soon one of them will be pulling the blanket up above their heads.
BitTorrent was created as open source for anyone to use. the cartels don’t have to ask bram’s permission to use it, as far as i know. i might be wrong if it’s for commercial use, but i might be right, too.
so, what happens when BT is in bed with the cartels? lots of heavy petting, groping, and finally…the average p2per gets screwed when the cartels buy the company “BitTorrent” and have the so-called “legal right” to close down every tracker, and arrest and sue as many innocent people as they wish.
at that point - and it looks like it might be much sooner than later - free BT will cease to exist and the cartels (btw, cartels are illegal by any definition) will control any and all trackers and development of BitTorrent. and then it will probably be limited to crappy wmv/wma files and loaded with drm and who know’s what else. plus, you’ll have to pay for it.
it’ll either be that, or do it the old-fashioned way: wait years - or forever - for your local tv stations, theatres, and video shops to have what you want.
ok, yes! i know! bram is free to do what he likes. he has the freedom to choose any type of employment he wants. and he deserves a good life after all the crap he’s probably had to put up with the past few years.
but doesn’t this smell fishy to anyone else? doesn’t the possible demise of free BitTorrent outrage anyone else?
doesn’t this look like a Loki-style scam? it looks that way to me.
ok, let the flaming begin!
August 2nd, 2005 at 12:30 am
I say that this could smell bad news to all of us given the situations that you presented.
August 2nd, 2005 at 12:56 am
There is no need for “flaming”. The article is dead one. Your analysis is a likely possibility, since being GPL, BT can be used by the MPAA / RIAA for commercial use WITHOUT ANY restrictions on the user. That’s what’s so great about the GPL —- it guarantees FREEDOM for the USER & DEVELOPERS. But, like you said, the RIAA / MPAA do not play fair, they do not follow the rules, and by any and all means they like to pervert and manipulate the law — not only here in America, but the rest of the world as well.
And this is what we are witnessing. It is not a “possibility”, it’s a REALITY.
August 2nd, 2005 at 2:53 am
i could be wrong but once a product is released under a open liense i don’t think you can change the rules legally in middle of the game. Bram could relase a very simlair product to bt that the riaa and mpaa can control but that us whole another issue.
August 2nd, 2005 at 3:02 am
Bittorent the company can make custom protocols for commericial enterprise and it can be proprtietary .Many open source developers release somthing as GPL to get thier name out there .
Bram worked for Valve Software on thier Steam project and He can do what he damn well likes .
If the movie industry are getting ready to set up generation of distribution and set up a online libary like Netflix whats the problem I dont mind paying $20 a month for ‘unlimited’ videos that I currently rip and burn to DVD .
If I had I had a online video libary that I could acess 24/7/365 and download to stream to my TV I wouldnt need to rip a dvd the shrink and burn it .Technology like Bittorent and LXSystems can make this a reality .
August 2nd, 2005 at 3:12 am
No flames here bro. It looks like Bram Cohen is positioning himself to Sell Us all out like those corporate scumbags at Kazaa/Sharman networks. As soon as Sharman got a hold of the big “K” they totally stuffed it with all their “commercialising” and control of it. It’s got me amazed how it’s still alive. Its dying though, because it sold everybody a malware/spyware/adware riddled con. Now it looks like similar is happening with Bittorrent with these Cartel negotiations. The millions involved must be very tempting to Cohen. I dont think any commercial/cartel cotrolled P2P will wash with the freesharing community. Simply because why it is loved so much is because it’s FREE. Now the cartels can’t trump that, no matter what application they acquire control of. Look out for the next better than bittorent P2P. Bittorent aint an end it’s a beginning, as long as the Cartel bribed Gov’ts of the world don’t pass new laws to control us.
August 2nd, 2005 at 3:20 am
this news really sucks. first napster gets screwed. then kazaa gets wrecked by crap and spyware. now the fucking freedom fighter is in talks with the friggin enemy. say it aint so. someone say it aint so.
August 2nd, 2005 at 3:55 am
hey bram! have you memorized the party line yet? well, here it is for your convenience:
“P2P is Piracy. P2P is Thievery.”
make sure you have it ready for your first press conference where you announce the sale of BitTorrent to the illegal cartels who waved millions of dollars under your nose.
August 2nd, 2005 at 4:57 am
Nope Catflap, can’t flame you either. Read too many of your past comments on things and pretty much know how you stand. You present a well reasoned and thought out post; no matter what we wish all in life isn’t flowers and candy.
I can’t blame Bram either. He has a chance to finally make his creation pay and pay in a big way.
