No Revolution

What is a BitTorrent? And why does the MPAA *hate* it so, so much?
BitTorrent is a P2P [illicit file sharing] system that makes transfering large files (or groups of files) [like entire movies] amongst a large group of people easy, fast and efficient.

The BitTorrent network is set up in a way that is a little different than a normal P2P ["peer to peer"] network [like Kazaa or the old Napster]. With this network, you really don't do any searching for files that the other users have using the client as you would with traditional clients like Kazaa [or the old Napster].

... Instead you find a listing of "Torrents" which are simply links on a Web site, a Blog or a Newsgroup. You use a small, free application that converts that "Torrent"/link into a download "stream" from the "Torrent" network, which is itself composed solely of the PCs of the other users on the network ... locally, nationally and globally.

[I understand that you are now glazed over in the stupor of hearing too much tech speak ... sorry 'bout that but there is no other way around this.]

So the MPAA can't shut the network down. Unlike the RIAA's successful eradication of the original Napster. Why? Because the network is distributed among all the users. There is NO centralized "server" where, presumably, some person or persons could be raided, loaded into court and prosecuted.

It's a totally democratic file sharing system that is literally composed of its constituent parts. AND it's far faster than the MP3 file trading networks (such as Kazaa, Gnutella and Limewire, etc.). SO people are swapping MOVIES all over this sucker. And the MPAA is going bonkers.

Oh yeah, and the FCC can't do anything about it. Remember ... no central servers = no culprits.