Open-Source P2P Projects Keep Swapping
via CNet (07/15/05); Borland, John
May the happy swapping continue until we drop dead!
Independent open-source file-swapping projects have not been muzzled by the Supreme Court's recent ruling that commercial file-trading companies that encourage copyright infringement by users could be liable for digital piracy, although the court case has been a topic for discussion among open-source programmers. Freenet founder Ian Clarke says commercial peer-to-peer (P2P) software developers are likely to be the ones most affected by the court's decision. "Even then, the impact is really to make them more careful about what they say both within their companies and externally about aspirations for their software," he notes. Many open-source programming projects are decentralized and do not generate revenues, although the file-swapping software they produce is similar in function and popularity to that used by commercial P2P software distributors. Intellectual property lawyer Jeffrey Neuburger argues that open-source developers could be deemed legally responsible for copyright infringement if they are not careful. Few open-source programmers seem willing to halt their projects, although some are taking pains not to appear as through they are endorsing copyright infringement. Still, it is hard to deny that many of the most prominent P2P concepts and products, such as BitTorrent, sprang from open-source projects. BitTorrent is a popular file-swapping tool, but its use for sanctioned activities, such as the distribution of open-source operating system files, is increasing.