I doubt it will be a bittorret but it will be configured along the same basis with the cartel in sole control. Businesses can indeed commission someone to create for them and I suspect this is what is going on. After all, bittorrent would be the idea way of distribution, just as it is for the p2p’ers. The cartels won’t rest until the p2p competition is gone. Doesn’t matter if they offer an equivalent or not but it looks better to the politican they have to work with if there is something legal out there to point to. If you think about it, that is exactly how the p2p sueing started. Only after there was a legal alternative.
August 2nd, 2005 at 5:08 am
All in all, I remembered when Bram Cohen first published BT. I´ve been using it since, and I still remember it would occassionally redirect to his webpage asking for Paypal. And I thought then, and I still think now, I want to help him out. I don´t have paypal, and I´m also unemployed.
But I recognize his hard work, and many others like him. And I still want to help him out. So when I´m employed, I´ve made the firm commitment that I will help him out and others like him, both financially and in spreading the word.
Free Software is a great social cause. It has helped so many people and companies. Even mega-corporations incorporate FS (GPL) including IBM, and Microsoft (yes, Microsoft), and even the notorious SCO has included it in their recent version of OpenServer.
It is a great idea, GPL, since developers and users use widgets and code from each other. But, it would be really nice for those who benefited (and can afford) to help these guys out. They need to feed their families. But, if you are like me at the moment, unable to financially help, always keep this thought in mind. So when the time comes, help out your fellow GPL programmer who has given his time to help us — If you like help out with the programs you like and found useful. But I would suggest, also help out the lesser known programs since they definitely need exposure and help.
Well that´s all I have to say. I´m working hard looking for a job. I´ve always thought about setting up a ¨Free Software Charity Foundation¨ whose aim is to assist those who contribute to the world by developing Free Software.
It´s harder than some people think. But, I also know that writing good code is hard work, so that is why I am so determined to create this FS Charity Foundation. For those who know me (and that is many), I always had ´lofty´ ideals — but, they also know that I´m an EXTREMELY dedicated person. They have learned from experience to never doubt my dedication and commitment to helping others. I am a man of my words!
August 2nd, 2005 at 5:11 am
¨By way of deception, we shall do war¨
Keep this in mind. Know who you are dealing with.
August 2nd, 2005 at 5:20 am
That is sound advice from your fellow man. Bram, take care of yourself.
I know you thought everything out, or at least tried. We know that you published BT without have ANY intentions to conceal the user´s IP address — but remember, the RIAA / MPAA are not about REASON, LOGIC, HUMANITY, SHARING, or any of those ¨trivialities¨.
Maximize your benefits from your hard work developing BT, but watch your back. Keep in mind the RIAA / MPAA are NOT your friends, they do not care for you, and they are CURRENTLY devising any ¨cunning” plan to destroy you AND your hard work.
Not if, but when the time comes, when they stab you in the back… Bram, give a shout out to the rest of the Internet community. We brothers and sisters of the global community WILL find ways to help you out.
August 2nd, 2005 at 7:25 am
You posted that as anonymous you idiot.
August 3rd, 2005 at 5:57 pm
This is another classic way of how Kazaa turned out to be. Though kazaa from the beginning was a horrible software to begin with, it still sold out and now with bittorrent there seems to be no end.
here is a question why dont the cartels make their own network and try to distribute products at a sane price? just because you set yourself in a popular network doesnt mean people will flock to it. why are some dvds being sold for $50 each in walmart while jsut a few feet away there are DVDs for $2? This isnt because of the supply.
The cartels are just trying in every way possible to get their products sold, without a reasonable way. knowing them they will buy off the network and start suing bitcomet and azueres for “copyright infirgement”.
August 3rd, 2005 at 6:58 pm
Who actually thinks the cartels getting hold of BitTorrent will be the end of it?
BitTorrent is already out there. Its not about to die by any means.
Look at Gnutella. When Justin Frankel released that AOL tried to take it down. Too late. The software was already out and has been improved by a (mostly) dedicated group of people ever since.
AFAIK Frankel doesn’t contribute to Gnutella development anymore. I haven’t seen him post on the_gdf, anyhow. Cohen giving in to the cartels (if that is even the outcome of this) isn’t going to be an end to BT.
There is the point that once the cartels get hold of BT, if they do, they might say they have this new legal technology and ‘unauthorised’ P2P should be made illegal. They’ve tried that and it hasn’t worked so far but it could end up as another weapon to present to the courts/lawmakers in the future.
September 28th, 2005 at 6:55 am
Bram Cohen’s a hippy.
Pock.