back to article AT&T patents P2P content tracking system

AT&T says it has developed the ability to accurately track content being shared by P2P file-sharing networks like BitTorrent, and has received a patent for the technique. According to the patent filing, “the method monitors a number of times each content title of a plurality of content titles are downloaded in the peer-to-peer …

COMMENTS

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  1. mIRCat
    Trollface

    Just when you could use one.

    Where, oh where did all of the patent trolls go?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Spy

      Now someone has found a more effective way to spy on you, this isn't just about catching pirates, this is about knowing what you are doing, when you are doing it and selling on the data to anyone who will pay.

      Just Another spy program.

  2. ecofeco Silver badge
    Facepalm

    The irony is chewy

    One of the world's top communications giants doesn't understand how the Internet really works.

    It was designed to survive nuclear war and it re-routes around disconnections or obstacles.

    But that's OK. The parallel Internet is in full swing. http://principalityofwestantarctic.com/westantarctic/parallel-internet-it-can-be-done.html

    And what fun they are going to have when the full switch to IPv6 happens!

  3. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    404: Memory not found

    Seems they forgot the prior art that is a typical computer architecture — that is, devices that communicate with a host processor and each other via memory mapped I/O.

  4. frank ly

    Once again, patenting the obvious

    If I know how p2p and torrent systems work, and I am in the position of being able to monitor and analyse the traffic; then of course I can do this. It's not difficult to figure out.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    As long as it works properly, it's good

    Perhaps this will be useful in prosecuting pirates and facilitators of piracy? If so it's a good thing. If it was so obvious someone else would have developed and patented it before AT&T. It may be obvious after the fact but that's a dollar short and a day late.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: As long as it works properly, it's good

      That was very slow for a copyright cartel shill to post. Usually there are a few of them first on such a post - after all, they are paid to do it!

      No one should be prosecuted for non profit making sharing of content. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeTybKL1pM4

      1. Arctic fox
        Trollface

        Re:"That was very slow for a copyright cartel shill to post"..........It is possible that......

        ...............he actually means it and posts that sort of thing for free. Though I have to say that I find that possibility rather worrying!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: As long as it works properly, it's good

      Sanctimonious Wally, do you really think its about catching pirates?

      This is about you and me and what that data is worth to a third party, you are the commodity.

    3. Potemkine Silver badge
      Paris Hilton

      Re: As long as it works properly, it's good

      "Perhaps this will be useful in prosecuting pirates and facilitators of piracy? If so it's a good thing."

      Why?

      1. Danny 14
        Pirate

        Re: As long as it works properly, it's good

        not sure how it will stop african pirates. they are a menace to honest shipping.

      2. No Piracy

        Re: As long as it works properly, it's good

        It's a good thing because software piracy accounts for a large amount of the lost revenue for both companies and consumers, as well as endangering the security of computers. Don’t be a complacent observer of this crime. If there is software piracy happening at your company, report it to the BSA: http://nopiracy.net/10LA2PM.

  6. SteveK

    Idle pondering

    "AT&T's patent is for crawling search engines and RSS feeds for torrent titles"

    If your torrent-hosting website has T&Cs that forbid AT&T access, or crawling, or whatever other legalese is appropriate, would that make this inadmissible if it went to court, or you were accused of accessing it?

  7. pierce
    Devil

    so will AT&T be going around sueing the copyright troll lawyers like Lesko etc who rely on these exact sort of torrent tracking systems to build their bulk lawsuits ?

  8. RjBradlow
    Mushroom

    ... Insert Foot

    OK guys,

    @ ecofeco:

    ... "It was designed to survive nuclear war and it re-routes around disconnections or obstacles."

    The problem with your theory is all the poor saps using AT&T to connect to any given network.

    AT&T is a ISP and their modems are in countless households and business', so unless the paralell internet is bringing a wire or WiFI frequencies to everyone's door, they will first have to pass through AT&T's modem, and then traverse their Snooping network to their DNS servers and beyond.

    While a Tor network could help, it will end up being blocked by traditional internet service providers and will most certainly raise red flags on anyone who tries:

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/06/21/nsa_spooks_can_pry_on_your_encrypted_emails/

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/06/21/gchq_nsa_spooks/

    Here's my cat out of the bag:

    Private encrypted WiFi Mesh networks intermingled with Microwave radio realy links and DNS DC's incorporating a Tor network would provide a true paralell and independent Internet should certain tyranical forces yank our current infrastructure. ... WMAN / WiMAX for metropolitan areas.

    Food for thought... Start planning.

    1. Suricou Raven

      Re: ... Insert Foot

      You'll need to throw in a distributed CAN/Cache too, otherwise the first viral video is going to bring half the network down.

  9. AxelF
    FAIL

    Downloading a torrent is part of this patent?

    Surely, if AT&T download a torrent (as the patent would suggest) they are as guilty as anyone of downloading the infringing, copyrighted software?

    1. g e
      Holmes

      Re: Downloading a torrent is part of this patent?

      Ohhh but their hat is white and there's a poor likelihood of getting a payout from them for the MAFIAA.

      So they're allowed.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So...

    deny from <ip of AT&T>

    ...in a .htaccess file, gotcha.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Er, this isn't going to work is it?

    This might catch anyone using the Pirate Bay, but how on earth would it work for private trackers?

    Unless of course, it's not *really* about torrenting, but something altogether more sinister?

  12. Anonymous Noel Coward
    Pirate

    On the plus side, this is patented by AT&T

    So since nobody else will be able to use it, just change from AT&T to a less shitty ISP!

  13. XioNYC

    Where are the patent trolls when you want them?

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