Peer-to-Peer Technology and the Copyright Crossroads

Abstract

The introduction of peer-to-peer technology has posed enormous challenges for traditional copyright law. Whereas historically copyright holders could preserve their core economic markets by pursuing a fairly limited set of commercial actors, peer-to-peer technologies decentralize content distribution and make it possible for anyone with a computer to disseminate infringing content around the world. In the struggle to find a solution to the peer-to-peer crisis, courts and policymakers have considered a number of alternatives, from abandonment of copyright law to a wholesale restructuring of its entitlement structure. This chapter explains why peer-to-peer technology presents such a challenge for copyright, and explores some of the pending proposals to solve the current dilemma.