Digital Rights Management for Untrusted Peer-to-Peer Networks

Abstract

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have proliferated and become ubiquitous. A school of thought has emerged that harnessing the established user-base and ease of content dissemination of such networks presents a potentially lucrative opportunity. However, content creators have been reluctant to adopt P2P networks as a distribution vehicle since these networks are plagued with piracy. This chapter focuses on developing a solution for distributing digital content in P2P networks in a way that established businesses and amateur artists alike can profit. We propose a content distribution system that employs Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies and is independent of the underlying P2P network. Our system relies on innovative uses of security technologies to deter piracy. In addition, we include various non-technical features that encourage users to “play by the rules”.